《Professor Kal》


 Chapter 1 - Success (Edited)

    "Finally! After all these years!" A grating voice echoed in a large laboratory.


    A robed figure was standing in the middle of a large magic circle, ancient runes engraved on the floor. He was holding a large gem; runes were also engraved on the surface. The runes caused the blue gem to surge with magical power, wisps of light swirling on the inside.


    With a wave of his hand, the robed figure summoned a skeleton. The skeleton broke through the stone floor as if escaping from a subterranean burial mound. As soon as the skeleton took its final step out of the floor it mended itself as if nothing had happened.


    The sound of two boulders rubbing against each other came from the robed figured voice. "Go to the garden, bring me half a fist of yew shavings and just a few grams of lavender."


    The skeleton nodded, then trotted off into the halls of the underground lair. The robed figure skimmed around the edges of the magic circle, checking, and double checking the engraved runes. Still holding the glowing blue gem, he bent down to brush some dust off the edges of the circle, then nodded in satisfaction. Soon, the click clack of bones on stone was heard from behind him, the skeleton had brought the required ingredients.


    Taking them from his summons, he waved his hand once more, the skeleton melding into the stone floor without a sound. He placed the gem in the center of the circle, being mindful not to disturb the engraving. He stuffed some yew shavings, along with the lavender, into a large pipe. Sprinkling some tobacco on top, then proceeded to light it and draw in the calming mixture.


    Khorag hadn''t felt nervous in hundreds, maybe thousands of years but today, his bones were clanking against each other. Today, all his hard work, his countless years of experiments, centuries of trial and error, would come to fruition; or he would die. When he set out on this journey, he was just a newborn Lich. He was maybe only five hundred at the time. The world was at war, wizards and witches were fighting against the undead. A never-ending struggle that claimed countless lives.


    Khorag never bothered himself with the outside world, none of the Liches really did. The world took notice of them though. Being undead put targets on their backs, many of his acquaintances were being hunted down and killed before his eyes, their phylacteries shattered or burned. That is what drove him into hiding, and to begin his research into solving his only weakness.


    Before he hid, the Undead King had started to fight back against the ''heroes'' that made it their sole purpose to kill his subjects. Cities burned, famine, disease, strife, were unleashed onto the world, making the war even worse. Heroes were sacrificing themselves to stop the Undead King, burning their souls for explosive power.


    That was the last he knew before beginning his research. He had been cut off from the outside world, not receiving any updates on the war. He didn''t even know how long he had been in his lab. It felt like a long while, but time didn''t have much of a meaning to him. He just hoped that his research bore fruit, that his only weakness would be solved, making him truly immortal.


    Once his dried-up nerves had been settled, he cleaned his pipe, then set it off to the side. He took position on the perimeter of the magic circle, clearing his long-neglected throat. After a short pause, he began to chant. The words were an ancient tongue, not many knew of their origins, let alone the proper pronunciation. He spoke it fluently, like most all the languages of the world.


    The runes in the magic circle started to flash, barely visible, even in the near total darkness of the laboratory. The more of the ancient verses he spoke, the brighter the light was flashing from the runes. If anyone was to hear Khorag, they would find the words he was speaking to sound like a song, a song that was being sung by the wails of the damned. His voice would be so low that it was almost inaudible, then go so high as to make you wince in pain.


    Soon, the crescendo of the spell arrived, Khorag''s black robe fluttering in a torrent of wind whipping through his lab. A tear in the fabric of space opened above the blue, rune engraved gem. Its jagged edges opening and closing slowly, almost as if it was a breathing, living being. A red and black light could be seen on the other side, the red light trying to overpower the black that was sucking it in just as fast as the red light was being made. A never-ending power struggle between the two.


    A few more haunting words came from his dusty mouth, causing the gem to gently lift off the ground. It continued to rise, navigating towards the rip in space. If the undead could sweat, Khorag would be swimming. His very soul was inside the gem, the swirls of light being the physical manifestation. Should the gem be destroyed, he would quickly follow. He didn''t know what would happen but was willing to risk it all.


    The gem broke through the invisible membrane that separated the tear in space from the ''real'' world. The two lights entered an armistice, both surrounding the alien artifact, keeping their distance. The red light was the first to act, sending tendrils of red light, probing the gem. Khorag could feel the heat and the pressure deep inside his mind. The black light joined the red, exploring the foreign intruder. Its touch was cold, causing Khorag to feel fatigued, something he had long forgotten how to feel.


    He dropped to one bony knee, his strength almost leaving him. He never stopped chanting though, should he stop, the tear would close and retrieving his phylactery would be impossible should something go wrong. He watched as the two lights'' tendrils caressed every inch of the gem, not attacking each other, only focusing on the gem.


    After what felt like hours, but only seconds had passed, the two lights'' tendrils started to retract, only for the gem to create a suctioning force, similar to a black hole. Not being able to retrieve their probing tendrils, the two lights both besieged the gem, causing Khorag great pain. He didn''t retrieve his phylactery, he waited to see if his theory was correct.


    The attacks from the red and black light caused the gem to hum, increasing the force dragging the lights into itself. As the light continued to enter the gem, Khorag could feel his soul brimming with energy. The red light gave him so much power his soul was on the verge of exploding. The heat was almost unbearable, that was until the black light started to be overcome with the force, pulling it in as well. The black light offset the red, adding its cold void to Kho rag''s soul, allowing him to use the red light''s power as his own.


    He started to laugh, the feeling of power coursing through his dried-up veins felt immensely pleasurable. Although the pain was still there, he continued his peel of mirth. Having stopped chanting, he allowed the fissure to slowly heal, watching as his phylactery soaked up the two opposing energies. As the tear sewn itself back together, the lights in the magic circle dimmed as well. Soon, the laboratory was back to its original darkness.


    "This is wonderful, even better than I had hoped." Khorag said, looking at his withered arms start to pulse with life.


    "It''s unexpected though, to bring my withered husk of a body some semblance of life. No bother, with my phylactery hidden in the separate plane, no one will ever be able to kill me. Also, with the constant supply of energy, my power has become unimaginable!"


    Although it was much more distant, he could still feel the constant influx of power entering his phylactery from the alien plane. Before, if he wanted to increase his power, he had to find either a few humans or many more animals, then take their souls to power his own. This was not only troublesome, but also drew much attention to his actions. Now, he no longer needed to worry about finding human batteries to recharge, he had a never-ending supply.


    With just a thought, he summoned two skeletons out of the stone floor. He nodded his head in satisfaction, before he had to chant the words in his head to complete the summoning, now just a single thought was needed. He was very pleased with this; he was in a great mood.


    "Go, prepare to go to the surface, it''s time to see the outside world!" He ordered, the two skeletons scampering off to prepare his things.


    Even though he was a lich and loved to hole himself up in his lab to do research, after such a long time, even he was feeling the isolation. He was considered the least crazy of the liches he knew, often being the butt of many of their jokes. He was known to avoid experimenting on humans, using animals most of the time. Humans were much better at being test subjects, either in magical or body modifications. The other liches just couldn''t understand why he would make it harder on himself when it came to collecting test subjects.


    It wasn''t because he was repulsed by the idea of experimenting on humans, it''s just that he knew better. Take too many, or the wrong one, and then you''ll have a whole village of people banging on your laboratory doors. This was the main reason he had seen so many of his peers hunted down and killed, he learned from their mistakes.


    "I hope Ronald is still alive, he said my idea was crazier than Old Kushim. Now I can rub it in his smug face, Ha!"


    Soon, the two skeletons returned, one was holding a traveling pack, the other a gnarled black staff. He cast cleansing magic on himself, still tickled that it didn''t require a chant, grabbed his staff and pack, then headed towards the entrance. His underground lab was quite large but didn''t have many rooms. The lab itself was in the back, furthest underground, and where he would spend the majority of his time.


    Right off the lab was the library, shelves reached high, touching the ceiling that was some thirty feet high. The room was so deep that you would have trouble seeing the end. Thousands and thousands of books sat quietly, waiting for the day they would be picked up and read. He would regularly visit, picking a few books relevant to his experiments, casting preservative magic on the rest.


    The largest room was his garden, it housed the equivalent of fifty acres of arable land. An artificial sun hung in the sky, providing the rare herbs and trees sustenance. This was his most outstanding achievement, until today. To be able to recreate the sun, to find the right balance of all the energies that made up the star took him half a millennium to complete and was the only one he knew of. He paused, appreciating his work, watching the skeletons till the land, taking care of some of the world''s rarest ingredients. He was certain that there wasn''t an herb that he didn''t house here. Many of them were the last of their kind in existence, making this a treasure trove.


    This was the end of his humble abode, right outside was the hidden entrance, separating this world from the outside one. He stood tall, his withered flesh sticking to his bones. He summoned a wall of water, its surface growing still, making a perfect mirror. It had been such a long time since he looked into a mirror, he had forgotten what he looked like. It had been even longer since he was alive. Looking into the still water, he just saw a skull with skin stretched over it, like a mummy. The light in his empty sockets used to be a soft, wispy blue, but now it was a mixture of red and black encased in a shell of stark blue light.


    He knew he couldn''t walk around with his current appearance. He could use a cloaking spell, or an illusion to hide his undeath, but he wanted an even better disguise. With just a thought, his stretched, dry skin, started to bubble. It looked like worms were writhing around underneath. Color started to come back to his pale white skin that hadn''t seen the sun in countless years.


    The flames in his eyes were replaced by flesh, green eyes looking back at him in the mirror. His flesh was now plump and rosy, not a trace of his Lich-hood remained. His brown hair hung in his eyes, causing him to brush it to the side. His face was handsome, but not so much as to remember him. His build average, not too tall or short. He could blend in with a crowd, not standing out at all.


    "Not bad, not bad at all." He said, turning his head in the mirror.


    "I don''t even feel the slightest strain keeping this form. This is just too wonderful; I could stay like this forever!" He smiled in the mirror, showcasing his perfect teeth.


    Cloaking would be the easiest to do, it required just bending the light, making him invisible. It was a simple spell, with very little mana expenditure. An illusion would be the opposite, bending the light in other ways, making him appear different than he really was. This required more mana but was good at fooling people from a distance and was quick to cast. The only downside was if you were inspected up close, it would change the appearance, but not the actual body.


    What he did was use mana and converted it to actual matter, putting flesh on his bones. This was very mana expensive, usually he could only sustain it for half a day, but he could fool any test thrown at him. It was because he would have an actual living body, there was no difference between him and any other human. Now, with his phylactery supplying him power from the other plane, he had endless energy supplying his transformation, he could keep it indefinitely.


    Impressed with himself, he patted himself on the back mentally, then chanted the words allowing the entrance to be revealed. The wall started to shake, small pebbles and mounds of dirt falling from the ceiling. A door three feet wide and seven feet tall slid into a recess in the wall, without knowing of its existence, any passerby would never find it, no matter how long they searched. Centuries of overgrowth and roots blocked the entrance, causing him to be a little puzzled.


    He had built his lair on the side of a small hill, deep in the north of a little explored continent. There were no trees or bushes, just wide-open plains with a few boulders and wandering wolves. Now not only were there roots, but the entrance was completely sealed off with dirt.


    Not wanting to dig it out himself, Kho rag summoned two golems from the stone floor and ordered them to dig. Transforming their arms into large shovels, the seven-foot-tall golems started to excavate the entrance. The dirt and pieces of root started to pile up behind the two golems. Khorag cast some dimensional magic, sending the dirt to his garden, where it would be put to good use.


    After they had dug in a straight line for six feet or so, daylight broke in from the surface. Streams of light, the first natural sunlight he had seen since before he could remember, struck him in the face. The golems evened out the passageway, making it easy to traverse, then stood to the side waiting for further orders. Khorag took slow, measured steps until he was fully out in the open, letting his eyes adjust to the light.


    It was warm outside, his mana infused skin feeling comfortable in the breeze. Birds were chirping, and small animals were climbing the tall trees that surrounded him. He shielded his eyes, looking up at the treetops, several hundred feet high. He was in the middle of a forest, a vast difference to what he remembered going into seclusion.


    "I think I was away much longer than I thought." He said, shrugging his shoulders.


    "Reinforce the tunnel, then stand guard. I''ll be back when I''m back." He ordered the two stone golems that were standing silently.


    After sealing up his home, he took off in a random direction, ready to explore. After being engrossed so long in his research, he was anxious to find out what new things there were to study. He figured after so long, many exciting breakthroughs must have happened.. He had a matte-black staff in his hand and a pack on his back, along with his plain black robe, made him look a little strange, but he had never really cared what he looked like, and he wasn''t about to start now.

 Chapter 2 - Shambling Mounds (Edited)

    The only problem with having living flesh, was that it behaved as such. Khorag was starting to sweat, and he didn''t like it. He''d been walking for a few hours, his stamina was infinite, so at least he wouldn''t grow tired. He cast low grade ice armor around himself, forming a thin layer of flexible ice on his skin that looked like scales. It was an elementary spell; most mages would learn first thing. It provided good defense at a very low mana cost, helping to keep them alive. The chill from the ice armor cooled his living body down enough to stop sweating.


    He could have changed the makeup of his artificial body to just not have sweat glands, but each individual thing he changed would cause unknown side effects on other parts of his body. If he edited out sweat glands, then his skin would look unnaturally smooth. He didn''t want that, so could only cast the ice armor spell.


    While walking, he took in his surroundings. What was wide open plains before, now was a lush forest, full of wildlife. Tall trees were dominant, towering over him at hundreds of feet tall. He figured that a forest this size would need at least a few hundred years to grow. He was certain that the war would be over by now, he just didn''t know who had won. The undead winning or losing didn''t concern him, he really just cared about his research and finding new things to study. Although the undead winning would make his travels much easier.


    After walking for a few more hours, and not finding any signs of civilization, he decided to cast a life detection spell hoping to find some clues. An invisible pulse radiated from him in the shape of a sphere. Be it buried in the ground, to flying high in the sky, any living thing within one mile would be revealed to him, at least that was what was supposed to happen. The sphere expanded much further than one mile, continuing on for twenty miles until he willed it to stop. He didn''t know how far it could reach but decided to evaluate his new potential at another time because he had found what he was looking for.


    He quickly summoned a skeletal horse, emerging out of the ground, pushing out a large mound of dirt as it did so. Its bones still had bits of flesh and fur clinging to them like macabre tassels swinging with each movement of the nightmarish horse. Purple flames were licking the edges of its hollow eye sockets, standing out against the ever-approaching darkness of night.


    Khorag pat the skull of the undead mount, eliciting a snort of flame that lit up the surroundings. He mounted his summons and started off in the direction of the lifeforce he sensed. He found several humans about ten miles away, they were stationary, most likely setting up camp for the night. The only odd thing he sensed was the minute number of magical beasts.


    Magical beasts, or ''monsters'' as humans called them, were any creature that had been mutated by mana. They ranged from goblins to dragons, from treants to fairies. He sensed a gaggle of goblins deep inside the forest, a few treants here and there, but that was all. Before he started his research, you couldn''t throw a rock without hitting a monster. Now, there seemed to be very few, at least around here.


    After galloping through the forest, he was approaching the group of people. He dismounted his steed, dropping onto the forest floor. He wanted to walk up to the group, if he rode in on his nightmare steed it was certain to cause problems. He smoothed out the wrinkles on his black robe before blending into the night and making his way over to them.


    There were more than twenty people, mostly sitting around a fire, some setting up tents. Several carriages were parked nearby and the horses pulling them were eating out of feed bags around their snouts. Some of the people had on armor, and swords were hanging from their hips, they were the ones that were mostly setting up tents or patrolling the area. The others looked like merchants, with fancy clothes and accessories.


    "Halt, who goes there?" A guard said, unsheathing his sword as Khorag approached from the dark forest.


    Khorag put on his biggest, most sincere smile, trying to ignore the sensation of his skin stretching. He held up one hand and waved, disarming any hostility.


    "Hello there, friend. I''m just a lone mage, trying to find the closest city. I was hoping you fine people could help me out." He said, his voice cracking slightly.


    He chose to reveal himself as a mage, they were highly respected, and would allow him to receive preferential treatment. In his time, mages weren''t rare, almost anyone could become one, it just required a little effort. Unsurprisingly though, many people couldn''t stick with it, limiting the number of mages. Either way, once you were one, people would respect you.


    "Mage my hairy ass." The man said as a few more of his comrades joined him, surrounding Khorag.


    The smile instantly disappeared from his face, this was his first human interaction, it wasn''t off to a good start.


    "If you''re a mage, what are you doing tromping through the forest at this time of day? Mages are holed up in their ivory towers, sucking the life out of us common folk." The man asked, anger clear in his voice. The others were nodding in agreement, their hands on their weapons.


    "Things must have really changed." Khorag mumbled to himself, furrowing his brows.


    "What''d you say? Huh? We don''t need you here, you can walk your happy ass back into the forest." He shouted, the other men unsheathing their swords.


    "Haaaa, it can''t be helped." Khorag said, faux disappointment on his face.


    He slammed his staff into the ground in front of him then lifted both his hands parallel to the ground on either side of the staff. The staff stayed erect, standing by itself. This scene caused the guards to back off a step, their hair rising up on the back of their necks. Without any more movement from Khorag, the ground to either side of him started to swell. The dirt raising up into two small hills, about six feet high.


    Two monstrosities emerged from the soil. They were over seven feet tall, hulking bodies bent over with their forelimbs on the ground. Their bodies were made of vines and leaves, gaping maws filled with sharp thorns, dripping sap as they opened and closed. Colorful mushrooms sprouted from atop their heads, releasing poisonous spores into the night air.


    "Leave one alive." Khorag said in his original voice, booming in the still night air.


    Taking large steps forward, the two shambling mounds dug their vines into the forest floor. The guards back stepped in horror, some even dropping their swords in an attempt to run away. The ones that ran were killed first, the vines erupted from the ground, entwining them. Small roots sprouted from the vines, digging into their flesh. They screamed in pain as their bodily fluids were sucked from their bodies.


    Their comrades could only look on helplessly as they were used as fertilizer for the monsters. The bodies now devoid of any moisture, were brittle, and began to fall apart. Overtaken by anger, the remaining six guards rushed the monsters, striking at the vines with their swords. The swords cut deep into the vines, severing many of them. Seeing progress, they attacked even more fervently, but with each breath, only brought themselves closer to death.


    The spores from the mushrooms growing on the shambling mounds had filled the air. The guards started to strain to breath, soon, they halted their desperate attacks, clutching their chests. Dropping to their knees, coughing, gasping for air, their eyes went wide with pain. It felt as if their bodies were being devoured from the inside out, and that was exactly what was happening. The spores used the warm, moist environment of their lungs to germinate. Growing rapidly, they put significant outward pressure on their bodies.


    In synchronizing explosions, their chests burst open from the pressure, blood spewing in all directions. Their ribs spread wide like a bouquet of bones, vibrantly colored mushrooms rapidly blooming from the inside. As the bodies were overtaken by the mushrooms, the vines that were severed had already regrown, putting the shambling mounds back in fighting condition.


    There were only a few more guards left standing, shaking, trying to put up a strong front. They were standing in front of the merchants who were trembling equally. The shambling mounds moved closer and closer to their prey, performing the orders they were given.


    In a few more minutes, only one merchant was left alive. Khorag decided to question a merchant, figuring they would be more enlightened about the current state of the world. He was kneeling on the ground, surrounded by the withered husks of his friends and guards they had hired. Tears streamed from his eyes, staining the ground as they fell. He couldn''t control his shaking, taking short breaths between each sob.


    "P. p. pplease...don''t...k.k. kkill me." He squeaked out, in a barely audible voice.


    "We''ll start with an easy one. What year is it?" Khorag asked, completely ignoring the pleas of the sobbing man.


    "P. p. pplease...don''t...k.k. kkill me." The man repeated in the same tone, clearly in shock.


    Khorag rubbed the bridge of his nose, if he could get headaches he would have one right now. The man in front of him was a mess, interrogating him wouldn''t tell him a thing. He was also almost positive that the man had defecated in his pants but didn''t want to get close enough to find out for sure.


    "Eh, whatever." He said in defeat, before placing his fleshy hand on the man''s forehead, at arm''s length of course.


    He started to use magic to read the man''s mind. It was much easier than playing twenty questions but could only tell him the man''s more recent memories, nothing too deep. The other side effect would be that the man''s brain would turn to mush as the mana ripped the memories from the neurons. The man started to convulse, and his eyes rolled into the back of his head, showing the whites of his eyes.


    After a minute or so, he got what he wanted. He took his hand away, allowing the man to fall to the ground, dying. Khorag started to rub his chin in thought, he learned a little from the man, but not a whole lot. It had been two-thousand years since he had last graced the surface, quite a bit longer than what he had thought.


    The undead king must have lost the war, there were no memories associated with the undead. The lack of monsters worried him as well, the man had never encountered any, at least in recent memory. Scanning that man''s sorry excuse for a brain, only gave him more questions than answers. The most useful piece of information was that the nearest city was only a day''s horse ride away.


    Making up his mind, Khorag looted the corpses of the fallen, taking any coins he could find. He wasn''t lacking money, not in the least, but he couldn''t go around spending gold coins that had been out of circulation for the last two millennia.


    Standing back up and patting his robe to dislodge any dirt that might have found its way onto it, Khorag unsummoned the two shambling mounds. The vines that made up their bodies slowly and silently melded into the forest floor.


    Instead of summoning a flying mount, he decided to ''liberate'' one of the horses from the recently deceased. The horse was a little unruly, but soon gave in to Khorag''s charmˇ­ spell.. Without a look back at the mound of corpses behind him, Khorag and horse made their way down the dark and empty road.

 Chapter 3 - Fear

    Khorag was sitting atop his trusty steed, looking down at the city sprawled out in front of him. It was a medium sized city, covering a large expanse of land. Soot filled smoke dirtied the sky, turning it from clear blue to a hazy brown. A wall made of earth and timber encircled the city, protecting it from the outside world.


    "This place is worse than what that poor fellow remembered. Stinks too, oh well, off we go." He said, patting the side of Dugong, the horse, urging him forward.


    He named the horse just for fun, plus with its droopy eyes and long neck, it looked like a Dugong. Dugong trudged forward, Khorag swaying side to side, keeping his balance. The city walls were getting bigger in his vision, soon, it was all he could see.


    The city gates were open, there were no long lines, only two guards lazily leaning against the wall. Khorag ignored them as Dugong continued on. He made it just inside the gate when one of the two guards stopped him.


    "Hold it there pal, need to pay the fee to enter." The guard said, spitting on the muddy ground.


    He was dressed in cheap leather armor, with an even cheaper sword on his waist. His armor and sword looked to be poorly kept, tears and rust adorning it. Holding out his hand, he closed the distance between them.


    "C''mon, pay up. I ain''t got all day."


    "Oh, right, right, sorry about that. Dugong, pay the man." Khorag said, eliciting a disgruntled neigh from the horse.


    "I''m very sorry, it seems my hoofed friend left his money pouch at home."


    The guard looked at him with furrowed brows, not amused in the slightest.


    "Very funny, funny man. Keep it up and we''ll see who''ll be laughing."


    "Very well, I''ll cover for you this time." Khorag said, looking at Dugong crossly, then pulling his ill gotten money pouch from his storage ring.


    He dug out a gold coin, not knowing how much the fee was. He thought that it would surely be enough. He looked back over to see the guard standing there with his mouth agape, staring at the pouch that had magically appeared in his hand.


    "Here you go, the fee." Khorag said, holding the coin out for the guard.


    The guard stood still, not moving. Khorag thought him strange, but just shrugged his shoulders then placed the gold coin in the guard''s open mouth, closed it for him and patted his cheek.


    "There you go, wouldn''t want a bird to mistake you for a latrine. Dugong, forward!"


    Dugong shook his head, rustling his dirty mane, then clopped forward, making a squelching sound in the mud. While Khorag passed on his horse, the other guard jogged over to his friend that was standing there.


    "What the hell is wrong with you?" He asked.


    "Mage." He said, spitting the gold coin out onto the ground.


    "What was that? What''d you say?"


    "That man was a mage. He pulled his money pouch out of thin air." He said, coming out of his daze.


    "Well, shit. We better tell the mayor, nothing good can come of a mage being in town." He said, then looking down at the gold coin now covered in mud.


    Bending over to pick it up, he said "At least we both can get drunk tonight."


    .....


    "Where do you think would be the best place to gather some information my illiterate friend?"


    Khorag was riding down the middle of the muddy street, looking around at the rundown wooden structures. There wasn''t much about this town in the memories of the merchant he ''questioned''. This was an outpost town, mainly for logging the tall trees of the forest nearby. The merchant was just part of a caravan trading common goods, on their way from this town, heading back to the capital.


    He was looking for more information on what had happened in the world since he started his seclusion. If he could find a library that would be for the best, but so far, it was a bust. He doubted very much that any of these fine specimens could read, let alone have any books. Most of the people he could see were either walking around drunk, covered in mud, or heading out to the forest to log trees.


    "I''m afraid you might be the smartest living thing in this filthy thing they call a city." He said out loud, patting Dugong, drawing attention from a man walking by him.


    Looking over in anger, the man put his hand on the hilt of his sword. "What did you say, stranger?"


    "Oh, I''m sorry for getting your hopes up, but I was talking to my horse here." Khorag said, sincerely apologizing.


    The man''s face turned a deep shade of red, he was already drunk and known for his temper. He had just finished his shift, logging the ancient trees of the Frigged Forest. His arms were thick with muscle, and was over six feet tall. He still had his axe over his shoulder, but was gripping it tightly, ready to use it.


    "Are you calling me stupid?" The man bellowed.


    "Compared to this horse? Yes. There''s no need to be angry though, I''m certain you''re smarter than at least half in this city." He said, trying to defuse the situation.


    The man didn''t take too kindly to Khorag''s words. He pulled his axe off his shoulder, taking it in a two hand grip. A crowd was gathered around them, all were wanting to see the man that insulted them killed. As the man was preparing to swing, Khorag lifted his index finger and pointed it at the raging man.


    The man''s face instantly drained of its color, his whole body started to shake. The front of his pants darkened in color as he evacuated his bladder and bowels. The axe slipped from his hands, sticking headfirst in the muddy road. He tried to back peddle, but tripped over himself, falling in the mud. Screaming, he tried to get away, slipping and sliding, failing to gain any traction. The crowd was confused, not knowing what had happened. They were anticipating the fatal swing of the axe, only to see the man shit and piss himself, then flail around in the mud.


    Khorag pulled a notebook out of his storage ring, along with a quill pen. He started to take notes, mumbling to himself. "Low intelligence, over aggressive, weak bowels. It seems the humans of this age have regressed slightly. I''ll need more samples to make a definitive judgement."


    Putting away his notebook, he spurred Dugong forward, leaving the still screaming man in the mud. The crowd parted for him, not wanting to end up the same way as the unlucky man still incoherently muttering to himself. Not even sparing them a glance, Khorag continued his search for a source of information. Once he was out of sight, some members of the crowd went to help up the fallen lumberjack.


    "Demon, demon, demon." Was all the man could say, still deathly pale.


    .....


    Khorag found himself sitting at a table in a smoky tavern. After searching for the better part of two hours, he came to two conclusions. There was no library in this city, and that humans'' most favorite pastime was getting drunk, at least from what he could see. If a person wasn''t working, they were drinking, it was quite the sight. Humans stumbling over themselves walking down the road, humans throwing up in alley ways, humans passed out before the sun was even fully up, a bunch of degenerates. The taverns were the most well built buildings in the whole city, most likely from soaking up the funds from the local population.


    What was called ''ale'' was sitting in front of him, only a few sips had been taken from the wooden mug. With the spell creating living flesh that covered his body, he had all of the senses that a living human would have, he wished he hadn''t. He hadn''t eaten since he was human, there was no need to. Even though his memory was a little muddled that far back, he was sure nothing he had tasted that bad. It was sour, going so far as to burn his throat as he drank it. The aftertaste was even worse, he didn''t have the memory to compare it to anything, but it made him gag.


    Pushing the mug away, he nixed the thought of trying the food. If he wasn''t already dead, he feared it could kill him. He pulled out his long pipe, made of sycamore, carved in the shape of a twisted spine, the bowl a skull. He packed it full of tobacco and lavender, lighting it with a snap of his fingers. The pungent smoke mixing with the already smoky atmosphere.


    Most liches dedicated their undeath to their research, abandoning any mortal pleasures. Khorag had always been a little different, he still took time to enjoy his undeath. What was the point of eternal life if you didn''t delite in the occasional adventure. Don''t get him wrong, he loved researching just as much as the next lich, but balance was key. Although, he was just holed up in his lab for the last two thousand years.


    As he blew large smoke rings, trying to make each one larger than the last, two men came up to his table.


    Walking through Khorag''s finest smoke ring, a man waved his hand, clearing the smoke from his face "Good day sir, are you perhaps the mage that has entered our humble city?"


    "You''ve just destroyed my finest creation!" Khorag wailed, mourning the destruction of the largest smoke ring yet.


    "I...I''m deeply sorry sir. Please forgive me!" The man said hastily, the story of the lumberjack flashing through his mind.


    "Think nothing of it." Khorag made his pipe disappear instantly, already forgetting about the smoke ring.


    "What can I do for you?" He asked, leaning back in his chair.


    "W..well, the mayor, Mr. Blumfield, would like to invite you to his manor, to show you the hospitality of our city." He said, quickly collecting himself.


    "Does he have a library?" Khorag asked, becoming serious.


    "A library?"


    "Yes, a library. You know books, paper pages with letters and words. Even if you can''t read, you should know what a book is." He said, annoyed.


    "Yes, yes he does." He said.


    "I know how to read, sir." He added under his breath.


    "Good for you. Now, lead the way!" Khorag said enthusiastically, standing from his chair.


    He followed the two men out the door, not even bothering to pay for the ale still sitting on the table.

 Chapter 4 - Kalcifer

    Khorag followed the two men through the muddy streets, drawing curious and frightened gazes from the city folk. The word of a mage paying their city a visit spread quickly, especially since he displayed his prowess in front of such a large crowd.


    Most people had never seen a mage, only hearing of their supernatural might being sung by bards and traveling minstrels. What they did know about them was that they were arrogant and petty. Never forgetting a slight against them, holding their power over everyone.


    Of course, in reality, not every mage was like this. Only the worst of the worst would have tails spun about them. It was a case of a few bad apples spoiling the whole bunch. Most witches and wizards either kept to themselves in their towers, or taught at academies spread across the different countries.


    The muddy road eventually gave way to paved streets. The closer that one came to the mayor''s manor, the better the condition of the roads and buildings. The people walking around were better off as well. None were shambling drunkards, they were well dressed and carried themselves appropriately.


    The trio, including Dugong, soon arrived at their destination. The mayor''s residence was one of the only stone buildings in the city. Quarried from a distance of one hundred miles, stark white marble stood out in contrast to the other buildings around it.


    "Finally, something built by civilized beings. Much better than the shoddy huts I''ve seen so far." Khorag said, appreciating the architecture.


    His two escorts bit their tongues, not replying to the insult to their city. They opened the front door for their guest, ushering him inside. There, standing in fine attire was a short and rotund man. He pulled out a handkerchief, dabbing the perspiration from his shiny forehead. Seeing his esteemed guest, he took short but fast steps, holding out his hand in greeting.


    Eyeing the fat man''s outstretched hand, Khorag kept his hands to himself. "You must be the mayor, correct?"


    "That is true sir mage, my name is Antony Blumfield, Mayor of Sorkin." He stated, ending his sentence by puffing out his chest, straining his buttons.


    "If you''d join me in my study, we can talk there."


    Down the hall, two doors on the left, the mayor''s study stood open, ready to receive its guests. A dark mahogany desk sat proudly in the middle of the room, bookshelves standing tall, surrounding it. A small table was under the window, holding several decanters of various liqueurs.


    The mayor sauntered over to the small table, pouring himself a finger of brandy. "Would you like something to drink sir mage? If brandy isn''t to your liking, I can have a maid run to the cellar for some wine."


    Khorag didn''t bother to look over to Antony, he was preoccupied with scanning contents of a book he picked from the shelf. "Wine, yes, wine would be fine." He said, absentmindedly.


    "Sheryl, quickly run down to the cellar and get our distinguished guests some of our best wine." He said quietly to a maid that was standing by, giving her a pat on the butt.


    "Now, sir mage, while we wait for your wine, could you tell me what brought you to our far flung city?" Antony asked, almost holding his breath for the answer.


    Antony was not what you would call a good public servant. He was corrupt to the core, harassing his female staff, avoiding taxes, stealing from the city funds, taking bribes, he''d done it all. There was almost no reason for a mage to visit a city so far away from the capital. The only resources were the trees they harvested. So all he could think of was that the mysterious mage was sent to investigate him.


    After waiting over a minute for a reply, Khorag was still thumbing through a large leather book, mumbling to himself.


    "Uh, sir mage?" Antony spoke, wanting an answer, but trying to be respectful at the same time.


    "Hmm? Oh, yes, yes. I''m just passing through, that''s all." Khorag said, waving his hand, not peeling his eyes off the pages.


    Relieved, Antony let go of the breath he was holding and once again pulled out his handkerchief to wipe away beads of sweat. All he had to do now was suck up to the man, taking care not to offend him. Maybe he could even pay him off to take care of some of his problems he had scurrying around the city.


    "Sir Mage, what should I call you?" He asked, wanting to know the man''s name before he asked him anything more personal.


    For the first time during the brief interaction, Khorag lifted his eyes from the book and stared off into the distance. "My name? My name? Hmmm, what was it? I know it started with an R, no, a K, yes definitely a K. Let me think,hmmmm." He paused, rubbing his chin between his fingers.


    "Kevin! No, that''s not it. Karl? No, that''s not right either. Kashmir? No, that''s a city. How about Kalcifer? Hmmm, I like the sound of that. Yes, that''s it, Kalcifer, Kal for short." Kal rattled out, nodding his head, not noticing the strange gaze he was receiving from Mayor Antony.


    Clearly, the man in front of him was unstable. Mayor Antony decided against asking him for any favors, that would be a fool''s errand. Now his plan was to just get him out of his house as quickly as he could, without angering him. There''s no telling what a crazy wizard would be capable of.


    Antony let Mage Kal browse through his collection of books, not daring to interrupt his incoherent ramblings. After the longest five minutes of Antony''s life, the maid finally returned with a full glass of wine. She took it to Kal and offered it to him, dragging him out of his monolog.


    Not bothering to even put the book down, he sipped the wine, sloshing it around in his mouth. The taste was much better than the ale he had at the tavern, sweet, but not too much. The flavors of the fruit stood out, with the dryness of the alcohol burning ever so slightly.


    "This is much better than the swill I tortured myself with earlier." Kal said, taking another drink.


    "If you like it, I will gift you the whole bottle." Mayor Antony said, snapping at the maid.


    She rushed out of the room, retrieving the corked bottle, then returning with it in hand. She handed it to the mayor, who in turned gave it to Kal with a small bow. Kal took it, before it disappeared into his storage ring, not even thanking the man.


    "So, Mage Kal, how long will you be in our city?" Antony asked, finishing off his drink.


    "Not long." He answered, putting the book he had in his hand back with a sigh.


    "Your collection is lacking. I couldn''t find what I was looking for amongst this drivel."


    He''d been looking for anything that would tell him about the war from long ago, or anything about what had happened. The mayor did have history books, but they only went back so far, only a few hundred years. Although knowing the countries that had popped up was important, he couldn''t care less about them at the moment. The next on his list was knowing about magic, or why there were so few magical beasts in the forest, maybe the mayor would know.


    "You wouldn''t happen to know of any magic tomes laying around would you?" Kal asked, not getting his hopes up.


    "I''m very sorry Mage Kal, I know nothing of magic, or where to find any tomes." Mayor Antony said, pouring himself another drink.


    "I didn''t think so. How about the monsters in the forest, why are there so few?" He asked another question, pulling his pipe out of his ring.


    "Surely you jest, there have never been hardly any monsters roaming the forest. Any there are, the adventurers cull them." He said, opening the window, giving the thick, pungent smoke a route to escape.


    Kal took a long draw from his pipe, blowing it out in a thick stream. The mayor didn''t seem to care much for the way the smoke smelled. It was harsh on the nose, burning with each breath, making him cough.


    "Adventurers? Who are they?" Kal was curious, he''d never heard that term before.


    "Well, they mainly clear out the dungeons, keeping them from breaking out. Sometimes they patrol the forests and wilds, killing any beast they find. It''s a very lucrative occupation, but is exceedingly dangerous." He explained in between coughing fits.


    "Dungeons? What are those?"


    "Where the monsters are spawned. They are continuously born, filling up the dark chambers underground. If they aren''t routinely cleared out, the monsters will overflow onto the surface, wreaking havoc." Mayor Antony said, taking a deep breath.


    Kal had stored his pipe, the room cleared quickly with the window open. He was deep in thought, many of the terms the good mayor had told him were completely alien to him. There were no adventurers, no dungeons two thousand years ago. Monsters roamed the surface freely, not trapped underground, becoming fodder for humans. He was fascinated with the whole thing, eager to study the dungeons, figure out what had happened.


    Mayor Antony waited patiently for Mage Kal to finish with whatever he was thinking. The questions he was asking was something that anyone would know. They weren''t secrets, it has always been that way, for thousands of years. He was growing more uncomfortable by the minute, glancing over at the tall grandfather clock in the corner, watching the seconds tick by.


    "It''s decided! Where is the nearest dungeon?" Kal''s sudden outburst made Anthony jump, his belly jiggling like jell-o.


    "W-well, they''re mainly located down south, many are near the capital." He answered.


    "Good, very good, I''ll be off then!" Kal said, not even looking at the mayor.


    He took several large steps, then suddenly stopped at the door. Turning around, he looked at Mayor Antony who was still standing by the open window.


    "Right, how do I get to the capital?" Kal asked, his tone flat.


    Mayor Antony cleared his throat, wiping some more sweat away. "Well, you take the road south. It''s a three week journey by horse, going through two small villages on the way."


    "The best way would be to wait for a merchant''s convoy to make a trip, but you just missed one the other day. Another should arrive within a month." He added truthfully, although he didn''t want the eccentric mage to stay in the city any longer than necessary, he couldn''t lie to him.


    "Who would want to stay in this city for a whole month? I shall leave promptly, there''s many things that require my attention. Fare thee well!" Kal shouted as he resumed walking out of the study, heading for the front door.


    Mayor Antony waited a few minutes after Mage Kal had left. Once the maids confirmed that he did in fact leave, he poured himself yet another drink, downing it in one gulp. He''d met mages before, way back when he was going around the social circles of the capital. Mage Kal was by far the most outlandish one he had ever seen, at least he didn''t throw around his power causing problems.. As long as he left the city like he said he would, Mayor Antony could go back to his simple life.

 Chapter 5 - Red Dragon

    The city was almost out of sight behind Kal and Dugong. Once Kal was certain no one was around and that he was out of sight, he dismounted Dugong and took off his saddle. He didn''t plan on taking the entire two weeks to travel on Dugong''s back, he was going to summon a flying mount.


    "This is where we part ways." Kal said, patting Dugong''s neck.


    "You''re free from this moment onwards. Go, go on, I won''t stop you."


    Dugong walked a few steps, going to the side of the road, then started to graze. There was plenty of grass, it was the middle of summer so it was green and lush. There were a few trees dotting the landscape, but the land was mostly flat. The forest was in the opposite direction, North of the city.


    Kal thought for a moment, thinking of the best mount to summon. Over the centuries, when he wasn''t deep in his research on other planes, he learned many summoning spells. Kal was always a big fan of having a summon for any situation, it was always good to be prepared. Having made up his mind, he held out his hand and his mind did the rest.


    A stone covered arm shot out of the ground, a large clawed hand gripping the soil. Soon, another arm followed, they worked together to haul a large, grotesque body out of the ground. It stood ten feet tall, wings, completely made of stone spreading out, eclipsing Kal. After shaking its body to rid itself of the dirt, the gargoyle stood by silently, awaiting orders.


    Kal chose a gargoyle to ferry him to the capital because, just like him, its stamina was infinite. It might not be the speediest flyer, but would never need to rest. Kal walked around the gargoyle, inspecting his handiwork. The magic inside of him was continuously growing in power, and it seemed to transfer over to his summons as well. The gargoyle had dim red light shining through the small cracks and crevices dotting his body. Its eyes were also shining red, though he couldn''t remember if they were always that color.


    "Well, off we go!" Kal shouted out, giving the gargoyle the command to go.


    Picking Kal up in a bridal carry, the gargoyle flapped its massive wings, accelerating both of them into the sky. A gust of wind carrying dust and debris washed over Dugong who was grazing nearby. The horse watched as his temporary master became a small dot in the sky, heading south. Once he could no longer see him, lowered his head and continued to graze.


    .....


    After nearly two solid days of flying, Kal could see an impressive city far off in the distance. According to the few books that were of use in the mayor''s study, the country that sprouted around his lair was called Amine. The capital city was given the name of Lenova, apparently after the first king. He didn''t recall any king with that name, so he figured it was much later after he started his research.


    While flying, Kal would periodically cast the spell detect life, trying to gauge the makeup of the country he was in. Amongst the humans were a spattering of elves and dwarves, although not many. He cast it once more, closer to the capital, not surprisingly the ratio of elves and dwarves was much higher here. Before the war, elves and dwarves had their own countries and territories, and didn''t blend in with humans. It seems that there was some integration between the races after the undead were defeated.


    A mental order was all it took for the gargoyle to begin searching for a place to land. They were still several miles from the capital, but even Kal knew not to fly right into the city, especially on a gargoyle. Finding a nice clearing, the gargoyle touched down, placing Kal roughly on the ground. Gargoyles weren''t known for their gracefulness.


    The area around the capital was beautiful, small streams and waterfalls dotted the landscape. The flowers were in full bloom, insects buzzing from flower to flower, pollinating them in return for nectar. A small deer stood in fear, seeing the foreign creature that dropped down from the sky. It took off running once Kal waved his hand, making the gargoyle disappear back into the ground.


    Taking a stroll through the forest and down the road, he soon found himself approaching the gate of Lenova. Unlike Sorkin, Lenova''s gate was congested, a long line of people, wagons, carriages, and the horses that pulled them, all waited to enter the city. A dozen guards were inspecting each wagon or carriage, looking for anything that would pose a danger to the city.


    He placed himself at the back of the line, impatiently tapping his foot. The guards were in no hurry, inspecting each visitor. He figured it would take him more than an hour to eventually enter the city. Although he had all of eternity, he didn''t want to waste a single moment. He thought about skipping the line, cloaking himself and infiltrating the city. The only problem was the token the guards would hand to each visitor, giving them permission to be in the city.


    If he skipped the check, he would need to steal a token. Each was easily doable, but would take up more time than just waiting would. After a few seconds of deep thought, a sly smile spread across his face, he knew just what to do.


    Kal inconspicuously pulled an ancient scroll out of his storage ring. Although he knew hundreds of spells, and mastered most of them, he would still forget a few over the years. After refreshing his memory by reading the scroll''s contents, he put it away and started to silently chant. With intricate illusion spells, it was always a must to perform the chant, even with his recent boost in power. The chant would not only allow the illusion to manifest quickly, it would also give it much more detail. Each word was akin to a line of code in a program, without all the lines working together, the program wouldn''t run correctly, even crashing. Without the words for the chant, the illusion would fail to manifest, or fall apart midway through.


    Off in the distance, over the lush forest surrounding the capital, a small dot in the sky was rapidly approaching. No one noticed its presence, not until a roar sounded off in the direction of the dot. The line of people started to look around, trying to find the source of the far off sound. The roar sounded off once more, this time much closer, much louder. One man turned around and looked up into the sky, squinting his eyes, trying to make out the ever growing dot in the sky.


    "DRAGON! ITS A DRAGON!" He screamed, pointing into the sky with a shaky finger.


    Everyone turned, not believing what he said. There hadn''t been a dragon sighting in hundreds of years, why would today be any different. Soon, they all saw what the man saw, a massive red dragon. It was close enough to see clearly now, it was over one-hundred feet in length. It had scales the size of dinner plates, horns that curled out the side of its head that was filled with teeth the size of bananas.


    It roared again, the air itself was vibrating because of its might. This put the crowd into a panic, pushing and shouting as they all rushed into the safety of the city walls. The guards were trying to keep the stampeding crowd orderly, but were overwhelmed due to the number of pedestrians. Kal blended into the surging wave of people, easily slipping into the city, even pocketing a token on his way.


    The gates closed once everyone was safely inside. Archers lined the walls, nocking their arrows. A few mages activated a defensive array, surrounding the city in a golden dome of light. Shouting and screaming could be heard from the soldiers and the citizens alike as they ran around either getting into position or into the shelter of the buildings.


    Having achieved his goal, Kal stopped supplying the faux dragon the mana needed to sustain it. Dissolving into particles of light, the massive red dragon that was directly over the city disappeared. Silence reigned over the city as people couldn''t comprehend what was happening. A mythical red dragon appeared to be attacking the city, only for it to vanish like a ghost, it didn''t make sense.


    Soon, more orders were shouted out, mainly from the mages that lined the walls. They knew that it must have been a complex illusion, now they needed to quickly figure out who had cast it and why. The size and detail of the spell told them that an extremely powerful mage was responsible, they couldn''t rule out that an opposing country was responsible, making this an urgent matter.


    Kal turned down a darkened alleyway, gaining distance from the hectic area around the gate. Although the dragon had disappeared, people were still taking cover inside the buildings, making the roads practically empty. The sound of his boots striking the cobblestone echoed off the tall stone buildings, it was eerily quiet.


    Several city blocks later, the city slowly came back to life. Men, women, and children all poked their heads out of open doors and windows, looking up into the sky. They hadn''t known that the dragon attack was just an illusion, they had all taken cover before it miraculously disappeared. Not seeing any danger, they timidly exited back onto the streets, keeping one eye on the sky.


    Kal had been looking for anything related to dungeons or adventurers, but had failed to find anything. Now having to watch where he walked due to the influx of people, he zigged and zagged, weaving through the now crowded streets. After turning down a wide, well maintained road, something caught his eye.


    At the end of the wide road, that was paved with rare, white marble, were massive gates. The gates were made from metal, reflecting silver light. They were standing wide open, allowing pedestrians and carriages alike free passage. Behind the gates, and the walls that were ten feet high, was a sprawling campus, covering many city blocks.


    A grand fountain propelled crystal clear water into the sky, before falling back down, creating beautiful rainbows. There were several people sitting around the fountain, either silently reading or talking amongst each other. They were all wearing matching uniforms, dark red vest over black long sleeves with black pants. An insignia was embroidered on the left side, the same insignia that was on the front of the open gates. A five pointed star with smaller stars arranged in a circle around the larger one.


    Kal made his way past the open gates, the guards just looking at him, but leaving him unmolested. Walking up to the fountain, he read the placard that adorned the dragon that was in the middle, with its mouth open, shooting the flame of water towards the sky. ''Askook the water wyrm. Built in commemoration of The Academy of Magic and the Mysteries: circa 1504.''


    A wave of nostalgia washed over him, cascading thoughts through his mind. Although his mind was a jumbled mess, he could still recall an academy from his past. Fragmented memories of a large office with an oak desk, a classroom full of students, wearing uniforms very different from what was in front of him.


    "Was I a professor before? Or maybe just a student? It''s been ages since I was human. No matter, this is the perfect place to gather information.." He said, walking towards the large buildings behind the fountain.

 Chapter 6 - Professor Kal

    Kal walked along the empty halls, his gnarled black staff making a sharp clack, clack, clack, with each step he took. Light was streaming in through the windows, illuminating the long hall he was traversing. There were no students in sight, he didn''t know where they would be, maybe classes were taking place. He had been following signs for the library, so it should be just behind the double doors straight ahead.


    During the brief walk through the campus, he had felt the mana levels in the area were much higher than what he''d felt elsewhere. These higher levels were very conducive for mages to practice magic. The more mana that was available to use would allow for faster casting and keep the mage from exhausting themselves as quickly. Of course this wasn''t a natural phenomenon, there were large magic circles set up around the campus, especially the practice field.


    Just before Kal reached out to open the doors to the library, he noticed the door was protected by a crude magic array. The array was invisible to the naked eye, but being a lich, he was very sensitive to mana, being able to see the eb and flow of the mysterious energy. The runes used in the array weren''t exactly like the ones he was used to seeing, but seemed to be derived from them. This allowed him to quickly decipher the purpose of the array, and just as quickly disarm it.


    The array was used to only allow people with a certain magic item to open the door, anyone else that tried would set off some kind of alarm. This was the first sign of any security that he''d ran into since stepping foot in the academy. He figured it made sense, books were expensive, magic tomes doubly so, they wouldn''t just let anyone walk in.


    After manipulating the runes in the array, changing them so that anything with a mana signature would open the lock, the lock clicked open, allowing him inside. Rows and rows of shelves greeted him, a high, vaulted ceiling made of glass let natural light grace the leather covers of thousands of books. Plush, crimson carpets muffled his steps as he looked around. Taking a deep breath, he appreciated the smell of parchment and ink.


    Large tables were set up in the center of the room, many students were taking cover behind stacks of books, studying. They looked up as he passed by, but paid no more attention to him. It wasn''t their place to question anyone here, plus only faculty or students could enter the library, and it wasn''t uncommon for them not to recognize someone.


    Kal knew what he was looking for, he just had to find the right section. He peeked around corners, explored every nook, and traversed every cranny, but failed to find what he desired. Letting out a sigh, he resigned himself to ask for help. He solemnly walked back to the middle of the massive library, looking for the librarian. An elderly elf was pushing a small cart with several books precariously stacked atop of it. He would stop periodically, picking up a book, then putting it back on the shelf.


    To see an elf that appeared old was actually quite rare. Elves could live for a few thousand years, but would often die well before that due to accidents, disease, or war. To make it to such an age, this particular elf must have been exceedingly lucky. Kal wondered if he was from before the war, maybe he could fill him in.


    "Excuse me. I was hoping you could point me in the right direction." Kal whispered quietly, they were in a library after all.


    The elf looked at Kal over the rim of his glasses that were sitting low on his long nose. His ears were a little droopy, losing their springiness with age. He had long silver hair, and very few wrinkles on his face. He would still be considered very handsome to anyone that would lay eyes on him.


    "And what direction would that be in?" The elderly elf asked.


    "Ancient history."


    "History is in section H-fourteen, upstairs and to the left." The elf said dryly.


    "I''ve already perused that section, what I''m looking for isn''t there." Kal said, almost at a loss.


    "I was wanting to research about the undead war, about what happened to the Undead King."


    "The Undead King?" The elf''s voice had a tinge of anger in it.


    "Those books are under lock and key, you would need to be faculty or have their permission to see those."


    Kal nodded his head, he didn''t understand why they would be locked up, but there was nothing he could do about it. Perhaps they were degraded over the ages, being put under lock and key would protect them, but they could just copy them. Not thinking on it any further, he turned back to the elf.


    "Do you know what happened to the Undead King?"


    For a moment, the elf''s eyes seemed to gloss over, but quickly snapped back onto Kal.


    "You need to leave, you should know better than to ask me such a question." He said, not bothering to lower his voice at all.


    Seeing that he had struck a nerve, Kal didn''t bother him any further. He didn''t apologize, just turned to leave. Reading his memories most likely wouldn''t provide him with what he wanted, also he was deep in foreign territory, it would cause no small amount of trouble for him. At least he knew what he wanted was here in this building, he just had to get to it. The easiest way would be to just break into the vault they kept the books in, stealing them and being on his way.


    The only problem was that to study the dungeons would take some time, being a criminal on the run would hamper his studies. He could hide with no problem, but didn''t want to be like a rat running through the sewers. This left only one course of action. Making up his mind, he left the library and started looking for the signs that would point him in the right direction.


    After more than an hour, several twists and turns, and directions from an impatient janitor, Kal found himself waiting in a reception room. The reception room was for the dean''s office, and he was waiting for a meeting with him. He''d found his office and talked to the mousy secretary that was sitting behind her own desk, reading a book. He introduced himself as a mage, looking for employment. Luckily the dean had a light workload and was able to see him, he just had to wait.


    This might seem like a roundabout way to achieve his goals, but Kal hadn''t survived so long by doing things the easy way. By doing most things by the books, he prevented anyone scrutinizing him. Most liches would use their vast knowledge of arcane spells to take whatever they fancied, but not Kal. He would rather take the safest path when possible, making the risk to his life as low as possible. Even though now he couldn''t be killed, since his phylactery was hidden in another plane, it would still be more trouble than it''d be worth.


    Sitting motionlessly on a couch that sank in, Kal waited patiently. A large grandfather clock was ticking the seconds away, it rang out deep gongs, indicating the passing of an hour. As the last gong echoed around the room, the office door opened up, revealing a strong middle aged man.


    He stood proud with his back straight, his jet black hair slicked back, meticulously combed. He was a middle aged man, Kal supposed forty-four to fifty, his stern face showed few wrinkles. A tailored suit, in red and black with the insignia of the academy sewn into the cuffs, adorned his muscled figure.


    "Mage Kal, I''ll see you now." The dean said with a deep, monotone voice.


    Kal gave the dean a practiced smile, showing his perfect white teeth. The dean didn''t say anything, but felt that the mage''s smile seemed unnatural, it made him uneasy. Kal stood, and silently followed him into his office. The dean sat behind his desk, motioning for Kal to take the seat across from him.


    "Now, Minie tells me you wished to see me. I''m a very busy man, so please." The dean said, lacing his fingers together.


    "Alright then, I''ll cut to the chase. I wish to become a professor here at your prestigious academy." Kal said, emphasizing the word prestigious.


    The dean''s face didn''t so much as twitch, he was a master at hiding his emotions. He unlaced his fingers, took a deep breath, and started to speak.


    "And why would we need such a mage as yourself? We teach the kingdom''s future, the witches and wizards that will be the bedrock for the generations to come. To be able to mold the minds of the future, one must be able to guide them, show them the proper way to harness mana and all the power that comes with it. So, tell me, why would I want you?" He finished speaking, looking Kal dead in the eyes.


    Kal wasn''t intimidated in the slightest, the dean''s aura was miniscule when compared to his, barely on the same scale. If Kal wasn''t a master at manipulating mana, the slightest leak in his true power would have turned the dean''s jet black hair stark white. Seeing Kal not flinch at all caused the dean''s eye to twitch slightly, betraying his shock. He was one of the most powerful mages in the entire capital of Lenova, for the mage in front of him to have no reaction at all to his aura means he was at least as strong as he was.


    "Well, Deanˇ­. What was your name?" Kal asked, shrugging off the cold stare he was receiving.


    "It''s Alfred, Dean Alfred Petticoat."


    "Well Dean Petticoat, I''m well versed in many schools of magic, fluent in even more languages. Magic arrays to alchemy, I know them all. I dare say there isn''t a more qualified person to teach here at your school." Kal confidently stated.


    "You say all this, but yet you look barely half my age." Dean Petticoat scoffed, not believing Kal for one second.


    "Don''t let looks fool you Dean Petticoat, age is just an illusion, such as many things in life." Kal said before his face started to age at a visible rate. His hairline receded and thinned as his hair turned white. His nose grew slightly larger as wrinkles invaded his face. His eyes sunk into his skull, the shadows making his sockets appear empty. He looked as if he had aged seventy years or more in an instant, shocking Dean Petticoat so much that his jaw was slacked open.


    It was no trouble at all for Kal to adjust the age of his appearance, just a single thought was all it took. This showed the dean that he wasn''t some young pup, but an old and powerful mage, capable of having such vast experience. It also let the Dean believe that Kal had a secret that he was a part of, this would make it so that if Kal was acting suspiciously the Dean would think that he knew why.


    The Dean on the other hand was amazed that he had been fooled by such an ''illusion''. The mage was sitting across from him, barely three feet away, and yet he was none the wiser. This would also explain why he was unaffected by his aura, seeing that it was such a powerful mage made him feel much better. He had no qualms about allowing him to be a professor at the academy after seeing such seamless magic, he just had one question on his mind.


    "Why do you want to teach here, you could go anywhere?"


    By this point in time, Kal had already changed back to his younger appearance. He scratched his smooth check with his finger, as he opened his mouth. "Well, to be honest, I want to study the dungeons, and my home is very far from here. I was under the assumption should I become a professor I could use the academy''s resources to help me do so."


    "Ha." The Dean let out a chuckle.


    "That is very shrewd of you. Yes, professors are allowed some resources to pursue their own personal research, as long as they share the results with the academy of course. But, I do have to say that many mages have researched the dungeons, and their results have been wanting." He said truthfully.


    "No matter, I still wish to give it a crack." Kal said, waving his hand.


    "Then I won''t get in your way." Dean Petticoat said, then changed the subject.


    "As far as your position, do you have any preferences?"


    "None whatsoever, if it''s related to magic, I am proficient in it."


    "Well then, we just so happen to have an opening for an alchemy professor." Dean Petticoat explained while looking over some papers on his desk.


    "You''ll have access to a lab, herbs, magic crystals, anything you need in order to teach first year alchemy." He said as he handed Kal a list of everything that could be obtained.


    Looking over everything, a question suddenly popped up in his mind.


    "It''s already halfway through the year isn''t it? What happened to the original professor?"


    "He was killed." Dean Petticoat didn''t sugarcoat anything and explained.


    "Professor Arckroft was killed while working on an experiment. He should have known better, but he mixed two different substances, creating a toxic gas." He paused.


    "I, personally, think he knew what he was doing. His family was always pressuring him, since he was but a child. He was only thirty you see, but was considered a genius when it came to alchemy. It was never enough for his family though. Really, it''s such a travesty."


    Kal nodded his head in understanding, although he really didn''t. He''d done all he could when he was human to avoid death, he couldn''t understand the need to hasten it.


    "Enough of that, do you accept the position?" The Dean asked.


    "Of course, when do I start?" Kal asked, pleased with how things had gone.


    "Two weeks. The students are currently on summer break, when they come back you''ll begin. Of course you''ll have a probationary period of one month, I''ll have someone sit in on your classes on random days to observe you."


    "I see no problem in that." Kal said, not bothered by it at all.


    "Very good, now, if that is all, Minie will escort you to the faculty lodging. You''ll have your own living space on campus, of course if you wish, you may also live in the city, it is up to you. Most of your peers choose to live on campus though, a house in the city is very expensive, even for a mage.." With that, Dean Petticoat walked Kal to the door, handing him off to Minie.

 Chapter 7 - Lessons (1/2)

    "Hey! Wait up!" Shouted a young boy, wearing the uniform for the Amine Academy of Magic and the Mysteries. He was running after one of his only friends, bumping into other students in the long hall.


    "Sorry. Excuse me. Pardon me." He said every time he made contact with someone else.


    "Hey, did you hear we got a new professor?" He asked as he finally caught up to his friend.


    "Of course I''ve heard, do you think I live under a rock?" His friend replied, rolling his eyes.


    "Do you know anything about it? Do you think it''ll be a grouchy old man or maybe we''ll actually get some eye candy?" He asked in rapid succession.


    "Does it even matter Ryan, you''d have just as much a chance with either one. Ha." He said with a laugh, poking fun at his friend.


    "Geez Ben, that was cold." Ryan said with a smile, not minding the jab.


    Ryan Passwater was fourteen years old and the only son of a somewhat successful merchant. He was found to have a little bit of skill in magic, so his father spared no expense in getting him into the academy. Not wanting to disappoint his father, Ryan spent every day practicing and studying, limiting his social life greatly.


    The only reason Benjamin and himself became friends was because they were assigned the same room to share. Well, it wasn''t the only reason. Benjamin was also the son of a merchant, but was the fifth son. Luckily for him, his father had several connections within the nobility. This allowed Benjamin easy access to the academy, unlike Ryan. Ben was also fourteen years old, but was a few inches taller than Ryan was, making him appear older. They both had dark brown hair, but Ryan had green eyes as Ben had brown. When they walked together down the halls, if one didn''t know any better, they could be mistaken as brothers, with Benjamin being the older one.


    All the students were returning from midsummer break, some had stayed behind at the school, but many had left for their homes. The wealthier ones even traveled some, going to summer houses on the many lakes dotted around the area. The cacophony of children talking and shouting filled the halls as they made their way to their classes.


    Ryan and Ben were no different, they were laughing and joking with each other as they walked towards alchemy class. Alchemy was their first class of the day, it filled the first two hours, with magic arrays afterwards. It had taken them most of the year to grow used to professor Arckroft, he was a very strict man. Now they would have to start all over with a new professor, underneath all the joking, they were both nervous to meet them.


    They walked into class together, both expecting to see the new professor, but was surprised to see no one there to greet them. A few other students were already sitting behind their desks, about a dozen, but other than that there was no one. Shrugging their shoulders, Ryan and Ben both made their way to their assigned desks that were next to each other.


    There were thirty desks in the classroom, five rows of six. They were on six tiers, the next higher than the last, allowing all the students a clear view of the front of the class. The front of the class had a large chalkboard hanging on the wall. Directly in front of the chalkboard was an alchemy station that was set up, but was currently empty.


    As time passed by, more and more students filtered in, either by themselves or in groups of friends that were busy talking amongst themselves. Soon, all the seats were filled and everyone was talking about who the new professor would be, at a low murmur. Everyone was stealing glances at the large mechanical clock that was sitting in the corner, the minute hand was getting ever closer to the eight, marking the beginning of class.


    "Do you think they''ll show?" Ben asked Ryan, leaning over in his chair.


    "I don''t know, maybe they''re just late?" Ryan said, still looking at the clock.


    "Well, if they''re not here by twenty after, we can leave right?" Ben asked, hoping for an extra two hours of free time.


    "I don''t knˇ­."


    Before Ryan could finish his sentence, the chimes of the clock sounded out, indicating the beginning of lessons. Just as the second chime rang, a large oval, pitch black opening appeared in the middle of the classroom. It looked like a swirling vortex, blacks and dark purples mixing together and converging at the center, like a whirlpool. The students'' mouths clamped shut and their eyes went wide, they had never seen anything like it. A slight breeze was generated from the vortex, causing them to have to hold their loose papers down, preventing them from blowing away.


    Ripples started to appear on the vortex, disturbing the kaleidoscope of blacks and purples. Then, stepping out of the swirling vortex, was a man dressed in a plain black robe. He was holding a black, gnarled staff in his right hand that was just as tall as he was. His features were plain, not overly handsome, not ugly either. If you were to average out the appearance of a thousand people, that would be similar to what he looked like.


    He took a few steps away from the vortex, snapping his fingers, it suddenly vanished from existence. The wind died down immediately, but no one paid it any attention, they were all staring at the man that had suddenly appeared before them. The final chime sounded out from the clock, the room was eerily quiet.


    "Let''s begin." The man in the black robe said in a deep voice.


    He walked back towards the chalkboard, then began to write. White letters appeared one after another, spelling out ''Professor Kal''. He turned around to face the students, the chalk in his hand disappearing much like the vortex had before.


    "I''m sure you can tell, but in case you hadn''t figured it out, I''m your new professor of alchemy. My name is Kalcifer, Kal for short. Since the year is already half over, I want to get a feel for what you have learned thus far. I''ll start out with a simple question. What is alchemy?" Professor Kal asked, crossing his arms and leaning against the table, facing the students.


    A pretty young girl raised her hand, she was sitting in the front row. She had her dark hair in a tight ponytail, her back was straight, and her face had a light layer of makeup. Her name was Laura Cromwell, she was the daughter of a baron, and held herself as such. She kept perfect grades and never missed a class, she is what one would call a teacher''s pet.


    "You, yes you, the fat one." Professor Kal called out, pointing at a student that was sitting in the back, completely ignoring Laura.


    The one he had called upon was a ''slightly'' overweight young man named Clerance Hutchens. He was the first son of Duke Hutchens, and was always sure to let everyone know. The only thing he loved more than putting other people down, was food. The academy for him was just something that he had to do, he didn''t take it seriously, knowing his father would pay for his grades anyways.


    Hearing what the Professor had said to him, his face turned several shades of red, equal parts anger and embarrassment. Being the first son of a duke afforded him much respect, even from the professors of the academy. His mind went blank due to the fact that he couldn''t process what was happening.


    "Uhˇ­.umm...uhh." Was all that came out of Clerance''s mouth, his hands balled into fists.


    "That''s not even close to being correct." Professor Kal exclaimed, shaking his head, not waiting for a proper answer.


    "Alchemy, dumbed down for you, is the process of combining, transforming, or creating different substances. Now, anyone can perform alchemy, it''s not hard at all, but creating something useful is a different story. To become proficient at it requires many years of experience, and many failed attempts. So, who would like to go first?" Kal said, waving his hand and populating the table that was behind him.


    Beakers, burners, test tubes, all the required materials to perform alchemy appeared before the students. Kal had prepared beforehand, he placed anything that he would need inside his storage ring. He placed several different ingredients off to the side, he was going to have them make a very simple healing potion, something that would only take ten minutes to complete.


    After a full minute, not one student volunteered. "What''s the matter? No takers? What about you, you seemed eager to answer the question from before." He pointed to Laura.


    She shook her head back and forth, her ponytail swinging along with the movement. "It''s not that Professor Kal, Professor Arckroft never allowed us to perform it on our own. He would just demonstrate for us."


    "And they called him a genius? How can you learn anything without actually performing it?" Kal said to himself, loudly enough for everyone to hear.


    "No matter, come up here, today is your lucky day. I want you to follow these steps." Kal said, calling Laura forward and handing her a slip of paper.


    She looked over the slip of paper, her mouth moving along with every word. The other students waited patiently for her to begin, they were curious to see how the best student in their year would perform. They couldn''t see it, but her eyes went wide when she read over the ingredients needed. Mundane ones such as purified spring water was nothing, but when she saw that one hydra scale, along with two shoots of a bamboo that had been long extinct was required, she was shocked.


    "Professorˇ­." She started, looking up at him.


    "What? C''mon, hurry up, it''s just a simple potion, we don''t have all day." He hurried her along, growing impatient.


    She swallowed her words, nodded her head, and with shaking hands, started the process. In a large beaker, she started to boil the spring water. This part was the easiest, the recipe just stated that it only needed to be a rolling boil, not a specific temperature. The other parts were much harder, at least for her. It called for the hydra scale to be cut into long strips, grasping the sharp knife, she hesitantly cut into the ultra rare material. A hydra was an exceedingly rare monster, found only in the largest and deepest dungeons. A single scale would be worth as much as her father''s manor, maybe even more. To cut up such a valuable ingredient almost made her sick.


    Kal didn''t bother himself with how his student was feeling, he just quietly observed her every movement. He noticed how shaky she was, making him shake his head. One needed to be fluid in their movements, not hesitating at all. With this particular recipe, it didn''t matter so much, but with others, timing would be very important. Any delay in combining ingredients or variation in temperature would result in a failure, ruining all the ingredients used.


    Finally, after twenty long minutes, Laura was finished with the potion. She let out a long sigh, sweat was visible on her forehead. She carefully handed the finished product over to Professor Kal, who took it casually with one hand, holding it up to the light. After scrutinizing it, swirling the contents around for good measure, he gave her his critique.


    "Your movements are too jerky, I thought you were having a seizure at one point. The time you took to add the boiling water was much too long, although this particular potion is rather forgiving, taking too long on others would be disastrous. The strips were too wide, the bamboo was cut, not crushed like it stated in the recipe. All that said, this was your first attempt, so it is barely an acceptable result."


    He handed her back the potion, then motioned for her to sit down.


    "Is this alright? For me to keep this?" She asked him, looking at the light green liquid sloshing around the small glass bottle.


    "Of course, you made it didn''t you? Now sit down, you''ve wasted enough of everyone''s time"

 Chapter 8 - Lessons (2/2)

    "Now that you see that it can be done, you all will be required to produce five such potions by the end of the week, but for now we are moving on." Kal said, pausing while he gathered his thoughts.


    The students remained quiet, excited about being able to actually practice alchemy. The previous professor, Professor Arckroft, would never allow them to touch the equipment, let alone use it. He would always tell them ''A successful alchemist always understands the underlying theory behind a potion before attempting to produce one'', then would drill the basics into them, over and over again. It seemed like the new professor was much more hands one, and they greatly appreciated that. Except for one student, Clerance.


    He had all but ignored what was going on around him after being insulted and embarrassed by the new professor. His current thoughts were deciding on how he would have his father teach him a lesson, he didn''t care if he had him fired, or beat to a bloody pulp. He just wanted the man to pay for slighting him.


    Oblivious to the machinations of the fat young man, Kal continued. "As all of you should know, everyone has a specific element that they are attuned with. Now, knowing which one, be it fire, air, water, or the others, may not be important now, but later on will be almost required knowledge." He paused again, letting his words sink in.


    Laura raised her hand, waiting to be called upon. Kal nodded towards her, allowing her to speak.


    "Are you talking about the ceremony of the elements?"


    "I''ve no idea what that is." He stated plainly, waving his hand.


    "It''s the ceremony performed when we turn eighteen, telling us which element we are most proficient in." She explained, not understanding why the professor wouldn''t know something all mages go through.


    "Why would you need to wait until you turn eighteen?" He posed the question to her, genuinely curious.


    "The other professors say that our bodies need time to accumulate enough mana in order for the element stone to get an accurate reading."


    He waited until she was finished explaining, slowly shaking his head. "That''s absolute nonsense, there''s no reason to wait at all. You can find out what your element is when you''re an infant, let alone an adult. What have they been teaching you?"


    He looked at the reactions of the students before him, some were wide eyed, like they had been for most of the class, others were skeptical, believing what they''ve been told by others.


    "Affinities with an element have little to do with mana and more to do with the makeup of your body. Mana is just the energy that surrounds us everyday, some corners of the world have higher concentrations than others, but it is always around us. Your body is what uses that energy, converting it to magic. Those with a higher affinity with a certain element simply have an easier time converting mana to that specific element, it''s that simple." He explained all this with a single breath.


    Professor Kal turned back towards the table, replacing the dirty equipment with clean ones. He brought out several more ingredients, placing them neatly on the table. After double checking that everything was in order, Kal turned back to the students who were waiting with bated breaths.


    "To prove this to you, since some of you seem to doubt me." He said as he leered back at some of the more skeptical students.


    "I''ll show you how to make a potion of the elements, or, elemental potion."


    As he finished his sentence, he started to work his magic. His motions were fluid, like he was conducting a grand symphony. Hands that had centuries of practice skillfully combined ingredients one after the other. With a snap of his fingers a flame was born underneath a purple liquid, bringing it to a boil. A strong, acrid scent soon filled the classroom, turning the stomachs of many of the children.


    Although they were fighting to keep their breakfast from leaving their stomachs, they all watched, enraptured in the spectacle they were witnessing. Kal tried his best to slow down the process so that his students would be able to keep up with his motions, but could only slow down so much, the timing of this potion was critical.


    As they became accustomed to the vile smell of the purple acid, Kal soon brought out an even worse smelling ingredient. He cracked open a large green egg, with red spots, mixing its yolk with the boiling purple liquid. The smell from the two combined was a brand new smell that they wished to never experience again in their lives. Many had to clamp their hands over their mouths, swallowing mouthfuls of vomit. Luckily, the smell didn''t last long as Kal took the now orange colored liquid off the flame, cooling it quickly.


    The large container of orange fluid sat in the middle of the table, streams of vapor disappeared into the atmosphere as it cooled. All of the materials had coalesced into this large container of orange liquid, only one final step was necessary. Kal produced a large red feather, the temperature in the room rising instantly. The students could feel the heat coming off of the feather even though they were several feet away. They were amazed to see that Kal seemed to be completely unaffected by the searing heat of the feather.


    Kal unceremoniously dropped the super heated feather into the orange liquid. As soon as it touched the surface, a violent reaction occurred. The liquid was immediately sent into a rolling boil, foam filling most of the container. Sparks could be seen flying out, landing on the table. Looking closely, they could see little arcs of lighting jumping between the bubbles rising up from the glass. After a minute, the reaction slowly abated, leaving a glossy black, viscous liquid. It looked just like tar, but had the viscosity of maple syrup.


    Everyone had thought that Professor Kal had failed with what he was trying to make. The fact that it was black was all the reason they needed to think that. They waited for him to say anything, anything at all.


    "Perfect! Who wants to go first?" Professor Kal said, clapping his hands together.


    Unsurprisingly, no one jumped up to be the first one to try the mysterious substance. Professor Kal looked around, the students avoiding his gaze whenever his eyes landed on them. He brought out a small disposable cup, poured just a bit of the black liquid into it, then picked his victim. He decided to start with the student that was seated all the way to the right in the front row.


    He placed the small cup on her desk, didn''t say a word, just looked at her and crossed his arms. She looked at the cup, then quickly shook her head back and forth.


    "Do you want to pass the class?" Kal asked, a very serious look on his face.


    His remark caused the poor girl''s face to lose its color. With trembling hands, she grasped the cup and brought it up to her nose. After a few probing sniffs, she took a deep breath, then poured the contents into her mouth. She swallowed hard, forcing the black liquid down. Everyone''s eyes were on her, waiting for her commentary on the potion. After thirty seconds or so, they got their answer.


    "It''s sweet, too sweet." The girl said, sticking her tongue out.


    After a few more ticks of the clock, a faint brown glow started to radiat off of the girls skin. She held her dainty hands out in front of her, inspecting every inch. Expecting these results, Kal nodded his head and began to fill more cups with the potion, passing them out to each student.


    "As you can see, this girl here has an affinity with the earth element." He said, gesturing to the small girl still checking herself out with wide eyes.


    "You may be asking yourself ''What does my affinity have to do with Alchemy?'' Well, let me tell you, everything! Just like with magic, an affinity can help boost the effects of potions as well. All you have to do is add a few drops of your blood to achieve the desired effects. What? Don''t stare at me like that." Kal stopped handing the cups out as some of the students eyed him with suspicion when he mentioned adding their own blood.


    "Just like with using a monster''s body part in potions, the same can be done with your blood. Your blood is nothing more than another ingredient at your disposal." He finished handing out the last cup and walked back to the front of the class.


    "Now drink up, be sure to remember your element, it will help with your potion making."


    He waited for everyone to finish drinking out of their respective cups. Soon, several different colored lights could be seen coming off of the student''s bodies. Many were brown, indicating the earth element. After brown, there were several blues and reds as well. These were water and fire, respectfully. A handful of yellows could be seen mixed in, air was a relatively rare element, only one in a hundred would have it. Lastly, there was a bright white coming from Laura that was sitting in the front row. She was rolling up her sleeves, getting a good look at the bright light escaping her fair skin.


    "Look at your classmate here." Professor Kal exclaimed, pointing over at Laura.


    "She has an extremely rare affinity with the aspect of the spirit, leaning towards life. This means that any blood that she added to a recovery potion would at least double its potency. Any potion that has to do with recovery, healing, curing poison, anything that would help the body would be amplified with her blood. The same is true with the other elements, with fire affinity, one would be able to make more powerful fire bomb potions, or increase the yield of berserk potions. Earth element is good for defensive potions, water goes well with ice, air with speed. Of course there are a multitude of uses, you can mix and match, experiment with different potions and recipes, the possibilities are endless."


    Everyone gawked at Laura when Professor Kal finished his small speech, many gazes were filled with respect, some with envy. They all knew just how rare a life affinity was, maybe every ten years there would be a lucky mage born with it. Whoever wasn''t her friend already were thinking of ways that they could get closer with her. They were all focused on the now dim light coming off of Laura, no one noticed the boy sitting in the back that had no light, only darkness seeping off of his skin.


    .....


    After another forty-five minutes of lecture, the class was finally coming to an end. Kal filled them in on all the potions that were possible to make, as long as you had the proper ingredient. He also told them about substitutions that could be made if you didn''t have the required ingredients on hand. Many of the potions and topics he covered couldn''t be found in the textbook, surprising many of them. It was like the man before them was a walking encyclopedia himself.


    "Alright, it seems we are out of time for today. I know we are to have class every day, but you are all excused until next week. This doesn''t mean you''re free from any work, I''ll require you all to successfully brew five potions from the list provided. You all have access to the lab and the ingredients that you''d need. Those who fail to complete this uncomplicated task will automatically fail, and will not be able to reapply. These are all beginner potions, so I expect you all to finish on time, class dismissed." As if punctuating his words, the large clock started to chime out, marking ten o''clock.


    The students all stood, almost simultaneously, gathered their things and started to leave. Although they had a week to complete their ''homework'' none of them felt at ease. Alchemy was still very new to them, they didn''t have a large amount of confidence in themselves. Laura though, had a bright smile on her face, she couldn''t wait to return to her room and write to her father about the affinity she discovered she had.


    Clerance had mixed feelings, he found out he had an affinity with fire, which made him quite happy, but was still upset about being humiliated in front of his classmates. He was torn between just letting the issue go, or telling his father to make Professor Kal''s life difficult for the foreseeable future. He figured he''d think on it for the day, tonight, he would talk to his father about it.


    Ryan was staring off into space, not paying any attention to Ben who was talking to him as they gathered their books. He''d never been so excited, watching all his classmates learn what their affinities were. He swallowed the black, saccharine liquid with no hesitation, anxious to find out. He had just watched as Laura discovered her rare talent, and hoped against all hope that he would be as special as her. What he saw though, disappointed him greatly.


    After a full minute of waiting, nothing had happened. Ben, his friend next to him, had a healthy yellow aura radiating off of him. Indicating that his affinity was with the element of air. He looked back at himself, squinting his eyes and taking a closer look at his skin. He opened his eyes wide when he noticed a near imperceptible darkness coming off of him.


    It was the opposite of Laura''s blinding radiance, the light around him was being absorbed by his aura, not allowing any to escape. If her light brought to mind life and joy, his would be death and despair. Luckily for him, everyone else was too enamoured with themselves to notice his peculiar element. Ryan quickly hid his hands under his desk, hoping for the potion to wear off as fast as possible.


    He was silently following behind his taller friend, still excitedly talking about the class, when Professor Kal called out to him.


    "You, yes, the short one. Stay behind a moment would you?"


    Ryan looked up at the Professor, suddenly feeling afraid. Had he seen the darkness coming off of him? He''d never heard of a dark element. Did that mean he wasn''t gifted like his family had told him? Was he just a normal person with no gift in magic? Would he have to go back home, disappointing his father?


    "Alone, please." Professor Kal said, looking over at Ben who had stopped along with Ryan.


    "Shut the door on your way out." He called after Ben as he exited the room, shutting the door behind him.


    Professor Kal waited until he heard the click of the mechanism before he spoke to Ryan.


    "What was your affinity?" Professor Kal asked, already knowing the answer.


    Ryan avoided eye contact with the Professor, looking at his black shoes. Sweat started to bead on his forehead and under his arms, his mouth was unnaturally dry. He wanted to answer, but couldn''t find the words, they seemed to be stuck in his throat. Finally, after building up his courage, he answered the Professor.


    "I don''t have one sir, my light was black." He paused.


    "Will I have to leave the Academy? I don''t want to disappoint my family!" He nearly shouted out, his voice cracking, on the verge of tears.


    Professor Kal couldn''t help but let out a deep laugh hearing what the youth had said. "They really don''t teach you anything nowadays do they? Of course you won''t have to leave, in fact, this shows how great your talent really is. Your affinity is just the same as the other one with the pure, white light, but the opposite side. If her spirit magic leaned towards life, yours leans towards death. She would make a fantastic healer, you, you would make a terrifying necromancer.." He said, leveling his eyes with the young boy''s.

 Chapter 9 - History Of The World

    Ryan''s stomach dropped and his eyes went wide. He couldn''t believe what Professor Kal had said, a necromancer? The representatives of evil, the co-conspirators of demons? There hadn''t been news of a necromancer in Amine for the last several hundred years. Not because there weren''t any, but because they would all be killed when discovered.


    "Th-there must be some sort of mistake! I can''t be a nec-necromancer! I''ve never harmed a fly, I''m not evil!" Ryan shouted out, trying to convince himself more than anyone.


    Professor Kal couldn''t help but laugh again, finding the boy''s reaction naive. "Evil? Who ever said necromancers were evil?" Kal asked the boy seriously.


    Ryan looked up at the Professor, not expecting to be asked this question. Of course they were evil, they were the villians of every tale there was. Mother''s would tell their children that if they didn''t behave, the evil necromancers would send their undead minions to take you away. There had to be a reason for all those stories.


    "Magic is not evil boy, it''s just a tool waiting to be used. If a mage used fire magic to kill another, would it make him less evil than if he used necromancy? No, in the end, someone would have died. What is evil anyway? Is a wild beast evil when it kills a small child because it is hungry? Or when someone kills another just because their beliefs are different? Evil is a construct of society, only people think in terms of good and evil." Professor Kal said to Ryan, with his hand on his shoulder.


    Seeing that the youth was still mulling things over, Kal withdrew his hand. Took his staff in hand, which had been standing by itself next to the table, and opened a portal. The wind started to pick up in the room, Kal''s robe and Ryan''s hair both going along with the breeze. Kal turned back to Ryan before stepping through.


    "If you''re willing, I can help you learn, but only if you''re sure. Let me know next week, either way, I''ll help you cover up that aura of yours. When you do go through that ceremony of the elements or whatever, it might cause you some issues if you don''t."


    With those words, Professor Kal disappeared into the black and purple portal, leaving Ryan standing there like a statue. He had a lot to think about now, should he learn the school of necromancy? Should he just cover up his affinity and forget all about today? And why was Professor Kal offering to teach him, is he a necromancer as well? What should he do?


    .....


    Kal stepped back into his heavily secured room, tucked away in the faculty quarters, the portal closing quietly behind him. It was a good sized room, with a bedroom, small kitchen, bathroom, and a study with a small lab attached to it. The lab was nothing like the one he had created back in his underground lair, but that didn''t matter. Now that he had finally placed enough warding throughout his living space, he could freely move back and forth as he pleased.


    The security in his room was top notch, not even a fly could intrude without him knowing it. That being said, he still didn''t dare leave anything incriminating laying around. He kept any sensitive materials with him at all times, just in case. He was very confident in his battle prowess, but still, being found out to be an undead lich would cause him a severe headache.


    Kal walked into his study, pulling out a comfortable leather chair and taking a seat. He was almost finished reading all the books that were kept locked away. All of his questions regarding the results of the war had mostly been answered, only leaving a few that he had to find out on his own.


    In the history books, even the ones under lock and key, the author stated that the Undead King had started the war. Attacking human cities unprovoked, killing all living creatures in sight. This was a good example of the victor rewriting history to fit their narrative. Kal remembered it very differently. The Undead King ruled over his own vast territory, mostly keeping to himself like he had for several thousand years before that.


    The Undead King had been around since the dawn of man, he was an intrinsic part of the world as a whole, part of its balance. It was only when humans, elves, and dwarves gained enough power that they banded together and branded the Undead King, and any undead creature, the apostles of evil that must be eradicated. They planned for many years in secrecy, joining hands, then attacking the territories of the Undead King.


    Many would think that the undead are brainless creatures, roaming wantonly, looking for the flesh of living beings to devour, but that was mostly untrue. The lower undead, skeletons or zombies, were the least intelligent of the bunch, but could still carry out simple orders. The higher undead such as liches, vampires, and death knights, were just as intelligent as humans were, keeping the lower undead in check.


    Although, from time to time, the undead would kill the living to boost their numbers or over disputes, they mostly kept to themselves; understanding that balance was needed between the living and the dead in order for all of the races to thrive. It was this way for thousands of years, until the day the coalition of the three races attacked.


    The undead were taken by surprise, initially losing large swaths of land. Although the undead didn''t need arable land to grow crops or to hunt game, the land they did live on was uncorrupted, ripe for the taking. Thrilled by their early success in fighting the undead, the three races overextended themselves, biting off more than they could chew. Once the undead reorganized themselves, they counterattacked, devastating the three races and taking back the territory they had lost.


    Of course, with the undead, every death of an enemy soldier meant another soldier fighting for them. Knowing this, the coalition decided not to fight in open fields, but employ more of a guerilla type warfare. They would fire bomb their cities, sneak attack convoys, or use disaster class magic, killing thousands of undead in a single blow. Soon, using these tactics, the undead were pushed back once again, almost to their capital, Kurrokenefy.


    Thus far, the Undead King had not taken action personally, but could no longer sit and watch the genocide of his people. The Undead King used arcane magic, stirring the souls of all the magical beasts, or monsters, into action. The spell put them under the control of the undead legion, millions of monsters, goblins, orcs, ogres, hydras, all but the intelligent dragons were conscripted. The Undead King unleashed his new found horde onto the cities of the three races, razing them to the ground.


    All of these events unfolded over several years, the undead never wanted a war, but they were going to finish it. The three races were on their last legs, the elves and dwarves were much worse off than the humans. Their populations were low to begin with, but after years of war, they were nearing extinction. The undead, along with the monsters, were relentless, never retreating, never tiring.


    Seeing their imminent defeat, the greatest mages of all three races banded together to perform a last ditch ceremony. No one knows where the spell came from, but the elves had put forward a divine spell that would instantly defeat the undead legion and their monster compatriots. The only downside was that the spell required vast amounts of mana to initiate.


    The only way to gather the required mana was for the mages performing the ceremony to burn their souls. Souls were by far the greatest source of energy one could hope for, that was why a lich would use souls to boost their own powers by absorbing them into their phylacteries. Once the three races had gathered together the number of mages needed, they began the ancient chant, and initiated the spell.


    The details of the spell were lost to time, know one knows where it came from or where it had gone after they completed it, but one thing was for certain, it worked. When the last of the mage''s souls were consumed, it was reported that thousands of large, glowing orbs could be seen hovering over the armies of undead and monsters. As the countless number of orbs hung in the sky like burning stars, they began to absorb monsters and undead alike.


    It was slow at first, but the pace of absorption rapidly increased. No matter how fast or how far the monsters would run, they were all sucked up into the orbs. The undead tried all their greatest magic, nothing could affect the burning suns. Even the great Undead King himself was consumed by the divine orbs, his mammoth body compressing as it did so. After all the monsters and undead had been consumed, the orbs dove deep into the ground, creating the dungeons that are known today.


    The divine spell used to win the war didn''t kill the enemy, but trapped them, cursed forever to live underground and to be killed over and over again. Whenever a monster would be killed in a dungeon, they would respawn after a set amount of time. There were many theories why, but so far no one had figured out how the orbs worked. The orbs, or dungeon cores as they came to be known, were the heart of every dungeon. The only way to permanently kill the monsters in any dungeon would be to destroy the core, cutting off the path to reincarnation to the trapped monsters and undead.


    Although the three races had won, their greatest cities were burned to ash, all their knowledge gathered over countless years along with it. Only the basics of magic had been preserved, explaining the regression of magic Kal had seen since his reemergence. But now they were free from the ''evil'' of the undead and monsters, and set about rebuilding their world. With the humans in the lead, they resettled the war torn lands, expanding their empires.


    Over the centuries, different kingdoms would rise and fall, borders would expand or shrink. The populations of the three races soon returned to the level before the war, eventually outpacing it, integrating into each other. One-hundred years after the war ended, was when the first dungeon break occurred. The races hadn''t been clearing the dungeons, there was no need to. This led to the dungeon losing its power to contain the monsters, allowing them to flood to the surface.


    After a loss of a city, the monsters were defeated and a system was set up to keep the monsters that were trapped in the dungeons in check, the Adventurers Guild. It was their job to subjugate the beasts in the dungeons, saving the lives on the surface in the process. Many dungeons were the only place to find rare materials and herbs as well, so they would gather them while killing the monsters. After the founding of the Adventurers Guild, history marched on without anything interesting happening, at least not to Kal.


    Kal closed the book he had just finished reading, gently placing it on the table. He brought out his long, carved pipe, and lit the sweet smelling tobacco. After blowing a few impressive smoke rings, Kal started to ponder. Why wasn''t he affected by the divine magic? Could his colleagues still be around, not trapped inside a dingy dungeon? He knew the location of a few underground labs, but they were all on the other continent across the ocean.


    If he had the chance to visit one he would, but wouldn''t make a special trip for it. His main goal was still the same, investigate a dungeon core, finding out how it worked. Maybe he could figure out a way to reverse it, freeing all that were trapped inside. He didn''t know if he could, but he''d try. To be trapped forever was a fate worse than death, he would want to be freed if he were in that situation.


    But for now, he would stay hidden amongst the living.. There was no point in rushing, he had plenty of time.

 Chapter 10 - Machinations

    Deep underground, hidden away from prying eyes, a cloaked figure was stooped over a table. On the table was a mutilated corpse, its arms were cut cleanly off at the elbows, the legs were hung up by the ankles a little further away. The cloaked figure was probing the body with strange instruments, taking measurements with others.


    "This body is useless, the blood even worse than a pig''s. You wouldn''t think, but there is a large difference between a vagrant and a commoner. I wonder what difference noble blood would make?" The figure asked himself, tapping his chin with a scalpel.


    A notebook was laying open on a small desk, a candle burning, producing yellow light. Sketches of the human body were visible in the notebook, along with drawings of never before seen magic arrays. The handwriting was barely legible, scribbled down quickly, almost as if the author''s mind moved much faster than the pen.


    "I need better test subjects, I can''t keep going like this." The figure said, stabbing the scalpel deep into the mangled body.


    "Haaaa, No risk, no reward right? I just have to be careful, I need to pick one that no one will miss too much."


    He walked over to his other workbench, several glass vials were lined up in a holder. Different colored liquids were in the vials, small labels stuck into the corks. He pulled one out, it had a brownish substance swirling around inside.


    "I just need to mark my target after some observation, then place this in their food or drink. They''ll come to me willingly then, I won''t have to lift a finger." The figure laughed, pocketing the vial of brown liquid.


    .....


    "Good evening Sarah." An old man lowered his head towards a beautiful woman seated at a table, reading a book.


    "Hey Sol." She replied, just glancing at him before returning to her book.


    Sarah Treffle was a witch, she taught mana control at the Amine Academy of Magic and the Mysteries. It was only her second year as a teacher here, but she was already entrenched as a pillar in the social hierarchy. It had a little to do with how intelligent she was, but was mostly because she was stunningly attractive, and most of the other professors were male.


    She was twenty-six years old and an alumni of the Academy. After her graduation, she served in the military for two years. Serving your country was mandatory for every person, male or female, that came of age. It didn''t matter if you were noble or not, you had to serve. Although, if you were noble you would be a much higher rank than you would be if you were a commoner.


    Sarah, of course, was of noble birth, so her rank after leaving the mage corps was that of captain. She could have stayed over her mandatory two years, but did not like the ''old boy''s club'' that was in the military. After leaving, she spent a few years traveling, gaining real world experience. Although the military provided sufficient training, it was peacetime, so there was no real action to be seen.


    Growing wary of the open road, she decided to return to the capital and reconnect with her family. Using her experience from the military and her travels, she applied for a professorship and was aptly accepted. She''d been teaching the younger generation ever since, although she did miss the freedom of her previous life, she was still quite content.


    Sol pulled out the adjacent chair, sitting down, wincing a little due to his back pain. After adjusting his posture, he let out a sigh of relief as his joints settled. This whole time Sarah had not looked up at him, engrossed in whatever she was reading. Sol didn''t want to be rude and interrupt her more than he already had, but also didn''t have the patience to wait. He cleared his throat, a clear attempt to grab her attention.


    "What can I help you with, Sol?" Sarah sighed before saying, placing her book down on the table.


    Sol returned a wrinkled smile, apologizing to her with his eyes. "Have you met our new colleague?"


    "New colleague? You mean the new alchemy professor?" Sarah clarified with him.


    "Yes, exactly. My students told me a fantastical tale, I was just curious if you had met him, hoping you could tell me just what kind of man he is." Sol explained to her the reason for the interruption.


    Solomon Auveco was one of Sarah''s fellow professors at the Academy. He was an old man with grey hair, suffering from bouts of arthritis. He had been teaching at the Academy for the last thirty-five years, providing the students knowledge of constructing magic circles. He took pride in his vast knowledge of the arcane, passing all he could onto the students that cycled through these halls.


    Having no children of his own, he treated each student as if they were his. He was mild mannered, quick to forgive and slow to anger. He got along well with all the other professors, talking to anyone that would give him the time. He was designated as the unofficial therapist for that reason.


    For all these reasons, Sarah could never be mad at him for interrupting her reading time. Instead she answered him seriously. "Sadly, I haven''t met him. I do hear that he is young, perhaps around my age." She leaned closer to him.


    "What sort of tale did your students weave for you?" She asked.


    Sol took in a deep breath, recalling what his beloved students had told him the other day before class. "They had said he was not to be seen while they were waiting for class to begin. As they were waiting, watching the minutes tick by, a swirling vortex appeared in the middle of the classroom." He paused, letting his words sink in.


    Sarah furrowed her brows, instantly knowing what the vortex was, but she allowed Sol to finish the story.


    "Then, out of the vortex, stepped the new alchemy professor, Kalcifer." Sol stopped speaking, pulling out a handkerchief, wiping some spittle from the corner of his mouth.


    "Sounds like a warp gate, although it is an extremely high tier of magic, and takes a monumental amount of mana control, it is not impossible for anyone to master. Kalcifer must be a very proficient mage to know how to cast this level of magic at his age." Sarah said with a hint of envy in her voice.


    Although her specialty was mana control, she wouldn''t be able to make a warp gate. Maybe after a few more years she''d be able to, but right now it was impossible. Of course, if she had dedicated herself to practice everyday, she most likely could have mastered warp gate by now, but who would want to do that. This Kalcifer must have had loads of time on his hands to learn such a spell.


    "I agree, that''s most likely what it was. Oh I envy the young, if I still had the time, I wouldn''t mind learning such a convenient spell. It would save my joints some trouble, I know that much." Sol said with a raspy chuckle.


    Sarah politely laughed along with him, beginning to pick her book back up. Although casting a warp gate was impressive for a young mage, it wasn''t something to write home about. Sarah thought it would be a good idea to go out of her way and talk with Kalcifer, maybe he could give her some pointers in learning the warp gate spell.


    "I''m not finished yet." Sol said, making Sarah pause picking her book up.


    "The most interesting part is when Professor Kalcifer concocted a potion, making the students drink it." Sol added, his face scrunched up, making his wrinkles appear that much deeper.


    "He made them drink it? That''s a little out of line, isn''t it? What kind of potion was it?" Sarah asked, slightly taken aback.


    "Yes, he at least forced the first student, he threatened to fail the poor girl if she didn''t drink it." Sol said, shaking his head.


    "As far as the effects of the potion, well, that''s the most amazing part of this long winded story. The students say Professor Kal called it an Elemental Potion, after the first student drank it, a light began to shine off of her. The light, they said, was brown, indicating her elemental affinity." Sol exclaimed, his eyes widening slightly.


    "Impossible!" Sarah couldn''t help but say harshly.


    "There''s no potion that can do that, if there was, why would they go through all the trouble of holding the Ceremony of the Elements. No, they must have been mistaken."


    "I held the same thoughts, but when they said the remainder of the class also drank the potion, I couldn''t help but feel that it may be possible. Each student had a similar effect happen to them, a light that radiated off their bodies. Although we can''t be sure the potion actually disclosed their actual affinities without verifying with the element stone, we do know that something did happen, something that could potentially change everything." Sol said, lowering his voice, wary of any eavesdroppers.


    "I wouldn''t go that far, saying it could change everything." Sarah dismissed Sol''s enthusiasm.


    "Oh, but it could. If the potion he created is the real deal, just think what other secrets Professor Kal has under his sleeves, what other potions he''s able to make." Sol said with a deadly serious expression on his face.


    Sarah didn''t respond, she was deep in thought. If Professor Kal had really made such an astonishing potion, there really was no telling what else he could do. She only had one question that was nagging at her, why would he do that? What good would it do him to show off such a potion to a bunch of students?


    "So what do you want to do?" She asked, listening intently.


    "Well, we should keep this between ourselves for the time being." Sol said, looking sheepish all of a sudden.


    "Then why did you come to me about it if you wanted to keep it secret for now?"


    "About that, I was hoping thatˇ­. hoping that you could go talk to him, get to know him better." Sol said, averting his eyes.


    Sarah glared at Sol, her mood growing worse by the second. "And why do you think I could befriend him so easily?" She asked, the hostility oozing from her voice.


    "Please forgive me!" Sol squeaked out, nearly slamming his forehead onto the table.


    "I was just thinking that a young man such as himself would be more receptive to a pretty young lady. I know, I was out of line, I apologize."


    "Haaaaaa." Sarah let out a long sigh after pausing for a moment, rubbing the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger.


    "I''ll do it." She said softly.


    "You will?"


    "But only because I''m interested in him myself ok. Not because of you, got it?"


    "Of course, of course." Sol said, a smile on his face.


    "Either way, you owe me one, remember that." Sarah added, quickly picking her book back up.


    "Not a problem, not a problem at all. I won''t bother you any further, I''ll keep in touch." Sol said, standing slowly from his chair, using the table as support.


    Sarah didn''t bother saying anything back, just waved him off with her hand. Although she was trying to pick up where she left off, her mind wasn''t paying any attention to the words she was reading.. She soon put the book down with a huff, frustrated with her wandering thoughts.

 Chapter 11 - Taking Care Of Business

    No matter how much Solomon wanted to keep anyone else from finding out about the strange happenings in Professor Kal''s classroom before he could figure out more about him, he couldn''t keep the students from gossiping. Word of the elemental potion spread like wildfire, those that had taken part in it happily boasted to their friends about their affinities. This caused much of the student body to want to seek out Professor Kal and ask him to allow them to drink it as well. The only problem was, they couldn''t find him.


    Though the rooms that the faculty stayed in weren''t published, it wasn''t much for the more resourceful students to uncover which room was his. Once finding out the information, there was soon a throng of students knocking on his door. This would have caused most professors to dole out harsh punishments to any student brave enough to disturb them, but Professor Kal never bothered to open his door. Many thought that he was either in the city, or ignoring the ruckus just on the other side of his door.


    Of course, neither of these were true, Professor Kal was in fact hundreds of miles away, deep underground. The reason he gave his students a full week to complete their assignments was because now that he understood more of the history of the current world, he needed time to put together everything he would need. He would be spending much less time in his lair, so he needed to bolster the security and collect all of his equipment.


    After summoning a few death knights to patrol his abode, Kal set about gathering everything he would need. It took him some time, but after a few days, managed to pick out any books that could be of use to him in the future, emptying almost half of his library. Next he moved on to his lab.


    The lab was by far the easiest, he would need almost all of his equipment. From bunsen burners to highly calibrated mana density analysers, he would need it all for his upcoming research. When he was finished in his lab, the only thing left were angry spiders, upset about their homes being demolished.


    The final step was deciding what to do about his expansive garden. It was fifty acres of pristine, fertile land. It wasn''t anything that he could roll up and stuff into his storage ring. After collecting everything else, space was scarce in his ring. Of course, he had other storage items as well, but his ring was by far the most convenient.


    He strolled through the fields, the pseudo sunlight warm on his stark white bones. One might not think it true, but the undead could feel. Although not as sensitive as living creatures, the undead could sense heat, cold, and pressure, if they couldn''t, the undead would be damaging themselves without knowing. With his skeletal pipe in one hand, his staff in the other, he stopped and looked down at a small, flowering plant.


    The petals were large compared to the rest of the plant, their color was bright white, almost the same color as sun bleached bones. The pistol was long, with stamen budding off of it in a star pattern. Kal pinched the stamen, its yellow pollen being ground between his bony fingers.


    This was a relatively common plant called funus flos, or corpse flower. They would grow anywhere a dead body was buried, either human or beast, it didn''t matter which. It had taken Kal a substantial amount of time to collect enough ''fertilizer'' for a field this large. Using the nutrients from a decaying corpse to grow meant they were extremely useful in recovery potions, salves, or health potions. Anything that helped the body recover, adding the corpse flower to it would bolster its effects.


    Kal stood back up, appreciating the small field filled with funus flos that were swaying in the artificial breeze. He moved on, inspecting the other small fields that filled his garden. It was so peaceful here, only the sound of the breeze mingling with the buzzing of insects could be heard. If he stayed any longer he might be tempted to just forget about the world on the surface, staying here, in his lair, until the end of time. Alas, the drive to uncover new knowledge was too strong for him to resist.


    He decided that ferrying back and forth would just have to be done in the meantime. It wasn''t that mana intensive, but warping back and forth made him vulnerable to anyone that was skilled enough with dimensional magic. Although the pool of beings capable enough to affect his travel was bound to be almost nonexistent, he didn''t survive this long by being careless.


    Opening a warp gate directly to his room at the Academy, Kal walked through, exiting just moments after entering the other side. Before he could even make it halfway to his study, a gentle rapping was heard coming from his front door. Looking towards his heavily warded door, and grumbling to himself, Kal quickly transformed his body back into his human form.


    Just as he grasped the doorknob, his fingers had turned plump from the rapidly growing flesh that was covering his bones. He already knew who was on the other side, he had set up surveillance wards on top of the others. For some odd reason, Dean Petticoat had come to personally pay him a visit. Kal straightened out his plain black robe, then opened the door.


    "Dean, it''s a pleasure to see you alive and well. What brings you all the way to my doorstep?" Kal asked, plastering on his ever decreasing creepy smile.


    Dean Petticoat didn''t return his smile, he actually looked upset, and a little stressed. He didn''t even ask permission, he just pushed his way inside, ignoring the slight resistance Kal had put into the door.


    "Professor Kal, I''ve tried to reach you over the past several days." Dean Petticoat said with a gruff voice, consternation clear in his voice.


    "Oh, please forgive me. I''ve been out and about, taking care of some business, tying up loose ends if you say." Kal explained himself, pulling out the wine he had grown fond of, pouring the Dean a glass then handing it to him.


    Kal had no idea why the Dean looked so put out, he''d only been gone four days, not enough time for anything major to happen. Plus, he had only held one class since the start of his tenure, maybe that was why he was here. Maybe the lack of accessibility was the reason for his impromptu visit, he didn''t know, he waited for the Dean to finish drinking his wine, hoping to be enlightened.


    "This is good." Dean Petticoat said, holding up the glass, inspecting it.


    "The reason I''m here is because you''ve caused quite the commotion." He said, setting his glass down on the table next to him.


    "Oh, I have? I don''t remember doing anything worthy of being called a ''commotion''." Kal said, defending himself.


    "Ah, but you have. The students, along with their families, are all asking about the potion you crafted during your first lesson. They said you called it an ''Elemental Potion''." He said, looking into Kal''s eyes, waiting for a response.


    Kal scoffed slightly, shaking his head. He''d almost forgotten about the potion he had his students drink, it was a common one back in his day, nothing special. The only thing outstanding about it were the ingredients required, but for him, it was nothing. He really didn''t know why anyone would make a fuss over it.


    "I''d almost forgotten about that. I was quite surprised when the girl, what was her name?" Kal paused, staring off into space, looking for her name.


    Not finding it after a few seconds, he continued. "It doesn''t matter, the girl said that they must hold some rock when they turn eighteen to find what their affinities are. I told them that that was rubbish, but some didn''t believe me, so I whipped up that potion to prove it to them. It also went well with the lesson I was giving, so I didn''t see a problem in doing so."


    Dean Petticoat furrowed his eyebrows. "That ''rock'', in an integral part of their graduation ceremony. When they leave these hallowed walls, they discover their elemental affinities, it''s all part of the Academy''s tradition."


    "But wouldn''t it make more sense to tell them their affinities sooner? I mean, they would be able to master their elements before they graduate." Kal retorted, finding the Academy''s ''tradition'' nonsensical.


    "W-well, y-yes, that would make more sense. It''s just thatˇ­. just that, we have no other way to uncover a person''s elemental affinity without the stone, and them being eighteen." The Dean said, averting his eyes, almost embarrassed.


    "That''s why your potion caused such a ruckus. If we can allow students to learn along with their affinities, the country''s mages will become that much more powerful." He said passionately.


    "So I''m assuming you want the potion then, that''s why you''re here?" Kal asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest.


    "Yes, it is. Normally I wouldn''t even ask about another mage''s secrets, and I tried to resist coming here sooner, but the amount of pressure I''m under from the noble families is massive. I receive letters daily, demanding that their child be afforded the same opportunity as the ones that were in your class, saying that if I do not, they will petition for my replacement." The Dean said all this in one breath, his shoulders slumping at the end.


    Kal took a moment to think, the recipe wasn''t important to him at all. It only had one use, to tell a mage their affinity with an element, nothing that could harm him later on. He didn''t really have any reason to refuse to hand over the recipe, for a price of course.


    "I''m willing to sell you the recipe." Kal said after some time.


    Hearing this, Dean Petticoat perked up slightly, seeing light at the end of his long, dark tunnel. "Great! How much?"


    He knew that a potion such as this would cost the Academy a small fortune, but it was worth it. Although the Academy was among the top in the country of Amine, there was more than one, not even taking into consideration the academies in the other countries. Being able to identify elemental affinities would be a huge windfall for them. They would be able to boast to be the only Academy in the world able to identify affinities before a person turned eighteen, allowing them to charge an amount that reflected that fact.


    "I want unrestricted access to the dungeons around the capital." Kal said, laying out his terms.


    The Dean was a little surprised, he was thinking Professor Kal would ask for the moon in the sky, not something soˇ­ boring. But it was no skin off his back, he quickly agreed before Professor Kal changed his mind. Pleased, Kal scribbled down the ingredients and proper steps one needed to follow in order to craft an Elemental Potion. Handing it over to Dean Petticoat. The Dean eagerly read the piece of paper he was handed, his face dropping bit by bit as his eyes traveled down the paper.


    Dean Petticoat looked up from the paper, his mouth hanging open, not believing some of the ingredients needed. Most were rare and expensive, but a little effort could get you what you needed, but the one that was impossible, was the last one, the feather of a phoenix. There was no way he would be able to secure a feather of such a mythical beast, there had been no mention of any phoenixes since before the undead war. It was said that there were some residing in the deepest reaches of the largest dungeons, but no one was brave enough to find out for sure.


    Finding the look on the poor Dean''s face laughable, Kal had to hold himself back. With a smirk on his face, Kal spoke.. "Ingredients cost extra."

 Chapter 12 - Well Laid Plans

    "What''s wrong? You''ve been sulking around for most of the week." Ben asked Ryan, who was doodling in a small sketchbook, laying on his bed.


    Ryan didn''t stop his pencil as it sketched out some unknown magical beast. He didn''t even bother looking up, he was miles away, in his own little world. Ben walked over, purposefully knocking into Ryan''s arm, causing a thick, dark line to bisect his creation.


    "What was that for?" Ryan protested his treatment.


    "I was talking to you, stop ignoring me." Ben said in his defense.


    "Haaaa, sorry, I''ve got a lot on my mind." Ryan said, beginning his sentence with a sigh.


    "You didn''t confess your love to Laura did you? Did she turn you down?" Ben teased, knowing of his crush on their classmate.


    "What? No!" Ryan said quickly, a noticeable blush creeping onto his face.


    "It''s just school stuff, nothing worth talking about." Ryan said, trying to deflect the topic.


    He still hadn''t decided on what the correct course of action would be, and the deadline was fast approaching. He and Ben had worked together these past few days, successfully brewing the five potions Professor Kal had assigned for them to do. They failed multiple times, even getting worried about the amount of ingredients they were using, but Professor Kal had set aside more than enough for the entire class to fail a number of times and still have enough.


    With their assignment taken care of, Benjamin couldn''t figure out why Ryan seemed so down, but seeing how he didn''t want to talk about it, he didn''t press the issue. Shrugging his shoulders, Ben humored him and changed the subject.


    "Let''s go out to the practice field, practice some magic." Ben suggested.


    "I only know one spell, and it takes up a lot of my mana." Ryan said dejectedly, scribbling some more in his sketchbook.


    "And you won''t get any better at it drawing aˇ­. goblin?" Ben said, looking over at the sketchbook.


    "It''s supposed to be an ogre." Ryan said with a flat tone.


    "Whatever, let''s go."


    .....


    The practice field was a large open area, divided into different sections. Some sections had dummies set up, others had small ponds situated in the middle of them, others had small hills and obstacles, almost any environment needed to practice magic. Any student of the Academy had access to the practice field, the only rule was no targeting other students. There was always one Professor on duty near the field in case a student happened to get injured, requiring attention.


    Benjamin and Ryan made their way over to the area where the dummies were set up. There were plenty of other students spread over the area as well, still, there was plenty of room for everyone. Ever since Ben had discovered his affinity with the element of air, he had been trying his hardest to learn Air Slash. It was an air spell that would send compressed waves of air at an enemy, cutting them to ribbons. So far though, all he could produce was a slightly strong breeze.


    Ben squared up with a dummy, approximately twenty feet away. He closed his eyes, concentrating on his mana that was chaotically swirling around his body. Being a novice mage, Ben had very little mana control. If the mana was a raging mess in his body, Kal''s would look like a well organised circuit board, the mana being delivered to his body in the most efficient way.


    Ben opened his eyes and began to chant the spell. "Spirits of wind, hear my call. Surge forth and cut my enemies."


    As he finished his chant, he pointed his open hand towards the dummy that he targeted. A whistling sound could be heard, soon, the dummy swayed backwards before springing back to its original position. One would think that the spell was a failure, and they would be right, but the look on Ben''s face spoke otherwise.


    "Did you see that Ryan!? Did you see it? It moved a lot more than last time!" Ben exclaimed ecstatically, practically jumping up and down.


    Ben looked over at Ryan after not hearing his replay, seeing that Ryan was kicking dirt around with his boot. Ben stopped his jumping, a sour look on his face.


    "C''mon man, you''ve got to cheer up, this is getting ridiculous." Ben said, not being able to help the anger from seeping out of his voice.


    Ryan looked at Ben helplessly, not wanting to upset his friend, but couldn''t bring himself out of his rut. He started to say that he was sorry, but Ben cut him off before he could.


    "I''m going to get something to eat, I''ll give you some space since it seems I''m bothering you." Ben vehemently explained to Ryan, before stomping off towards the cafeteria, leaving him behind.


    Ryan didn''t try to stop him, he knew he messed up. He managed to piss off his only friend when all he was trying to do was cheer him up. This just made him more angry at himself than he already was, causing him to lash out, throwing a rock at an unsuspecting dummy not too far away.


    As he threw the rock, he noticed that his energy felt as if it drained slightly. This was strange, the only time it would feel that way was when he used magic, and him only knowing one spell meant that was impossible. His eyes traced the path of the rock that he had thrown, seeing that it had hit the dummy square in the chest. What was strange about it was that there was a hole where the rock had hit.


    Ryan walked closer to the dummy, scrutinizing the injury he caused. The rock was lodged deep inside the dummy, the edges of the wound were burning with an eerie, black flame. He took in a sharp breath, taking several steps back, keeping wide eyes on the ever expanding hole in the dummy''s chest. The black flames weren''t burning the burlap skin of the dummy, it was corroding it. The straw and burlap wasn''t producing any heat or smoke, just turning stark white before falling apart turning into ash that floated away on the breeze.


    Ryan stood dumbfounded for over a minute, until the black flames ran out of the mana that was sustaining them. The flames faded out of existence, seasing the assault on the dummy. What was left was a head sized hole that started out the size of a thumb. Ryan was afraid, he instantly knew that he had somehow used his affinity with death to cause this to happen. He didn''t know what to do, so he ran.


    Ryan ran back to his dorm room, leaving the injured dummy alone in the practice field. Luckily for him, no students had witnessed his display of taboo magic. Not so luckily, someone who wasn''t a student had. A figure slowly came into existence, like a mirage in the desert coming to life. It walked up to the dummy that Ryan had struck, bending over to inspect the hole. After picking the stone out from the dummy''s chest and looking at it more closely, the figure uttered one simple word.


    "Interesting."


    .....


    It was the beginning of a new week, which meant it was the day that the students in Professor Kal''s alchemy class were required to turn in their five potions. It was still ten minutes until the beginning of class, but almost everyone was sitting at their desks, ready to start. Every student had five small potions, of various colors, sitting neatly on their desks. No one wanted to be kicked out of the alchemy program, so they all worked hard to make sure that they completed the project on time.


    Even Clerance had five potions sitting on his desk, which was impressive for him. In any other class, his father would take care of any shortcomings his son would have, paying his professors ''bonuses'', ensuring his son''s passing grades. After talking it over with his father, Clerance was persuaded to forgive the slight that Professor Kal had subjected him to. Clerance didn''t know it, but his father was well aware how important the Elemental Potion was, so wanted to ensure that his family didn''t spoil any relationship that may come in the future.


    With that in mind, his father had hired the best alchemist in the city to complete Clerance''s assignment, hoping that the high quality would impress the new professor. If he could foster a good relationship between his son and the man capable of producing such potions, there was no telling how powerful his family could grow.


    Ryan and Ben were stationed at their desks as well, potions set out before them. They had made up after the incident on the practice field, their lives mostly returning to normal. Ryan had finally settled on a decision, making his mood much better as well. Ben could tell that his friend was feeling much better, he didn''t know why that was, but was happy about it nonetheless.


    Just as class was about to begin, the last desk was occupied, the student clumsily arranging their past week''s labor. As they were lining up their potions, the clock struck eight, sending shrill chimes out into the classroom. Having been startled by the sudden outburst of the clock, the unfortunate student dropped a potion, shattering it on the hard stone floor. Sounds of shattering glass brought everyone''s attention forward, the student aghast, staring forlornly at the mess on the floor.


    Before anyone could stand and comfort the student, a familiar purple and black vortex popped into existence. Out of the Warp Gate stepped Professor Kal, wrapped up in his trademark black robe and holding his gnarled staff. Upon snapping his fingers, the vortex disappeared, he was about to begin the lesson when he noticed the teary eyes of the student still staring at her hard work adorning the stone floor.


    He walked over to her desk, his face a placid lake of emotion. Stopping in front of her, she viewed him as an executioner, preparing to swing hard the axe of her demise.


    "I only count four potions." Professor Kal said, his face still emotionless, as he looked around the classroom, counting the other student''s potions.


    "Everyone else has five."


    The poor girl was petrified, all she could do was slowly nod her head as her bottom lip quivered and she began to hyperventilate. Her name was Patricia Gallows, a fitting last name for the way she felt at the moment. She was the only daughter of an honorary knight. When her father received his title, the last name Gallows was bestowed to him by the duke that gave him the title. She didn''t know why her father was given that name, but did know what gallows were.


    Being a newly named family, they were very poor compared to more established families. That being the case, she would normally never be able to afford to attend the Academy, but was granted a rare scholarship in order to attend. Knowing how rare this chance was, she worked harder than almost anyone in order to make the most of it. So when she realized that she had dropped a potion she had painstakingly made over many days of sweat and tears, she almost fainted. To make matters even worse, Professor Kal didn''t seem likely to take pity on her, she fully expected him to kick her out, right then and there.


    Before Patricia could have a full blown panic attack, Professor Kal broke character. "Relax, relax, I''m not a monster. I can clearly see what happened, don''t worry, I''ll count it."


    Professor Kal put on his unnatural smile as he bent over and placed his finger in the drying liquid on the ground. Putting his finger in his mouth, he tasted the potion.


    "Well done, that''s a well made Drought of Concentration, I can tell you worked hard." He said, comforting the young girl.


    Turning his back to the still trembling girl, he moved on, inspecting the other student''s hard work. He pulled the cork on each bottle, tasting or smelling the contents. It took him several minutes, but finally made it to the last desk in the back row. Clerance was sitting there with his chubby arms across his chest, gloating as Professor Kal sampled his first potion.


    Professor Kal paused, cocking his head to the side, noticing the quality of the potion. He moved on to the others, noticing the same with them as well. He was instantly suspicious of the fat young man, knowing full well the capabilities and limitations of a novice alchemist, but couldn''t say for certain. Although not likely, he could have a savant on his hands, there was only one way to find out.


    He walked back to the front of the class, turning around once reaching the lab table.


    "You all have done a satisfactory job, some better than others, but all acceptable. There is one exception though, the young man sitting in the back." Professor Kal said, pointing to Clarence, but not knowing his name.


    Clarence had a bright, haughty smile on his face, sitting on cloud nine. His father''s plan seemed to have been pulled off flawlessly, impressing the young Professor. He was just waiting to hear Professor Kal say that he wanted to take him on as an apprentice, then his father''s plan really would have worked out. What he heard in reality was far from what he was anticipating.


    "Seeing how high of quality his potions had turned out, I thought that you all could learn from his success.. Why don''t you come down and walk everyone through the process you used to brew such fine potions, I''m sure we all could learn a great deal from the demonstration."

 Chapter 13 - Consequences

    "Please, come on down, don''t leave us hanging in suspense." Professor Kal goaded Clerance, taking pleasure in his discomfort.


    The young boy''s inaction was all the proof Professor Kal needed to know that he was not the one to brew the potions he turned in. Still, he wasn''t about to cease his actions. He was deriving great enjoyment from watching the adolescent human squirm in his chair.


    Even after a full minute, Clerance still had not left his seat, making Professor Kal lose his temper. "Get down here, NOW!" He shouted, the mana powered lights inexplicably dimming.


    Seeing the wrathful glare of the Professor, Clerance, on trembling legs, slowly made his way to the front of the class. Just moments earlier, the whole student body was reveling in Clerance''s plight, but now, seeing Professor Kal''s dark face, felt cold sweat run down their backs. There was also a seeming thickness to the atmosphere that had settled on them, weighing them down, making it difficult to breathe.


    Once Clerance had made it to the front of the class, Professor Kal''s scowl instantly transformed into his uncanny smile. With his smile, the heavy atmosphere was also lifted instantly, much to the relief of the students. Professor Kal waved his hand, causing the once barren table to become an oasis of alchemy equipment.


    "Now that you''ve made your way down here, please, show us your technique." Was all professor Kal said before stepping aside and allowing Clerance to work his magic.


    Clerance had never been so lost, he didn''t even know where to begin. Professor Arckroft was just like many of his other Professors, taking his father''s ''bonuses'', allowing him to easily sail through the class. With his passing all but guaranteed, he hadn''t paid one bit of attention throughout the year. He was regretting that decision now more than ever, he didn''t even know the proper way to clean the ingredients.


    Not wanting to give up, Clerance forced himself to muddle through. Professor Kal had given him a very low level potion, something that any beginner alchemist should be able to complete. He wasn''t trying to completely humiliate the young man, giving him a chance to redeem himself. As long as his wayward student had paid any bit of attention to the previous Professor''s lesson, he should be able to pull it off.


    Clerance timidly plucked the petals off of a corpse flower Professor Kal had set aside, stealing glances at the Professor as he did so. Professor Kal''s face didn''t betray a single emotion, although the recipe called for the pistol to be pulled from the plant, not the petals. He began to crush the plant in a mortar and pestle, mixing in other ingredients as he went.


    After what felt like an eternity for Clerance, but only thirty minutes for everyone else, a finished product was presented to the Professor. Clerance was drenched in sweat, some dripping from his round nose. He was holding his breath as Professor Kal scrutinized the potion he had made for him.


    "This is absolutelyˇ­..disappointing." Professor Kal finally said, breaking the echoing silence.


    "It would take the rest of our precious time to explain to everyone what you did wrong. I was holding out hope that I was wrong about you, but it seems that was foolish of me."


    Clerance started to stammer, his face ashen white. "I..I..I c..can make a..a..another one. I w..w...was just nervous, that''s all."


    Professor Kal waved his hand, his face in a scowl. "There''s no need, have you ever attended class before I started? From the looks of thisˇ­..mess, I would say you could barely make a decent cup of tea, let alone a viable potion."


    "B..b...but I madeˇ­." Clearance started to defend himself.


    "DO NOT LIE TO ME BOY!" Professor Kal shouted out, his eyes flashing an iridescent red.


    Clerance tensed up, adrenaline pumping through his body. He felt like a small animal staring deep inside the gaping maw of a relentless predator. His fight or flight instinct kicking in, Clerance bolted for the classroom door, leaving his peers and the Professor behind as his rotund figure disappeared from sight.


    Like a switch flipping, Professor Kal replaced his ire with jovial laughter. Causing much distress for the students, they would have to be mindful of the Professor''s seemingly whimsical mood swings from now on.


    "Learn from this. I do not require perfection, only effort. If one of you only brought me five failures, as long as it was your whole hearted attempt, I would have accepted them. To cheat, to slander the profession of alchemy by claiming others'' work as your own is unacceptable. Remember that." Professor Kal said, after getting over his laughing fit.


    The students all swallowed hard, taking what they just witnessed to heart. Although they would have never imagined plagiarizing their work, they now knew what would become of them if they did. They all nodded, indicating to the Professor that they understood.


    "Good, now let''s continue." Kal said, moving on to that day''s lesson.


    .....


    Before they knew it, the lesson was over. After Clerance embarrassedly exited the classroom, everything moved along smoothly. Professor Kal taught them the many environments where you could find several of the rarer materials. At the end of the class, he told them all to prepare for an outing in two days. Professor Kal would be taking them into the forest surrounding Lenova, teaching them the proper way to gather herbs.


    This caused a stir in the classroom, field trips were a rare occurrence, making many of them excited. What also made them excited was the fact that tomorrow, they wouldn''t have class, giving them two extra hours to sleep in. As the clock struck ten, they began packing up their things and walking towards their next class.


    "Go on without me, I''ll catch up." Ryan said to Ben, hanging back as they walked to the front of the class.


    Ben gave Ryan a questioning gaze, but didn''t interrogate him as to why. He just nodded, leaving his friend behind.


    Ryan waited until the classroom was empty, only leaving himself alone with Professor Kal. Professor Kal had already tucked away all the equipment into his storage ring, only sticking around to hear what his potential apprentice had decided.


    "Professor, sir, I''ve made up my mind." Ryan bravely said, after taking a deep breath to steady himself.


    "Please, tell me, I am all a flutter with anticipation." Professor Kal said with a whimsical expression on his face.


    Ryan must not have appreciated Kal''s joke, not reacting to it in the slightest. "Sir, I''m willing to learn n...necromancy from you."


    "Are you certain? Once you begin there is no turning back." Professor Kal asked seriously, wanting the young boy to fully understand what he was getting into.


    "Yes, I''m certain." Ryan said, his expression stoic.


    "Great, here, take this." Professor Kal said, tossing a silver ring up into the air.


    Ryan rushed to catch the small object that was tossed to him, fumbling, dropping it on the floor. Embarrassed, he scrambled to pick the ring up off the ground.


    Professor Kal ignored the antics of his new underling."You know how to use that right? Just slip it on your finger and allow your mana to seep into it, you''ll find all the material you''ll need to get a grasp on what I''ll teach you."


    "It''s a storage ring?!" Ryan said in awe.


    Many mages had storage items, so they weren''t all that rare. They were still rather expensive though, so a student getting their hands on one was almost unheard of. He caressed his newfound treasure with the utmost care, afraid to blemish the antique patina.


    "Of course it is, I wouldn''t hand over a mountain of books to you, now would I?" Kal stated rhetorically.


    "A mountain, sir?"


    "Oh yes, a veritable mountain. There is much to understand about necromancy, it''s best to have an understanding of the fundamentals before we get more into the practical side of things. Don''t worry though, it won''t be all bookwork. I''ll be sure to teach you spells and the like as we go along." Kal said, trying to ease the youth''s mind seeing the look on his face when he mentioned the amount of reading to be done.


    "Ok, Professor, when do we start?" Ryan said, his face awash with relief.


    "A week after our little field trip, that will give you plenty of time to go over some of the materials I''ve given you." Professor Kal said, activating a Warp Gate behind himself.


    Ryan nodded, already anticipating his exciting new life that was waiting right around the corner.


    "Just remember one thing, don''t try to practice any of the spells in those books without me to guide you. They can be very dangerous without the proper precautions set in place."


    With those words, Professor Kal vanished into the portal. Ryan watched on as the portal phazed out of existence, eager to try on his new accessory. He slipped the silver ring onto his finger, focusing on the snugness, trying to send his mana into it. After a few moments, a connection was made, allowing his mind to access the ring.


    It was a strange feeling, as soon as he connected to it, he was able to know exactly what was inside the ring. Wanting to test it out, he focused even more on an individual book that was titled ''A Guide to Dark Magic'', causing it to materialize before him, falling onto the ground. He bent over and picked up the fallen book, brushing off its black and gold cover.


    "Apparently, this will take some practice if I don''t want to keep dropping things." He said to himself, before focusing once more, placing the book back into the ring.


    .....


    It was late into the evening, Kal was currently engaged in some light research, nothing too serious. He was currently investigating how the energy from the chaotic dimension that he sent his phylactery into, interacted with his phylactery that he had sealed away there. So far, he''s had some measure of success. He''d found that the red and black energy were two separate sides to the same coin, perfectly counteracting each other.


    Throwing his phylactery into the mix upset the perfect balance of that plane, causing the natural laws to try and correct the imbalance. During this correction process is where his phylactery gathers the boundless energy of that hidden plane. He didn''t know exactly why yet, but as time moves on, the laws continue to try and stabilize the plane, which in turn feeds Kal more power, increasing the imbalance. With the imbalance increasing, the plane spends more energy in trying to correct it, it''s a never ending cycle that only seems to benefit Kal.


    His hypothesis is that his power will continue to grow indefinitely, although it may be on the scale of eons. He didn''t think there would be a limit to his power, as long as the plane continued to feed him its energy.


    As he scribbled down in his notepad, one of his wards indicated that he had a visitor standing at his front door. Activating the surveillance array, he saw a woman standing there, looking as if she was debating on knocking or not. To human standards, the woman that was milling around his doorstep was extremely beautiful; but to Kal, an undead lich, all humans, be them male or female, practically looked the same. Although he could tell the difference between an ugly human versus an attractive one, he didn''t bother treating any of them differently.


    Curious as to who this person was, Kal pushed himself up from his chair, and made his way to the door.

 Chapter 14 - The Expedition

    Sarah Treffle was pacing back and forth, going over what to say in her head. She had procrastinated over the past several days, putting off seeking out the new Professor. She wasn''t nervous to speak to anyone, that wasn''t the issue, she just didn''t want to come off like she was just interested in him because of the potion he brewed the other week. Although she had heard that Professor Kal and Dean Petticoat had come to some sort of agreement regarding the Elemental Potion, she still didn''t want to come off as only interested in him because of it.


    Just as she had committed to a course of action, and lifted her fist to knock, the door opened before she had the chance, taking her by surprise. Before her stood a plain looking man with black hair and green eyes, wearing a plain black robe. He looked at her, expecting her to tell him why she was there, but all she could do was hem and haw, suddenly at a loss for words.


    "What is it?" Professor Kal asked, after staring at his uninvited guest for an awkward moment.


    Clearing her throat, Sarah finally found her voice. "Ah, yes, sorry to disturb you Professor Kalcifer. I''ve been meaning to introduce myself, but haven''t had the time to do so. I''m Professor Sarah Treffle, I teach mana control to the second year students."


    Professor Kal waited a second, making sure she was finished before he spoke. "And?"


    "A..and I was hoping that maybe we could, we could go over some of the finer points of mana and its uses. Learn from each other, I heard that you are a very capable mage." Sarah said, suddenly in a fluster.


    Most men in his position would jump at any chance to get closer to such a beauty as Sarah, but Professor Kal almost seemed more annoyed than anything else. She started to worry that maybe she had overstepped her bounds by bothering him so late into the evening.


    "Although I do appreciate the compliment, I''m much too busy to entertain you at the moment." Professor Kal said, ready to go back to his research.


    Knowing when not to push a situation, Sarah accepted the rejection. "Very well, I''ll leave you be then. Just, if you happen to have free time, feel free to let me know."


    Professor Kal was in the process of closing the door when an idea suddenly struck him. He spoke up just as Sarah had turned around to leave. "Are you free two days from now? In the morning to afternoon?"


    "Uhˇ­ I believe so, my classes don''t begin until after lunch." Sarah said, thinking Kal was setting up a time to get together.


    "Great! Come to my classroom at eight o''clock, sharp." Professor Kal ordered, before dipping back into his room, slamming the door behind him.


    She looked at the oaken door that had slammed shut in her face, her brows furrowed.


    "What a rude man." She said to no one in particular before shaking her head and walking away.


    ˇ­..


    "I won''t stand for this Alfred!" A very upset Duke Hutchens was screaming at Dean Petticoat in his office.


    Dean Petticoat was sitting in his chair, listening to all of Duke Hutchens'' protests. Apparently, earlier in the day, Clerance was caught plagiarizing his work that Professor Kal had assigned the class to do. Plagiarizing work, of course, is an expellable offense. So it was no surprise that Professor Kal had already submitted the paperwork banning Clerance Hutchens from ever taking an alchemy class again while attending the Academy.


    Being expelled from just a single classroom was a much better alternative to being expelled from the whole school, but was still an unbearable embarrassment to the Duke''s family. Thus the reason he was currently in the Dean''s office.


    "There''s nothing that I can doˇ­"


    "Bullshit, You know just as well as I do how things work. Override his expulsion, fire the professor that kicked him out." Dean Hutchens screamed once more, pointing his finger in the Dean''s face.


    "I can''t do that, your son kicked the hornet''s nest this time. Professor Kal, in his short tenure, has already benefited the Academy greatly. I just can''t override his decision because you said so, let alone fire him." Dean Petticoat wasn''t about to let his golden goose get shot down, he would protect him.


    "We''ll see about that, I''ll go to the King if I have to!" Duke Hutchens said, trying to bluff to get his way.


    "And tell him what? That your son lied to his Professor, that you pay off the others to pass him? Oh, don''t glare at me like that, I know all about it, I''m not blind. Now, you can either leave willingly, or I can have you escorted out, it''s up to you." Dean Alfred Petticoat said, in a cold, even voice, calling his bluff.


    Duke Hutchens gritted his teeth, knocking his chair over in anger. He stomped to the door, but not before turning around and screaming once more at the Dean. "This is not the last you''ll hear of me!" Before leaving, slamming the door behind him.


    Dean Petticoat waited for a moment, making sure the Duke had really left, then melted in his chair. He looked up at the ceiling, imagining how difficult his life was about to become. There was a reason Clerance behaved the way that he did. His father was just as vindictive, no, more so than his son, and him being a Duke meant that he had several avenues to make the Dean''s life miserable.


    He just prayed that Professor Kal would be worth all the trouble. He really believed he would be, just the Elemental Potion alone was already paying off. Word of the potion had, surprisingly, already made its way out of the country, causing many inquiries about accepting more foreign applications. The tuition for foreign students was much higher than in-country residents, so he could already feel the gold coins jingling in his pockets. He just had to cover for Professor Kal long enough for him to create more boons for the Academy.


    ˇ­..


    It had been two days, it was now time for the alchemy class to go on their little expedition. It was still half an hour until class was supposed to start, but the entire class, minus one, was already there and waiting. Nearly all of the students in the Academy were the children of nobles, a few were children of wealthy merchants, so almost none of them had any real experience in going out into nature. They''ve traveled before, but always within the confines of a carriage, surrounded by guards, never having a chance to go out on their own.


    Although they didn''t know if there would be guards accompanying them, they were still going out, making this a very new experience. All the students were happily chatting with each other, mostly about today''s excursion. Ryan and Ben were talking amongst themselves as well, just like they always do. The topic today was the new ring that Ben had spotted on his friends finger.


    It didn''t take Ben long to spot it, the silver sheen standing out against Ryan''s fair skin. After teasing him about getting eloped without inviting him, Ben tried to get Ryan to tell him where the ring came from, but only to be disappointed. No matter how he asked, or how many times, Ryan would not tell him the origins of the silver ring. Ben had started the assault once again, practically begging his friend to tell him about it. The mystery surrounding it only feeding his curiosity.


    "C''mon, just tell me where you got it." Ben poked at Ryan.


    "No, just give it a rest will you." Ryan said, getting more annoyed as time went by.


    "I''ll tell you later, just not right now, ok?" He said, wanting to change the subject.


    "Fine, you better though. Hey, who''s that?" Ben said, pointing at the woman that had just entered their classroom.


    Sarah had just walked into Professor Kal''s alchemy class, curious as to why he had told her to come. She was under the impression that they would go over different aspects of magic, maybe she would get lucky enough to pry him open, learning some of his secrets. What she was not expecting was to walk into a full classroom of students without Professor Kal to greet her.


    Feeling only slightly awkward when the classroom all turned to stare at her when she entered, she gave them a small smile and took a seat on a stool by the chalkboard. It was only about five minutes until the start of class, so at least she wouldn''t have to wait long.


    Like clockwork, as soon as the minute hand landed on the twelve, with the hour hand on the eight, a very familiar portal opened up, presenting Professor Kal to the class. He, as always, had his black robe on, holding his gnarled black staff. Without missing a beat, he closed the portal, then opened a new one. This one was slightly larger, able to accommodate two people at once walking through it.


    "Let''s be on our way, everyone, through the gate." Professor Kal said, stepping to the side of the portal.


    "Professor, where are we going?" Professor Treffle couldn''t help but ask.


    Turning towards the questioning voice, Professor Kal''s unnerving smile found its way onto his face. "Ah, you made it, just in time as well. We''re going on a little expedition, I''m so glad that you could volunteer to help chaperone."


    "I thought we were going to go over some of our different areas of expertise." Sarah said, not remembering volunteering in the slightest.


    "We''ll have plenty of time for that in between looking after all these bundles of joy." Professor Kal said as he pushed the first student through the Warp Gate, causing them to trip before disappearing into the black and purple swirls.


    The students had gathered around the Warp Gate, but were hesitant to walk into it. They had watched the Professor use it multiple times by now, but watching someone else do it was very different from doing it yourself. They didn''t really trust magic they weren''t familiar with, even scared of it. Then the professor ''helped'' their classmate overcome their fear, not wanting to be ''helped'' as well, they all timidly walked through the gate.


    "After you." Professor Kal said, giving a polite bow to Sarah after the last student stepped through the Warp Gate.


    Frustrated, but too late to change anything, Sarah reluctantly obeyed. A falling sensation was all she could feel, her vision was black, not even the faintest of light could be seen. This only lasted a second at most before her vision returned to her, displaying the verdant forest, in all its glory, to her. She looked around, noticing most of the students were milling about, laughing and enjoying the perfect weather. Only one or two students were propping themselves up by some trees, obviously affected by the sudden change of scenery.


    "Gather round, gather round." Professor Kal called out, grabbing everyone''s attention.


    "Now, I want everyone to gather into groups of three. Seeing that we are an odd number, there will be two groups of four. I will leave it up to you to decide on the groups. Go ahead, I''ll wait."


    Professor Kal waited patiently for his students to group up, many going with the ones they were already familiar with. Ryan and Ben found themselves in one of the two groups of four. It was them, along with Laura Cromwell, and another boy named Richard Visagoth.


    Richard was a quiet boy, the two friends couldn''t remember an instance of him ever talking to anyone else. They didn''t know much about him, only that he kept to himself and his family was from the southern part of the Amine kingdom. Never to ostrasize anyone, all three of them welcomed their group member, only receiving small nods in return.


    Seeing that everyone had grouped up, Professor Kal gave out the day''s itinerary. "Now that you have your teammates, it''s time to begin. You all will spread out into the forest, looking for any herbs that can be used to brew potions. Any herb will do, don''t be picky. Not only will you use the herbs you pick in a potion, you will also be responsible for bartering with the other groups as well for any ingredients that you failed to find. This exercise will teach you the proper way to pick, clean, and store ingredients used for alchemy, but also teach you how to haggle with others in order to achieve your goals."


    He paused, making sure everyone understood the assignment.


    "Everyone take one of these." He held out his hand, inside was a small, glass marble.


    "If you crush this, or break it, it will alert me to any danger that you or your group may encounter.. Although this forest should be safe, it''s always good to be prepared."

 Chapter 15 - Lost In The Woods

    "Professor, what dangers are in the forest?" A student, a young boy, asked.


    "Well, there''s always the chance a wayward monster is walking by, or bandits, or a dragon, or if you fall and break your legs, the possibilities are just endless." Professor Kal said in an all too chipper tone, causing many of the students to grimace.


    "But don''t worry, nothing will befall you, as long as you stick together." Professor Kal tried to sound reassuring, but failed to assuage the student''s sudden fears.


    "Now hurry up, time waits for no man." He shooed the students aways, flapping his arms like a deranged bird.


    The students went their separate ways, tromping into the forest. Professor Treffle stayed next to Professor Kal, waiting for him to tell her what he wanted her to do. Professor Kal didn''t say anything, just looked off into the distance, looking like he was deep in thought. She was about to say something when some movement caught her eye. A hawk had swooped down from the tree tops, landing on Professor Kal''s outstretched arm.


    Sarah was startled slightly, seeing the large bird swoop towards them, even more so when she looked at it closer once it landed. The hawk was transparent, she was able to make out the trees on the other side of the predatory bird. It moved just like a living bird, jerking its head as it looked around.


    "Professor Kal, what is that creature?" Sarah asked, never seeing anything like it.


    Stroking the hawk''s head, Professor Kal answered. "This? This is a Phantom Familiar, I summoned him to help keep an eye out."


    "A summons? Are you very proficient in that branch of magic?" Sarah asked, finding this rude man more and more interesting.


    "I suppose you could say that I am." He said, launching the Phantom Familiar up into the air.


    ˇ­..


    Laura was leading the way, leaving no stone unturned as she and her group searched for herbs. She was motivated now more than ever, she''d been that way ever since she discovered her element. Ever since that day, her family had prioritized her education, seeing how rare her affinity was. She was even getting several marriage proposals a day, once word of it spread. She was still a little too young for that, but the mere fact that she was desired by so many boosted her ego greatly.


    "There." Richard quietly said, pointing to a spot under a tree not too far away.


    He''d been pointing out herbs since they started combing the forest. He seemed to have a knack for finding them, almost like a sixth sense. He was able to spot them from far away, even when they were covered up by other weeds or hidden in the shadows of trees.


    Ryan made his way over to the area Richard had highlighted, amazed, once again, to find an herb there, waiting to be plucked. He bent down, and with a small knife, cut the stem at an angle. Cutting it so, would allow the herb to more easily regrow so they could come back later and reharvest it. He gently placed the herb into his pack, paying mind in order not to bruise the broad leaves of the plant. With another one successfully gathered, the small group moved on, deeper into the forest.


    After another hour of walking, they all agreed that they should turn back. They were only exploring the forest for the first four hours of the day, so they wanted to leave plenty of time in case they ran into any unforeseen situations. Laura took lead again, just like she had the entire day, but soon slowly came to a stop.


    "Uh, which way do we take?" She asked, her voice going up in pitch towards the end.


    "What do you mean? We were following you!" Ben exclaimed, already knowing what she was getting at.


    "I was just walking, I thought you guys were keeping track of the way back!" She shouted out, trying to defend herself.


    "You mean we''re lost?!" Ryan added his two cents.


    "AAARRRGGH!" Laura screamed, nearly pulling her hair out, startling the three boys behind her.


    "What are we gonna do?" Ryan asked, a worried look on his face.


    He looked over at Richard, hoping that his sixth sense with locating herbs would translate over into directions. Richard just shrugged his shoulders and shook his head, opting not to say anything, like usual. Ryan let out a sigh, finding a fallen tree, and sitting on the trunk.


    "Let''s break a marble, I''m sure Professor Kal will come and get us." Ben suggested to the group.


    "No way! We''re not in danger, and I don''t want him to think we can''t handle being left alone." Laura squashed Ben''s suggestion right out of the gate.


    "Then what do we do, oh great leader?" Ben spat out sarcastically.


    "Just follow me. We walked in a straight line getting here right? We''ll just do the same on the way back." Laura confidently said, but hesitated when picking a direction.


    "C''mon, let''s go." Ben said to the other two, succumbing to Laura''s strong will.


    After a few more minutes of walking, Laura stopped. Talking to herself, she changed direction, walked a little bit further then stopped again. She turned around, looking at the three boys following her. Her eyes were brimming with tears, tears of frustration, embarrassment, and fear. They were lost, and it was her fault, at least that''s how she felt. In reality, she shared the blame with everyone present, but she had taken up the mantle of leader when she led the way, so she took most of the blame.


    "I''m sorry, I messed up." Was all she said, her head lowered, looking at the ground.


    Ben didn''t say anything, just rolled his eyes. He was annoyed at Laura for not admitting it sooner, but couldn''t bring himself to rub salt in her wounds. Ryan on the other hand went up to her and placed his hand on her shoulder, comforting her.


    "It''s alright. No one''s hurt. We can just crush a marble andˇ­." His speech was interrupted by the rustling of some bushes not too far from where they stood.


    Everyone''s attention turned towards the bush, the leaves parting, allowing a creature to walk out of them. A large wolf, with shaggy dark grey fur, stepped out from its hiding spot, unafraid of the four humans waiting for it. It stood five feet high at its shoulders, and about eight feet from head to tail, it was a dire wolf. Holding its head high, it stopped to look at the group.


    "Crush the marble, quick, do it!" Laura whispered to whoever would listen as she backed up, bumping into ben.


    They were all staring at the dire wolf, the wolf staring back at them. Ben crushed his marble in his hand, Ryan stomped on his with his foot. Richard brought his out, but dropped it on the ground because of his trembling fingers. Luckily, it broke easily when it hit the hard soil. Laura actually threw hers at the wolf, missing it completely. The wolf looked back at where the marble broke against a tree trunk, then turned back to the group.


    "Now what?" asked Ben, expecting something to happen when they broke all their marbles, but not seeing anything.


    "I don''t know, maybe it''ll leave us alone? It hasn''t done anything yet, it''s just looking at us." Ryan said, hoping it was just a curious wolf that would get bored soon.


    "Yeah, Mayˇ­" Laura was rudely interrupted by a loud static sound coming from behind them.


    They whipped around, seeing a second dire wolf had thrown itself at the four students, being stopped by a golden dome of light that was still flickering from the impact. A third and fourth wolf were flanking the one still recovering from ramming into the barrier, snarling, and hackles raised. The original wolf had now shed its placid demeanor, baring its fangs and joining its pack, circling the four terrorfied students.


    The golden shield had now disappeared, the students nor the wolves knew if it was still there or not. This put them into a stalemate, the wolves circling, not daring to jump at their prey, and the children, too scared to move a muscle.


    "Spirits of wind, hear my call. Go forth and slash my enemies!" Ben shouted out, being the first to act.


    An invisible blade of wind shot out from Ben''s hand, going past where the barrier had been, and striking a wolf in the shoulder. The wolf yelped, both in surprise and pain, blood visible in its shaggy coat of fur. Two of its comrades took this chance to lunge forward, thinking that if they could be attacked, they could attack in turn.


    Ben, still high on his successful spell, flinched when the wolves lunged towards them. Laura screamed out, expecting, at any second, fangs to come in and rip her throat out. Ryan was scared stiff, eyes wide and face ashen white. Richard was squatted on the ground, head between his knees with his arms covering his head. They all thought they were going to die, all of their dreams left unfulfilled.


    The two wolves impacted the barrier at the same time, bouncing off of it like rocks skipping on a pond. Ripples spread out just like a pond as well, soon covering the entire golden dome. As the group let out a sigh of relief, the ripples compounded on each other, until, like shattering glass, the golden dome exploded. The explosion pushed the wolves back a few steps, but didn''t deter them in wanting to fill their bellies.


    "Oh my gods, oh my gods, oh my gods." Laura couldn''t help but say as she watched the bloodied wolf limp towards them, blood and saliva mixed dripping out of his mouth.


    Ryan and Ben held each other in their arms, crying as the wolves tested the area the barrier had broken. Richard was finally talking, mumbling something intelligible under his breath, rocking back and forth. They all closed their eyes, giving into their fear, waiting for their deaths.


    "What the Hells are you four doing?" A cold, deep voice suddenly came from the forest, overwhelming the sounds of snarling.


    Ryan looked up from Ben''s embrace, there, standing under the shade of a tall sycamore tree, was Professor Kal.

 Chapter 16 - Too Soft

    The dire wolves halted their advance, turning their attention to the intruder that had interrupted their hunt. Professor Kal gave the wolves a passing glance, focusing on his students who were currently cowering in the middle of the pack of wolves. Only Ryan seemed to have heard the Professor when he spoke, the other three still squeezing their eyes shut, shaking like fawns without their mothers.


    Sensing danger from the man in black standing before them, the wolves regrouped, ignoring the man cubs for now. Professor Kal didn''t back down either, calmly walking forward with his black staff in hand. By now, the other three had sensed a change, opening their eyes, they saw their would be savior, being surrounded by the very wolves that had been tormenting them mere moments ago.


    "Professor! Be careful!" Laura couldn''t help but shout out, not wanting her beloved Professor to fall victim to the wolves.


    She thought very highly of Professor Kal, he had changed her life ever since that day. She knew that he was a very talented alchemist, but as far as being effective in a battle, she didn''t know. Magic took time to cast, one needed to chant the specific spell before it would manifest. With so many wolves circling around him, she didn''t know if he would be able to kill them all before they could attack.


    Time seemed to slow down, she watched on in horror as the four wolves tensed up, then exploded forward like springs releasing under load. She didn''t see it, but Professor Kal''s calm face twisted into one of disgust as the wolves sprung forward. He lifted his staff up in front of him, and like Moses parting the Red Sea, slammed it down into the ground.


    As the tip of his gnarled staff struck the ground, sharp spikes made of earth instantaneously rose up from the forest floor, meeting the wolves'' bodies, who''s paws had just lifted into the air. The earthen spikes skewered the wolves easily, passing through fur, skin, and bones alike. The spikes continued to grow in girth and in height, lifting the massive wolves up into the air like macabre trophies on display.


    The wolves whined in agonizing pain, struggling to get free, but only for a moment. The amount of blood each wolf lost caused them to soon expire, leaving only warm corpses for the crows to feast upon. Having taken care of the wolves, Professor Kal walked through the newly grown forest of bloody, earthen spikes.


    "Stand up, you''re embarrassing yourselves." Professor Kal said, not bothering in trying to comfort his students.


    "C''mon, everyone else is waiting."


    Snapping his fingers, a Warp Gate opened up next to him, swirling in purples and blacks. The students helped each other up, Richard requiring a little bit more help than the others, and timidly made their way into the portal. Instead of taking them back to the place they departed from in the forest, they found themselves back in their familiar classroom. They were the last to arrive, their fellow classmates waiting for them in their assigned chairs.


    They did the same, sitting at their desks, waiting for the Professor to arrive. As they waited, they looked around, noticing that most of the other students looked like they had almost as rough a time as they did. Some had their clothes torn, some were covered in dirt, one boy was cradling his arm that was bent at a weird angle.


    Professor Kal soon came through the portal, along with Professor Treffle. He closed the portal, then tapped his staff on the ground, gathering everyone''s attention.


    "Well, I have to say that I am thoroughly disappointed. Out of nine groups, seven of you got yourselves lost, three groups managed to find wasp nests." He paused, pointing over to a group that was covered in stings.


    "One poor fellow fell and broke his arm." He pointed to the young boy holding his arm.


    "And this group over here managed to almost become dog shit!" Professor Kal exclaimed, anger on his face.


    Everyone turned to look at Ryan and his group, even the boy that had the broken arm stared at them. They all lowered their heads in shame, embarrassed to be singled out.


    "This may come to you as a surprise, but this was not only a test to see how well you would do in finding and collecting herbs, but also how you would handle being on your own. If you had two brain cells to rub together, you should all be able to figure out that you have failed." Professor Kal yelled out in a lecturing voice.


    "But." He said before pausing.


    "I do not blame you for your failure. I blame this society, mostly this Academy, in failing to prepare you for the outside world." He said, gesturing towards Professor Treffle who was standing next to him, still trying to process what was going on.


    Her and Professor Kal had been in the forest, talking about magic. The students had been off into the forest, collecting herbs, when Professor Kal had paused their conversation and opened a Warp Gate. He had left her there, telling her to wait for any students that might find their way back. That was the last she''d seen of him until two groups showed up. He had then warped back, opened a Gate for them, then opened a new one for himself before taking off again.


    Now, she was standing in his classroom, looking at his students who looked like they''ve been through a battlefield, and being berated by Professor Kal himself. All she could do was try putting up a defense for herself, it wasn''t her fault the students had turned out the way they had, and she didn''t want to take the blame. But before she could say anything, Professor Kal cut her off.


    "So I''ll be talking to the Dean about adding some practical courses to the syllabus. I suppose I''ll have to teach those myself, but it''s a small sacrifice in comparison to the alternative." He said, suddenly acting as if he was becoming a martyr for a just cause.


    "Your''re all excused. I expect everyone to be here tomorrow, you''ll be crafting your potions then. What? You didn''t expect to get out of it did you? You should know better than that!" He said after gauging their reactions to having to continue with the original assignment, even after what most of them went through.


    "Ah, I almost forgot. Here, take this." He added, handing a green potion over to the unlucky student who broke his arm.


    "Take that, it''ll fix you right up."


    The student greedily drank the potion he was given, lines of green liquid running down his chin. Wiping his face with his sleeve, he waited for the potion to take effect. A warm sensation worked its way from his stomach to his limbs, numbing the pain he was biting back. He didn''t feel any pain, only pressure, as his bones in his broken arm moved on their own, setting back into place. After a few moments, he moved his arm, opening and closing his fist. With a bright smile, he thanked Professor Kal before leaving class with the rest of his shell shocked classmates.


    "What is wrong with you?" Sarah asked once the classroom was clear of students.


    "What?" Professor Kal said, cocking his head.


    "You took an entire class of noble CHILDREN out into the forest, injuring some, then blaming them for it?! And what was that about some almost turning into dog shit? If their parents find out about what happened, both of our heads will roll." She said, getting more worried and angry as she spoke.


    "Oh, we''ll be fine. They should be thanking me anyways. It''s better to get them used to the real world now before something really dangerous happens, at least now, they''ll be better prepared." He dismissed her worries with a careless shrug of his shoulders, ignoring any further protests by opening a portal and retreating into it.


    Seeing Professor Kal ''run away'' made Sarah irate. She started to curse at him as he walked into the Warp Gate, but he acted as if he didn''t hear her. She kicked a stool over in anger, yelling at the wall. She thought about going to the Dean about his behavior, but then thought twice about doing so. She was right there with Professor Kal, so it was very likely that she would share the blame along with him for allowing the situation to escalate.


    Gritting her teeth and stomping her feet went a long way in calming herself down. Once she had composed herself, she left his accursed classroom, heading towards her own. Her class was about to begin, and unlike a certain Professor, she cared for her students, so she wouldn''t leave them waiting.


    ˇ­..


    Dean Petticoat was currently going over some admission paperwork, a glass of brandy was in his hand. Admissions were up sixty-percent for the next year, and it was only expected to continue to rise. This had put him in a rather pleasant mood, the only thing dragging him down was Duke Hutchens'' bellyaching about his son. He could stomach that for now, as long as good news continued to come in.


    While going over one particular applicant, the young prince of a foreign country, his secretary Minie, burst into his office. The sudden entrance of his longtime secretary caused him to spill his brandy all over the neat paperwork occupying his desk.


    "Damnit Minie! What is the meaning of this?!" He bellowed out, face a dark shade of red.


    "Forgive me sir, but the King is summoning you, it''s an emergency." Minie said in her mousy voice, bowing her head low in apology.


    "The King? What''s the emergency?" He asked, forgetting all about the spilled brandy staining his paperwork.


    "I don''t know. The court steward is here to explain." She said before stepping aside and allowing an extremely well dressed man into the Dean''s office.


    He was a tall man, maybe six feet in height, with black hair and a chiseled jaw. He held his back as straight as an arrow, pride clear in his stature. This all made the look on his face all the more startling.


    Dean Petticoat instantly stood up, bowing towards the man, showing him the utmost respect. The court steward represented the crown, so showing him respect was the same as showing it to the King himself.


    "We need the most capable healer in the Academy." The Court Steward said, bypassing all the regular decorum.


    "O..of course, right away." He said, already knowing who to summon.


    "May I ask what the matter is about?" Dean Petticoat added, just as curious as anyone else would be.


    "The First Prince has fallen ill. He''ll arrive at the castle in a few hours, the rider that came ahead of him says that he is near death, we haven''t a moment to loose." The Steward said, his face pale.


    The First Prince was next in line for the throne, so of course anything related to his well being was of the utmost importance. Him being gravely ill was sure to have riled up the entire castle, the King was bound to be worried sick. Dean Petticoat didn''t have much time, if they failed to save the Prince, it was hard to tell how far the Kings wrath could reach.


    "Minie, summon Professor Kalcifer here at once." He ordered out to his secretary.


    She nodded her head, then turned to leave, running out the office, but before she could reach the hall, a Warp Gate opened up directly in front of the Court Steward. Neither one of them had time to react before Professor Kal non chalantly walked out of the portal like he owned the place.


    "Dean, we need to talk. These students are too soft, we need to toughen them up if they want to survive longer than five minutes in the real world." Kal stopped talking, suddenly realizing that the Dean had a guest.


    Looking around, he noted the tense atmosphere along with the looks on both the mens'' faces.


    "What? Did somebody die?"

 Chapter 17 - Yelling And Cursing

    "I don''t see why you need me, I''m sure that you could handle this on your own." Professor Kal said, grumbling out loud with his arms across his chest.


    He and Dean Petticoat were riding in a luxurious carriage, bounding uninhibited down the main street of the capital. Their destination was the marvelous castle that occupied the center of the city. The castle boasted meticulously carved stone walls thirty feet high, battlements were placed on the walls to facilitate archers. Currently, the drawbridge was down that spanned the wide moat that surrounded the castle.


    Once past the imposing walls, you would enter a large courtyard. An army of gardeners were employed in order to keep all the hedges trimmed and the flowers deweeded. There were even large bushes trimmed in the shape of animals, such as majestic unicorns or mighty dragons. Overlooking the beautiful gardens was the main keep of the castle. This would be where the Royal Court would meet and any negotiations with foreign countries would take place.


    Behind the Keep, although not as big, was the Royal Palace. This is where the King and Queen''s personal quarters were, along with their children. This was naturally the most heavily guarded building in the entire castle, and also Professor Kal''s current destination.


    "I''d rather not take the chance. I''m certain that you have the skills needed to save the First Prince." Dean Petticoat said, ignoring Professor Kal''s grumblings.


    "And what makes you think that? I could be a one trick pony for all you know." Kal said, spreading his hands out wide.


    "If that''s the case, then we''re both dead." The Dean said, his face and tone both extremely serious.


    Professor Kal just shrugged his shoulders, not bothered by the Dean''s words one bit. He didn''t know much about the King, but doubted that he would behead the ones trying to help his son. Although, he had heard of that sort of thing happening before, back before he went underground. It wouldn''t matter anyway, if the King wants to play tyrant, he''d be more than happy to play along.


    Dean Petticoat didn''t know what to make of Kal''s unbothered attitude, he just shook his head and looked out the window. Knights lined the street, pushing the commoners clear of the road, allowing the carriage to move at top speed. They were nearly to the castle, maybe only five more minutes of travel would be required. According to the steward, the prince should arrive no later than three hours from now. They would use this extra time to get prepared for his treatment.


    Horses panted and strained as they pulled the heavy carriage over the drawbridge and through the courtyard. The carriage driver pulled hard on the reins, urging the horses to stop. With squealing brakes, the carriage pulled up to the Royal Palace, knights waiting in their full armor. One of the knights came and opened the carriage door, allowing Professor Kal and Dean Petticoat to exit.


    "Please, follow me." A pretty maid said, bowing low to the two mages.


    She escorted them to a large bedroom on the ground floor of the palace. Inside were already several maids rushing back and forth, preparing clean linens and anything else that might be required. The court mage was also waiting in the room, his long, blue robe was studded with gems that were twinkling in the sunlight coming through the open windows. He was an older man, around the same age as Professor Auveco, with grey hair and wrinkles lining his face. The only difference was that he seemed much better health wise, he was moving around just as fast as the young maids, keeping track of everything that entered the room.


    Not wasting time with pleasantries, Kal marched up to the Court Mage and started to interrogate him. "Tell me everything that you know about the First Princes'' condition."


    The Court Mage looked Kal up and down, not appreciating the way this young man addressed him. He looked over at Dean Petticoat, noticing his slight nod towards him. He trusted the Dean of the Academy, so he decided to humor the young man on his behalf.


    "All we know is that his Majesty, the First Prince, was away on a diplomatic mission to our neighboring country of Morgania. He''d been there for well over a month with no issues, until two weeks ago when he came down with a debilitating illness. It started with fatigue and stomach pains, slowly building in severity until he couldn''t stand. The Court Mages of Morgania treated him the best they could, under supervision of course, but were unable to help him in any meaningful way. That was when it was decided to rush the Prince back home to receive emergency treatment."


    Professor Kal nodded his head, rubbing his chin between his thumb and forefinger. "I''ll need a list of everything he has been treated for. I''ll also need a few magic gems for better lighting, it''s much too dark in here."


    "We''ll have to wait until the Prince arrives for the list of treatments applied, but the other request is easy enough." The Court Mage said, ordering a nearby maid to run off and gather the gems.


    "One more thing before you go." Professor Kal said to the maid, stopping her from leaving.


    "Some tobacco as well, it''s very important."


    "What''s that for?" The Dean asked, not thinking of anything that tobacco could be used for.


    "Me, I''m all out."


    ˇ­..


    Time slowly went by, Professor Kal was sitting on the windowsill, smoking away at his skeletal pipe. The crossbreeze carrying away the smoke, keeping it out of the room. Reginald Barclay, the Court Mage, didn''t seem to like Professor Kalcifer. After he had requested some tobacco from the maid, Reginald went on a small rant, saying to ''take this matter more seriously'' and ''how could you think of smoking at a time like this''.


    Of course, Kal completely ignored the ranting Court Mage, opting to critique the decorations of the room. There was a large king size bed sitting in the middle of the room, a canopy draped thin, transparent curtains over it, keeping any mosquitoes at bay. A fireplace was installed in the wall, large enough to be able to roast a whole pig with room to spare. Oil on canvas paintings hung on the stone walls, some of different landscapes, some of the current King and Queen. There were also small tables and chairs set up, and a private bathroom behind a closed door in the corner.


    Dean Petticoat and Court Mage Reginald were having a very heated conversation sitting at one of the small tables. They were trying to figure out what illness could possibly be afflicting the Prince, hoping that by the time he arrived, they could have a good idea on how to treat them. Professor Kal didn''t take part in it because he thought it was pointless, and he told both of them that much as well. This added to the many reasons Reginald had to not like Professor Kal, he even began to question the Dean as to why he had brought him along.


    When he told his friend about how Professor Kal was the one to make the Elemental Potion, Court Mage Reginald''s eyes went wide slightly, and stopped pressing the issue. Mage Kalcifer may be an incorrigible person, but he had to admire the knowledge and skill it took to be able to come up with such a potion. He decided to give him the benefit of the doubt, hoping that his friend, the Dean, wasn''t wrong to bring him.


    "They''re here." Professor Kal said with an uncaring tone, blowing a smoke ring out of the window.


    His words were a preamble to a flurry of movement from everyone present. Maids rushed around, heating up water, bringing blocks of ice up from the cellar. The Dean and Court Mage rushed out of the room, heading to the receiving area. Professor Kal wondered if he should go as well, but decided to finish his pipe. They would come to him anyway, so what would be the point.


    Shouts could be heard, growing louder and fast approaching. Kal put away his pipe and stood off to the side, waiting for the show to begin. A knight opened the bedroom door, holding it open as a stretcher was brought in, carrying the First Prince. Following closely behind were the two mages, both talking rapidly, debating with each other.


    The First Prince was transferred to the bed, his body was limp and his skin was a sickly green. He was dressed in light clothing, it was loose and thin, trying to keep his skin from chaffing. Kalcifer could see that he was barely breathing, short, shallow breaths. His skin was clammy, his fingernails were purple and his lips were blue.


    "He looks awful." Professor Kal said flatly.


    "We can see that!" Court Mage Reginald said, shouting.


    "If you have nothing constructive to add, then just keep quiet!"


    The Dean must have agreed with what the Court Mage had said, not saying anything, only nodding his head. An awkward silence fell over the room, Kalcifer held his hands up, displaying surrender. Reginald shook his head, then turned his attention back to his patient, only to be interrupted once again.


    "Where is he? Where is my son?" An elegant, older woman, maybe in her fifties, burst into the room.


    She was wearing a long, blue dress, fitted with white lace and embroidery that would make the best seamstresses blush. A gem encrusted tiara adorned her braided, blonde hair. She lifted the hems of her dress as she floated across the thick carpet of the bedroom. Stopping at the bed, instantly grabbing ahold of her son, inspecting every inch of him.


    "My son, my beautiful baby boy. What happened to you? Regi, you must save him, please save Alex!" The Queen said, tears already falling from her eyes.


    Queen Elizabeth Jorni Amine, was the First Prince''s mother. She was fifty-five this year and had three children, Alexander Amine, the First Prince, Susan Amine, the First Princess, and Sierra Amine, the second Princess. She was short, only standing five and a half feet tall. But as soon as she entered the room, she became the tallest, as everyone bowed low to the ground, everyone but Professor Kal.


    She ignored the man dressed in a black robe, only having eyes for her dying son. Fixing his long blonde hair, brushing it behind his ear.


    "Your majesty, we''re doing everything we can. We have just started our examination, we expect results shortly." Reginald said, still bowing low.


    He really didn''t know if they would find anything or not, it was too early to say, but he had to tell the Queen something. With luck, maybe they would really be able to find the source of the illness, saving the Prince''s life. He didn''t want to think of the alternative. If the prince were to die, all three of them would be held accountable. The King was known for the deep love he held for his family, so it was hard to tell how he would react, Mage Reginald didn''t wish to find out.


    "Good, I''ll stay herˇ­." The Queen started to say, but was cut off by the man in the black robe.


    "I can tell you right now what''s wrong with him." Professor Kal quipped from over by the window.


    Court Mage Reginald had enough of Professor Kal at this point, he stood up tall and walked over to the presumptuous man.


    "Have you no decency? Have you no shame? You say to know what ales him, yet you stand some ten feet away! You didn''t even show Her Majesty the respect she is due! How dare you! How dare yoˇ­."


    "SILENCE!" The Queen yelled out, causing Reginald to snap his mouth shut.


    "You say you know what''s wrong with him? Please, please save him!" She lowered her voice, grasping at anything she could, like a drowning man adrift at sea.


    Professor Kal glared at Mage Reginald, frowning as he walked by him. Walking up to the Queen, he switched his frown for a smile.


    "Your Majesty, it''s very clear to me what illness he has." He paused for dramatic affect, achieving great results.


    "For it is not an illness at all, no, it is in fact much, much worse.. Someone really wishes your son to die, they''ve placed a very powerful curse on him, one that will surely kill him."

 Chapter 18 - A Mothers Love

    "I suppose I worded that poorly." Professor Kal said awkwardly after noticing how the Queen''s face drained of color.


    "He''ll surely die, IF, we don''t find out what curse it is." He finished saying.


    "And how do you suppose we do that? It could be any number of curses, and how are you so sure it is a curse to begin with?" Dean Petticoat asked, not understanding Professor Kal''s reasoning.


    Curses had been around as long as magic had, it was an ancient school of dark magic. The number of curses available to use was as bountiful as the number of stars in the sky. They ranged from curses of bad luck to curses that would slowly turn your insides to mush while keeping you alive. They were nasty business.


    The main problem was that since curses were considered dark magic, it was forbidden to practice them. This meant that hardly anyone was skilled in dispelling them. So once a curse was applied, it was nigh impossible to find someone to cure the afflicted person.


    Queen Amine looked between the two mages, lost in their conversation. She didn''t know any magic, so didn''t understand the severity of a curse. The only thing she did know for certain was that her son was slowly dying, and she would do anything to save him.


    "I don''t care what you have to do, just save him." She begged, almost getting down on her knees.


    Mage Reginald stopped her before she could lower herself, sitting her back on the bed.


    "First, your Majesty, we must figure out if it is in fact a curse." He said in a reassuring voice.


    He then ordered a pair of maids to begin undressing the First Prince. Drawing a confused look from the Queen.


    "One of the most telling signs of a curse is that it will leave a mark, or a blemish, on the skin. Unfortunately, it could appear as anything, so they could be confused with a bruise, or a previous injury." Mage Reginald explained as the maids finished stripping the young man of his clothes.


    "Then you''ll be able to save him?" She asked, some glimmer of hope in her eyes.


    "In theory yes. I have personally never dealt with a curse, but there are records of them in the archives." Mage Reginald replied, trying his best to downplay his ignorance on the subject.


    Professor Kal snorted in disdain, a mage his age should have a better understanding of all schools of magic, especially curses. You never knew what kind of situation you could run into, it was good to always know a little something of everything, just in case. He should know some curses just couldn''t be dispelled, no matter what you did.


    "We need to hurry up and look, you''re wasting time." Professor Kal said, pushing past Court Mage Reginald.


    Reginal let out a frustrated sigh, then joined Professor Kal and Dean Petticoat in scanning the First Prince''s entire body. They went over every square inch of his skin, even checking between his toes, but found nothing. Mage Reginald And Dean Petticoat took a step back, clearly flustered. Professor Kal on the other hand materialized a razor from his storage ring, bringing it the First Prince''s hairline.


    "What are you doing?" Asked Dean Petticoat.


    "We''ve checked everywhere, everywhere but his head." Professor Kal said, as he started shaving the First Prince''s head.


    The First Prince had long, blonde hair, much like his mother''s. It had taken him many years to grow it out like he had, and soon, half his head was shaven. On the back of his head, towards the left side, was a dark blemish, it looked much like a birthmark. It was in the shape of a heart, which they all thought was rather strange. After confirming with Queen Elizabeth that he wasn''t born with that mark, they confirmed that that must be the curse mark.


    "See, I told you it was a curse, now we just need to figure out which one it is." Professor Kal said as he still continued shaving his head.


    "Fine, fine, I can be a big enough man and admit that you were right Mage Kalcifer." Mage Reginald said, watching as Professor Kal continued to shave the Prince''s head.


    "But why are you still shaving him?"


    "We can''t just leave him like this, he''ll look ridiculous."


    "Ugh, I''ve got a headache." Dean Petticoat said, rubbing his temples.


    "I''ll go down to the archives, see if I can find anything related to a heart shaped curse mark." Mage Reginald said, shaking his head as he walked away from Professor Kal.


    As Professor Kal skillfully worked the razor, Queen Elizabeth would collect the hair, grasping them as if they were precious metals. He thought that her behavior was a little strange, but who was he to judge a grieving mother. Mage Reginald exited the room and the maids dressed the young prince.


    "What do we do now?" The Queen asked, still clutching the cuttings of hair.


    "We wait for Reginald to return, I''m sure he''ll find something." Dean Petticoat said, taking a seat at one of the small tables.


    Silence fell over the room, no one knew what to do with themselves, so they just stood still, remaining silent. Only the occasional sobbing from the Queen could be heard. Professor Kal took the seat next to Dean Petticoat, summoning an ancient book from his storage ring.


    "What is that? I''ve never seen writing like that before."


    The book Professor Kal had drug out was a large book, thick with yellowed pages. It was bound in ''leather'', Dean Petticoat thought it closely resembled human skin, but didn''t want to ask. Strange letters were on the front, not resembling anything he recognized. Dean Petticoat was a very scholarly man, he knew many languages, some extinct ones as well. Him not being able to even recognize the inscriptions piqued his curiosity.


    "Just something I picked up some time ago. It has many curses listed inside, how to cast them, as well as how to dispel them, if possible." Professor Kal explained, flipping through the delicate pages.


    "What language is it written in?" The Dean asked as he peered over Professor Kal''s shoulder.


    "Shhh, I''m trying to concentrate. Shut up and let me look." Professor Kal chastised him.


    Dean Petticoat remained silent, letting his colleague focus on comparing the images in the aged lexicon. As Kal scanned each page, Dean Petticoat would try to decipher whatever he could, but with little success. With nothing to compare it to, it was exceedingly difficult to translate it. Maybe with a little bit of time he could, perhaps he could make a request of Professor Kal, borrowing it for some time.


    After over an hour, Mage Reginald solemnly reentered the makeshift ward. The Queen looked at him expectantly, only to have the Court Mage shake his head, eyes downcast. Queen Elizabeth broke down, sobbing with her face buried in her son''s chest. This was her last hope, her only hope, now she had nothing. Her son was going to die and there was nothing that she could do.


    "I''ve got it!" Professor Kal shouted, jumping up from the table.


    His sudden outburst startled all that were present, causing them to jump in surprise. Dean Petticoat scrutinized the page Professor Kal was on, seeing a sketch of a heart. It was very similar to the heart on the First Prince''s head, seeing this filled him with relief, there was still some hope left, if only he could read the page.


    "Quickly, what is it?" Mage Reginald asked, surprised that Professor Kal could identify the curse, but he would be able to ask him how after the Prince was cured.


    "It''s a very ancient and obscure curse, it took me some time to find, and is the reason you don''t have it in your archives." He said, picking up his ancient book.


    "Now, before you ask questions, let me fully explain this curse. Ok? Good. There is a way to save the Prince.."


    "Really?! Please, tell me!" The Queen blurted out, jumping up from the bed and rushing over to Professor Kal.


    Professor Kal dodged the incoming Queen with the gracefulness of a dancer, putting some distance between himself and her. Stepping behind Dean Petticoat, Professor Kal continued.


    "I said let me explain first. Let me start over. There is a way to save him, BUT, it is just as bad as leaving the curse on him. The way this curse works is that in order to apply it, the caster must kill someone or something that he holds dear, something they love. Since the caster uses a soul in the curse means that the curse itself is unbreakable, nothing in this world can dispel it. The only thing we can do is transfer it to another." Professor Kal said, reading off the yellow page.


    "Then we''ll just go get a prisoner, I''m sure they would be happy to sacrifice themselves to atone for their crimes." Mage Reginald said, ready to run down to the dungeon himself.


    Everyone from the Queen to the maids looked relieved, the disaster had been avoided. Once the curse was transferred, the Prince would live and everything would return to normal. The King would be thrilled, he wasn''t in the castle at the moment, but was on his way.


    "It''s not that simple. Since the caster was forced to sacrifice someone they loved, in order to transfer it, the cursed must do the same." Professor Kal said, dashing Mage Reginald''s idea.


    "Meaning?" The Queen asked.


    "Meaning only someone he truly loves, and truly loves him, will be able to accept the curse in his stead."


    Everyone''s faces dropped, Dean Petticoat sat back down in his chair with a thump. The only way to save the prince was to sacrifice a loved one. They all knew what had to happen, either they find someone or the prince will die.


    "Isˇ­.is there no other way?" The Queen asked, her eyes watery, but some inner strength shining from behind them.


    "None." Professor Kal said with certainty.


    "Thˇ­.Then I''ll do it."


    "YOU CANNOT! Your Majesty youˇ­" Reginald started to say.


    "SILENCE! KNOW YOUR PLACE! I am the Queen of the country of Amine, and this is my decision!" Queen Amine shouted, causing Mage Reginald to bow low.


    "Prepare for the ritual at once. Whatever you need, I''ll provide it Mageˇ­ what is your name?" The Queen ordered, then asked, not embarrassed in the slightest to not know the mage''s name.


    "Kalcifer." He said, not caring that she didn''t know it either.


    "Regi, can I trust that you''ll provide Mage Kalcifer all the assistance he requires?" She said, her voice soft as she talked to her old friend.


    "Yes your Majesty, you can." He said, his tone somber, his face still facing towards the red carpet.


    "But can you wait at least until His Majesty, The King, returns?"


    The Queen''s stoic expression wavered slightly when Reginald mentioned the King. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, steadying herself. Then opened them, looking at Professor Kal.


    "Is there time?"


    "A day, no longer." He replied honestly.


    The shape the First Prince was in could hardly be considered good. With a constant supply of potions they could keep him alive for a day, any longer would be courting death. Although it wasn''t a lot of time, it should be long enough for the King to return from his outing.


    "Very well then, we shall wait for my husband. Maids, prepare a room for our guests, and move my things here. I want to be with my son." The Queen handed out her orders, the staff rushing to complete them.


    Mage Reginald ran off to gather the potions needed to keep the First Prince stable. Dean Petticoat and Professor Kal walked together down the hall, following the maids leading them to their rooms for the night. The Dean had a downcast look, this day had not ended the way he had anticipated. He thought that Professor Kal would have been able to cure the First Prince, earning a lavish award for both of them, but in the end, it didn''t happen that way.


    "Could you be wrong?" The Dean asked, already knowing the answer.


    "Absolutely not." Kal said, eyeing the art decorating the long hall they were walking down.


    "Don''t you care at all? You''re acting as if this doesn''t matter to you one bit." The Dean couldn''t help but say, seeing how Professor Kal was acting at the moment and throughout the day.


    "That''s correct, I don''t care." Professor Kal said in a flat voice, then looked over to see Dean Petticoat''s face.


    "And before you call me cold, or unsympathetic, let me just say a few things. People die in the streets everyday, they die from illness or from war, they die well before their times, the only thing that makes you feel differently for the Prince and the Queen is because you know them, you have a connection with them. I''m an outsider, I have no connection to them at all, that is why I do not care.. In my view, the only thing that makes them different from all the others that will die today, is that they get to choose."

 Chapter 19 - The Ritual

    "Did you see him kill those wolves?" Laura quietly asked Ryan as they walked out of their alchemy class.


    "Yeah, so?" Ryan asked.


    He had seen it all, Professor Kal walking towards them, the wolves being impaled by the earthen spikes, the blood that followed. He didn''t think he would ever be able to unsee it. He was excited to start his apprenticeship under Professor Kal before, but now all he could think about was becoming just as strong as he was. Although getting used to blood was another thing, every time he thought about how much blood there was, he got a little sick to his stomach.


    "And you didn''t find it strange?" She added on to her original question.


    "Strange how?" Ryan said, not understanding her line of questioning.


    "He didn''t chant his spell, all magic requires a chant." Laura said, feeling like she was onto something.


    "Are you sure? I mean, he could have chanted the spell, maybe we just didn''t hear him." Ryan said, not seeing her point.


    "And who ever said all magic required a chant, maybe once you become strong enough you don''t need one?" Benjamin added from behind them.


    "W..well maybe that''s true, but Professor Ozerroff says all spells, no matter the level, requires the mage to recite the chant. I''m just repeating what he told us." Laura said, no longer so confident in what she was taught.


    "I don''t know." Ryan said, shrugging his shoulders.


    "I guess we can just ask him about it tomorrow."


    The other two agreed with that sentiment, deciding to satiate their curiosity the next time they had alchemy. They walked together a few minutes longer, talking mostly about their experience in the woods. It was almost lunch time, so they decided to go to the cafeteria together as well. Ryan was rather excited, he had always liked Laura and this was the longest that they had ever talked.


    Ben knew of Ryan''s crush on the girl, so he distanced himself slightly from the two of them, letting his friend take center stage. He didn''t mind, he wasn''t the jealous type. He had someone else that he liked anyway, so there was no reason to get in the way of his friend.


    The cafeteria, or dinning hall, was a large room with extra long tables set up. Wooden chairs were on either side of the tables, thirty to each side. The whole room had ten of these tables, so six-hundred students could eat at the same time, though that rarely happened. There were no set hours that the kitchen operated, running twenty-four hours a day. This allowed those that had unusual schedules to be able to eat as well, without having to worry about missing a certain time.


    Being lunch time, there was a small line waiting at the kitchen doors. The process ran smoothly though, the average wait time was only three minutes. Picking out their meals, the trio found a secluded spot at a table and sat down to eat. Ben had a heaping plate of roast beef, vegetables, and a few sweet rolls. Laura had a much lighter meal, opting for some smoked fish with salad on the side. Ryan didn''t want to stuff his face in front of the girl he liked, so he followed her lead with fish and some rice.


    The food was always top notch at the academy, it had to be since they served mostly the children of nobles, being prepared by experienced chefs. Which was why Ryan thought it was strange that his fish tasted slightly off. He asked Laura if her''s was the same since she also got the same type of fish, but said her''s tasted fine. He didn''t think too much about it, maybe it was just him? He decided to just finish the rice, eating around the funny tasting fish, and crossed his fingers that he wouldn''t get sick.


    ˇ­..


    A carriage covered in precious metals, with the royal seal on the sides, was barreling down the cobblestone roads, heading towards the castle. An entire division of knights flanked the carriage, so close together that one could hardly see what they were guarding. Ever since the King learned of his son''s illness he had been on edge. It wasn''t just because he loved his son dearly, but also because he was next in line for the throne.


    Becoming ill wasn''t an uncommon occurrence, but becoming so ill that it could not be cured by an army of healers, that was a red flag. He suspected that someone was trying to drive a wedge between them and the country of Morgania, their closest neighbor, by causing the First Prince to fall ill while in the care of Morgania. He wasn''t so ignorant to fall for such a ruse, he could see what was happening, the only thing he didn''t know was who was the culprit.


    King Amine was lost in thought, tapping his finger on the cushioned seat. He had been inspecting the fortifications dotted around his country, ensuring the men stationed there weren''t becoming lax due to the extending period of peace. It was supposed to take six months to complete the inspections, but was interrupted halfway through due to his son falling ill. He didn''t care, he can always resume when he son is cured. He had faith in his Court Mage, Reginald had never failed him before, he doubted he would start now.


    The carriage rumbled over the drawbridge, going much too fast. Pedestrians had to hurry out of the way, nearly being run over by the golden comet. Pulling up to the Royal Palace, the carriage didn''t even stop before King Amine jumped out and hurried inside. A waiting steward took him to his son''s sickbed, having to run in order to keep the King from berating him.


    He rushed into the room, and found his wife sitting in the bed with his son''s head in her lap. She was reading him one of his favorite stories from when he was a child, stroking her fingers over his now bald head. Checking over his son''s conditions, he was shocked to see how bad he looked, he was hoping to see him up and about after being treated by Reginald, this was not what he was expecting to see.


    "Has Reginald not treated him yet? Where is he?" The King asked, trying to keep his voice down.


    Queen Amine gently closed the book, looking at her husband with kind eyes and a small smile on her face, she spoke. "It''s a curse."


    "A curse? What do you mean a curse?" He asked, not believing her words.


    "Someone has put a curse on Alex, but don''t worry, now that you''re here we can do the ceremony to remove it." She said, her voice cracking as crystalline tears started to swell in her eyes.


    "Alright." The King said, taking a seat on the edge of the bed.


    "What do we need to do?"


    "W..well" She started, not knowing how to tell her husband.


    "What is it?"


    Hector Amine had been married to Elizabeth for the past forty years, it was an arranged marriage. They at first didn''t even care much for each other, she thought that he was rude and overbearing, he thought that she was much too soft and naive about the world. As the years went on, they grew to love each other, he loved her so much that instead of following his father''s footsteps and having a large harem of women, he vowed to only be with her.


    This unwittingly solved many problems before they had a chance to fester. Unlike him, who had to engage in bloody conflicts with his siblings to secure the throne, there were no others for Alexander to fight, making succession a nonissue. This also allowed the two of them to work together in strengthening the country as a whole. With no fights over succession, the nobles only had one choice in who to support. No infighting allowed Amine to grow in power, everyone was in the same party, making cooperation that much easier. That''s not to say that there were none with higher aspirations, but with no claims to the throne, or bastard children for them to support, they were unable to affect anything in the country.


    "I must take his place." She said after taking a deep breath and steadying herself.


    "Take his place? What do you mean?" He asked, his face full of confusion.


    "The only way to save his life is to have someone take on the curse for him. I''m the only one that can." She finished saying, placing her hand on his.


    "You can''t be serious, there must be another way. Go get me Mage Reginald immediately!" The King said, his grief turning into anger as he shouted at the maid waiting by the door.


    "Dear, there is no other way, this is how it must be." She said, trying to comfort her husband.


    "I forbid it! There is another way, there has to be. I will not allow him or you to die!" He shouted, standing up from the bed and turning towards the door. He wasn''t going to wait for the maid to bring back Reginald, he was going to go find him himself.


    She didn''t try to stop him, there was no point. Her husband could be a very stubborn man, setting his sights on something then stopping at nothing to attain it. It was one of the reasons she hated him when they first married, but turned out to be one of his most redeeming qualities as well. He was going to have to learn for himself that this was the way it had to be, he was going to lose someone he loved dearly and there was nothing he could do to stop it.


    ˇ­..


    In a dark, damp room, deep underground, a man was carving shallow trenches into the dirt floor. He was following a diagram from an old, evil looking book that was in his hand. It was bound in human flesh, the words written in human blood. Sketches of horrific looking creatures were scribed onto the pages, the corresponding summoning rituals along with them.


    Everything that he had been planning for the last few years was about to come together. All he needed now was for his guest to arrive, then he could complete the ritual. He wanted nothing more than to see his family suffer at his hands. All the years of torment, all the beatings, the humiliation, would be paid back in full. They said they were doing it for his own good, but he knew better, they were just riding on his successes, that''s all they cared about.


    Feeling the anger swell up inside him, he took a few deep breaths to calm himself. It was almost time, he wouldn''t have to wait much longer. He finished the summoning circle, geometric shapes and runes covered the floor.. Sitting down on his chair, he crossed his arms and waited.

 Chapter 20 - Silent Night

    Nighttime was always quiet in the Academy. The students had long gone to sleep, only a few staying up, playing card games in the candlelight. Ryan was fast asleep, but it was far from restful. Tossing and turning, he kicked off his covers and opened his eyes.


    Although his eyes were open, there was no sign of consciousness in them. Mumbling incoherently, he got out of bed, not making a noise. Benjamin was soundly snoring in his own bed just across from his. Taking slow steps, Ryan tottered across the room, reaching the door and turning the knob.


    The hallway was even darker than the previous room. With no windows, the moonlight was blocked from entering. Ryan''s body moved on its own, navigating the near total darkness by muscle memory alone. Ryan made no sound as he sleep walked down the hallway, his bare feet on the cold, marble stone floor. Turning down the wide staircase, he made his way down to the first floor.


    For better or for worse, there was very little security at The Academy of Magic and the Mysteries, allowing almost anyone to enter, or to leave in this case. Ryan easily opened the thick, wooden doors, leaving the dorm building and exiting into the cold night air. There was a slight breeze, the sharp air blowing straight through his light pajamas. His body naturally reacted to the cold, goosebumps appearing on his skin, but he did not wake, he continued walking into the night.


    A new moon hung in the sky, starlight was the only illumination there was. He walked undisturbed over pathways and flowerbeds alike. Soon finding himself in a wide open field, separated into many sections. He walked a little further until a cloaked figure materialized beside him, grabbing him by the arm and guiding him away.


    ˇ­..


    Professor Kal was bored out of his mind. He was sitting on the balcony of his room within the Royal Palace. Looking up at the stars, he let out a sigh. Everything had been prepared for the ritual that was to take place tomorrow, Reginald had already drawn the magic array and gathered the needed materials, so he had nothing to do.


    He had asked to visit the Royal library, but had been denied. He was just waiting for most of the palace to fall asleep, then he was going to sneak away and into the heavily guarded library. He had no idea what was inside, but wanted to find out. He was sure, whatever it was, that it would be worth the trouble.


    He was preparing a cloaking spell, just deciding on which one was the most suitable for the situation. Deciding on the Silent Phantasm spell, it was a spell that would turn the user ethereal for a period of time. In that state, they were elevated to a higher dimension; meaning that the physical world would have no effect on them and vice versa. This was a perfect spell to bypass any barriers, physical and magical both. After casting the spell, he could phase through the walls of the palace, quickly reaching the restricted library.


    "Hmmm, what is that kid up to?" He asked himself, suddenly feeling his connection with the ring he gave his apprentice become severed.


    The ring he had given Ryan was not only a storage item, but also had an enchantment on it that allowed Kalcifer to track its whereabouts. Although his student''s safety was important, the tracking enchantment was mainly for if it was stolen, then he could easily find it. The signal being cut off completely could only mean one thing, it was behind an array that was meant to block out magical reconnaissance.


    Pulling out his staff, Professor Kal then opened a Warp Gate, taking him directly to Ryan''s dorm room. Although a Warp Gate might disturb the atmosphere when opened, it was relatively silent. This kept Ben from waking up from his slumber as Professor Kal walked through the portal.


    He knew where Ryan''s room was since he had been keeping track of his movements. He wanted to make sure he would be able to trust the child with his knowledge of necromancy, and so far he hadn''t found any issues with teaching him. That was why him dropping off the map all of a sudden was quite strange.


    Although the room was dark, Professor Kal had no trouble seeing at all. His eyes glowed a glimmering green, like a predator''s eyes reflecting the moonlight, this allowed him to quickly see the unkempt bed and wide open door. He walked out into the hallway, looking from the left to the right, then scratching his chin.


    "Well, I''d better find him. Haaaa, he''s already causing me trouble." Kal said to himself, waving his hand in the air.


    Out of the ground rose a skeletal dog. Flesh was still hanging from its bones and red flames could be seen flickering in its eye sockets. Its shoulders came up to Kal''s waist, its head filled with razor sharp teeth that stuck out in all directions. Kal had summoned a hellhound.


    Hellhounds were extremely good trackers, used by demons and summoners to sniff out their prey. They didn''t have a nose per se, but could smell the souls of its victims. No matter how far they would run or how deep in the earth they would hide, a hellhound would be able to smell them out.


    Kal presented the hellhound with some hair he had found in Ryan''s bed. Once the hound had gotten a good base smell, it put its nose to the ground and trotted off down the hall. Kal followed it down the hall, then down the spiral staircase to the first level. Going outside, the hellhound didn''t pause at all, taking Kal all the way to the practice field of the Academy.


    After following the hellhound a little further, it stopped and started to dig down into the dirt. He patted the hound on the head, telling it to stop, then cast Detect Life. Deep underground, there was an anomaly, a dead spot. An area where his spell couldn''t detect, this must be where Ryan was. He looked around, finding nothing but an open field and some practice dummies set up some distance away.


    "How did you get all the way down there?" He asked no one in particular as he probed the ground with his foot.


    "At least I had already prepared that spell." He added, before turning ethereal and melting into the soil.


    Casting Silent Phantasm allowed him to traverse through solid objects, which naturally included the ground as well. Of course when going into the ground, one must be careful not to materialize while within a solid object. If you did, you would be trapped inside it, at least until you could cast the spell again or could dig yourself out. With how much mana it required to cast, casting it twice in a short period of time would be impossible for most people.


    Using Detect Life to guide himself on his descent, Kal slowly made his way to the dead spot. After a few minutes, he found himself in what looked like a man made cavern, complete with all the facilities one would need to live. The room he dropped into looked like a bedroom, a simple straw bed was set up with a chamber pot in the corner. It wasn''t much really, whoever lived here must not have spent a lot of time in this particular room.


    He dispelled Silent Phantasm, becoming material once again. As far as he could tell, there were no magic arrays set up to impede his progress. Either they hadn''t set any up, or he couldn''t detect them. He highly doubted the latter, thinking it more likely that whoever lived here hadn''t taken into consideration that they would have uninvited guests. He prepared some defensive spells before making his way out of the simple bedroom and into a damp and dark corridor.


    There wasn''t much choice when it came to which direction to choose. The corridor only slopped slightly downwards, curving towards the right. He took his time, he knew better than to rush. When you hurried, you were liable to make mistakes, and he didn''t make mistakes. Although he was hoping to come to Ryan''s aid before anything happened to him, he wasn''t about to put himself in danger for Ryan''s sake. Although he wouldn''t die, no matter what happened to his physical body, reassembling it once destroyed was a tiring process, one he wished to avoid.


    Seeing a faint light at the end of the somewhat long tunnel, Kal slowed his progress further. He could hear a voice from where he was at, only one, but it was talking to itself. He didn''t think much of it, there were times that he would have full conversations with himself while deep in his research, sometimes achieving breakthroughs because of it. Blending into the shadows, he pushed on.


    Slipping into what could only be described as a ritual chamber, Professor Kal stuck to the shadows on the walls. In the center of the room was a man with long black hair, taking bottles of blood and filling trenches that had been dug into the floor. The trenches were something that he was very familiar with, a summoning array. From the runes placed around the geometric shapes, he could tell that the man was attempting to summon a high level demon. The specific demon he did not know.


    Strapped to a table off to the side of the large, circular room, was Ryan. Tubes, filled with blood, were snaking their way down both of his arms, filling glass bottles full to the brim. Ryan was as pale as a sheet, but alive. Empty potion bottles were strewn around him, whoever had captured him needed his blood, not his life, so was keeping him alive by feeding him recovery potions.


    Seeing that his student was in no danger of dying, Professor Kal had a moment of conflict within himself. He could rush in and save the boy, defeating the man trying to summon a demon. He would have no problem in killing him, he could do it quickly and easily. The only problem was his curiosity, he wanted to know why he was summoning a demon, and who the man was, he found it interesting.


    It had been many many years since he saw a successful demon summoning, most of the time they would fail. He was wondering if the man before him had the skills to pull it off. He was inclined to wait and see if he could do it. Making his decision, he stuck to the earthen wall, and waited to see what would happen.

 Chapter 21 - Watching History In The Making

    It was a dark night, the clouds had moved in blocking out the starlight. The only light that illuminated the area were the few candles burning in their candelabras. King Hector Amine thought the atmosphere was fitting for his mood. After conversing with his court mage, Reginald, he found that what his wife had told him was true. To save his only son, and heir to the throne, he must make a decision that he couldn''t make. He couldn''t bear to lose either, he just couldn''t.


    Swirling a goblet of wine in his hand, he stared out the open window. The usually sweet wine tasted bitter in his mouth. Setting the gem encrusted goblet down, the King stood, having made his decision. He couldn''t bear losing his family, so he wouldn''t .


    ˇ­..


    The trenches carved into the hard floor of the chamber had been filled with dark, red blood. The smell of iron permeated the room. Kal had let his flesh melt away, revealing his true self. Ryan was out cold, and he didn''t care about the mage summoning a demon, so he had nothing to fear from exposing his lichhood.


    The mysterious mage didn''t waste a moment and started the ritual, reading from an ancient tome that Kal, surprisingly, didn''t recognize. This filled him with some sort of excitement. He had a staggering collection of magic tomes and books, along with enchanted items, but would never say that he had seen it all. To find something new invigorated him, making him anxious to see what would be summoned.


    The language he was speaking wasn''t anything new to Kal, it was a long extinct language used from before the war between the three races and Undead King. After a few hard to pronounce syllables, the blood within the trenches started to glow a resplendent red. The mage continued on, seemingly urged on by the activation of the summoning circle.


    A black mist could be seen coming from the blood, covering the floor, making the red light coming from the blood look darker in color. Growing thicker, the black mist started to swirl around, making a vortex form in the middle of the array. As the ancient words were spoken, the mist moved faster and faster. Soon, red streaks of lightning shot forth from the blood, striking the middle of the circle.


    A rift was torn open by the red lightning, visible waves of heat could be seen radiating from it. The rift opened up past the ceiling that was ten feet high, tearing a large chunk out of the hardened rock. The mage finished his chant, the rift pulsating with energy, opening wider until it reached the boundaries of the magic array.


    Kal''s eye sockets burned with anticipation, the summoning had been a success, all that was left was for the demon to walk through the rift that had been opened for him. It was possible to summon specific demons, but if they chose not to appear, they wouldn''t. The most efficient thing to do was just a general summoning, gambling on what demon would appear, completely at random. Of course, the quality of materials used to summon the demon would affect the outcome, rarer materials garnering stronger demons.


    The circle before him was a random summoning, he couldn''t read any specific names used. It was very rare to know a demon''s real name, most of the time they would give out only part of it or pseudonyms that they go by. To know a demon''s true name would mean to hold absolute power over the demon, forcing it to do your bidding, so they would never tell anyone their true name.


    Emerging from the tear in space, a massive creature clawed its way out into the ritual chamber. Towering over fifteen feet tall, the demon had to crouch to fit inside the room. With the face of a goat and six, blood red eyes, it looked at the mage that had summoned it. It tried to stretch its massive body, its four arms, as thick as tree trunks, spreading out wide. Two legs, ending in cloven hooves, supported its body. A long, barbed tail, swung back and forth, snapping in the air.


    "You who summoned me, what is your desire?" The demon said, in a deep, gravely voice.


    "My desire? My desire is to have absolute power. To trample over the corpses of those that have wronged me." The mage said, getting on his hands and knees, bowing to the demon he had summoned.


    The demon paused, its six eyes not betraying its thoughts. It looked over at the young boy, unconscious, and still strapped to the table. It then moved its gaze over to a dark area of the room, blinking its blood red eyes. Refocusing on the mage, it spoke.


    "Humans always desire power, they never change." The demon said, almost sounding disappointed.


    "Lich, what is it that you desire?" It said, looking over to the dark area of the room.


    Shocked by what the demon said, the mage looked over to where the demon was staring. Out of the darkness, two wisps of red, black, and blue flames could be seen as a skeletal figure, draped in a black robe, stepped out into the dim light. Kal had no facial expressions in his true form, only dried skin remained on his skull, but you could still tell which direction he was looking.


    Kal looked over at the mage for a brief moment, then back to the monstrosity in the middle of the room.


    "Why bother asking me? I''m not the one that summoned you." Kal answered the demon, leaning on his black staff.


    "This human is boring, they always want power, always want everlasting life, it is always the same." It said, watching as the one who summoned it trembled slightly with his head down, not daring to speak.


    "Yes, he is rather trite isn''t he? But I still think you should honor his request." Kal said.


    "Is that what you desire?"


    "I wouldn''t say I desire it, no. Although it would spur this world to change, if there was something to threaten it. I''ve discovered that magic has stagnated greatly over the years, it''s become an embarrassment. It has actually regressed since my time. I can only do so much by myself." Kal finished speaking, looking into the six eyes of the demon, letting it know he wasn''t intimidated by it.


    What could only be a smile appeared on the demon''s face, revealing long fangs from inside its mouth. It started to laugh, its chest heaving up and down as a deep boom echoed with each breath. The demon used one of its long claws to make a deep cut on its forearm. Thick, viscous blood flowed from the cut, pooling on the ground.


    "Drink my blood. Take my power for your own. Be it known, that once you do, you forfeit your soul." The demon''s voice resonated throughout the room, shaking dust and debris from the ceiling.


    Hearing the last part, the mage hesitated before drinking from the pool of blood. Kal didn''t know why, it wasn''t like one didn''t know what a demon would ask for in return for any deal struck. Souls were a massive reservoir or power, coveted by demons for the ability to increase their own.


    Having made up his mind, the mage cupped his hands, bringing the stinking blood to his lips. Taking large mouthfuls, he drank deep. Wiping the blood from his chin, he tried to stand, before crumpling over in pain. Kal and the demon watched on as the mage convulsed on the ground in agonizing pain, screaming. The sounds of bones breaking and flesh tearing almost made Professor Kal cringe. It only lasted a few minutes before the mysterious mage lost consciousness, quieting his screams of agony.


    "What sort of powers did you give him?" Kal curiously asked, poking the mage''s limp body with the end of his staff.


    "I made him into one of my children, a progenitor." The demon said.


    Kal turned his fiery eyes to the demon, the flames burning slightly brighter as he came to a realization. "Ah, you must be Iscariot then, father of vampires."


    "You know of one of my names, Lich?" The demon said, not seeming all that surprised.


    "I''ve heard of it, yes. Back in my day, your children were running rampant. It took the Undead King several years to reign them in." Kal said, remembering his past.


    "Is that what happened to my children? The Undead King killed them? Is that why I cannot feel their presence on this plane?" Iscariot asked, not angry, just curious as to why his connection to his progenitors was no more.


    "Oh, no, He didn''t kill them, no, something else happened, it''s a long story. They''re probably just trapped underground somewhere." Kal replied, walking over to the table that supported Ryan''s limp body, undoing the restraints.


    Iscariot looked to have fallen deep into thought, mulling over what Kal had said. Kal hoisted Ryan''s unconscious body up onto his shoulder. He was in pretty rough shape, but some rest and a few potions, would fix him up good as new. Kal opened a Warp Gate, taking one last look at the demon, Iscariot, before walking through the portal.


    He wasn''t worried about leaving a demon alone. Once Iscariot collected the mage''s soul, he would return to his own plane. It wasn''t that a demon couldn''t stay on this plane of existence, it was just that they would never want to. Their plane was full of fire and brimstone, constant violence and death, they reveled in the atmosphere. Our plane was much too boring for them, although souls were plentiful, they would have to form contracts in order to absorb each one.


    Arriving back into the dark hallway, right outside Ryan''s dorm. Professor Kal brought him inside, before forcing him to drink a potion that he brought out of his ring.


    Laying Ryan in his bed, Professor Kal opened a portal back to his own room at the Royal Palace. It was almost dawn, the ritual the mage used to summon Iscariot took almost all night. Luckily Kal didn''t need to rest, so he was ready to perform his own ritual, to save the First Prince, later in the day.


    He made his way out onto the balcony of his room, watching as the sun crested the horizon. Many interesting things were about to happen, a new progenitor had been born, that was bound to put pressure on the three races after some time. Hopefully it would spur some magical progression, that''s what he was really aiming for.


    This current world had fallen too far backwards after a few millennia of relative peace. After much of the knowledge was lost in the war, and with no new enemies to force them to rediscover what was lost, the state of magic was in disarray.


    He was hoping by unleashing a monster such as a progenitor vampire into the world, it would force them to innovate.. Then, with the world wholeheartedly researching magic once more, he would be able to advance his research as well, building upon other''s work.

 Chapter 22 - Change Of Plans

    Birds were singing in the trees, squirrels were frolicking in the bushes, chasing after each other. Professor Kal was smoking his pipe, his green eyes surveying the garden of the Royal Palace. Dawn had broken only a few minutes ago, but the palace was already alive with activity. Gardeners were already beginning their day''s work, the chefs were busy preparing breakfast for the royal family.


    A gentle knock was heard from his bedroom door, a maid had come to inform him that breakfast was served. Professor Kal politely declined, telling her to come get him when they were ready to begin the ritual. He had no need for food, although he could eat, he just felt that it was a waste of time to do so. He opened the Compendium of Curses, familiarizing himself with the ritual he was soon to perform.


    ˇ­..


    "Where''s Ryan?" Laura asked Ben as he walked into alchemy class.


    Ben directed his attention to the dark haired beauty sitting with her back straight at her desk. "He''s sick. He woke up today looking just awful, he''s staying in bed for the day."


    Benjamin didn''t know what his friend had come down with, he just knew that he wanted no part of it. Ryan looked as white as a sheet, he said every bone in his body hurt, like he had been run over by a speeding carriage. Ben even thought that it looked like he had lost some weight, but knew that was impossible over just one night. Ryan refused to go to the Academy''s infirmary, opting to rough it out in bed.


    Ben could only begrudgingly agree, packing his things and heading off to class without him. Today would be boring without his best friend by his side, but he would make it through. Ryan was lucky that Ben had all the same classes as him, that way he wouldn''t miss out on any homework that might be assigned.


    Ben told Laura all of this, her demeanor changing slightly. "It''s not contagious is it? I can''t afford to get sick."


    Ben shrugged his shoulders as his only reply before heading up to his empty desk. They waited patiently for Professor Kal to arrive, the clock finally chiming out eight o''clock, but nothing happened. They all looked at each other, Professor Kal had only taught a few classes, but had always been right on time. They waited a few more minutes, the students started to talk amongst themselves, shifting in their chairs.


    Just as a few students were talking about leaving, the door burst open, a young woman rushing through the door. Her faculty uniform was hastily put together, like she had woken up late and gotten dressed in the dark. She had long brown hair, put together in a messy bun. Her brown eyes, sitting behind a pair of thick glasses, scanned the classroom she had just entered.


    Collecting herself and smoothing out the wrinkles in her uniform, the brown haired woman spoke. "Forgive me for being tardy, I''m your substitute Professor for the day, Professor Trout."


    Laura raised her hand up above her head, earning a nod from Professor Trout. "Where is Professor Kal?"


    "All I know is that he is taking care of some very important matters and that he should return tomorrow." Professor Trout explained in a squeaky voice.


    Professor Trout waited a moment, looking to see if there were any more questions the students had. Not seeing any, she moved on, telling the students that they would just be reviewing material that they had already gone over. She hadn''t had time to put anything together, and Professor Kal hadn''t planned on being gone so hadn''t left anything for her either. There was also the fact that without Professor Kal there, there was no alchemy equipment, so they couldn''t brew any potions even if they wanted to.


    ˇ­..


    In a small, out of the way room, a magic circle had been drawn out on the floor. Runes and geometric shapes were put together in the shape of a heart. Most times, magic circles, or arrays, were just that, circles. Circles represented a never ending cycle, a beginning and an end, connected together. They were the most suitable when it came harnessing mana and applying it to magic. Rarely though, you would have a magic array in a different shape.


    The odd shape would mainly be symbolic, not actually being a requirement to perform the said ritual. It was just that whoever had initially created the magical array put extra effort in constructing it so the shape would work as well as a circle would. This was one of those cases.


    Professor Kal looked over the heart shaped array, finding its novelty intriguing. He was currently the only one in the dim room, Dean Petticoat had gone back to the Academy early in the morning, while Court Mage Reginald was triple checking the materials.


    Kal was growing bored, the maid had come and ushered him here, saying they were ready to begin, only for him to find an empty room. He figured that the mother was saying her goodbyes to her family, one last time. He couldn''t really understand that, he had more or less killed off his human side, he found it hard to understand the deeper emotions of people anymore.


    The side door slowly creaked open, drawing Professor Kal''s attention. In walked the Royal family, King Amine in the lead. Court Mage Reginald solomenly followed, then a few knights after him, carrying the cursed body of the First Prince. Professor Kal took up his position, getting ready to perform the ritual, only to have to wait a few minutes longer as the Royal family talked amongst themselves.


    He was actually growing a little bit annoyed, he had things he wanted to do, he didn''t want to waste anymore time here. He knew better than to rush them though, he may be dead, but he wasn''t stupid. The knights gently placed the First Prince down on the floor, on the right side of the heart. He heard loud sobbing and arguing coming from the Royal family, he couldn''t help but let out a frustrated sigh, seeing the Queen giving the King a piece of her mind.


    Professor Kal didn''t know what they were fighting about, and he didn''t care, he just wanted to either complete the ritual, or go back to his research, it was the same to him. Something happened though, the door opened once more and in walked several sharply dressed nobles. They filed into the room, looking like they were not quite sure why they were there. The Queen was still fiercely arguing with the King until a few knights came over and actually held her back, allowing the King to step forward.


    "Thank you all for coming here on such short notice." King Amine started saying, gesturing towards the nobles that had come.


    "I''m sure you are all questioning why I have summoned you here. The truth of the matter isˇ­" He paused, taking a deep breath, trying to steady his shaking body.


    "You are all here to witness my last words."


    His words caused everyone present to gasp, the Queen''s sobs grew louder as she struggled against the knights that were begrudgingly restraining her. His two young daughters also started to cry harder, finally realizing what was happening. Professor Kal looked on with an indifferent face, not caring who was going to die, just wanting them to hurry it up. Although, this was a turn of events that made it a little more interesting.


    "Alexander, my son, and First Prince, heir to the throne, is going to die unless I take his place. As the King of our great nation, it is my responsibility to ensure that the line to the throne is secure, but more importantly, as a father, it is my responsibility to ensure the safety and well being of my children." King Amine said, letting his words sink in.


    Everyone present had children, except for Kal, they all could understand the lengths a parent would go for their child. They all were strong supporters of the King, that was the main reason they were invited here today, they understood that King Amine expected them to help guide his son when he took the crown for himself.


    "With that said, Alexander will take the crown when I have passed. You are all my closest advisors and confidants, I want you all to do the same for my son. I trust that you will guide him, nurture him as a leader, since I will not be able to. He is of age, but still young; he will make mistakes, be there for him, that is all that I can ask of you." He said this with heavy words, looking at the shocked faces around him before landing on his wife of the last forty years.


    King Amine, finished with his words, nodded towards Mage Reginald. He walked over, laying down on the cold hard floor next to his only son. He had gone over the ritual with Reginald the night before since he couldn''t sleep. Reginald was the only one that knew that the King was the one sacrificing himself, he had kept his wife out of it, only telling her once they all had entered the room. This was the only way in his eyes, he couldn''t live the rest of his days without her. Yes, he was being selfish, but he was the King, he had the right to be.


    Reaching out, he grasped the cold, limp hand of his son, feeling the dampness of his flesh hurt his heart greatly. Reginald walked over and wrapped both of their hands in a pure silver chain, going from the First Prince''s elbow to the King''s. Then he lit a few candles that surrounded the pair, walking off to the side, nodding towards Professor Kal.


    "Finally, let''s get this show on the road." Professor Kal said, earning the ire of everyone present.


    Pulling the chilling book out of thin air, Kal proceeded to open it to the correct page. His eyes scanning over the now defunct language, he started to recite the words. His voice carried a very distinct tone, sounding almost alien to all that were present. No one could understand anything he was saying, but could see the results from the incantation.


    The heart shaped magical array started to glow a healthy pink, the runes a shade darker than the geometric shapes. King Amine was scared, as the mage in the black robe continued to recite the spell, he could feel something invading his body. Fatigue washed over him, a sense of dread invading his mind. He grit his teeth, bearing the weight of his decision to forfeit his own life to save his son''s.


    He looked over to his son, the color of his skin was slowly gaining a more healthy color. The silver chain that linked their arms together was radiating a noxious green light as it transferred the curse over to its new victim. He was relieved to see that it was working, to know that his son would be ok, but was also terrified at the same time.


    He was going to die soon, one could say they were prepared to die, but they would be lying. No one could truly be prepared to die, the fear of the unknown, the anxiety of leaving everything behind would be almost unbearable. He was experiencing all of those hostile feelings as he lay next to his only son, but still embracing them. The immense love that he had for him fought back any regret trying to surface.


    The ritual didn''t take long to finish, other than the pink light coming from the heart, and the green light from the silver chain, nothing exciting happened. Alexander, the First Prince, was still unconscious, but his color was now normal and the sweat beading on his skin was gone. King Amine on the other hand looked awful. He was still conscious, but was moaning in pain as the curse wrecked his insides. His skin was clammy and a deathly greenish black color, even his hair had started to fall out.


    Mage Reginald rushed to his side, tipping a potion up to his lips, forcing him to drink. Queen Elizabeth also went to her husband, tears streaming from her eyes. Professor Kal was like a fly on the wall, everyone completely ignoring him as they tended to the two. Soon, the room was empty once more, leaving the Professor all by his lonesome.


    With nothing more to do, Professor Kal opened yet another Warp Gate. He was already proficient in the spell, but with how often he had been casting it as of late it was becoming second nature. He was going to see Dean Petticoat, he had much to talk about with him. He was wanting to set up a special class that he would teach himself, wanting to prepare the students better for the outside world.. He had a feeling that they would need it sooner rather than later.

 Chapter 23 - A Proposition

    "Is it done?" Dean Petticoat asked Professor Kal as he watched that latter walk out of a portal that appeared in his office.


    Dean Petticoat wasn''t surprised in the slightest to see him barge into his office. He knew that he had something he wanted to discuss with him, but was interrupted by everything going on with the Royal family. Although Professor Kal had only been a teacher here for a short time, he had already grown accustomed to his crass attitude.


    "Sure is." Professor Kal said, closing the Warp Gate behind him and sitting in a chair across from the Dean''s desk.


    "We''re going to have a new king here pretty soon." Kal said dismissively.


    "WHAT?!" The Dean shouted out.


    "Oh yes, it was very moving, you should have been there."


    "The Queenˇ­ I thought she.."


    "No, the King put his foot down, making the sacrifice himself. Other than that, everything went smoothly." Professor Kal said, interrupting the Dean''s train of thought.


    The King sacrificing himself was a huge deal, Dean Petticoat almost couldn''t wrap his head around it. He really didn''t know how to process it. The current king had brought peace and stability to the country, he was beloved by all. Now, with his pending death, he didn''t know what would happen. He didn''t know much about the First Prince, he couldn''t say how he would be as King. He just prayed that he would be like his father.


    While the Dean seemed to be lost in a fog, Professor Kal took this opportunity to pose his idea. "In this uncertain time, many dangers are behind every corner. The First Prince being cursed is just one example, that is why I want to teach my class about real world magic, not just the theory they have been taught so far."


    "What do you mean?" The Dean asked, being pulled back into reality.


    "The practical uses of magic, how to cast it more efficiently, how to defend themselves, how to react to unexpected circumstances. The best time to teach them this is when they are young, while they are malleable." Kal said, listing off the reasons on his fingers.


    "How much danger could there possibly be? There are no wars being waged, hardly any monsters are roaming the wilds." The Dean countered, not liking the idea of putting children through his ''special'' classes.


    "Well, just yesterday a few students were just walking through the forest when they were attacked by a small pack of dire wolves. Wouldn''t you say that is dangerous enough?" Kal asked him, staring deep into the Dean''s shocked eyes.


    "Dire wolves? Why wasn''t I informed about this? Are they alright? How do you know of this? Dean Petticoat said, his voice almost in a panic as he stood from his desk.


    "Don''t get all worked up, they''re fine, but the way they reacted to the situation left one wanting greatly. They hardly fought back at all, just turtling up, waiting to be eaten. Frankly, it was embarrassing" Professor Kal said, glossing over his own role in the attack.


    Dean Petticoat''s face was pale, visions of dead students and their irate parents danced in his head. There hadn''t been a student death here at the academy for well over two-hundred years, to have one, let alone many, on his watch would be the death of his career. To see Professor Kal so undisturbed by the fact that students were almost killed made him wonder about the man''s sanity.


    "Minie! Get in here!" Dean Petticoat yelled out, ignoring Professor Kal''s advice to relax.


    His secretary opened the door, timidly peeking her head inside. Whenever her boss yelled that way she knew that he was in a poor mood, she didn''t want to be the target of his wrath.


    "Write up a posting. No students, under any circumstances, are to go to the forest surrounding the capital! Got it?" He said, the veins visible on his neck.


    "It was just a few wolves, more like dogs than anything else." Kal said, mumbling out loud, shaking his head at the Dean''s ''overreaction''.


    Dean Petticoat glared at Professor Kal, sitting back in his chair. "Dogs? They were dire wolves! You said so yourself! And they attacked CHILDREN! Children have no chance against regular wild dogs, let alone dire wolves!"


    "Exactly! All the more reason to allow me to teach them some actual magic, not just alchemy!" Professor Kal didn''t miss his chance to plug his idea again, and to change the subject.


    Dean Petticoat started to rub his temples, slouching in his chair. His stress was getting higher and higher, he was about to start drinking. Professor Kal looked at the Dean expectantly, waiting for some kind of answer. The Dean let out a long sigh, straightening up his posture.


    "I just can''t shuffle around the curriculum more than halfway through the year. You should know how much hassle that would be, plus you would have to get the parents'' permission. I''m sure they would have something to say about it." The Dean said, hoping he would give up.


    "How about on the weekends, think of it as an extracurricular activity added on to their regular classes." Professor Kal proposed.


    "I can''t force them to spend their free time learning from you." He paused, thinking.


    "But if they volunteer, then I don''t see an issue. You will have to have them get permission from their parents though."


    "That''s fair enough." Professor Kal said, standing from his chair.


    "I''ll mention it in my next class. I''ll write up a formal request then, with everything I have planned as well. You should have it by the end of the week." He finished saying, before opening up his favorite mode of transportation.


    "Do you ever walk anywhere?" The Dean asked him before he walked through the portal.


    "Not if I don''t have to."


    ˇ­..


    Waking up, he opened his eyes. The searing pain was gone, almost like it was never there in the first place. He noticed that it was pitch black, but at the same time it wasn''t. The candles had long burnt down, turning the once long sticks into a hard puddle of wax on the ground. Slowly sitting up, memories of what happened flashed through his mind.


    He had successfully lured the young mage out into the open practice field above where he had set up his lab. Once bringing him down underground, he sedated him and began to drain his blood. He''d discovered the boy had an affinity with death from when he threw the stone at the practice dummy. He couldn''t believe his luck, his blood was the perfect ingredient for the summoning.


    Everything was going smoothly, the summoning was a success and a high demon had entered into their world. Then he remembered the lich, he instinctively looked over to where the undead creature was standing. He had only ever read about liches; they were listed under the greatest supporters of the Undead King. What was one doing here, in his lab of all places? Did he know about the summoning he was attempting?


    He shook his head, that was almost impossible. He didn''t even know if it would work, let alone have such an outstanding result. No, there was another reason. Then he thought of the boy and his affinity, that must have been it. The Lich must be after the boy, that had to be it. It must be after the young mage for some experiment or something, that was the only plausible explanation.


    It didn''t matter, it had nothing to do with him. He was just lucky the Lich let him live after he abducted his target. He slowly got to his feet, feeling the changes in his body. He felt stronger, much stronger than he had before. He held up his hands, looking at the pale, smooth skin covering them. His fingernails were much longer, almost like well manicured claws. Thinking about them, they started to slowly grow longer until they were about six inches long.


    "What did the demon''s blood do to me? I passed out before he could tell me everything." He said to himself.


    He would have to take some time to get used to and discover everything that had changed within his body. One thing was for certain, the thought of taking his anger out on his family no longer just made him excited, no, there was another feeling along with it. He couldn''t quite pinpoint what it was. It was a familiar feeling, just not one you would associate with killing, hunger.


    ˇ­..


    Professor Treffle was slowly, but surely, getting into a better mood since yesterday. So far she hadn''t heard any rumors going around about what happened in the woods, that meant that the students must not be talking about it. That was good news for her, she most likely would not have any punishments handed out to her.


    A small smile crept onto her face as she thought this. She would just have to make sure to stay away from Professor Kalcifer, he seemed to not care about the consequences of his actions. She walked up to the bulletin board, looking for any news or other postings. Meetings or anything of importance could always be found here. It was always wise to check at least once a day so you wouldn''t miss anything important.


    As she was scanning the board, she came across a recent posting that was in comically large lettering. Her stomach dropped as she read each letter. The Dean knew! He must know about the incidents in the forest! She panicked slightly. She really didn''t want to lose her position here, she really enjoyed it.


    It was much better than traveling and experiencing danger almost everyday. It was close to home and paid very well, she wouldn''t be able to find another job like it. She decided to nip it in the bud, go to his office and explain everything before he had to seek her out. Maybe she could even push the blame over to Professor Kal, it was his fault anyways, so it wouldn''t be like she was making things up.


    She was lamenting the fact that Professor Auveco had ever stopped to talk to her. If he hadn''t, she probably would have never thought about seeking the new professor out. Although she did find out that he was an extremely powerful mage, that revelation wasn''t worth losing her job. Letting out a frustrated sigh, she turned around on her heel and started off towards the Dean''s office.. Her improving mood was completely ruined.

 Chapter 24 - Auxilliary Lessons

    Professor Kal was greatly disappointed, the youth nowadays was nothing like it was before. Hard work and dedication was what separated the high class from the lower. Although there were nobles and bloodlines, one could still climb the societal ladder if they put the effort in. That was motivation enough to cause everyone to put in the extra work, to bring them and their families up out of the mud.


    With this mindset, he would have assumed that the children of nobles would have been as hardworking as their parents, but it turned out to not be the case. He was currently looking over a total of six students from his alchemy class that volunteered for his special instruction. It was an abysmal sum, but he would just have to make due.


    Shaking his head, he started the lesson. "Welcome, I appreciate your dedication to the magical arts. As you can see, most of your classmates do not have what it takes to be a ''real'' mage. They may not care now, but when they face certain danger, they will have no one but themselves to blame for their untimely deaths."


    The tone of his voice was grim, all but saying that what he said would definitely come to pass. The students looked at each other, taking his words to heart. Professor Treffle on the other hand, she rolled her eyes, finding his words of warning more than just a little overblown.


    Professor Treffle was not happy to be there on her day off, but it was her punishment. She was tasked to keep an eye on Professor Kal as well as keep the students safe.


    She had gone to Dean Petticoat''s office that afternoon to try to tamper his temper, only to find out that he didn''t even know that she was involved in the ordeal. She had basically sold herself down the river. Luckily he understood how difficult Professor Kal could be, so he couldn''t really blame her for it. That didn''t stop him from sending her to watch over his new class though. He said it was for the good of the students, but felt like a punishment to her.


    "The first thing you need to learn is control, I''m sure Professor Treffle can back me up on this." He said, gesturing towards the woman standing off to the side with her arms crossed.


    "Once you master controlling mana, casting a spell with just a thought would be within your reach."


    Professor Treffle scrunched up her face, even a proficient mage needed to chant a spell in their mind. It wouldn''t be instantly cast like what he was telling the students. She was about to speak up to correct him, but was interrupted by what he did next.


    Professor Kal had cast Flame; it was a simple spell that just sustained a small flame wherever the caster wanted. That wasn''t what caught her attention though, he had the small flame grow in size until it was half as tall as he was. The heat generated from it caused her to instinctively take a step back. Before she could take a second step, Professor Kal manifested a bubble of transparent ice, allowing one to see the growing flame inside.


    As the students inched forward, enraptured by the mystical sight, the flames began to rotate. The flames spun faster and faster, turning into a swirling vortex of red and orange encapsulated in a shimmering ice shell. Professor Treffle''s eyes went wide watching the spectacle. She couldn''t comprehend the amount of mana control required to simultaneously manipulate three spells at once with such precision.


    As the vortex grazed the edges of its icy cell, Professor Kal collapsed all three spells in on themselves, causing a loud bang that startled the engrossed students. Professor Kal smirked as he watched most of the students fall back and land on their butts, even Professor Treffle nearly fell over.


    "Now, can anyone tell me what I did there?" He asked, not expecting an answer.


    ˇ­..


    Ryan looked over at Ben who was standing next to him, both their eyes were wide and were reflecting the miracle that was unfolding before their eyes. They had never seen anything like it, nor heard of anyone doing such a thing. Ryan was grateful to Professor Kal for providing them all with this opportunity to learn from him.


    Professor Kal had made an announcement the day he returned, telling the entire class that he would be teaching an auxiliary class. It was optional, but he hoped that everyone would participate. Of course he and Ben would participate, along with Laura. They had all seen what Professor Kal was capable of and wanted to become just as powerful as he was. They were also planning on asking to learn from him anyways, so this just solved their problem for them.


    When the day of class arrived, Ryan was a little surprised to see just how few of his fellow students joined. It was only Him, Ben, Laura, Richard, and two other students that he hadn''t gotten to know too well. They were a pair of fraternal twins, a boy and a girl, named Riley and Kelley. He had seen them sitting together in class before, but never spoke to either of them.


    They all sat in silent anticipation, waiting for Professor Kal to arrive. When Professor Treffle walked into the classroom, she was greeted with expectant faces that quickly dissolved into disappointment. This caused her to frown slightly, but didn''t say anything as she took a seat in the corner.


    When Professor Kal did arrive, he just gave the sitting Professor a fleeting glance before beginning his lecture and subsequent demonstration. That''s what they were staring at right now, the miracle of magic. As the tornado of fire grew in size, so did their ambitions. They wanted to be able to manifest what they were seeing now. They wanted to be at the top, be the best in their field. Then the spells imploded, scaring all of them back into reality.


    "Now, can anyone tell me what I did there?" Ryan heard Professor Kal ask.


    He didn''t have an answer for him, he really didn''t know what had to happen in order for a spell like that to work. He saw Laura raise her hand out of the corner of her eye. The look on Professor Kal''s face betrayed his feelings, the corner of his lips turned up into a small smirk.


    He pointed to her. "Tell me, what did I do?"


    "You mixed spells together?" She said, her voice going up an octave, making it sound like a question.


    "Very good, it''s a vast oversimplification, but yes, that''s basically it. There is only one problem with your observation, I did not cast any spells." Professor Kal let his words sink in, watching as their faces twisted with several different emotions.


    "What I mean by not casting any spells is that I just willed the mana to form in the way I desired it to. That might sound like what casting a spell is, forming mana in a certain way to carry out a function, but is fundamentally different. Casting a spell takes time, no matter if you verbally chant it or internally, it will always take a few seconds. With enough mana control, you will be able to form a spell as quickly as a thought passing through your mind. This will allow for near instantaneous casting of magic, along with the ability to merge spells together in order to achieve something greater."


    Everyone was contemplating what the good Professor had just said. Instant casting of magic was impossible in their minds, but what they had witnessed countered what they had long been taught. If a mage could instantaneously cast a spell, he would have an advantage over anyone they might run into. That advantage could save their lives, turning an unwinnable battle into nothing more than a meaningless encounter.


    Professor Treffle was having the same thoughts as the students as she went over everything that she had seen so far. She taught mana control to the second year students, but even she had no chance to manipulate mana in such a way. She could silently cast spells no problem, even shortening them considerably, but instantly casting them was nothing but an out of reach dream.


    She knew that Professor Kal was a powerful mage, but really had only seen the tip of the iceberg. She started to wonder about his origins, where he learned magic. She pondered over who his teacher could be, to learn these skills at such a young age meant that his teacher must be a monster. She decided to dig a little deeper into just where Kalcifer had come from. Although she told herself to stay away from him as much as possible, her newfound curiosity overwhelmed any sense of self preservation.


    ˇ­..


    "Just where did you come from?" Duke Hutchens said to himself as he went over a report that was sitting on his desk.


    After his first son, Clarence, was expelled from his alchemy class, he tried to get the offending professor fired by talking to the dean. That course of action failed miserably, Professor Kal had entrenched his position within the academy, it was almost impossible to have him removed without some external influences. That was what he was trying to do now, find some dirt on the professor, something that was able to pry him out of his position.


    So far though, he had nothing. Even with all his connections he couldn''t find a single thing about Professor Kal. He discovered that he had appeared in the small city of Sorkin shortly before arriving at the capital. He was there only two days before showing his face here. The time between appearances seemed quite short, but with his known usage of Warp Gate, it wasn''t anything shocking.


    He was like a phantom, materializing out of nowhere. Duke Hutchens was at a loss, he could have him killed, but didn''t think that method was warranted. That would just cause him more problems in the future, it wasn''t worth it. He decided to just have him followed for now, hoping to catch him in the act of soiling the Academy''s reputation.


    He turned his attention to another report waiting for him. It was about the new King that was about to ascend to the throne. King Hector had died two days ago, it shocked much of the Royal Court. Now his only son, Alexander, was set to be crowned within a few weeks time. All of this had caused ripples to spread out, setting off reactions from allies and enemies alike.


    With the chaos that was bound to ensue, he set his sights on obtaining more power for himself. Peace had gone on far too long in his opinion, the only way to gain merits were in war. He could quickly gain the new King''s trust if he achieved victories in the battlefield. He laced his fingers together as he formulated a plan, maybe he could kill two birds with one stone? During wartime, all mages would be conscripted into the mage corps. Perhaps an accident could befall the heroic professor sent to the front lines?


    ˇ­..


    The first lesson ended quickly, all the students, even Professor Treffle, were covered in a layer of sweat. Professor Kal had them all practice mana control by circulating the mana in their bodies one way and then the other. This was a very easy way to practice control, it was even something that they could do while engaging in other activities. Once it became second nature to them, he would have them move on to other exercises.


    As they walked past him, heading towards the door, Professor Kal stopped Ryan. He took him out of the hearing range of the other students. "Pack a bag, we''re going spelunking tomorrow."


    "Spelunking sir?" Ryan repeated, not hearing that term before.


    "Dungeon diving, your special lessons start bright and early.. I recommend getting plenty of rest."

 Chapter 25 - First Encounter

    Dungeons were a very important source of resources for the Amine Kingdom. Rare herbs, mana gems, and monster parts could all be found in the dark recesses of the dungeons. This was why each dungeon entrance was heavily guarded, preventing poachers from stealing the precious resources.


    This was also the reason the Adventurers Guild was created, to dive deep into the dungeons, gathering the rare resources. They were also tasked with keeping the numbers of monsters to an acceptable level. Usually only adventurers were allowed to enter a dungeon. They were the only ones trained well enough to face all the dangers inside.


    Professor Kal had bypassed the Adventurers Guild; he was allowed to enter due to his deal with Dean Petticoat. The Dean had given him a token that once shown to the guards would allow him, along with whomever he brought along, unrestricted access to any dungeon within the Kingdom.


    Ryan was nervous, he was standing close to Professor Kal as they walked up to the building outside one of the dungeons inside the capitol. He didn''t know what to pack, so he brought some food, a change of clothes, and a few other necessities he thought he might use. He at first tried to put everything inside the storage ring Professor Kal had given him, but found out that only the things already in there could be put back in, nothing new.


    He had asked the Professor about it only for him to chastise him about wanting to fill the treasure full of useless junk. Forced to carry a cumbersome pack on his back, Ryan looked around in awe at all the adventurers coming and going from the administration building. Many of them had leather armor on, a handful had iron plate armor. Swords and axes were the most favored weapons, but he could see bow and crossbows mixed in as well.


    He looked around closely, finding that the groups of people were missing something.


    "Professor, why aren''t there many mages here? I only see two or three, shouldn''t there be more?"


    Professor Kal looked around as well, spurred on by his apprentice''s question. After a few moments, he answered. "Think about it, who are mages? They are the upper class, nobles or their children. Although, like yourself, there are those that are not nobles, but are still very wealthy. Mages have no reason to risk their lives in a dungeon, not unless they are here to conduct research, such as myself, or have fallen into poverty and need the funds."


    This explanation made a lot of sense to Ryan, he just hadn''t thought about it. There was nothing to gain by going into a dungeon if you already had wealth. One could gain some amount of fame by clearing a dungeon, but they would have to risk their lives to do so, would it really be worth it? While Ryan mulled over the words of his teacher, they both made their way inside.


    Inside the wooden building was a fairly simple setup. There were several counters set up with bulletin boards lining the walls. On the boards were requests for materials that adventurers could harvest in the dungeon while exploring the ever changing tunnels. That was one of the mysteries of the dungeons, the fact that every once in a while the orientation of the passageways would change.


    Many theorized that the dungeons would change in order to impede the monsters from reaching the surface sooner. That hypothesis had some merit, it would take several years for monsters to break through if they were not culled, it would be much shorter if not for the rearranging of the tunnels.


    After waiting in line for a few minutes, they were granted access to the dungeon. The clerk did question Professor Kal about bringing a child into the dungeon along with him, but was promptly told to mind her own business. A scornful look appeared on the clerk''s face, all Ryan could do was give her an apologetic smile as he walked by her, following after the Professor.


    The real entrance to the dungeon looked much like a simple cave entrance. It was only wide enough to allow one person to comfortably walk through at a time, and just tall enough so you wouldn''t have to crouch down as you did so. Professor Kal boldly walked into the cave, not even bothering to look behind him to make sure Ryan was following him. Of course Ryan was, he wouldn''t want to be left alone.


    Once inside, the tunnel expanded in size greatly. It was almost as if they had stepped into a different plane. Professor Kal nodded his head as he inspected his surroundings, it was subtle, but could actually sense that they had in fact entered a kind of subspace. He was astounded at the complexity of the mana veins he was seeing with the mana detection crystal he was holding up to his eye.


    The mana detection crystal was a tool that allowed the user to visualize mana. Although he could see mana with just his eyes, it was fuzzy and distorted, but when using the crystal, it made it possible to see the most intricate detail. He gingerly touched the cavern wall, the wall lighting up as he did so. The mana coursed through the wall like an intricately weaved tapestry, pulsing like a heartbeat.


    As Professor Kal caressed the wall like a long lost lover, Ryan observed his surroundings. The beginning of the dungeon was pretty much like he had expected, dark, dingy, and scary. The only sounds he could hear were the drip drop of water and the swooshing of the flames of torches lining the damp walls. The tunnel they were in was well over fifteen feet high and over twenty feet across. It went on for several tens of feet, eventually turning into pure darkness that he couldn''t see past.


    Ryan took a few steps towards the wall himself, trying to discover what was so interesting about the damp looking stone. He placed his hand on the cool stone, he felt the damp grittiness, rubbing it between his fingers, not finding anything of note. Before he could bring his finger to his nose and smell it, an ear piercing scratching noise assaulted Ryan''s ears. It sounded like iron nails on a chalkboard, and it was growing louder as time went by.


    "Prepare yourself, we have company." Professor Kal said, reluctantly tearing himself from the dungeon wall.


    Ryan turned to look up at Professor Kal who had appeared next to him, then turned back towards the ever increasing noise. Ryan would be lying if he said he wasn''t scared, he had heard of the dangers inside the dungeons. Evil monstrosities that feasted on human flesh, only kept at bay by the heroic adventurers. He stepped back, bumping into Professor Kal, then being pushed forward by him.


    Ryan steadied himself, prepared to face whatever was birthed from this dungeon head on. He had Professor Kal behind him after all, he knew that the Professor would never allow harm to befall his prized student, at least that''s what he told himself. He squinted his eyes, attempting to peer through the murky depths.


    He was rewarded with a gruesome sight, a green man that was just shorter than him, was dragging what looked like a long sword behind him. The green man was the ugliest being he had ever seen. Boils covered his large, crooked nose. A few yellow teeth jutted out from his oversized mouth, he could almost smell the man''s breath from where he stood. Only wearing a loincloth, the green man hulled the long sword behind him, finally seeing Ryan and Professor Kal standing up ahead. Seeing the two humans, a frantic look appeared on the green man''s face. Thick saliva started to flow from its mouth, telling the two what it was thinking.


    "Go on, kill it." Professor Kal urged him on, nudging him from behind.


    "W..what? K...ki..kill it?" Ryan''s eyes opened wide as he turned to look at Professor Kal.


    "I didn''t stutter. You better keep your eyes on the goblin, he''s getting closer. Here, take this, it''ll help." Professor Kal told him, handing over a simple looking dagger.


    Ryan timidly took the dagger, holding it awkwardly in his right hand. He couldn''t process what was happening, Professor Kal didn''t really expect him to fight against the monster, right? He didn''t even have proper training handling a weapon, they didn''t teach that until you turned sixteen. He looked back up towards Professor Kal once again, hoping for him to tell him something different, but all he got was the Professor pointing to something behind him, causing him to turn his head.


    Ryan was just in time to witness the long sword being swung level with his head by the goblin. In a panic, Ryan ducked, feeling the rushing air disturb the hair on top of his head. Sweat ran down his back, his heart was pumping blood vigorously through his body. He was in a life and death situation, and he was at a clear disadvantage.


    He rolled to the side and got to his feet, barely missing another swing aimed at his head. The goblin seemed like it was trying to kill him with the least amount of damage done to his body, keeping the meat intact. Ryan still had the dagger in his hand, his grip so tight that his knuckles were white. Although he didn''t know the proper technique, he knew to at least stab his target with the pointy end.


    Breathing ragged breaths, Ryan kept just out of range of the goblin''s swings. Even though the sword was much too big for it to use efficiently, it refused to let go of it like it was a precious treasure. Ryan thought that he could use that to his advantage, wait for just after the goblin swung the huge sword, then rush in and finish it off quickly.


    The goblin clumsily swung once more, missing Ryan just barely. Ryan enacted his plan and rushed in, the dagger reflecting the torchlight as he held it out in front of him. He was so close to the monster that he could see every pore on its face and smell the horrendous smell that it gave off. Just as the tip of the dagger was about to pierce through the goblin''s eye, it simply moved its head to the side then stuck out its stunted leg, tripping Ryan, causing him to fall to the ground.


    He tumbled over a few times due to his momentum carrying him forward. Before he could get back to his feet, he felt a searing heat come from his back. He rolled forward instinctively, but it was already too late. The goblin had struck him in the back, causing a long, jagged gash to appear.


    Blood flowed from the wound, turning his black robe wet, sticking to his skin. Fighting back tears, Ryan struggled to stay standing. Every breath he took caused pain to shoot from his back, and down his side were the gash ended. With shaky legs, he faced the goblin.


    The goblin, seeing its prey injured, smiled a crooked smile. It rushed forward, dragging the blade behind it. It may have only been reborn a short time ago, but was still full of insatiable hunger and rage. There were no rational thoughts left in its mind, two millennia trapped underground had long driven it mad. Its stumpy legs carried it forward faster than one might think possible, soon, it was upon its prey.


    Jumping up into the air, the goblin finally let go of its weapon as its hunger drove any thought, other than eating, out of its feeble mind. Seeing the creature lunge towards him, Ryan panicked. He closed his eyes and held the dagger out in front of himself with both hands. The goblin barreled into him, knocking him off his feet. The goblin''s inertia carried them both a few feet across the ground before they both came to a stop with the goblin on top of Ryan.. Professor Kal looked at the unmoving, bloody pile, shaking his head.

 Chapter 26 - Ragtag Unit

    Professor Kal sauntered over to the two bodies that were in a pile. Using his staff, he pushed the stinking goblin corpse off of his apprentice. He could see that Ryan still held his eyes tightly shut, his face pale from blood loss. Professor Kal conjured a potion from his ring and pried Ryan''s mouth open, forcing it down his throat.


    Green liquid spilled out the corners of his mouth, some went down Ryan''s windpipe, causing him to cough violently. He sat up off the ground, grasping his chest, coughing and retching, tears and snot running down his face. Professor Kal waited a minute, giving him enough time to settle his body down some.


    "That was painful to watch." Kal said plainly, helping Ryan to his feet.


    Ryan looked at Professor Kal with hurt in his eyes. He was furious at the man. He couldn''t believe that he would let him fight the goblin all by himself. Ryan thought that Professor Kal would have helped him, even just a little bit. That didn''t happen, even when the goblin had struck him with its sword, cutting his back wide open, Professor Kal didn''t lift a finger. At least he had given him a healing potion, closing up the gash on his back.


    Professor Kal looked back at Ryan with cold, uncaring eyes. Losing the staring contest, Ryan looked away and let out a frustrated sigh.


    "Take out the necronomicon I gave you, we''ve got work to do." Professor Kal said, flipping the goblin corpse on its back.


    "I want you to use Reanimate Corpse on this fellow here."


    Ryan looked around with trepidation, they were still at the entrance to the dungeon. "Won''t somebody see?"


    "No, it''ll be fine. We''ll have him wear this." Professor Kal said reassuringly, pulling out a plain brown hooded robe.


    Ryan timidly pulled out his copy of The Book of the Dead, still afraid that somebody would see the taboo spell, and flipped to the correct page. All the books that Professor Kal had given him to study were copies painstakingly translated by the Professor himself. He felt touched that Professor Kal would go through all that trouble for him, but the truth of the matter was that Professor Kal had made several copies of all his books over the years mainly because he was bored.


    He held the book out in front of himself with one hand, and started to recite the incantation. It was a short chant, but he took his time to pronounce every word correctly. He could feel the mana inside of his body start to move outwards and into the goblin corpse in front of him. Thin strings of black mist could be seen going into the mouth, nose, and eyes of the goblin.


    Once Ryan had finished the last syllable, he could see the fruits of his labor. The corpse started to jerk and twitch, its hands opening and closing slowly. Then it opened its eyes, white cataracts blocking out the pupil and iris. It tottered to its feet, almost like a drunk man. Then it stood at attention, perfectly still, not even moving its chest to breathe.


    Ryan had mixed emotions, he was thrilled that the spell worked on the first try, but was also terrified that it worked so well. This was unequivocal proof that he was a necromancer, an agent of evil. Although Professor Kal had told him that necromancers were not necessarily evil, he still couldn''t get the biased thought out of his mind.


    While deep in thought, Professor Kal started to pat him on the back. "Impressive, very impressive. Got it on the first try, very good. Now, have it put this on, we need to get moving."


    Shoving the brown robe into Ryan''s arms, Professor Kal started to walk down the dark tunnel, slowly disappearing from view. Not wanting to be left behind, he quickly dressed his zombie friend, then chased after Professor Kal. After a minute of running he caught up, only to have Professor Kal point out that he had left something behind.


    "He won''t do anything if you don''t order him to. You''d better hurry up."


    Smacking himself on the forehead, he ran back to retrieve the zombie, still standing in the middle of the tunnel.


    ˇ­..


    "Your Highness, do you remember anything from your time in Morgania?" Court Mage Reginald asked King Alexander Amine while examining his body.


    It had been five days since Professor Kal had performed the transference ritual, saving the First Prince''s life. Hector Amine had died the day afterwards, succumbing to the curse that once inhabited his only son. Soon after, Alexander woke up from his coma, confused and somewhat delirious. It had taken the better part of a week for Alexander to gain his senses back. This was the first time he had spoken since he awoke.


    "No, I''m sorry. It''s all so blurry, everything after the meeting with the King of Morgania is fuzzy, almost like a dream." King Amine said, slowly shaking his head.


    He was still extremely weak and frail. He hadn''t been able to eat solid food since losing consciousness almost three weeks ago. They had been force feeding him broth, but that could only sustain him so much.


    "Please, if you remember anything, let me know."


    Reginald looked into Alexander''s recessed eyes, feeling pity for the man. He had very nearly died, lost his father, then survived just to have the weight of the crown waiting for him. He would not want to be in his place. Though, it had to be said that Prince Alexander had been raised for this very moment, it had just come sooner than he would have liked.


    Packing up his equipment, Reginald began to leave the room.


    "Reginald." King Alexander said, causing him to turn around.


    "Gather everyone, I wish to make an announcement. Also I want you to begin the investigation into who might have cursed me and killed my father."


    Reginald bowed deep. "Of course your Highness, I''ll give word immediately. As far as the curse is concerned, I''ve already begun to look into it."


    "Very good, and one more thing. Summon this Mage Kalcifer, I''d like to meet him." The newly crowned King said with a raspy voice.


    "At once, your Highness."


    ˇ­..


    "I''d have to say that this is the biggest mushroom I''ve ever seen." Professor Kal admitted as they walked into the main level of the dungeon.


    They had been walking along the dark tunnels for nearly two hours, collecting stray goblins as they went. They had a healthy entourage of five goblins following silently behind them, all sporting plain brown robes. After the first goblin very nearly killed him, Ryan listened to Professor Kal''s advice and had his follower deal with the next one.


    The second goblin they had ran into only had a crude wooden spear as a weapon, the end looked like it had used its teeth to sharpen it. As it lunged forward with its spear, Ryan ordered his zombie goblin to attack. The zombie took the full force of the spear into its belly, only letting out a small grunt from the impact forcing what little air was in its lungs out. Surprised by its enemy''s actions, the goblin didn''t react in time to avoid the zombie''s teeth.


    Once the zombie wrapped its arms around the goblin, it was over. The goblin tried to let out a scream, but only a wet gurgling could be heard. The zombie had bitten its neck, ripping a large chunk out of it. It only took less than a minute for it to die, then join the ever growing party.


    Ryan had hesitated to send the zombie to fight at first, naively worrying about its safety. Witnessing the first battle had changed his mind completely. The zombie felt no pain whatsoever, no emotions could be conveyed through its eyes. It was simply a vessel that was used to enact its users'' will, nothing more.


    With this new mindset, Ryan took the lead in hunting down any stray gobins they could find. Professor Kal thought highly of the way Ryan took the initiative, casting Reanimate Corpse on every defeated foe. He was also happily surprised to see that Ryan''s mana reserve was quite large, being able to cast the spell multiple times without running out.


    Professor Kal started to seriously consider taking the young mage back to his underground lair in order to teach him the more taboo aspects of necromancy. He would have to wait and see if Ryan''s passion for the dark arts would continue, or fizzle out once it lost its novelty. Putting that thought on the back burner, they continued to walk down the tunnels.


    They would pass by other small groups of adventurers as they traveled, drawing only cursory glances. Ryan would hold his breath every time they ran into a group, terrified of being discovered. Most adventurers would mind their own business. Although they might have been curious about the man in the black robe leading children through the tunnel, they knew their kingdom wouldn''t let anyone in that didn''t have permission.


    Now they had finally made it to the official first level of the dungeon. It was a large room, maybe a little smaller in size compared to Professor Kal''s garden. Tall mushrooms towered high into the air, creating a forest that stretched from wall to wall. Looking up, you could see mana gems glowing brightly, providing light to the area below. The light was comparable to a full moon on a cloudless night, making it easy to see around you.


    The walls were scarred and pockmarked from people digging out the mana gems long ago. The only reason there were still any left was because they were too high up to get to. There was no grass in the room, the ground was hard packed dirt with smaller mushrooms growing in patches every few dozen feet. A medium sized pond was located in the middle of the room, it was in the shape of a horseshoe. There were no fish in the pond, the adventurers and monsters had eaten anything that was alive in there.


    Sounds of battle could faintly be heard if you were quiet. This was where all the goblins would be spawned. They only wandered into the upper tunnels from here, getting lost and attacking anything they found. There were no usable resources on a goblin, the only thing you could get out of one was experience in battle. That was why all the novice adventurers would come to this dungeon.


    The second level of the dungeon was a restricted area. It was filled with precious magical metals, so it was heavily regulated. Only the kingdom''s soldiers would be able to go down there when escorting miners to harvest the metals. Hobgoblins could be found on the second level, they were much stronger than regular goblins, but were still killed all the same by the soldiers. There was even a permanent outpost built on the second level in order to keep the hobgoblin population down at all times.


    Professor Kal didn''t expect to go down to the second level in this dungeon. He would choose one with less of a presence. His ultimate goal was to work his way to a dungeon core to study it, but that could wait for another day.


    He started to cut samples from the mushrooms, putting them into small glass vials. Ryan stood behind him, encircled by his five decaying bodyguards. They were still holding the weapons they had used in life, making them appear like a hobbled together unit.


    "I''m done here. Let''s move further in, maybe we''ll be able to witness how the dungeon spawns these creatures.." Professor Kal said, turning to Ryan after pocketing his samples.

 Chapter 27 - Pop Quiz

    Inside the throne room of the Kingdom of Amine, several dozen nobles, or their representatives, were gathered together. Even with the amount of people present the room still was spacious, there was enough room to house several hundred souls, let alone what was there. No one knew why they had been summoned here, only that the still yet to be crowned king had called upon them.


    Although they all were nobles of the kingdom, clear divisions could be seen. Some nobles wouldn''t even look at one another as they walked by. Now that news spread of the king''s death, the separate parties within the nobles were beginning to make movements.


    Duke Hutchens had been the most audacious of the nobles, already gathering support for his cause. He was blowing the trumpets of war, saying that the attack on the Royal family was a slap to the face that should only be met with blood and steel. Many had felt the same way, quickly joining alongside him. Others had grown used to peace and were wary to start any conflicts. They wanted to wait and see what the investigation brought to light.


    As the different groups talked amongst themselves, the side door to the throne room opened. The heavy door swung open with only a whisper. Heavy footsteps echoed throughout the gaudy room, heralding the imminent arrival of the King. The nobles turned to face the throne, then all got on one knee, paying respect while waiting for him to take the throne.


    Alexander had shadowed his father several times while conducting official business, but this was the first time that he would be leading. To say he wasn''t nervous would be a bold faced lie, he was terrified. His palms were sweaty and his heart was pounding. He still could barely walk so he had to rely on the assistance of the head of the King''s Guard, Jeremiah.


    Jeremiah was a bear of a man, standing well over six feet tall. He was wearing the gold etched ceremonial armor of the King''s Guard. Having to hang onto his arm, Alexander looked feeble compared to the man. It couldn''t be helped, he still had yet to recover from the curse''s effects.


    Jeremiah escorted the new King to the Throne, helping him sit as if Alexander was made of glass. Once seated, Alexander gave permission for the nobles to raise their heads. His quiet, raspy voice drawing concerned looks from some that were present. Others had looks as if they were venomous snakes eyeing their prey.


    Alexander scanned the crowd, taking in the atmosphere. He could tell that there were those present who had their own ambitions, but there was nothing he could do about them at the moment. His hold on the Kingdom was at its weakest at the moment, he had to do all he could to solidify his power, even if it meant placating some unsavory nobles.


    "Where is Lord Arckroft?" He asked his steward who was standing off to the side.


    He knew all the nobles, from the Dukes to the lowly Knights. It was part of his duties to learn everyone''s names and positions within the Royal court. Baron Arckroft was a fairly new addition to the noble circle. His family only rose to power some one-hundred years ago. His eldest son had recently died in an accident, sending him into bouts of depression. Even so, it was no excuse to ignore a royal summons.


    Bowing his head, the steward replied. "We had sent out a courier, but he has not returned as of yet."


    "We will continue without him. Send a few knights to his manor, drag him here if you have to." King Alexander said, not wanting to appear weak in front of the Court.


    At his order, ten knights marched out of the room, carrying out his orders. He waited until they had closed the door behind them before continuing.


    "Thank you all for coming on such short notice." He began, forcing as much power out of his voice as possible.


    "Our Kingdom is facing an unprecedented situation. The crown requires your support in the coming days. Whomever cursed myself, then subsequently killed my father, will be brought to justice, be it one individual or an enemy nation. Our Kingdom will not rest until it has done so."


    Murmurs could be heard from the nobles before him. Duke Hutchens had a wide smile on his face. He had hoped for a war, and it seemed as if he was going to get one without having to do anything at all. The other side of the room was worried. Their fiefs were the closest to the borders and would be the first to burn should there be a war. They wanted to avoid one at all costs.


    "I will need troops from each of your fiefdoms, only twenty-percent of the total under your command. They will be mixed into the Royal Army and sent to the borders. As we do not yet know who the perpetrator is, we cannot make a rash move, but we can still increase the security of our great nation." King Alexander roared out, straining his voice.


    "Your Highness, shall we call upon the mages of our great nation?" Duke Hutchens suggested, stepping forward and taking a knee before the throne.


    King Alexander thought for just a moment before shaking his head. "That will not be necessary just yet. Not until we know more from the investigation. We will inform them of the possibility though, so that they would not be caught unprepared."


    Nodding his head, Duke Hutchens took a step back. He was hoping to have Professor Kal conscripted, but he didn''t have high hopes that the King would do so this early. He wasn''t worried, the winds of war were blowing and it was only a matter of time before everyone was dragged into it.


    ˇ­..


    The area around the pond on the first level of the dungeon was flat and wide open. The mushrooms didn''t grow too close to the water, leaving plenty of room to set up camp. Professor Kal was taking water samples while Ryan was keeping his head on a swivel, looking all around them. Professor Kal had told him to never relax while out in the wilderness, danger could be lurking around every corner. He took that advice to heart.


    As they walked to the pond, they hadn''t run into any goblins at all. It was a little strange, but neither one of them had ever been inside a dungeon before, so they didn''t know what to expect. With the lack of enemies, Professor Kal went over the differing theories of necromancy with the young mage as they walked.


    Once they had arrived at the pond, they had noticed that a campsite had been set up on the other side. No one was around, they had left their tents wide open and the fire was still smouldering. The number of tents suggested that at least four people were occupying them. Deciding to leave them be, the pair decided to take a break along with their five zombie guards.


    "Professor, how did you become a necromancer?" Ryan asked as he watched him stuff mud into a glass vial.


    That question had been nagging at him for a while now. Necromancers had only been in scary stories, but now that he had become one he wondered if there were more hidden away somewhere. He was nervous, but also wanted to see if there were other people like him, someone other than Professor Kal that he could connect to. Don''t get him wrong, he respected Professor Kal and was very grateful for everything that he had done for him, but he was also not that easy to talk to.


    "Hmm, oh, sorry. What was that? I was miles away." Professor Kal said, turning to the young man.


    "How did you become a necromancer? Are there more of us around here? Can I meet them?" He repeated, adding more onto his original question.


    "I never said I was a necromancer." Professor Kal said, drawing a shocked look from Ryan.


    "I just said I can teach you how to be one. I like to dabble in every school of magic, so I don''t claim to be one or another. I like to think of myself as a pure mage, one that has truly mastered the magical arts." He said, puffing out his chest and putting his fists on his hips.


    Ryan was lost for words, how could the man in front of him claim to be a master of all things magic? He might be young, but he wasn''t stupid. Professor Kal was only maybe a decade older than he was, it was impossible to learn every school of magic in such a time. At least that was what common sense was telling him. Maybe there was something that he didn''t know about, that was the only way.


    Professor Kal started to laugh. "I''m just joking, even I cannot say I have mastered every school. There is always something more to learn, something to discover. Remember that, there is always another level; don''t ever stop learning just because you think you''ve uncovered everything."


    Ryan started to nod his head vigorously, taking mental notes. He felt much better now that Professor Kal admitted to not knowing everything. He admired how humble he sounded. As he continued to listen to Professor Kal go on about never overestimating yourself when it came to battle and for learning, a splash came from across the pond.


    Professor Kal stopped talking and turned his head to the noise, Ryan doing the same. All that could be seen were ripples on the water reflecting the glow from the magical gems above. Professor Kal furrowed his brows, his eyes glowing a fluorescent green as he peered into the forest of mushrooms.


    "Pop quiz boy." Professor Kal suddenly said, a wicked grin on his face.


    Before Ryan had a chance to question what he meant by ''pop quiz'', his attention was directed to screaming that could faintly be heard. Across the pond, just behind the empty campsite, a group of adventurers came bursting out from the forest of mammoth mushrooms. They were littered with injuries, blood smeared all over their torn leather armor. One was even limping with an arrow sticking out of the back of his leg.


    There were five of them in total, too far away for Ryan to make any more detailed observations. One tripped over their feet, sprawling flat on the ground. His comrades didn''t even slow down to look behind them, leaving him behind as they sprinted past their campsite. Ryan watched as the man tried to scramble to his feet, slipping on the muddy soil that was near the pond.


    Ryan couldn''t see what hit the man, but he jerked and yelled out in pain. He tried to reach behind him to grab the arrow that was now jutting from his shoulder. Behind him, a large group of goblins emerged from the mushrooms. Ignoring the arrow, the man tried to run, but was too late. The party of goblins jumped on the man, stabbing and slashing with small knives. Ryan could hear the man''s screams of agony, then they were suddenly cut off as the man''s body crumpled to the ground.


    "Help us! Help us!" The group yelled out, fear etched on their faces, as they ran towards them.


    Ryan took a step back, not knowing what to do. It was happening much too fast. It looked to him that there were at least twenty goblins, way too many for him to handle. He looked to Professor Kal, looking for some sort of guidance. He wasn''t there! He had disappeared! It was only Ryan and his five zombie followers that were left standing by the pond.


    The bloodied group of now four adventurers were now right on top of him, but they didn''t slow down. They actually picked up speed. Ryan could see that they had abandoned their weapons at some point, most likely finding them too unwieldy to run with. How could they expect to fight without any weapons? He soon found out the answer, they didn''t.


    "Thank you so much, we''ll go get help!" One of the men said as his group ran past him, not even bothering to slow down to look him in the eye.


    They were leading the rampaging goblins right to him, that was their entire strategy. They were sacrificing Ryan and his group in order to save themselves. Fear welled up inside of him, making him sick to his stomach. He turned to run with the group, that''s all that he could think to do. He would order his zombies to hold off the goblins in order to give him enough time to escape, just like the group was doing to him.


    As he did so, the last man in the group body checked him as he ran by. Sending Ryan''s small frame sailing through the air and into the pond''s icy waters. Luckily he could swim, but his thick robe he was wearing weighed him down greatly. By the time he made it to shore the goblins were only fifty feet away from him and closing in fast.. They were so close that he could see their bloodshot eyes staring at him with hatred, and hunger.

 Chapter 28 - The Dead Of Night

    The nobles had been gathered for over two hours now. They were still fiercely debating over who''s troops would go where and how the crown would compensate them. Although they were all part of the same Kingdom, they still would not move for free. If one looked at it from the outside, they could see that the Royal family only held on to their power because of their military might.


    If all the nobles banded together, they could potentially threaten the crown. This was why it was important for King Alexander to reimburse them appropriately, to keep them happy with the status quo. He was already growing tired of the politics involved. He didn''t see how his father could have handled all of the stress, or why he even fought for the crown to begin with.


    He was rubbing his temples, still seated on the throne, when a page rushed to his side. The page whispered into his ear, causing King Alexander to open his eyes wide.


    "Silence!" He yelled out, the cacophony of voices slowly petering out.


    Gathering his thoughts, he took some time to speak. "There''s no easy way to say this, so I''ll just state the facts. Lord Arckroft, along with his wife and brother, are dead."


    Gasps could be heard from the high class crowd. One of their own had died, and from the way the King was speaking could tell it wasn''t an accident. This just after after the murder of the king made the entire body of nobles feel as if the Kingdom was truly being targeted. No one felt safe, they just wanted to leave then hunker down in their estates.


    "What fate befell them?" A Viscount asked, he was part of the ati-war faction.


    "All I know is that their bodies were found around the dinner table. Their guards were still stationed around the property, they were as shocked as the knights were when they had found the bodies. Our courier is still missing as well." King Alexander said, shaking his head.


    What was happening? First the curse, now this? Who is targeting their Kingdom? Why did it have to be him that held the crown? King Alexander''s mind was a mess of thoughts. He looked up, seeing the gazes of all the nobles gathered pointed at him only compounded the pressure on his soul.


    "Go back to your territories." He began, his voice shaky and low.


    "We do not know who our enemy is that is stalking in the shadows, but one thing is for certain; he will not stop until our Kingdom falls!"


    The nobles all nodded their heads, agreeing with his assessment.


    "From this day forward, the Kingdom of Amine is under martial law!" He bellowed, using all his strength to stand from the throne.


    "For centuries we have stood firm against our enemies. For centuries our neighbors have feared us, dreaded our armies! They think we are weak now with my father gone! That is not so, I will show them that we are still to be feared! That we are strong, that we will not tolerate the slights against us! Alas, the Crown cannot do so on its own. I call upon all of you to help protect this Kingdom, our Kingdom, from its enemies! We will smoke out all those that harbor ill will to our precious Kingdom! We will put their heads on spikes at every city gate, offering a glimpse into the future of anyone who dares go against us! Now go! Mobilize your troops, it seems all our lives are in the balance." He finished his speech, wobbling slightly on weak legs, but remained standing.


    "Long live the King! Long Live the King!" The nobles sang out like a chorus.


    ˇ­..


    Silus Arckroft felt empty inside. It felt as if there was a dark void greedily swallowing any semblance of emotions deep inside his chest. All those years of planning, all the sacrifices he made, and at the end of it; he felt nothing. He had thought that he would be happy, or at least content, but looking down at his dead parents and uncle made him feel nothing at all.


    There was no sense of freedom or relief that it was finally done. Just emptiness, like he was a hollow doll with no purpose. Was this the consequence of having no soul? Was this the cost of the power he received? He shook his head, there was no point in regretting his actions now. It was far too late for that.


    It had been much much easier than he initially thought. After discovering his capabilities and growing used to them after a few days, he went into action. He waited until the sun had just sunk below the horizon. Although he could go out in daylight, for some reason it made him feel extremely uncomfortable. His powers seemed to be much more potent in the darkness as well, it was the perfect time.


    His once dark hair was now silver in color, his skin a pale, milky white. His irises shone a golden amber, mesmerizing all that stared into them. His face was the same, but now he had an added charm to him. People seemed to grow complacent around him, willing to do things for him that they normally wouldn''t do. This allowed him to move around much easier.


    Slipping into his father''s estate was made much easier with the appearance of a royal courier. Killing him took but a flick of his wrist, snapping the man''s neck, then dragging him into a dark alleyway. Now dressed in official attire, the guards of the estate escorted him to the heart of the manor. A simple spell was all it took to make the guards forget he was ever there. He watched as they left him outside the dining room, marching back to their original posts.


    He could have slaughtered his way in, it would have been easy for him now. He had his future to think of though, he wanted to leave enough time for him to escape. Killing guards would draw attention no matter how secretly he did it. Knowing how his father hated to be interrupted during meals, he had at least an hour before any staff would come inside to attend to him.


    Pushing the doors open, he entered. His father turned towards him, obvious wrath in his eyes. Once he saw the royal uniform though, his face softened considerably.


    "To what do we owe the pleasure to have the Crown call upon us?" Lord Arckroft asked, standing from his chair.


    Silus stood stock still, he couldn''t believe it. He knew that his looks were slightly different, but his face was the same. How could his own father not recognize him? The same father that could so easily beat him for getting anything but perfect scores. The same father that would whip him with a rod for falling asleep after another sleepless night of studying.


    His eyes moved to his mother. She gave a polite smile, but that was all. She failed to identify her own son as well. His mother was anything but, she would turn a blind eye to his pleading screams as his father beat him. As a child, she would leave him in the care of the staff, only bothering to check up on him once a month or so. He tried to hate her while growing up, but found it was hard to. She was just someone that he would see once in a great while, a background character in his dimal life.


    His uncle, Theodore Arckroft, was looking at him as well. There was some semblance of recognition in his eyes, but he didn''t look too sure. It only made sense, he had spent the most time with Silus as a child. He was his uncle''s ''favorite'' nephew, and remained so until he grew too old for his tastes. His father knew, there was no way he did not. That may have been one of the reasons for his abuse, his father blamed him.


    All these hurtful memories flashed through his mind, only taking but a breath. They stirred no emotions within him. The only thing he felt while looking at his ''family'' was disgust. Disgust one would feel when looking at swine rolling around in their own feces. They were nothing more than animals to him, they all were.


    His uncle was the first to die. Silus moved so fast that he seemed to vanish from sight, only to reappear directly behind Theodore. Silus simply punched out with his fist, connecting with the back of his head. Where his head once was, his fist was the only thing that remind. Like a melon bursting due to fermentation, bits and pieces of bone and brain matter spattered the area around him.


    Lady Arckroft''s face contorted into one of horror and disbelief. Before she could scream, Silus struck her face with the back of his hand. Generating enough force to turn her head one-hundred and eighty degrees. She slumped forward, the back of her head resting in a bowl of still warm soup, her face wide eyed, staring at the ceiling.


    "W..wh...what is th..the meaning of this?" Lord Arckroft stammered, backing away from Silus.


    Silus began to speak, but paused. Why would he dignify his father by talking to him? Was he even worth an explanation? The man never cared for his son, he doubted that he ever really loved him. He only had the family''s name, its status, on his mind. Trying to transform Silus into the perfect head of the family, not caring at all about his own thoughts and feelings.


    Materializing next to his father, Silus reached out, grasping his throat. Silus lifted his father up into the air by his neck, peering into his eyes. Lord Arckroft couldn''t breath, he struggled with all his might, but could do nothing to escape the iron grip of the monster before him. Looking into the eyes of the man strangling him, he could see nothing. There was no remorse in his eyes, not even anger, it was like staring into a mirror. He could see his own terror being reflected back at him by those amber eyes, burrowing deep into his very soul.


    The fear and anxiety compounded onto each other, causing each passing second to feel like an eternity. The pressure on his neck only increased, blood started to seep from his eyes as the pressure in his brain increased. With one final burst of strength, Lord Arckroft kicked the man in the groin. Seeing the man''s brows furrow was the last thing he saw before the man squeezed his neck hard enough to decapitate him.


    His father''s corpse fell to the ground in front of him like a sack of potatoes, blood pooling under his feet. It was done, he finally achieved his revenge. He let out a sigh, not of relief, but of frustration. He had gotten blood all over himself so now he would have to clean himself before leaving. He licked his hands clean, enjoying the sweet taste of his father''s blood. Pulling a spare set of clothes out of his storage ring he changed into them.


    He threw the soiled clothes into the fireplace, setting them alight with a Fireball spell. He then slipped out of the dining room and out into the now dark courtyard. Blending into the shadows, he scaled the wall easily, then disappeared down the poorly lit street. He walked briskly, but not so fast as to draw attention to himself. His goal now was to leave the city, finding some remote place to call home.


    He was a little lost at the moment. He had spent so long planning this that now that it was done he didn''t know what to do with himself. He passed by a begger, holding their hand out asking for spare change. Silus frowned; disgusting, they were all disgusting. He scanned the area, watching as people walked by, going about their business. It was dark out, but the night life of the city was still very active.


    The more he looked, the less difference he saw between his noble family and the beggar on the street corner, they were all the same. They were beneath him, not even worth a passing thought. Yet here he was, hiding in the darkness from them, afraid of being caught. He stopped, then looked up into the night sky. He needed power, he needed people. He needed a stable foundation that would allow him to live freely and without fear.


    That would be his new goal from now on. He would work towards creating a world molded by his desires, not those that he viewed beneath him. He just didn''t know where to start. It didn''t matter. As long as he started, as long as he was alive he would work towards the dream he now had.


    With a newfound reason for living, Silus picked a random direction and set off into the dead of night.. He didn''t know where he was going, but he knew that wherever it was, it would be his new home.

 Chapter 29 - Passing Grade

    "Shit!" Ryan cursed


    He couldn''t help it, he was in a tight spot. His back was to the icy pond, to his front were his five zombies. They were the only things between him and a gaggle of goblins. Were a group of goblins called a gaggle? Or was it something else? He didn''t know, he shook his head. Why was he thinking of such trivial things at a time like this?


    Regaining his clarity, he focused on the situation. There were twenty or so goblins closing in on him, their sizes varied. Some were taller and bulkier than others, they were leading the way, holding large clubs with spikes sticking out. Behind the wall of larger than average goblins were goblin archers. They were holding short bows and had quivers full of arrows slung over their shoulders.


    Where did they even get bows and arrows? There were no trees, only mushrooms. An arrow flew through the air, striking the zombie holding a large sword. He only jerked slightly, barely reacting at all. This brought Ryan out of his odd train of thought.


    Ryan quickly ordered four of his followers forward, he wanted to intercept the larger ones, hoping to slow them down. He kept one behind, positioning it in front of him to soak up any arrows that might be fired in his direction. He pulled out his copy of the necronomicon and began to furiously flip through the pages.


    The four zombie goblins rushed forward with fluid movements. If he didn''t know better, Ryan would have never guessed they were already dead. Professor Kal had told him that the sooner you reanimate a corpse, the more movement they would retain. This was because rigor mortis had yet to set in, keeping the function of the muscles the same as they were before death.


    The zombie with the long sword swung hard, aiming for a tall goblin holding a wooden club. Expecting such a simple attack, the goblin blocked the swing with his club. The sword cut four inches deep due to the impact, getting stuck inside the wood. Thinking that its opponent would try to wrench the sword free, the goblin held on to its club with both hands.


    In the zombie''s simple mind it had seen that its weapon had become useless. Instead of trying to free it to be used again, it simply let go, opting to use its claws as a weapon instead. Being taken by surprise, the goblin couldn''t react in time. The zombie pounced on it, rending flesh with its claws and biting deep with its yellow teeth.


    Meanwhile, its three comrades were battling as well. They held much smaller weapons, only simple daggers. This allowed them to be much more maneuverable than their foes. They got in close, slashing and stabbing at anything that was alive. The only downside to using zombies was the fact that they were much too stupid to use even the simplest of strategies, not even smart enough to block incoming attacks. They sustained many injuries in the process of fighting.


    The four zombies that went forward were now only down to three. They had managed to kill five goblins, and were still fighting. One was missing an arm, the other''s head was smashed in, but luckily its brain wasn''t too damaged. The last one was still in good fighting condition, it was causing havoc in the middle of the front line fighters, trying to get to the archers.


    Ryan was hiding behind his shield that looked much like a pincushion at the moment. Arrows were continuously raining down all around him, some even grazing his robe tearing patches out of it. He''d managed to find a spell that could work on groups of enemies, he just had to time it right. He would cast it when the archers had to knock their arrows, giving him enough time to chant the incantation.


    Seeing his chance, he began reciting the chant before stepping out from behind his shield and pointing his index finger at the goblins only twenty feet away. Black lighting shot out from the tip of his finger, zig zagging through the air before striking the first goblin. It seized up, its muscles contracting all at once. Before it could fall to the ground in convulsions, the black lightning leapt from its body and into two more goblins.


    An ozone smell spread over the small battlefield. Black smoke could be seen rising from the goblins body. The once green skin was now black and charred where the dark bolt entered and exited its body. This pattern happened once more, in total, seven goblins fell to the Shadow Bolt spell Ryan had cast.


    He was ecstatic, the spell was much more powerful than he could have hoped for. He was starting to feel hope for the first time since the start of the battle. Although he had only been fighting for a few minutes, he felt as if it had been hours. The hope was short lived though, the final three zombies had finally been killed, leaving only himself and one lonely zombie.


    There were only six goblins left. The Shadow Bolt, combined with his zombie''s efforts, had killed fifteen of them. The six remaining goblins showed no signs of retreating, they stopped running but were still slowly approaching him. They seemed to be slightly more cautious than they were before, but still had only one thought on their minds.


    Ryan pointed his finger once more at the approaching goblins, chanting the Shadow Bolt spell. A sudden wave of fatigue washed over him, bringing him down to one knee. He very nearly fainted, he was out of mana. Suffering from mana exhaustion in the middle of battle was the most dangerous situation a mage could be in. It not only prevented them from being able to cast spells, it also affected their physical bodies, preventing them from even running away.


    Now on his hands and knees, Ryan punched the muddy ground out of anger. He swore to all the gods above that should he survive, he was going to kill Professor Kal. That bastard had left him to die here, just like when they first arrived. This wasn''t training him to be a necromancer, this was actively trying to kill him. How could anyone in their right mind think that this was the proper way to teach someone?


    His last zombie stumbled forward, the arrows making it difficult for it to walk properly. It reached out with empty hands, trying to latch on to an enemy. The six goblins worked together to quickly kill the zombie, staying just out of reach before smacking it with their spiked clubs. Goblins might have been stupid, but they could instinctively tell that what they had killed was already dead and shouldn''t be eaten. Their real prey was the young man that was still trying desperately to stand.


    Finally managing to get to his feet, Ryan back stepped towards the pond. There was no other place to go. The six goblins had fanned out, cutting off any routes that he could use. His breathing was ragged from the side effects of mana exhaustion, his head spun, it was hard for him to focus on the goblins in front of him. He took another step back, feeling the icy cold water rush over his boot, engulfing his leg up to his knee.


    He felt something slide past his leg, it was hard to see what it was in the dark waters of the pond. He could tell from what little light there was that it was big. As it broke through the surface of the water he could get a better view of it. The goblins stopped their advance, they noticed the unknown creature as well.


    Ryan''s skin crawled as he looked upon the worm-like monster. It was over ten feet long and as thick as a tree trunk. It didn''t have scales, it was covered in slimy black skin, similar to an earthworm''s. It slithered and coiled in front of him, he couldn''t tell which end was its head. Now the goblins took a few steps back, their instincts screaming at them to run away.


    The first goblin turned to run, dropping his club in order to run faster. The giant worm moved with lightning speed, catching and coiling around the goblin. What must have been its head split open like a blooming flower, revealing a blood red beak. Tentacles surrounded the beak, acting like limbs as they writhed in the air. The goblin let out a shriek of fear before the worm monster clamped down on its head, killing it instantly.


    Everyone was frozen in fear, the goblins and Ryan alike. Too scared to move, they all opted to stay perfectly still. Unfortunately, the worm monster had a mission to accomplish. It struck forward once more, latching onto another goblin. It tore it limb from limb, using its beak and tentacles to disassemble it in the blink of an eye.


    Blood stained the already damp ground, bleeding into the black waters of the pond. Goblins ran around frantically, striking out at the worm monster the best they could. The worm monster''s skin looked soft, but was actually as hard as steel. The blows just glanced off, leaving the monster unharmed.


    Soon, there were only the mangled corpses of the goblins that remained, with the worm monster right in the middle of the carnage. Ryan hadn''t moved a muscle since the monster''s arrival. He couldn''t even run away from the goblins, how could he expect to run from such a creature as this. It turned to look at him, at least it turned its head towards him. Ryan couldn''t see any eyes, so he wasn''t sure if it could really see.


    It slithered slowly towards him making squelching sounds as its body moved through the bloody mud. With tentacles waving in the air, it raised its head off the ground, level with Ryan''s chest. Ryan squeezed his eyes shut, holding his breath. He was preparing for the pain the moment the monster dug its beak into his body. Instead, he was met with a strange sensation.


    The monster''s tentacles were caressing his body, gently touching him all over. He opened his eyes to see it rubbing its head against him lovingly like a dog or a cat. It was disgusting. Slime was coating his robe in a thick layer, dripping down and splashing in the water. He nearly gagged from the texture of the monster''s skin touching his hand as it nudged him to pet it.


    "It seems to have taken a liking to you."


    A voice coming from nowhere made Ryan nearly jump out of his skin. He looked over to see Professor Kal standing there, off to the side, with his hands behind his back.


    "You son of a bitch!" Ryan yelled out in ire, his voice cracking.


    The worm monster recoiled from the sudden outburst, but quickly continued to love on him. Professor Kal started laughing, both at Ryan''s anger and the fact he was being slathered in slime. This just made him even angrier, causing Ryan to storm off around the pond, the worm monster slithering behind him.


    "You passed if you even care.. I was quite impressed by the Shadow Bolt you pulled off!" Professor Kal yelled out in between bouts of laughter, watching as his student marched off in the wrong direction with a worm monster in tow.

 Chapter 30 - Woman In White

    "I''m starting to think that they really didn''t go to get help." Professor Kal said sarcastically as he poked at a fire with a long stick.


    Ryan didn''t even bother acknowledging him in any way. He was sitting as far away from Professor Kal as he could with the worm monster still snuggled up against him seemingly asleep. Ryan was still fuming, it had been over an hour since the end of the battle. They had commandeered the adventurers campsite, using their fire pit as their own. Professor Kal had set out food for his student, but Ryan didn''t have much of an appetite.


    They sat there in awkward silence for a long time. Professor Kal was keeping an eye on the dead bodies they had dragged closer to the campsite. He was wanting to catch the moment the dungeon would absorb them. It was said that the dungeons would recycle whatever was left inside them, he just didn''t know how long it would take or what the process looked like.


    "You know, I''m actually very proud of the way you handled yourself back there." Professor Kal admitted.


    Ryan looked over at the man, his arms still crossed across his chest. He didn''t say anything.


    "Most mages would panic if faced with the same predicament, let alone one as young as yourself. Although there were some things you could have done better, overall it was almost flawless."


    "How can you say that, without you sending in thisˇ­. thing, I would have died. How can you say it was almost flawless?" Ryan spoke for the first time in over an hour, gesturing at the monster.


    "Because you never gave up, not until you could barely stand. Sometimes in life, no matter how hard you try, no matter how hard you fight, you fail. If you would have died it would have been caused through no fault of your own. You used every tool available to you, you used all your knowledge to the best of your abilities." Professor Kal said, standing up and smoothing out his robe.


    Ryan felt slightly better after listening to what Professor Kal had told him, but was still angry with him. Everyone liked to be told that they had done a good job, he was no exception. Although his mood had been lifted slightly his mood was still sour. One thing still bothering him was why Professor Kal chose to put him in such dangerous situations. He decided to ask.


    "Why did you make me risk my life though? Even if you were nearby, there still was a chance I could have been killed!"


    "Necromancy is the art of death, wouldn''t you say?" Professor Kal asked his own question.


    "I guess so." Ryan said, not following his train of thought.


    "Well, to be an effective necromancer, you must be familiar with death. What better way than to be so close to it that you can feel its icy clutches around your neck?" He said in a low gravelly voice, causing Ryan''s skin to have goosebumps.


    Ryan didn''t ask anymore questions, he was almost afraid to. For a moment, just one fleeting moment, it almost looked like Professor Kal was death himself. He could have sworn that instead of his black hair and plain face, there was nothing but a skull with dried skin stretched over it with multi-colored flames burning in the sockets. He shook his head, driving the visions from his mind. He was exhausted and had been underground for far too long. He just needed a good rest, that was all.


    "Here, take this." Professor Kal offered him what looked like a gemstone set into a holder. It had a chain so you could wear it around your neck like a necklace.


    Ryan looked at him suspiciously, wondering if this was another test of some sort.


    "It''s a reward for your efforts today. Give me the ring I gave you as well. I''ll take the limiter off of it so you can use it how you like." Professor Kal said after seeing Ryan eye him.


    Ryan timidly reached out, taking the necklace from him. He handed him the storage ring as well, smiling slightly at the thought of finally being able to use it. He examined the necklace more closely. He noticed that there were small etchings that were carved into the green gemstone. They were impossibly intricate, staring at them made his head hurt.


    "What is this?" He asked.


    "It''s called a summoning charm. It''s very old, I highly doubt they even know how to make them anymore." Professor Kal told him, handing back the storage ring after removing the limit he put on it.


    "A summoning charm? I''ve never heard of anything like that before."


    "I would be surprised if you had. They''re very convenient items. They allow you to instantly summon one creature without having to recite a chant or prepare the spell." Kal explained to him.


    Ryan almost dropped the priceless item. If what Professor Kal said was true then this thing was worth many times more than the largest storage item.


    "I can''t take this. It''s too much!" Ryan said, refusing the gift.


    "Nonsense, it''s a gift. It would be rude to refuse it. You can use it with your friend there, I''m sure it will love to see you again."


    With the Professor refusing to take the charm back, he relented, putting it around his neck. He then looked at the worm monster sleeping next to him, a frown on his face.


    "What is this thing anyways. It ruined my robes."


    "Ha ha." Professor Kal burst out with laughter.


    "It''s called an ubi vermis diaboli tenebris rostratis, or dark beaked devil worm. They love dark damp places. They can burrow underground just as well as they can swim in the water. As you saw before, they are a terrifying presence on the battlefield. I summoned him early on, having him keep an eye on you. The affection he shows for you is all him though, I don''t know what that''s about to be honest with you." He explained after calming himself down.


    "So you didn''t tell it to slobber all over me?" Ryan asked, looking back towards the worm.


    "Of course not, just what kind of person do you think I am?" Professor Kal said, looking at him with hurt eyes.


    "Ehh, nevermind." Ryan said, shaking his head.


    "So how does summoning work? They haven''t taught us that yet at the Academy."


    "Summoning is much like when I open a Warp Gate. It opens a portal to another plane, or it could be our own, then draws a creature into the portal, popping it out the other side. Of course there is more to it, but that is the simplest explanation. One word of warning though, never summon anything that could be stronger than you. When you summon a creature, part of the spell binds it to your will, forcing it to obey. Should its will overpower yours, it will then be free to do as it pleases, which would most likely mean it would kill you." Professor Kal explained seriously.


    "Then won''t the devil worm overpower me if I use this thing?" Ryan asked, holding up the summoning charm.


    "That''s the beauty of the charm. It allows the user to summon ANY creature that is bound to it, with no restrictions. Well, I can''t say there are no restrictions, I''ve never tried it on a dragon before." Professor Kal said, trailing off at the end and falling deep into thought.


    "So how do I use it?"


    "Hmmm? Oh, oh, yes, sorry about that. Just place your hand on the worm''s head, then hold the charm in your other hand. Circulate your mana from one hand to the other until the gem glows. I''ve already released it from my control so it should be seamless."


    Ryan paused and thought for a moment, then jerked his head up, looking at Professor Kal. "When did you release him?"


    "Oh, about an hour ago. Pretty soon after we set up here." He said, shrugging his shoulders.


    "So you''re saying that an unrestrained MONSTER has been sleeping right next to me!" Ryan spat out, his anger rising once again.


    "What? Look at him. He''s like a puppy with you. Just finish doing what I told you to do." Professor Kal said, dismissing any worries Ryan might have had.


    With a huff, Ryan finished binding the devil worm to the charm, then put it around his neck. The devil worm didn''t move an inch the entire time, seeming content with being next to him. He then began to think about how his life would unfold from this moment onwards, how it would change. He was the only son of a somewhat successful merchant. His father had spent almost his entire fortune just to send him to the Academy.


    If only he knew that his only son, the heir to the business, was currently inside a dark dungeon being snuggled by a devil worm. Ryan''s lips curled up into a smile at the thought. He knew he couldn''t tell anyone though, not even his best friend Ben. Ben thought that he was visiting home right now, that was the lie that he came up with before leaving with Professor Kal.


    "Now what?" Ryan asked, only to see Professor Kal had already moved away.


    Professor Kal was practically crawling on all fours, moving around in circles. Curious, Ryan got to his feet and walked over to where Professor Kal was imitating a crab. He was just in time to catch the last goblin body being absorbed into the ground. Professor Kal had a clear crystal out, watching everything through it.


    "Fascinating, purely fascinating. Nothing is left, not even a single cell. The dungeon even absorbed its loin cloth, why would it do that? Why didn''t it absorb the man''s body? Could it be able to tell the difference? Is there a mechanism that differentiates the organisms born in the dungeons from those outside? Or is there an intelligence governing everything? I have so many more questions, so many more." Professor Kal was like a raving lunatic, speaking quickly, nearly pulling his hair out.


    Ryan had no idea what he was going on about, but decided to give him some time to himself. He walked back over, sitting down next to his new summons. Leaning his head back, he closed his eyes. He would have class tomorrow and it didn''t seem like he would get much sleep tonight.


    ˇ­..


    "We made it out." A wary looking adventurer sighed in relief as he and his three companions exited the dungeon.


    "We lost Malcom though."


    "Don''t look so down, there was nothing we could do for him. If we would have tried to help none of us would have made it." Another said, putting his hand on the other''s shoulder.


    "Yeah, I suppose soˇ­. Should we get help and try to get his body, and what about the other two that were in there?"


    "Forget about it, his body is long gone, there''s probably nothing left, same goes for the other two as well." The leader of the group explained.


    "Let''s just go to the tavern and drink to Malcom''s memory, put all of this behind us." The leader suggested.


    "We should at least get help for them right? I mean, they could still be alive, running like we were." He said, looking back towards the entrance to the dungeon.


    "Absolutely not! What we did back thereˇ­.. No one can ever know, got it? Just forget it ever happened, you''ll live much longer that way." The leader stated plainly, staring at his companion dead in the eyes.


    Averting his eyes and looking down, the adventurer relented. He nodded his head, conveying that he understood. Seeing that his threat worked, the leader then started towards the nearest tavern. The other three followed his lead, not saying anything as they walked.


    Not only had they abandoned their friend''s body, they had basically committed murder as well. They all knew they were culpable. They had led an entire platoon of goblins right to the group they had run into and there was no way that they could have survived. Especially since Ron had knocked the smaller one into the pond to buy themselves more time.


    They had to do it, they didn''t have a choice. It was either that or the goblins would kill them, they really didn''t want that to happen. Now, as long as everyone kept quiet, they would be in the clear.


    They were a fairly new group of adventurers, only joining together a little over a month ago. They had found each other in a tavern, drinking like fish. They all had been part of different groups before, but were kicked out due to lackluster performances. Seeing that they all had something in common, and the common thought that they were being discriminated against, they banded together.


    Nicum was the self appointed leader. They hadn''t voted him in, but with his strong will and assertive attitude, placed himself into the position. Sam was the youngest, and smallest of the group. He was the one that wanted to go get help for the people they had put into danger, but he didn''t have the confidence to go against the group. Ron was the biggest of the group, standing at an impressive six feet two inches tall. He was as dumb as a bag of hammers, but could still swing a sword.


    Bringing up the rear was Daniel, he was the ''scout'' of the group. He was horrible at his position, he had led them into the mess from before. He failed to see the goblins had set up camp directly in front of their path. What was worse was the fact he didn''t notice anything until they had become surrounded. Nicum was seriously considering changing his assignment after this.


    It was late at night, the street was dimly lit by lanterns burning fat. The group turned down a dark alleyway, it was a short cut to one of the cheapest taverns in town. They had taken this path more times than they could count. If they weren''t down in a dungeon, scrounging around for a living, they were at this tavern, drinking their lives away.


    "Who''s that up ahead?" Nicum said, signaling for the others to stop.


    Up ahead, only made visible by her white dress, was a woman. She had her back to them and her head down. Her black hair draped over her face and if they listened closely, they could hear her whimpering. They looked at each other, not sure what to do.


    Sam, being the bleeding heart of the group, walked forward. "Miss, is everything alright? Do you need any help?"


    Reacting to his calls, the woman in white''s whimpering turned into full blown sobbing. Sam slowly edged closer, for some reason the woman in front of him gave him the chills. He pushed past his reservations though, continuing on.


    "I wouldn''t Sam, somethings not right." Ron called out, getting the same feeling from the woman.


    Sam turned to look at Ron, only five feet from the woman. From behind him, the woman''s violent crying quickly morphed into hysterical laughter. Sam whipped his head back to the woman, only to find her now facing him. Sam''s face contorted into one of abject horror.


    The woman''s pure white dress had suddenly turned into one that had been ripped and torn. The pristine white lace was now covered in dirt, mud, and dried blood. Her slim arms and petite hands were twisted and bloated. A few of her fingernails were missing, the others were chipped with blood and flesh under the nails.


    Her eyes were black, so black as to seem as if they sucked in what little light there was in that dark alleyway. They were set in what once was an angelic face, but now her face was deformed and swollen, like she had been underwater for years. She opened her mouth, showing rotted teeth behind a pair of blue lips, contorting them into a vulgar smile.


    Sam reached for his short sword, forgetting that he had tossed it aside back inside the dungeon. Before he could do anything else, the woman in white latched on to his face, pressing her cold lifeless lips to his. He tried to struggle free, but she had supernatural strength and didn''t let go. All his companions could see was Sam kissing the woman, they started to clap and jeer at him.


    He tried to scream, but was met with something terrifying. Water started to flood into his mouth and down his throat. He instinctively took in a sharp breath, filling his lungs with the icy waters. No matter how much strength he mustered, he couldn''t break free. He was drowning on dry land and no one could save him.


    The woman held him in her embrace for several minutes before allowing his lifeless body to fall to the ground. By this time the jeering had stopped, the other three stood still and stared on in disbelief. They could finally see what Sam had seen, and it would be the last thing they ever would.. The drowned woman turned her black eyes towards them and started laughing once again.

 Chapter 31 - Searching

    "Wake up, it''s time to go."


    Ryan was roused from his blissful sleep by a swift kick from Professor Kal''s black boot. Ryan tried to rub his eyes, but found that the devil worm had coiled itself around him while he was asleep. How it managed to do so without waking him was a mystery.


    Ryan started to squirm, trying to break free from the worm''s slimy embrace. Getting the hint, the devil worm uncoiled, freeing him. Ryan stood, then looked down at his robe. It was still covered in slime, most of it dried. It reminded him of a used snot rag. He decided to not even try and salvage the robe, he would just toss it.


    "What time is it?" Ryan asked, stretching his sore muscles.


    "Pretty early, or late, kinda depends on how you look at it." Professor Kal answered as he gathered up their things.


    "That should be it. Ready to go?"


    "I think so. What about him?" Ryan said, then pointed over to the devil worm.


    "Just tell him to stay here. When you summon him he''ll come no matter where he''s at." Professor Kal explained.


    "Uh..ok. Stay!" Ryan ordered, pointing towards the ground and staring at the worm.


    If a worm could look depressed, this would be it. It hung its head low, letting out a strange guttural sound. It sounded like a diesel engine being run under a pool of molasses. To Ryan, it was the most unsettling sound he had ever heard. Luckily the worm didn''t make it for too long. It dove underground, digging itself out a lair where it would wait for Ryan''s call.


    Professor Kal nodded his head, then reached out his hand and snapped his fingers. Nothing happened. A frown came across his face. His Warp Gate didn''t manifest, that had never happened before. Ryan looked over at him expectantly, wondering what he was doing.


    "Don''t stare at me, you''re giving me performance anxiety." Professor Kal chided him.


    Ryan rolled his eyes then turned around, giving him what he wanted.


    Clearing his throat, slightly embarrassed, Professor Kal tried once more. This time he chanted the spell in his mind, providing it his full attention. Slowly, a small purple vortex came into existence, flickering like a candle in the wind. He poured even more mana into it, increasing its size and stability.


    His brows furrowed and his frown deepened. Finally, after a full minute and many times more mana than should have been necessary, the warp gate opened. Letting out a sigh of relief, Professor Kal silently patted himself on the back.


    "I thought we were going to have to walk back. Must be the dungeon interfering with dimensional magic."


    "Is it safe to use?" Ryan asked, concerned about what he had just said.


    "Uh.. Sure?" Professor Kal said, grabbing Ryan''s arm and dragging him along before he could refuse.


    A now familiar weightlessness washed over their bodies, their vision turning black. It lasted only a moment before they found themselves back in front of the Academy''s common building, surrounded by knights with their weapons drawn. Professor Kal held his hands up in surrender, sidestepping to reveal Ryan who was standing behind him. The Warp Gate closed behind them, popping out of existence.


    "Whatever it is, he did it." Professor Kal said unashamedly, pointing to Ryan.


    ˇ­..


    The city was in an uproar. The newly crowned King had declared martial law. Waves of soldiers and knights flooded the city, turning it upside down. They were searching for something or someone, but didn''t release what it was. Citizens were dragged from their houses, still in their pajamas, as their houses were violently searched.


    Of course there were those that didn''t, or wouldn''t, allow their homes to be violated. They were dealt with harshly. Blood ran through the streets as any form of resistance was squashed. The only ones spared from this violence and humiliation were, of course, the nobles. This caused even more animosity between the two castes than there already was.


    The capital wasn''t the only city being subjected to this treatment, it was only the first. Messengers had been sent out of Lenova, riding the fastest horses, bringing instructions and the declaration of martial law to all of the governing bodies. Soldiers poured out of the city gates, their destination unknown. Rumors spread like cancerous growths, fueling conspiracy theories and misinformation.


    Dean Petticoat was abruptly roused by fervent knocking on his door. He threw on his night robe, fastening the cloth belt, cursing under his breath as he answered. His curses caught in his throat as he saw who was standing in his doorway.


    A knight captain, standing tall and showcasing his polished armor, was looking down his nose at the Dean. With not even a word, the knight captain handed him a scroll, the Royal seal adorning it. Dean Petticoat broke the seal and opened it with shaking hands.


    He had no idea what was happening, nothing like this had ever happened before. It must be quite serious to send a knight captain to his door. For some reason, Professor Kal''s face flashed before his eyes. Did it have something to do with him? He would have to read the scroll to find out.


    Dean Petticoat scanned the parchment, his eyes narrowing as he went. They wanted to search the school, for what, he didn''t know. The knight captain had come to the Academy with the full authority of the crown itself, there was nothing he could do to stop it. With a heavy heart, Dean Petticoat nodded toward the knight captain.


    "Go ahead. Here is the keystone to unlock all of the formations." He said, handing the knight captain a magic gem that was hanging around his neck. There weren''t many formations preventing anyone from coming or going from the Academy, but there were a few set up to protect the more valuable items from going missing. He was hesitant to give some muscled up knights the key to the castle, but had no choice in the matter.


    "We''ll start here." Was all the knight captain said before pushing past Dean Petticoat and into his room.


    The Dean could see the smirk on his face as he did so. He huffed and puffed, but ultimately didn''t do anything to stop his belongings from being searched. Once the knights were satisfied, they filed out of his room, moving on to the next one. They didn''t even have the decency to put things back the way they were, adding on to Dean Petticoat''s consternation.


    Dean Petticoat wasted no time in getting dressed. He would have many fires to put out in the coming hours. If he was subjected to such a search, that would mean everyone would be. He could only imagine the number of complaints he would have to go through today, it was already giving him a headache.


    The person he was most worried about was of course Professor Kal. He knew he valued his privacy above all else. He would want to be there to calm him down before the knights picked a fight with the wrong person.


    He rushed down the halls, passing many Professors who were angrily standing outside their rooms. Wrathful gazes and profane curses were aimed in his direction as he ran by. All he could do was give an apologetic smile to each one that he passed. He turned the corner leading to Professor Kal''s residence, seeing that the knight''s had beaten him there.


    They were currently attempting to break the door down, but not having very much luck. One particularly muscular knight was swinging a large hammer, aiming for the hinges on the door. Each impact would generate golden sparks that leapt from the door as if it were electrified. Dean Petticoat came closer, seeing that the hammer had many stress fractures along its wide head and sweat was dripping from the nose of the knight wielding it.


    The captain of this particular group of knights noticed the Dean. He sauntered over to him, taking off his helmet and holding it under his arm. "What have you got hidden behind this door? Open it immediately."


    "It''s just the residence of our newest Professor. He must not be in at the moment, I''m sure that if you waitˇ­"


    "The Crown waits for NO ONE!" The knight shouted, interrupting the Dean.


    "Either you take down these arrays, or I''ll find someone to replace you that can."


    Dean Petticoat contorted his face in anger, how dare this lowly knight speak to him in such a way. He was THE DEAN of the Academy of Magic and the Mysteries, appointed to the position by the late King himself. He was about to let the knight know exactly who he was speaking to, then remembered the parchment that he was given.


    The parchment gave the knights the authority of the crown itself. Meaning that the new King had authorized them to do as they pleased to accomplish their mission. His contorted face relaxed into one of defeat, there was nothing he could do. He knew how to pick his battles, and this was one he couldn''t win.


    "I''ll see what I can do." He said, much to the delight of the knight who looked much more smug.


    Replacing the heavily breathing knight, Dean Petticoat examined the door. One couldn''t see the magical arrays put into place with the naked eye, you would need to use a mana detection stone in order to. Pulling one out of his storage ring, making all of the knights present jealous, he started to examine the array.


    The stone revealed complex layers of geometric shapes along with unknown runes, all weaving in and out of each other slowly. Just when he thought he started to understand the layout of the array, the sequence of the runes changed. He had never seen anything like it before in his life.


    From what he could understand, which wasn''t much, the array was set up much like a coded lock. Only that the code would change randomly every thirty seconds, making it impossible to crack. He would need a special key to open the door, that was the only way. He could try to brute force his way in, but didn''t believe his luck would be any better than the knights'' had been.


    Looking down in defeat, slightly ashamed of his own lack of knowledge, he spoke to the knight. "I can''t open it, not without the key."


    "Can''t, or won''t." The knight reiterated.


    Letting out a sigh, the Dean admitted his failure. "Can''t. It''s much too complex for me to bypass."


    The knight, seemingly finished with the conversation, started to give orders to the knights surrounding them.


    "Go through the walls, don''t worry about the door."


    With his words, axes were used to hack away at the walls on either side of Professor Kal''s room using the adjacent rooms to gain access. Chips of wood and plaster dust filled the air, making a mess out of the two rooms. Their inhabitants looked on in disbelief, anger swelling up within their hearts.


    "I''m truly very sorry." Dean Petticoat tried to console them, to little effect.


    The knights made quick work of the first layer of wood and plaster, only taking a few minutes to make a hole large enough for a man to walk through. That is as far as they went. With a swing of his axe, a knight struck a barrier that was as hard as steel. Golden sparks filled the room as he was rebounded across it, slamming into the far wall. Rushing over to his aid, the other knights helped him up.


    "I''ve had enough of this." The knight captain yelled out, tossing his helmet across the hall.


    "Summon the Court Mage, we''ll crack this egg wide open!"

 Chapter 32 - Defiance

    The sun began to peek above the horizon, heralding a new day. The warm rays of the sun drove away the cool night air. The pink rays of the sun were kept from the ground by small puffy clouds working their way across the sky. It was another day in the Kingdom of Amine, but a much different day than those of the past.


    The citizens were already out in the streets, being rounded up like cattle. Screams of children being separated from their parents could be heard echoing down the streets. Husbands being torn from their wives; entire families being separated into differing groups could be seen in every corner of the city.


    Soldiers, being led by knights, were comparing faces and names to what they had on record. If there were any discrepancies, they would separate them for further questioning. With such a porous border and lackluster record keeping, it did not take long for there to be an overflow of undocumented residents. They lacked the manpower to screen so many people at once, creating scenes of people being held in large cages, waiting to be questioned.


    Professor Kal was currently in one such cage, accompanied by Ryan, his prot¨¦g¨¦. They had been promptly apprehended after warping to the Academy. Although they both had tried to explain their presence, any argument fell on deaf ears. The knights refused to explain why they had been arrested, but after seeing the number of people that had been arrested like them, figured that something unprecedented was happening.


    Adjusting his position to a more comfortable one, Ryan asked Professor Kal a question. "Why don''t you just warp us out of here? I mean, we weren''t doing anything wrong."


    "Then we really would be in trouble, wouldn''t we? I''m sure whatever is going on has nothing to do with us. All we have to do is wait, then I''m sure they''ll release us." He explained in a patronizing tone.


    Looking around himself, Professor Kal took in what kind of people were in here with him. He noticed that many of them had something in common, they were either poor or homeless. This fact made him believe that whoever could not prove their residence were the ones being rounded up. He should be alright, he was a Professor at the Academy, but then again, he skipped the registration process when he entered Lenova. They might frown upon that.


    He would soon find out. A guard came over and called him and Ryan to follow him for questioning. Ryan looked to Professor Kal for guidance, he just shrugged his shoulders before following the guard. They walked several yards over to a small building that looked as if it had been hastily assembled. There was only one door and had bars on the windows, it looked much like a small jailhouse.


    Professor Kal and Ryan were ushered inside where a small counter was set up. A disgruntled looking man was seated behind the counter, looking up for just a second before demanding their names.


    "Kalcifer is my name."


    Looking down at his records, the disgruntled man did not seem to find anything. "Just Kalcifer? No last name?"


    "Yup, just Kalcifer. I''m a Professor at the Academy." He clarified.


    Nodding his head, the man moved over to another set of records that appeared much smaller. After a few more moments of searching, he seemed to have found something. "You''re registered at the Academy, but not with the city. You will have three days to rectify the issue. If you fail to, you''ll be kicked out and barred reentry. Understand?"


    "Crystal clear." Professor Kal said with a wide smile.


    He was in the clear, all he had to do was fill out some menial paperwork. He figured he could venture down to the city hall later and settle things. He was happy now; they would be able to finally leave the squalor of the open-air cages that they had been forced to sit in for the last several hours.


    "Now you boy, what''s your name?"


    "Uhˇ­. It''s Ryan, Ryan Passwater, sir." He stammered out, suddenly nervous.


    Professor Kal snorted, nearly choking on his spit. His shoulders convulsed as he tried, but failed, to hold back his laughter. Ryan and the disgruntled looking man, both looked at him confused, wondering what he found just so funny. Kal looked between the two, seeing their serious faces.


    Ryan''s curiosity got the best of him. "What''s so funny?"


    Taking a deep breath, Professor Kal almost broke out in laughter once more. "Pisswater, your last name is Pisswater! Ha-ha!"


    A deadpan look came across Ryan''s face as he listened to his laughter. He was even more embarrassed when he heard a similar snort to the one Professor Kal let out come from the man behind the counter. No one had made fun of his name for several years, not since his younger years during elementary school. Although he was still only fourteen, everyone had the common decency to not make fun of someone''s name. Now, of all people, was a professor making fun of it.


    He glared at the man behind the counter. That was enough to at least force him to stop smirking. He tried it with Professor Kal, only for him laugh even harder at the young man trying to act all serious. Having enough, Ryan marched out the small building, slamming the door behind him. The disgruntled man didn''t even try to stop him, he just waved Professor Kal off, silently laughing.


    Professor Kal didn''t bother catching up to the speed walking youth. He was a big boy; he was sure he could find his way. What he wanted to do now was return to his room and start studying the samples he gathered in the dungeon. But he had responsibilities to consider, it was almost time for his alchemy class to begin. Although he could skip it, he didn''t want to start any bad habits.


    ˇ­..


    Loud explosions could be heard from the front gate of the Academy. Large groups of students and Professors alike could be seen standing some distance away from the faculty quarters. Knights had off the building, keeping everyone away. Another large explosion could be heard, this one much bigger than the ones before it. All the glass windows exploded from their frames, sending shards of glass flying and people covering their heads and faces.


    Professor Kal pushed his way into the crowd, immensely curious as to what exactly was going on. So far, from his walk from the small jailhouse, he had concluded that the entire city had gone mad. It appeared that the madness had spread to the Academy as well. Arriving at the front of the crowd, his bewilderment turned to anger. Smoke was coming from the area of the building that his room was located in. It didn''t take much thought to conclude what was happening.


    He had disabled the alerts that would go out to him should any of his arrays be disturbed. He didn''t want to be distracted while in the dungeon. He had failed to reactivate them once he exited due to being surrounded by angry looking knights. He should have known better, he only had himself to blame. He had grown lax over these last few weeks, that was something he vowed to never allow again.


    Not caring in the slightest about the onlookers around him, Professor Kal opened a Warp Gate, taking him directly to his quarters. Looking around once he stepped out of the portal, he could see that nothing was out of place. If he listened closely, he could hear the muffled sound of orders being issued. He had nothing of value or secrecy stored inside, he just liked his privacy, that was the reason for all the security.


    He rushed to his front door, deactivating the array. Opening the door, he saw a familiar face staring back at him, Court Mage Reginald. Reginald looked at Kal with surprise, sweat dripping down his face like he had been exerting himself greatly. "Have you''ve been in there this entire time?"


    Professor Kal couldn''t believe his ears. What sort of question was that? "Of course not, are you daft? Why would I allow you to cause such a racket without coming out and giving you my mind?"


    "Well, yes, of course, of course, that makes sense." Reginald said, straightening himself up.


    "Since you''re here now, you must allow us to search the premises."


    "That, I can tell you right now, is NOT going to happen." Professor Kal said emphatically.


    Looking slightly taken aback, Mage Reginald pressed further. "It''s orders from the Crown, all buildings and rooms, with no exceptions, shall be searched for criminals and contraband. You must allow us entry."


    Rubbing his forehead, Professor Kal let out a sigh. "If I''d known he was going to be such a pain in my ass I would have never saved his life. No good deed goes unpunished I suppose."


    All of those present turned to look at the man in the plain black robes, their faces pale. What he had just uttered out of his mouth was tantamount to treason. To even joke about the Royal family being harmed was punishable by at least imprisonment, most likely death. This man must have a death wish, to say such slanderous things in front of so many knights, let alone the court mage was suicidal.


    "Surely you jest Mage Kalcifer" Reginald said, trying to throw him a lifeline.


    "I''m as serious as that curse I removed from that ungrateful brat!" Professor Kal yelled out, pointing his finger at Mage Reginald''s nose.


    He was incensed. In all his years he had never had his property trampled on in such a way. Of course, they couldn''t enter his home to trample anything, but that was beside the point. They were attempting to, that''s what really mattered. It was a sign of disrespect to be treated in such a way and he wouldn''t stand for it.


    If Dean Petticoat were still there, he would be trying desperately to defuse the situation. He knew of Kalcifer''s real strength, he thought he did at least, and it was much greater than anything he had seen before. Unluckily, he was escorted out of the building along with the remainder of the residents once Mage Reginald had arrived. Now it was only Professor Kal against a platoon of knights along with Court Mage Reginald.


    Sounds of metal swords scraping against their scabbards echoed in the hall. Knights were preparing for anything. They knew of a mage''s prowess, but they did not fear. They were always taught that close quarters combat was every mage''s bane, and they were so close to Professor Kal that they could see every hair on his head. They were all prepared to step into battle if the need arises.


    Feeling the tension rising, Mage Reginald tried one last time to offer Mage Kalcifer an olive branch. "I''m sure you haven''t heard yet, but Lord Arckroft, along with his wife and brother were found dead several hours ago. We are only searching for the suspects or any evidence that could point us in the right direction. I''m sure that you would be willing to help us."


    His facial expression not changing in the slightest, Professor Kal shook his head. "And you think that I have the killer hidden away in my linen closet? No, what this is, is just an excuse to snuff out anything the Crown deems a threat. I''ve seen this many times over the years, I know the signs of a tyrant."


    Kalcifer might have been inside his lair for an astronomical amount of time but had lived on the outside for five-hundred years prior. During this time before the Undead War there had been many kingdoms that had gone through reigns of tyrants, some worse than others. He could recognize the signs, they almost always started with the premise of fighting a common enemy of the people or restricting freedoms for the sake of public safety. In this case it was to search for a killer of a single family.


    On second thought, there must be more to this than a single killer. Why would the new King go to such lengths for a single noble family? A sudden realization struck him, this was not about a single family, it was about power. Alexander had just taken the crown over from his father, his foundation was weak, so he needed something to show his strength. Something to show the nobles that he was on their side.


    A vein could be seen popping out of Mage Reginald''s forehead. Professor Kal''s words angered him greatly. How dare he call his King a tyrant! Although he did think declaring martial law was a little heavy handed, he knew the boy since he was young, he was anything but a tyrant. He just needed some time to find his footing, that was all.


    Court Mage Reginald''s face went red as he shouted at Professor Kal, spittle finding its way onto his black robe. "Mage Kalcifer, by order of the Crown I command you to disarm the arrays to your home! Failure to do so will result in your immediate arrest!"


    Summoning his black gnarled staff from his ring, Professor Kal stood firm. Dark clouds were born from nothing, overpowering the small white puffy ones that once filled the sky. Sunlight struggled but failed to penetrate the large storm clouds, turning the once bright day into one of darkness. A cold wind blew through the hall, entering in through the empty windowsills. Lightning struck someplace near; a blinding flash caused everyone present to instinctively close their eyes. A loud boom followed shortly after, ringing their ears.


    Professor Kal looked into Reginald''s eyes, his expression one of anger and defiance. Mage Reginald had a sudden fear wash over him that he could not explain. It was a fear born deep down in his soul, one that almost caused him to flee immediately. In a deep baritone voice that didn''t seem to belong to him before, Professor Kal simply stated.. "I would like to see you try."

 Chapter 33 - Painting The Walls

    As the dark clouds consumed the bright blue sky, cold winds began to blow. A chill ran through the crowd standing outside, even the knights, with all their years of rigorous training, felt their skin crawl. Rain started to fall; large fat drops of water soaked the bystanders standing outside the faculty residences. Students and Professors alike all looked up at the sudden change in weather. To the students, it was just a freak storm that had manifested without warning, but to the Professors, it was something much different.


    Being experienced mages, they were much more attuned to the natural occurring mana that filled the world. They could sense the mana rushing towards the building, it was so dense that they could almost see it. Professor Auveco, one of the oldest and most experienced among the Professors, hurriedly began to sound the alarm.


    In all his years he had never seen mana behave this way. There was nothing in the natural world that he knew of that could cause a phenomenon such as this. He didn''t know what was about to unfold but felt as if it would be dangerous to be too close when it did. He began to work with the other Professors to herd the students to a safer distance. Just as they started to move, a thick lightning bolt descended from the heavens striking the ground and turning the stone walkway molten.


    ˇ­..


    His ears still ringing from the booming thunder, a single knight hesitantly stepped forward toward Professor Kal. Once Professor Kal had uttered his defiant words, his fate was sealed. He would be arrested, tried, then promptly punished as saw fit by the Crown. It was his job to apprehend him. He took another step forward, then another. Seeing that Kal had yet to move, his confidence grew. The mage must be all bark and no bite the knight thought to himself.


    As the knight stepped past Mage Reginald, he looked at his face, what he saw froze him in place. Mage Reginald''s face was nearly purple, thick blue veins were visible under his weathered skin. His jaw was clamped shut and his eyes were bloodshot and almost bulging out of his skull. His entire frame was shaking almost as if he was straining against some sort of invisible pressure.


    "Sir, what''s wrong?" The knight asked, concern etched on his face, concealed by his helmet.


    Mage Reginald did not answer, he didn''t even move, spare his shaking body. In fact, it took Mage Reginald''s entire strength not to collapse on the floor. His entire focus was on resisting the force Professor Kal was applying to him. The man in front of him was a monster, no, not a monster, he was much, much worse. It was as if an elder god had descended in front of him bathing him in his might.


    Professor Kal''s face remained stoic, but inside he was as giddy as a schoolgirl. He had only released a portion of his aura, to outstanding results. To see the ''mage'' in front of him, barely able to stand just from his presence alone, gave him a feeling of superiority that could never be matched. His revelry didn''t last long as the knight made a move on him after seeing Reginald''s predicament.


    The temperature dropped instantly, every ragged breath that Reginald exhaled could easily be seen. The knight rushed forward; his short sword raised high in the air. He was prepared to strike down the mage who dared resist the will of the Crown. Ice crystals snaked their way across the floor, growing in size until they reached the feet of the approaching knight.


    Almost instantly, the knight froze in place. The other knights behind him looked on in confusion, there seemed to be nothing out of place. They did not hear any spells being cast or seen any movement at all from the mage in black. All they could see were the ice crystals on the floor and the same crystals on the knight''s armor. Unbeknownst to them, the knight who had taken it upon himself to arrest Professor Kal was already dead.


    He had been flash frozen. The temperature immediately around him had been pushed down to near absolute zero, causing almost every atom within his body and armor to cease moving. With no more muscle control to keep balance, the frozen knight teetered over hitting the ground. Flesh and armor alike shattered as if they were made of fine porcelain. Bits and pieces of his body spread out in every direction, skittering across the ground striking his comrades.


    Not believing their eyes, the knights stood there, dumbfounded. Their friend of the last several years had been killed right in front of their eyes. Knights of this generation had never seen battle before; they were not prepared to witness such a sight as this. Even with all the training they had to endure, it was hard to prepare for the real thing. One knight doubled over, emptying the contents of his stomach. He had failed to remove his helmet in time so the throw up filtered through the openings in his helmet, finally splattering on the ground.


    Summoning had always been Kal''s most favorite school of magic. He greatly enjoyed pulling monstrous creatures from other planes into his to fight his battles for him. There was just something about it that made him feelˇ­ alive. He would have loved to do the same here, but he wanted to prove a point. Being a Lich meant he''s had the time to become proficient in all schools of magic and in all areas of the battlefield. He could provide support, he could tank with his summons, he could deal damage to the enemy, he could even engage in close quarters combat with his staff if need be.


    One didn''t survive to be his age without knowing how to fight. That was the downfall of the knights before him, they had vastly underestimated him. They hadn''t thought for a moment that a mage could cast spells with such speed and accuracy as him.


    Professor Kal didn''t even flinch as the brittle pieces of knight bounced off his black boots, hitting the door behind him making a sound like rain on a wooden roof. He leveled his eyes with the knights still reeling from what had just happened and opened his mouth to speak. "Clearly, that was in self-defense."


    His nonchalant statement brought the knights back to reality. Two knights let out mournful howls as they forfeited their lives, sprinting forward to avenge their fallen comrade. Letting out a tired sigh, but inwardly excited, Professor Kal held up one hand, his other still on the staff. There was no hesitation in the knight''s movements, their training kicking in. They soon converged on Professor Kal, one swinging high, the other low, their teamwork was impeccable.


    As the two swords threatened to bisect his body, they began to rust and corrode at astonishing speed. The closer the blades got to Kal''s body, the faster they fell apart, turning into red dust. Now the knights had stopped, still in striking position holding nothing but empty air. They quickly unsheathed their daggers, still working in tandem with each other. As they neared even closer, the same phenomenon happened.


    Their daggers corroded into rust, then blew away on the wind that was still blowing through the empty halls. They both took a step back, looking at their hands, only to be horrified at what they saw. Steel gauntlets that once adorned and protected their hands were gone, rusted just like their swords and daggers. What was worse what their hands themselves.


    Old and wrinkled skin with liver spots speckled around were the first things they saw. They opened and closed them, feeling the pain of arthritis shooting up their arms. It had seemed that their hands, up past their wrists, had aged one-hundred years or more. They would never wield a sword again; they were now completely useless as knights and no longer a threat.


    Professor Kal almost fell over in laughter; his half-baked idea had worked. Being an undead being, he would naturally not be affected by the ravages of time. Using dimensional magic as a weapon, he had created a pocket of time that surrounded him. The time in the pocket was sped up several hundred times, the closer you were to Kal himself, the faster the flow of time. By the time the swords and daggers even touched his robes they had decayed into dust. His robe and staff were enchanted by Kal himself, so they could weather the spell. Though he would have to inspect them closely once he had the time, there could always be unforeseen issues.


    The remaining twelve knights were terrified. They had witnessed the killing of one friend and then the subsequent maiming of two others. All the drills in the kingdom would never prepare them for what they were up against. The only option was to retreat then retrieve the mage corps; they were the only ones the knights could think of that would be able to handle another mage.


    Almost as if he had read their thoughts, Professor Kal spoke preemptively. "No one is permitted to leave, unless I say so."


    As the last of his words reached their ears, the knights could see shadows from either side of their position. To their left and right, cutting them off from any escape, were two black knights. The black knights stood a towering eight feet tall, almost scraping their helmets along the ceiling as they advanced. Shoulders the width of two men were armored with matte black armor that sucked in any available light. On their full plate armor were engravings of skeletal figures in differing positions of torture and suffering, causing any onlooker to feel the dread of death deep in their souls.


    One black knight held onto a morning star mace: its head as large as a watermelon with spikes six inches long radiating from it. The other held an axe the size of a man, the head of which was crimson red as if it had just been through an arduous battle and was covered in blood. With each lumbering step the black knights took, the hall shook under the immense weight.


    Not willing to wait for death to take them, the knights reacted quickly, despite their fear. Professor Kal thought that was commendable, to be able to face your fears head on even without a chance of survival. The hall was much too narrow to fight efficiently. The knights were forced to pair off with the black knights, only able to fight two versus one.


    They used the same teamwork as the pair had against Professor Kal, working together to try and confuse their opponents. With his mace in hand, the black night managed to block one incoming sword but not the other. The sword struck his armor, sending hot sparks in every direction and numbing the hand of the knight as well. With a glaived fist, the black knight hammered down on the helmeted head of the knight that had struck him. Like a melon wrapped in tin foil, his head burst apart. Blood and brain matter oozed out of the crumpled steel where his head once was.


    Managing to keep his focus even though his friend''s body had just crumpled to the ground, the other knight pushed forward kicking out with his foot at the groin of the black knight. Expecting some success, he was met with his foot being locked in the black knight''s thighs like a vice. Like a machine, the black knight struck down with his spiked mace, penetrating the steel armor and driving the spikes deep into his chest.


    On the other side of the hall, the other knights were not fairing much better. One knight already lay on the ground in a pool of his own blood, bisected at the waist. The other was against the wall, sitting down, staring at nothing with cold dead eyes and a gash cutting into his ribs reaching his heart.


    With their numbers down to half, and the panic inducing black knights closing in on them, the remaining knights began to panic. Some broke down, getting on their hands and knees, begging for their lives. Others were rushing the black knights, not ready to admit their impending death. Two, more intelligent knights, realized what the black knights truly were, so they tried to attack their summoner in hopes of dispelling them.


    It was all for not. Flesh and blood spattered the once white walls, turning the hall into a macabre tapestry of death. Screams of anguish could be heard even over the howling winds that were still blowing outside, sending any that could hear them into a panicked state themselves. The two knights that attacked Professor Kal were charred black by a white-hot flame produced from the tip of his black staff. Even the two knights whose hands were crippled were not spared, they to were ran through by the black knights.


    Mage Reginald was forced to witness these atrocities as he stood there unmoving due to Professor Kal''s presence. Large drops of blood speckled his face along with his scholarly white robe. Pieces of flesh had even found their way into his thinning grey hair, the blood making them stick. Once the last of the knights breathed his last breath, the two death knights took up position on either side of Mage Reginald.


    Taking a few small steps to close the distance between them, Professor Kal spoke in a quiet tone. "Tell me, Mage Reginald, do you still wish to come inside?"

 Chapter 34 - Aftermath

    "Oh, I''m so sorry, here." Professor Kal said, feigning concern as he concealed his aura once more, releasing Reginald from his invisible prison.


    Gasping for air like a drowning man finding purchase, he crumpled to the bloodstained floor. Professor Kal shook his head at the once proud mage that had been reduced to a sniveling mess. Mage Reginald dare not even look up at Professor Kal, afraid that one wrong move would spell his end.


    "Now answer the question." Professor Kal said in a condescending tone, his arms crossed in front of his chest.


    Shaking so hard that it could have been mistaken for a seizure, Mage Reginald opened his mouth only to find the words caught in his throat. What came out sounded much like a frog chirping to find a mate, only much deeper and much more annoying.


    Chuckling to himself, Professor Kal nodded his head. "I''ll take that as a no."


    He turned on his heel, heading back to his home, much to the relief of Reginald. Just as his racing heart had begun to slow down, he heard Kal''s voice once again.


    "Tell that boyˇ­. look at me when I''m speaking to you!"


    Feeling like a child being scolded by their parent, Reginald slowly lifted his head and forced himself to look Professor Kal in his eyes.


    "Much better, now, tell that boy playing king that I do not care what he does with his toys. They are his to do with as he pleases. All I ask is that he keeps his hands off mine; if he can manage that then I don''t see why we can''t all get along."


    Without waiting for a reply, Professor Kal disappeared behind his front door; slamming it behind him, leaving Mage Reginald all alone with his thoughts surrounded by a scene only seen in the deepest reaches of the castle''s dungeon.


    Once inside, Professor Kal shed his outer human appearance. He felt so much better in his original form. Rolling his shoulders, he made his way to his favorite leather chair and sat down. He had to admit, that maybe, just maybe, he overreacted a bit. There was no need to resort to such violence over a small matter such as that, it was just that the mere thought of those dirty knights rummaging through his things made him sick to his shriveled stomach.


    He couldn''t even begin to imagine the amount of trouble that would come his way because of this. He wasn''t worried about himself, he could always change his appearance, pack up and move on. But for some reason he was reluctant to do so. Maybe it was the connections he''s made over the last few weeks? That shouldn''t be it, he was an undead lich, human emotions had left him centuries ago.


    This train of thought put him into a conundrum, was he changing? He didn''t know. He had never finished studying the effects the foreign energy had on his body and phylactery. Perhaps it was a side effect? Then again, he felt absolutely nothing while killing those knights. It didn''t make sense.


    Deciding to add his own changes onto the list of things requiring his attention, he lit his pipe and inhaled. Standing up, he went into his lab to begin researching the samples he brought out of the dungeon. Whatever happened would happen, he''d deal with it when it did.


    ˇ­..


    Ryan dragged his feet as he walked into his room, he was dead tired. He didn''t care about what was going on around him at the Academy, the only thing he wanted right now was to sleep. Classes had been canceled for the day due to the knights turning the city upside down, so he wouldn''t miss the opportunity.


    Ben was sitting at the open window, staring off into the distance when he heard the shuffling feet of someone approaching him. He turned his entire body to see Ryan''s fatigue ridden figure moving ever closer to his bed.


    "It''s about time you came back! Did you get held up by whatever is going onˇ­ outˇ­there?" Benjamin asked, trailing off as he saw just what kind of state Ryan was in.


    Ryan was still in his robe that he had been wearing since yesterday, dried slime and blood covering almost every inch. Ben shot up, circling around Ryan like a vulture eyeing a piece of roadkill. He stopped behind him, eyes growing wide at the large gash in the fabric, obviously caused by a sword even to his untrained eyes.


    Ryan''s stomach dropped; he couldn''t believe how stupid he was. He''d been walking around all day looking like this, how could he have NOT noticed? He was wondering why he had been getting strange looks on the way back to the Academy but failed to put two and two together. He could only blame his mental fatigue for his lapse of judgment. After several hours of walking and fighting, adding to it the fact he had exhausted his mana and had yet to recuperate from it, made it hard for him to focus and his mind foggy.


    All these thoughts raced through his head; in the end he could only say one word. "Shit."


    Ben hurriedly went to the door and closed it, but not before he looked down both ends of the hallway. With the knights searching for something or someone, then his friend coming back looking like that, he thought maybe they were connected and didn''t want anyone else to see Ryan is that state. He then went back to begin interrogating his friend.


    "I''m assuming you didn''t go see your family, right?" Ben asked in a huff as he sat down in a wooden chair.


    Ryan hung his head, feeling slightly forlorn about lying to his best friend. Letting out a tired sigh, he began to recount what he had really been doing, leaving out the more sensitive parts.


    "So, Professor Kal has taken you in as a private student? And he took you down in a dungeon for training? And the wound on your back was from a goblin that snuck up on you?" Ben asked, still seeming a little skeptical.


    "Yeah, like I said, he wouldn''t let me fight them, but one still got to me. Luckily, he had a healing potion ready just in case." Ryan explained, feeling even more mentally fatigued than before.


    "What about the snot, or whatever that stuff is on your robe?" Ben asked, lifting the hem of Ryan''s robe, feeling the dried slime then recoiling away in disgust.


    Deciding that he didn''t need to keep Professor Kal''s summoning a secret, he opted to tell Ben of the giant worm that had taken a liking to him. Of course, after hearing about the worm, Ben began to tease him about it. Saying things such as ''does it just like you? Or like you like you?'' and ''did it at least buy you dinner first?''. After he had his fun at Ryan''s expense, the topic veered off into a more serious direction.


    "Does your father know that Professor Kal took you into a dungeon?"


    "Of course not!" Ryan said, his eyes wide.


    "He doesn''t need to either; he would never let me if he did!"


    Ben shrugged, not wanting to tell his friend how to live his life. "Just promise me you''ll be careful, ok?"


    "Of course, I promise."


    ˇ­..


    After gathering his thoughts for several long minutes, Reginald slowly rose to his feet. His white robe stuck to his sweat drenched body; his muscles were sore from the strain of simply standing. He took a careful step forward, minding not to slip on the bloody tiled floor. His goal now was to return to the King and warn him, warn him not to overstep his bounds. It was up to him to listen, but if he didn''t, the consequences would be dire.


    After only a few steps Mage Reginald could hear the marching steps of armored feet. Reinforcement knights were hurrying towards his position. The knight captain slowed to a stop, giving Reginald a military salute.


    Luckily, Mage Reginald had steadied his emotions before the knights had come. They didn''t catch him sobbing like a heartbroken maiden while on the ground. He was still able to uphold a somewhat dignified appearance.


    "Sirˇ­. what happened here?" He asked, surveying the carnage spread around the hall.


    With a dead serious expression, Mage Reginald spoke. "Clean up the area, don''t let anyone enter before you do. Whatever you do, do not make too much noise. I need to go speak with the King immediately."


    Walking a few steps, he paused. "One more thing, you saw nothing and heard nothing, got it?"


    With those words, he left the very confused Knight captain standing in the long hallway, staring at his receding figure. Over his long career in the knight corps, he''s learned when to not ask questions, and this was one of those times. He let out a sigh, turning to look at what used to be fellow knights. After giving a prayer, he began to hand out orders to his men.


    Once alone, Mage Reginald opened a Warp Gate, leading directly to his room inside the Royal Palace. Professor Kalcifer wasn''t the only one that could cast such a spell, but Reginald took much more effort in doing so. He would quickly change, then rush over to speak with King Alexander. He still hadn''t worked out what he would say, but he would implore on giving Mage Kalcifer a very wide berth.


    After searching for several minutes, Mage Reginald finally found King Alexander out in the royal gardens. He was walking with a cane, stopping every so often to appreciate the flowers. A few maids were following him should he need anything. Although it had only been a little more than a day since he awoke, he had already recovered substantially. The best potions in the kingdom could work miracles.


    Somehow looking both relaxed and stressed simultaneously, King Alexander spoke. "Mage Reginald, do you bring me good news? Have the knights found who had killed Lord Arckroft and his family?"


    Letting out a mental sigh, Reginald clenched his fist and readied himself as he spoke. "Unfortunately, as of yet, the killer remains at large. I come to speak of another matter entirely."


    Nodding his head, the King encouraged him to continue.


    "Several knights have beenˇ­. killed your Highness." Reginald said, lowering his head.


    His eyes narrowing, King Alexander ordered the maids and gardeners around them to leave. After they had all gone, he looked to Reginald. "Tell me everything."


    Mage Reginald then went on to explain what had transpired earlier in the day. He left nothing out, every detail was recounted by him to the best of his ability. He then spoke of what Mage Kalcifer had told him before disappearing into his room. Once he finished, he watched King Alexander''s face, looking for any hints on what he was thinking. He had to give it to the young King, his poker face was impeccable.


    Shaking his head, King Alexander lowered himself onto the soft well-cut grass. He fell onto his back a stared up at the clear blue sky. Mage Reginald was feeling very awkward as the silence continued. Still looking up at the sky, King Alexander finally spoke.


    "What should I do Reginald? Mother has been a recluse since father died. My sisters won''t even look at me anymore, I think they blame me for father''s death. Really, I blame myself as well. Lord Arckroft''s murderer is still out there, planning something in the shadows. The nobles all want answers that I can''t give them. Now the mage that saved my life has killed over a dozen of my knights and you say he is so powerful that we should just look the other way."


    Reginald was at a loss. He had no good advice to give him. If he were in his position, he would probably end up having an aneurism from the stress. He had to say something though, he was the Court Mage and one of the highest-ranking advisers on the Royal Court.


    "Your Highness, I may have an idea, but you may not like it." Reginald said quietly.


    Picking his head up, King Alexander looked at him. "Please, go on."


    "Well, Your Highness, only me and you know that Mage Kalcifer has killed those knights. As I said, he is much too powerful to be taken into custody without suffering many losses. So, I propose that we use him." Mage Reginald''s face scrunched up, almost as if his own idea turned his stomach sour.


    King Alexander let his head fall back down into the grass. "Use a man that has committed heinous crimes against the Crown, pretend like it didn''t even happen and even pay him to work for us? That''s your idea?"


    "I know Your Highness, but it is what I believe would be for the best. Mage Kalcifer is able to use magic in such a way that I would have thought impossible. I believe that he alone could decimate an entire corps of knights by himself. I would much rather have a madman such as that on my side than be against him." Reginald explained in a pained voice.


    Sitting back up, King Alexander spoke. "You''re truly afraid of that man, aren''t you?"


    Mage Reginald looked back at the King, in a shaking voice barely louder than a whisper, he replied.. "I''m terrified."

 Chapter 35 - Finding Home

    The day came and went quickly. Although there were still many people trapped in the outdoor cages, many of the residents were allowed back into their homes. Throughout the day, the knights had ferreted out many small-time criminals and illegal contraband. The larger illegal organizations of course could afford to spend their way out of trouble.


    All in all, not very much had changed. The only thing that really did was the resentment the populace now felt towards their new king. The coronation ceremony had yet to commence, yet the King to-be was already flexing his muscles. This had many of the residents afraid of what was to come. They had lived a very peaceful life under his father, King Hector, but with his death it seemed things were rapidly changing.


    Professor Kal was still in his lab, keeping one eye on his arrays as he worked in silence. He had expected to have company, but so far, nothing. The knights had cleaned up the mess in the hall several hours ago, letting the displaced professors back in to pick up the pieces that was their broken rooms. Severe damage had been done to the surrounding area during the fight and the period before he had arrived when they tried to force their way in. Concluding that they would actually not retaliate, which surprised him greatly, he allowed himself to relax, just a little.


    Test tubes were spread out on the table in front of him, a notebook was to his right. He had run several different tests on everything that he had collected. So far, it had gotten him nowhere. Not a single sample stood out to him as anything other than completely normal. To him, it didn''t make any sense at all.


    He figured there should be something that differentiated the dungeon''s materials from those found in the outside world. While inside, he could see the mana coursing through the walls and floor like it was a raging river. It was so abundant that it was almost blinding; but once the samples had left the dungeon, they reverted to their normal states. He was at a loss.


    The only solution that he could come up with at the moment was to build a lab inside a dungeon. Then he could perform the needed tests on samples without fear of them loosing whatever it was that made them special. Or he could be wrong. Maybe there wasn''t anything special about them at all, maybe that was just the way they always were? He didn''t know.


    He threw a beaker down in frustration, breaking it. He immediately regretted it, now he had a mess to clean up. As he walked over to the cupboard to retrieve the broom and dustpan, a knock came from his door. Quickly growing a layer of flesh over his dried bones, he went to open it finding Dean Petticoat standing in his doorway.


    Professor Kal looked at the middle-aged man, he seemed almost relieved to see him for some reason. Professor Kal moved to the side, gesturing for the man to come inside.


    "What brings you hear this time of night?" Kal asked, offering him some wine.


    He had grown to like the Dean. After several weeks of dealing with the man, found him to be very agreeable yet fair. He appreciated the fact that he allowed him almost free reign to do as he pleased as long as he didn''t push the boundaries of the rules too far.


    Taking the glass from Professor Kal, Dean Petticoat nodded his head. "I was worried about you. When they were searching for whatever they were and wanted access to your room, I wasn''t sure how you would handle it. I''m only glad to see that you''re still here, that means things must have gone well?"


    Professor Kal looked at him with surprise. "You don''t know?"


    "Know what." Dean Petticoat asked, furrowing his brows.


    "Oh, nothing, nothing. Yes, everything went smoothly, no problems here." Professor Kal said, taking advantage of his lack of information.


    "Why do I get the feeling that I''m being kept in the dark?"


    "If it were truly important you would know about it, correct? Now, is that the only reason you came? Is there nothing else?" Professor Kal said, quickly changing the subject.


    Still skeptical, Dean Petticoat decided he probably didn''t want to know what was really going on. "The other reason I came, was because Professor Treffle came to by office to inquire about you."


    "Oh, and what sort of confidential information was she after?"


    With a smirk, Dean Petticoat told him. "Just simple things. She mainly wanted to know where you developed your skill, I think she really admires you."


    With a wave of his hand, Professor Kal dismissed any notion of an admirer. "Oh, I highly doubt that. She simply wishes to uncover the secrets that make me such a fine specimen."


    "Well, either way, as long as you don''t mind her inquiring about you then I will not stop her. I just thought it best to let you know." The Dean said with a shrug.


    "I''ll bother you no more then, I''ll be on my way. Ah, just to let you know, the city will be initiating a curfew from now on. So please be mindful of the time." He added as he made his way back out into the hallway.


    Saying his goodbyes, Professor Kal shut the door. It really did seem that the Crown did not wish to antagonize him any further, at least not openly. He was sure they would be at least keeping a remarkably close eye on him so he would have to be mindful of that fact. Perhaps it was time for him to take a trip? Fall break was quickly approaching, only two months away, that would be the perfect time.


    ˇ­..


    Silus Arckroft had been moving continuously for the past week, only stopping to feed. Even with his newfound powers he was exhausted. He managed to escape the city easily enough, but never once did he imagine that the new King would put the entire country on lockdown due to his father''s death. Soldiers and knights were leaving no stone unturned looking for the culprit.


    This caused him to have to be much more careful. He took extra care in not killing anyone, lest he be tracked down that much quicker. The only boon to his situation was that he was supposed to be dead, no one knew that he had faked his own death. Not many people, at least outside the capital, knew what he looked like. He only had to not bring attention to himself.


    He sat down on a moss-covered log in the middle of a clearing just on the other side of the border between Amine and Morgania. The most arduous part of his journey was now behind him, crossing the border. Slipping past regular soldiers and knights was not a difficult feat. Even the mage corps with all of their spells and arrays proved nothing more than a slight hindrance to him.


    Now he could rest. He looked around him, running his fingers through his long silver hair. His amber irises constricting in the afternoon light. Nothing but thick foliage could be seen in every direction he looked. Mountains towered up into the clouds some distance away, their icy peaks standing watch over the forests below.


    He casually walked through the thick brambles and low hanging limbs, looking for a place to rest. If he could find a creek or spring, that would be for the best. Filth covered his body, even with a change of clothes he still felt dirty.


    Using a Wind Blade spell to clear away a particularly thick patch of thorny bushes, his eyes fell upon what he had wished for. Babbling happily along was a small creek. Its waters were crystal clear; you could see small stones resting at the bottom only a few feet down. Wide enough to easily jump across, it was just what Silus had hoped for.


    He waded out into the cold waters, coming up to his waist. He had stripped off all his clothes, his chiseled body exposed to the elements. Drinking the demon''s blood had made profound changes to his body. What was once a neglected physique, was now one that rippled with muscle in an athletic build. Silus had noticed these changes but didn''t put too much thought into them, he was not trying to impress anyone, so he did not care how he appeared on the outside.


    Cleaning his body, his eyes naturally followed the flow of the small creek. Winding left and right like a drunk snake, it eventually disappeared some three hundred feet from him under what looked like a cave. He could not clearly see from that distance. It looked like a cave with vines and other vegetation clinging to the stone.


    Still naked, he allowed the creek to carry him closer to the cave. Stopping himself just before the creek ducked under the foliage, he used his long claws to cut away the vines and overgrowth. Revealing themselves to him were stones that had obviously been laid by men. Furrowing his brows, he began to cut more and more of the overgrowth away.


    After more than an hour he had revealed what looked to have once been some sort of small fortification. The creek was running right through the middle of the structure, going under walls that were fifteen feet high. Any wooden structures had long rotted away, leaving only the stone walls and foundation. Trees grew uninhibited in the structure''s courtyard. Silus approximated that the trees were a few hundred years old at the youngest, meaning whoever had built this fortification had died long ago.


    He paced around the walls, clearing brush with magic as he did so. It was seven-hundred and fifty paces from beginning to end, making it a large enough fortification to house several hundred people. The stones were still holding firm in their mortar, testament to the builders'' skills.


    Nodding his head, a wide grin appeared on his face. "This is perfect, just perfect."


    He had been thinking about how to begin his grand vision. The main problem was where exactly to set up his area of operations. Seeing as how much of the structure was still in good enough condition, and the fact that it had obviously been long forgotten, the abandoned fortification was the perfect place.. He had much work to do, but he was not a stranger to it.

 Chapter 36 - Travel Plans

    Wiping sweat from his brow, Silus looked over his small territory. He had just finished clearing away the last of the trees that grew within the fortification. Using his own natural strength along with a few golems he had summoned, he was able to complete the work within two days.


    Golems were one of the simplest summons a mage could call upon. They were simple automatons, capable of understanding and executing simple commands. Their stamina was only limited to the amount of mana the mage allowed them to siphon off. This was one of Silus''s strong suits, his mana capacity had increased greatly ever since that fateful night.


    As a prodigy in magic, he had always had a vast mana supply. He was also always top of his class when it came to mana control and application. Since becoming a progenitor vampire his strengths had only been strengthened further, as could be seen by the golems working nonstop for two days straight.


    There was a very sizable stack of logs sitting in the far corner of the courtyard. The golems had debranched them all and laid them out ready to be used. Unfortunately for Silus, he did not have the tools necessary in order to process them appropriately. He would have to find a town and have them made if he could find one.


    He had no clue as to where he was at the moment. When he escaped from Lenova he had picked a random direction and followed it until arriving here. Now that the vegetation had been all cleared away, it was time to start building structures. The stone walls and foundation were still there so it really wasn''t too much of a task. The sun had just begun to set, the sky was a purple pinkish color. Silus decided to head out once more, this time to look for a small town or village to supply him with some materials.


    ˇ­..


    "Have you found anything?" Duke Hutchens asked a hooded figure that was standing with his arms crossed and his back against the door frame.


    Uncrossing his arms, the hooded figure stepped further into Duke Hutchens'' study. He was wearing skintight leather armor. It was thinner than regular armor, allowing for ease of movement. The leather had been treated in such a way that no light reflected off of it. This aspect of his armor made it unparrelled in stealth at night, but in the daytime, it would be unbearably hot.


    Not seeming to be bothered by being cooked in his armor, the hooded figure spoke. "Nothing yet. He only goes out of his room to teach his class. I''m starting to doubt he even eats."


    Duke Hutchens was surprised by the hooded figure''s voice, it was feminine. When he had hired a crew to keep an eye on Professor Kal, he had assumed them to all be men. He didn''t mind it; it was just not what he was expecting.


    "There has to be something about him. I''ve been hearing rumors lately that the Crown has taken an interest in him, having the ''King''s Shadows'' surveilling him." Duke Hutchens said straining his eyes, trying to peer under her hood.


    As with any kingdom or country, there was a need for covert operations. The King''s Shadows were the Amine Kingdom''s forces that they used for anything they didn''t want others to know about. They were all highly skilled in the art of stealth and espionage. They have never actually been seen by anyone, but rumors of their actions were still making the rounds.


    "I know, I''ve seen them snooping around. That''s why I''m asking for more funds. With them around there is more risk on my side, it''s only natural I ask for more to cover myself and my men." The hooded woman said, placing a parchment down on the table.


    The parchment contained a revised contract. During her surveillance of Professor Kal, she had noticed the movements of the King''s Shadows. There was no way that they had not noticed her as well, increasing the danger of the mission. Of course, with an increase of danger, more money would be involved.


    Duke Hutchens quickly scanned over the contract the mysterious woman had brought with her. He took out a quill and ink and made some changes to the draft. Duke Hutchens was no stranger to paperwork. Being a Duke meant his territory was vast and with it came an equal amount of paperwork. This went back and forth for several minutes, he would make changes then she would go over them and make changes of her own; finally, they both agreed on a set of terms.


    "I''ll expect some results with the amount I''m paying you." Duke Hutchens said, rolling up the parchment and putting his copy away in his storage ring.


    Shrugging her shoulders, the hooded figure walked towards the door before stopping and saying. "You''ll get what you get, they''re no guarantees in life."


    Before he could retort, the hooded woman had vanished. He closed his mouth and snorted out of his nose. He didn''t care much for her attitude but couldn''t complain about her skill. Her group were supposed to be the best that money could buy when it came to anything ''below board'' that needed to be done. He had used them plenty of times before and has always been satisfied with their performance.


    So far it had been a bust. It didn''t seem like Professor Kal did anything other than teach, visit the library, or stay in his room. There had to be something with him though to attract so much attention from the Crown, they didn''t move just for anyone. The strangest part of it was the lack of information, there weren''t even any rumors being spread about. He just knew that there was something going on behind closed doors, and he was determined to find out what it was.


    ˇ­..


    It was the end of the week and was time for another one of Professor Kal''s auxiliary classes. The six students were waiting patiently for Professor Kal to arrive, still talking about the knights that had ransacked their rooms searching for someone. It had come to light what had happened the night before and they were all surprised to hear it. They were all higher-class citizens, so they were not used to being the targets of such crimes.


    Ben, Ryan, and Laura were happily chatting away as Richard sat quietly beside them. Ever since the foray into the forest, the group of four had become much closer. The twins kept to themselves, having their own conversation.


    Like clockwork, the hour hand hit the eight and a Warp Gate opened up before them. Out walked Professor Kal with Professor Treffle in tow. Closing the gate behind them, he quickly scanned the class, taking attendance. Seeing that everyone was present and nodding his head, he spoke. "I hope everyone has been practicing their mana control. There won''t be a test or anything of the sort, but should you be slacking you''ll only fall further and further behind, and I will not help you catch up."


    He let his words sink in. He didn''t expect anyone to be slacking in their practice, it spoke volumes to their work ethic to just be willing to participate in extra classes. Everyone nodded their heads, showing that they understood, then he continued. "Good. Now before we begin, I have an announcement to make. During the fall recess I will be traveling, to where you may ask yourselves? Well, I wish to visit certain dungeons and the different regions that they occupy. They reason I am sharing this with all of you is because I will be taking you all along with me."


    He finished his statement as if it were all but written in stone. Everyone present opened their eyes wide and started to gape like fish out of water, especially Professor Treffle that was off to his side.


    "Sir." Laura started, always raising her hand when speaking.


    "We can''t just take off and go exploring dungeons, our parents would never allow such a thing." She finished, the other students all nodding in agreement.


    Professor Kal turned towards her and smiled. "Just lie to them. Say it''s an extra credit course or that you are going to shadow a mage during your break and will not be able to return home. I suppose both of those are not complete lies, but you get the idea. I don''t care what you tell them, but I expect all of you with me when I leave."


    Professor Treffle couldn''t hold back any longer. "I don''t think this is a wise decision, to tell students to lie to their parents. I don''t think Dean Petticoat would approve of this whole idea."


    Professor Kal turned just his eyes towards her. "He only needs to know parts of it, he''ll get on board easily enough, especially since you''ll be coming along as well to keep an eye on everything."


    "But Iˇ­" She started to say before he interrupted her.


    "I''m afraid that you don''t have much of a choice, not if you wish to learn more about mana control from me. I only teach those that I find agreeable."


    With her words caught in her throat, Professor Treffle snapped her mouth shut and crossed her arms in a huff. She had a limit on what she would do to increase her own power but chaperoning a few young adults and one man-child shouldn''t be completely out of her wheelhouse. Seeing that she seemed to be onboard, Professor Kal nodded towards a student with his hand raised.


    "Is it mandatory?" Riley asked, concern on his face.


    "You can say that. Although you won''t be punished should you not go, but you will no longer be welcome in this class. I only want those that are serious about learning the true secrets of magic and are willing to do anything to do so." He explained with a deep and serious voice.


    Turning his serious expression into a laxer one, he changed the subject to what they would be going over in today''s class. Ryan, Ben, Laura, and even Richard exchanged glances with each other as Professor Kal droned on and on. Ryan already knew that he couldn''t get out of going along with him, he was curious as to what decision the other three would make. He didn''t dare talk when Professor Kal was talking, so he would have to wait until the end of the class.


    Clapping his hands together, Professor Kal finished his lecture. "So, everyone pair off. One at a time cast your defensive magic in the way that I have explained, and the other will attack, trying to break it. And don''t worry about getting hurt, I have plenty of potions to go around."


    With his words the students groaned in complaint and Professor Treffle turned white at the mere thought of students flinging spells at each other.

 Chapter 37 - Alessandria

    Behind high marble walls that enclosed a grand palace of gold tipped spires reflecting the sunlight, a beautiful woman sat together with a regal old man. The woman had just come into adulthood, she had long blonde hair almost reaching the ground. Fair skin that would turn pinkish red in the sunlight and a soft yet slim body that echoed her pampered lifestyle.


    The old man looked upon her with kind loving eyes. He was dressed in comfortable yet exquisite robes, rare metal and gemstones adorning the hems and cuffs. His head was still thick with grey hair and when he smiled the wrinkles on his face were that much more accentuated.


    "Father, must I really go and placate thatˇ­ boy?" The young woman asked, reluctance clear in her voice.


    Not perturbed by his daughter''s unwillingness, King of Morgania, Lexington Morgania caressed her hand with his. "I''m afraid it must be done. He was cursed while within our walls, we are the most likely culprits in their eyes."


    First Princess Alessandria Morgania shook her head vehemently. "But we had nothing to do with that. We had done everything in our power to help him when he fell ill."


    "I know my darling, but the true culprit is still at large. They have no reason to trust us. Even now their troops are gathering at the border, it is only a matter of time before the fuse is lit and war will be upon us." King Lexington said with a smile that didn''t reach his eyes.


    With a sigh, Alessandria adverted her eyes from his gaze, looking down to the floor. "What about my brothers? Surely they could talk to him?"


    "You are by far the best choice, forˇ­... obvious reasons." He said, almost embarrassed.


    She took her hand away from his, anger in her face as she directed her eyes to his. "Is that all I am to you now? A bargaining chip that you pull out whenever needed?"


    "You know better than that!" He said, reflecting her anger back towards her.


    "You are the first Princess of the kingdom of Morgania, but most importantly you are my daughter. I could never ''bargain'' you off to some upstart king." He paused, choosing his next words carefully.


    "But, right now, I can not go about this issue by thinking like a father. I must also think of the people''s lives that I am responsible for and do everything in my power to avoid a war. You must understand the role you play in this, don''t you? You don''t have to do anything untoward with the man, just talk to him, have him see reason. That is what I''m trusting you with, the future of both our kingdoms."


    For a brief moment, the man sitting in front of her was not her father, nor was he the strong infallible King of her nation. He was an old and feeble man, worn down by the enormous responsibility that was on his shoulders, looking towards her to share some of the burden that he was sworn to carry.


    The anger washed from her face, replaced by a soft smile. She took his hand with her own, patting it with the other. "I''m sorry father, of course I know better. I apologize for my childish outburst."


    "All is forgiven, I could never really be angry with you." He said squeezing her hand.


    Returning the gesture, she spoke. "I will visit Lenova then and request an audience with the newly crowned king. I''m sure I will be able to talk him down from whatever he may have planned."


    ˇ­..


    Time moved on quickly, the green leaves of summer were starting to show signs of fall. The evening air brought a chill along with it and the days were getting shorter. Lenova, the capital of the Kingdom of Amine had calmed down greatly. Any public dissent about what had transpired nearly a month ago was now almost forgotten, everything almost returning to normal.


    The most notable difference that remained were the increased presence of regular soldiers. They were patrolling the streets much more regularly, although they did not do much, they still deterred some petty crimes from occurring. Other than the increased patrols in the city, recruitment notices had been posted all around the city asking the residents to answer their nation''s call and enlist in the army.


    Most people with any sort of income would never imagine enlisting in the army. The notices were mainly aimed at those with no other place to turn to, or to criminals that were unable to find work after being released. These sorts of people would only drag down the fighting effectiveness of the army, but they did not care; they only wanted souls that they could throw at they enemy, giving the knights and mages time to attack. Most everyone understood this, so only the truly desperate would answer the call.


    Another notable event that had occurred was the coronation of the new king, King Alexander Amine, son of King Hector. The ceremony was, of course, closed off to the general populace. Only high-ranking nobles could attend. Even those of the rank of Baron were excluded, showing that even in high society there were still differing classes.


    Now the city was once again in a buzz. The knights had made a reappearance, cordoning off certain districts of the city. At first when the knights rode their horses down the streets, the people began to think that another grand search was under way. They were soon relieved to see that they were wrong, it seemed that the knights were preparing to receive an esteemed guest.


    None of this affected the Academy in any meaningful way. The gates were still wide open, allowing students and staff to move about freely. Professor Kal was making a rare appearance at the practice field, guiding his students in the proper way to handle Firebomb Potions.


    Firebomb Potions were extremely volatile alchemical products that would react to any sudden shocks. Once disturbed, the potion would explode violently, producing a large fireball that burned white hot. The flames would be so hot that they were capable of melting steel and would burn for several minutes, depending on the mixture.


    With an underhanded motion, Professor Kal lobbed a glass bottle at a dummy standing thirty feet away. His aim left one wanting greatly, hitting the ground over ten feet from the target. That was the beauty of the Firebomb Potion though, you just had to be close in order to kill your target.


    As the bottle hit the ground, a flash of light caused the students to shield their eyes. Immediately after that, a loud boom could be heard as the shockwave caused their ears to pop. By the time they opened their eyes the dummy had already turned to ash as it was only made of wood and burlap, not able to withstand the intense heat. A sea of flames continued to burn in a circle of twenty feet with smaller fires spreading out because of the dry grass.


    The students that stood a little too close to the flames had their eyebrows singed off as the wind happened to push the heat towards them. Immediately stepping back, they waited for instructions from Professor Kal.


    "As you can see, it is imperative that you handle these potions with care, or you might end up like that dummy out there. Here, I''ll make a better target for you guys to aim at." Professor Kal said as he summoned a small stone golem ordering it to stand still where the dummy once was.


    One at a time he handed out Firebomb Potions, only giving them out when it was the student''s turn. Although he adopted more of a carefree attitude, not even he would trust a child with such a dangerous weapon. One by one, the students threw their glass bottles at the unfortunate golem. By the time the last student stepped up for their turn a small crater had been burned into the field and the golem was melted together and was as smooth as a glass figurine.


    "Alright, our time is almost up. Next week we''ll go over how to craft a Firebomb Potion, class dismissed." Professor Kal said, dismissing his golem.


    The students started to go their separate ways, chatting as they did so. Ben and Ryan stuck close to each other like they always have, Laura could be seen jogging towards them, her ponytail bobbing as she did so.


    "Ryan!" She called out, catching his attention.


    "Have you told your family about the trip?"


    Laura had become an integral part of the group over the last few weeks. She got along well with both boys, especially Ryan. Ben just shook his head; they were both oblivious to their mutual affection towards each other. It was obvious for anyone to see it, but neither one of them would take the next step.


    Ryan smiled at her, almost a little too enthusiastically, his face betraying his hidden feelings. "Uh, yeah. I just told my father that it was a school trip. He''s always so happy for me when it comes to the Academy, I feel a little bad lying to him."


    Laura had a wide smile on her face as well when facing him, though, when she started talking, she diverted her eyes towards the ground. "Yeah, me too. I told my father and mother the same thing. That it''s a trip to study under another mage with the same affinity as me. Anything to do with my affinity causes them to get tunnel vision. Sometimes I think that''s all they see me as anymore."


    "Well, I think you''re perfect just the way you are, affinity or not." Ryan said, his ears turning read as he realized what he''d said.


    Looking up, Laura''s bright smile returned to her face. "Really? That means a lot. You wouldn''t believe what my parents have been like ever since I found out. At first it was great, but now they treat me like some commodity being sold off to the highest bidder."


    Seeing how down she was becoming talking about her parents, Ryan changed the subject. "So, where do you think the Professor will take us when we leave?"


    "I don''t know, but it''s exciting, isn''t it? It''s like an adventure!" She yelled out, clearly excited.


    "As long as it doesn''t end up like it did in the forest." Ben said from the side, clearly forgotten by the two others.


    Ben''s words seemed to have awakened long forgotten memories, Ryan and Laura''s faces dropped while turning pale. An awkward silence fell over the group as they slowed down their steps.


    "Well, I see I''ve done my part." Ben said as he embarrassedly rubbed the back of his head.


    "I''ll see you later Ryan, bye Laura."


    With those parting words Ben hurried off to the main building of the Academy, leaving Ryan and Laura behind. The awkward silence continued for a little while longer between the two when Laura broke it.


    "Hey, Ryan?"


    "Y..yeah?"


    "Do youˇ­do you want to go into town with me after lessons end?" She asked, looking at him expectantly.


    "YES! Er, sorry, I mean, sure, that sounds like fun." Ryan yelled out before quickly correcting himself and his face turning red.


    "Great, I''ll see you at the main entrance then.. Bye!" Laura said as she bounded off towards the main building, following the same path Ben had used.

 Chapter 38 - Royal Arrival

    Late afternoon seemed like it would never arrive for Ryan. Each class seemed to drag on forever as he daydreamed about what his ''date'' with Laura would be like. There were several occasions where a professor would smack him upside the head for not paying attention. All he could do was profusely apologize before drifting off into happy thoughts once again.


    Finally, the last lesson ended. Ryan bounded out the door, pushing past several of his classmates earning displeased looks. He had to rush over to his dorm room in order to change out of his stuffy Academy uniform. There was no way he would go outside with Laura dressed in such a thing.


    After digging through his closet and throwing the unwanted clothes haphazardly on his bed, he finally found the outfit he was looking for. It was a pair of clothes that his mother had bought for him before she had died a few years ago. At the time she purchased them they were much too big for him but insisted on buying them for him as they were made from monster spider silk, an extremely rare material.


    It was a simple suit with an overcoat, it was much too warm still to wear the coat. A stark white undershirt stood out with a baby blue vest and black slacks. Gold embroidery lined the hems in the pattern of different magical runes. It wasn''t enchanted in any way but gave off a mysterious vibe. Ryan looked at himself in the mirror, liking what he saw.


    With hurried steps he made his way to the main entrance, turning quite a few heads on his way there. All of his hurry was for not though, he rounded the corner only to see that he was the first to arrive. A little relieved that he wasn''t late, he dabbed sweat off of his forehead then checked to see if he smelled or not. He was glad that he had purchased high quality deodorant from some merchants a little while back.


    "Have you been waiting long?" A crisp voice sounded out from behind him, causing him to turn.


    His pupils dilated when he saw her. She had changed outfits as well, changing into a black skirt that came down to just above her knees and a sleeveless white blouse that was well fitting and showed off her slim arms. She had also applied a light layer of makeup as well, although Ryan didn''t think she needed to wear any at all.


    Noticing how long he had been staring at her, Ryan managed to squeak out a response. "Uh, no, I just got here a little bit ago."


    Her face blushing slightly because of the way Ryan was looking at her, Laura started to rub her left arm with her right hand. "Y..you look nice Ryan."


    "You''re gorgeous! Ah, I mean, uh, you, you look nice as well." Ryan said quickly adverting his eyes, his face burning from embarrassment.


    Smiling from the compliment, Laura grabbed Ryan by the hand pulling him out into the street, "Come on, let''s go."


    ˇ­..


    "Who do you think is coming?" Ryan asked Laura as they were both enjoying a skewer of meat, walking down the somewhat empty street.


    "I don''t know. I''ve asked my father earlier, but he knows just as much as we do." She explained as she looked around at the knights in their heavy armor that were patrolling.


    "He''s a noble, isn''t he?" Ryan asked, perplexed.


    Shrugging her bare shoulders, she answered him. "We''re only of the Baron class, it''s the lowest rank among nobles. We don''t even have any territory to call our own, so it''s only natural they don''t let us in on some information."


    "Really? I thought they all got together and made all the important decisions about Amine." Ryan said, interested in the inner workings of the nobles.


    Ryan''s family was barely considered a wealthy one, not even close to the status of a Baron''s family. He had no idea how the higher classes behaved or what they did behind closed doors, so he was curious.


    Giggling cutely, Laura wrapped her arm around his, causing Ryan to stiffen up. "It''s nothing like that, at least from what my father tells me. Really, I wish it were different. I can''t stand all the decorum, all the pompous uptight people there are. You can''t imagine how arrogant they all are, it makes me sick."


    "Oˇ­ok, u..um ahh." Was all Ryan could say as he felt Laura''s soft body pressed against his arm.


    Laura turned to him; her head turned to the side. "Is something wrong?"


    "Nope, nothing at all!" Ryan yelled out, pulling away from her as he pointed down the street at a large gathering of people.


    "Let''s check out what''s going on down there!"


    Ryan''s chest hurt, it felt like his heart was going to explode. Being that close to Laura had drove him over the edge. The feeling of her body pressed against his, the scent of her hair in the faint breeze, made him almost loose his mind. He had to get away from her, if he didn''t, he was afraid that he would pass out.


    Not seeming to notice Ryan''s excited state, Laura brushed off his strange actions. She quickly agreed to his suggestion. They walked together, edging closer and closer to the crowd that had gathered near the main street of the capital.


    A row of knights in shining armor held back the curious crowd of commoners. Low murmurs could be heard, they all were talking in quieted voices, afraid to make too much ruckus around the knights. It was hard for the two of them to see what was going on over the throng of people. They used their small statures to their advantage, squeezing through the crowd and arriving at the front.


    With a much better view, the two of them could see that the entirety of the main road had been closed off. A solid wall of armor lined both sides of the road. Soon, a blaring sound of a horn could be heard from the front gates, signaling the arrival of what the knights must have been waiting for.


    The crowds of people all went silent, craning their necks, trying to be the first to spot what was coming through the city gates. Moments passed, soon, rhythmic shockwaves could be felt through the ground. The knights lining the streets remained stoic in their posture as the shockwaves grew stronger.


    "I can''t see anything, let''s go over there." Laura said, frustrated over her height as her view was blocked by the tall knights.


    She pointed to a stack of crates set up not too far away from the main road. They were stacked in the shape of a pyramid, standing some ten feet in the air.


    "Are you sure? I mean, is it safe?" Ryan asked, not concerned about himself but for Laura.


    Grabbing Ryan''s hand, she pulled him through the crowd. "C''mon you scaredy cat!"


    He let himself be pulled by the young woman, finding it hard to resist her whims. They soon arrived next to the stacked crates. Ryan hopped up first, then helped Laura up as well. Now with an unobstructed view of the entire road, they watched in anticipation.


    Being late afternoon, the sun was framed almost perfectly by the city gates; making it so people would have to shield their eyes to see anything. Squinting his eyes, Ryan noticed the light was reflecting off of something shiny that was coming through the gate. Once his eyes adjusted, he could see that it was a contingent of knights marching in step with each other.


    Their armor was much different than what the knights were wearing that lined the streets. Gold crests lined the center of their helmets and crimson capes draped across their shoulders. A royal seal was etched into their left breast plates, indicating that they were the King''s Guard of the Kingdom of Morgania.


    "What''s going on? I thought Morgania was the ones that poisoned the old king?" One bystander could be heard saying as the procession of knights marched past.


    "That''s just a rumor, I''m sure. They wouldn''t allow them in the city if it were true, would they?" Another retorted.


    Ryan could hear a gasp from behind him.


    "Look at that Ryan! Have you ever seen anything like it?" Laura asked, pointing at a mammoth carriage lumbering through the gate.


    It was being pulled by a team of a dozen horses. The horses themselves were large warhorses bred for battle but were now dressed in crimson tassels in their manes. The carriage itself was ornately decorated with gold and diamonds that shimmered in the receding sunlight. It was at least twenty-five feet long and fifteen feet wide, making it the size of a large room. The Royal seal of Morgania could be seen on the doors to the carriage along with another seal that Ryan wasn''t familiar with.


    "What seal is that? The one next to the Morgania Royal Seal?" He asked Laura who was standing next to him.


    She narrowed her eyes, trying to block out some of the resplendent light coming off of the gemstones embedded in the carriage. "I think it''s the First Princesses'' seal, but I''m not too sure."


    They didn''t teach the students the different seals and crests of the surrounding kingdoms, but since Laura was a noble herself, she had learned them growing up. Ryan nodded his head, continuing to watch the procession in front of them. The massive carriage rumbled by them, the crimson curtains drawn, not allowing anyone to view what was going on inside.


    Trailing behind the carriage was yet another contingent of royal guards. It was really a sight to behold, dozens of men, all in shining armor, marching in lock step with each other with short metal spears held by their shoulders. Once the main body of guards marched by, another group of smaller carriages followed shortly after. Ryan guessed that they were carrying all the attendants that came along with the princess.


    All in all, there must have been over two hundred people all together marching through the main street. After fifteen minutes, Ryan could see the last carriage disappearing around a curve, heading towards the Royal Palace.


    The crowds began to disperse, talking loudly about what had happened as they did so. The Knights began to move as well, returning towards their respective outposts. Ryan jumped down off of the crates, being careful not to tear his suit. After helping Laura down, they began walking once again.


    They chatted about what might be going on inside the Royal palace, just like most everyone else was doing. Laura took hold of Ryan''s arm like she had before, although Ryan did stiffen up, he didn''t pull away like last time. They were heading towards an accessory shop, looking for any enchanted items that they could use on their trip that was fast approaching.


    They were in the more affluent area of Lenova, you could find many high-end stores there. Anything from restaurants and clothing to weapons and potions, you could find it here. They found the store they were looking for. It was a very fancy enchantment shop, providing anyone with enough money the means to buy magical items and accessories. It was a large two-story building, with solid oak doors and stained-glass windows in the arrangement of magical arrays. It was exactly what Laura was looking for, the only problem was that it was closed.


    "Oh well, we still have a month before we leave, we can come back later." Laura said, slightly disappointed.


    Ryan walked up to the wooden sign that said ''closed'' hanging on the outside of the door. He then stood up on his tip toes, trying to look inside. Not seeing anything, he walked back to Laura with a shrug of his shoulders. "I don''t see anything, maybe they went out to watch the soldiers march by? Do you want to wait and see if they come back?"


    "No, that''s alright. It''s getting late anyways; we should head back." She told him.


    Looking up at the quickly darkening sky, he had to agree with her. Doubling back the way they came; they made their way back to the Academy. Before they made it back, night had already fallen. The streets were all but deserted, the two young mages the only ones walking on the cobbled street.


    As they turned a corner, Ryan ran headfirst into a wall of muscle, nearly giving him a concussion. He took a few steps back, rubbing his nose and trying to keep his eyes from watering.


    "I''m so sorry." He began to say, before he heard a yelp from his side and felt Laura being torn away from him.


    He whipped around to see that two men were dragging Laura into a dark alleyway, trying to shove a gag in her mouth to keep her from screaming. He started to run after her but was hit in the back of the head by the man he had run into, knocking him onto the ground.


    "Hurry up and strip him, the guards will be patrolling shortly."


    Ryan heard a man''s voice through the haze that had settled over his mind. He could still hear Laura''s screams, but they were muffled, he didn''t know if it was from the hit to his head or from the gag they were trying to put in her mouth. Rage welled up inside of him, clouding his already muddled thoughts.. He tried to rise up from the ground, receiving a hit to his back, knocking the air out of his lungs, and causing him to gasp for air.

 Chapter 39 - Worm Food

    The dozens of knights marched into the Royal Palace, spreading out and standing at attention in formation. The oversized carriage rolled to a stop, its well-oiled axels not making a sound. A single knight opened the carriage door, allowing its occupants to disembark.


    An old gentleman in a crimson robe was the first to step down from the carriage, He was clean shaven and had long black hair tied tight into a ponytail. Speckles of gray dotted his temples, and a pair of bifocals adorned his weathered face. He chanted a spell under his breath, waiting and watching for a few moments afterwards. Seemingly pleased with the fact that nothing had happened, he motioned for the others inside to follow him.


    Court Mage Reginald was waiting by the side while this was happening. He instantly recognized the Court Mage from Morgania, Sylvester Torreznia, as he exited the carriage. The spell he cast must had been a detection spell of some kind, looking for any hidden arrays or magical devices. He didn''t mind the probing; it was only natural to check your surroundings while in a foreign country.


    He waited until everyone had exited the carriage before walking up to greet them. Princess Alessandria was standing behind Mage Torreznia in a light blue dress and a matching veil that covered her face. Several personal maids also surrounded her along with two women who were dressed in highly decorative leather armor and armed with scimitars attached to their waists.


    Bowing his head low in respect, Mage Reginald greeted the party. "Greetings Your Highness, First Princess Alessandria Morgania. I welcome you to Lenova, the capital of Amine. We have prepared your lodgings, if you would please follow me."


    "Lead the way." Was all Mage Torreznia said before Mage Reginald turned and led them away.


    It was quite normal for Princess Alessandria not to address a foreign official directly, as in anything that she said would be taken to be an official statement from the crown of her country. It was better just not to say anything at all while not in official talks.


    "We''ve received your messenger some time ago. King Alexander is prepared to receive you whenever you have rested sufficiently." Mage Reginald explained as they walked towards a smaller mansion on the grounds.


    Walking with his hands behind his back, Mage Torreznia nodded his head. "Very well, we shall inform you once the Princess has rested from the long trip."


    Nothing else was said while they walked the short distance. Stopping just outside the doors to the mansion, Reginald opened them and stepped to the side. "If you need anything, anything at all, please let me know."


    With those words, Mage Reginald left them to move into the mansion. The mansion was currently empty, left with only the furniture. All of the art and decorations had been removed in preparation of the visit. It was customary to do so when foreign royalty would visit so as not to offend them by having to stare at the other nation''s imagery. They would bring their own decorations and artwork to hang on the walls, making it feel as much like their own home as possible.


    Mage Torreznia first walked in, casting another detection spell, before allowing the princess and her entourage to follow. The knights that were in formation outside quickly set up a perimeter around the guest mansion. For the duration of her stay, the mansion was now being treated as sovereign ground.


    ˇ­..


    Ryan''s limbs felt weak, he had just been knocked back to the ground and was gasping for air. He felt a man kneel on top of him, pressing his knee into his back. The man wrenched Ryan''s arm behind his back, attempting to pull the ring off of his finger. He tried to pull his hand away but wasn''t a match for the man''s strength.


    Finding the ring too difficult to simply pull off, the man pulled out a dagger from a sheath in his boot. In a fluid motion, the man severed Ryan''s ring finger right at the first knuckle. Ryan couldn''t see what was happening, but he felt searing heat coming from his finger, then a pop. The man then started to feel up and down his body, looking for anything else of value.


    He gritted his teeth, trying to hold back his cries of pain. He could feel the wetness of blood running down his arm and staining his treasured suit. Everything happened too quickly, he had no time to prepare a spell to counterattack. It took all he had just to keep from panicking. His mind went to the dungeon, flitting through all that he had experienced in the deep dark recesses.


    Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he poured his mana into the summoning charm before the man had a chance to rip it off of his neck. Just as the man wrapped his fingers around the chain, the gem started to glow a brilliant azure color. A similar colored magic circle appeared on the ground adjacent to him, runes and geometric shapes spinning rapidly in a counterclockwise direction.


    Being dark out, the devil worm blended in well. The man noticed the magical array activating, he had already jumped off of Ryan''s back, prepared for anything. He had seen defensive items before, in his experience they mostly activated a barrier of some sort, rarely an attack spell. He readied his body to dodge at any moment, expecting an attack spell since a barrier had yet to form.


    "Save the girl! Save the girl!" Ryan yelled out at the top of his lungs, praying that the devil worm listened to him.


    He had never used the charm, other than when he bound the worm to it. He was putting his faith into it; it was his only hope.


    Something large and black barreled into the man, knocking him off his feet. He couldn''t see what it was but could hear it as it slithered into the dark alleyway. He had seen enough. You didn''t survive for long as a criminal if you didn''t know when to retreat. He got to his feet and turned to run. There were no bonds when it came to crooks, it was every man to himself.


    He had only taken two steps before he heard a shout from behind him. "Shadow Bolt!"


    An arc of black lightning danced from Ryan''s finger, slamming into the unguarded back of the thief trying to run. The man''s back arched bending at an unnaturally sharp angle, his muscles constricting so tightly that his spine shattered from the force. A guttural scream could be heard emanating from the man as he was cooked alive from the spell. His body crumpled to the ground, a scent of burnt hair and cooked meat wafting from his corpse.


    Ryan turned to the alleyway, hearing several different screams coming from the darkness. He ran towards them.


    ˇ­..


    Laura was having a great time. Although they really hadn''t done much while walking through the city, it was still with the boy she liked. She really hadn''t noticed Ryan before the foray into the forest. She was always concerned with her schoolwork, too much so to really put her mind into boys. But after the near-death experience with the wolves, her mindset changed slightly.


    She started to notice that there was much more to life than just school and getting good grades. She started every day with a positive attitude, or at least she tried to. She also forced herself to take time to herself, making sure she was doing things that actually made her happy. That was why she had finally asked Ryan out into the city.


    She really did like him. Ever since the forest, she had noticed how considerate he was towards her, how kind he was, how cute he was, she was infatuated. So, when he agreed to go out with her, she was over the moon. She didn''t care one bit what they did, just as long as they did it together.


    She was enjoying their walk together, even though it had gotten dark. Her arms were wrapped around his arm and her head was leaning against his shoulder. She was breathing deep, enjoying the cold crisp air when they had walked straight into someone as they rounded a corner.


    It all happened so quickly; Ryan started to apologize then she was grabbed from behind. Strong hands wrapped around her wrists, she started to try to pull away but couldn''t break the iron grip. Nearly tripping from a hard yank, she was pulled closer and closer to a dark alleyway. She struggled violently, kicking, and screaming. Another set of hands grabbed onto her as they tried to shove a cloth into her mouth.


    She was lifted off the ground, her feet kicking nothing but air. She could hear Ryan''s cries even through her own. Dragged into the darkness, she was thrown against a hard wall, hitting her head. Dizzy from the blow, Laura wobbled on her feet. Before she could even think about escaping, she was pressed against the wall, facing it.


    Dirty hands went up and down her body; she recoiled from the touch, swatting them away. She was slammed against the wall once again and her arms were yanked behind her, a cold metal object was pressed to her throat.


    "Resist and you die." A man whispered into her ear, turning her stomach.


    She was terrified, this was many times worse than the wolves in the forest. Tears mixed with blood trailed down her face. She had a laceration on her forehead from being slammed into the hard brick wall. She stopped struggling at the man''s words, but she couldn''t prevent her body from shivering.


    "Hurry up, we don''t have much time. I want my turn so don''t waste any." Another gruff voice sounded out from behind her.


    She started to sob so hard it was difficult to breathe. She knew what was about to happen. Rough hands ripped open her blouse, tearing the fabric as buttons plinked on the cobblestone ground. One hand felt her up as the other lifted her skirt as it traced up her thigh, causing her to shake like a leaf in the wind.


    She squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the inevitable. There was nothing she could do. All that she had learned in the Academy was useless to her right now. Even Professor Kal''s classes, that taught her so many different ways to use magic, couldn''t help her. Then she heard Ryan yelling from the street, it was hard to make out what he was saying, it sounded like he was pleading with someone to ''save the girl''.


    The next thing she knew a wet tearing sound came from close behind her, then a warm wetness spread out over her back. She was confused about what she was feeling. Her hands were still behind her back, and they were now warm and slippery wet. The man let out hot breath on her ear before losing his grip on her chest and thigh and sliding down onto the ground.


    She brought her hands to her front, closing her blouse and shielding her naked breasts. She turned to run, not wanting to give the men any chance to catch her. She still had no idea why he had let her go and she didn''t care.


    As she turned her body, her eyes locked onto the other man that had dragged her into the alleyway. He was backing away from her with wide eyes that she could clearly see even in the darkness. He looked almost as scared as she was, she didn''t care. She turned to the left and saw it. A black something was coiled up with its head raised to be level with her own.


    Her face was mere inches away from the monster''s, or she assumed it was its face. There were no eyes or nose or ears, just flesh. She took in a sharp breath, stepping back and tripping over the man''s body. Falling onto her butt into a fresh pool of blood, she done everything in her power not to scream. The monster followed her with its head, seemingly able to see her without eyes to look out of.


    It then looked at the man too scared to run, splitting its face open to reveal a blood red beak. As the tentacles undulated in the air, the beak snapped opened and closed. Making Laura wince at the sudden noise. Without warning, the monster lunged forward, wrapping around the man.


    Brought out of his petrified state, the man started to scream and struggle with all of his might. The monster squeezed tighter; Laura was able to hear sickening cracking sounds come from the man before he started to squeal more than scream. She couldn''t watch anymore; she turned her head just as the monster constricted once more causing the man''s eyeballs to pop out of his skull along with a copious amount of blood.


    Not hearing anything, she slowly opened her eyes only to see the monster once more staring inches away from her face. She almost passed out from fright but could hear hurried footsteps coming towards her.


    "Laura! Laura where are you!?" Ryan yelled out, not able to see her in the darkness.


    She was too scared to answer him, afraid that any sudden movement would cause the monster to attack her. She continued to stare back at the monster, holding her breath.


    "Laura, there you are, are you alright?" Ryan said, spotting her huddled against the wall with the devil worm right next to her.


    The worm turned towards Ryan''s voice, finally prompting her to act. "Ryan! Run! Run away! A monster! There''s a monster!"


    To her horror, the monster slithered over to Ryan, opening its face blooming, and bearing its blood red beak. She wanted to look away but forced herself to watch. Ryan didn''t even seem to notice the monster coming straight for him; to her he looked almost annoyed. He nimbly sidestepped the monster as he vaulted over one man''s dead body.


    "Are you okay? There''s blood all over, are you hurt?" Ryan asked checking her all over, not minding the blood that covered her body and clothes.


    She was shocked, the monster didn''t attack them. It even looked dejected after being avoided by Ryan, she just couldn''t process what was happening. After seeing that she was physically unharmed, except for a cut on her forehead, Ryan pulled a spare robe out of his storage ring and wrapped it around her shoulders.


    "Can you stand? C''mon, let''s get back to the Academy." He said, trying to help her up while keeping his eyes adverted from her white skin peeking out from the open robe.


    "M..m..mmˇ­monˇ­monster" Laura mumbled out, eyes wide and still staring at the creature just behind Ryan.


    Ryan turned to look at the devil worm, kicking himself for not thinking about how Laura would feel about it. "Hey, go under. Stay close by, ok?"


    Without hesitation, the devil worm dove down into the ground. The stones seemed to move by their own free will, out of the way of the worm as it disappeared underground. Ryan stood her up, steadying her with an arm around her shoulders.


    With the monster gone from her sight and the touch from Ryan, Laura''s mind started to work again. "What was that thing, Ryan? What happened?"


    "Haa, it was a summoned monster. Don''t worry about it, let''s just get back and find someplace to calm down, ok?" Ryan half explained to her, not wanting to stop and tell her right then and there, there could always be more thugs hiding in the shadows.


    ˇ­..


    "Did ya see it?"


    "Yeah, boy''s a necromancer, only them can use Shadow Bolt."


    Two cloaked men were standing on top of a building looking down on the street and alleyway Ryan and Laura had just left. They had been assigned to follow and observe the boy by their boss. Ever since they had discovered that he was getting private lessons from their main target he had been put on the list of the ones to follow.


    "Go tell the boss that we found something, I''ll keep an eye on them." One man said to the other, just before one of them melded into the shadows and vanished.


    ˇ­..


    On another rooftop not too far away, a similar conversation was taking place. Two of the ''King''s Shadows'' had just witnessed the carnage the devil worm and boy had committed. They both had never seen a creature like that before and were amazed at its speed and ferocity.


    "Go make a report and have the city guard brush this under the rug.. Tell them we need to add the girl as well."

 Chapter 40 - Fun Shall Be Had

    Another day dawned on the Kingdom of Amine, and it was a gloomy one. Dark clouds hung over much of the kingdom, blocking out the warm rays of the sun and drizzling cold showers on those below. Citizens walked the streets with their collars up over their necks and faces, shielding themselves from the sudden cold chill. The birds were huddled together for warmth, caught just as unprepared as the residents.


    A section of street was cordoned off forcing those wishing to walk by to take a detour. A man with rubber boots and a long-handled brush was busy scrubbing the street, washing away the crimson stains. He was maybe the only one in the entire city grateful for the rain as it assisted him in his duties.


    Princess Alessandria was sitting in front of a large window, staring forlornly at the dark clouds and depressing atmosphere. She let out a sigh, shaking her head. She was here for a single reason and that was to hold talks with King Alexander. The faster she accomplished her goals the faster she could return home and put all of this behind her.


    "Leah, get me the materials on the Amine Kingdom. I need to refresh my mind before meeting with the man." Alessandria said to a maid that was standing at attention not far away.


    She would have to brush up on the customs of Amine before speaking with the King. It would be disastrous to accidently offend him because of a simple misunderstanding. She had met Alexander before while he was in her country, but still did not have a feel as to his character.


    The maid, Leah, returned shortly with several books and folders containing all that there was when it came to customs and differing subjects of note. She also brought along freshly brewed tea, much to Alessandria''s appreciation. Taking a sip of the hot drink, she let out another sigh before opening the first book.


    ˇ­..


    A knock came to the door, breaking the silent atmosphere that had settled over the infirmary room. Laura was sitting in a small bed, cocooned in a large blanket and her knees pulled up to her chest. Continuing to stare with blank eyes at the plain wall in front of her, the knocking came again.


    After a few minutes, a familiar voice came from the other side. "I''m coming in, ok?"


    The doorknob turned and the door creaked open slowly. Ryan slowly made his way into the room, gently closing the door behind him. His hand had been bandaged, blood still wicking its way to the surface of the white linen. They had offered him potions to immediately heal the wound, but he refused them. He wanted to feel the pain, he wanted a reminder to never again put his guard down.


    It was also a form of punishment. He blamed himself for what happened. If he hadn''t been dressed in such fine clothing, if he had been paying attention to his surroundings, Laura would have never been hurt. He figured that they had targeted them because he looked like a wealthy young noble with too much money and too weak to keep ahold of it. Laura was merely collateral damage, yet she was the most hurt by it.


    He sat on the edge of the bed, reaching out to comfort her. Laura recoiled at the feeling of his touch, still traumatized by the man that had assaulted her. Looking at him, she quickly came out of her daze, giving him a halfhearted smile.


    "I''m sorry, I was justˇ­... thinking and you surprised me." Laura said in a soft voice.


    Ryan returned her smile with an apologetic one of his own. "I understand, there''s no need to be sorry."


    "Does it hurt?" Laura asked him, looking at his bandaged hand.


    Shaking his head Ryan held it up so she could see him flexing his remaining fingers. "No, not at all."


    He was lying, it hurt like hell. He was just putting up a strong front. Although they had done an excellent job at applying the bandages, there was only so much they could do without any potions. Laura gave him another smile, letting him get away with the untruth. They both had received injuries from last night, hers were just harder to see.


    Silence fell over the room once again. Ryan sat on the edge of the bed with his head down and Laura returned to staring at the wall. Ryan was still replaying the events of last night, admonishing himself over them. While Laura was trying to do the opposite, but no matter how hard she tried she could still feel those dirty hands all over her body.


    Suddenly, the door to the room burst open. In walked a mage wearing a plain black robe. Both Ryan''s and Laura''s eyes darted to Professor Kal. Professor Kal''s eyes scanned both of them, settling on Ryan''s bandaged hand.


    "There''s a potion that''ll regrow limbs, I have it on me." He said matter of factly.


    Shaking his head, Ryan refused the offer. Shrugging his shoulders, Professor Kal moved on to Laura, walking over and squatting down to be eye level with her. "I can make you forget." He said simply.


    Once again, his offer was refused causing a slight smirk to appear on his face.


    "Good, very good. Your experiences define you as a person, for better or for worse. I''m glad to see that you both understand that. Now, I''ll let you two rest, don''t worry about classes for the next few days." He said to the two young mages before turning back around towards the door.


    "Ah, one more thing." He added, not bothering to turn around.


    "Did you kill them all?"


    Looking up at Professor Kal''s back, Ryan confidently answered. "Yes."


    "Are you sure?"


    Ryan furrowed his brows, thinking deeply, trying to recall everything that happened for the thousandth time. There were the two men that dragged Laura into the alleyway, the man that he killed that cut off his finger. Three total, that should be allˇ­ ofˇ­ "Shit!" He yelled out.


    There was a fourth one that he had forgotten about, the man he originally ran into. Everything had happened so fast that his mind was just a blur, he had lost track of everything going on around him.


    "It''s alright, just be more careful next time." Professor Kal stated before leaving the room.


    ˇ­..


    Dale felt a wet sensation on his face, he flinched each time a cold drop of water landed on his forehead. He tried to sit up, but couldn''t move, then the pain hit. It was the worst headache he had ever experienced. It felt like there was a fire deep inside his head that was boiling his brain. He tried to rub his head but found that once again he couldn''t move.


    He opened his eyes only to see that he was in a dimly lit room. He started to panic. He tried to move his fingers but couldn''t. He then tried to call out but found that nothing came out. He was still breathing on his own and could swallow, but other than that nothing seemed to work the way it should.


    Where was he? What happened? He couldn''t remember. What had happened last night? The last thing he remembered was running down the street, away from the young noble that they had robbed. Leric had just jumped off his back after that magic array popped up. That was the last he saw.


    After seeing the magic array Dale decided that it was best just to cut and run. In truth, he was a coward. He may be big, but a fighter he was not. At the first sign that things might get a little dangerous he would always be the first to turn tail and run; so, that''s just what he did, leaving everyone else behind.


    Then what happened? He strained his mind, trying to remember. The pain in his head was too great to concentrate, so he gave up. He had to focus on what was going on and how to get himself out of whatever it was. The only problem was that he couldn''t move, he could still feel, just not move. He felt the coolness of the table he was laying on. He could feel iron shackles around his wrists and ankles. He was in real trouble.


    "You''re awake." A deep voice echoed in the room, making it hard for him to tell exactly where it came from.


    "I can''t tell you how joyful I am to have such a willing test subject." The voice boomed out once again, accompanied by footsteps coming closer.


    Dale''s eyes darted in every direction, trying to find the source of the voice. It sounded inhuman, like dry dead air was being forced between two reeds to produce such a sound. He couldn''t see a thing, the room was almost pitch black, save for a small glimmer of reds and blues that he could see being reflected off of the stone ceiling.


    Then he felt a tug at his leg and the sound of the iron shackles scraping against the table. "I''m sorry for the restraints. I know you can''t move, but they were necessary. That potion I used was almost as old as I am, there''s no telling how affective it is anymore."


    He tried to force his head to move, his eyes couldn''t see past his nose. He felt fingers run up his leg then onto his thigh causing his skin to goosebump and his heart to tremble in fear.


    "Ah, I see that you can still feel everything, that''s good. I wouldn''t want you to miss out on anything. You know, back in my time, my colleagues would come up with the most outlandish experiments. They were really quite creative. Why, there was one-time Old Kushim transplanted several men''s heads onto a fabricated body, making a man-hydra. Can you believe it actually worked!" The voiced seemed excited recanting the past, but Dale only felt abject horror at what it was saying.


    "Well, only for an hour. After that, the heads all started to die off, but it was still interesting." The voice continued.


    He wanted to scream out that the man was crazy, that he had the wrong guy; but, in the end all that would come out were some grunts and moans. Feeling the unpleasant touch of the man examining his body only drove Dale closer and closer to madness. He urged his muscles to move, to do anything that would help him escape.


    "Oh, it seems that you''re a lively one aren''t you." The voice said, dripping disdain.


    Dale could feel dry scaly skin and thin bony fingers grip his jaw. His head was jerked over to the right, towards the man and his grating voice. A skull was staring back at him. Skin stretched tight over white bone that was showing through in certain spots. Yellowed, aged teeth could clearly be seen because the lips and gums had rotted away long ago. Two fires burned inside the hollow eye sockets with red light the reminded Dale of blood encased inside a blue flame.


    Eyes widening in horror, Dale evacuated his bowels. Before his eyes, the skin on the monster''s face seemed to stretch even further into a menacing grin. The deep voice boomed in his ears, driving any sanity left inside of him away.. "Oh, the fun we shall have."

 Chapter 41 - Reports

    Standing atop the stone walls, Silus observed the forest below. A cool breeze blew by, causing his silver hair to flutter in the wind. The sun was warm where he was standing, but he could see dark rain clouds far out over the horizon. Sounds of hammering and sawing was coming from behind him, men and women with iron collars around their necks were toiling away inside the courtyard.


    Silus had managed to find a mid-sized town about three days travel by wagon from where he was. After contracting a blacksmith to produce the tools he would need, he went around looking for manpower. Slavery wasn''t as popular as it had been in the past, but there were still places that sold them if you knew where to look.


    Once everything was settled, he packed away all the tools inside his storage ring then proceeded to march his fifty slaves back to the hidden fortification. He made doubly sure that no one was following him, casting concealing magic on himself and the slaves. It took a little more than five days to return, but other than that, things went smoothly.


    The slaves were putting on the finishing touches to the structure. What little maintenance needed to be done on the stone walls and foundations were completed first. The roofs of the existing stone buildings were replaced, and new wooden buildings were quickly built. Silus was incredibly pleased at just how quickly the slaves worked.


    A small bell rang out in the courtyard, indicating that it was time for lunch. The slaves all stopped what they were doing and filtered into a large building that was off to the side. This is where the slaves would eat and sleep. It was just a simple building filled with one kitchen, a washroom, and fifty straw beds. A latrine had been dug out on the other end of the courtyard, the farther it was from where they slept the better.


    Silus made his way into the main keep of the structure. It was a large three-story building with over a dozen rooms along with a large great room in the center. The great room was just a wide-open space for now, not even a single decoration was put into place. What was in the room was a massive magical array.


    The magical array took up most of the floor space, some one-hundred feet in diameter. Several pentagrams were spread out within the array along with differing runes and geometric shapes. This was the fate of the slaves once they had fulfilled their purpose. They would be used as sacrifices to bring forth a fighting force worthy of being by his side.


    Silus had dug deep into the lexicon of black magic to find a summoning spell that would fulfill his needs. He needed to expand his forces, but it was hard to find beings that he could trust. That was why he decided to summon his first batch of followers, that way they would never be able to betray him and would carry out his orders without hesitation.


    It was nearly time; in a few days he would begin the summoning ritual. Then he would welcome his new servants into this world. Silus brought out the ancient book that the summoning circle had been recorded in. After he had painstakingly translated it, he discovered that with enough sacrifices the array could summon low level demons that would act as a servant for the summoner. The number of sacrifices would determine the level of demon along with the number summoned.


    It was a gamble, but one he was willing to make. He had no use for the slaves once they were finished rebuilding the fortification anyways, so even if the summoning failed, he wouldn''t be out anything. He could always turn some of them into noble vampires but felt it would be a waste to do so with slaves.


    He had done some research on what it meant to be a progenitor over the last few weeks. There wasn''t much left in the records that he had, but it was enough to give him a rough idea of what to expect. A progenitor was able to turn humans, elves, or dwarves into vampires called nobles. These noble vampires would have much of his original strength and also be able to turn humanoids into vampires as well.


    A noble vampire would be slightly weaker to sunlight, but still be able to go out in it in short intervals without too much trouble. The beings that the nobles would turn would be even weaker to sunlight, being burnt by it almost immediately, much like a bad sunburn. The weakness to sunlight would only get worse further down the lineage you went, eventually making it so that a thrall would only be able to move around in the dead of night.


    As far as Silus could tell, sunlight was the only major weakness that a vampire had. They did not age, only needed to feed on the blood of their victims and could heal almost instantly. Of course, there could be other items that were not listed in the records, if there were he would have to discover them on his own.


    He had already decided on who he would turn first.


    ˇ­..


    Deep in the recesses of the Royal Palace, in a secure room with magic arrays stacked one atop the other, King Alexander was being briefed on the happenings of the night before. One of the ''King''s Shadows'' were knelt down in front of him, a cloth mask covering his face. The covert organization was extremely secretive, the members did not know each other''s names or faces; not even the King himself was privy to the information. This was all done under the assumption that should one of their members be captured and tortured, no amount of questioning would bear fruit.


    "A necromancer? Are you certain?" King Alexander asked the man knelt down before him.


    Nodding his head, the man answered. "Yes, my liege. He had used the Shadow Bolt spell, only those in the possession of the Necronomicon and have an affinity with the death side of spirit magic could use such a spell."


    A grim look befell Alexander''s face, his frown deepening. He wasn''t worried about the boy; he was still young, and his power would not be that great. He was worried about who he had been learning from. They had been keeping a remarkably close eye on Professor Kal trying to gauge what exactly he was doing and what it was he may be after. A mage of his caliber wouldn''t just be happy being a mere Professor in an Academy, there had to be more to it.


    If Professor Kal were a necromancer himself then the entire capital could be in danger. He had never seen a necromancer himself but understood that they were embodiments of evil and would use innocent people as sacrifices in their taboo magic. Although there hadn''t been any reports of people going missing, there had been some unusual deaths that had occurred.


    There had been reports of women being found strangled to death and their bodies dumped in alleyways. There always seemed to be one body part missing from their bodies. These reports outdated the amount of time Professor Kal had been in the city, at least officially. It was hard to tell when exactly he walked through the city gates due to the poor record keeping.


    Another odd case was the group of adventurers found scattered in yet another alleyway. King Alexander thought that maybe if he blocked off all the alleyways in the city, crime rates would drop. This group was found with their lungs full of pond water. It was truly a mystery, there were witnesses who had seen them enter the alleyway, but they had not seen anyone else with them. That particular group of adventurers had another registered member, but his body was never found.


    Hearing everything that the man had to report, King Alexander dismissed him. Once the man had left, Alexander let out a tired sigh. Rubbing his temples, he plopped down into a cushioned chair. Court Mage Reginald thought it best to basically bribe the man to do things for the Crown, but could they really trust a necromancer? That fact changes everything.


    He had to put his subjects first. If Professor Kal were really the one behind those mysterious deaths, then how could he look his people in the eye while ignoring such a thing? And what just was that creature the boy summoned? From the description the ''King''s Shadow'' had told him it seemed much too powerful for a novice mage to summon.


    There was still so much that he didn''t know. Did Mage Kalcifer have any accomplices in the city? Did he originate from a rival country? Or was he on his own? What enable his student to summon such a creature? His head hurt from the stress. He had to do something, but what?


    ˇ­..


    "This is fantastic! I just knew there was something he was hiding." Duke Hutchens was elated.


    The hooded woman had just told him what had happened the previous night. She spoke of the boy that used a spell almost exclusively performed by necromancers. If the boy was tied to necromancy, there was an extremely high likelihood that Professor Kal was as well.


    With this information, if it turned out to be true, he not only could get him fired, but he would also most likely be executed as well. His family name had been tarnished since his son had been caught cheating. There was no way to remove that stain, but this would go a long way to make him feel better about it.


    The hooded woman was propped up against the wall, tossing a dagger, spinning it in the air and catching it by the handle. She was waiting for her employer to settle down from his excitement. After a few more minutes of listening to the Duke mumble to himself about his plans, the hooded woman finally decided to speak up. "So, are we done here? Or is there anything else you want my people to do?"


    Forcefully dragged out of his little world, Duke Hutchens responded. "Yes, keep an eye on him and inform me immediately of any strange happenings.. I need more proof if I''m going to get rid of him for good."

 Chapter 42 - One Month

    "So, tell me, why have you traveled all this way?" King Alexander asked Princess Alessandria while he sat across from her with his legs crossed.


    They had just moved off into a more private room. Princess Alessandria had rested a full two days before announcing that she was prepared to meet with the newly crowned king. It took yet another entire day for King Alexander to clear enough room off his schedule to facilitate the meeting.


    Once they had finally come face to face, they both had to endure all of the customary introductions that their positions required. Finally, after nearly an hour of formality, they could finally talk.


    "First, I, along with the entire Kingdom of Morgania would like to extend our deepest condolences for the loss of your father. He was a wise and noble King, and I''m sure he will be deeply missed." Alessandria said in a soothing tone.


    King Alexander gave her a half smile. "Thank you for your kind words."


    Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, Alessandria continued. "As far as my visit is concerned, it is mainly to secure friendly relations with the new monarchy of your kingdom. I know that was the purpose of your original visit to Morgania before the unfortunate events that took place. We, no, I, was hoping to continue where you had left off."


    King Alexander''s face had a flat expression, it was not what Princess Alessandria was hoping to see. "Speaking of thoseˇ­. unfortunate events. Have you made any progress in finding the culprit?"


    "Our people have been working around the clock and have followed up on several leads." She started to say, her face stoic as she spoke.


    King Alexander interrupted her mid-sentence. "So, you have nothing? Even after all this time? Do we have to send our own people to ''assist'' you in this endeavor?"


    Princess Alessandria flinched at those words, her demeanor changing slightly. She quickly rebutted the new king. "That will be unnecessary. Although we do appreciate the offer, our men and women are the best in their fields. I''m sure we will apprehend the culprit shortly."


    King Alexander narrowed his eyes, uncrossing his legs and reaching out to take a sip from his teacup. Princess Alessandria waited patiently for him to finish. He sat the cup back onto the silver tray then stood abruptly, causing Alessandria to instinctively jerk back.


    "One month. Your Kingdom has one month to find the one who killed my father. If you fail to find them and offer us adequate proof, we will move in and do it ourselves." He said sternly, straightening out his suit before walking towards the door.


    Princess Alessandria was taken aback. "I''m not one of your servants that you can threaten King Alexander. I am First Princess of the Kingdom of Morganiaˇ­."


    "One month!" He yelled out cutting her off again, not showing her even the slightest respect.


    "Be grateful I''m even giving you this amount of time; it is more than you deserve." He finished saying before leaving the room.


    Princess Alessandria was shaking, not from fear, but from anger. How dare that man-child talk to her in that way. He was barely older than she was but acted like a spoiled brat that would act out if he didn''t get his way. She took a deep breath once again to calm down, it seemed like she had been doing that a lot lately. She would let the man calm down for now, perhaps he just needed some time to see that they were not the ones to blame. She would try to talk to him in a few days'' time, but until then she had a letter to write to her father.


    King Alexander stomped down the carpeted hallway, a deep frown on his face. He had let his temper get the best of him, but it was already too late to take back what he had said. He could blame the stress and his lack of sleep for his poor attitude, but it really wasn''t a good excuse.


    "ARRGGH" He lashed out, punching a nearby wall.


    What had he done? He threatened war on a neighboring nation for what? Because he was still angry over the death of his father? Because the one who did it has still gone unpunished? Those were all valid reasons to be upset, but not to threaten war. He was ashamed of himself. He was better than that.


    He knew well enough that Morgania was most likely not the ones to curse him. Morgania had been on good relations with Amine for the last century. They had no resources that the other wanted, they each had access to the ocean, there was nothing worth warring over. So, who were the ones to curse him and why? It still vexed him.


    The pain radiating from his hand worked wonders to clear his mind of the anger he felt earlier. He''d have to have the healers look at it later. The rest of his walk back to his office was used to mull things over. He had just made much more work for himself with his little outburst and was ashamed of how he had behaved. Although he meant what he said, he could have gone about it a much better way; it was too late for regrets now.


    Opening the door to his office, he walked in to see Court Mage Reginald along with General Ushire talking amongst themselves. General Benedict Ushire was a middle-aged man that stood around six feet tall and rippled with muscle. He had been appointed to his position by his father, Hector. He was in charge of the entire army, Mage Corps included. Being that the meeting between the two royals could determine the future of Amine, General Ushire felt it poignant to speak with the King afterwards.


    Both General Ushire and Mage Reginald gave Alexander a respectful bow then waited to be excused before standing again. King Alexander sat behind his desk before giving the two men permission to stand, then waited for them to take a seat as well.


    "That was much shorter than expected. Did things not go well?" Reginald asked, putting his eyes on the King''s injured hand.


    Hiding his hand, although it was too late, under the desk. King Alexander explained what had happened. As Alexander narrated the events, he could see the expression on General Ushire''s face change. The general didn''t even try to hide his feelings, which was mostly disappointment.


    As a soldier, General Ushire had learned long ago that anger was the death of reason. Every good soldier knew better than to let his emotions make the decisions for them. What King Alexander had done was impulsive, and it showed just how far he had to go to be a good leader let alone king.


    He had watched the young king grow up over the years. He was a good lad, always eager to please and treated people fairly and with the respect they deserved. That was what made this so hard to watch. He could see that the stress was getting to him, but it was his responsibility to bear. There could be no mistakes, not with lives in the balance.


    Once the King had finished his retelling of events he settled back into his chair, waiting for the two men in front of him to speak. He didn''t have to wait long. "Should I prepare the troops Your Highness? Many of them have already been deployed towards the border, mainly on the east side where the plains stretch between the mountains. We can be inside Morgania within two day''s march." General Ushire explained mechanically.


    King Alexander shook his head. "We''re not to that point yet. I gave them a month to produce results so I will abide by that time."


    Nodding his head, General Ushire said no more. He was a man of few words and would listen to his King''s decision, no questions asked. Mage Reginald on the other hand had a sour expression on his face and looked like he wanted to say something.


    "What is it, Reginald?" King Alexander asked.


    Mage Reginald opened his mouth to speak but paused, glancing at General Ushire.


    "Go ahead, nothing you say will leave this room." King Alexander said, alleviating Reginald''s worries.


    "Why don''t we use ''him''?" He proposed to the King.


    Lacing his fingers together, King Alexander leaned back into his chair. "How do you suppose we do that?"


    "Well, Your Highness, he is the one that was able to dispel your curse. He would be the one most likely to be able to trace whoever had used it. It would also get him out of the capital, he wouldn''t be our problem anymore." Mage Reginald explained.


    "You''ve read the same report as I have, that changes how we can deal with him."


    Shrugging his shoulders, Mage Reginald continued. "So what? We can''t touch him as it is anyway, let somebody else deal with him."


    General Ushire narrowed his eyes, looking between the two other men. "You''re talking about the necromancer, aren''t you?"


    King Alexander tried, but failed, to hide his surprise. It was a state secret what the ''King''s Shadows'' had discovered that night. Then he remembered that there was another group that had been observing Mage Kalcifer as well. Whoever had hired them must have been the one to leak the details.


    "What have you heard?" King Alexander asked General Ushire.


    Without an ounce of expression on his face, General Ushire explained. "Simply that there is a professor in the Academy that is practicing the dark arts of necromancy. Of course, those are all just rumors that I have heard from my men."


    Rubbing his temples, King Alexander looked down at his desk. "Do you have any idea where they would have heard that from?"


    "None, Your Highness. I did not inquire further, as far as I was concerned any rumors are just that, rumors." General Ushire explained.


    "Reginald, go speak with Mage Kalcifer. See what it would take to have him go to Morgania and look for the one who cursed me." King Alexander said with a tired sigh.


    "I don''t care what it takes, I just want him out of Amine." He continued.


    Reginald looked at the King with wide eyes. "M..me, Your Highness? I would really rather not."


    Looking up from the desk, King Alexander glared at Reginald. Ever since that day, Reginald had been a shell of his former self. The once proud Court Mage was now scared of his own shadow. He had lost almost all of his confidence, the King''s as well. King Alexander was seriously considering starting the search for his successor.


    "You will do this, that is an order. It was your idea anyway." King Alexander said in a stern voice.


    Looking down at the floor, Mage Reginald nodded. He looked a little pale.


    "Your Highness, what about the situation with Morgania?" General Ushire asked, only caring about his men, not about how they handled a single necromancer.


    "Prepare the men, I''ve given Morgania a month, we''ll wait until then."

 Chapter 43 - On A Mission

    It was the end of the week once again and it was time for another auxiliary class. Ryan had taken only one day off from his regular classes, attending the rest of them. Laura on the other hand had missed the entire week, only showing up today. Ryan had told Ben everything that had happened that night, leaving out only the bits that would paint him in a bad light.


    Over the week Ryan had checked in on Laura several times, making sure she was alright and that she had everything she needed. Laura greatly appreciated the fact that Ryan cared so much about her wellbeing. It took her a few days, but the feeling of dirty hands all over her body began to fade away.


    Seeing Laura walk into the classroom caused Ryan to smile widely. He quickly pulled out a chair for her at the desk next to him and Ben. "I''m glad to see you. How''re you feeling?"


    Brushing some hair behind her ear, Laura smile at him. "I''m ok, thanks."


    She looked around the classroom, seeing a few empty seats. "Where''s Kelly and Riley? Class is about to start."


    The original six members of Professor Kal''s special class was now down to only four. Richard was sitting quietly as always off to the side but not too far from the other three. Riley and Kelly, the fraternal twins were no where to be seen. Although she hadn''t gotten especially close to the two of them during their classes, she had the feeling that they wouldn''t miss just for any reason.


    "It probably has to do with the rumor going around." Ben said, leaning back in his chair.


    Laura looked at Ben inquisitively. "What rumor?"


    Laura had been keeping herself from the rest of the student body most of the week. So, she hadn''t socialized nearly as much as she normally would. The only people that would visit her would be Ryan, or her father and mother.


    Leaning forward, Ben scrunched up his face in an attempt to look scary. "They say that Professor Kal is an evil necromancer! That he likes to sacrifice children to demons and eats the flesh of his victims."


    Laura furrowed her brows. "Why would anyone think that Professor Kal is a necromancer? He''s never done anything to hurt anyone, has he?"


    Laura asked this question looking between the three of them. Richard silently shrugged his shoulders along with Ben, Ryan on the other hand looked like he was trying hard to keep out of the entire conversation by scribbling in his notebook. Before Laura could ask anything else a familiar portal opened up inside the classroom.


    "Is this everyone?" Professor Kal asked as he scanned the classroom. "How disappointing."


    Usually, Professor Treffle would accompany Professor Kal to each of their classes, but today she was nowhere to be seen. Another strange thing was the way that Professor Kal was dressed. He was wearing something that commoners would normally wear, a plain brown tunic and brown pants. It was extremely jarring seeing him in something other than black.


    With a wide smile and clapping his hands together, Professor Kal addressed the small class. "Now, I have some great news to share with all of you." He paused. "Our trip has been moved forward and has been extended!"


    Expecting an enthusiastic reaction, Professor Kal was greatly disappointed to see the four students only look at each other with lackluster expressions on their faces. Laura raised her hand, like usual. "Sir, uh, when are we leaving then?"


    "Right now!" Professor Kal said, producing his staff from his ring and made his way to the door.


    An explosion of objections sounded out behind him. Even the always silent Richard was moaning in distress. Ryan had his head between his hands and Ben was shaking his head. Laura was the only one that was capable of putting any rational thoughts together.


    "Pro..Professor! We haven''t packed or prepared anything yet. What about our parents and our classes?" She shouted out after Professor Kal before he could walk through the door.


    Smacking himself in the forehead, Professor Kal stopped in his tracks and turned to face to students. "You''re right, I almost forgot to give you these." He then proceeded to conjure four sets of plain brown clothes, very similar to what he was wearing.


    "You''ve got an hour to grab anything that you want to bring. Don''t worry about clothes, you''ll be wearing these during our trip. Don''t worry, I''ve got another pair for each of you. Meet up at the main entrance when you''re ready."


    With those words Professor Kal exited the room, leaving Laura gaping like a fish and holding four pairs of plain commoner clothing between her hands.


    ˇ­..


    A little over an hour later, the group of four met up at the main entrance wearing the drab clothing that was given to them. The other students were all staring and laughing at them as they milled around waiting for Professor Kal. The clothes were poorly made, the stiches clearly visible from several feet away. They were also made out of cheap wool, making them very itchy and hot. The children were miserable and very confused as to why they were being forced to wear such atrocious clothing.


    Clopping noises, accompanied by the sound of wooden wheels could be heard coming from the street. The children all turned their attention to the carriage that had just come to a stop right in front of the main entrance to the Academy. Everyone was staring at the atrocity in front of them, never before had anyone ever seen such a wreck of a wagon.


    It looked like it had been built by piecing together several different wagons into one. The wood paneling didn''t match, and the wheels were just slightly different sizes, causing the entire thing to list slightly to the left. The canopy that covered the back was patched together by a novice, Ryan thought that even he could have done a better job.


    The only thing sadder than the wagon itself were the horses pulling it. Those poor animals looked like they had skipped more than just a few feedings. One could see their ribs poking out of their skin and some of their teeth were missing. Their legs were stick thin and their hip bones stuck up high into the air. Flies were buzzing around them landing shortly only to be swished away by what little hair was left on their tails.


    Voices could be heard in the crowd around them, mostly expressing sorrow for the poor horses and disdain for whoever treated them in such a way. Down from the driver''s platform jumped a man with black hair and a plain face, it was Professor Kal. Getting down behind him was Professor Treffle; she was dressed in the same plain clothing as Professor Kal and the students could clearly hear her cursing under her breath.


    "Right on time." Professor Kal started, walking up to the four of them, ignoring the cursing coming from behind him. "Ok, everyone on the wagon. I''m sure you all have a lot of questions, so I''ll explain on the way."


    Under the scrutinizing gazes of their peers, and a few curious professors that had stopped to see what the commotion was all about, the four young mages shuffled towards the wagon. They didn''t have any luggage; Ryan was kind enough to allow everyone to store their belongings inside his storage ring. Now that Professor Kal had unlocked it, he was free to use it however he pleased. Ben jumped up first, then helped Laura up as well. Richard clumsily made his way into the back of the wagon while Ryan walked around the front to talk with Professor Kal.


    He had noticed something weird with the horses and wanted to ask him about them.


    "Professor." Ryan said, tapping on his shoulder before he could climb up into the driver''s seat. "Are those horsesˇ­" he paused, looking around before continuing in a whispered tone. "Are those horses dead?"


    Professor Kal looked at Ryan, then at the two emaciated horses attached to the wagon. "Huh, I could see why''d you think that, but no, they''re not dead. You wouldn''t believe the deal I got on them! Now, hurry up and get on."


    Professor Kal shooed Ryan away before getting into the driver''s seat with Professor Treffle sitting next to him still cursing under her breath. Once everyone was ready, Professor Kal whipped the reigns and the horses started to pull the wagon down the street.


    ˇ­..


    They had just left the city, exiting through the southern gates. With the tall walls slowly disappearing behind them, Professor Kal gave the reigns to Professor Treffle and turned around to address the still terribly confused students.


    "So, let me start off by explaining what is going on. I have been given the task of finding out who had cursed the then First Prince, Alexander. That means we are heading to the capital of Morgania, Austrina."


    Interrupting him, Ben spoke. "So why are we coming along then? And what''s with these clothes?"


    "Let me finish, let me finish. You lot are coming along as part of my special class. It''ll be good for you to travel and to experience the real world. As far as the clothes are concerned, they are a disguise. I can''t just go trapsing through the city proclaiming I''m a mage if I want to find whoever had done it, now can I?" Seeing that Laura was about to speak up, he stopped her. "It was a rhetorical question."


    "So, we''re going to be incognito, and you all have a part to play. I''m the father of four fine young children and Professor Treffle over there is your loving, but often moody, mother." Professor Kal enthusiastically explained.


    They all looked over to Professor Treffle, only to see her with a death grip on the reigns and a vein bulging from her neck. It looked like she wanted to strangle something.


    Seeing a good chance, Laura finally asked the question she had been wanting to ask. "What about our parents and the classes that we''ll miss?"


    Waving his hand dismissively, Professor Kal answered. "That''s all been taken care of. You don''t need to worry about it one bit."


    It was part of the package deal that he had worked out with Court Mage Reginald. Professor Kal was a little surprised to see the old man come to his door a few nights ago, but he quickly welcomed him inside his home. It was clear to see that the old mage was extremely uncomfortable. He was looking everywhere but at Professor Kal and would hardly take two steps inside the door, staying as close as possible to the exit.


    Jumping straight to the point, Reginald rushed through the reason for his visit. The King, in his infinite wisdom, wanted to use Professor Kal to find the evildoer that had cursed him and killed his father. At first Professor Kal wanted to refuse but had quickly changed his mind once Reginald said that they would offer him anything that he wished for to do so.


    Wanting to test him, Professor Kal asked for King Alexander to dress up in drag and profess his love for the King of Morgania. To his surprise, Mage Reginald said that he would bring that back to the King with a serious look on his face. Shaking his head, Professor Kal gave out a hearty laugh and slapped Reginald on the back, causing the poor old man to tremble.


    Professor Kal, after calming himself down, went through his real list of demands which included no small amount of gold along with the permission to bring along his students. There were other things on that list as well such as ingredients for potions and rare materials he needed for a few experiments that he was having a hard time locating. All of these things Reginald readily agreed to, he didn''t even try to bargain; that just showed how badly they wanted him out of their hair.


    Reginald was thinking that the kingdom got off lightly. The gold, ingredients, and materials were easy enough to write off. The students on the other hand were the only thing that gave him pause. In the end though he didn''t fight for them to stay, he just offered them up a silent prayer and thanked them for their sacrifice to the kingdom.


    With everything settled, Reginald hurriedly exited the room under the pretense of gathering up everything Professor Kal had listed. He also had to speak with the parents of the children that would be leaving with him. Professor Kal was shocked at just how fast the old man could move when it came time for him to leave.


    "Sir, do we really have to wear these things" Can''t we pick some better material at least?" Richard spoke up, his fingers digging into his irritated skin.


    Patting his head, Professor Kal answered plainly. "No. These are what commoners wear so we can''t change into something more comfortable, it''ll blow our cover. Plus, it builds character."


    "Builds character my ass." Professor Treffle grumbled from the driver''s seat, scratching around her collar.


    With a smirk, Professor Kal turned and looked at her. "Looks like mom''s in one of those moods again kids."


    Professor Treffle snapped her head in his direction, glaring daggers into him. "I am no one''s mother! I''ll be damned if I''m going to put up with this for an entire month!"


    Ignoring her outburst, Professor Kal turned back around to face the students. Professor Treffle returned to driving the shabby wagon, her face contorted in blatant rage.


    "Uh, Professor, why is Professor Treffle coming along with us?" Ryan timidly asked, glancing at the woman''s back.


    "Well" he began. "I needed someone to look after you if I''m out and about, plus, she still wants to learn all the secrets of magic. It''s the price one must pay to do so."


    In reality, she was forced to come along with him by Dean Petticoat. Mage Reginald may have been willing to throw the students to the wolves so to speak, but he was not. He ordered Professor Treffle to tag along to watch over the students. Professor Kal only accepted her because he knew her slightly and also because he got along well with the Dean.


    It had to be said that Professor Treffle protested loudly, but it was useless. Dean Petticoat had threatened her position as a professor, with that, she relented. It was now her duty to ensure that the students didn''t befall an unfortunate accident for the next month and a half, which was easier said than done.. It wasn''t as if Professor Kal would purposely harm the students, but during the time that she had known the man he would often not seem to realize how dangerous his actions truly were.

 Chapter 44 - Like Lambs To A Slaughter

    The shabby wagon continued down the dirt road. Every pothole jarred the miserable occupants inside. Nearly everyone was regretting their life choices up to that point, everyone but Professor Kal. He was sitting up front in the driver''s seat holding the reigns and singing a song that no one had ever heard before.


    It was nearly fall, which made the current weather that much more confounding. There were no clouds in the sky and hardly a breeze to take the heat away. Dust devils could be seen whirling further up the road and even the insects were taking shelter under any shade they could find.


    Professor Treffle had joined the students in the back of the wagon, finding the rays of the sun too hot to bear. It seemed like she had a permanent scowl on her face as she jostled around with every bump on the road. Ryan and Laura had their legs hanging off the back of the wagon, watching the scenery pass by them slowly.


    The wagon started to slow to a crawl. "Whoa there." Everyone could hear Professor Kal urging the horses to stop.


    "Alright, we''ll set up camp here. Benjamin and Ryan, you two go get some firewood. Richard and Laura, set up the tent." Professor Kal turned towards them from the driver''s seat and started issuing orders.


    They had stopped near a small, wooded area. Several ruts in the ground showed that this must have been a popular area for many travelers to stop in. Ben and Ryan begrudgingly shuffled off into the woods in search of dry wood while Laura looked around in confusion, not seeing a tent anywhere in sight.


    "Uh, Professor, I don''t see a tent anywhere." She said, walking up behind him while he was unhitching the horses.


    "Ah, right, sorry. Here ya go!" He said before waving his hand and causing a large pile of canvas and wooden poles to materialize in front of her.


    The unassembled tent was nearly as tall as she was. If she had to guess it looked like it could sleep at least ten people. She didn''t even know where to begin in putting this thing together, she had never spent a single night outside let alone put a tent together. Professor Kal turned back around to tend to the two malnourished horses, leaving her to her plight.


    Shaking her head, she wiped off some sweat from her forehead. "Let''s get started Richard."


    ˇ­..


    Night was beginning to fall and the temperature along with it. The slaves that had been toiling in the heat of the day finally received some much-needed relief. The last of the buildings had just been finished. What stood before them was a fortification that any nobleman would be proud to call their home. Although they were only slaves, many of them felt a sense of accomplishment for what they had achieved.


    Stone walls reached almost as high as the tallest trees, thick enough for two people to walk abreast atop of them. Watch towers dotted the top of the walls giving whoever sat inside a clear view of the forests surrounding them. Inside the walls other than the large communal hut the slaves slept in, there were stables that had been built, large enough to house thirty warhorses. Next to the stables stood a barracks, a deep basement had been dug underneath to store weapons. Smaller storehouses were spread out evenly, dug deep into the earth to provide cooler temperatures to whatever food was placed inside.


    The largest building that stood was the lord''s main hall. It was built with the same stone that the walls were comprised of. The slaves had worked tirelessly to refurbish each room, replacing rotted wooden floors and ceilings. The only room they were forbidden to enter was the main hall, the lord himself was the one to repair everything inside.


    "John! John! Are you finished yet? It''s getting dark, and I hear the Lord is offering us a special meal inside the great hall, so hurry up!" A lanky slave yelled out to his friend who was just putting on the finishing touches to a well house he had been working on.


    Wiping sweat from his face with a dirty rag, John addressed his friend. "Don''t ya worry, I just finished." Closing the door to the well house behind him, John walked back towards his friend. "What do you think he''s gonna feed us?"


    Shrugging his shoulders, the lanky slave replied. "No idea, whatever it is it''s sure to beat the hard tac and dried meat we usually eat."


    John had been a salve for the majority of his life, ever since he was eight. His parents had sold him into slavery one particularly harsh winter. Food was short and they were starving, they managed to get two gold coins for him. They could have gotten more if John had been a girl, maybe twice as much. He had been through several different masters over the years, some worse than others. This particular master has been, by far, the best.


    They were allowed to eat two times a day, actual food at that. No more were the days of boiling leather to try and get some protein in their meals. This allowed them to get more work done during the day since they had the energy from eating real food. Breaks were also allowed, as long as they got the job done and didn''t slack off too much the Lord allowed them to do as they pleased. There were also no slave drivers around, they didn''t have to worry about getting whipped or beaten if they didn''t work fast enough.


    Slapping John''s shoulder, his friend guided him into the large communal area. "Let''s get cleaned up before we head over. I wouldn''t want to smell myself while eating something delicious."


    "I wouldn''t want to smell you either." John said with a laugh, pushing his friend away from him.


    ˇ­..


    John was standing in the middle of the great hall inside the Lord''s ''manor''. That''s what the slaves called the large building the Lord would stay in, although it really wasn''t a manor in the conventional sense. He had gotten cleaned up and was wearing comfortable cotton clothing that the Lord had been kind enough to purchase for them all. He was happily talking to his fellow slaves, excited about the future that working for such a benevolent soul would bring.


    Several hogs were roasting over pits, golems were turning them slowly at a steady pace. John had never seen magic before coming to this place. After watching his Lord perform it so often, he no longer found it to be strange. He wished he could learn a few spells, especially how to summon those golems. They were a huge help when it came to building, able to lift several thousand pounds and would cut down trees like they were cutting grass.


    They all had full bellies and were happy, finally happy after a lifetime of slavery. The Lord had even brought in a few casks of wine, many of the slaves had never tasted wine before and were giddy from the alcohol. John felt it was like a dream. His head was floating after a few cups of that sweet wine. He was laughing with his friends and was even flirting with a cute female slave name Marcie. He was living the life.


    "Do you know what any of this is?" Marcie asked him, looking down at the alien designs carved into the floor.


    John looked down as well, he had seen the floor when they had first walked into this room. Of course, he had no clue what they were for, but had an idea that they had something to do with magic. He told Marcie that as well.


    Marcie placed her small but callused hand on his arm, sending his heart into a fit. Usually, a master would never allow slaves of the opposite sex to mingle. That would produce unwanted children every time, no matter how hard the slaves tried to prevent it. John was a virgin, never knowing the touch of a woman, so everything he was experiencing now was new and very frightening.


    A bright, intoxicated smile appeared on Marcie''s face. "You''re so smart John, I would never have thought it was related to magic." She pressed herself up against him, causing him to stiffen up in more places than one. "Oooo, look, it''s glowing!" She suddenly said with a giggle, looking down.


    John followed her stare, looking down at the ground. All of the patterns were starting to glow an eerie red. The other slaves had also noticed the strange phenomenon, commenting amongst themselves but still having smiles on their faces. He squatted down, running his fingers curiously through the red light. It felt almost cool to the touch, it was the opposite of what he thought red light would feel like.


    Suddenly, the red light intensified. Now the entire large room, even up to the ceiling was filled with ominous crimson light. Fear finally made its way through the crowd of slaves, some started to try and leave the room, only to be blocked by the many golems that had appeared out of thin air. Marcie held onto John out of fear, digging her nails into his weathered skin.


    With a flash, the red light brightened once more. John, Marcie, and the rest were forced to the ground, pressed into the wooden floor by a mysterious force. It was all John could do to lift his head off the ground and look around. Screams of pain and anguish were coming from his fellow slaves, his dream had turned into a living nightmare.


    Footsteps sounded out, even overcoming the screams. John struggled but managed to turn his head towards the sound. There, standing bathed in the crimson light, was his Lord. He held an ancient book in his hand and was speaking in a language that was foreign to him. He reached out and called for his Lord, but it fell onto deaf ears. His Lord continued to read aloud from the book, the red light pulsating in rhythm to his words.


    Silus was almost finished with the ritual, only a few more syllables needed to be spoken. The slaves were groveling in the middle of the magic circle, trying feebly to escape their fate. He''d lured them into the magic array with food and drink, it was much easier that way than to try and herd them into it like the cattle they were. Eyes of fear, hope, and condemnation were staring at him as he read aloud.


    With one final verse, the spell was finished. The blood red light flashed, causing Silus to shield his eyes. The screaming stopped abruptly; silence reigned in the great hall. Silus opened his eyes to see that the fifty slaves had all turned into a bloody paste that filled every nook and crevice of the magical array.


    He watched on in wonder as the runes and geometric shapes that had been so painstakingly carved, started to rotate and circle one another as if they were on water. A low hum sounded out as the magical array moved, growing louder with each passing second. A vicious wind blew throughout the hall, causing his robes to bellow.


    After several seconds, the runes and shapes halted their movement and the humming stopped abruptly. Then, like a clash of lightning and thunder, a tear opened up inside the array. It reached nearly to the ceiling and was as wide as the circle itself. Sulfur filled the air, Silus could breathe fine, but a normal human would suffocate from the noxious fumes.


    Silus took a step forward, anxious to see the fruit of his labor. From the size of the spatial tear, he was expecting some monstrosity to climb its way from the depths of hell and into the hall. His expectations were not met. A man with a build similar to his walked out of the spatial tear. He was wearing a pitch-black leisure suit with a white undershirt. His hair was crimson red and hung loosely over his shoulders.


    The man perused his surroundings before his eyes fell upon Silus.. "Ah, you must be one of Iscariot''s children."

 Chapter 45 - Phthisis

    "I can smell his blood coursing through your veins." He continued. "It''s been such a long time since anyone has offered up so many souls, I was beginning to think that this plane had been destroyed."


    Silus got down on one knee, bowing his head and remained silent. He was much different now than he was when he had summoned Iscariot, his body wasn''t racked with fear like it was back then. Now, he felt boundless respect for the being standing in front of him and knew to only speak when given permission.


    The demon walked towards Silus who was still knelt down and bowing his head. He could hear the tapping of his heels coming closer and closer. Stopping in front of him, the demon looked down at him. The strong smell of sulfur was wafting off the demon''s body, mixed in with the unmistakable scent of blood.


    "This world, it feelsˇ­ different. Much different from the last time I walked upon these lands. It stinks." The demon said, scrunching his face as if he had walked into a cesspool.


    Silus remained silent, patiently waiting for the right moment to speak. He knew better than to speak out of turn. His body may have been much stronger now, since he had taken in the demon''s blood, but was still nowhere near strong enough to fight against a pureblooded demon.


    Waving his pale hand in front of his face, trying to dissipate the reek only he could smell, the demon spoke. "Now, tell me what is it that you summoned me here for. Quickly now, I do detest being on this lower plane."


    Having been given permission, Silus took this opportunity to speak, making sure to keep his eyes trained on the floor beneath him. "My Lord. My only wish is to cleanse this world of the plague that is mankind, and any of those that align with them."


    Short and sweet, that was his answer to the demon''s question. He had spent a considerable amount of time thinking of what the correct wording to his desire would be. He could have gone on a contrived explanation of what it was that he wished for, giving the demon the sad story that was his life, but he highly doubted that he would care in the slightest.


    He then thought back on his old students, how they would always drone on and on about trivial drivel whenever he asked for an answer. It would almost drive him mad, all he wanted, all he truly cared about was the answer. So that was how he would address the demon, getting straight to the point.


    A devilish smirk appeared on the demon''s abnormally handsome face. "Ahh, genocide. How exciting." A throaty chuckle came from the demon as he slowly circled behind Silus, dragging his index finger across his shoulders and back.


    Hot chills ran up and down Silus'' spine, the touch was almost electric. His body spasmed involuntarily as it reacted to the raw power that was coming into contact with it. He clenched his jaw, muscles bulging, trying in vain to bring his body back under his control.


    The tapping of the demon''s shoes stopped directly behind him; he could feel the demon''s finger being removed from his back. He let out a silent sigh of relief.


    "I have been rather bored these last few millennia. A little bloodshed would help to spice things up. My children have grown quite famished as well." The demon stated matter of factly, as if he was talking about a subject as mundane as what color to paint the walls, not about potentially setting into motion the death of millions of souls.


    Continuing his slow trek around him, the demon started to speak once more. "Of course, this paltry offering is nowhere near enough for me to release any meaningful amount of my offspring."


    Swallowing his anxieties, Silus lifted his head slightly. "How many?"


    Now standing in front of him, the demon crossed his arms and placed a long slender finger on his chin. Looking deep in thought, the demon started to hum to himself. "Ohhhhhh, a few thousand should suffice." He said after a few moments.


    Taken slightly aback, Silus asked another question. "Any preferences?"


    He had read that some demons were fickle about the quality of their offerings. Only taking those that lived up to their standards. Some wished only for the young, some had an appetite for only women or only men. The most common were young virgin girls, at least in fairy tails they were the subset of the population that was most in danger.


    Scoffing, the demon looked down on Silus. "What does that even mean? A soul is a soul; young, old, boy, girl, the soul of a living being is the same no matter the container or condition."


    "My apologies, my Lord." Silus hurriedly bowed his head even lower.


    "No matter." The demon waved his hand in dismissal. "I shouldn''t expect much from humans in terms of knowledge of the platitudes of demon kind. I''ll leave you with a few of my children, you may use them however you please." Clapping his hands, dark figures started to appear from the roiling portal still open in the center of the great hall.


    A wave of intense heat prickled his skin and a plopping noise, much like the sound a large stone makes when being dropped into a still lake could be heard. Clacking of claws and talons followed the noise and the heat. He didn''t dare look up to confirm just how many demons had traversed the void, but from the sounds that they made, it must have been dozens.


    "I''ll be waiting for your offerings." Silus could hear the demon speaking, his voice directed away from him as he made his way back to the dark portal. "DO NOT disappoint me."


    "My Lord." Silus started, bravely raising his head, his eyes meeting the demon''s as he turned around to face him. "What shall I address you as, so as that my offerings may reach you?"


    A wicked smile spread across the demon''s face, his almost porcelain white skin cracking due to the unnatural width of his grin. Flakes of skin peeled off and began to drift slowly to the ground, wisps of smoke as black as the darkest night, rose from the cracks. His hair, once the color of fresh blood, had slowly turned brown and brittle, falling out of the root and onto his now slumped shoulders.


    In a voice that shook the room, grating and baritone, he spoke. "I am known as Phthisis, the demon of rot."


    ˇ­..


    With the campsite set up the children were huddled around the fire, absorbing its warmth. Ryan and Laura were nearly sitting on top of each other, their bond had grown much stronger ever since the incident back in the city. Ben was sitting across from them, the light from the fire illuminating his face in an eerie red and orange glow. Professor Treffle was off to his right, poking at the fire with a sour expression on her face that had been there most of the day.


    Professor Kal was present as well, fiddling with an instrument of his, the likes of the students had never seen before. Only the occasional crackle from the burning soft pine could be heard as they all stared at the flames in silence. There was always something soothing about a campfire, something that caused the viewer to sink deep into thought. The comforting warmth from the flickering flames mixed with the chill of the night, mingling together to present a person the uniqueness of the conflicting sensations.


    "So, Professor, what''s the plan?" Professor Treffle asked, the flames reflecting ominously in her dark eyes.


    Ryan, Laura, and Ben all looked back and forth between the two, immensely curious to hear the answer. All three had wanted to learn more of the situation during the trip, but Professor Treffle''s foul mood had kept them from mustering up the courage to broach the subject.


    Not taking his eyes off the contraption in his hands, Professor Kal answered. "First, we''ll purchase some place to call our own. We won''t have the necessary privacy if we lived out of an inn for an entire month."


    They all released a collective sigh of relief; they didn''t want to imagine having to share a room with a professor, or student. Laura wouldn''t be too bad off, it would just be her and Professor Treffle. Ben and Ryan on the other hand were mortified about the idea of sleeping next to the eccentric Professor Kal. Their imaginations ran wild with different scenarios of the good Professor doing nighttime experiments on them as they slept.


    Professor Treffle nodded her head, it was the best news she''d heard all day. "We have the funds for that right, I just want to be sure."


    A sly grin spread itself across Professor Kal''s face, he looked at Professor Treffle from across the flames. "Of course. The King himself is funding our little foray, so we have more than enough."


    "The King himself, huh?" She asked suspiciously but decided not to press further. "Whatever. I just want you to know that I expect you to take my input when it comes to whatever house we buy. I don''t want to be plodding around in the slums, knee deep in filth and abject poverty."


    "You don''t have anything to worry about there. Believe it or not, I have standards as well." Professor Kal explained, turning his attention back to the gadget he was still tinkering with.


    "Will we be able to help pick? I want one with a garden and maybˇ­."


    "NO!" Professor Kal and Professor Treffle sounded off almost simultaneously, halting Laura in her tracks.


    Laura was under the false belief that the students were at the same level as the Professors and thus their input was valued, but she was greatly mistaken. They were still much in a student/teacher relationship, where they were obliged to follow whatever rules and directions the two gave them.


    Laura snapped her mouth shut and lowered her head. Clearly dejected after being shut out of the conversation between the two. Ryan gently rubbed her back, trying to comfort his despondent friend.


    ˇ­..


    "So, how far is it to Austrina anyway? Do you know?" Ryan asked Ben as they were tearing down their tent they had set up the previous night.


    Ben paused for a moment, thinking back on things he had heard from his father and brothers as they had traveled the land due to their trade. "I think about three to four weeks, depending on the weather and how far we travel each day." He stopped, turning to look at the emaciated horses attached to the wagon. "So, we''d probably get there in about a year."


    Ryan looked at Ben''s face, it didn''t look as if he was joking, not one bit. He let out a defeated sigh, setting back to work on the canvas tent. After a few more minutes, him and Ben were very nearly finished when a shout came over from the wagon.


    "Hurry the Hells up! How long does it take to put a tent in your storage ring? C''mon!" Professor Kal was shouting at them at the top of his lungs. Ryan thought it was a little excessive, but the contents of what he said made him freeze. He stood there motionless, Benjamin looked up at him with narrowed eyes before dropping his corner of the tent and stomping off towards the wagon.


    With ears the same color as the brightening sky, Ryan focused on the tent and it vanished into thin air, safely stored away in his magical ring. He didn''t know why he didn''t think about using his storage ring, he just didn''t. It made sense though, they could have saved at least half an hour by doing that in the first place.


    "Sorry, sorry." Ryan said meekly as he hopped into the back of the wagon. "I''m ready now."


    Everyone else had already boarded with Professor Kal driving the wagon. He whipped the reins, urging the horses forward. Ben still wouldn''t look at him, and Laura had a large grin on her face, clearly laughing at Ryan''s expense. Ryan scrunched down in embarrassment, only wishing for a hole that he could crawl into and hide.


    ˇ­..


    In a lavishly furnished room, much too gaudy for any commoner''s taste, a man dressed in fine burgundy silk sat in contemplation. His fingers were laced together, his still young-looking face resting on top of them. A low rapping came from the ornate door, "Come in." the man said plainly.


    Court Mage Reginald stepped through the entryway, bowing his head towards the young king. His lavish robes were freshly laundered, leaving a faint lavender scent behind wherever he walked. His complexion had improved over what it was these few days past, but one could tell that he was still somewhat unbalanced by the way his eyes would dart here and there, and the fact that he would jump in reaction to any sudden noises.


    Mage Reginald closed the door behind him, before making his way over to the center of the room. King Alexander couldn''t help but see the years in his court mage. Reginald was slightly hunched over, his fingers starting to club due to arthritis. His once full head of hair, although it had always been gray since he was young, had now started to thin at a notable rate. It really was a sad sight to see.


    "He''s gone. He''s finally gone!" Reginald blurted out before King Alexander could ask him any questions.


    There was almost a giddiness in the way he said those words. He could clearly see just how happy? No, that wasn''t it, it was something different, it was relief. The King could clearly hear his relief overflowing out of those five words.


    Picking his head up off of his fingers and leaning back in his chair, King Alexander took a moment to finish his thought before speaking. "I''m assuming you''re certain he''s left. That he''s actually heading towards Austrina."


    Reginald''s lips curled up into a small smile. King Alexander noted that it almost looked manic. "Yes, quite certain. Although I do fear what he will do to those children, what must be done must be done."


    "Good, on that note, I''ve been thinking, Reginald." He paused, picking up a teacup and taking a slow, measured sip. "We should get the church involved."


    Mage Reginald cocked an eyebrow, an inquisitive look on his face. "The Church my liege?"


    "Given, they have very little sway in our kingdom; Morgania on the other handˇ­" King Alexander paused, giving Mage Reginald a moment to catch on.


    Reginald''s eyes went side, his face suddenly paling. "What if he retaliates, what if he comesˇ­"


    "ENOUGH!" King Alexander shouted, spittle escaping from his mouth, his face twisted in a mixture of rage and disgust.


    Reginald shrunk back, not a trace of his former pride as a sorcerer remained to be seen.


    "I do not have a place in my court for a coward! I realize Mage Kalcifer is unnaturally powerful, but he is still a man, is he not? Although I owe him a debt for saving my life, I cannot in good conscience leave him to wander this world.. He is a necromancer; he must be dealt with, and I''m sure the cloth would agree with me."

 Chapter 46 - Explanations

    It''s said that times goes by quickly while you''re having fun. Maybe it''s because one just isn''t paying attention, distracted by the ongoings of whatever it is that had captured their attention. Or maybe it''s because the feeling of joy isn''t meant to last, only achieving its purpose in short bursts. Any longer would only spoil other feelings, making despair that much more intolerable.


    Whatever the reason, that saying still stands true, and Ryan and the other''s riding along in the decrepit wagon were experiencing the opposite. This day felt like it would never end. It was hot, the sun beating down on them, making them sweat buckets and shield their eyes. The wind had forsaken them, leaving them to wilt in the scorching heat without the slightest hint of relief. Their backs were sore and bruised, whoever was in charge of maintaining the roads had neglected their duties. It was summed up well enough in one word, agony.


    UGHˇ­ Ben let out an audible moan, his body draped over the edge of the wagon, staring at the dusty dirt road moving slowly below them. "Are we there yet Professor? How much longer?"


    "DO NOT start that up!" Professor Kal shouted out without turning to look back at him. "We still have a long way to go before we even make it to the border, let alone the capital."


    They had been on the road for several days now. Always setting out their tents at night, then packing up and heading out at the break of dawn. The first few days weren''t so bad, the two Professors didn''t talk much but the three of them could always be seen laughing, talking, or practicing magic. Now though, only the sounds of the wagon creaking and grinding along coupled with the snorting and clopping of the horses could be heard.


    UGHˇ­ A chorus of dejected moans could be heard as all three students deflated.


    "Don''t get all huffy, we''ll be able to sleep at an inn tonight, a village is only a few hours up the road." Professor Treffle spoke up, which had been rare throughout the trip so far.


    "An inn? We''re supposed to be a poor family of commoners, traveling to greener pastures, escaping our woes." Professor Kal piped up; a hint of sarcasm could be heard.


    Professor Treffle must not have had the patience at the moment, she opened her mouth and came up for air. "I''ll be damned if I''m going to spend one more night sleeping on the ground!" She started to pull and scratch at the prickly brown tunic she had on. "And these, these, these, ''clothes'', well, you can just shove them up..."


    "Alright, alright, I understand!" Professor Kal held up a hand, stopping her before she could go on. "We''ll rent out a few rooms, ok?"


    The students, along with Professor Treffle smiled for the first time today, excited at the prospect of sleeping in a bed, even if it was only going to be stuffed with straw.


    He continued. "As far as the clothes go, you all can change out of them at the inn, just nothing too fancy, ok?"


    Professor Treffle turned to look at him. "I thought this was part of our ''disguise''?"


    "Well, yes, I do want to pass off as commoners, but honestly, not even the lowliest of commoners would wear these things" he said, looking down and pulling at the collar of his plain brown tunic. "I just wanted to see how long you four would put up with wearing them."


    Silence reigned supreme once again. Professor Kal could feel four sets of eyes burning through his flesh and into his very soul. After a moment, a scream sounded out over the desolate road. "YOU ARE JUST INTOLERABLE!!"


    ˇ­..


    It was nearing sunset by the time the group crested the last hill before the village. They were all taken aback by the flourishing activity happening just outside what looked like hastily built walls. City guards, along with a throng of adventurers were patrolling outside the walls. Torches were lined up only a few feet apart, pushing back the encroaching darkness and replacing it with an eerie orange glow.


    The din of orders being barked, and heated conversations could be heard even from where they were located hundreds of feet away. Professor Kal kept the horses going at an even pace as they approached the crowd.


    Popping his head up out of the wagon, looking forward, Ryan asked what was on everyone else''s mind. "What do you think is going on?"


    "I haven''t the foggiest idea." Professor Kal replied, not seeming to care much about the situation.


    Ignoring the Professor''s less than satisfactory answer, he looked towards the other teacher, hoping for a better idea. She gave him a look and shrugged her shoulders, the universal body language of ''I don''t know''.


    "Maybe they''re looking for someone? Or maybe there''s a monster running about?" Ben offered up his thoughts as Ryan slumped back down into the back of the wagon.


    "Everyone knows that there are hardly any monsters on the surface running about, they''re only down in the dungeons. Even if there was a monster, I doubt it would warrant such a response as this." Laura couldn''t help but to add to the conversation.


    Having taken notice to a horse drawn wagon approaching, two guards hurried over to greet them. "Hurry it along. We''re about to close the gates. C''mon, keep moving."


    Usually, the guards at a village would want to at least check to see who was entering the town, but these guards seemed more concerned about getting everyone inside before it got dark. Not bothering to ask questions, although he was beginning to grow curious as well, he drove the horses past the wooden gate and into town.


    "Just what is going on?" Professor Treffle asked no one in particular as they entered the village.


    Just like on the outside of the walls, the inside was lit up by what must have been nearing a thousand torches and bonfires. Everything was lit up like it was mid-morning, not almost dusk. It was several degrees warmer behind the walls as well and the smoke being given off tickled their throats, causing them to cough. Residents were rushing around, nailing boards onto windows, and reinforcing doorways.


    Professor Treffle looked on; her previous sour face replaced with one filled with worry. "The inn had better be open."


    ˇ­..


    Fortunately for her, the inn was in fact still open. They had found it easily enough, and it was almost completely empty, so they had the pick of the litter when it came to rooms. Although the innkeeper did look like he hadn''t slept in several days, he was more than happy to rent them out his best rooms. Though it does have to be said that the ''best'' rooms in an inn of this size weren''t much to write home about.


    With the carriage and horses put to stable, they had all congregated in the small restaurant attached to the inn. They were all excited to eat something that wasn''t hard tack or salted meat. The students were talking amongst themselves, trying to decide on what to order, although the menu was only a few items long. Even the taciturn Professor Treffle was joining in the conversation, which was a rare sight to see. Professor Kal was seated at their table as well, perusing the menu, although there wasn''t anything that seemed to interest him.


    A waiter, wearing a plain brown tunic and a white apron stained with the day''s special, came up to their table to take their order. "What will it be?"


    He looked just as tired as the innkeeper, dark circles hanging underneath his eyes. His exhaustion must have been making him impatient, his foot was tapping out an odd rhythm as he waited for the group.


    "I want the beef stew." Ben was the first to state what he wanted; his mouth was practically drooling as he spoke.


    "The same for me." Ryan quickly added on.


    "Meat pie, please and thank you."


    "Just the special." Laura and Professor Treffle said respectively.


    Turning his head, the waiter directed his attention towards Professor Kal. "And you?"


    "I want to know what is happening around here. Everyone we''ve seen has been running around like it''s the war all over again." He said, leveling his gaze at the exhausted looking waiter.


    "Haaa." The waiter started off with a long sigh. "It''s been awful these last few nights, everyone''s on edge."


    "We can see that much." Professor Treffle exclaimed, everyone else nodding in agreement.


    Shifting his weight a little, he narrowed his eyes slightly before continuing. "Right, well, it all started three nights ago. It was the dead of night; I don''t even think the moon was out. Only the local patrol was awake. I just remember the screams, the awful screams." He paused for a moment staring past them all, as if reliving the moment.


    Before the waiter could regress into his own mind, Professor Kal loudly cleared his throat, bringing him back to reality. Blinking rapidly, the waiter continued. "Anyway, almost twenty people went missing the first night, with no trace. It''s only gotten worse since then. Nobody has even seen what has been taking them. How is that possible, howˇ­" He trailed off, staring off into the distance once more.


    Professor Treffle gave Professor Kal a worried look, Ryan and the others started to murmur amongst themselves. The waiter was still giving the empty chair behind them the thousand-yard stare. "Right!" Professor Kal said, clapping his hands together loudly. "I''m sure they''re all hungry, better be off then."


    Snapping out of his trance, the waiter shook his head a couple of times before silently retreating into the kitchen, mumbling words only he could hear. The restaurant''s atmosphere felt like it had suddenly grown much colder and much more foreboding.


    Laura subconsciously scootched closer to Ryan, Ben was looking around himself, making sure nothing was sneaking up on them. Professor Treffle leaned over and whispered into Professor Kal''s ear. "Do you think we''re safe? What do you think is taking people?"


    Without a care for whoever was around him, he gave his honest opinion. "Oh, I''ll be fine. I don''t know about you four though. Probably some nest of horrendous man-eating monsters has taken up residence not too far from this village, using it as some sort of all you can eat buffet."


    The students visibly blanched, their minds went way back to the incident deep in the forest, the one where they themselves almost became dinner for a pack of wolves. They didn''t want to imagine what it must be like for the people who were taken away from their homes. How terrified they must have been, how lonely they must have felt as they were ripped from their beds and dragged off without any idea about what was happening.


    "Proˇ­ Professor." Ryan started, shifting in is seat. "Shouldn''t weˇ­ you know." He paused before looking around and leaning forward and lowering his voice to avoid any eavesdroppers. "Save them or something."


    Professor Kal looked at his prot¨¦g¨¦ like he had ran over his beloved dog, his face scrunched up in an expression of disbelief. "And why in the world would we want to go sticking our noses into any of that? Ahhhˇ­ I see." His face contorting into a lecherous grin. "Trying to impress your girlfriend there, are we? Have a little bit of thatˇ­ Hero complex, do we?"


    "Nˇ­ No, oˇ­ of course not. Iˇ­ I was just thinking since you''re such a powerful mage, that maybe there was something that you could do." Ryan vehemently denied Professor Kal''s suggestive prodding even as his face turned a shade remanence of beets.


    Laura''s face was nearly the same color as she felt a wave of heat flush into her cheeks. She even started to lean away from Ryan as she had realized just how close she was sitting to him. Professor Treffle rolled her eyes while Benjamin was stifling some laughter from across the table.


    "You are right about one thing; I am very powerful." Professor Kal said matter of factly. "But you won''t get anything with mere flattery." After stopping to take a long draw from an ornate goblet that no one had notice appear on the table, Professor Kal continued. "The only thing you will get if you continue on this train of thought is dead. I''m sure you can understand that much, can''t you?"


    Ryan looked down, only giving a silent nod in reply. Before anything else could be said, the waiter had returned with the food they had ordered, bringing the conversation to an end. They all ate in silence, thinking over everything that they had learned since they came to the village.


    As the meal wrapped up, Laura couldn''t hold back the question she was dying to ask. "Proˇ­ Professor Kal, caˇ­ can we stay in your room tonight?"


    Nearly choking on a mouthful of wine, Professor Kal took a moment to regain his composure. "My room? Absolutely NOT!"


    His reply was as swift as it was absolute, not even Laura''s upturned puppy dog eyes had any effect on the man. Seemingly finished with the conversation and his wine, Professor Kal stood up to leave. Before he could, Professor Treffle spoke up. "You three may stay in my room tonight, I would feel much better about your safety if you were close by."


    As she spat those words out like venom, she was giving Professor Kal a glare that could freeze a lake solid. The three of them visibly relaxed when they heard her words. Almost as if giving up, Professor Kal''s body went limp, and he stared up at the ceiling. He let out a resounding UGH. "Fine, here, take this thing if you want. It''ll keep you scaredy cats safe at night so at least you won''t all be huddle together shaking in your boots!"


    As he openly mocked them, he made to pull something out of his deep pocket and produced an item with the visage of a human shaped figure. He plopped the cat sized item onto the middle of the table with a resonant thump that shook the silverware. Without saying another word, he turned around and marched straight up to his room, leaving the four of them behind.


    "He''s such a child." Professor Treffle voiced, not caring that the students heard her.


    "Did we make him mad?" Ben asked as he leaned over to pick up the statue.


    "I don''t think so, I''ve only ever seen him mad that one-time Clerance tried to pull a fast one on him." Ryan offered up as he watched the Professor stomp up the stairs.


    "Oh yeah, I remember that. Whatever happened to him anyway?" Laura asked, taking interest in the statue Ben now held in his hands.


    Ryan shrugged his shoulders. "I have no idea."


    "Give me that!" Professor Treffle commanded as she stood up and held her hand out to Benjamin. He timidly handed over the statue. "Thing''s creepy, you can have it."


    The figure was only vaguely shaped like a human, it had two legs and two arms, that is where the similarities ended. Its head was a stark white animal skull, something similar to a deer or elk. Large antlers branched out from the skull, sticking out like thorns. Large, serrated teeth jutted out from its gaping maw, nothing that a deer would use to eat. Its chest was wide, bits of flesh and gore were peeled off its exposed ribs. Its arms were so long that they almost came down to touch the pedestal it stood on, large claws tipping its three fingers and thumb. Its legs were rippling with muscle, some of which you could see through open wounds and torn fur.


    A disgusted look was plastered all over the Professor''s face as she turned it over in her hands. The form was so realistic, so well made, that she could almost smell the rot coming off of the hard stone it was carved out of.


    "What is that thing?" Laura asked, equally as disgusted as the Professor.


    "I''ve never seen anything like it before, I don''t know." She answered honestly.


    "How is that supposed to keep us safe? Scare off whatever is kidnapping people?" Ben asked sarcastically.


    "I don''t know that either. And don''t get snippy with me." Professor Treffle said as she put the statue away into her own storage ring and directed her gaze towards Ben.


    "Sorry, Professor, or, I mean, mom." He replied, earning an even more steely gaze for himself.


    "You''re as bad as he is." Was all she said before she too turned and stomped up the stairs herself.


    Once she had disappeared up the stairs, they all started to laugh uninhibitedly, the tension seemed to have melted as if it was never there to begin with.

 Chapter 47 - Wings

    Almost no one could sleep, the three students were currently inside Professor Treffle''s room, who was snoring lightly. She and Laura were sharing the more than lumpy bed, while Ben and Ryan were sprawled out on the hard wood floor staring up at the cracked ceiling.


    The wind was howling outside, the shutters were shut tight against its attempted intrusion. The inn itself was groaning with each gust of wind, the click, click, click of shifting wood tormenting them with each passing moment. It was suffocating inside the room, the combined body heat of the occupants making it almost unbearable, but not one of them were brave enough to open the shutters to allow the wind inside to relieve them.


    The morbid statue of the strange creature sat alone on the only table in the room. They had pushed the table into the far corner before placing the statue on top, just the sight of it made their skin crawl. The other reason they had sat it there was because of the lack of instructions from Professor Kal. They had no idea how it was supposed to keep them safe or how to use it.


    With the shutters closed, no light could make its way inside the room, although, there was an unnerving orange glow highlighting the seams. A quiet voice, accompanied by a nudge brought Ryan''s attention to the boy lying next to him. "You still awake?"


    Trying to keep his voice down, he replied. "Yeah, unfortunately."


    Ben scooted closer to Ryan. "Can you hold me, I''m scared."


    "Shut up." He said in a harsh whisper, rolling his eyes even though he knew Ben wouldn''t see it. "Get away from me."


    "You''re no fun." Ben said. "But seriously, this place is creepy."


    Ryan had to agree with his assessment, there was always something about being in an unfamiliar place that made one''s imagination run wild. Even when he was inside the dungeon with Professor Kal, he wasn''t too afraid. Maybe it was the sense of security that the Professor gave him while exploring its depths. Thinking about it, it should have been the same here as well. He was not too far away, only in the room right next to theirs. For some reason though, it just felt different, he couldn''t put his finger on exactly why.


    Maybe it was the element of the unknown. The fact that, even though he had never been inside the dungeon before that one time, he still knew much about it due to it being heavily trafficked. There really weren''t any surprises inside the dungeon, well, except for when the adventurers directed a stampede of monsters towards him. The inn on the other hand was a complete unknown. No one knew what was happening, what was taking people in the dead of night.


    Suddenly, the floorboards creaked in protest as someone slowly made their way towards the two. "Laura, is that you?" Ryan asked, peering into the darkness.


    The footsteps stopped before a pleasant voice rung out from the dark. "Yeah, sorry. Did I wake you two up?"


    "No, we can''t sleep." Ben replied.


    A soft glowing light burst into existence; a small flame flickered briefly before descending onto the wick of a candle that Laura was holding between her hands. The tiny flame was attempting to fight back the darkness but was only powerful enough to light up a small area around the girl. She was wearing pale pink silk pajamas, her hair was let out of her usual ponytail and hung loosely over her slim shoulders. It was late at night, and she was exhausted, so dark circles were suspended below her eyes, even so, Ryan was still enamored with her natural beauty.


    She walked cautiously to wear the two boys had made their nest, trying her best to be silent in order not to wake up the sleeping Professor. She sat down on her knees close to Ryan, his breath caught in his throat. Even though they had been travelling together for quite some time now, he still got nervous around her. The next words out of her mouth though, broke him free from his nerve induced gawking. "I really need to pee."


    Snorting through his nose at the humorous un-lady like proclamation, Ben was the first to reply. He motioned towards a dark corner of the room and spoke. "There''s a chamber pot right over there."


    Laura shifted uncomfortably, her black hair brushing silently against her shoulders. "I can''t do that in the same room as everyone else, it feels weird. Can someone come with me to the privy?"


    Most inns, even houses, in the capital city had some form of indoor plumbing. This allowed people to use toilets in the privacy of their own homes or rooms. An inn located in a countryside village had no such luxury. They only had access to outhouses built over large cesspits. The other option, if one didn''t want to venture outdoors to do your business, would be to use a chamber pot located in each room. Of course, you had to empty it yourself in the morning, and had to live with the smell until you did.


    "That''s an awful idea." Ben exclaimed a little too loudly. He put a hand over his mouth and listened for the faint snoring of Professor Treffle. Once he was sure he hadn''t woken her, he continued. "You''re just asking to be taken by whatever it is that''s out there. Haven''t you ever heard any horror stories? That''s how it always happens!"


    Laura could see Ryan nodding along in the dim light. He too thought it was a bad idea. Undeterred, Laura tried to convince them to help her out. "Please! It''s just outside, it''ll only take a minute."


    Shaking his head, Ryan tried to dissuade her. "No, it''s not a good idea. Look, we''ll turn our heads, and it''s too dark in here to see anything anyway."


    Now squeezing her legs together, Laura gave Ryan a reproachful look. "C''mon, I just can''t. Please, come with me."


    ˇ­..


    "This is a horrible idea." Ben said to Ryan once again, his back against the outside of the inn.


    They had given in to Laura''s pleas, accompanying her to the privy located just outside the back of the inn. Leaves were rustling with the wind, combined with the orange red light from the many torches burning in the night made the treetops seem to boil. Marching steps and the clank of plate armor could be heard in the distance. The voices of gruff men could also be heard occasionally being carried on the wind.


    Ryan had his back against the outer wall as well, rubbing the gem held securely around his neck with a thin chain between his thumb and forefinger. It was the summoning stone he had gotten from Professor Kal after the battle with the goblins. It was still synced with the devil worm that had been summoned to save him, and he was praying that he wouldn''t have to summon it.


    Looking over at his friend, Ryan replied. "Maybe we should have brought that statue with us?"


    "Too late now." Ben said, shrugging his shoulders. "She should be done pretty soon, hopefully."


    Abruptly, the wind that had been ripping through the village stopped. The constant rustle of the leaves was replaced by a deafening silence, even the mating calls of the cicadas that had filled the air just moments before had been extinguished. An overwhelming sense of dread washed over the two, they looked at each other and rushed to the door on the outhouse.


    At the same moment they reached the small building, yelling mixed with shrieks and the sound of battle reverberated from behind the walls, seemingly from every direction. Knocking on the door fervently, Ryan yelled out to Laura who was inside. "We need to leave, now!"


    The door flung open, revealing Laura with an ashen white face, clearly, she had heard everything as well. Without saying a word to each other, they rushed back upstairs to Professor Treffle''s room, passing the disheveled innkeeper on the way. Spilling into the room, Ben slammed the door behind them and bolted the door shut.


    The fwomp fwomp of leathery wings beating the air could be heard from outside the shuttered window. The village had come alive with the snarls of unseen beasts and the screams of its inhabitants. Startled awake by the door slamming, Professor Treffle shot out of bed and had already begun chanting a defensive spell. Apparently, she was a light sleeper.


    "ˇ­concealment." With the end of her chant, a pulse of soft blue light radiated out from the Professor before dissipating into nothing. Concealment was a mid-level spell, used to suppress your scent and any noise within a certain radius of the caster. It was great for hunting prey in the thick forests, for missions that required stealth, or, as in this case, hiding.


    "Ok." They could all hear the Professor''s voice addressing them in the dark. They all knew better than to light a candle or cast any illuminating magic. "That should buy us some time. What is going on out there?"


    "We don''t know." Ryan started. "Everything just went quiet and thenˇ­"


    Before he could finish, the sound of wings flapping grew much louder, a resounding thud shook the shutters sealing their only window. "Shit." Professor Treffle spat out while taking a few steps back from the closed window. They all waited in silence, not hearing anything after the initial sound.


    An explosion of wood chips unexpectedly showered the inside of the room, peppering them with jagged shrapnel. The abrupt influx of light, even though it was dim compared to the midday sun, blinded them temporarily. When their vision returned to them, they could see a silhouette of an alien monstrosity perched where the window once was.


    They couldn''t see it clearly since the creature had the light to its back, but they could see that it was easily large enough to carry a fully grown man. Large wings unfolded from its back, blocking the light that had spilled into the room. It took one heavy step into the room beforeˇ­ "EXPLOSIVE SHOT!" Professor Treffle cast an attack spell.


    Five small glowing embers, one for each fingertip, fired out towards the monster. Impacting its barrel sized chest, the five embers snuffed out but only for a split second. Five melon sized balls of light detonated where the embers had just been. The three students shielded their eyes from the overpowering light, their ears ringing due to the thunderous sound. For a second time tonight, they had to wait for their eyes to adjust; only this time, they could see that the hole in the wall was now empty.


    Professor Treffle walked forward; the students timidly followed behind her. Looking out and through the hole, they watched for any signs of the beast that was just there. With their attention focused on what was in front of them, they all failed to notice the statue resting on the table had broken apart into thousands of pieces.


    ˇ­..


    Jordi was on edge, everyone was. His life used to be simple, patrol the village, maybe arrest a few drunks for fighting, then go home, that was it. He''d been a guard for several years, nothing major had ever happened. Well, there was that one time when the baker had been found stabbed to death, but that ended up being a scorned wife, upset about his affair.


    His easy life came to a screeching halt three days ago when the disappearances started. The first night, entire households, whole families, were abducted. Only their screams were heard and by the time the city patrol ran to the scene, they were gone.


    The second night, whatever had taken the first group seemed to have grown bolder. People started to be plucked from the streets as they walked by. Of course, there weren''t any witnesses, only the desperate shrieks of those being dragged off could be heard. That was when the village leader petitioned the local adventurers guild, posting a blanket mission to any and all that were available


    He also commissioned the wall that was currently erected around the village, it was built within a day. Men, women, and even children helped build it, he had never seen anything like it. With the wall and the extra manpower provided by the adventurers, people started to feel safe again, but that was a false feeling.


    The third night was by far the worse so far. One adventurer was killed while patrolling the outer walls and nearly one-hundred people were abducted that night, their screams filled the air while everyone could only listen, helpless. That was when they had decided to put together as many torches and bonfires as possible in the faint hope of being able to at least see what had been tormenting them.


    The village leader had also sent a messenger, riding the fastest horse they had, to the capital pleading for help from the crown. Even if they did send help, it was still several days away, there was nothing else they could do. The nearest village was two days away on horseback, so evacuating was out of the question. All they could do was hunker down and try to fight back.


    It was currently the fourth night. The torches lit up almost every square inch of the inside of the village, driving away the darkness, and some of the anxiety along with it. He was partnered with another guard, Harnel, and two recruited adventurers, making the number in his group come to four.


    Dressed in studded leather armor, both the middle-aged adventurers had long swords sheathed and at the ready. Most adventurers made their livings deep underground, fighting monsters inside the many dungeons spread throughout the land. With hardly a monster roaming the surface, not many chances for jobs above ground came to them. When one did, many jumped at the opportunity, and it being an emergency request as well made the reward very tempting.


    Jordi guided the group around the village, there were several other groups just like his patrolling as well. The two adventurers hardly spoke a word, which made the constant silence a little awkward. Jordi didn''t mind though, he much rather them be on guard taking this seriously than not.


    Moving in silence, they made their way towards the only inn in town. The heat was almost unbearable earlier today but now that the sun had set below the horizon, the chill of night caused Jordi to shiver slightly. At least, he told himself it was just the cold. "Hold up." One of the adventurers said, stopping his measured steps.


    "Ya feel that?" he asked the other adventurer.


    "Ya, somethings up."


    Jordi turned around to face the two, just in time to witness them pulling their swords out of their scabbards. "What is it? What''s going on?" He asked, his voice wavering with tension.


    "Don''t ya feel it? The wind stopped; the crickets shut up. This aint good." The older of the two adventurers said, his eyes darting around, watching between the houses.


    Jordi and Harvel followed their lead, pulling their issued short swords from their sheaths. Being given to them by the village, the swords were far from the best quality they could have wished for. Jordi in particular was wishing he would have spent some of his spare coins on a better weapon, instead of the bitter ale they served at the tavern. Now they could only hold onto the cheap swords with trembling hands and pray to the gods that they would perform their jobs well.


    Nothing happened for quite some time, only their strenuous breathing could be heard as they waited. All of the other patrols must had been doing the same, for they didn''t hear any voices coming from their comrades. Everyone was holding their collective breaths.


    "Mayˇ­ maybe its nothing? Maybe it''s just some weird weather, ya know?" Harvel muttered out, most likely trying to convince himself more than the other three.


    No one responded, even Jordi knew better than to blame it on the fickle weather. They remained standing there, unmoving, waiting. Guuuuaaaaahhhh An ear-piercing roar rung out from the darkness just out of reach of the orange glow of the flames. The sound of large wings beating the air above registered, causing them to snap their heads upwards, straining to see.


    Having fought monsters before, the adventurers took the lead. "Group up, stay together. Move towards the inn, let''s go!"


    They were already very close to the inn, so, moving as a group, they arrived within a minute. Rounding a waist high wall that was erected around a small courtyard in the front of the inn, they arrived just in time to witness a large, winged monster land heavily on the top floor of the inn. For better, or for worse, the constant light from the many fires provided abundant light, more than enough for the four to get a good look at the back of the monster.


    Leathery wings, twenty feet from tip to tip, were unfurled from its lower back. Standing eight feet high, its skin was covered in pulsing veins and seeping boils, oozing yellow pus that gave off a sickening sheen. Four arms sprouted from its sizeable chest, two were long, with bulging muscles rippling with strength as they moved. Two were directly below the others but looked to be much shorter and atrophied, nauseating ichor dripping from nodules populating them. Even without the wind, the smell that radiated off of the vile creature made the four of them retch.


    They watched in incapacitating fear as the creature used its four limbs to rip a giant hole into the side of the inn. Chunks of wood showered the courtyard below, the sound of groaning timber caused them to wince. Any moment now and the screams of the unlucky souls inside would be the next thing that they heard, but that never came.


    Instead, a blinding flash accentuated the light given off by the many fires. Next, the sound of explosions reached their ears, causing them to flinch and duck their heads down for protection. Directing their attention back to the hole in the wall, they saw no traces of the beast, only the figure of a woman looking down at them.


    "She a mage?" An adventurer asked no one in particular.


    "Must be, what''s she doing in an inn like this for?" The other replied, not taking his eyes off the woman above them.


    They continued to gawk, only being dragged back to reality by the chorus of growls and shrieks coming from the sky above them, getting closer. "Oh shit, oh fuck!" Harvel was practically screaming as he circled around in place, his eyes wide and pointed at the sky.


    They had no way to tell just how many of them there were, but a lot would be a fair estimate. If they were all the same as the individual they had seen, then there was no doubt in any of their minds that they would soon be dead. Descending from the heavens, more than a half dozen grotesques landed around them with a thud, sending clouds of dust up into the air. Open maws, blossoming like gore-soaked flower petals lined with serrated teeth and dripping with saliva, surrounded them. Green glowing eyes filled with insatiable hunger and rage peered down on them.


    The stench was overwhelming, rot and decay filled the air, they couldn''t help but to involuntarily gag. Pus dripped onto the ground with wet plops, their clawed fingers wriggling in the air as they outstretched their many arms in anticipation of catching their prey.


    Grrrraaaaaaaaawwwwwoooooooooo! A devastating roar emanated from near the inn, sounding like a mixture of an elephant''s bellow and a lion''s roar. It was many times more powerful than the noises the monsters had made thus far. Heavy footsteps shook the ground, but the four men couldn''t see past the monsters that had surrounded them. Sensing the intrusion, the monster closest to the inn turned quickly, facing whatever had produced the soul shaking blast.


    Jordi and the rest stood stock still in abject horror, watching the orange light reflect off the monster''s pus slicked back. Suddenly, with a wet squelching sound, a bouquet of long, clawed fingers sprouted from its back. The monster didn''t make as much as a scream, its body seized up, unmoving. Then, with a sound that would haunt their dreams for as long as they lived, the monster was ripped in half with incredible force. Organs, bones, and other foul smelling bodily fluids spewed over a wide area, turning the ground crimson red.


    Towering ten feet above the pile of steaming organs was a behemoth of bone and rotting flesh. Its long, bleached skull contrasted greatly with the black nighttime sky. Eyeless sockets burned brightly with licks of red flames. The orange-red flames behind its thorn like antlers reminded the men of a wintertime morning sun, rising over the horizon with the leafless trees before it. White rib bones, much like its skull, could be seen through rips in its flesh that hung and swayed with the movements of the beast. Long arms, now drenched in the blood of the ''thing'' that it killed, hung flaccidly, almost scraping the ground. Muscled legs, as big around as tree trunks, supported its massive frame.


    Flinging its head back, its colossal rack cutting the air like knives, it let out another guttural roar. The vibrations from the sound were enough to cause ringing in their ears and their armor to tremble. Jordi had seen enough, he was already on the verge of what his mind could take, and this had pushed him over the edge.. Once his bladder had emptied itself by its own volitions, his mind decided to shut down due to fear, causing the world around him to fade into black.

 Chapter 48 - The Beginning Of Battle

    Alone in his room, Professor Kal was meticulously taking down notes as he observed one of the many devices he had in his possession. This particular mechanism, consisting of a large clear crystal set in the center of five mithril rings with hundreds of runes carved into each one, was currently floating six inches off of the table he was seated at. The crystal was pulsing bright amber light at a tempo of seventy-pulses per minute, and the time in between the bursts of light was only getting shorter. The five mithril rings, multicolored light reflecting off of their polished surfaces, were rotating rapidly, each on their own axis.


    This was something he would check periodically, the levels of mana circulating within a certain area. Mana was an invisible force, much like the world''s magnetic field, it was produced naturally and was at almost consistent levels no matter where you looked. Of course, there were exceptions to that rule.


    Like his underground lab. The levels of mana there were many times the normal levels you would find elsewhere. There were several reasons for this he discovered over the years. One was he himself. Being a ''magical creature'' or monster, he subconsciously radiated small amounts of mana. Although the amount was almost immeasurable, over time, the mana would build up, especially since it was underground.


    Another reason was the entire purpose of building his lab where he did, a ley line. A ley line was just the term used to describe an area where the mana was being produced by the world. Ley lines ran up and down the surface of the planet, some small, some large. Ley lines were discovered shortly before the war, many institutions and places having anything to do with magic were built directly on top of them, taking advantage of the much higher levels of mana available.


    Since coming back to the surface he had noticed that there were no mention of ley lines, at least from what he had read in the academy''s library. He didn''t know if that was just another piece of information that had been lost in the flames of the great war, or if it had just become restricted information. He just didn''t know. But he had noticed one strange thing after looking at maps of all the known dungeons. All of them, without exception, were located either on top of, or within only one mile of a ley line.


    His theory was that whatever made the dungeons function the way they did, it required the constant supply of vast quantities of mana produced by the ley lines. It only made sense; the dungeons had to have had some sort of energy supply. The number of deaths occurring in any dungeon at any given time would never supply the number of souls required to power it. Originally, he had thought that souls captured with each death powered the dungeons, but after visiting one himself, he saw that that was impossible.


    The amount of energy required to sustain a system capable of resurrecting the monsters killed inside was astronomical, thousands of times more than what a handful of souls would provide. He would know, as a lich, he is an expert on the soul. Before he had sent his phylactery into the other plane, souls were what granted him his undeath and the powers that came with it.


    As an undead, he was unable to use mana in the way a living being could. That wasn''t to say he couldn''t, it was just much more inefficient. If you compared mana to something as mundane as water, an average mage would required just once cup of mana to successfully cast ice spear. He on the other hand, would require as much as two and a half cups of mana to perform the same spell. The only saving grace was that the amount of effort was the same, so the casting times were no different between the two.


    How liches would get around this issue was with the souls of living beings. Every living being, even plants, had a soul. The only difference was sentience. Sentient souls would be much large and packed with more energy, intelligent sentient souls even more so. Liches would take the souls and place them inside their phylacteries, providing them with the energy required for their spells and to sustain their undead bodies.


    Shaking his head, Professor Kal put his thoughts back onto the rotating device before him. He had noticed a trend over the last few days. Every night that they would stop, he would measure the amount of mana, and each night, the mana was increasing. Being nowhere near a ley line currently, the only explanation was that the total amount of mana was increasing. The amount wasn''t much the first night he had noticed it, but each night the increase was more substantial than the last.


    It still wasn''t at the levels the mana was before he had gone underground, but after a few weeks, if the rate of increase stayed the same, it may be equal to or even greater than what it was two thousand years ago. Now, the only way that was possible was if the natural ley lines had suddenly increased their outputs. Being that the dungeons were constantly draining them, that was highly unlikely.


    The only other cause would be that mana was coming into this world from another plane. There were an infinite number of planes in existence, at least that was the going theory of his time. Only a handful had actually been discovered, even fewer were able to be explored. The most famous plane was the Infernal Plane, or the plane that demons called their home.


    For that to happen, a portal must be opened and either left open for a vast amount of time, or many beings from that plane had to move into this one, or both. Thinking back on the summoning of Iscariot, this was by far the most likely cause. It looked like the newly born progenitor was beginning to make waves within the world.


    A devilish smirk spread across his face, leaning back in his shoddy chair, he put his hands behind his head and laced his fingers together. Things were finally going to get interesting; he could feel it. With the levels of mana increasing across the world, more and more monsters were bound to be born. That''s all monsters were in reality, mutated animals filled to the brim with mana. Not only that, but it was more than likely that demons were now walking this very plane. This world had stagnated for far too long, nothing was pushing it towards new innovations, everyone was happy with what they had. He couldn''t stand it. Nothing brought him more delight than to see change happening before his very eyes.


    Putting the mana detector away within his ring, he got to his feet. He didn''t need to sleep; he had no need to. His body didn''t tire, nor did his mind. He still did though from time to time, but to only speed up the flow of time. If he wasn''t engrossed in an experiment, it was much too boring to stay awake, so, he slept.


    Laying his withered body on a down-stuffed mattress, his head resting on a pillow reminiscence of a cloud, he closed his eyes. Only a few minutes had past before a thunderous explosion shook him from his bed. The entire inn vibrated, dust that must have been as old as him descended from the exposed rafters. An ominous red light shimmered behind his dark pupils, reflecting his terrible mood.


    "What in the hells are they doing in there?" He grumbled to himself, retrieving his staff from his ring. Before he could make it to the door, he heard his fellow professor finish chanting a spell before another blast shook the inn once more.


    Not bothering to knock, he flung the door open to Professor Treffle''s room. Inside, he saw the aforementioned Professor standing on the edge of a large hole that had appeared in the wall of her room. The three students were also beside her, looking down into the courtyard one floor below.


    Inhaling the putrid air inside the room, Professor Kal couldn''t help but comment. "What is that awful smell? Don''t tell me you tried to cook something again, have you?"


    The four in front of him didn''t even bother to turn to him in reply, they just stood stock still and continued to stare down into the courtyard. "Even if it''s a bad joke, its rude to ignore someone." He grumbled as he made his way next to them, staring down into the courtyard himself.


    "What are those things?" Professor Treffle managed to squeak out, noticing the arrival of her colleague. Everything had happened much too quickly for her mind to really process what was going on. She instinctively attacked when the monster had broken into her room, now though, since she''d had enough time to calm down, she almost couldn''t believe her eyes.


    There, surrounding four people were several beings much the same as the one she had driven off. She only assumed she hadn''t killed it because of the lack of a corpse anywhere. "Oh, huh, I guess I was right." Professor Kal spoke aloud next to her.


    "Right about what?"


    "Oh, never mind." He continued, squinting his eyes, and leaning forwards a little. "Hmm, I''m not quite sure what those demons are called. Hold on a minute, let me look." He said as he summoned a large dusty tome from his ring.


    "DEMONS!" A chorus of four distinct voices reached his ears as they exclaimed in shock.


    If monsters appearing on the surface was a rare occurrence, then a demon appearing was absolutely unheard of. No one alive today had ever seen a demon in the flesh, and only those scholars that studied such things even knew that they even still existed. The only mention of demons in this day of age would be in fairy tales and the occasional bard''s song.


    Gaaaaaaaaaroooooooooooooooo! A blood curdling howl tore through the tense atmosphere, sending shivers up and down their spines. Even the usually stoic Professor Kal could feel a small reaction to the noise, giving credence to the creature that emitted it.


    "Is that theˇ­... statue?" Ben asked what was on everyone''s mind as he spun around to see a pile of rubble spread out over the table, illuminated by the light coming in from the large hole in the wall. He had instantly recognized the grotesque being to be a carbon copy of the macabre statue Professor Kal had given them just hours before.


    "I think it is." Professor Treffle answered absent mindedly, staring with her mouth agape.


    The sight of otherworldly horrors was almost too much for her to handle, almost. Unlike many of the Professor''s inside the academy, she had real world experience. Over the several years of her travels, she had experienced many battles, mainly with bandits, but occasionally she would come across monsters. They were exceedingly rare in most areas, but the places she had traveled were remote and far away from any population centers. Unfortunately, the students did not have her level of mental fortitude. Even Ryan, with his limited experience inside a dungeon, blanked for several seconds while staring out the gap in the wall.


    The creature with the animal skull lumbered forward, its large body moving with purpose and drive. Much quicker than human eyes could follow, it drove its long-clawed fingers into the abdomen of one of the demons. They could only see some of the demon from their position, but they could clearly see the end result.


    Thick blood, almost like mucus, splattered in every direction. Black bones projected out of the broken corpse laying motionless on the ground. Organs, pinkish red and lined with veins spilled out of the lifeless husk. GAAAAAARRRRRRROOOOOOOO!! It let out another soul shattering roar towards the sky, challenging the remaining demons.


    Abruptly, a thin transparent veil shrouded the group of five. Professor Treffle reached out and tapped it with her slim finger, ripples spread out over its surface like a clear mountain lake on a windy day. She tried to push on it with the same finger, only to find that although it looked very pliable, it would not give a millimeter. Ryan, Laura, and Ben were prodding the barrier as well, their attention momentarily shifted.


    "Just in case things get messy." Professor Kal said, lifting a finger and pointing down towards the courtyard, refocusing their attention on what really mattered.


    There, in an unnerving glow, was what looked like hell itself. The demons had begun to cautiously circle the summoned creature, completely ignoring the lightly armed men just a few yards away. With their hefty wings spread far apart and their jagged teeth bared, pus still seeping onto the ground, the demons looked for any opportunity to pounce.


    The summoned monstrosity spun in circles, following the demons'' movements. Even though it could easily rip apart a demon, it was vastly outnumbered, so to commit to offense would be a fatal mistake. This stalemate continued for some time; the three men were dragging their unconscious comrade away, desperately trying to remain silent. Without warning, two more demons landed with a wet thud, flattening the four men underfoot.


    The three students recoiled from the gruesome sight, even Professor Treffle could feel her dinner try and force its way up from her stomach. The newly arrived demons moved forward from the pile of meat paste they had landed on. They were different from the revolting, pus covered demons that they had seen so far. They were larger, with four wings instead of two. Instead of legs, they moved around on a dozen tentacles, as thick as a man''s thigh, lined up and down with suction cups. The cups themselves had hooked barbs the size of a pinky finger. The demons themselves looked like an octopus with wings.


    The demon''s four large eyes swiveled around in their sockets, finally focusing on the beast encircled by their brethren.. A low growl echoed throughout the courtyard, the spectators couldn''t tell which monster had made the noise, but as if that was the signal, the demons converged.

 Chapter 49 - Big Trouble In Little Swayzee

    With a swipe of its long-clawed fingers, the summoned creature rendered the flesh of one demon to ribbons. A thick flow of blood poured out the three long and deep gashes, the demon screeched in pain before using its large wings to launch itself into the sky. Two more demons filled the gap left behind by their comrade, another swipe by the creature with its opposite arm was what greeted them, but they were prepared. For creatures of such size, they were surprisingly nimble. Both demons backstepped just out of reach before rushing forward and using all of their many arms to latch onto their foe.


    High up in the safety of their perch, Professor Treffle watched in awe as all of this was happening. "Just what kind of creature is that?"


    The summoned monster had hefted the demons that were latched onto both its arms up and off the ground. They were biting into it with their shark like teeth, no blood oozed from its wounds, only a black tar like substance. More demons were lumbering towards it with one of the tentacled demons staying back, wriggling its arms in anticipation.


    Not taking his eyes off of the battle unfolding before them, Professor Kal replied. "It''s a wendigo." Seeing the confused faces staring back at him, he explained further. "It''s a very old monster, some say it was among the first. A few wandering tribes would even worship it as some sort of eldritch god, one that would roam the land and devour anything alive, or dead. Being such a threat, all of the races, even the undead, banded together and exterminated any and all that they could find. I actually found that statue in some ruins some time back, I always wondered what it did."


    A look of shock came across Professor Treffle''s face. "What do you mean you didn''t know what it did?! I thought it was supposed to protect us?"


    Scratching the side of his cheek, Professor Kal looked anywhere but at her. "Well, I mean, I knew it did something because of the amount of mana radiating off of it, its just I could never get it to activate."


    "So how, please tell me, would that have protected us?!" She said in a low voice, glaring at him.


    "It made you feel better, didn''t it?" He said, shrugging his shoulders.


    Meanwhile, the wendigo, with both of the demons off of the ground, unhinged its lower jaw much like a snake''s. With a swift motion, it snapped down onto the head of one of the demons. An explosion of pink brain matter squirted out from between the wendigo''s teeth, the demon''s headless corpse slumped to the ground. Now, with a free arm, the wendigo sunk its three fingers deep into the demon still attached to it. Using its immense strength, it ripped it off its arm, but not without injury.


    The demon''s strength could not be underestimated, as it was pulled away, it took with it great swaths of the wendigo''s rotted flesh and muscle. Tossing away the injured demon, the wendigo let loose another roar, not of pain but of rage. It was now injured, with only one usable arm, the demons took advantage and swarmed it once again.


    This time, the tentacled demon moved. Using its twelve arms, the demon scuttled forward wrapping the wendigo in a barbed embrace. Yanking its arm free, the wendigo tore and wrenched on the demon, struggling to break free. Its body was mostly covered by the tentacled demon, only its impressive rack, head, and free arm could be seen biting and clawing.


    It was taking large chunks out of the demon with each bite even as the other demons were attacking it from all angles. It was impossible for the demons attacking the wendigo not to also injure the one wrapped around its body, but they never stopped. Terrifying shrieks and grunts filled the air as they tore the wendigo apart.


    With no other choice, the wendigo ceased its struggle and started to speak in an unknown language that sounded more like low snarls than words. The crimson flames in its hollow eye sockets burned brighter, even those watching from above could see them through the mass of bodies, its mouth remained open, and the words continued to spill forth. The demons ripped and tore at its already decaying flesh, only intensifying their attacks as the wendigo was nearing death.


    Professor Kal took a step back, turning towards the others. "Uh, we should probably move."


    Before they could ask why, they felt it. The air around them, even through the barrier that had been erected, feltˇ­... heavy. It felt as if there was a predator stalking them, about to pounce and eat them alive. An overwhelming sense of dread filled their minds, made their hearts race and their breaths quicken. Rushing towards the back of the inn, they left the room and ran.


    Outside, the wendigo finished its ancient spell. The demons could sense the atmosphere as well, they desperately tried to kill it before it could finish, but they were too late. Arcs of jet-black energy danced between the tines of the wendigo''s antlers, its sockets burned the brightest they had all night, easily outshining the nearby torches. Being consumed alive, the wendigo felt no pain, it threw back its bleach white skull and laughed a jackal''s laugh.


    A pillar of darkness so black that it even consumed the darkness of night slammed into the ground with a woosh, the wendigo as it''s epicenter. The entire courtyard, along with half the inn, was lost in the darkness. Not a sound could be heard, just moments before, the screams of the demons and the uncanny laughter of the wendigo filled the air, now, nothingness, everything was devoured.


    After several seconds the pillar of darkness disappeared as quickly as it was created. As the air around it rushed in to fill the void, it became superheated and expanded out in a blast so large that it not only flattened the inn but an area of a quarter of a mile around it. The demons flying around the large village all plummeted towards the ground, their ear drums had burst and were suffering from temporary vertigo. People from up to fifty miles away could hear the blast and all turned their eyes towards it.


    Where the rear of the inn once was, nothing but wreckage remained. Twisted pillars of oak, splintered boards and crumbled bricks were in piles scattered about. One such pile began to move, the rubble sliding off in every direction revealing five people, four of them crouched down and shielding their heads with their arms. The one standing was surveying their surroundings with appreciation.


    "That wasˇ­... fantastic!" Professor Kal shouted out, clearly pleased. "Such power, I''ve never seen magic used in such a way. I can see why they were feared!"


    Turning to his companions, Professor Kal couldn''t wait to go and investigate the aftermath. "C''mon, let''s see what''s left!"


    Before they could refute him, he bounded off towards where the courtyard once was. In place of the cut grass and stubby bushes was a hole. A hole so deep that the bottom could not be seen, not even after Professor Kal had cast continuous light and thrown it down the shaft. The edges were perfectly round, like a giant had used a cookie cutter to gouge out the ground.


    Ryan walked along with Laura; Ben and Professor Treffle a little bit ahead of them. They were both frazzled from what had happened so far tonight and were very eager to leave this town behind. Surviving something together usually brought people closer together, it was the same in this case as well, without thinking too much about it, they both reached out and held each other''s hand.


    Hearing shifting rubble behind him, Professor Kal turned to see Professor Treffle and the rest coming up to him. "Isn''t it wonderful!? Just look, it devoured everything, the demons, the dirt, even the air, absolutely everything!"


    Professor Treffle shook her head, she had had enough of everything tonight, she was done. "Can we just get out of here already?!" She urged him. "There''s more of them out there, I can hear them. Let''s just go. Open up a warp gate already."


    "Fine." Looking like he visibly deflated, Professor Kal turned towards where the stables once stood. "I guess I don''t have to worry about bringing the horses huh?"


    Grasping his black gnarled staff, he slammed the end of it into the ground. Instead of a Warp Gate opening, a spear of earth shot up out of the ground, impaling a demon that was sneaking towards Ryan and Laura from behind and spattering the pair with its blood. The earthen spear ran from its groin and jutted out its neck. It had gotten as close as ten feet from Ryan and Laura, who were bringing up the rear.


    "Pay more attention!" Professor Kal scolded them. "Let''s move, we''re not safe here."


    Out in the open, due the buildings immediately around them being reduced to rubble, they rushed down the street towards the buildings that remained standing. They were huddled together, sticking to Professor Kal like glue. Making it safely to the first group of still standing buildings, they stopped to collect themselves and plan out what to do next.


    "Perform the spell now, I don''t think there''s any near us at the moment." Professor Treffle suggested as she poked her head around the corner of a house.


    Professor Kal had pulled out a white cloth and was polishing the head of his black staff as he leaned against the exterior wall of the house. "Oh, they''re close by. Those big ones with all the tentacles can use dimensional magic as well so they''ll probably just follow us."


    They couldn''t believe how indifferent he sounded. They knew he was a powerful mage, but they were surrounded by demons, not just monsters. They could still hear the sounds of battle, screams of both demon and man mixing together and echoing off the walls of the burning buildings. Ryan, Laura, and Ben were all as white as a sheet as they caught their breath.


    "Then what do you suggest we do?" Professor Treffle snapped. "Look at the children, are you going to let them die?"


    The Professor''s words worked only to drive more anxiety and fear into their hearts as somehow their faces grew even paler. Rolling his eyes and letting out a huff, Professor Kal put the white cloth away before stepping out into the alley way. Thick smoke congested the narrow space in between the burning buildings, heat prickled his skin as an updraft began to whip the wind into motion, fanning the flames even further.


    "C''mon, follow me and stay close."


    Due to the pressure wave sent out by the massive explosion, the demons were all temporarily grounded. This let them breathe a little easier since they didn''t have to look towards the sky as they moved, but they still had to be careful. They moved as quickly as they could, the three students hiding behind the two Professors. Professor Treffle kept her head on a swivel, eyes wide and looking in every direction, her posture telegraphing how tense she really was. Professor Kal on the other hand walked a steady pace, head held high and his back as straight as an arrow.


    A demon eight feet high burst through the wall of a burning tavern as they passed, the flames and embers doing nothing to its skin. Benjamin let out a terrified shriek and jumped back, Ryan shielded Laura as Professor Treffle fired off a fireball that she had prepared earlier. The ball of roiling flames was the size of a coconut and hurled towards the demon. The demon didn''t even bother trying to protect itself as the super-heated ball broke over its body like waves on a seawall.


    The plane that demons originated from was filled with fire and brimstone, the ambient heat alone would be unbearable to a human, so it only stood to reason those simple flames were far from enough to actually harm them. The demon''s mouth curled up into a hideous smile, revealing its rows of sharp teeth. Letting out a grunt, the demon unfurled its wings and leapt towards them.


    A lance of blue ice met the demon in midair, impaling its left shoulder and causing it to fall to the ground. Before it could stand, another lance pierced its right thigh, pinning it to the ground. No blood fell to the ground, the wounds around both spears of ice had instantly frosted over, congealing any fluids. The demon growled in pain, gnashing its teeth at the mage slowly approaching it.


    Professor Kal was much smaller compared to the demon nailed to the ground. Anyone witnessing such a sight would think that the demon would be able to break free from a single ice sickle only as big around as a man''s arm, then pounce on the mage, tearing him apart; but that did not happen. The demon struggled but failed to even scratch the ice, let alone break it. It grew weaker with each passing moment, the mana infused ice sapping its strength through a method unknown to it.


    Professor Kal now stood eye to eye with the demon as it was forced to kneel due to the spear of ice, its wings limply draped behind it. "Tell me what''s going on." He said in a language not originating from this world. Each syllable was a mixture of guttural grunts and nasally screeches.


    The demon''s yellow eyes widened briefly, the shock of hearing its mother tongue plastered on its unsightly face. Its simple mind spun, working overtime, trying to sus out how a human could speak the infernal language. Finding no answers to its question, it decided to ask the human. "How do you speak our tongue?"


    Swinging his staff overhead, Professor Kal answered by crushing the demon''s knee. "I''ll ask you again, what are demons doing on this plane?"


    Screams now mixed with the grunts of the demon as he answered. "Youˇ­... you will all die! We bring pestilenceˇ­... we bring deathˇ­... we bring your end!"


    Figuring he wouldn''t get the answer he wanted and noticing the strange stares the others were giving him behind his back, he swung his staff once again, crushing the demon''s skull.


    "Were you... talking to it?" Professor Treffle asked as she trotted up to him with the students following behind her like baby ducks.


    Shrugging his shoulders, Professor Kal flicked his staff, trying to get the gore to come off without him having to touch it. "Trying to. He didn''t have much to say really. Let''s get out of here."


    He turned and started walking towards the nearest gate, not giving her the time to ask anymore questions. She hurried after him, not wanting to be left behind, many questions still burning in the back of her mind. Holding his staff tightly, Professor Kal cleared the way of any demons that barred their path. Each time the staff touched the ground, another pulse of magic shot forth, performing miracles.


    They were not the only ones still battling. Pockets of fighters still stood, fighting for their lives. They witnessed demons tearing doors from their hinges and dragging poor souls from their homes and up into the blackness of night. A few of the luckier survivors had managed to hide thus far, when they poked their heads up after hearing the death sounds of the demons, they seen Professor Kal sauntering down the street exterminating demons with each of his steady steps. A kindle of hope was ignited within them as they ran from their burning homes and flocked towards their savior.


    ˇ­..


    Several miles away, rain was drizzling on the capital city of Amine. The gates were sealed tight, a few torches fought against the night and cold rain. Guards shuffled back and forth on top of the walls, yawning from time to time, fighting to keep their eyes open. A disheveled man stumbled out of the darkness and up to the closed gate. He was wearing inexpensive clothes that stuck to his skin due to the rain.


    He took just a few seconds to catch his breath as he had been running for the last several hours and was beyond exhausted. "Open up!" He shouted, banging on the gates with his fists. "It''s an emergency!! Let me in!"


    He was the messenger that the village had sent out for help. He had been riding hard, cutting what was a five-day journey down to a day and a half. The strongest horse the village had to offer was now dead on the side of the road ten miles behind him, its heart had given out from over a day of constant exertion. He was forced to run the rest of the way to the capital with no light, using the muddy road as his only guide.


    A guard patrolling the wall peeked down at the man, drawn by the sudden noise. "What ya want?"


    "Let me in! It''s an emergency! I need to talk to your captain!" The man demanded, looking up at the guard.


    Taking a moment to think, the guard paused. "Alright, hold yer horses."


    Pacing back and forth, the man impatiently waited as the rain continued to fall. Soon, he could hear the latches on the side door sliding on their rails. A door just to the left of the main gate opened up, the guard that had been on the wall stepping out and looking around. The man rushed to the guard, only to be stopped before he could get too close. "Hold it there, state yer name and business. I can''t just let you in like this."


    Letting out an irritated breath, the man swallowed the ill words that he wanted to say. "M''name''s Marcus. I''m a messenger sent by the head of Swayzee, we need help." He pulled a golden medallion out of his breast pocket and handed it over to the guard.


    Every village had a few of these medallions to identify those that were identified as representatives. They were usually used when the village traded with the larger cities or when negotiating terms every few years. It was as big around as a silver dollar with copper backdrop and a golden crest of the royal family raised off the surface.


    The guard inspected it closely before nodding his head and handing the medallion back to him. "Alright, follow me."


    Marcus followed the guard through the side door and down a narrow hall that led to the other side of the fifteen feet thick wall. A small guard shack was nuzzled up against the wall. It was twenty feet by twenty feet square building with only two windows and one door. Marcus was taken inside where he sat down at a wooden table, two other guards were inside as well, playing cards.


    "Now." Started the guard, taking a seat across from him. "Tell me what''s going on."


    Marcus took a deep breath, a slight shiver running through his body. "People are disappearing from our village. We''ve tried to catch whatever''s been doing this, but so far, nothing."


    A bored look was on the guard''s face, he seemed like he was only paying half attention. "Couldn''t they just be moving a different village, or out someplace else."


    "No! You don''t understand!" Marcus shouted out in frustration. "Something''s taking them from their home, we can hear the screams!"


    His outburst drew the attention of the other two guards, they stopped their game of cards and looked over. The guard across from him rose an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "Their screams, huh? Well, maybe you should get some rest. It looks like you''ve been through a lot."


    "Are you kidding me? My famˇ­ the village needs help!" Marcus screamed at the guard, rising to his feet, the chair falling with a clatter behind him.


    The guard held up both his hands, the two behind Marcus stood up as well, placing their hands on the hilts of their swords. The tension in the air was palpable, Marcus''s hands were balled into fists, and he was gritting his teeth, trying to contain his rage.


    "Look." Marcus started, his tone of voice relaxing. "We don''t have much time. It''s only been getting worse. Every night people are being taken, every night something comes."


    "Ok, ok. I get it. It''s late, alright. Get some sleep and we''ll get the captain first thing in the morning."


    "Butˇ­" Marcus began before being cut off by the guard.


    "I''m certain they''ll be fine.. There''s nothing we can do right now anyway is there? I''m sure the village will still be there tomorrow."

 Chapter 50 - Helping Out

    "FOOL!" An ethereal beauty snarled; the disgust painted on her face not taking away from her magnificence. "An utter moron. That country is doomed to fall." She continued on, venting to her maid that accompanied her inside a luxurious carriage.


    Princess Alessandria was currently bounding down an unpaved road, rushing back to the Kingdom of Morgania. King Alexander had given her an impossible timeline of only a month to find the person or persons that had cursed him, and already, five days had passed. It would take her at least twenty days to return, and that was going at their current pace.


    She was forced to leave much of her entourage behind, only taking with her the elite soldiers and her own personal guard. Being a smaller number of people, they were able to increase their speed, but it came at the cost of safety. Still, the soldiers numbered just over a hundred, and her personal guard was ten of the best female knights her kingdom had to offer.


    Relaxing her contorted face, Princess Alessandria closed the wooden slat on the carriage that she was peering out of. The chilly night air had worked wonders in cooling her temper. "Sarah, how much longer until the next village?"


    The maid, Sarah, answered quickly as she had studied the crude map of the Amine Kingdom quite extensively. "Only three more days at our current rate. Will we be resting there?"


    They had been taking short rests throughout the return trip, but never more than what was necessary. It was imperative that they return as quickly as possible, but even she knew that a proper rest was needed, and soon. The soldiers would never complain, but even an untrained eye such as hers'' could tell that they were on the verge of breaking down, the horses as well.


    "Yes, I think it appropriate to rest properly there. We could have rested inside the village we had just passed, but something seemed quite off, didn''t it?"


    Nodding, Sarah agreed. "Indeed, it did Milady."


    They had passed through a relatively large village much earlier in the day, she didn''t bother to remember the name. The resident seemed to be on edge, rushing around and boarding up their houses, it struck her as very odd. She decided not to risk getting involved in any unnecessary trouble, so she ordered them to not even stop, just continue on.


    Now it was well past the witching hour, they had been constantly traveling since the mid-afternoon sun. Princess Alessandria tried but failed to contain a large yawn. "Tell them to stop, we''ll rest where we are until dawn."


    Sarah nodded before turning around and sliding the window open, speaking a few words to the carriage driver. Soon enough, the carriage began to slow down, eventually stopping. Before Sarah could help her, Princess Alessandria exited the carriage into the frosty night air.


    "Milady, please allow me." Sarah said in a fluster. It was her duty to do everything for the Princess, even opening doors for her.


    Stretching in a very un-lady like fashion, Alessandria''s joints audibly popped, sending a pleasant sensation through her sore body. "Sarah, please. I can do at least that much for myself."


    Before Sarah could argue with the Princess, she was interrupted by a knight dressed in full armor. The knight was only slightly taller than the Princess and had no helmet on, revealing long brown hair braided tightly into a French bun. "Your Highness, we will have your shelter assembled momentarily."


    Waving her delicate hand, Princess Alessandria refused her. "No need Lilly. I''ll rest in the carriage after I stretch my limbs. There''s no need to waste your time putting together a tent only to tear it down in a few hours. Use this time to get some sleep."


    "But..." Lilly, the knight, started.


    "Ah, I won''t have it. That''s a direct order, get some sleep." She said, a hint of kindness in her tone.


    "Of course, your Highness." Lilly said, bowing her head.


    Lilly turned to leave before stopping and looking up into the moonless night, a far-off rumble could be heard being carried by the wind. Although it sounded to be far away, the knights surrounding the Princess instinctively placed their hands on the hilts of their swords. Following the deep sound were high pitched screeches, the horses began to whinny and paw the ground in irritation.


    An apprehensive look appeared on Alessandria''s face. "Lilly, be careful tonight, ok?"


    ˇ­..


    A strong breeze blew by; the chill it brought with it causing the people to huddle closer together. Most everyone was only wearing nightgowns or just whatever they could grab. No one spoke, quiet sobbing could be heard as mothers held their children closely, trying to share their warmth and to comfort them while holding back their own tears. A few men were desperately trying to start a fire, but the wood was much too wet to hold a flame.


    Only a handful of people were dressed in leather armor and carrying weapons, they were walking along the outside of the huddled throng of people, keeping their exhausted eyes on the quickly brightening horizon. A smaller group of people were idling off to the side, three teenagers, a very tired looking woman, and a man that seemed to have a permanent scowl plastered on his face.


    "You want me to what?" Professor Kal asked, rhetorically. "You want me to help them? I think letting them follow us this far is help enough don''t you think?"


    There were nearly fifty people sitting out in the open, all survivors from Swayzee that had followed them as they made their way out of the village. The only thing remaining were piles of smoldering embers just one mile behind them, the smoke still clearly visible. They mostly consisted of civilians, not accustomed to life outside in the wild. Only five adventurers made it out with them as most of them were either killed or taken away by the demons.


    "We can''t just leave them out here, they''ll die!" Ryan cried, red in the face. He had been arguing with the Professor for the better part of an hour, trying to convince him to at least escort them all to the next town.


    Rubbing his temples, Professor Kal let out an exceptionally long sigh. "I. DO. NOT. CARE. How do you not understand that? There''s nothing in it for me. Why should I go out of my way to help them?"


    A look of disbelief was on Ryan''s red face, he couldn''t believe what he had just said. Ben and Laura were walking away from them, shaking their heads. Professor Treffle was sitting on a rock, picking dirt from under her nails, seemingly not caring either way.


    Ryan took a few steps closer, in a hushed voice he declared an ultimatum. "I won''t be your apprentice from here on out then!"


    Professor Kal crossed his arms and turned up his nose. "Fine, see if I care."


    With those words, Ryan performed an about face and walked over to Ben and Laura. "We''re going to help them to the next town."


    They both slowly nodded before Laura spoke. "Isˇ­... is Professor Kal coming?"


    "I don''t know, and I don''t care." Ryan said resolutely. "Either way, Professor Treffle will be with us, so it doesn''t matter. I''ll go tell them."


    Ryan then marched over to where the survivors were still trying to light a fire. He quickly cast a simple fire spell engulfing the damp kindling in flames. Seeing the flames catch, Ryan raised his voice so that everyone could hear him. "Rest here for a little bit, then we''ll start heading towards the next town."


    While Ryan was speaking to the villagers, Ben turned towards Laura. "What''s gotten into him? Since when is he like this?"


    "I don''t know." Laura answered honestly. "Maybe seeing everything changed him?"


    What they had all witnessed last night was extremely traumatic. It wasn''t just the constant pressure from the demons, or even the amount of blood and gore. That''s not to say that that didn''t bother them, but it wasn''t more than they could manage. It was the human suffering that had changed them all.


    They couldn''t count the times they seen people running to them only to be set upon by a demon, screaming for help as they disappeared into the night. Or the children refusing to leave their burning homes, wailing for their ''mommy'' or ''daddy'' before being consumed by the flames. Adventurers and guards alike fighting for their lives, and the lives of their friends and family, only to be toyed with by the demons, laughing as they killed them slowly and without mercy.


    They wanted to help them but were powerless to do so. They had pleaded with Professor Kal to do something, but he had refused to. He had told them that if he did, they too could be killed, or the people they were already escorting through the burning hellscape. He explained that they couldn''t save everyone, and to try to would only end up hurting more people than it helped.


    They couldn''t argue with his logic, deep down they knew he was right. Even someone as powerful as Professor Kal couldn''t guarantee that he could protect everyone. They could only watch an increasing number of people die before their eyes, and with heavy hearts they moved on.


    Ben agreed, he also felt like they needed to help them now more than ever. Like it was their responsibility to look after them. "C''mon, let''s help him out."


    ˇ­..


    After resting a few hours, the now refugees gloomily filed down the unpaved road. There was no argument when Ryan had asserted himself into the role of a temporary leader, not even from the few adventures. They seen that he was a mage, so had no issue with the arrangement. Ben, Laura, and even Professor Treffle performed healing magic on the ones that needed treatment. Laura especially was an enormous help in that department due to her affinity. By the time they set out, all four of them had earned the survivor''s respect and trust.


    Professor Kal still hadn''t said a word since Ryan had threatened to pull his apprenticeship but was still circling within eyesight of the group. It wasn''t lost to Ryan that he was following them as they walked towards the next town in silence.


    They moved on, none of them speaking a word to each other, only the shuffling of tired feet on the dirt road could be heard. After several hours, their paces slowed noticeably, prompting Ryan to call for a break. The people held no possessions, some didn''t even have shoes on their feet, all they could do was find the least dirty area to lay down in.


    They had no food or water, the five adventures volunteered to brave the woods nearby and hopefully find something to eat. Ryan, along with his classmates and Professor Treffle, conjured water via magic, adding onto their own exhaustion, but allowing everyone to at least not die of dehydration.


    Laura walked over to where Ryan was catching his breath, plopping down next to him. "We can''t keep going like this. We''ve barely covered any ground and it''s still more than four days to the next town."


    Ryan said nothing, he just gave a slight nod while Laura noticed a single tear roll down his cheek, leaving a trail of clean skin as it did so. She put her hand over his, trying to at least provide him some level of comfort.


    "I''m sorry." He said in a quiet voice, using his other arm to wipe his face. "I just wanted to help them... help someone." He looked at his grime covered hands. "What good is magic if it can''t help anyone?"


    She didn''t have an answer. She just sat quietly by while he vented his frustrations to her. After a few minutes, they noticed the sound of footsteps coming from behind them, accompanied by a voice Ryan didn''t want to hear. "Look at this sorry lot."


    "Shut up!" Ryan hissed, not even bothering to turn his head. "You could help them all if you wanted to, send them all back to the capital with your Gate. Instead, you''re letting them all suffer, letting US suffer. All because you don''t feel like it?! You''re a real bastard, you know!"


    "First of all, ouch. Those words sting you know?" Professor Kal teased in an exaggerated tone of voice. "Secondly, Warp Gate doesn''t work that way. The further the distance the greater the amount of mana required. I wouldn''t be able to transport anyone other than myself that far. And finally, Mr. Do-good, I''ve decided to lend you my assistance."


    Ignoring most of everything that was said, Ryan latched onto the last part. "You will?! Did you finally find some traces of life in that cold heart of yours?"


    "What is it with you and the insults all of a sudden?" Professor Kal exclaimed. "We''ll have to remedy that, and no, I just can''t stand looking at this sorry sight any longer."


    By this time Ryan had gotten to his feet, clearly in a much better mood than before, much to the relief of Laura who was standing next to him. "Well, whatever. How are you going to help?"


    Professor Kal stuck his thumb out, using it to point towards the woods behind him some one-hundred yards away. "Starting out, I thought I''d let you know that we''ve got company."


    ˇ­..


    A light tapping sound was heard from the slightly ajar door, capturing Dean Petticoat''s attention. Looking up, he seen his secretary, Minnie. Having been acknowledged, she timidly walked to his large desk and silently placed a letter on it before leaving just as quickly. Dean Petticoat shook his head, Minnie had always been like that, incredibly quiet and shy. She had been his secretary for the past several years, and yet she would still barely hold a conversation, even with him.


    Turning his attention to what was placed on his desk, he seen a white envelope trimmed with gold leaf and the Royal seal taking up much of the center. His mood soured as he slumped in his chair. He''d had enough to worry about with running the academy, he dreaded to think of what the letter had in store for him.. Letting out a reluctant sigh, he reached for letter.

 Chapter 51 - Deja Vu

    Three figures were sprinting through the thick forest, branches whipping their faces as they struggled to breathe. The one taking up the lead boasted a slender figure that was hard to see underneath a full suit of plate armor. Her armor was scarred with gashes and dried blood, her face was pale and covered in sweat, and she was missing her left arm.


    The second figure was slightly shorter than the first, her long blonde hair was matted with dried mud and had small twigs sticking out in all directions. The once pearly white dress she was wearing was now a kaleidoscope of browns, greens, and dark reds. Snow white skin peeked out from several rips in the fabric, capable of driving any man mad with lust.


    The last person was a tall man also wearing full plate armor, his shoulders wider than the two women''s put together. His armor was in much worse shape than the first''s, deep wounds still slowly oozing dark blood, staining the dried leaves on the ground as they ran. He was the only one armed, holding a long sword in both his gloved hands.


    The sound of crunching leaves and breaking branches were only overpowered by the sound of their labored breathing, and the snarls coming from behind them. Even heavily injured, the female knight was able to nimbly dodge a fallen tree barring their path. The second woman tried to clear the obstacle but fell headfirst onto the ground when the hem of her dress caught on the dead tree. Her face slammed into the ground, bloodying her nose, and scratching up her delicate features.


    Stopping and hurrying back, the female knight bent over to help her up. "Princess, we must hurry, those things are almost upon us."


    Princess Alessandria hurried to her feet, her dress still caught on the tree, ripping it even further. She struggled to tear the dress free but was unable to. "Lilly... it''s stuck! I can''t get it!"


    Without a word, the male knight brandished his sword, cutting the fabric free of the tree. Deep howls could be heard bounding behind them, constantly closing the distance. "Lilly, run! Take the Princess with you! Don''t look back, I''ll buy you time!"


    The man''s voice was pleasant to the ears and his features matched it. Although his face was caked in dried blood, his chiseled jaw and gentle features exuded grace and masculine beauty. His ice-colored eyes burned with determination as he turned to face what was stalking them.


    "Raphael, no, you can''t!" Princess Alessandria reached out to him from behind the fallen tree, missing him as he took a few steps forward, bringing his sword up in front of him. Tears were streaming down her face, mixing with her own blood from her broken nose.


    "Lilly! Take her now!" Raphael bellowed, causing Alessandria to jump, that was the first time she had heard him speak that way.


    Raphael Corozal had been the commander of the Royal Select for five years now. He was only a few years older than the Princess at twenty-eight years of age. He was the youngest commander in the history of the Kingdom of Morgania, he was also the most skilled. He had been undefeated in battle, never so much as suffering a major injury. This, along with a beautiful tactical mind accelerated him to the top position, coveted by many, and only achieved by a few. He was fiercely loyal to the crown, never questioning his orders or faltering in his execution.


    Now, he was the sole survivor of the one-hundred and one strong Royal Select. Soon, he would die as well. He was prepared to die, every time he stepped out into the battlefield he was prepared. What he wasn''t ready for was to allow Princess Alessandria to follow him into death. It was his duty to do everything in his power to keep that from happening, and he would give his life in order to fulfill it.


    Lilly, with her only arm, grabbed Princess Alessandria and yanked her in the opposite direction. Alessandria started to struggle, not wanting to see her friend die, not another one. "Princess don''t let him die in vain. We must go." Lilly said sternly as she overpowered her and dragged her by the arm. Giving in, Alessandria looked one last time at Raphael''s broad back, before turning and running away.


    That is all they had been doing for the last several hours, running. She thought that they were safe once they had escaped into the forest, and for a little while they were. There were five of them that had evaded the monsters; Her, Lilly, Raphael, and two of the Royal Select. They walked along quietly, avoiding making any light or too much noise, but soon, they began to be hunted by a different kind of monster.


    They couldn''t see them, only hear them as they ran through the woods, snarling. They had been caught off guard, allowing whatever was making the awful noise to get much too close to them. Raphael ordered the two Royal Select soldiers to distract them, allowing the three of them to escape. It might have seemed cold, but it was necessary. Princess Alessandria''s safety was their duty, and they carried their duty out to the fullest.


    Now, Raphael was doing the same as the two soldiers had done, sacrificing his life for hers. He stood there as steady as a rock. He stabbed his sword into the forest floor, his breathing steady. Undoing the leather straps holding his plate armor onto his body, Raphael kept his eyes trained on the tree line before him. He was sacrificing protection for ease of movement, either way, he was going to die; he only wished to take as many of them with him as possible.


    Now bereft of his heavy armor, he pulled his sword out of the soil. The polished blade began to emanate a pale-yellow color, small runes engraved into the hilt radiating the brightest. It was an enchanted sword given the name ''Grief'' by the blacksmith that had made it hundreds of years ago. Every commander of the Royal Select had carried this weapon. Its enchantment allowed it to grow sharper with the amount of mana that one poured into it, the only limit to how sharp it could be was determined by the wielder themselves.


    Exploding out of the trees, what looked like a mutated wolf covered in mange, bounded toward him. Standing upright the wolf''s head came up to his shoulders, its body was easily ten feet long. The areas of its bulky frame not covered in patches of bristly red fur, was equally red dried-up skin. Yellow teeth could be seen glistening with saliva because of the jowls looking as if they had been peeled off.


    Seeing its prey stopped before it, the large canine accelerated. Only twenty feet away, it leapt into the air, launching its six-hundred-pound frame directly at Raphael. He narrowed his eyes, focusing on the creature, all of his senses honed. At the last possible second, he lowered his body, bracing his right foot into the soft soil and dove forward.


    The wolf overshot its target, landing some six feet behind him. Already on his feet, Raphael swung his sword over his head and brought it down onto the wolf''s exposed neck as it was turning to face him. Hot blood sprayed into the air, covering the front of his body. He winced from the pain, the blood was so hot it was scalding, blisters already appearing on his unprotected skin.


    AHHHH! He let out an involuntary cry of pain as he was flung from where he stood, and into the trunk of a nearby tree. Another mutated wolf had his blood on its muzzle, it approached him with its head lowered, staring into his eyes with its black irises. Shocked, Raphael struggled to his feet, searing pain shooting up his leg making him sick to his stomach. Deep puncture wounds dotted his calf, his leg wasn''t broken but putting any weight on it was still difficult.


    He didn''t know how the wolf was able to sneak up on him, but he was paying the price for his ignorance. The only saving grace was that he had managed to hang onto his sword. Pumping as much mana as he could into his weapon, Raphael took a few shaky steps in the direction of the beast. Chanting under his breath, he cast healing magic, helping to close up the bleeding wounds on his leg.


    Seconds later, more noise sounded to his left. Out of the forest came eight more wolves, dashing between the trees and jumping over the undergrowth. One wolf peeled off, joining the one that had thrown him into the tree trunk, the other seven continuing on deeper into the forest. "Fuck!" He thundered, the fear and frustration tightening his chest.


    It was only a matter of time before the pack would catch up with Lilly and the Princess, tearing them apart when they did so. There was absolutely nothing he could do, no, that wasn''t completely true, he could pray to the gods to spare her, and for the first time in years that is what he did. "Thesan, goddess of the dawn, I beseech you to protect your children from the encroaching night. To help them brave the cold darkness, shielding them from all the evil in the world. I implore you to give me strength, strength enough to defeat my foes and the foes of all mankind." He paused, gripping Grief with both hands as the muscles in his arms and core bulged.


    The wolves were on either side, trapping him between them. With his skill, he would be able to kill one of them but never two. His eyes were wide and bloodshot, he had nearly drained all of his mana. Grief hummed with more magical energy than it had ever held before, the pale-yellow light now almost as bright as the morning sun.


    "Give me the power..." The wolves converged, cutting his battle cry short. He didn''t mind, he met one wolf head on, swinging Grief with all his might. Grief bit into the mutated wolf, ignoring its thick hide and strong muscles. Steaming innards spilled onto the ground, the smell was nauseating. His movements didn''t stop, in one fluid motion he began to pivot on his heel, continuing his swing.


    Large jaws wrapped around his neck, teeth the size of a man''s finger sunk into his flesh, separating the vertebrae. All at once, Grief slipped from his hands falling to the forest floor and his body went limp. Raphael was now paralyzed from the neck down and could only move his eyes as he watched the ground beneath move back and forth while the wolf brutally shook his powerless body.


    The wolf stopped thrashing its prey and with a sickening crunch, killed the man between its jaws. Dropping the corpse onto the ground, the wolf pointed its head up into the air sniffing a few times before placing its nose onto the ground and repeating the process. Finding the trail it had been following for the last several hours, it bounded away, and deeper into the forest.


    ˇ­..


    The dimness of the forest was lessening, the spaces between the trees opening up and allowing the two women to run more freely. The haunting sounds behind them only briefly ceasing caused Alessandria''s stomach to drop. Not only from the fear, but also from the knowledge that Raphael had thrown his life away to only postpone the inevitable by a few minutes.


    Lilly was only a few steps ahead of her, her bloody stump causing her body to move awkwardly and unbalanced. An improvised tourniquet prevented her from bleeding out but done nothing for the pain each jarring step caused her. Her lungs burned from the cold dry air; she knew that exhaustion would soon force her to stop. She glanced back at the princess she was sworn to protect, seeing on her face that the fear of death was the only thing that kept her from collapsing as well.


    "Keepˇ­... running.... Princess." Lilly said between labored breaths. "There''s a... clearing."


    There was no response, only an arduous grunt. Lilly took that as that the Princess had heard her. They ran a little further, the last tree disappearing behind them and an open field with the main road cutting it in half before them. The tall grass came up to their waists, actually slowing them down as their feet had to fight the tangled stalks. A long howl resonated from the forest behind them, it sounded incredibly close, she didn''t dare look back.


    "Look... up ahead!" Princess Alessandria panted.


    Sitting on the road seventy-five yards ahead of them were a large group of people. Hope swelled up in Lilly''s chest, hope that was killed off as fast as it had been born. The people looked as if they were vagrants moving between towns. All of them were filthy, covered in black silt and other unknown stains. Some were even without proper footwear, let alone weapons. There was not a chance that they would be able to help them, at least not in the conventional way.


    "Don''t stop, no matter what!" Lilly shouted behind her, using what little breath she had left. Alessandria was slightly confused, but trusted Lilly with her life. As they approached the filth covered people, they all looked at the two women with confused looks on their faces that quickly morphed into ones of terror as they spotted what it was they were running from.


    Screams and crying spread through the crowd like waves as they all got to their feet and started running in every direction. Alessandria could see small children being scooped up by their parents as they wailed. A man dressed in a plain black robe and holding an ugly black walking stick in one hand, was inspecting them as they ran through the parting crowd, a large smile on his face, guffawing. His reaction almost caused Lilly and her to stumble, it was entirely inappropriate for the situation. Alessandria thought for a moment that he had gone mad from fear, and the words that he shouted as they passed only confounded her even more.


    "Will you look at that! It''s happening again! You must be a shit magnet boy! Bahahaha!"


    Ignoring the man''s manic cackling, they crested the road and soon began pumping their legs through the tall grass once again. Only a few steps into the open field opposite the road, Lilly disappeared from her view. It happened much too quickly for her to react, she barreled forward soon stepping on the spot where she had disappeared. Her stomach rose up into her throat as she fell into the earth, only stopping once she was submerged up to her neck.


    The sudden stop caused her head to violently whip back and forth, her vision darkening for but a breath. Panicked, she tried to struggle, what little muscle she had strained but couldn''t break her free. Howls, and screams from the poor souls behind them filled her head and her heart with dread. She squeezed her eyes shut, hoping beyond hope that this was all but a terrifying nightmare.


    She felt a rumble in the ground she was trapped in, the grass that now blotted out the sky whipping her in the face. She opened her eyes into slits, curiosity winning out over the urge to shut everything out. She watched in abject horror as the road that her and Lilly had just passed was rushing towards her. She screamed as she realized that she was the one moving towards the road, towards the beasts that had killed so many of her people.


    She continued to scream as the ground around her moved as if it were liquid, dragging her along until her head was in the center of the road. She stopped once she noticed another head right next to hers, it was Lilly who was also planted into the ground, much like her namesake.


    "What''s going on? What''s happening?" Alessandria questioned her friend, only being able to see the side of her face. The only reply Lilly gave her was a scream as her eyes went wide and her head lashed back and forth as she struggled against the earth.. Alessandria turned her head forward as well, and soon, she was screaming once again.

 Chapter 52 - Moving On Up.

    He detested carriages, the way they magnified each small bump and pothole, jarring his aging body making his back hurt even more than it already had. The stuffiness of the air was suffocating, even with all the folding windows open, the breeze snubbed his invitation to enter and rescue him from the oppressive midday heat. The persistent scent of horse manure and sweat only added onto his misery.


    Dean Petticoat shifted uneasily inside, clutching the royal letter in one hand. He was on his way to the Palace, and he was dreading it. King Alexander requested his presence and only gave him until the sun''s zenith to arrive. That time was swiftly approaching, he had rushed to put his affairs in order. Being the Headmaster of the Academy of Magic and the Mysteries meant that he was an extremely busy individual, and he couldn''t just drop his schedule at the drop of a hat, but with this, he had no choice in the matter.


    The letter didn''t go into detail the subject of whatever it was the newly crowned King wished to discuss, but from what little was written he surmised that it was of the utmost importance. He let out a begrudged sigh, his perfect posture melting as he stared out the window. The sun was out in full force, not a cloud in the sky could be seen for miles. He envied the people going about their lives seemingly without a care in the world.


    He knew deep down that they had their own problems to deal with. Maybe a troubled child getting into fights with the other children or caught stealing from a food cart peddling their sweets. Maybe they were behind on their rent, the landlord pressuring them to cough up the copper coins, or else. Everyone had their own problems, but when compared to your own, they appear so insignificant. The gilded carriage continued down the main road, the commoners looking on with jealous eyes, their thoughts aligning with the carriage''s inhabitant, wishing to exchange places.


    "We''ve arrived Sir." The carriage driver said, dragging Dean Petticoat out of his fantasies.


    "Very well." He said dabbing his sweat slicked forehead with a white cloth.


    As soon as the carriage stopped, the head steward opened the door with all the etiquette one would expect of someone in his station. He gave Dean Petticoat a deep bow and motioned for him to follow him inside the palace.


    Stepping through the threshold of the mammoth double doors, he already felt that the atmosphere was odd to say the least. He had been summoned to the palace several times before, always, without fail, a group of maids would receive him and cater to his every need. Now it was different, only the head steward came to greet him, no maids or manservants could be seen. He held his suspicions close to his heart and continued to follow the steward deeper into the palace.


    The thick indigo rugs lining the halls muffled their footfalls, accentuating the curious silence that hung in the air. A figure veiled in black appeared down the hall, with their footsteps absent and the way they seemed to glide, brought to mind a grief filled apparition. The head steward immediately stepped off to the side of the hall, Dean Petticoat mirroring his movements as they both bowed deep, their back parallel to the floor.


    "Your Highness." They both said in unison as the widowed queen disregarded them both and continued past them.


    Everyone dealt with the loss of loved ones differently. Certain people became angry, lashing out at those around them, blaming anything and everything for the fact that they could never see their loved one again. Others would rejoice, not that the person had died, but because they were able to share some part of their life with them. Taking comfort in that what little time they had together, it was filled with love and happy memories.


    But others, others would sink into the pits of despair, never seeing the light of day again. The invisible claws of depression wrapping their hearts in their impenetrable embrace, denying them the happiness of ever loving again. They would find once enjoyable activities too painful to bear, people that once brought them joy would now only remind them of the pain of losing them. So, they would distance themselves from the ones that loved them the most, thinking that they were keeping them safe from feeling pain such as theirs.


    That is what the Queen had done, walled off her heart, keeping anyone that cared for her at arm''s length. The loss of the King, her beloved husband, was just too much for her to bear. For the last month, her remaining children attempted to bring her out of her depression, but to no avail. All they could do was pray that she would be able to overcome her anguish.


    The two men remained in a lowered position well after the Queen had rounded the corner. Dean Petticoat was the first to rise, looking at the steward as he too corrected his posture. "How is her Majesty? I''m sure it hasn''t been easy on her, or the King."


    The steward let out a despondent sigh, his eyes searching the empty hall. "No, it hasn''t been easy at all. She refuses to eat most days and spends her time just roaming the palace, never talking to anyone. At night, she weeps over His Majesty''s sarcophagus, refusing anyone else entry, even King Alexander."


    A frown spread over Dean Petticoat''s face. "How awful, I shall ask the King for permission to speak to her."


    As dean to the Academy, he had grown close to the crown over time. He was much closer to the late King than his wife, but they were on friendly terms, nonetheless. Maybe a friendly face was all it would take to break the Queen from her misery, or at least help her see that she wasn''t alone. That remained to be seen, first, he had to get through whatever it was the king required from him.


    Nodding, the steward turned to walk down the hall. "It may do little to alleviate her woes, but I pray it helps."


    He continued to follow the steward forward, passing many closed doors, hiding unknown secrets behind them. Keeping his eyes forward, Dean Petticoat was beginning to wonder just how far they would have to walk. It had already been several minutes since the Queen had graced them with her presence, and they had walked for several minutes before that. Turning one final corner, they found themselves at the end of the uncommonly long hall.


    Standing before a plain looking door were two knights in full ceremonial dress, standing at attention. Not saying a word, one knight opened the door, beckoning Dean Petticoat to enter with silent eyes. Leaving his escort behind, Dean Petticoat passed the knight with a nod, entering into a lavish suite filled with novelties from across the world.


    Ornate crystal bottles holding multicolored liquids rested on polished dark wood shelves. Incense burned, giving the air inside the room a palpable woody scent. Busts of long dead mages sat on wooden pedestals, their lifeless eyes seeming to follow him as he walked by. Two leather chairs sat in the corner of the candle lit room; a decanter sandwiched between them, sitting on a matching table. A taxidermized bugbear stood nearby, dwarfing the Dean in size and ferocity, even in death.


    "Sit." A man sitting on one of the chairs said to him, his legs crossed at the knees. "Have a drink, it''s from the Monroe Valley. They make the best brandy."


    "Of course, Your Highness." Dean Petticoat done as he was told and sat down in the other leather chair. He poured himself a drink, the amber brandy swirling in his clear glass, giving off a sharp scent of charred oak and citrus.


    Before he took a sip from his glass, Dean Petticoat propositioned the King. "How is your mother fairing? If at all possible, I would like an opportunity to speak with her."


    Nodding slowly, the King put his glass on the small table between them. "You must have passed her on the way here, did you? My father was a good man, I''m only alive because of him, I can see why she is so distraught." He stared off into the distance before speaking again. "I think she blames me for it, his death. Hells, I blame myself for it, so there is no way I''m free from blame in her eyes." He let out a sigh. "You have my permission, but any given order from me might not allow you to speak with her if she is not in the mood for it."


    "I understand, Your Majesty, I thank you wholeheartedly just for the opportunity." Dean Petticoat said, giving a small bow.


    "Now, enough of such a gloomy subject. Let''s discuss the reason I have summoned you here." King Alexander said enthusiastically, attempting to bring a more cheerful atmosphere into the room. "I want to offer you a chance to serve your kingdom, a promotion you could say."


    The Dean cocked his head, one bushy eyebrow raising above the other. "A promotion Your Highness? I am already the Dean at the most prestigious academy in all the kingdoms, what else is there for me?"


    His current appointment was one that was coveted by all of those that cared for status. Officially, he would not outrank a Duke or even a Marquis, but even they would pay him his due respect, even in private. He answered to no one but the crown and had the freedom to run the institution in any way he saw fit. There was only one other position that he could even fathom to guess what it was the King was suggesting, and he was loathe to discover if his assumption was correct.


    "There is always something to reach for, no matter how high a station you achieve. Even for me, a King of a prosperous nation." King Alexander explained, before picking up his glass.


    "Those are wise words, Your Majesty, but I must admit my ignorance in not knowing what could possibly be higher than a king." Dean Petticoat said, in a joking tone, but fearing the answer.


    A smile crept onto the King''s handsome face; the shadows cast by the burning candles morphing it into anything but attractive. "We''re not here to discuss me, but you, my friend. Surely you can contemplate what it is I''m talking about; you would not have climbed to being Dean if you could not use your brain."


    "I would hate to hazard a guess, but something does come to mind." Dean Petticoat said reluctantly. "But as far as I know that position is already occupied and has been for many years now."


    "I must admit that you are right, it is filled, but in name only." A disgusted look flashed across his face, quickly hidden away by a more amiable expression. "I''ll be honest with you; Mage Reginald is getting on in years."


    "But he is barely sixty-fiveˇ­..." Dean Petticoat interrupted, before being silence by the King''s raised hand.


    "His age is not the problem; it is his mind. I''ve lost faith in him to be able to uphold the oath he had taken all those years ago. I require someone with a strong mind, someone with the mental fortitude needed to guide me in all matters related to magic." King Alexander explained in what sounded like a practiced speech.


    "I''m honored that you see me in such a way Your Highness." Dean Petticoat started. "But I cannot just leave my post at the Academy. I am willing to advise you wherever I can, but I just do not believe I would be able to live up to your standards."


    A friendly smile was on the King''s face, but it never reached his eyes. "I thought that might pose an issue, so I have already taken care of it."


    "Taken care of it?" Dean Petticoat asked, his stomach doing silent somersaults.


    "Yes, although he may not be skilled in the mystical arts, his business acumen is second to none. He''s assured me that the transition will be smooth, with very minimal disruptions in the day-to-day operations."


    Dean Petticoat refused to believe what he was hearing. He was essentially being forced out of his coveted position and into one that, although it was higher than his, he surely did not want. He sat there in front of the King of Amine, gaping like a fish out of water, looking for the words that could prevent what was happening but found none.


    Leaning back in his chair, King Alexander laughed. "If only I had someway to capture this moment forever, the look on your face is priceless. I know that it must be hard to wrap your mind around this good fortune. Duke Hutchens looked much the same way as you when I suggested that he take up your mantle."


    The King''s words were so outrageous that they managed to bring Dean Petticoat out of his stupor. "Duke Hutchens! Duke Hutchens! But he isn''t even a mage!"


    "Now, now, I''m not blind to how unorthodox it is." The King said, trying to reassure the Dean. "Duke Hutchens has assured me that he will not change any of the standing policies for at least one year, and that he will take on some of the current professors as advisors."


    Dean Petticoat shook his head, he refused to believe what the King was telling him, he just couldn''t. This was an outrage, absolutely unacceptable. He couldn''t imagine how Duke Hutchens weaseled his way into the King''s good graces, then even convinced him to usurp his position. A sudden migraine washed over him, causing him to rub his temples.


    This had to have been because of his son, his awful child. He remembered the words that the duke had screamed at him the day after his son had been expelled from several of his classes. For years, his job had been free from the politics of the royal court, that was the case no longer. He felt pity for Professor Kalcifer, it seemed that whenever he did return from his trip, there would be nothing waiting for him here, only the barred gates of the Academy.


    He had grown friendly with the Professor during his short tenure at the Academy. He would try to lend him a helping hand where he could, but he had a feeling though that Duke Hutchens was going to make that difficult any way he could. It might just be better to tell Professor Kal to move on from the capital, to put down roots someplace else.


    Utterly defeated, Dean Petticoat picked up his still untouched glass of brandy then drained it in one large swallow. Feeling the burning sensation go from his throat to his stomach, he mentally prepared himself before asking a question. "How long do I have?"


    "Ha! Don''t say it like that, you look like you''re walking towards the executioner''s block! You should be excited; this is a grand occasion!" King Alexander said, standing to his feet and slapping the Dean on the shoulder. "You''ll have a week to get everything in order, Duke Hutchens will shadow you during that time in order to become more acquainted with the work."


    Dean Petticoat kept his eyes straight ahead, images of the past fifteen years spent as dean flashing before his eyes. "Alright." He said in a monotone voice.


    "Wonderful!" King Alexander exclaimed. "In two weeks'' time we will hold the official ceremony, inducting you into the Royal Court as Mage Alfred Petticoat, Royal Mage. Use the first week to speak with Reginald and to learn what duties you are expected to undertake."


    The newly appointed Royal Mage, Alfred Petticoat spoke in a meek voice.. "Yes, Your Majesty."

 Chapter 53 - Do Work, Get Paid

    Like a shiver of ravenous sharks, the eight hellhounds swam through the ocean of tall grass. Sensing an abundance of prey in front of them, they branched out in several different directions. The lead hound let out an excited howl as it sped forward in a straight line, its claws digging into the soft soil providing it with traction.


    Bursting from the tall grass, it bounded up the small embankment just before the dirt road. Its simple mind never stopping to wonder why the prey it had been chasing for so long was currently planted in the ground, it only knew that soon it would be able to fill its belly. It opened its maw wide, teeth wet with saliva glistening in the afternoon sun.


    An explosion of dirt and small rocks peppered the hellhounds body, sending it slightly off course. Loosing its footing, it fell hard on its side, skidding over the road and down the other side. Enraged, the hound jumped to its feet, ready to attack whatever it was that had harmed it.


    Snarling, the hellhound''s black eyes darted back and forth, searching for the threat. With its sharp hearing it could pick up the faintest of sounds, even with the constant din of screaming coming from the two heads poking out of the ground, it could still make out the faint sound of the birds off in the distance. A strange scent pricked its nose, an unfamiliar sensation ran through its body causing its hackles to stand up and down its spine. A low growl bubbled in its throat as it took a cautious step back towards the road.


    One step turned into two, two to three, timidly, the hellhound slowly made its way back onto the dirt road. It looked the same as it had been before it was attacked, only now there was a large hole directly in front of the two heads. A pained yelp sounded out from somewhere further away, clearly one of its pack had been injured in some way. It jerked its head in the direction of the sound, its muscles tensing as it prepared to rush to its brother''s aid.


    Instead of jumping forward, it attempted to jump to the right as the ground beneath it started to rumble and liquify. Caught off guard once again, the hellhound was sluggish to react, its hind leg sprouting a jagged laceration, exposing chorded muscle and bone. Before it could reorient itself, vast amounts of pressure, accompanied by equal amounts of pain, erupted from its flank. Contorting its huge body, the hellhound snapped its teeth at the obsidian snake like creature that had latched onto it.


    "You''re no fun!" Professor Kal cried, throwing up his arms as he watched the devil worm twine its long body around the still gnashing hellhound.


    Ryan had summoned the devil worm through the power of the Summoner''s Amulet, saving the lives of the two women that the Professor had trapped inside the ground for some unknown reason. It was a snap decision, seeing that Professor Kal had entangled the other seven hellhounds inside brambles of blood vines, but did nothing to stop this particular one.


    "You were just going to let that thing eat them!?" Ryan screamed at Professor Kal. He had been finding it harder and harder to even begin to understand what was happening inside the man''s head.


    "Yeah, so? They led those mutts right to us! Just like those scum inside the dungeon, remember?" Professor Kal kindly reminded Ryan of the remarkably similar situation that had happened not too long ago.


    "We didn''t kill them for doing that, did we?" Ryan rebutted, not understanding why he would punish these two while they let the others go.


    Professor Kal avoided the young man''s eyes, looking towards the dusty ground, kicking at some small rocks with his black boot. Meanwhile, the hellhound was still struggling as the devil worm continued to squeeze tighter and tighter. The crunch of bones shattering could be heard clearly; once furious growls morphed into anguished whines as the life was being constricted out of the hellhound.


    With a fluid motion, the devil worm applied the last bits of force onto the hellhound, abruptly cutting off its ever-quieting pleas. Feeling no life remaining in its prey, the devil worm retreated back into the ground, dragging the hellhound with it. Completely ignoring what was transpiring in front of him, Ryan edged closer to Professor Kal, interrogating him further.


    "You didn''t kill them, did you?" He asked in a deep voice, which was still somewhat high due to his age.


    A shocked look spread across Professor Kal''s plain face. "Of course, I didn''t kill them. I was with you the entire time, right?"


    The emphasis the Professor put on the word ''I'' did not escape his notice; but before he could press him further, Professor Treffle interrupted the two''s back and forth. "Excuse me, but what the FUCK was that!"


    Ryan and Professor Kal both turned to look at their four companions. Laura, Ben, and Richard were all staring on silently, Laura had seen the devil worm before on that horrible night she wished she could forget forever, Ben had been told by Ryan about its existence, and Richard, as quiet as always, stared on with wide eyes. Professor Treffle on the other hand, was very vocal in her astonishment.


    "And what the Hells is up with these two!" She was standing wide eyed, glancing between the two women, now passed out still planted in the ground like they were potatoes, and the horse sized hole in the ground where the worm had retreated inside.


    With those words, everyone directed their gazes towards Professor Kal, waiting for an answer. Shrugging his shoulders, Professor Kal stamped his staff into the ground causing the two women to pop out like corks underwater. Their limp bodies thudded onto the now solid ground, clouds of dust spreading out in all directions.


    "What? I just thought it was rude what they did, so they needed to be taught a lesson." He admitted, melting under the intense scowls. Then pointed his finger at Ryan. "And that worm thing is his."


    ˇ­..


    A fat bumble bee was buzzing through a well-kept garden, searching for the most succulent flowers. A gentle summer breeze rustled the leaves and brought much needed relief to those standing with full plate armor on in the harsh sunlight. A small girl was crouched down amongst the multicolored flowers watching the bee intently, her bright innocent eyes following its every movement.


    It landed on a large purple flower, its petals were long, slender, and close together, forming a cup just big enough for the bee to crawl inside and disappear completely. Having lost her object of study, the small girl crawled closer to the flower, dirtying her pale blue dress as she did so. Being careful not to frighten the bumble bee inside the flower, she slowly approached on her hands and knees. Her face was so close to the (unknown to her) flower, that she could smell the pleasant aroma wafting from it.


    The furry butt of the bumble bee was wiggling back and forth, black fuzz coated in yellow pollen was all she could see, making her giggle in delight. Soft footsteps came up from behind her, but she failed to hear them, she was much too engrossed in the marvel of nature that was the fat and fuzzy bumble bee. A pair of loving eyes gazed down on the blonde little girl; her hair braided into simple pigtails draping down either side of her head.


    She watched the little girl as she focused so hard on what was in the flower. She laughed as the bumble bee backed out of the flower, now laden with nectar and pollen, clumsily take off into the air and nearly collide with the little girl, causing her to fall back and onto her butt. Kneeling down herself, she tried to get her daughter''s attention.


    "Alliˇ­"


    Hearing her name, the little girl turned towards her mother''s voice. A void of white was all she could see, a blurry image of a beautiful woman stood close by. It was as if each time she tried to focus on the person before her, the image would only become more obtuse.


    "Alliˇ­" The out of focus woman said, sounding exactly like she remembered her mother to sound like.


    "Alliˇ­" It said again, this time reaching out for a little girl no longer, but a full-grown woman.


    "Alliˇ­"


    Warm tears pooled in her eyes, threatening to crest her eyelashes and cascade down her face. "Momma!"


    Alessandria reached out as well, reaching for her dead mother that she could almost see, almost feel. Her fingers brushed against the other''s hand, her touch causing it to turn into whisps of odorless smoke. In a flash, her mother had dissipated, being replaced by the pure white void and a hard tremor that shook her body.


    "Alessandria! Princess Alessandria!" Lilly shouted, shaking the still unconscious body of her charge.


    Alessandria half opened her groggy eyes, only to be greeted with another dose of blinding light. Squeezing her eyes shut and turning her head away from the source of her discomfort, she took a moment to piece together what had happened. The memory of her late mother that had recently resurfaced was already being pushed back down into the recesses of her mind, quickly being replaced by the horrific trauma she had just experienced.


    In a panic, her eyes shot open, ignoring the bright light and the physical pain she experienced from her irises constricting much too quickly. She flailed her limbs attempting to stand, feeling her fists striking something hard, then feeling something grabbing on to her, only fueling her alarm.


    She started to scream; her throat already raw from doing so earlier. A stinging pain shot across her face, her head snapping to one side. She took a sharp breath in, stopping her mid scream. "Princess Alessandria!" she heard her name being barked out, bringing her back from the edge of madness and into lucidity.


    She found herself sitting in the middle of the dirt road, this time on the surface, surrounded by many people she did not recognize. Three young men stood off to the side, looking to be just on the verge of manhood, trying desperately to not look at her but failing miserably. Two women, one the same age as the boys, another maybe just a few years older than herself, were glaring angrily at the three boys, chiding them with words she couldn''t hear.


    A bored looking man wearing all black and leaning on an equally black staff, whistled an out of tune song she couldn''t recognize. He caught her attention not because there was anything special about him, no, it was the opposite. He was so ordinary looking that it was uncanny. She continued to stare at the outstandingly normal looking man until she heard her name being called once again.


    "Princess Alessandria, are you alright?" Lilly questioned her; her face contorted in a concerned look.


    Lilly was crouched down directly in front of her, balancing precariously on the balls of her feet. Alessandria looked at her, nodding her head. She noticed the stump of her arm had been expertly wrapped in a clean bandage. She let out a sigh of relief, they must have been able to find some help. How, she didn''t know.


    "I''m fine." Alessandria replied, her hand moving to her still stinging face. "Thank you for that, I was almost manic. What happened? Are you all right? Who are these people?"


    Relieved, Lilly started to cover her with a thin blanket that she had gotten from the older of the two women. "I''m ok, here, let''s get you covered."


    Alessandria looked down, only to finally realize that her undergarments were clearly visible through her tattered dress. Her smooth ivory skin, slightly pink from the heat of the sun, matched will with the laced light-pink bra and panties. She snatched the blanket from Lilly, quickly hiding her exposed body, her face and ears burning in embarrassment.


    Trying to play off her humiliation, Alessandria asked Lilly the same question once more. "Lilly, what is going on?"


    A look of hesitation came across Lilly''s filth caked face, she leaned in closer to her, speaking in a whisper. "We must tread carefully. I''m sorry, but when I led us towards this group of people, I was hoping that those monsters would attack them and leave us to escape."


    Alessandria nodded in understanding, she didn''t care much for the callous tactic, but when your life was on the line you could do things that you otherwise wouldn''t. Seeing that they were surrounded by said group though meant that something unexpected must have happened.


    Lilly continued, dropping her voice even lower. "What I didn''t know was that I was leading us right to a very ill-tempered Mage."


    The look on Lilly''s face was like she feared the mage more than she did the monsters chasing them. If she had been conscience sooner, she would know why that was. Having been robbed of his fun by his killjoy prot¨¦g¨¦, Professor Kal directed his scorn towards the only ones he could.


    As soon as Lilly had come to, Professor Kal had laid into her. He screamed at the top of his lungs, even releasing a sliver of his aura, turning her face a shade of ashen white. Even his companions behind him took several steps back. Trying to defend herself, even just a little, she explained their situation and that the woman beside her was First Princess Alessandria of the Kingdom of Morgania. It turned out to be a huge mistake.


    Having just learned he was in the presence of royalty did nothing to calm his rage, in fact, it only fueled it further. He went on to demand reparations for a litany of things; emotional distress for him and everyone else involved, use of his limited mana, which according to him, left him extremely exhausted, the fact that his horses had run away, although she didn''t remember seeing any as they ran towards them. He also demanded her yearly salary for services rendered, saying that if he had to do her job because she couldn''t, he needed to be paid for it.


    It was all very clearly extortion, but she held her tongue; not only because she now feared him, but as she stood there being lectured, the very much alive hellhounds were behind the man being drained of their blood by huge brambles of thorns. Professor Kal had called forth several blood vines, entrapping the hellhounds as they spread out trying to ambush the retreating survivors.


    With vines as thick as his arm and thorns that were hollow and as big around as two fingers put together, the blood vines engulfed the hellhounds. Plunging deep into their flesh, the plant disregarded the scorching heat of the hounds'' blood, engorging themselves with it, growing larger. Turning from a sickly green color, into one more reminiscent of blood, the blood vine pulsated like an exposed heart.


    Lilly couldn''t believe her eyes as she watched on in silent horror as the hellhounds withered away at an evident pace. In only a few minutes, nothing but the mummified corpses remained, still locked away within the crimson vines. The blood vines themselves rustled slightly once their nourishment was satiated, small buds emerged from the vines, blooming into small yellow flowers that released the stench of death.


    Having borne witness to such a sight, she didn''t dare refuse his demands, no matter how audacious they may be. She readily agreed to his demands, and, like a switch had been flipped, the mage''s personality metamorphosed from one of incessant rage into one of content. This sudden shift in demeanor alarmed her greatly, telling her that not only was this man extremely irritable but was also very volatile.


    Deciding to talk to Lilly more in-depth once they were in private, she switched subjects to her arm. "Did the mage treat your arm? I see the bleeding has stopped."


    "Mage Kalcifer? No, he didn''t treat me. It was the young Lady Cromwell over there; she is very adept at healing magic as well as first aid." Lilly said, gesturing to the young woman some distance behind her.


    Seeing the Princess''s eyes fall on her, Laura gave a perfect curtsey, indicating to the Princess of her noble birth, even though her clothes did not. Once Lilly had agreed to Professor Kal''s terms, he found her no longer to be interesting, allowing Laura to treat her. Laura cast the highest-level healing spell she knew, Superior Mend, which allowed her to not only close the wound completely but to also restore her lost blood. Unfortunately, no healing magic was powerful enough to replace the limb that she lost.


    Giving the young noble an appreciative smile, Princess Alessandria got to her feet with the help of Lilly''s good arm. Looking around, she took note of the many people milling around, disheveled looking and appearing lost. The five adventurers had returned with a dismal hunt, only six rabbits, and were currently cooking them over an open fire. Her vision lingered on the several grotesque shrubs blooming with pale yellow flowers, swarming with flies and each housing the shriveled remains of her pursuers.


    Tamping down the bile that encroached up her throat, she moved on to the man that saved them, the man dressed in black. "I, First Princess of the Kingdom of Morgania, Alessandria Morgania thank you from the bottom of my heart for saving my life and the life of my protector." She gave him a deep bow, one that if seen by any of the nobles of her court, would cause them to become wide eyed with shock.


    "Good." Professor Kal flatly said. "And your retainer here has already agreed to repay me for all of my trouble, so don''t go backing out on it."


    Straightening her posture, Alessandria nodded without hesitation.. "I wouldn''t dream of it."

 Chapter 54 - Fifty

    Satisfied with her answer, Professor Kal clapped his hands loudly, startling those near him. "Wonderful! Now, before we set out, there''s something I must do. Come on boy, help me out."


    Professor Kal then proceeded to drag a confused Ryan over to one of the flowering blood vines. Princess Alessandria, Lilly, and even the fifty some survivors, watched as the Professor and his assistant hacked and cleaved at the crimson red vines.


    Professor Kal had manifested two hatchets from his ring and handed Ryan one of those. "It''s not every day such a well-preserved specimen just falls in your lap!" He exclaimed before starting to cut away the thorny vines, wanting to extrapolate what was trapped within.


    Following his lead, Ryan began to swing his own hatchet, being careful to avoid the thorns. Unexpectedly, the vine was surprisingly dense, his hand tingling from the impact. Not wanting to hear an unneeded lecture, he did his best to ignore the irritating feeling and helped as best as he could. After several minutes of much more effort that he would have liked, he and Professor Kal managed to free the dried corpse.


    After resting for a little while longer and letting Princess Alessandria change into one of the spare outfits that Professor Treffle had stored in Ryan''s storage ring, the large group of people set off down the dirt road. Surprisingly, especially to those who knew him, Professor Kal had taken the lead, whistling a happy tune as he walked. Unbeknownst to all but one of them, a pair of pitch-black eyes gaze at them as they disappeared over the horizon.


    ˇ­..


    "My Lord, preparations are complete for the ritual, and I have personally selected the next group to become your retainers." A monster of a man said in a deep gravely voice, kneeling on one knee, his face towards the stone floor.


    If standing at attention, the man would have reached an astounding six-feet five-inches tall. His physique rippled with muscle, like it had been chiseled from the finest marble. His black glossy hair hung in a ponytail just past his shoulder blades, and his clean-shaven face was picturesque of the word ''masculine''.


    A pleased look flashed across his master''s face before quickly returning to a neutral expression. "Wonderful work Theodore, as a reward, you may select one of the sacrifices to do with as you please."


    Theodore''s mouth contorted into a sinister grin much too wide for his face, elongated teeth seemed to grow from his gums. At the thought of feeding, an unbearable thirst almost overcame him. He was a newly born noble vampire and did not have the experience needed to squash his urges. It took all the willpower he could muster just to keep himself from drooling.


    Seeing his retainer subtly shaking before him, Silus fought back an audible sigh. Theodore was one of the first that he had turned and was by far the strongest, not only physically but magically as well. He had discovered that although he could use magic in much the same way as before he was transformed into a Progenitor, the same could not be said to those that he turned.


    Noble vampires could not use mana in order to manifest their magic, instead, they had to use their own blood as a medium in order to cast spells. The spells they were able to cast remained much the same as a regular mage, but the strength of the spell was directly correlated to the purity of their blood instead of the amount of mana used. This meant that noble vampires were equal to an arch mage, someone who had almost reached the pinnacle of magic. This allowed him to amass so much fighting force that he would be able to fight against an army of thousands.


    Of course, they were not invincible magic machines, they had limitations as well. Having to use their own blood in order to cast spells meant that with every incantation, their unquenchable thirst would grow. Also, with the lack of blood in their bodies, noble vampires would lose physical strength at the same rate as the spells they cast. This prevented them from just running amok, killing as they pleased.


    Another limitation was that each noble that he ushered into the world would take a tremendous toll on his body. He would need to rest for several days afterwards, constantly feeding to restore his strength. This left him extremely vulnerable during this time, so he had only made two nobles thus far. He had hand picked each one from the hundreds of people he had abducted up to this point, sacrificing the rest.


    Using the connection he had to his kin, Silus forcefully brought Theodore back into reason. He had found that there was some sort of mental link between him and all of those that he turned. He couldn''t communicate to his brood, but he could feel their individual emotions, especially if they were strong ones. He also found that he could influence their emotions as well, not completely, but enough to be able to bring them out of a frenzy.


    His face returning to normal, Theodore bowed even lower. "Please forgive me my Lord, for my unsavory behavior."


    "It''s fine." Silus said dismissively, waving his pale hand. He knew it would take some time for them to learn about their new bodies, and to get a handle on their urges. "Is there anything else to report?"


    "Yes, there is, my Lord." Theodore started, taking a deep breath even though he didn''t need to breathe. "More demons than expected failed to return after razing the village, and only one of the hellhounds made it back from their hunt."


    "Hmm." Silus hummed, his long claw-like nail tapping on the cherry armrest of his throne. "How many did we lose?"


    "...fifty."


    The rhythmic tapping that echoed throughout the large chamber stopped abruptly, Theodore''s mouth was dry as he anxiously waited, still staring at the floor. Silus'' face remained stoic, inwardly he was apprehensive. He was also grateful for the fact that emotions were not transmitted both ways through the link between him and his offspring.


    Not wanting to appear shaken, he asked for more information. "What happened?"


    "Forgive me for my ignorance my Lord, but I still struggle to comprehend the demon''s language and was unable to gain a clear understanding of what transpired. From what I could understand, magic was involved, I am assuming that a powerful mage must have been at the village when they attacked." Theodore explained, his voice steady.


    He wasn''t scared of his master, ever since he had been turned, he had been nothing but fair. Always taking their opinions into consideration and taking time to teach them everything they would need to know to blend into high society. But, with most everyone, they hated to be the bearer of bad news and feared that they would become the object of his frustrations.


    "Any other information? What about the hellhounds?" Silus asked, leaning forward in his highbacked throne.


    Theodore shook his head. "No other information, my Lord. As far as the hellhounds are concerned, they are only slightly more intelligent than a dog, so I was unable to ascertain the reason why only one survived."


    "Very well." Silus said, controlling the storm of emotions raging inside his heart. "We must assume that they have failed to hunt the Princess down."


    "Shall I send Marissa?" Theodore posed.


    Taking a moment to think, Silus used his fair hand to brush his long silver hair back behind his ear. "Not for the Princess, that was just an opportunity that failed to work out. I''m more concerned about the mage, have her find them and observe from a distance, nothing more."


    Theodore nodded his head and stood, but before he could turn to leave, Silus spoke once more. "And pull the demons back for now, we have plenty of souls to perform the ritual several times. Have them spawn more nests and increase the number on each patrol, we need to wait and see how Amine will react."


    "At once, my Lord."


    ˇ­..


    Marcus was a bundle of nerves; he hadn''t slept in two days and any stimuli threatened to send him over the edge of sanity and into a nervous breakdown. He stood in front of the large gates leading out of Lenova, a contingent of fifty knights surrounding him, all on horseback. After much arguing, and a good dose of bribing, he had finally managed to convince the knight captain to send out a small group to at least verify his accounts.


    In a perfect world, it would have not taken nearly as much time as it did to assemble such a small group, this was anything but a perfect world. So much time had been wasted that Marcus feared the worse. The pace of abductions had only been increasing, and that was almost five days ago. It had been three days since he came to the capital and would take another two to return to the village.


    In all honesty, he didn''t much care for the villagers themselves, he really only cared about his wife and newly born daughter. He had reluctantly left them behind in the village, but as more and more time passed, he feared that in reality he abandoned them to die. He just had to pray to the gods that what he feared the most didn''t come to pass.


    The sun had been over the horizon for well over an hour now, pigeons were pruning themselves on top of the tall city walls. The fifty knights were all loitering around the open gates, waiting for their commander to issue the order. Marcus could hear jovial laughter amongst the group of knights, frustrating him even further. He despised the knights for taking this so lightly, for him his family''s lives were on the line, for them though it was just some backwater village, nothing of importance.


    He knew better than to voice his irritation, it would serve no purpose, only driving a wedge between him and the only people that were going to help the village. So, he sat on his borrowed horse, biting his tongue, growing more and more irritated as the seconds ticked by. Finally, much to his relief, the knight commander issued the command to move out.


    "Alright men, listen up!" The commander hollered out, his voice cutting short any conversations the knights were having. "I''m sure all of you know what the mission is, so I won''t go over it again. There is a bit of urgency to this, so unfortunately, we''ll be moving at double time."


    He stopped and held up his hand in response to the exasperated groans that emitted from his men, silencing the knights once again. "I don''t want to hear it! And it looks like some of you could use the exercise as it is!" This comment earning laughter from some of the knights, and even more groans from others. "Ok, ok, enough yapping! Let''s move out!"


    With those words, the fifty knights drove their horses out of the gates, Marcus, and his horse trotting closely behind them.. A slight feeling of relief washed over him, finally, after three days, help was on its way to Swayzee.

 Chapter 55 - The Wrong Place At The Wrong Time.

    Professor Kal stood atop a large hill, taking in the frigid air of the early autumn morning. The sky was overcast, preventing any warmth from the sun reaching the ground. A few migratory birds were passing over him, racing south in search of fairer weather. Off in the distance he could see smoke, not a large pillar of ash, but several dozen slim dark lines reaching for the sky. The last village before reaching the border between Amine and Morgania was only a few miles away.


    The crunching sound of the frosted grass being stepped on sounded behind him. "How far until the village?"


    "Oh, five miles maybe."


    "Finally." Princess Alessandria said with relief. "I must thank you again for everything you''ve done for me, and for everyone. We wouldn''t have made it through the nights without your magic."


    Professor Kal looked over his shoulder at the Princess. "Just remember, I didn''t keep those fires lit for free."


    Princess Alessandria covered her mouth and giggled. "I do not believe you would ever let me forget."


    She had grown to like the eccentric mage, even with his frequent temper tantrums and strange quirks. Over the last three days she had seen just how magnanimous he could be. When the survivors were hungry, he had summoned several spectral wolves to hunt for prey. Although he did say it was just because he was tired of hearing them whine and moan, she still thought that she could see his true colors shining through his rough exterior. There were other trivial things as well that she attributed to him just being misunderstood and truly being someone with a kind and just heart.


    While looking into her eyes, Professor Kal felt something stir within him, something that he had long forgotten that he could feel. He took a step back, a look of worry on his face. "Stop looking at me like that, you''re creeping me out!"


    ˇ­..


    "Gods, this feels so good!" Professor Treffle moaned, leaning back in a simple chair.


    They had all just sat down around a large table, situated near an equally large hearth. Hungry flames licked the hardwood logs, giving out heat that battled against the autumn cold. Laura had her head down on the table, barely keeping her eyes open, only the promise of a warm meal kept her from passing out due to exhaustion. Ryan was sitting next to her with Ben directly across from him, Richard was as quiet as always, staring blankly into the nearby fire.


    Even Professor Kal appeared exhausted, but for an entirely different reason. Sitting at the other end of the table was Princess Alessandria with Lilly sitting to her right. She was sitting with perfect posture and her head was on a swivel. She took an interest in everything that her eyes set upon, everything was so much different than what she was used to.


    Professor Kal was hunched forward, his elbows on the table, and was rubbing his temples with his forefingers. "So, Princess, why are you still here?"


    They had made it to the village in the early afternoon, surprising the guards when they spotted the large group of filthy refugees. It took some convincing, but they all were eventually allowed to enter. Princess Alessandria was gracious enough to gift each of the survivors enough money to live off of for a few weeks, earning her their unending gratitude.


    Focusing on his voice, Alessandria answered. "That''s simple really. I must return to my Kingdom as soon as possible, and since you are going as well, I see no better way than to accompany you."


    "Who said we''re heading to Morgania?"


    "Young Lord Visigoth mentioned it in passing." She explained, motioning towards Richard.


    Richard was already trying to blend into the background, now that the Princess had divulged their extremely limited conversation, his only wish now was to completely disappear. Professor Kal glared at the young mage before turning back to the Princess. "We''re not in that big of a hurry. It might be best if you hire a carriage or wait on the group you left behind."


    The Princess retained the small smile that was on her rosy lips. "You don''t seem to understand, this is of the utmost importance, I cannot waste time waiting for the others and my safety would not be guaranteed with some random carriage operator."


    "What''s so important that you can''t wait a few more days?"


    "I am a princess, everything I do is important."


    "Do you think that when you go relieve yourself?" He asked, rolling his eyes to the back of his head, before adding "It''ll cost you."


    "Haven''t you''ve taken enough from us!" Lilly exploded, jumping to her feet.


    Princess Alessandria placed her fair hand gently on her waist, implying for Lilly to sit back down. Begrudgingly, Lilly obliged. "What is it that you want, we can pay you whatever you wish."


    Professor Kal held up his hand, counting down with his fingers." First, I want unfettered access to your Royal Library. Second, I want access to the dungeons within your country. Thirdly, a wagon full of mana stones would be nice." He paused, watching the Princess''s smile slowly contort into a frown. "Finally, I want to know if you guys are the ones that cursed the blonde idiot."


    Professor Kal had said the last sentence loudly, not even trying to be discreet. Everyone''s attention snapped to the Princess, even the few patrons inside the inn who were trying hard not to get caught eavesdropping.


    The Princess''s frown was now a scowl. "Absolutely not!"


    Not taking his eyes off of her, Professor Kal nodded before slowly saying "Ok, just so we''re clear, no to just the cursing, right?"


    Now it was her turn to roll her eyes, although she had several questions that she wanted to ask concerning what he knew, and his true purpose of going to the capital. She just could not bring herself to be around him any longer, and she was starting to question her earlier judgment. Standing, with Lilly following her lead, Princess Alessandria spoke sternly. "When you are ready, we will be in our room, the sooner we leave the better."


    Princess Alessandria gracefully stormed off to her room, all of the eyes inside the room following her as she did so. Once she had disappeared up the squeaky stairs, everyone still seated at the table looked to Professor Kal. Ben was the one to voice everyone''s thoughts. "So we''re not spending the night here?"


    "Nope." Professor Kal replied, earning nothing but dirty glares and exasperated moans.


    ˇ­..


    A cacophony of hoofbeats thundered down a wide dirt road, the recent rain turning the many potholes into muddy quagmires that slowed their progress. The once polished armor of the fifty knights were now dull and coated in muck. Horses snorted under the strain of carrying the weight of their riders at a full gallop for so long.


    Marcus had opened up some distance between him and the knights due to him being considerably lighter, putting much less strain on his horse. Swayzee would be visible once he crested the next sizable hill, but he could already see that something was terribly wrong.


    Jet black carrion crows were circling high in the sky, making the overcast skies appear to have a single black ever shifting cloud. He kicked his horse, urging the animal faster. A sudden change in the breeze caused him to retch, the stench of death hung heavily on the wind. He breached the top of the hill, and his mind went blank.


    With no orders being given from the saddle, the horse slowed to a stop, allowing Marcus an opportunity to take in the dreadful sight. Swayzee was nothing but smoldering ruins, sections of the wooden outer wall were still standing, but were charred. A handful of corpses were strewn around where the front gates once stood, crows feasting on the rotten meat. Wild dogs were prowling between the ruined foundations, fighting amongst themselves over scraps.


    Rage, grief, disbelief, a myriad of emotions flooded his mind as tears streamed down his face. The brief time that his newborn daughter had been alive flashed across his eyes, filling him with a feeling of immeasurable loss. The rumble of hoofbeats coming from behind him seemed so far off to him, like they were miles away. A flash of light caught his eye, something coming from deeper into the village.


    He squinted his eyes, trying to make out what was moving around in the burnt-out ruins. At the same moment, the fifty knights came to a stop next to him, all were equally astonished and enraged by the sight. They might not have been overly concerned about a few missing villagers but to see this level of wonton violence on their countrymen ignited their fury.


    The Knight''s Commander trotted his mount up to Marcus, putting his calloused hand on his shoulder. "I''m sorry."


    "What''s that." Marcus said, focusing on the shiny object, pointing out towards it with his forefinger.


    The Commander pulled a spyglass from his saddlebag and brought it up to his eye. For several long seconds he peered through the copper-colored tool, his hands shaking the longer he did so. In a rage, he slammed the spyglass onto the ground, shattering the costly glass into thousands of pieces.


    "Rickner!" He bellowed. "Ride back to the capital, tell them that those Morganian pigs have slaughtered our brethren!" His words caused a ripple of indigent fury to wash over the knights, he continued. "The rest of you, with me! They''re still in the village, pissing all over our dead, let''s make sure that''s the last mistake they''ll ever make!"


    ˇ­..


    The momentum of a speeding horse could never hope to be stopped by a single man, no matter how strong he proposed himself to be. That fact alone is what made cavalry so advantageous on the battlefield. The forty-nine knights knew that full well as they entered the destroyed gates of what was once the village of Swayzee.


    They brought to arms the short spears that were attached to their saddles with thick leather straps. This would provide them with much more reach than if they used their short swords, and with a stabbing weapon it was much more likely to pierce the enemy''s plate armor. Although they were enraged, they had not forgotten the hundreds of hours of training they had endured.


    The sound of dozens of horses galloping was anything but discreet. The few knights rummaging through the rubble reacted quickly, grouping up and unsheathing their swords. The distance between the two groups was still quite large but was rapidly diminishing with each passing second. Having no cover due to the buildings being destroyed, the knights were forced to stand their ground.


    With an underhanded grip, the Knight Commander used the horse''s momentum, striking at a knight. The short spear drove through the knight''s shoulder, piercing armor and flesh alike. The other six knights struck at the Commander''s mount with their long swords, inflicting heavy wounds on his horse but doing nothing to slow its momentum. As the Commander continued on down the road, the other forty-eight knights were lined up ten across, galloping towards the remaining six knights.


    Preparing themselves for death, the half-dozen knights braced themselves. When the riders were within range, they lunged their swords forward, trying to kill the horses before being bowled over and trampled to death. A few of the swords found true, stabbing straight into the hearts of two of the horses, killing them instantly. The two riders were launched to the ground, hitting hard and breaking a few bones.


    The other riders did their best to avoid their comrades that were sprawled out on the ground but were unable to. Their horses instinctively jumped over the dead horses before landing on the gravely injured knights, killing them. There was no time to mourn their dead friends, the commanding knight was barking at them to get back into formation. The noise from the small skirmish had alerted the Morganian knights that had set up camp on the other side of the burned village.


    The Commander reorganized his troops, reforming them into a straight line. He was shocked to see how many Morganian knights there were, they easily outnumbered his men two to one. He knew of the visit from the First Princess of Morgania and would have never thought that they would use that as a pretext to attack Amine, but the evidence was all around them. Many people believed that they were the ones responsible for the then First Prince''s curse that killed their beloved King. It only made since that Morgania was itching for a war.


    Being outnumbered two to one didn''t sway the Commander''s decision to attack the Morgania knights. They were mounted which gave them a huge advantage, and, like most men, he had an unhealthy amount of pride in himself and his men which clouded his judgment. What he didn''t take into consideration was that the knights before him were the elites of the Kingdom of Morgania, handpicked to accompany the First Princess. Pulling his sword from its sheath, he let out a guttural war cry, rousing his men''s desire for bloodshed. Pointing his sword forward, the mounted knights charged.


    Being much more prepared than the few unfortunate knights searching the rubble for survivors, the ones at the camp stood in a line with long pikes by their side. They were preparing to impale the horses on their long weapons as they attempted to break through their line. Their line was fifty men across in the shape of a crescent moon, the camp at the center. Their armor glistened even in the cloudy skies, highly polished, and decorated with the golden crest of their kingdom.


    Not one of them moved as the knights charged towards them like a tsunami of muscle and steel. As they passed the halfway point, the Morganian knights brought their pikes in front of them digging the blunt end into the dirt and dropping the killing end towards their enemies. Still, their breathing remained steady. With only fifty feet to go, the ground suddenly erupted before the mounted knights, long spears of rock like vicious teeth, bit into the unsuspecting horses.


    Chaos spread forth in front of the Morganian knights, sounds of dying horses filled the air as the beasts struggled to pull themselves off the earthen barbs. The once mounted knights were flung forward over the heads of their horses, some landing headfirst onto the packed ground, breaking their necks and crushing their skulls. The rest of the thirty some knights struggling to stand and fight were set upon by the pike wielding knights. Their deaths were quick but painful as the long weapons found the weakest points of their armor.


    The small battlefield was quickly cleansed, the horses were put out of their misery and the armor and weapons of the dead knights were looted and stored away. The bodies were left were they died, telling whoever came upon the scene the story of what had transpired. The forty-nine strong mounted unit was completely wiped out, the only survivor was the one that was currently racing back to Lenova.


    "Sir, what shall we do with the civilian?" A knight asked the Commander of their unit.


    "Leave him be, he''s just searching through the rubble, he''s not a threat." He answered before continuing in a stern voice. "Tell the mages to erase the Earth Spikes and to use body fortification on the men, we need to return to the capital as soon as possible.. The attack from Amine only confirms what we feared, they must have attacked the Princess after we split up, we can only assume the worse."

 Chapter 56 - Becoming Whole Again

    "Thank you again Mage Kalcifer." Princess Alessandria exclaimed as she squirmed around on a plush velvet cushion.


    "Really, don''t mention it. Now at least you''ll stop your incessant complaining." He said as he whipped four horses pulling a large wagon.


    They had left the border city a few hours before, heading south towards Morgania. Being only a small city, they did not have a wide selection of wagons. In the end, Professor Kal was forced to purchase a traveling merchant''s wagon, including all the goods and horses, to find one large enough for all of them to ride. The price was exorbitant, but the Princess was the one to foot the bill.


    A thick canvas cloth was supported by curved wooden ribs, designed to keep rain from soaking the goods inside. It did nothing to prevent the chilly autumn air from assaulting its occupants. There were also no seats inside, only a flat wooden bed that was twenty feet by ten feet. This made the ride extremely uncomfortable, especially when bouncing down the heavily pitted road. Professor Kal was forced to rummage through his storage ring until he found a few large, overly ornate, couches for the group to sit on.


    "Ryan, can I look at the summoning amulet?" Professor Treffle asked.


    Not finding an issue with her request, Ryan undone the small clasp and handed the piece of jewelry over to the curious Professor. She proceeded to turn the piece over, thoroughly inspecting the craftsmanship and runes. After Ryan had summoned the devil worm to stop the hellhound from killing Lilly and Princess Alessandria, he was forced to divulge the amulet and its functions. Professor Treffle wanted to study such an amazing object, now that they had a moment of peace.


    As she held the amulet up to the light, she directed a question to Professor Kal. "Where did you find this? And you just gave it to a student?"


    Busy driving the four horses, Professor Kal didn''t bother to turn his head. "What''s so special about it, it''s nothing more than a glorified paperweight."


    "Are you insane! An enchanted item like this is worth more than my family''s manor."


    "I''d hate to see what that looks like then, YAAH!" Professor Kal said as he whipped the horses faster. "And don''t think about taking it for yourself, the boy''s already imprinted it."


    "I''m not a thief!" Professor Treffle snapped back.


    "Well, if you dangle a big enough carrot in front of somebody''s nose, they''re bound to take a bite." He replied, shrugging his shoulders.


    Furrowing her brows, Professor Treffle tossed the amulet back to Ryan who caught it in midair. "Don''t let anybody else find out about that, the jackass is right, people would kill to get that from you."


    Ryan gave a wholehearted nod; he knew full well how valuable the amulet was. The only reason he had told the Professor about it was because he trusted her to keep the secret. With those thoughts in mind, he turned to look at the Princess and her armed guard, Lilly.


    "Your secret is safe with us." Princess Alessandria said, speaking for the both of them and giving him a warm smile while Lilly nodded.


    "Thanks." He said, his eyes naturally drifting to the stump that was Lilly''s arm. "Is it still bothering you?"


    "No, it''s not. The young miss''s healing magic treated it quite well, though I do have some pain from where my arm used to be." She answered, scrunching up her face at the end.


    "That''s normal, at least that''s what I read." Laura explained. "Some of the books my parents forced me to read said that many amputees experience similar symptoms."


    "Forced you? Well, either way, I can''t thank you enough for what you''ve done for me." Lilly said, not wanting to touch on a sensitive subject.


    They exchanged smiles before an idea popped into Laura''s head. "Professor, isn''t there something we can do for her arm?"


    "Well, I wasn''t going to say anything, but you''re right. We can''t take care of a cripple when we have to keep the Princess''s safety in mind, now can we?" Professor Kal stated seriously.


    "But I didn''t say that at all..."


    "Now, now, although it was rather rude of you to just put it out there, we can''t stand on social norms when lives are on the line!"


    "But..."


    Ryan stopped Laura from arguing with the Professor by putting his hand on her shoulder. He had learned long ago that trying to get through to the Professor was just a wasted effort. She looked over to Lilly, giving her a look that begged to say that that wasn''t what she meant. Lilly just gave her a sad smile; she knew that she didn''t mean anything by it, but she was still despondent about losing her livelihood.


    Lilly was a knight of the Kingdom of Morgania, protecting the Princess was her duty and now that she was missing an arm, she wouldn''t be able to carry that duty out. Although she was still able to swing her short sword, missing an appendage threw her off-balance, making her once pristine footwork sloppy and full of openings. She hadn''t put much thought into it, but now she realized how useless she had become. She subconsciously clutched her stump, feeling the soft bandages where her arm should have been and let out a soft sigh.


    "Don''t worry Lilly, you''ll always have a place at my side." Princess Alessandria said while placing her hand on top of hers, trying to comfort her longtime friend.


    A clear tear slid down her sun kissed cheek. "Thank you, your Majesty."


    "HA!" Professor Kal blurted out, ruining the tender moment between friends. "Finally found it. Here, put this on."


    Professor Kal handed Lilly what looked like a long metal rectangle that was hollow on one end and resembled an ingot of plain iron both in weight and color. Lilly reached out with her only remaining hand before nearly dropping the ingot on her foot. Now embarrassed, she focused on the object while her ears turned beet red. It was smooth to the touch, her calloused fingers moving up and down the matte surface. Cautiously, she turned the rectangle around before slowly unraveling the white bandages and placing her stump into the hollow end.


    Everyone''s eyes were on her as the cold metal engulfed what remained of her arm. Nothing happened. Everyone continued to wait, but still, nothing. Professor Kal''s face contorted into confusion, his index finger tapping his chin.


    "It should have... hmmmm... Ah, I remember now."


    He pulled out a shining mana stone. It''s emerald light illuminating the already bright interior. He placed the stone onto the surface of the rectangular object, the golf ball sized gem melting into the now shimmering metal. Ripples spread across the solid surface, drawing in the gazes of those present. As they leaned in closer, watching what was happening with amazement, the liquid metal morphed into a familiar shape.


    Lilly was awestruck. Although there was some amount of pain, and the weight was more than what she would have liked, she still smiled as she slowly opened and closed her fist. The metal had transformed into and exact replica of her amputated arm, mimicking it perfectly, even down to the small scar on the back of her hand. The only difference was that her left arm was now a dark matte gray color, not even close to resembling living flesh.


    "Where do you get these things?!" Professor Treffle shouted out in disbelief.


    "Pretty nifty, right?" He replied. "It''s called Memory Metal; it forms into whatever its user visualizes. It''s not normally used as a prosthetic, but I thought it was worth a shot."


    "Then why did it have an opening for my arm?"


    "That''s where you''d stick your hand, obviously. It was extremely popular as a weapon, it could change depending on whatever situation the user found themselves in. Concentrate, try to change it into something else."


    Following his orders, Lilly concentrated on her metal arm. Soon the surface rippled just like before, slowly transforming into a morning-star. She held her ''arm'' out in front of her, her eyes wide, inspecting the head sized spiked ball that was at the end. The spikes were about four inches long and as big around as a finger. Having lost her focus, the morning star melted and quickly returned to the shape of her arm.


    "Why does it go back to being my arm? I''m not even trying to keep it like that." Lilly asked.


    Scratching the top of his head, Professor Kal answered to the best of his ability. "It must have something to do with how your mind still believes that your arm is still there. If you''re up for it, I would love to do some experiments!"


    The way he was looking at her made her skin crawl, it was like he wasn''t looking at a person but at an animal he couldn''t wait to dissect, but she didn''t wish to be rude to someone that had given her life back. "O... ok."


    "Wonderful!" He exclaimed before materializing bizarre looking instruments, some with long needles attached to them. The color drained from Lilly''s face, her ''arm'' unconsciously morphed into an oval shield that covered the upper part of her body.


    "Fascinating." He said before moving in closer, holding a large syringe filled with a sickly green liquid.


    "Uh, Professor." Ben interrupted. "I just have to ask. If you''re back here, then who''s driving the horses?"


    Professor Kal stopped what he was doing as his head snapped to the front of the wagon. "Shit." Just then, the wagon started to rumble and shake as it went off the road.


    ˇ­..


    A pair of silver eyes watched as a driverless covered wagon meandered off the road as the four horses thought it best to sample the green grass growing not too far away. The mage she was supposed to observe scrambled out of the wagon and started to admonish the beasts of burden, desperately pulling on their reigns in an attempt to get them moving again.


    "This guy''s an idiot." Marissa mumbled to herself.


    She was the noble vampire that Silus had ordered to find the mage responsible for the demon''s death and to keep an eye on him. She was starting to question if she had discovered the right mage, maybe she had made a mistake? She couldn''t smell anything special about him, then again, she wasn''t used to her powers, and it was the middle of the day, when she was at her weakest.


    She continued down the road, walking toward the stranded wagon. The mage had given up on physically moving the horses and had resorted to calling them names and insulting their mothers, of course, the horses couldn''t have cared less.


    "Do ya need a hand?"


    Professor Kal turned to the voice, fed up with the obstinance of the four dumb animals. Standing on the road was a beautiful woman, she stood at five feet four inches tall and was wearing a wide straw hat concealing her short auburn hair. She had on a wool parka that covered most of her upper body and plain black slacks that concealed the rest. Her enchanting silver eyes looked at Professor Kal with indifference and her rosy lips curled upwards in a small smile.


    "No, we''re all good here."


    Her smile turned upside down, Marissa didn''t expect the mage to outright refuse her. "Are ya sure, I''m pretty handy with animals."


    She insisted, her eyes widening slightly as an imperceptible red light flashed within her dark pupils. Professor Kal stared back blankly, his annoyed expression nowhere to be seen. He slowly nodded as he made his way over to the overwhelmingly enticing woman. Marissa smiled a victorious grin, pleased to see her innate ability overpowering this man''s simple mind.


    Professor Kal stopped just a few feet from her, his face a blank slate, he almost looked delirious. He leaned forward slightly, leaning heavily on his black staff. He opened his mouth to speak, then yelled in the woman''s face. "Bugger off!"


    Marissa took a step back, surprised by the unexpected turn of events. Before she could process what was going on they were interrupted. "Professor, who''re you talking to?"


    Seeing a way out of her awkward position, Marissa spoke up. "I was just offering up my assistance, seeing that your wagon had gone off course." A bright smile punctuated her sentence.


    Ben was immediately infatuated, taken in by her unnatural beauty. He stared dumbly at the woman, a cheesy grin on his face. Marissa did her best not to laugh, she hadn''t even tried to charm the boy, his raging hormones done the job for her. Several more pairs of eyes popped up behind the dumbstruck young man, curious about what was going on outside the covered wagon.


    "Professor." Ryan started. "We can''t just leave her to walk."


    His comment earned him a sharp poke in the ribs from Laura. Richard on the other hand was quietly nodding his head in agreement.


    "Shut up boy, you don''t even know what''s going on. No one said anything about giving her a ride, just don''t poke your head out and butt in!" Professor Kal admonished his pupil.


    "Well, I have been walking for quite some time." Marissa added on, emphasizing the word have and adding a small pout on her face which caused the boys'' to redden.


    "I think we have enough room for one more." Another voice from the peanut gallery spoke out.


    Professor Kal slapped his forehead with the palm of his hand. "My gods! Who said anything about giving her a lift?!"


    Princess Alessandria argued back. "It''s the right thing to do! That poor woman is probably exhausted, we just can''t leave her on her own."


    Throwing his hands up in defeat, Professor Kal stomped back to the horses that were still filling up on grass. "I don''t even know what''s going on anymore.. Bunch of idiots!" He cursed to himself.

 Chapter 57 - Past Decisions

    The atmosphere inside the wagon was jovial as it bounced down the road, Marissa blending in seamlessly with the group. After introductions were over with, she proceeded to retell her journey thus far to the group. She was travelling to the capital of Morgania due to her ailing sister. She worked there as a maid to one of the lesser nobles of the Kingdom and was suffering from a hereditary disease. She had traveled this far from the city of Sorkin, where she lived and worked as an adventurer, clearing out the surrounding forest of what little monsters there were.


    "Miss Marissa, what ailment does your sister have? Aren''t you worried about having it as well?" Lilly asked, rubbing the cold metal that covered her left arm.


    "Nah, I''m the oldest, so if I had it, I already would have gotten sick, and I think it''s called... hold on, I got her letter here." She pulled a wrinkled piece of parchment from her breast pocket. "The doctor told her it was called ''Lock Joint''." She explained as her expression turned downcast.


    "I''ve heard of that disease before, it''s treatable, isn''t it?" Laura asked as she furrowed her brows.


    "Yep, that''s why I''m going, to help her out. She can''t work while she''s bedridden and the medicine is expensive." She said, her bubbly attitude returning.


    "Well, if you need funding for her treatment, I would be more than happy to lend a hand." Alessandria said with a sympathetic look on her face.


    "Thank ya kindly, but it''s not life threatening, and we don''t want to owe nobody nothin''."


    Although they had allowed Marissa to join them on their travels to the capital and introduced themselves, they had not let her in on the fact that Alessandria was royalty. Alessandria didn''t press her any further and simply gave her a small bow, not wanting to injure the woman''s pride. The topic then moved on to lighter subjects and soon the sound of laughter could be heard from within the canvas cover.


    ˇ­..


    A solid oak door was standing before him, closing him off from what his life was just a few days prior. He reached out with his trembling right hand, he paused. He couldn''t just turn the knob and barge in, no, this room was no longer his, it belonged to someone else. He pulled his hand back before forming a fist and knocking, hard, his frustrations transmitting themselves into the wooden door.


    The door clicked, opening to allow the former Dean back into his old office. A fat young man was standing on the other side of the door, a smug grin spreading across his greasy face. "Mage Petticoat, please, come in."


    A cheerful voice sounded out from deeper in the room, his tone friendly, but it still made Alfred sick to his stomach. He crossed the plush silk rug spread out over the floor with measured steps, scanning the room with his eyes as he did so. He was saddened to see his once splendidly decorated office now plastered with gaudy gold-plated furniture and tacky paintings that only the conceited would call art.


    His eyes stopped on a large oil painting hanging over the fireplace. It was framed in precious metals and was seven feet tall and four feet wide, depicting a life-sized rendition of Duke Hutchens holding a valiant pose over the corpse of a massive red dragon. He strained himself in order not to roll his eyes, he''d never seen such narcissism before. He couldn''t fault the artist for the piece, it was incredibly lifelike and perfectly conveyed the life and death battle that had taken place.


    "Do you like it? I had to stand perfectly still for six hours; it was quite the undertaking." Duke Hutchens commented as he noticed Mage Petticoat''s eyes lingering on the centerpiece.


    "It truly steals your attention; it is almost as if the artist has captured a moment in time." Alfred gave his honest opinion.


    "He better have!" Duke Hutchens said with a laugh. "I paid him a small fortune for the work. You have probably heard of him, Pier Beautist."


    "I thought he did not take on commissions?" Alfred said, genuine surprise in his voice.


    "For the right price, people are willing to do any number of things. Please, have a seat." Duke Hutchens gestured to a high-backed leather chair.


    Straightening out his robes, now Royal Mage Petticoat took a seat. The leather creaked as it took his full weight, still stiff from being just recently made. Mage Petticoat figured that all of the lavish furniture inside his old office was new, there was little chance that a man such as Duke Hutchens would ever tolerate used furniture.


    "Clerance, you may leave us now." Dean Hutchens said to his son. "Please tell Agatha to prepare us some tea."


    With a smug grin, Clerance gave his father a small bow before smirking at Mage Petticoat''s back and leaving the room. His secretary, Minnie, had followed him to the royal court. Although it wasn''t customary for a commoner to assist a Royal Mage, he just couldn''t bring himself to leave her in the clutches of such a despot.


    "I can''t thank you enough for all the assistance you have given me over the last several days." Dean Hutchens said, taking his seat behind an exquisitely carved mahogany desk.


    "Of course, you are most welcome. I pray that everything has gone smoothly?"


    "Yes, yes, very smoothly. Of course, there has been a few issues but nothing overly cumbersome. Ah, here she is." A knock sounded from behind the closed door, soon, an extremely beautiful woman entered carrying a silver plate loaded with a steaming teapot and cups. She had long slender legs that were shown in all their glory because of a tight-fitting skirt that barely came within six inches of her knees. A pure white silk blouse clung snuggly to her fit body, leaving hardly anything to the imagination. Glossy black hair flowed over her bare shoulders and an enticing floral scent followed everywhere she walked.


    Duke Hutchens watched her closely with lust filled eyes, unconsciously licking his lips as she bent over to place the tray on a small table near them. She then began to skillfully pour the amber liquid into the small cups. Mage Petticoat could appreciate a beautiful woman, just like any other man, but the way that Duke Hutchens eyed her made his stomach turn.


    "Thank you, Agatha, that will be all for now." Duke Hutchens said, dismissing his secretary. She gave a small bow before turning and leaving the room, swaying her hips with every step.


    "Now, the reason I have asked you here... please, try the tea, it''s Golden Leaf Tea, very hard to come by." Duke Hutchens explained as he gestured to the rapidly cooling teacup being held in Mage Petticoat''s hands.


    He waited for his guest to take a sip, smiling as he did so. "Fantastic, isn''t it? ... the reason I asked you here is for a simple clarification on one of the recent hires done not too long ago."


    Alfred''s hand paused for a split second as he was raising the fragrant tea to his lips, before putting the cup back onto the silver tray. "I believe I may know of the person you are speaking of."


    "Good, that will save us some time then." He said with a wide smile. "I was auditing the files when I discovered that Professor Kalcifer had not gone through the proper vetting process."


    Keeping his perfect posture, Alfred shifted uncomfortably in the stiff leather chair. He hadn''t looked into Mage Kalcifer''s past at all, taking his skills and knowledge at face value. He was the Dean, he could afford to bend the rules as he saw fit, even though there was a certain process that was supposed to be followed. Normally, if one wanted to become a Professor at the Academy, they would have to go through several interviews along with a thorough background check.


    These policies were put in place in order to protect noble and wealthy children from anyone with less that savory goals. He supposed he should have done a better job at hiding the fact that Professor Kalcifer wasn''t vetted, but he was the Dean and had no reason to. Now that he was no longer in that position, he had no way to keep it from coming out into the light.


    Alfred''s face did not betray his emotions as he answered. "You are correct, he was not vetted per usual. It was an expedited hiring; with the death of Mage Arckroft we were in desperate need of an alchemy professor."


    "So, you''re saying you would have brought on anyone that said they were skilled in a little botany?" Duke Hutchens pressed him with an air of victory.


    "Of course not. Mage Kalcifer demonstrated his skills and knowledge before my very eyes, I had every bit of faith in his abilities to teach as well as his personal character."


    Duke Hutchens nodded his head, a faux frown appearing on his face. "Unfortunately, due to the proper procedure being circumvented, I have no choice but to remove Mage Kalcifer from the role of professor. I am also forced to confiscate any and all items he has obtained or produce during his fraudulent tenure here at the Academy."


    Alfred didn''t flinch in the slightest, he had expected something like this to happen. "Is that all? I don''t see why you had to summon me here for this."


    "Oh, there is a reason. You, being the one who committed this dereliction of duty, are to be held responsible for any wrongdoings that he may have committed under your watch." He said, the corner of his mouth curling up and into a smirk. "Now, not to worry, no disciplinary actions will be taken against you, no matter the results of the investigation. I just thought it would be right to inform you personally of what is happening."


    "There''s going to be an investigation? Does his Highness know of this?"


    "As I said before, there is no need to worry, it is purely an internal investigation. As being an independent body within the Kingdom, we have no obligation to inform the Crown, especially since there will be no criminal accountability."


    "Alright, if that is all then I will take my leave." Alfred said, standing from his chair with a bitter taste in his mouth.


    "You were always free to go, this was just a courtesy." Duke Hutchens said as he watched Mage Petticoat walk away. "Ah, one more thing. Should we find any major wrongdoing on your part, even though no charges will be brought, I may be forced to strip you of the honors associated with being a retired dean."


    Mage Petticoat''s steps faltered for a brief moment, before he continued to the door. Duke Hutchens smiled to himself, fighting back the urge to laugh, as the door to his office slammed shut, shaking the paintings hanging on the walls.


    "Leaving already, Mage Petticoat?" Agatha asked, hurriedly standing from behind her small desk. "Shall I summon a carriage for you?"


    "There''s no need." He flashed her a small smile.. "I think I''ll walk, I''m in need of some fresh air."

 Chapter 58 - A Hasty Decision

    Deep within a secure area, a single large rectangular table sat in the center of a windowless room. Magical lanterns cast bright white light, illuminating much of the room but also casting long murky shadows. A dozen highly polished chairs lined either side of the table, with a thirteenth situated at one end. They were currently occupied all by men with varying levels of social standing, each one sitting silently as they mulled over the report they had just heard.


    General Ushire was the first one to speak. "Your Highness, we should be cautious and investigate these claims before making any..."


    "Investigate! You want us to sit on our asses and wait for an investigation?!" A tall and sickly thin man interjected with his hawkish opinion. "We should strike back tenfold! Show them that they stepped on a hornet''s nest."


    A small chorus of agreement rang out from half of the room, heads bobbing up and down like birds pecking at seeds. The other half of the room remained silent, not wanting to appear weak willed in front of their peers while at the same time not courageous enough to send men to war. General Ushire said nothing to the fact that he had been disrespected, he just narrowed his eyes and sharpened his gaze at the thin man.


    "Now, now, Marquis Mallow. That''s no way to have a civil conversation, now, is it?" Duke Hutchens chided him.


    "Yes, of course, you are correct Duke Hutchens. I apologize for my outburst General Ushire." Marquis Mallow apologized, giving General Ushire a halfhearted bow.


    "I concur with General Ushire. There have been no witnesses to what had truly happened to the village, it very well may have not been the Morganites." A rotund balding man said while he adjusted his gold rimmed glasses that would perpetually slide down his round nose. A din of agreement sounded out once more, equally splitting the room.


    "Thank you for your wise guidance, Baron Murphy."


    "It is my duty, Your Highness."


    "Mage Petticoat, what is your opinion in all of this?" King alexander asked calmly, turning towards the man to his left.


    Mage Petticoat hesitated to answer right away, his opinion could very well sway the King''s decision. He closed his eyes briefly, forming his words in his mind. "I have to agree with the General, we must obtain more information before we could possibly declare war. I cannot think of any reason that Morgania would have to attack us, especially a small village such as Swayzee."


    King Alexander nodded his head, normally, he would have agreed with his Royal Mage. What Mage Petticoat didn''t know was that he had given First Princess Alessandria only thirty days to solve an impossible problem. He knew deep down that they were not the ones responsible for the curse, but he had let his anger get the better of him and his pride made it impossible for him to back down.


    With everything that had happened, there was a good chance that the Princess took it upon herself to strike first, although the small village would not have been his first target. That was the sticking point, why would they kill the entirety of such an inconsequential backwater village? It just didn''t make any sense.


    King Alexander turned to the man seated on his right. "Duke Hutchens, what do you think?"


    "Thank you, Your Majesty. I believe, although their methods escape us, the facts are indisputable. The Kingdom of Morgania''s knights, for unknown reasons, razed a peaceful village of our great Kingdom. We cannot, in good conscious, let this transgression stand." A murmur spread through the small number of people seated around the table. "Now, I''m not blind to the need of an investigation; but we should only use that to uncover what happened to those poor souls, not use it as an excuse to put off what must be done." Duke Hutchens exclaimed passionately, managing to kindle the flames of war inside most of those present.


    Now most of the room was quietly talking amongst themselves, the consensus agreed with what the Duke had said. General Ushire gave no hint to what his emotions truly were, he remained still, waiting for orders from the Crown. Mage Petticoat on the other hand let out a resigned sigh, shaking his head. There hadn''t been a war in over fifty years, now it seemed as if he would have to experience one during his lifetime.


    The low murmur of voices slowly intensified until it was a clamor of intense arguments between the nobles. They had moved on from discussing the possibilities of a war into who should provide the troops for the inevitable invasion. All the while, Mage Petticoat, General Ushire, and Duke Hutchens sat quietly, waiting for the King to make his decision.


    "General." The King''s quiet voice instantly overpowering the nobles'' and silencing the room. "How long will it take to prepare?"


    Everyone present listened intently to General Ushire''s answer. "Most of the preparations have already been completed due to your previous order. The manhunt for Lord Arckroft''s killer is still ongoing as well, so there is already an increased presence on our borders. We only need to establish supply lines and conscript the regular army."


    "So how long?"


    "One month would be an accurate estimate. We need time to send out the draft and to summon the drafted citizens to the camps we will need to set up. Being that everyone is mandated to join the army upon adulthood for two years, we will only need to spend a week or two on refreshing their training." General Ushire said, his deep voice reverberating throughout the room.


    "What about the upcoming winter?" Mage Petticoat asked, fearing the deep snow that was bound to fall in only a few months time.


    General Ushire nodded his head at the perfectly sensible question. "Snow will be an issue, but the further we push south the less snowfall there will be. As long as we can capture Nox before winter truly starts, we will be in possession of a fortified bridgehead. Unfortunately, we would have to pause our advance during the coldest months, but they would not be able to attack us as well."


    "What about their defenses? Surely they had noticed our movements by now." Mage Petticoat added on.


    "They have." General Ushire said. "They have increased the manpower on their side of the border by fifteen percent, according to our spies. This is mainly because of the aforementioned manhunt; they had been helping us in the search. If we were to strike now, I am confident in a swift victory."


    "Alright." King Alexander said. "Thank you General. I have taken everything you all have told me today into consideration. My father had overseen several decades of peace, sustaining a fine balance between the three kingdoms. I''m reluctant to break that peace, but what must be done must be done. We cannot let this travesty remain unanswered; we cannot allow our countrymen to remain unavenged." His voice grew in fervor. "Mage Petticoat, I will be relying on you in the coming days."


    "Of course, Your Majesty."


    The King then turned to Duke Hutchens. "Duke Hutchens, do we have any foreign students inside the Academy at the moment?"


    Duke Hutchens nodded. "Less than a hundred Your Majesty, and only twenty from Morgania."


    "Keep an eye on them for now, do not allow them to leave the city."


    "At your command, Your Highness." Duke Hutchens said respectfully with a bow.


    "Good. Now, General Ushire, make the necessary preparations, we are going to war."


    ˇ­..


    A clear bead of salty sweat rolled down Ryan''s nose, hanging off of the tip precariously until falling down onto his hand. He had a white knuckled grip on the leather reigns as the four horses plodded down the wide dirt road. It was cool outside, the mid-autumn breeze ushering in the pretense of winter. The sun on the other hand was still putting up a valiant resistance, reminding everyone of its presence as its rays heated all they touched.


    The leaves from the nearby forest had mostly fallen off, leaving the trees to stand naked and exposed. Mountains rose up in the distance. Their ice-covered peaks scraping the sky as well as providing their chilled water to the small river running parallel to the road. Ryan looked ahead, off in the distance a large, fortified building had been erected. Surrounding it were dozens of soldiers going about their duties and with a lengthy line of travelers waiting to enter.


    "Looks like a checkpoint." Professor Kal said, poking his head out of the covered compartment. "Just act natural."


    "Act natural? We didn''t do anything wrong, why would I have to ''act natural''?"


    Shrugging his shoulders, Professor Kal gave Ryan an inquisitive look. "You just have that look about you, like you''re up to no good."


    "Gods." Ryan muttered. "And people call me a child."


    Ryan stopped the wagon, taking his place at the back of the lengthy line. Luckily, it looked as if the line was moving smoothly, only taking about five minutes per inspection. After an hour, it was their turn. A soldier gave Ryan the order to pull inside the structure which he followed without protest.


    Once inside, Ryan noticed the center of the building was wide open. Clear blue skies could be seen when he looked up, the walls of the building reaching twenty feet high. There were other carriages and wagons lined up, they were being processed as well, their occupants waiting inside a designated area.


    "Alright, everyone out, you can wait over there." A soldier ordered, pointing to an area with a few benches not too far away.


    The handful of guards waited patiently for the people inside the wagon to disembark. Their eyes going wide in shock as they landed on the unearthly beauties that descended from the plain wooden wagon. It wasn''t as if they had never seen a beautiful woman before, they were all experienced men, not the green bucks they used to be. Even so, when they watched the graceful movements of the four women descending from the plain wagon, they could feel their hearts flutter and their breaths quicken.


    "Ahhh, it feels so good to move around. It was getting cramped in there." Marissa exclaimed as she jumped down from the bed of the wagon and stretched her arms above her head, her joints audibly popping. The guards watched slack jawed as the auburn beauty stretched out her slender body only a few feet in front of them. She moved her hips in a playful manor, drawing in their attention before topping off her actions with a flirtatious wink which sent them all into a fervor.


    "Gods, I''m starving." Professor Treffle said, looking around the large dirt courtyard. "I was really hoping for at least a food cart in here."


    "We do have some of that wonderful boar that Marissa so graciously hunted for us." Alessandria said, as she was helped down by Lilly who had exited just before her.


    "Yes, Lady Alessandria, that boar was delectable." Lilly wholeheartedly agreed.


    "Now Lilly, I''ve told you several times to just address me as Ali." Alessandria chided her with a small smile on her rosy lips.


    "Please forgive me, your ... Ali."


    "How long is this going to take?!" A boisterous voice sounded out from two carriages over. "I''m on a very tight deadline and I''ve already been waiting in line for well over an hour!"


    A broad-shouldered man clad in fine clothing and gilded jewelry stood cross armed and was impatiently tapping his foot. He stood surrounded by four armed guards but could easily be seen behind them due to his height. Half a dozen soldiers were busy unloading his wagons'' contents onto the ground, carefully opening, and inspecting each one. A single soldier was attempting to remain calm as the large man continued to raise his voice.


    "What do you mean you have to search every container!? I have four wagons loaded with crates full of perishable goods, will you be the one to reimburse me should they rot?!" He screamed at the soldier, a vein bulging from his neck and white foam forming at the corner of his mouth.


    Having had enough, the soldier could no longer contain his annoyance. "You WILL submit to the search WITHOUT complaint! If you refuse, I will exercise my right, as a soldier of the Kingdom of Amine, to have you arrested for interfering with official business."


    The bodyguards surrounding the man did not react to the soldier''s words in the slightest, they were only being paid to protect the merchant from bandits, not from his own stupidity. While the screaming matched continued between the two, the other soldiers continued to methodically empty out the wagons'' contents.


    "Be careful with those!" The man shouted. "Those are... they''re..." The merchant stuttered, pulling at his collar. "Very... exspen...."


    Clutching his chest, the merchant dropped to his knees, dirtying his blue silk pants. One bodyguard rushed to his aid, while the other three, not knowing if it was an assassination attempt, covered his body with theirs. The soldier that had been arguing with the merchant moved in to help, he may have found the man to be unbearable, but he would never wish him dead.


    Finding the merchant unresponsive, the bodyguard shouted out for help. "We need a healer! Quickly!"

 Chapter 59 - Saving A Life

    "Hurry up! You need to go get a healer!" The head bodyguard screamed out to the soldier that was standing nearby.


    The bodyguard was in a panic, not because he was afraid for the merchant''s life but because if he died, then none of them would be paid. They were hired half a month ago and have had to put up with the appalling man every day since then. Unfortunately, they were used to working for such people, so this merchant''s particular attitude was something they''ve had to deal with before.


    "Y... yes, of course." The soldier stammered out before running off and disappearing inside the barracks.


    A small crowd had gathered around the merchant who was still laying unresponsive on the large dirt courtyard. The four bodyguards were doing their best in treating the man, but their knowledge of first aid applied only to external wounds and broken bones, not whatever it was that was ailing the merchant.


    "Shouldn''t we do something?" Benjamin asked the group. "Professor, you can help him, can''t you?"


    Not taking his eyes off of his notebook as he scribbled illegible words onto the yellow pages, Professor Kal gave an answer. "It doesn''t really concern us, and also, that guy''s an ass."


    "Professor Treffle?" Ben looked to his other teacher.


    "I''m not very well versed in healing spells, I can help with small cuts and sprains, that''s about it. Sorry." She said, obviously concerned for the man''s wellbeing, but unable to help in any meaningful way.


    "Don''t look at me, all I''m good at is swinging a sword." Marissa said preemptively, holding up both her hands.


    "I''m sorry to say that neither of us have much magical ability to speak of." Princess Alessandria spoke for both herself and Lilly, a sorrowful look on her face.


    "I''ll do it." Laura said with conviction as she walked over to where the merchant was laying.


    Ben, Ryan, and Richard all looked at each other before quickly following behind her. They had to push through several people in order to see the merchant on the ground. By the time they had caught up to Laura, she was already talking to the head bodyguard.


    "I can use healing magic, let me try to help." She said to the bodyguard.


    Without any other options, he was left with no other choice. The merchant had already been on the ground for a few minutes, his breathing was labored and shallow and the color of his face had changed to a shade of purple.


    "Fine, do what you can do." The bodyguard said, allowing her past him and to the merchant.


    Her three friends, along with the rest of the crowd, watched as she knelt down next to the man and began checking him all over. She put her ear on the center of his chest and listened for his heartbeat, then moved her ear to either side of his chest. After she had finished with that, she opened the man''s mouth and took a long look inside. Having decided on how to treat him, she put both of her hands together, forming a diamond with her thumbs and forefingers.


    Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, she started to recite a chant. Her hands began to glow a pale white light. Everyone''s focus was on her as words of power flowed from her small lips.


    "Get out of my way!" A shrill voice came from behind the crowd as a man dressed in a brown robe pushed his way through. "Move it! You''re in my way!"


    Laura was pushed from the side, sending her tumbling into the dirt. Having been putting her full concentration into her healing spell she had failed to catch herself as she fell. Her tender face had taken much of the impact, bloodying her lip, and scratching up her cheek.


    "Look at the little girl playing mage, how adorable. You''re lucky I''m here now, you could have killed someone." The man derided, sneering at the girl he had just bowled over.


    "Hey, you bastard..." Ryan shouted out, rushing towards the man.


    "Restrain him, I''ll deal with him later." The robed man said, ordering a nearby soldier to grab Ryan before he could make it to him.


    "I can''t believe I''m stationed here with all of these Neanderthals. What did I ever do to any of the nobles to deserve this?" He mumbled to himself as Ryan struggled against the soldiers.


    Laura had picked herself up from the ground and was glaring at the man that pushed her. She could tell that he was a mage from the insignia on his brown robe, but that''s all she could glean off of his garb. Brushing the dirt off of her plain clothes and wiping the blood that had ran down her chin, she confronted the man. "What are you doing? He needs to be treated soon or he''ll die."


    "Shut up. What would a commoner like you know about the healing arts? I''ve spent the last four years of my life learning the techniques required to save lives, and what have you done? So go back to whatever dingy hole it is that you crawled out of and leave the important work to the adults." He spat, looking down his nose at the defiant girl.


    With a wave of his hand, he ordered another soldier to push the girl back into the crowd. By this time the merchant had deteriorated, his breathing was almost imperceptible, and the light shade of purple was now a dark violet. The mage finally directed his attention to the patient, flicking the sleaves of his robes, he put his hands over the man and started to loudly chant a spell.


    Much like Laura''s before, the man''s hands also started to glow. Really, the only difference between her spell and his were the words used and the theatrical way in which he chanted it. He seemed much more worried with the way he appeared while casting the spell than what was actually happening to the patient on the other end. His voice was so loud that those even still in line waiting to be inspected could hear it clearly, causing even more people to begin rubbernecking.


    The merchant''s body began to glow faintly as the mage continued to chant his spell. Soon, there was an obvious physical reaction to the healing spell. His body started to tremble slightly, slowly building in intensity until finally culminating into a Grand Mal seizure. A thin line of dark red blood trailed down the corner of his mouth as he involuntarily bit into his tongue, and his eyes shot open only to show the whites of his bloodshot eyes.


    The crowd took a collective step back, frightened by what they were witnessing. Most of them had never seen healing magic performed before, as it was normally financially out of reach for them, but even a layperson could tell that whatever was happening to the man was not good. The man''s convulsions continued even as the mage frantically adjusted his spell in an attempt to rectify whatever it was that was affecting him.


    "Stop it! You''re killing him!" Laura shouted out, breaking free from the soldier''s grip, and rushing over to the mage.


    The mage continued to chant his spell, his face pale from a mixture of anxiety and mana over usage. Seeing that he wasn''t going to stop before the man really did die, Laura kicked out, catching the man in the groin. She had instantly cut off his spell as the mage doubled over in pain, crying out with tears in his eyes.


    "How... haaaa... how dare you!" The mage wheezed out in-between gasps. "Do you have any idea who I am? You''ve just assaulted the son of Baron Tillweather, Hardy Tillweather! Not only that, but you will be held responsible for anything that may happen to this man!"


    "Are you an idiot?!" Laura exclaimed, pointing to the merchant that was still seizing on the hard ground. "He has a blood clot in his lungs, and you were treating him for internal bleeding! Do you have any idea the damage that would cause, making his blood clot up even more than it already had!"


    The mage''s face miraculously grew even whiter, his mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water. "How... you... you don''t know what you''re talking about. I ..."


    "My gods!" A loud voice cut Mage Tillweather off mid-sentence. "You''re both idiots! While you two are fighting, your patient is circling the drain, just look at him, I don''t think he''ll pull through now."


    Professor Kal had, at some point, appeared standing next to the now still merchant. The bodyguards that had been standing close to the patient jumped back and instinctively pulled out their weapons at the sound of his voice. He was wearing his usual plain black robe and holding his gnarled black staff loosely in his right hand. His green eyes burned with contempt when he glared at Mage Tillweather and disappointment when they shifted their focus to Laura.


    Doing her best to pay no attention to the disappointed look that she was receiving from a man she highly respected, Laura hurriedly cast her spell once more. Her pretty face twisted in absolute focus as she put every fiber of her being into healing the man that was now so close to death. Mage Tillweather did not try to stop her this time around because of being rooted in place by the man dressed in black, an intense pressure squeezing the air out of his lungs.


    The merchant''s limp body once again started to emit a faintly glowing light. Laura''s ponytail defied gravity as it began to lift gently into the air along with all the other loose strands of her black hair. She recited the ancient words that she had learned from professor Kal. They hadn''t focused on healing during his special lessons, but he had given her an old tome filled with spells she had never seen before. Unfortunately, although she was a naturally skilled healer, her lack of experience caused her to not be able to fully control the flow of mana.


    The glowing light started to flicker as Laura''s control began to wane. Having some effect on the merchant, he took a large gasp of air and his color slightly improved, but it was not enough to bring him out of his comatose state. Out of breath herself, Laura fell to her knees breathing heavily. She shook her head, angry and frustrated with herself due to her lack of experience and the fact that had she healed him when given the chance, the merchant very well could have recovered by now.


    For that, she blamed the egotistical man that had pushed her over before she could heal him. She looked up at Mage Tillweather with wrath filled eyes and silent tears spilling from them. "This is all your fault! He''s going to die because of you!"


    Mage Tillweather couldn''t even begin to think straight, let alone reply to Laura''s accusation. It was all he could do to remain standing as the aura from Professor Kal rooted him in place along with the bodyguards and soldiers. Professor Kal, in front of the now large crowd of people, brought out a sizeable crystal bottle filled with a pinkish liquid and topped with a cork. Pulling the cork out with his teeth with a pleasing ''fwump'' sound, Professor Kal proceeded to pour the entire contents of the bottle onto the merchant''s body.


    As soon as the pink elixir touched the man, it disappeared, not evaporated into the cool air, but greedily absorbed into his body even through his fine silk clothes. The effects were immediate, the merchant began hacking, trying to clear something from deep inside himself. Finally, in one particularly violent cough, a golf ball sized blood clot made its way out of his mouth and splattered onto the ground.


    The crowd watched on in silent wonder as the barely living man turned from a palid purple color into one more closely resembling living flesh. His breaths were deep and even and his eyelids started to flutter. Ryan, not caring for the resurrection of the merchant in the slightest, broke free from the statuesque soldier and rushed over to Laura''s side. In an over abundance of care, he brought out a clean cloth in an attempt to care for her injured face only to be brushed off by her as she moved closer to the now fidgeting man.


    "I shouldn''t have had to use that." Professor Kal said, looking down at Laura. "If you want to save someone''s life, you''ll need to fight tooth and nail for them. You must have the conviction required to do whatever must be done once you set out to do it. That is something I cannot teach you, it''s something that you must condition yourself to do, to complete whatever task you set out to do; no matter the cost."


    After finishing his impromptu lecture, Leaving the girl to contemplate what he had just said, Professor Kal directed his attention to Mage Tillweather. "Now, what to do with you? I don''t care what you would have done to this... thing, you could have made him shit out his guts for all I care.. But you laid your filthy hands on one of my students, that, I cannot let stand."

 Chapter 60 - Losing Yourself

    Cold, so terribly cold. Not a chill from the changing of the seasons, but a creeping chill, a chill that crawled from what felt like his very soul, freezing his body in place. A chill one would get while walking in a dark forest, moving amongst the dead trees and the rotten undergrowth. The feeling one would get when being hunted by unknown monsters lurking in the murky darkness, ready to rip into your flesh with claws and jagged teeth. The unadulterated fear as your imagination added monstrosities, real and fantastical, to the ever encroaching void that was seconds away from swallowing you whole.


    He couldn''t breathe, his body begged for oxygen but his mind refused, afraid that any movement, any at all, would draw the attention of an ancient predator eyeing him from some unknown location. His eyes were wide, pupils dilated, to enable him to more easily see even in the light of the midday sun. Time seemed to slow to an agonizing crawl, each second seemed to last for minutes on end, a single beat of a bird''s wing flying overhead taking several breath''s time.


    Hardy Tillweather flitted his eyes erratically, his mind desperately attempting to make sense of the overwhelming stimuli. The breeze gently caressing his exposed skin felt like needles of ice boring into his flesh. His fine mage robes were now course sandpaper rubbing his skin raw until blood slowly trickled from the pink muscle underneath. The sound of his beating heart hammered inside his head driving him mad, wishing that he could only reach inside his chest to rip out the offending organ.


    He took a breath; his lungs burned as if the crisp autumn air carried acid amongst its currents. A slow, raspy sound so loud that his brain vibrated and his ears popped, replacing the original sound with a ringing reminisce of the wailing of the damned. He squeezed his eyes shut, the only thing that he could do, trying to shut out the madness that was slowly enveloping his mind.


    He was alone now, in a small, windowless room. He looked up, only to see a door much larger than himself. Turning slowly, ending in a click, the doorknob heralded the opening of the door. Standing in the threshold, looking down at him with nothing but despise and disgust was his mother. Not saying a word, she swung her hand, a hand that should have been filled with love and tenderness, and struck him across the face.


    Pain, nothing but pain. He could feel the soft skin on his cheek tear off, the muscle and sinew in his neck rip as his head whipped violently. An immeasurable sadness filled his heart, magnified to an unbearable level. Slowly, in what felt like years, the sadness festered and rotted into something more, hate. Hate at his mother, his father, his family, at everyone that looked down on him, and... at himself. He hated himself more than anyone, and anything.


    He was in a forest now; not a dark dingy forest filled with death and decay, but one filled with light and life. The warm breeze didn''t burn his skin and the fine silk clothes he wore felt soft and refreshing. Pure bliss. He took a deep breath, filling his burning lungs with fresh air, driving away the pain that was quickly becoming nothing more than a distant memory.


    He looked down at his hands, they were coated in a slick sheen of crimson. Fresh blood. He felt good, felt, alive. For the first time in his life he didn''t hate himself, didn''t wish to be dead. He looked past his hands dripping with blood, and saw a badly beaten body. What was once a beautiful woman was now laying broken and bloodied on the forest floor, hidden amongst the silent trees. Her pleasant face was now unrecognizable, her fair skin bruised and swollen, cracked and oozing dark blood.


    Her limbs were twisted in unnatural angles, white bone tinted in red, exposed to the warm breeze. Her clothes still adorned her, plain and roughly made. A dark purple ring went around her slender neck, a testament to what had finally ended her life. As he looked at what he had done, he felt no remorse, no guilt, only satisfaction. For the first time in his life, he felt pleasure.


    He relived every moment of his life in agonizing detail. The beatings by the hands of those that were supposed to provide him with love and warmth, filled his heart with nothing but numbness and hate. The pleasure he experienced as he wrapped his hands around the thin necks of commoner women and looking into their eyes as he squeezed the life out of them. Every one of the feelings and emotions he had experienced throughout his life converged all at once, washing over him like a massive wave, carrying his consciousness over a high ledge before cascading down into the waiting maw of an endless abyss.


    The crowd around the merchant, and those involved in his treatment, had grown. Now, everyone, including the many soldiers stationed at the checkpoint were all watching as the man slowly got to his feet, coughing as he did so. So focused on the miracle in front of them, they failed to notice the strange behavior of the mage next to him.


    Mage Tillweather was trembling, sweat was pouring out of every pore. He dropped to his knees, bringing both hands up to his head only to begin ripping out handfuls of hair. His eyes swiveled in their sockets, seeing everything but nothing in the same moment, before finally landing on the man dressed in black.


    He started to scream, such a primal scream of terror and madness that everyone present recoiled, backing away, knocking into one another. A soldier fought back the urge to run and timidly put a hand on his shoulder. Still screaming, Mage Tillweather attacked the soldier, scratching with his bloodied nails and gnashing his bared teeth. The soldier backed away, tripping over his own feet. He was filled with dread as he looked into the mage''s lifeless eyes, eyes filled with nothing but the most primal of instincts, devoid of any vestiges of humanity.


    Mage Tillweather continued to claw and bite at the soldier, grunting, growling, and screaming. Two more soldiers rushed to pull the madman off of their comrade, pulling hard on both of his arms and breaking them. No longer with a sane mind, he ignored the fractured bones in both his arms as he snaked his limbs out of their grip and clung onto the soldier in front of him. Opening his mouth wide, he bit into the neck of the soldier, hot blood filled his mouth as he ripped into flesh.


    The soldier screamed out, frantically punching and kicking the man that was latched onto him. More soldiers moved in, punching and prying, trying to free their injured friend. Nothing was working. When they pulled the mage off of him, he would slip free from their grip, only to sink his teeth back into the dying soldier. Left with no other choice, they unsheathed their sword and plunged them into the mage turned cannibal.


    To their horror, the swords only proved to slow him down. Even as his body hemorrhaged vast amounts of blood he continued to bite and chew on the unresponsive soldier. Only when one soldier took his dagger and stabbed it deep into his brain did Mage Tillweather finally cease his psychosis fueled assault.


    The crowd had pulled back far away from the violence unfolding in front of them. The confused merchant that had just regained consciousness before the attack had been pulled away by his bodyguards. Ryan was standing protectively in front of Laura as she had her hands clasped over her mouth, staring wide eyed at the horrific scene in front of them. She had seen far worse during the demon attack in Swayzee, but the suddenness of the attack coupled with the sheer violence of it, troubled her greatly.


    Everyone stood still collecting their thoughts, only after a Commanding Officer forcefully dispersed the crowd did they move away. Everyone slowly made their way to their respective wagons or carriages, no one spoke. Even the recently healed merchant who had been so loud and boisterous had become as timid as a mouse as his bodyguards ushered him into his carriage. Professor Kal''s group silently loaded themselves back into their wagon. Taking their seats on the plush velvet cushioned couches before anyone spoke.


    "What did you do to him?!" Professor Treffle accused as she looked to Professor Kal with a tinge of fear in her eyes.


    "Me?" Professor Kal said as he sat in the drivers seat. "Why do you think I had anything to do with what happened?"


    Everyone seemed to be hanging on every word that was going on between the two.


    "How couldn''t I suspect you?!" She said. "You''re always pulling ancient artifacts out of gods knows where. You''re able to cast powerful magic without a chant, only the Royal Mage can come close to such a feat. I never see you eat, only drink that stinking wine. Should I go on?"


    They all had varying reactions to her words. They were running through all of their different observations they have had with the man, finding more than just a few incongruities with how he behaved. Ryan kept his lips sealed, thinking that he knew the truth about Professor Kal''s odd behavior. Ben, Richard, and Laura all looked at Professor Kal with nothing but trust and admiration. To them, he was the man that had saved their lives on more than one occasion. They had just conveniently forgotten that the same man that had saved them was also the main reason they were in those dangerous situations to begin with.


    Lilly placed herself between Alessandria and Professor Kal, suddenly remembering that they had not known him long and thus could not be trusted. Marissa was just sitting in the back, watching everything unfold with a glint in her eyes. She was beginning to surmise that there really wasn''t anything worth reporting about this mage, but with this sudden development, things were rapidly changing.


    Professor Kal let out a tired sigh, swapping out his black staff with his long, morbid looking pipe. Lighting it with the tip of his finger, he drew in a large lungful of the aromatic smoke. "Let''s say, for the sake of argument, that I did do something to that... man. What would that change? Would you look at me as some kind of monster, some horrendous beast that lurked in the shadows? Would you look at me with fear in your eyes? Afraid that I would strike you down with the same affliction? Or, would you try to strike me down? Telling yourself that you were just ridding the world of another monster, but in the end, becoming one yourself."


    He paused, locking eyes with his fellow professor. "Or are you defending that man''s actions? The fact that he injured a student, that he was killing an innocent man with his incompetence. Did you miss the signs of silent casting as he looked upon poor Lucy with hate and malice in his eyes?"


    Professor Treffle remained silent, suddenly not knowing how to feel. Was what he said true? That that mage was preparing a spell to kill her student. She hadn''t sensed anything at all, she was much too focused on the merchants miraculous recovery. Would she have killed the mage if he did attack Laura? Killing bandits were easy, they were wanted criminals and had no backing to speak of. But Mage Tillweather was a noble, although a low ranking one, he would still have had many connections within the kingdom; his murder would have had far reaching circumstances. Laura was a noble herself, but she was dressed as a commoner. So it would have been far too easy for Mage Tillweather to claim ignorance, escaping punishment should he have killed her.


    "Professor..." Laura squeaked out, looking up at Professor Kal with tears in her eyes. "M.... my name isn''t Lucy."

 Chapter 61 - Dead Woods (1/2)

    It was a full moon; the refracted rays of the sun provided no warmth, no life. The moonlight only served to illuminate what creatures scurried around in the absence of the warm rays of the sun. Invisible clouds marched across the dark sky, only becoming visible when revealed by the silver light bouncing off the large celestial body hanging in the sky. Frigid air swept the sleeping forest below, freezing the dew clinging to the vegetation.


    Silus stood atop the ramparts of his small castle, looking out over the forest surrounding it. It had changed, transformed from something teaming with life into something dead and rotten. The tall leafy trees were now withered and barren. Strange, viscous gray mold grew uninhibited upon the trees. The mold was slowly pulsating, and what looked like veins could be seen just underneath it''s pallid surface.


    There was no wildlife scampering amongst the treetops, no deer grazing the sparse vegetation or the wolves that stalked them, there was only decay. Between the infected trees was nothing but dead earth. Not even the leaves that fell from the trees remained, it had all rotted away into nothingness. Interspersed within the dead forest were writhing domes of ebony flesh, oval orifices eight feet tall lining the diameter one-hundred feet across.


    The chill of the coming winter blended together with the natural heat and moisture generated by the tumorous growths, creating a thick mist that blanketed the forest. Silus'' vision could easily pierce the heavy fog, leaving nothing hidden from him. He watched as the many demons Phthisis had granted him possession of carry corpses of many species, some humans as well, into their nests so that they may feed.


    "My Lord." A deep but refined voice sounded out from behind him. "Adventurers have entered the forest."


    "It was only a matter of time." Silus said, turning around to face his brood.


    Theodore was knelt down upon the freezing stone walkway, his eyes trained on the floor beneath him. His long jet-black hair hung loosely, swaying gently in the night breeze. He was dressed in a midnight-blue silk suit that hugged his massive frame, showing off his outstanding musculature.


    "Shall I send the demons to intercept them?"


    "No, send the familiars. It will be beneficial to see if it was worth sparing their lives." Silus ordered.


    It had been almost two weeks since the attack on Swayzee. During this time, he had completed several rounds of sacrificial rituals, boosting the number of demons under his control to five hundred. He had also allowed Theodore to turn a few of the humans they had abducted, transforming them into what most people would imagine when thinking of a vampire. A creature that could not walk under the sun and had to sustain itself on the blood of the living.


    These ''normal'' vampires held vast amounts of strength, nothing compared to himself, let alone Theodore; but when compared to a mortal man it was substantial. They could also wield blood magic just like their creators, using their own blood to cast powerful spells. They were also imbued with supernatural abilities such as heightened senses, as well as the means to travel between shadows as long as they were in sight.


    The weaknesses were also as great as the power they possessed. Not being able to move during the light of day was just one such weakness. They also were highly allergic to silver, going into an anaphylactic state with the slightest contact. The need to feed was also severe; their parents, the Noble Vampires, only had to feed twice a month at most, as long as they hadn''t used their powers. Their progeny on the other hand had to feed once every two days, no matter the usage of their abilities.


    Below even the common vampire in the hierarchy was the familiar. A familiar was bound to the vampire that turned it, forever tethered to it by blood. It was a human, or other sentient being, which had pledged itself to the vampire race. In making the pledge, they were promised the chance to become full vampires, and to gain the immortality that comes with it.


    They were capable of tapping into the vampire''s powers, using their connection to enhance their natural strength and regeneration. They were also not bound by their maker''s weaknesses, being able to walk amongst the warm rays of the sun and adorn themselves with fine silver trinkets. The only price they had to pay, was their freedom.


    They were physically unable to betray their overlords and were also compelled to follow every order given to them, no matter how obscene. They were also prone to fall into psychotic episodes. Being tethered to their makers meant also sharing a small part of their urges. Sometimes, especially if the vampire they had contracted with had gone between feedings for some time, they were susceptible to become belligerently violent; specifically, when exposed to fresh blood.


    Currently, there were twenty such familiars roaming the grounds of his small estate. Theodore had given the gift of un death to five humans he had found worthy; and in turn, those five vampires had been given control over the familiars. Silus had only requested Theodore to send out the familiars because the five vampires were busy directing the demons.


    The familiars were a group of bandits that had set up base within the surrounding forest. Instead of just wiping them out, or using them to fuel the ritual, Silus ordered to have them put to use. Even with the growing strength of his army, he was still some ways away from reaching his goal, it was still necessary to interact with the humans. They were far from self sufficient.


    "I shall have them move immediately, My Lord."


    "Do keep an eye on them, should they fail, you may have to intervene." Silus added.


    "Of course, My Lord."


    Silus watched as Theodore faded away, blending silently into the darkness. When he was alone, he let out a bored sigh. He had been cooped up inside his castle for some time now, working diligently, performing the sacrificial ritual several times a week. He had been forced to slow the rate at which they ''recruited'' participants due to not wanting to draw too much attention to themselves.


    The razing of the village was just a test of their military power. It could have been considered a resounding success; they had completely eradicated an entire town while only loosing three demons to armed combat. The only variable was that lone mage, he alone defeated fifty of his demons. Of course, he could have chosen to ignore the mage, but he dared not risk it, not when his foundation was still shaky at best.


    He thought back to when he was still human, when he was considered a genius mage. He stipulated that should he have been in a comparable situation as the mage in question, that he could have been able to also kill those demons without too much difficulty. Only a few of the demons were capable of using magic, most were purely melee fighters. They have a weakness to certain affinities as well, making magic their weak point. Then again, the amount of mana required to sustain the spells capable of slaying those numbers of demons would have been astronomical, probably more than he would have been able to endure when he was mortal.


    He desperately needed more information, he had yet to receive word from the noble vampire he had sent out to observe the mage, Marissa. He could sense that she was alive and well, and also feel that for some reason she was excited. All he could do was wait, he let out another sigh, perhaps it would be best for he himself to go gather what he needed. It wasn''t that he didn''t trust Marissa, it was just that he wished to gauge the man''s strength himself, also, he was tired of staring at these gray walls of cold stone.


    ˇ­..


    Theodore walked along the magically lit stone hall deep within the keep his master had refurbished. The wooden structures the slaves had built not too long ago had already been replaced with meticulously cut stone, giving the structure an intimidating feel. The long hall was well lit with magical lanterns, casting white light, tinged with blue, keeping the shadows at bay. Rounding a corner, he came upon a thick oaken door. Behind the door he could hear a din of boisterous laughter and merry making.


    Not bothering to knock, Theodore flung open the door and strode inside, turning slightly to allow his bulky frame enough clearance. Inside, amongst a haze of choking smoke and the smell of sweat, were a group of men taking part in many carnal desires. Drugs, alcohol, women, all could be found within this small, cramped room. Theodore crinkled his nose, the mixture of smells assaulting his senses. He detested these humans, but they had their uses.


    As soon as his presence was noticed, the twenty former bandits instantly stopped what they were doing and fell to a knee, some of them stark naked. Theodore focused his eyes on the head familiar, a tall man with many scars covering his muscled body. He had a shaved head and an eyepatch covering a dead left eye. He had been the leader of this group of bandits, commanding them for several years as they robbed carriages between the borders of Morgania and Amine.


    "Lark." Theodore started. "There are adventurers within the forest, take your men and prove your worth."


    A wicked grin stretched across Lark''s face, the only thing he loved more than women was violence. "Sure thing, boss."

 Chapter 62 - Dead Woods (2/2) [Bonus ]

    Fog so thick that you could only see three feet in front of your face, carpeted the forest floor. A horrendous smell lingered in the moist air, one that smelled of death and decay. It was unnervingly quiet, the lack of any noise at all from the wildlife gave credence to the fact that this forest was dead. An orange light pierced through the fog, struggling to illuminate the worn animal trail just a few feet away.


    A group of ten people marched slowly but steadily through the mist. The man in the lead, carrying a burning beacon of flame, was dressed in heavy plate armor and a full helm. He carried a large shield on his back and a three-foot-long morning star was strapped to his hip. A golden medallion, radiating its own orange glow, hung from his neck. It was shaped in the familiar image of the burning sun.


    "Michael, what do you think is causing this?" A quiet voice asked from the middle of the group.


    The man in plate armor stopped, prodding the sickening mold with his armored boot. "I''ve never seen anything like it before, but I do know that it isn''t natural."


    "Is that why the church sent you and Kain?" Another voice asked.


    The man named Michael was a holy paladin sent by the church of Thesan, the Goddess of the Dawn. Kain was a holy priest of the same denomination. The church operated much more broadly within Morgania than it did in Amine, so when it was reported to the Adventurers Association that the Clessian Forest had developed a thick mist, they immediately worked with the Adventurers Association to investigate.


    They had traveled several miles into the thick forest, and the fog was only growing denser. The appearance of the strange mold and lack of animals only heightened their anxiety.


    "Yes. We suspected that a dungeon had grown past its boundaries. Although none had been documented in the forest, it''s not beyond the realm of possibility that one was hidden away here. Now, that seems to be the case."


    A woman with short brown hair, wearing light leather armor, and armed with a long bow with an arrow already nocked, spoke up. "What kind of monster would be able to contaminate the forest in such a way?"


    Kain, the holy priest, was the one to answer her question. "No known monster is capable of this, unless there is an unknown species within the hidden dungeon, there is only one other answer..."


    "That''s impossible." Michael cut him short.


    "What''s impossible?" This time, a man dressed in red scaled armor spoke up. "I need to know everything, no matter how improbable it may seem."


    Michael looked in the direction of Kain, who was somewhere in the middle of the group. "Go ahead and tell them, it''s not a secret, just your strange hobby."


    "Well." Kain started. "I dabble in the research of demons..."


    "Demons? Maybe we should turn around now." The man adorned by the red scale armor said, hesitation in his voice.


    "Since when do you spook so easily Carver?" The woman with the bow said with a light chuckle, the others from their group joining her.


    "Quiet!" Carver shushed. "Did you all forget where we are?"


    The low laughter cut off abruptly with his harsh words, the silence of the dead woods pressing down on them. Carver had led the eight of them for several years now, they were all experienced adventurers, so they knew better than to make unnecessary noise while on a mission. The fact that they rarely had an assignment outside of a dungeon, and the seemingly simple objective of this mission had given them a false sense of safety.


    Kain continued after a moment of silence. "The ancient tomes of the church tell of a demon''s nest transforming the area around it. It did not go into great detail, not mentioning what the changes actually consist of, just that everything living would die."


    "So, this could be demons?" Carver asked.


    "I highly doubt it." Michael said. "There hadn''t been a demon walking our plane for hundreds of years, and to have so many that they made a nest, well, that''s improbable at best."


    "Could they have been trapped inside a dungeon and just recently broken out?" Kiara, the bow wielding woman asked.


    "I... suppose that could have happened." Michael admitted.


    A silence befell the group as they simultaneously looked around, suddenly much wearier of the obstructive fog. The same silence that filled the woods when they first entered was still present, only the wind whistling through the crooked branches could be heard. Imaginary monsters could be seen swirling within the mist as their imaginations tortured their rational minds.


    Michael turned back to the animal trail, holding the torch out in front of himself. "No matter what is out there, we need to keep moving, we need to at least find what the cause of all this is."


    Before they could move on, an ear-piercing snapping sound rang out. In the same moment, a golden film covered Kain''s body, shrouding him in an iridescent glow. "Contact!" Carver bellowed out. The highly experienced group reacted instantly, drawing their weapons, and taking their positions.


    Carver, along with two other men holding large kite shields, placed themselves in front of Kain, Kiara, and six other people. Michael also threw the beacon he held in his hand off into the distance before pulling the large shield off of his back as well. Just as he brought the heavy piece of steel up into position, an arrow impacted his shield, accompanied by the peppering of wooden shrapnel.


    A downpour of arrows fell onto the group, some bouncing off their shields and armor, while others were intercepted by the adventurers themselves. The accuracy of the missiles could have been better, but being that they still hit their target even in such thick fog told them that whoever was firing at them could clearly see them. This alone put them at a huge disadvantage, they could hardly see each other, let alone their enemies.


    "Trevor, do something about this gods damn fog!" Carver called out.


    A lanky man taking refuge behind Tim, one of the shield wielding men, grasped his staff and began chanting a spell. His casting speed was most definitely not the best, but the fact that this group of adventurers even had a mage as part of their group spoke volumes to how high their ranking was. The arrows continued to fall sporadically as his chanting continued, one slipping past Tim and lodging itself into the head of Trevor''s staff.


    Ignoring the near miss, Trevor finished his spell. "Downdraft!"


    With those final words a cylindrical column of cold autumn air, with Trevor as the epicenter, descended from the starry night sky. A wave of air pushed the thick mist away from them, creating large swirls as it did so. The arrows that were pounding them without respite were now much less accurate as the wind knocked them off course. An area of one hundred feet around them was now clear of any obstruction other than the scraggly trees.


    "There." Kiara mumbled under her breath as she drew back the bowstring before releasing it with an audible twang.


    Her handcrafted arrow sailed through the clear air, riding the currents produced by her comrade''s spell. Finding its target, but slightly off the mark, the arrowhead sunk deep into the soft flesh of the neck of one of their attackers. The shot could have been called one in a million, that is, until the next arrow punctured the man''s forehead, driving through his skull and sticking out the back. The hail of arrows immediately ceased as their attackers took refuge behind the many trees within the forest.


    "What do you see Kiara?" Carver asked as he positioned himself further out from the group.


    Kiara scanned the area around them, her eyes burning with an aqua hued glow. "I counted more than fifteen, but they''re fast, I almost missed my shot."


    "You and William know what to do." Carver said, keeping his eyes trained on the forest. "Jake, stick to Trevor and feed him as many mana potions as he can handle. Jake, keep up the spell, that damned fog is bound to roll back in. Hank and Tim, protect them and Kain; Siena, with me."


    With his orders, the members of his company moved with fluid, practiced motions. William, a man wielding a bow much like Kiara''s moved to the side of the group. He always made sure to look in the opposite direction than what his fellow ranger was. Jake was a man dressed in all black, he even hid his face behind a black mask. He withdrew a long dagger as he stealthily relocated next to Trevor, ready to intercept any more arrows that would surely come their way.


    Hank and Tim were front line fighters tasked with keeping the others safe behind their thick steel shields. Finally, Siena, was also a frontline fighter, but much like their leader, was a sword fighter. She held a curved rapier loosely in her right hand and she kept a low stance, ready to move at any given notice.


    An arrow sliced through the air, quickly followed by another from the opposite direction. Both of those arrows were answered with one from Kiara and William each, one finding the mark and the other just barely missing. Loud cursing could be heard from off into the distance, drawing the attention of each of the adventurers.


    Michael took a heavy step forward, his eyes narrowed, glaring into the darkness behind the slit in his helmet. A brilliant flash of pure white light engulfed his entire body and brightened the forest around them. The light lasted but a brief moment, but it was enough for Michael to be able to make out his target. His bulky frame, not hindered by his heavy armor in the slightest, moved elegantly as he weaved between the trees.


    Steel arrowheads glanced off of his polished armor, only his eyes were a weak point, but only a god could have threaded an arrow through the slit in his helmet. Standing before him, throwing his bow to the side, was a rough looking man dressed in light leather armor. It was hard to see his features through the darkness, but the glint of steel being held in his hand was easy enough for anyone to see.


    Brandishing his morning star, Michael swung hard, aiming for the hilt of the man''s sword. As a paladin of the Church of the Dawn, he had been trained thoroughly in the ways of battle. His main objective was to disarm his enemy before killing him quickly. His body had been boosted by Kain''s fortification spell, so his strength, speed, and reaction time had become superhuman.


    Which was why he was so surprised when, instead of the man''s hand becoming crushed by the head of his morningstar, it was parried. Bringing his shield up, Michael managed to block the counterattack. Sparks lit up the darkness around them and his left arm tingled from the impact. Feeling that he had made a mistake, Michael took a few quick steps back, giving the man some space.


    A grotesque smile spread across the rough looking man''s face as he pressed into Michael, quickly closing the recently opened distance. Relieved to see such reckless behavior, Michael sidestepped, allowing the man to slide by him. Not missing the opportunity, he swung his weapon, knuckles white, and impacted the man in the back of the head.


    Feeling and hearing the crunch of bone and squelch of brain matter, Michael quickly retreated back to the group. Sporadic arrows would strike his armor, making loud ''Tink Tink'' noises as he moved. He made it back to the group safely just as a lull in the rain of arrows allowed them to catch their breaths.


    "Something''s not right Carver." Kiara started. "I''m certain I''ve killed the same men several times by now."


    "Undead?" Hank asked as he deflected an arrow.


    "No, they''re not undead, I would have felt it if they were." Kain added as he clutched a small stone he had taken out of his robe''s pocket.


    Michael looked over in the direction of where he had just come from. "The one I killed is still dead."


    The arrows stopped flying altogether now, leaving them with only their thoughts. Then, the noise of bootsteps sounded out from every direction. The mist had been driven away, but the clouds in the sky moved in to block the moonlight, making it almost impossible to see. The many footsteps moved in closer, prompting them to tighten ranks.


    "Kain, light." Michael muttered.


    In a smooth motion, Kain threw the stone he had been holding tightly in his hand, straight up into the air. As the small stone reached its zenith, it froze in place before it began to spin rapidly. A high-pitched whine came from the small rotating stone, then abruptly, light. Light so bright that every inch of the forest within a quarter of a mile was illuminated, revealing the evils hidden within.


    They all could clearly see now that they were outnumbered nearly two to one. Men that had been baptized in violence had encircled them, their eyes all glowing a faint crimson red. Several of them had signs of profusely bleeding wounds that had already healed dotting their bodies. One man even had an arrow still lodged deep into his ribs as he confidently strode towards them.


    "Carver, look!" Kiara said, clearly startled, as she pointed at a man that had blood smeared on his face and a fresh scar on the center of his forehead.


    Carver took in a sharp breath, taking everything in.. "Do what Michael did, bash their fucking brains in."

 Chapter 63 - Experience Is Key

    Everything was at a standstill, even the constant magically powered breeze seemed to have halted. The group of ten readied themselves as the bandits tightened the circle around them. With the radiant white light still being produced by the magical stone resting in the sky, they had no trouble seeing how outnumbered they truly were.


    A particularly ugly bandit stepped forward, his one good eye radiating a dim crimson glow. "If you lot could go ahead and die, that would be great."


    Carver knew better than to engage in unproductive banter, especially during a tense situation such as this. He had been through more life and death battles than most would ever experience. All of his years of experience were screaming at him that there were more to these men than what was visible on the surface. Well, there was also the fact that they were able to survive from an otherwise fatal injury.


    "Surrender now and I''ll guarantee that you''ll be able to live out the rest of your lives in the copper mines." Michael offered an unappetizing deal to the men.


    Carver shook his head. He had only traveled with Michael for the last few days, so he didn''t know how experienced he was with fighting, especially against other humans. It was clear he was well trained but engaging with the enemy was a rookie mistake. Even now, the suspicious bandits were slowly moving into position, cutting off any escape routes.


    The one-eyed bandit started to laugh, taking Michael''s offer as a hilarious joke. "You fool! Don''t ya see you''re..."


    Michael moved. In less than half a second, he had closed the distance between him and the one-eyed man. Using the shield held aloft in his left hand, he slammed into the man''s body. Knocked off balance, the one-eyed man was unable to strike back with any accuracy; missing Michael''s armored head as he swung his sword in retaliation.


    Michael''s three-foot long morning star weighed ten pounds and had three-inch-long tapered spikes jutting from the surface over the entire diameter of the weapon. The air whistled as it swung in a wide, over-head arc, causing the one-eyed man''s head to explode like a rotten pumpkin fermenting in the hot sun. Michael frowned as blood, bone, and brain matter soiled his polished armor. He''d have to deep clean his armor once he returned to the church, that was something he did not enjoy.


    Carver smirked seeing the scene that unfolded in front of him, but he did not have time to dwell on it as the remaining bandits charged at them. Unharmonious battle cries cleaved the air as they rippled through the dead woods. Swords clashed, arrows weaved between the combatants, hitting their marks. Carver held his broadsword in a two-handed grip as he parried a bandit''s short sword, side stepping to the right, he skillfully dodged another blade aimed at his heart.


    From his short exchange he could tell that the bandits, although unnaturally strong, were lacking severely in skill. They were relying on simple brute force, attempting to plainly overpower their opponents. He parried another strike before ramming a bandit with his shoulder, pushing him onto his back foot. With a powerful swing at waist level, his meticulously honed sword split flesh and bone, bisecting the man. Hot innards spilled out, adding more mist to the fog still being pushed away by Trevor''s spell.


    Being the source of the winds keeping the thick mist at bay, Trevor was being viciously targeted by the bandits. It was all Tim and Hank could do to keep him safe, let alone protect the others. Sparks flew as steel blades clawed at their shields, even in the winter air, the two shield wielders were sweating profusely and panting heavily. Kain was busy casting his holy magic, boosting the other''s abilities, allowing them to keep up with the bandit''s assault. William had thrown his bow to the ground, forced to fight hand to hand against two of the bandits.


    William was a ranger, well suited for scouting and tracking, not for close up battles where he could not move around. Even boosted by Kain''s spells, his hands would quiver with each strike he barely managed to block or parry. He was very quickly becoming overwhelmed, and from the ever-increasing red glow coming from the bandit''s eyes, he could see that they were enjoying this. An overhead swing came from one of the bandits; he moved his short sword to block it. Unable to take anymore of the abuse, William''s sword snapped, letting the bandit''s blade bite deeply into his shoulder.


    There was no pain, not immediately, he felt only intense pressure followed by equally intense heat coming from his shoulder. His arm was now useless, it dangled at his side like a dead fish, flopping around as he barely evaded another blow coming from the second bandit. He rolled on the ground as the blade followed him and buried itself into the forest floor. The edges of his vision grayed and the sounds of battle that were once so close to him now sounded as if they were miles away.


    He tried to stand but instead fell to one knee, he was tired, so incredibly tired. Dark blood oozed from the deep laceration, his exposed collar bone was shattered, and pink bubbles foamed up indictive of a punctured lung. He strained to keep his focus on the man strolling up to him, taking his time, even in the midst of the chaotic battlefield. A wicked grin spread across the bandit''s face as he gripped his sword tightly before swinging, aiming for William''s neck.


    "William! NO!" A scream sounded out, momentarily overpowering the sounds of steel striking steel. Kiara stood there helplessly as she bore witness to one of her closest friends, her lover, being cut down. William''s decapitated head rolled across the forest floor before coming to a rest just underneath a dead oak tree. Her eyes glowed menacingly as mana surged from deep within her, pushing her lithe body to its limits.


    She used her bow as a club, shattering the flexible weapon across a bandit''s face before stabbing the jagged end she held into another''s eye, deep into his brain. Pushing off of the ground with all her might, she sailed through the air and landed gracefully onto a high branch on a nearby tree. From up on her perch, she could see the entire battlefield. Her mana enhanced vision allowed her to process things much faster, slowing down all of the movements she saw.


    She might have been enraged, but she had enough battle experience to not allow her emotions to affect her decision making. She knew that, although they were much more skilled than the bandits, the numbers did not favor her group. The two she had maimed would soon be back on their feet so she had to help out where she could while she had the chance.


    Carver took a strike to his arm, the red scaled armor he wore was worth the exorbitant price he had paid, as it prevented the blade from amputating it; but he still grimaced in pain as the shockwave entered his body. Siena danced among the battlefield, her rapier weaving a tapestry of death as she deftly dodged or parried any blows that came her way. She always aimed for the heads of the bandits, quickly learning that anything less would only slow them down as they quickly healed.


    Michael was surrounded by four bandits, taking several blows to his plate armor and shield. He was clearly becoming exhausted as his movements began to slow and his chest heaving. She was about to pounce from her vantage point as the four bandits moved in for the kill, they had sensed Michael''s steps begin to falter. Just as her legs were primed to propel her from her roost, Michael sprang forward, brandishing his Morningstar.


    In one fluid motion he crushed a bandit''s skull with the spiked ball of steel before flinging his shield into the diaphragm of another. Using his now free hand, he clutched the neck of a third bandit, lifting him up into the air before slamming him back down into the ground. Although the bandits'' strength was three times as much as a normal man''s, their weight remained the same. It was nothing for Michael, who was enhanced with magic, to handle a grown man like a sack of potatoes.


    Kiara watched as the bandit''s head caved in on itself and pink brain matter spattered Michael''s boots. As Michael rampaged like a wild beast, she set her sights on Trevor and Kain, still being besieged by over half a dozen of the bandits. Hank and Tim were on their last legs, doing all they could to beat back the encroaching killers. Suddenly, a shadow moved from behind one of the bandits, an unnatural movement not belonging to its owner.


    Manifesting from the pitch blackness, a dark hand reached out and clutched onto the bandit''s leg. Surprised by the sudden touch, the bandit jumped and kicked at the shadow, but it was too late. The vice like grip of the phantom hand pulled the bandit, feet first, into his own shadow. When he was halfway into the ground the shadow slid across the dirt and blended into another, leaving the bandit planted into the forest floor.


    Jake had deployed his ''shadow'' magic, it really wasn''t anything dark or nefarious, just elegant use of run of the mill earth magic. It granted him the ability to swim in the loose soil, allowing the rogue to move around freely under the noses of his foes. It was extremely useful in one-on-one battles but could only be used for a limited amount of time. Being that there were so many enemies, Jake would never be able to kill all of them before they overpowered Tim and Hank.


    Taking two arrows out of her leather quiver and holding one in each hand, Kiara used the branch as a springboard and propelled herself into the thick of battle. She ignored the now two bandits buried up to their chests, taking the arrows in an overhand grip, she plunged the two of them into a bandit''s temples and scrambled his brain. Dropping down into a crouch, she unsheathed her large hunting knife before springing back up and slitting the throat of another.


    Having now lost the element of surprise, she retreated back into the trees, but her guerrilla style attack helped cut the number of bandits pressing Tim and Hank in half. Now they were able to use their swords for more than just parrying attacks. They made short work of the two remaining bandits, they were no match for Tim and Hank''s years of training and experience. By the time the two buried bandits lost their heads, silence had returned to the dead woods once more.


    Michael was covered in blood and gore, this time truly exhausted as he gasped for air and knelt on the forest floor. Kain''s magic allowed him to go well beyond what a normal human could physically accomplish, but it also took a heavy toll on his body. It would take several days and many potions to heal all of his internal injuries but being able to survive another day was well worth the cost. Carver was in much the same state as Michael, he also took advantage of Kain''s magic. He took many more hits than Michael had, his armor wasn''t as sturdy as his as well, so a few of his bones were fractured and broken.


    Siena only suffered a few light wounds, the deepest had already stopped bleeding naturally. Trevor, Kain, and Jake were all pale and clammy, barely able to stand, they were suffering from mana exhaustion. The thick mist had already begun to slowly creep towards them as Trevor had cut off his spell. Hank and Tim were uninjured for the most part, only suffering from the shock of repeated blows to their shields and swords.


    The worst off of them all was of course, William. Kiara jumped down from a high branch, landing squarely on the head of a bisected bandit that was desperately crawling to escape, dragging his entrails behind him. She walked over to a tall tree before crouching down near the trunk, brushing her golden hair behind her long-pointed ears, she gingerly picked up William''s severed head, cradling it. There was no longer any glow in her eyes as she looked at William''s face with longing and regret.


    "How pathetic, utterly useless." A gruff voice echoed through the trees, breaking the cycle of Kiara''s guilty thoughts.


    She whipped around, still clutching her deceased lover''s head. The mist was still thin enough for her to make out a large figure standing amongst them with hands behind their back. The man dressed in an elegant dark blue suit was staring down at the mutilated corpse of one of the bandits. Nothing but disgust could be seen on his attractive but twisted face.


    Taking care not to dirty his suit, the out of place man kicked the body away, sending it careening into the forest beyond their view. Looking up, he addressed the fatigue ridden group. "You''ve all proven your worth, much more so than these troglodytes. I will offer this once, and once only.. Submit and serve, or die a dog''s death."

 Chapter 64 - A Paladins Pride

    Michael suppressed a groan as he hefted himself off his one knee. "And who are you to make such clich¨¦ demands?"


    No one wasted a moment as Michael questioned the new arrival, they all consumed the last of their potions and prepared their weary bodies for battle. Not seeming to take offense, the sharply dressed man turned his attention to the holy paladin. He took a few silent steps toward him; it was almost as if his feet were not touching the ground. Kiara held her breath as she noticed that the man''s shadow distorted slightly as he moved.


    "Who I am is not important." The man started. "The only thing that matters is if you wish to survive the night."


    He punctuated his statement with a thunderous stomp, driving his heel into the ground. The ground shook and heaved with the impact and the soil directly under the man distorted, turning a muddy red. That was the second friend they had all lost that night, crushed like a bug under the man''s polished shoes. Kiara was old enough to be able to control her emotions, but others in her group did not have the same level of discipline.


    Siena dashed towards the man brandishing her rapier. He stood still, allowing the armed woman to close the distance. Now on top of her foe, Siena suddenly fainted to the left before dropping down to the ground and swinging her sword upwards toward his groin. It might not have been the most honorable attacks one could make, but honor only mattered to those who were alive, anything went when in a battle to the death.


    Her sword sliced the air, but that''s all it cut with its sharp edge. The man that was standing so close to her had vanished, instantly popping out of existence. Siena had no idea where he had gone, she hadn''t even closed her eyes, keeping them trained on the man the entire time. He was just gone, there one second and not the next. She cautiously scanned the area around her, noticing that everyone else was doing the same.


    She faced their leader, Carver. He stood there with weapon in hand before he looked back at her and just shrugged his shoulders. He hadn''t seen a thing either, he had heard of teleportation magic from Trevor, but of course had never seen it used before. He could only assume that maybe they were dealing with a mage, a very large and muscular mage.


    "Let''s go while we... SIENA WATCH OUT!" Carver screamed out as he saw the man materialize directly behind her.


    Before she could react, the man''s large hand wrapped around her slender neck. Her feet were lifted off of the ground, she swung her rapier with a back handed swing, but it was stopped with the man''s other hand. Kicking her feet, Siena continued to struggle, trying desperately to break free.


    "She seems to have made her choice." The man said, his voice dropping several octaves. His eyes flashed a crimson light as he opened his mouth wide. The two members of the Church of the Dawn, along with the remaining members of the golden ranked adventuring company, Heaven''s fist, watched as the man''s perfect teeth elongated into a mess of ivory barbs. As his jaw unhinged, stretching far past what even a snake could accomplish, his cheeks tore in jagged lines in order to accommodate the motion.


    Snapping his head forward, the man turned monster, plunged his hypodermic fangs into the squirming Siena. The monster''s teeth easily penetrated the leather armor protecting her shoulder, finding the hot blood rushing just underneath her smooth skin. Siena let out a pained scream as her blood was forcefully pulled from her body. Not a drop was spilled, every bit of her life sustaining fluid was consumed by the beast latched onto her.


    Her skin stretched and turned ashen white, her eyes and cheeks sunk into her skull as her body quickly withered. It only took a few quick seconds for the beast to drain the woman dry. He let go of her, allowing her corpse to fall limply to the ground below. Rolling his shoulders, the monster clinched his fists, and his teeth and torn face returned to normal. Thick veins bulged all over his body, pulsating in a rhythm not matching any heartbeat.


    "Tell me this." The monster growled, his voice sounding anything but human. "Does she speak for all of you?"


    A vampire, Carver was staring into the eyes of a vampire, a paragon of evil. Even being ranked highly at gold, he and his company had never faced such a creature before. They were only found prowling deep within the most dangerous dungeons, requiring at least a full company of ten gold ranked adventurers to handle. If properly prepared, he thought that maybe, just maybe, there was a chance his group could handle one; now though, that would be impossible.


    "Look Kain, a walking talking leech!" Michael blurted out insults. "I''ve killed several of your kind before, although to see one actually speak instead of crawling around on all fours like a wild animal is slightly concerning. You must have fed quite a bit to overcome the blood madness. I will make sure to avenge those that have fallen to your evil clutches."


    As he stated his intentions, Michael clutched the glowing amulet with his gloved hand. Crushing it within his palm, his body was instantly enveloped within a column of holy light. He let out a bestial roar as his body swelled and his bones hardened. His now tarnished armor strained to contain his added mass as it groaned in protest. The vampire shielded his eyes from the holy light, finding it slightly uncomfortable to stand so close to it.


    Michael had used his one and only trump card, Holy Bestowment. It was a one-use enchanted item, holding within itself the most powerful body enhancement magic that the Church could produce. Usually, the paladin that had to use it would not have to worry about death, but Michael had already been past the breaking point, so the aftereffects of this item could very well kill him. Even with this knowledge, he knew that it would take everything he had to even have a chance of defeating a recently fed vampire.


    "Kain... more!" Michael bellowed from within the radiant column of light.


    "No! You''ll surely die!"


    "Just do it damnit!"


    Biting his lip, Kain reluctantly conceded with his friend''s request. He began to chant his spell, adding his own light to the column caressing Michael''s body. With the stacking spells, Michaels body expanded just a little more, the seams of his armor finally failing due to the pressure. Large plates of steel fell from his body, his now exposed muscles rippling under his hardened flesh.


    Allowing all of this to happen, Theodore was deeply intrigued. Before he had become a Noble Vampire, he was a human, just like those standing in front of him. There was very little that he retained from his humanity, not even his memories were safe, but one trait from his previous self that withstood his metamorphosis was the thirst for battle.


    He wanted to fight, he craved bloodshed. Just the possibility of facing an opponent that could threaten his life excited him to no end. His blood began to boil, his teeth involuntarily elongated, easily visible through the wide grin spreading across his face. At the peak of his anticipation, the holy light subsided and left Michael standing bare-chested, gripping his morning start.


    With no warning, Michael pushed off of the ground, sending out clods of hard dirt along with a thunderous boom. Meeting him head on, Theodore clawed out with an outstretched hand while deftly escaping Michael''s diagonal strike. Not to be defeated so quickly, Michael swiftly turned his unwieldy frame, turning the fatal rending of his flesh into nothing more than a light graze.


    They continued to trade blows at a pace much too fast for the human eye to follow. Carver stood with his mouth agape, completely in awe at the spectacle unfolding before him. A flash of light would burst from a blur of movement, a fraction of a second later a jarring explosion would shake the ground while the naked trees trembled. Kain was standing behind him continuously chanting spells, he was on the verge of collapse and only the desire to support his friend in the fight against evil kept him standing.


    Kiara stood off to the side, still gingerly holding William''s head. Her eyes were overflowing with mana, following each and every movement of the two monsters battling to the death only a short distance away. This was her magic, passed down through the generations of her family. The ability to enhance your vision and to see what others could not, and at this moment, she wished she could close them.


    To everyone else the battle looked to be a stalemate, but she knew the truth. She could clearly see Michael''s body becoming bloody and battered with every strike from the vampire''s long claws. Shallow wounds were adding up and sapping away his boosted strength. She saw the maniacal grin on the vampire''s distorted face grow wider as Michael pushed himself further and further beyond his limits.


    Tripping over a swell that suddenly appeared on the ground, the vampire lost his footing. Pouncing on the opportunity, Michael landed a solid blow to the vampire''s chest, sending him careening into the tree line. Several dead trees exploded into shrapnel with the impact, dried chunks of wood showering them like heavy summer rain.


    Everyone was shocked by the sudden development, gawking at the devastation wrought by the strike. Michael took deep, slow breaths as he bathed in the light given off by the rotating stone. It wouldn''t be long before the magic drained from the object, so he was relieved to have ended it before it had. Given a chance to breathe, Kain switched from boosting his friend''s body to healing it. The hundreds of wounds dotting Michael''s body began to slowly close, stemming the constant trickle of blood.


    Carver took this chance to speak. "Let''s get out of here. Even if Michael defeated the vampire there could be more, or even something worse lurking in these gods'' forsaken woods."


    Both Hank and Tim rushed over to support Michael as he had started to lose the strength that was temporarily granted to him. He used the two men as support as he staggered his way back to the group. Without warning, Trevor''s chest exploded outwards in a ghastly fountain of blood, bone, and organs. Sprouting from his chest, where his sternum should have been, was a large, muscled arm grasping onto a still beating heart.


    "Interference will NOT be tolerated." Theodore said as he let Trevor''s twitching corpse slide off his arm and crumple to the ground.


    Not a single injury could be found on his body. His finely handcrafted silk suit was completely ruined, but no other sign of battle could be seen adorning his massive frame. Theodore took a large step over the body in front of him, drawing closer to the paladin being supported by the two men. He completely ignored the others as he walked by.


    Driven off by overwhelming fear, Hank and Tim backed away, leaving Michael to stand alone before the vampire. Having no strength in his body to speak of, his body weight alone forced him to his knees. He used the last bit of fighting spirit he had to defiantly look up at his encroaching death.


    "I should end your life here and now, but you have piqued my interest. I will give you one final chance to submit, to serve my master." Theodore offered.


    "I will never bow to anyone but Thesan, Goddess of the Dawn! I will never forsake my God."


    A deep chortle resonated from Theodore''s chest; it was as if he had been told the most humorous of jokes. "Forsake your God? But she has forsaken you, all of you!" He turned to face the others; his arms spread wide before turning back toward Michael. "All of the so-called gods have turned their backs on this world. How can you worship a god that allows so much pain and suffering to ensue without respite? A god that allows her children to drown in their own blood, spilled by their very own kind?"


    "The g... gift of eternal l... life comes with tribulations that... that all must overcome." Michael rebutted.


    "You call them tribulations? Challenges put forth by a supreme being. For what end? So that you may bask in their glory for all eternity? Have you ever questioned the purpose, the reason for your suffering, the bloodshed? Have you ever wondered why children starved to death, only to be dumped into mass graves and set alight? Why husbands beat their wives for no better reason than because they were bored? Why humans, who''s only difference are where they live and the gods they worship, hold no qualms when they slaughter each other; even having the gall to call it ''their gods'' will''?"


    Michael remained still, gritting his teeth as he stared into the vampire''s eyes.


    "What? Nothing? There''s not an inkling of an idea bouncing around inside that empty head of yours? It''s truly not a difficult concept to grasp once you put some thought into it; it''s entertainment. That''s it, hundreds of millions of lives all scurrying around, fighting desperately amongst themselves all for the entertainment of a few immortal beings. Why serve them any longer? Why dirty your knees groveling for the attention of a being that would rather let infants be skewered on pikes, than to be bothered to use a fraction of their infinite power to put an end to your suffering?"


    Nothing but determination shone in Michael''s eyes as the words from the fallen soul washed over him. "Go to Hell!"


    Theodore sighed; his patience had run out. "Since you are so eager to meet this god of yours, I will accelerate the process."


    With those words, Theodore placed his hand over the top of Michael''s head and squeezed. The same moment that brain matter spattered the ground, so too did the others'' weapons. Even Kain, the stalwart holy mage, once respected for his power and wisdom within the Holy Church, had lost the will and desire to fight against this evil.


    The fear of death was strong within the living, even promises of eternal glory was not enough to make most people willing to throw their lives away. Without saying another word, Theodore walked a few steps in the direction he had come. He stopped without turning around, only continuing on when he heard the hesitant footsteps following behind him.


    Before disappearing into the swirling mist, Kiara turned to gaze upon the battlefield that had changed her life forever, gently running her slender fingers through William''s long hair.

 Chapter 65 - Settling In

    The sun was piercing the horizon on the end of the twenty-third day of their long journey. Tufts of snow were swirling in the light breeze, the temperature low enough to warrant wearing a heavy wool jacket. Majestic gates set deep into massive stone walls stood ajar, allowing a steady throng of people and goods to come and go. Behind the man-made wonder was an expansive cityscape, much larger than most of the occupants inside the covered wagon had ever seen before.


    Standing out amongst the thousands of tall and imposing buildings was the center piece of the Kingdom of Morgania. Surrounded by imposing granite walls was a structure of such magnitude that it dwarfed even the tallest of buildings within the capital. The gleaming spires, tipped with gold, reached high into the winter skies, the puffy white clouds just barely out of reach. The entire structure was constructed with the most meticulously worked ivory marble, causing it to shine like a beacon of light when the sun stood at its zenith. Now though, in the rays of the setting sun, it appeared to be a patchwork of the most magnificent pinks and purples.


    Having never seen such a sight before, the four children all poked their heads out from the canvas cover and took in the marvelous sight before them. Even the eternally sour Professor Treffle took a moment to appreciate the beauty of the capital of Morgania, the shining city, S?ravast. A sudden jolt from the wagon broke them of their reverie, bringing them out of their daydreams and reminding them of what lay ahead.


    Alessandria looked toward the driver of the wagon, wondering how he could possibly stand the cold without the proper attire. "Aren''t you cold? It''s freezing out here."


    Professor Kal was wearing his signature plain black robes, his hood lay limply behind his head, not serving any purpose at all. He glanced over at the bundled-up princess, wearing a thick wool overcoat, mittens, and an oversized hat. "No, I feel fine; and you look ridiculous by the way."


    Princess Alessandria returned his insult with a beaming smile showing off her perfect white teeth. "Why thank you very much, I picked them out myself." Professor Kal only snorted at her backhanded comment before Alessandria pointed to another section of the wall. "Drive the wagon over there, it''s an alternate entrance reserved for royalty."


    Following her finger, Professor Kal saw that there was another much smaller gate some distance away from the main gate. A paved road led up to two thick stone doors that had a heavy steel rod barring both of them. He couldn''t see any guards or personnel stationed there but drove the horses in that direction at her request.


    As soon as Professor Kal pulled on the reigns, ordering the horses to stop, Alessandria jumped down from the back of the wagon. She made her way over to the thick doors, running her gloved hands over the cold stone until she found what she was looking for. Opening a hidden latch, she leaned in closely and whispered something into the hole. As soon as she uttered the final word, the steel bar, as thick as a man''s thigh, slid to the side and into the stone wall with a rattling ''thunk''.


    Although the double doors were much smaller than the main gate, they stilled weighed several dozens of tons. To a testament of human engineering, they slowly swung inwards with nary a sound. Pleased with herself, Princess Alessandria skipped back to the wagon before climbing up into the driver''s bench and taking a seat next to Professor Kal. Without sparing her a glance, he drove the horses and wagon into the now open corridor. After a few minutes they had made it to the other side of the mind-boggling thick walls, where they were promptly surrounded by half a company of armed soldiers.


    ˇ­..


    The shabby covered wagon rolled to a stop in front of an upper-class inn, it wasn''t the most expensive one could find within the city, but it was far from the cheapest. Once it was safe to disembark the five occupants spilled out and onto the paved road. It was deep into the night; the drunks had been filtering out of the bars and shambling home for some time now. They were all terribly exhausted from what they were forced to go through for the past several hours.


    "Do you think Miss Marissa will be alright?" Laura asked Professor Treffle with concern in her eyes.


    Marissa had left their party as soon as they were released from the grasps of the royal inquisitors. Once they had convinced the soldiers that Alessandria was, in fact, the First Princess, they all were immediately apprehended. Apparently, much to the group''s surprise, she was presumed either captured or dead, naturally her turning up unharmed had caused quite the commotion.


    Everyone had been terrified of Professor Kal as they were taken into custody, not because he had done anything, but because they were sure he was going to. Completely blindsiding them, he did nothing; he actually was very polite to the soldiers even as they placed iron cuffs around his wrists. They just couldn''t believe it. It brought into question if the man they knew had been replaced by some doppelganger, or perhaps he had come down with some variety of terrible illness.


    As it would turn out, his uncharacteristic behavior was attributed to Princess Alessandria herself. She had known that something like this could have been a possibility, not the fact they thought her dead, but that her escorts might be temporarily detained. With that in mind, she begged and pleaded with the man to behave if this situation did in fact take place. None of her sweet words seemed to work on the stone hearted man. She was finally forced to offer up even more of her family''s immense wealth to him as an offering. Whatever amount she had presented to him, it was enough to prevent his temper from flaring. He even hummed a happy tune as he took a seat inside an iron jail cell.


    Once everything was said and done, they were released and given every praise possible for escorting the Princess back to the capital. Professor Kal refused an offer to stay inside the palace as yet another reward, this time from the King himself. He said he would rather not be so close to prying eyes, and there was still the fact that they had come to the capital for a specific reason.


    Once they stepped outside into the fresh winter air, Marissa said her goodbyes. She said that since her sister was serving a noble family, the estate was not too much of a distance from the Royal Palace and could walk. Even after most of the group, minus Professor Kal, offered to drop her off, she refused. They were forced to reluctantly watch her figure disappear into the darkness.


    "She''s a big girl, she can take care of herself." Professor Kal cut in before Professor Treffle could answer Laura''s question. "And I''m certain we''ll see her again."


    Producing a small bag of gold coins from his storage ring, Professor Kal handed it over to Professor Treffle. "Go ahead a get settled in. I''m going to go ahead a scout out the city and find someplace to call our own."


    "Aren''t you tired? You know what, never mind." Professor Treffle said. "Come on, I need a bath." She finished as she corralled the sleepy-eyed yawning students.


    As they disappeared into the warm embrace of the well-lit inn, Professor Kal turned in the opposite direction. He wanted to set up an area where he could have some privacy as quickly as possible. He could not have cared less about who cursed the brat, he was just going to pawn that troublesome affair off onto his unsuspecting students. What he really came here for was the famous dungeon located just on the outskirts of the city.


    It was said that the dungeon consisted mainly of undead and was much, much larger than the only two-level deep dungeon he had been in before. He had heard that adventurers had mapped out a total of twenty-seven floors so far, with more unexplored sections just waiting to be discovered. Pulling up his black hood, Professor Kal melded into the night as he made his way down the dark alleyway.


    The city itself was massive, it easily took up an area of a little more than fifty square miles. Thousands of buildings were built in a haphazard way, creating a maze of dark alleyways and dead ends. As he traveled further from the upper-class district of the city it only seemed to grow worse. The buildings were not only built much closer to each other but were also beginning to show signs of disrepair.


    He had no set direction he was following, only aimlessly strolling closer to the dungeon he wished to enter. The sky was just beginning to lighten as the sun peeked over the horizon. He had noticed several pairs of eyes following him as he wondered, he thought nothing of it. He welcomed the local thugs to test their metal against him, unfortunately, there were none willing to attack.


    He was now within a mile of the dungeon; he could feel the substantial flow of mana being drawn toward the subterranean prison. The area around the dungeon was much more spread out than the claustrophobic grouping of houses and shops that he was forced to navigate on the journey here. A tall wall surrounded the entrance to the dungeon that resembled a large mausoleum. An equally large building was sitting just outside of the gates, an offshoot of the Adventurers'' Association, conveniently placed for all those that were brave enough to challenge the dungeon.


    He looked around, taking note of any other worthwhile locations in the immediate vicinity. His eyes fell upon the most wonderful of sights. It was a perfect place to assemble his lab, with plenty of space and convenient access to the undead dungeon. Also, as fate would have it, a ''For Sale'' sign hung from a post, its corroded hinges squeaking as it swayed in the breeze. Professor Kal rubbed his hands together in anticipation, he couldn''t wait to get started.


    ˇ­..


    "You have got to be fucking kidding me! Is this your idea of some sick joke!?" Professor Treffle screamed with animated hands.


    "Seriously Professor? This is the place you picked out?" Ben said with a dead pan face.


    The other three students just stood there, in the middle of the busy road, shaking their heads. Professor Kal had showed up at the inn they were staying at with a pep in his step. He had told them that he had found the perfect place to call home and couldn''t wait to show them. He even paid for a carriage to take them there he was so excited.


    "I thought you said that I would have a say in choosing the place, or does my opinion not matter?" Professor Treffle asked, ire evident in her voice.


    Professor Kal paused a moment, deep in thought. "I don''t recall ever saying something like that. And as far as the other point, of course your opinion doesn''t matter! If I had to go around asking permission for everything, I''d never get anything done."


    Professor Treffle threw her hands up in defeat, taking the high road and walking away from the man that drove her insane. Ignoring the woman that wanted him dead more than anything in the world, Professor Kal beckoned the four students to follow him as he sauntered toward the inn he had purchased earlier in the day.


    If it had anything going for it, at least it was plenty big enough for everyone. With more than twenty individual rooms, not counting the large kitchen, serving area, and reception desk, it took up almost an acre of real estate. Dilapidated stables occupied a corner next to the road, the wood making up the structure was weathered and rotten. It looked to be large enough the house several animals at once, unfortunately, it would require a massive amount of work to be usable.


    The main building itself was in a much better state of repair. The main structure was stable enough, only the easily replaceable flashing and wood siding needing replaced. The windows marking each room reminded them of a broken smile as they walked up to the unfriendly double doors. At one point in time the doors were painted a deep red, but now the paint had peeled and faded into a pale pink which stood out in contrast to the rest of the foreboding building.


    Professor Kal pulled out a large skeleton key from deep within his pocket, sliding it into the keyhole and giving it a quick turn, the doors unlatched with a loud ''thunk'' allowing them inside. A steady stream of musty air assaulted their noses, causing the four students to cover their faces with gloved hands. Thick spider webs draped across the doorways and a deep layer of dust coated every surface.


    Taking a step inside, the warped floorboards screeching in protest, Professor Kal took in a deep breath before letting it out in an exaggerated way. "Just wonderful, isn''t it? It has so much potential. You lot can go explore, pick out whichever rooms you want." He pulled out a large bag of coins and placed them in Ryan''s hands. "I''ll leave furnishings up to you, the only place that''s off limits is the basement, I''ve already claimed that area."


    "Wait, what? Where are you going?" Ryan desperately asked as Professor Kal made his way back through the front doors after handing him the money.


    "I''m going to go exploring."


    "You just can''t dump this on us! It''ll take days to clean everything and make it habitable. And why an inn? Couldn''t you have found an actual house?"


    "It won''t take that long, you have magic, use it! And I figured that you all wanted the extra space, so please forgive me for trying to be considerate." Professor Kal stated, looking hurt.


    Ryan and the others rolled their eyes, they knew all too well that the Professor was many things, but considerate was not one of them. His next sentence proved that sentiment true.


    "Plus, I want you to start seeking out information on whoever cursed that prick. What better way to gather information than by running an inn?"


    "Uh, we could just ask around, or you know, pay some people off. There are loads better ways to get information!"


    Ryan''s shouts of protest fell on deaf ears as Professor Kal had already slipped out the doors and was walking towards the dungeon only a short distance away.

 Chapter 66 - Into The Undead Dungeon

    The Dungeon of the Damned, The Death Pit, The Boneyard, those were just a few of the names that Professor Kal had heard the adventurers call the dungeon he was about to enter. He was standing in a long line directly in front of the massive mausoleum that served as the entrance to the dungeon. Able to get a closer look at the finely carved stone structure, he was able to read the ancient language adorning it. For all of the word''s elegant calligraphy, they only stated the name and station of the one entombed there.


    He didn''t recognize the name but knew that the language used was only spoken a few hundred years before he even went underground. The other odd finding was that the mausoleum was built for a nobleman of a defunct nation far away on the eastern continent. He took out his notebook and began to scribble down his many hypotheses on to how this structure was teleported across the vast ocean, and to why it was used as an entrance to a dungeon.


    The only thing he knew about the magic used to create the dungeons was that it required hundreds of souls to activate and cast. He was still left in the dark when it came to the mechanics of the spell, how it determined what to capture and seal away and why it didn''t just annihilate its targets instead of imprisoning them. So many questions left unanswered, it was driving him mad. Finally, he was going to devote his time to finding out.


    The line moved along quickly; the city was only checking each adventurer for the proper passes to enter the dungeon. They didn''t feel like dragging out the bodies of those that felt as if they could handle the dungeon but really couldn''t, so they required all those that wished to enter to at least pass certain requirements. Flashing the golden medallion he had received from the First Princess, the guards surrounding the entrance hurriedly granted him entry with a bow.


    Once he entered the grand crypt, he was met with a large, gilded sarcophagus encrusted with multicolored emeralds and gleaming diamonds. Professor Kal gave out a disgusted snort as he shook his head, whoever this nobleman was, he felt as if they were clearly overcompensating for something.


    A rather large, boorish looking adventurer, wielding a huge double headed axe, took large steps up to the gaudy coffin. He took out a dagger hidden away inside his breast pocket and began to attempt to pry a particularly large diamond out of the lid of the coffin. The other adventurers passing by ignored him, some shaking their heads. They obviously knew something that the grave robber did not.


    With a loud grunt, he put more of his considerable weight behind the dagger, only to end up shattering the blade and sending it flying through the crowd. The diamond had not budged from its holder in the slightest, not even the soft gold of the lid was scratched by the steel dagger. The axe wielding man put his hands on his hips and shook his head as he stared at the coffin with a dumbfounded expression on his face.


    Professor Kal continued on down the large staircase in the back of the building, ignoring the loud shouts coming from behind him, as whoever had been struck by the man''s broken dagger took issue with him. Halfway down the sinister stairs, Professor Kal felt the subtle but familiar feeling of slipping into distorted space. Taking note of the almost seamless transition, he continued on to the first level of the dungeon.


    Unfolding before him was an endless graveyard. He was certain it had a limit, but the naturally expansive area combined with what he thought was illusion magic, established the uncanny feeling of a burial grounds with no boundary. A full moon hung unmoving in the starless sky while a thick mist blanketed the tall grass and haphazardly placed gravestones. Broken and rusted iron fences cordoned off a few random areas, and tall dead trees stood quietly in the distance, some adorned with frayed nooses swinging in the cold breeze.


    Simple skeletons walked in jerky motions between the tombstones, most were nothing but bare bones, but a few wore tattered clothing left over from when they still had flesh. Groups of adventurers were battling with the skeletons, easily overpowering the lower undead, collecting their bones as they did so. The first level of the dungeon was a burgeoning resource depot for bone powder and death bloom. Bone powder was ground up bones collected from the undead, it was used as a reagent in many potions and alchemical goods. Death bloom was an herb that flourished in the presence of the undead and was also used in many potions.


    As he walked deeper into the first level, black staff in hand, he took note of the randomness of the headstones. Almost every style of grave marker could be found inside this massive graveyard, along with differing languages and text engraved on each one. It was as if random graveyards from all over the world were jumbled together and placed inside this dungeon.


    As he was crouched down in front of a weathered headstone, using a piece of parchment and charcoal to extract a rubbing of the text, a skeleton noisily shambled up behind him. Having no sense of stealth, the skeleton reached out toward Professor Kal, its bones rattling as it did so.


    "Hey! Watch out!" A young sounding voice rang out, warning Professor Kal of the incoming danger.


    Without even bothering to look behind him, Professor Kal snapped his fingers, enveloping the clumsy skeleton in a column of white-hot flames. By the time he was finished with what he was doing, the flames had died down and left nothing of the skeleton, not even a pile of ash.


    A group of four young adventurers, two men and two women, were staring at Professor Kal with sparkles in their eyes. What must have been the leader of their group spoke up before Professor Kal had time to walk away. "You''re a mage, aren''t you?! Are you by yourself? Do you want to join our group? It wouldn''t be permanent, so you wouldn''t have to worry about fees and such from the Association. We''re just starting out, but we''re going to conquer this dungeon. It would be a lot easier with a mage on our side."


    The rapid babbling of the bothersome young man was difficult for him to ignore. Turning around with a scowl on his face, Professor Kal answered all of his questions. "Absolutely not!"


    Letting a fraction of his aura slip out as he forcefully gave his answer rooted the small group in their places. Now too frightened to press any further, the young man just nodded his head with wide eyes and an ashen face. He was forced to watch as the mage in black walked away from them, grumbling as he did so.


    Finding the mundane first floor much too crowded for his taste, Professor Kal slowly made his way to the clearly marked entrance to the second floor. The second floor, compared to the first, was barren. No grass grew inside the cramped tunnels, no moonlight filled its somber halls. It consisted of a sprawling maze, filled to the brim with dead ends and simple traps. Armed skeletons roamed its many twists and turns, attacking any living thing on sight.


    The only resources that could be found on this floor was bone powder from the many skeletons that called this labyrinth home. Seeing as adventurers could procure it more easily on the first floor, only those that wished to train against the armed skeletons could be found on this level, making the living population extremely sparse.


    A skeleton holding a rusted and bent longsword between its two bony hands shambled down the narrow corridor. It wore an iron helmet with a protruding nose guard, and leather shoulder pads were the only thing adorning its body. Seeing the living being in front of it, it took off toward him with rapid steps. The undead found on the second level were much faster than their counterparts on the first, making them much more dangerous.


    Professor Kal easily blocked its telegraphed strike, the already bent sword deforming even more with each blow. He observed the undead closely, watching the way it moved as well as the state of its body. There was no difference between it and the undead he would summon occasionally, at least as far as he could tell by simply looking at it.


    Letting his flesh wither and rot away as he continued to parry the strikes being thrown his direction, he let his body return to its natural state. It had been some time since he was able to let his true self see the light of day. Rolling his shoulders and feeling his mummified skin stretching over his exposed bones caused an indescribable feeling to well up from deep inside him.


    The skeleton before him stopped its relentless attack, but only for a moment. Professor Kal noted that with each strike there was a considerable amount of hesitation, almost as if it didn''t want to attack him but was compelled to by some unknown force. Needing more samples to make a hypothesis, he quickly dispatched the skeleton with a blow from his staff before continuing on down the hall.


    Every enemy he came across on the second floor behaved the same as the first. If he approached them wearing his flesh suit, they would fall upon him with no hesitation at all, eager to tear him apart. Should he be in his true form, they would still move toward him but with languid steps and attack with trembling limbs. He now had an idea of what could possibly be affecting the lower undead, but it would require much more testing to prove true.


    He wondered the halls aimlessly, using his many curious instruments on the samples he had gathered. He knew that once he took the samples outside of the dungeons'' sphere of influence, they would lose any of the magical qualities granted to them by said dungeon. This wasn''t the most desirable way for him to conduct his experiments, but if anything, he was adaptable.


    AN: On November 18th, from chapter sixty-five onwards, the chapters will be going premium.. I''ll continue to post them until then. So I''m assuming they will be free until that day, thanks for reading!

 Chapter 67 - A Lichs Best Friend

    The third floor of the Dungeon of the undead was much smaller than the first two. Even with that said, it was still of considerable size. It consisted of an entire village, complete with run down and partially collapsed houses and a deep stone well filled with contaminated water. It was dark inside the village, only magical torches provided any usable light, placed there by adventurers past. Blue flames danced in their sconces, not affected by the gloomy breeze that carried the stench of death between the partially destroyed buildings.


    Run of the mill skeletons could still be found on this level, interspersed within their ranks was the occasional armed skeleton. One could also find zombies shambling within the ruined village, their rotted flesh dripping with diseased black fluids. Zombies were just as slow and cumbersome as the skeletons were, the only difference was that zombies were much harder to kill, and if you happened to be bitten by one there was a good chance you could turn into one as well. That unfortunate fate could easily be avoided as long as one managed to be treated with holy magic before turning.


    Professor Kal had kept his true form and he was grateful for the dulled senses as he made his way into the village. Even as a Lich, he could still somewhat smell and taste, and the fragrance given off by the rotten zombies was atrocious. As he took some samples from the flesh of a zombie that sloughed off like over boiled chicken, he couldn''t help but think that the smell could knock a buzzard off a shit wagon.


    Cackling at his own joke, he moved on to the well that was situated in the center of the village. The well sat in the center of what would have been a large unpaved plaza, sickly green weeds were growing in patches amongst the hard packed ground. The inner diameter of the well was five feet, plenty big enough for a full-grown man to dive into. The well house that once protected it had fallen over long ago, leaving it exposed to the elements. Neon blue moss clung to the weathered stone making up the exterior of the well, its soft fuzzy texture felt pleasant to his bony fingers, up until they went numb. He made sure to scrape some off before placing it inside a test tube.


    Peering over the lip of the well, he could see the iridescent water reflecting the nauseating blue light given off by the magical torches. The surface of the water had a thin film of an oily substance floating on the surface which gave it its peculiar color scheme. Even with his enhanced vision, Professor Kal was unable to see to the bottom of the well. Rubbing his chin in thought, he pulled back from the well, deciding on which course of action to take.


    Barging into his thoughts, a loud growl followed by barking was carried to his ears by the breeze. His curiosity piqued; Professor Kal made his way over to where the ruckus was coming from. Just before he arrived at where he thought the noises were coming, they stopped altogether, replaced by the wet sounds of something eating. Rounding the corner of a two-story house with its roof collapsed in on itself, he saw a large zombified dog feasting upon a decapitated zombie.


    The zombie''s head was resting off to the side, its bloodshot eyes still swiveling inside their sockets and its mouth continued to open and close. It was almost as if it was cursing at the dog that was currently filling its belly with the zombie''s decaying flesh. The zombie dog itself was large, its shoulders coming up to the Professor''s waist. The flesh on its muzzle hung in tattered ribbons of bloody flesh, one eye was clouded over while the other was a glossy black. Stark white ribs stood in sharp contrast to the matted shaggy brown fur covering its body.


    He walked up behind the animal, intently watching the dog as it wolfed down mouthfuls of the zombie''s meat. Preoccupied on its meal, the dog didn''t notice the Lich sneaking up behind it. When it finally sensed that it wasn''t alone, it jumped in surprise. Turning to face the new threat, it issued a low growl from deep in its throat while baring its bloody fangs and backing away.


    This was a new development, every single undead that he had come across had ended up attacking him. Even in his undead form he was assaulted, with no exceptions. Perhaps it had something to do with the intelligence of the creature. Skeletons and zombies were all dumber than a bag of hammers, acting solely on the premise of ''kill anything alive''. If you summoned one though, you could give them commands to carry out, although, they had to be the simplest of orders.


    Zombie dogs were different, they retained much of their intelligence from when they were alive. They behaved almost exactly like a living dog, the only differences being that their appetite was ferocious and the fact they were undead. He was giddy to have run into a somewhat intelligent test subject. He held out his hand, slowly inching closer to the wary animal. The dog itself looked immensely puzzled, it stopped its growling as well as backing away, keeping its eye on the Lich standing before him.


    Stopping just short of the beast, Professor Kal allowed the zombie dog to sniff at his hand, its bony snout blowing cold air onto his fingers as it tried to determine if the Lich was a threat or not. Seeming to have made up its mind, it issued a playful bark before forcing its muzzle into the palm of his hand. A crooked smile spread itself across his face as he patted the top of the dog''s head.


    "What do you have there?"


    Professor Kal noticed something out of place as he pet the stray zombie dog. A thick, nearly disintegrated, leather collar adorned the dog''s solid neck. The brass tag still hung from the collar, caked in blood, grime, and matted hair. He undid the collar, the rotted dog wagging its tail in delight as he did so. After wiping away the gunk he was able to read what had been etched underneath the patina.


    "So, your name is Trist? That must mean your not originally from this dungeon. Some idiot must have brought you down here, huh?" He said to the dog, not expecting an answer in return.


    He hadn''t learned a whole deal about adventurers, he had no interest in such an occupation. What he did know, was that a few of them used dogs or other trained animals to help them in some of their missions. Usually, you''d find them on escort missions, a dog''s sense of smell was many times better than a human''s, so they were used to warn them of any bandits that might try to attack them in the night.


    Using dogs in such a way was a cheap but effective way to increase their chances of survival, so it only made sense for them to be used. But to bring a dog down into a dungeon was not only useless but idiotic as well. Monsters roamed every square inch of a dungeon; a dog would simply be overwhelmed by the number of different scents to be of any use. Dogs would also serve as more of a liability than anything in a battle; they could latch on to a monster but then would be severely injured in the process.


    Maybe that''s what whoever brought Trist down here did? Used her to distract the undead in order for them to dispatch the monsters more easily. When she did eventually get injured and die, was simply discarded, left to rot. Usually, any living thing killed by a zombie would be completely consumed, only leaving blood stains on the ground. Trist must have hidden away inside one of the ruined buildings once she was injured, eventually dying before turning into a zombie herself.


    Professor Kal let out a frustrated sigh, looking at the zombie dog sitting in front of him with her tongue lulled out the side of her mouth. Her tail was furiously going from side to side, cleaning a small patch of ground that was directly behind her.


    "I doubt we''ll ever run into your previous owner, but if we do, I''ll let you maul him." His words only made Trist more excited, any faster and her tail was in danger of breaking in half.


    The revelation that Trist was not spawned by the dungeon was actually a boon to his theory. Lower undead never attacked each other, the only exception is when they were ordered to by their summoner or a higher level undead. It seemed apparent that the dungeon affected the will of its in habitants, making them lash out at anything that didn''t belong. Now he just needed to interact with intelligent undead to see if the compulsion was undeniable, or if they would be able to resist it.. And for that, he would have to venture deeper into the dungeon.

 Chapter 68 - Talking To A Friend

    On his way back to the well, Professor Kal played an impromptu game of fetch with Trist. He''d throw a bone he''d received as a donation from an unlucky skeleton, then she would rush off to retrieve it, her tail wagging enthusiastically the entire time. He found it entertaining for a minute, but quickly grew bored. He was never one to particularly like pets, he just could never devote the time they required.


    Finding himself before the well once again, with his new companion running circles around him, Professor Kal began to strip off his black robe. His goal was to simply find out what was at the bottom. The stagnant water acted as a perfect mirror, reflecting his haunting visage back at him. His two eye sockets flickered with flames of red, blue, and a black that absorbed the others. Trist, with her front paws on the lip of the well, whined as she watched him slip beneath the surface.


    ˇ­..


    With a splash, a gaunt figure hauled itself out of the poisoned well situated in the middle of the Plagued Village. Fetid water dripped from its bones, large droplets splattering on the flagstone lip. Conjuring a sharp blast of wind, the figure dried itself as well as blowing away the stench given off by the water. Barking happily and running around in circles, a decaying dog greeted the figure as it jumped down from the edge of the well.


    "Well, that was a colossal waste of time." Professor Kal muttered as he covered his bones with the black robe he''d taken out of his storage ring.


    "Woof!" Trist said in reply, happy to see him finally come out of the well. From her perspective he had been gone for an eternity.


    He had actually not made it all the way to the bottom of the well. He let himself sink for quite some time before aiding the process by taking out a heavy mana stone from his ring and holding on to it. Even with the increase in his speed he never reached the bottom, he finally gave up after about an hour of free fall. The pressure was so great at that depth that he had to manipulate his mana into a protective layer around his bones in order to keep them from imploding.


    "C''mon, let''s get moving, there''s nothing here that interests me."


    ˇ­..


    "Is there truly no way I can convince you to stay?"


    "No, I''m sorry, my mind is made up. There''s a little cottage in the mountains waiting for me, I cannot keep it waiting any longer."


    Two men were having tea together in an almost completely packed up townhouse deep within the noble district of Lenova. Nailed shut crates lined the halls of the exquisite property, the pictures had been taken off of the walls showing the different shades of paint hidden behind them. They were seated in the only two remaining chairs, watching the snow gently fall outside of a large bay window.


    "I implore you to change your mind. Duke Hutchens has put into place such draconian policies within the academy that it should carry the army''s seal. I''m sure it has something to do with the upcoming war, which is another matter where I could surely profit from your wisdom."


    "Now, now, Mage Petticoat, begging really doesn''t suit you. You''re a man of great stature now, I doubt you truly need the help of a washed-up mage such as myself." Mage Reginald gave Royal Mage Petticoat a weak smile as he took a sip from his tea after refusing the request.


    "Washed up? I highly doubt that. I still do not know the reason His Majesty decided to replace you, but I''m certain that it''s not because you have lost your touch. You are the most powerful mage within the Kingdom..."


    "Powerful!? Ha! What do you know of power!" Mage Reginald shouted out, his amiable expression suddenly turning into one of reverent fear. "If only you knew, if only you''ve seen what I seen..." Mage Reginald trailed off, never finishing his words.


    Mage Petticoat was deeply concerned about his friend, seeing him behave this way made him incredibly sad. He had always known the man in front of him to be strong, both mentally and magically. He would always rise to meet any tribulations that would befall the kingdom head-on, without faltering in the slightest. But now, now what was sitting before him was a feeble old man, running from something that he refused to talk about.


    "What happened to you? Will you not tell me, your old friend?" Mage Petticoat asked as gently as he could, afraid to cause the old man anymore mental distress.


    Some semblances of clarity returned to Reginald''s eyes that had been staring off a thousand yards away. They focused on his own eyes, staring directly at him. Reginald began to fidget with the hem of his robes, looking reluctant to say anything. Not wanting to ruin the small chance of breaking through to him, Mage Petticoat remained silent, waiting for him to answer.


    "Have you ever been close to death?"


    Mage Petticoat paused for a moment, thinking on the question he was asked. "When I served in the Mage Corps., a mage had misfired a spell, the only reason I''m still alive is because I had tripped over a root sticking up out of the ground. If I hadn''t tripped, I would have been obliterated by that mage''s fireball."


    Shaking his head, Reginald let out a sigh. "No, no, not a mere brush with death where you only catch the glint of the scythe as it passes over you. No, not that at allˇ­... I''ve seen death, I''ve stared into the black abyss that is its eyes. Its icy fingers clutched my heart, toyed with my soul, I fear that I will never rid my mind, my... dreams of his dreadful face."


    "I''m sorry, I don''t understand."


    A small smile spread across Reginald''s tired looking face. "I pray that you never will." Wiping his mouth with a white cloth, he continued. "I''ve had enough of such dreary topics. Tell me more about Duke Hutchens, perhaps I could write His Majesty a letter as a last favor to a friend, although he may not listen to what I have to say."


    Pushing down the urge to remain on the subject he was so curious about, Mage Petticoat shifted in his chair before he spoke. "I do have to compliment the man''s acumen when it comes to navigating bureaucracy. He has effectively neutered all of the safeguards put into place protecting lower class students. Those awarded a scholarship to attend the Academy have had them rescinded, forcing them to either pay the entire tuition fee or be removed from the rolls."


    "Hasn''t he sworn to not change any policies for at least a year, that is what you told me, isn''t it?"


    "That''s the thing." Mage Petticoat let out a sigh. "He hasn''t changed any policies, he has just exploited every loophole possible, many I have never noticed before."


    A small chuckle left Reginald''s throat. "Please, forgive me. I do not mean to make light of the situation. It''s just that you have always been a force to be reckoned with as a mage, only to end up being pressed up against a wall by a paper pushing noble."


    The look on Mage Petticoat''s face was anything but jovial. Reginald awkwardly cleared his throat before continuing. "As the previous Dean, I''m sure you''re more than aware of the independence that the Academy boasts."


    "I am. Although Duke Hutchens was still able to usurp my position."


    Reginald nodded his head. "Yes, there is that. But you know how it works, the most effective way to rid yourself of someone is to promote them out of the way.... As far as interfering with how he is administering the Academy, it will be difficult. Do you know of anyone willing to discreetly document the ongoings inside the school?"


    Mage Petticoat nodded in the affirmative. "Professor Auveco has penned me several letters protesting the treatment of the lower-class students. Although, nothing he''s described so far could be interpreted as ''illegal''."


    "I''m afraid that without Duke Hutchens clearly violating some law within the Kingdom, there is little either one of us can do." Reginald said, putting his fingertips together. "Although I will suggest you have Professor Auveco continue to document everything. Knowing Duke Hutchens, it''s only a matter of time before his ambitions will carry him over the line."


    Mage Petticoat slowly nodded his head. There was only so much he could do to affect an institution he was no longer affiliated with. As bad as it sounded, he would have to hope that Duke Hutchens''s treatment of the poorer students grew bad enough to warrant action from the crown.


    "There''s one other topic I would like to touch upon before I take my leave." Mage Petticoat said.


    "I''m listening."


    "Professor Kal has been let go by Duke Hutchens over a trifling technicality. I owe it to the man to inform him myself, unfortunately I was not told to where he, and the students he brought with him, had traveled. I only know that they were sent by the crown, but His Majesty will not divulge the information to me."


    "And there is good reason!" Reginald shouted out. "... I''m sorry, it''s just that there are things best left alone. Please, I beg of you, forget you ever met the man. I''m sure you''ve heard the rumors spreading throughout the city."


    Mage Petticoat narrowed his eyes, beginning to put the pieces together of a much larger puzzle. "Iˇ­... have. Although I find them hard to believe. I thought them retaliation from Duke Hutchens over the whole incident involving his son."


    "Well, and I''m only telling you this as a friend, but what you''ve heard is true.. Mage Kalcifer is an extremely dangerous man, and a practicing necromancer."

 Chapter 69 - (Nice) The Haunted Mansion (1/2)

    The ''clack clack clack'' of nails on hardwood echoed down a narrow hallway. Dried and warped floorboards creaked and groaned with every step. Dust particles drifted lazily in the air, highlighting the rays of light passing through the boarded-up window at the end of the hall. A withered hand reached for a round brass doorknob, turning it, only to be met with resistance as the doorknob refused to turn.


    "Another locked door. Damnit." Professor Kal said in his low gravelly voice.


    "Woof!" Trist replied.


    The two undead explorers were currently on the fifth floor of the Undead Dungeon. They had hurried past the fourth level because it was just more of the same skeletons and zombies, the only difference was the layout of the floor. The fourth floor consisted of a forest overrun by lower tier undead. There was a plethora of resources on the fourth floor, so it was a popular destination for many of the more competent adventurers. Professor Kal, on the other hand, had no use for the herbs and such found on that floor.


    The fifth floor on the other hand, had surprised him greatly. In terms of size, it was tiny compared to the previous floors. It was entirely made up of a large mansion, at least as far as he could tell. The entrance to the fifth floor was just an ornate door that was set inside of a large tree trunk deep within the forest on the fourth level. The door served as the entrance to the mansion, meaning that he was not able to see the outside of the structure.


    He and Trist were taking their time checking each and every door as they walked down one of the many halls found inside the mansion. Otherworldly screeches could be heard at random intervals originating from different sections of the estate. Professor Kal surmised they came from either banshees or wights, or perhaps neither one. There were several varieties of undead capable of producing those sounds, but using the setting as a context clue, he put his money on the first two.


    Not willing to waste the time looking for a key, or solving some convoluted puzzle, Professor Kal grasped the doorknob once more. In a matter of seconds, the metal began to glow a dim red before growing brighter, eventually turning into a bright scorching liquid and dripping to the floor from between his unscathed fingers. Satisfied with himself, Professor Kal went to open the door, only to be deeply disappointed.


    "Damn thing. I swear, does every door feel the need to be so damn stubborn?"


    Raising his palm to be level with his shoulder, Professor Kal directed a pressurized blast of wind toward the obstinate door. The thick door provided little resistance against the new attack, it immediately split along the grain of the ancient timber it had been constructed of, and large chunks of the door were sent flying into the room hidden behind it.


    Once the copious amount of dust settled, Professor Kal stepped inside the dimly lit room with Trist glued to his side. What greeted him was a spacious dance hall complete with a small stage, perfect for an orchestra. From its high ceiling hung a solitary crystal chandelier, the perfectly cut glass mysteriously shimmering with rainbow-colored light despite the lack of illumination. Large windows lined the room, once allowing its guests to take pleasure in what must have been a phenomenal backdrop, but now was only capable of showing an endless black abyss through its grime plastered surface.


    As he ventured further into the room, he watched his every step, a trap or pitfall wouldn''t have harmed him in any way, but he would rather avoid the nuisance. Regrettably, his caution had not been conveyed to his companion. Trist hadn''t wondered five feet from him before an audible ''click'' reverberated throughout the large empty room.


    Professor Kal shot a glare at the zombie dog causing her to whimper in apology. At the same moment, the candelabra lining the distant walls ignited with a ''woosh'', illuminating the dance hall with warm, yellow light. A string orchestra began to play a soothing melody, the tempo was slow and the notes soft. He turned around to look at the stage, situated on the platform were transparent silhouettes holding and playing several distinct varieties of stringed instruments.


    With each note played, the apparitions gained more substance, becoming less ethereal and more ''real''. As the crescendo of the melody peaked, the ballad seamlessly transitioned into a Viennese Waltz. An explosion of light radiated from the crystal chandelier hanging directly above the center of the room, abruptly, the vacant room was filled with noble men and women, all partnered with each other, whirling, and laughing.


    They all were wearing brightly colored clothing, mostly made of silk. Jewelry sparkling with the radiance of precious metals and gemstones could be seen embellishing most of those present. The dust floating in the stagnant air had been replaced by the thick smell of flowery perfume and pungent body odor. The mass of people seemed oblivious to Professor Kal, who was standing still with his brow furrowed; or to the half-decomposed dog that was trying frantically not to knock into the phantoms twirling around her.


    He watched in anticipation, curious as to what was happening and what would happen next. The song continued for a few minutes before it was immediately replaced by a different, but equally fast paced one. Nothing of note had changed in-between the melodies, the nobles continued to dance and make merry, and the room remained unbothered. Trist had found a safe corner to call her own, she, just like the Professor, watched the spectacle with her head cocked to the side.


    Just when Professor Kal had begun to think that maybe the room wouldn''t affect him because of his undead affliction, a distortion occurred. It was subtle at first, in all reality if he hadn''t been paying close attention to any such changes, Professor Kal would have completely overlooked it. A single note in the orchestra''s so far flawless performance was off key. A few beats later, another note was off, then another. The out of tune music began to snowball until the once upbeat and exhilarating waltz had mutated into something that clawed at your mind with every pluck of the strings.


    The music now matched what was occurring inside the dance hall. Fresh, dark blood seeped from the cracked plastered walls. Deep gouges lined the doors and windowsills, broken and bloodied fingernails could be seen embedded in some of them, painting a picture of desperate attempts to escape the cursed dance hall. Even the ever-glimmering chandelier had transformed into a disconcerting obsidian black hole, sucking in the now deep red light given off from the flames flickering in their sconces.


    The distorted music continued to play, and the men and women continued to whirl and laugh. Their once exquisite silk suits and dresses were now filthy rags that hung loosely off of their rotted corpses. Some were missing limbs, lost forever inside the undulating crowd. So far, the masses only had eyes for each other, holding their partners close as they moved as one. Trist had backed herself into a corner, a threatening low growl coming from her throat and her heckles raised.


    As Professor Kal stood amongst the whirling crowd of living dead, taking notes, his eyes met the gaze of one of the noble women. This small act seemed to have triggered a cascading effect, soon he noticed that more and more sets of eyes were trained on him. With a wailing screech issued by the orchestra, the crowed flickered in and out of existence, still dancing, like the gods was rapidly flicking a light switch.


    A final flicker set the apparitions solidly into reality, all standing watching him, silent and unmoving. The raucous music had died off completely and the musicians silently stood watching him, instruments in hand. The weeping walls, with blood pooling beneath them, began to grow veins underneath their veneer that pulsed with life. Professor Kal walked through the crowd towards the far wall, the apparitions maintained the same distance between themselves and him even though they didn''t seem to move at all.


    He watched the undulating wall as its thick veins throbbed. He could feel an itch starting to form in the back of his mind, like there was something he forgot to do but just couldn''t place what it was. He furrowed his brows even further; this was a concerning development. Just the fact that he was an undead meant his mental fortitude was already magnitudes higher than a living being, add that to the fact that he was a mage with thousands of years of experience meant that his mind was akin to an impenetrable fortress.


    The suggestion that his mind was being affected at all meant that an extremely potent force was at play here. Although he was very old, that didn''t mean that he had experienced all there was in the world. If he had, then what would be the point in existing any longer. Lost in thought, he placed his skeletal hand on the pulsating wall. It had developed a wet sheen to it, like it had started to excrete some variety of viscous mucous that mixed with the blood.


    As his dried and stretched skin made contact, a sizzling sound accompanied by wisps of smoke came from his fingertips. A dull ache began to radiate from his hand and up into his arm, surprising him yet again. He didn''t experience pain as a living being would, it only manifested itself as a sensation that warned him that his body was being damaged. Pulling his hand back, he looked at his still smoking fingertips. They were regenerating at a visible pace, but the substance on the wall had still managed to dissolve his finger down to the first knuckle.


    For the first time in a long while, he was confounded. With the subtle mental manipulation and the acidic nature of the living walls, he was at a loss as to what was happening. Not appreciating being on the receiving end of something else''s machinations, Professor Kal brought forward his black staff. With a short chant to give his spell a boost, a pulse of neon green light slowly swept through the room.


    As the slow-moving light contacted the apparitions, they melted away, their faces contorting into silent screams as they did so. As the light touched the nauseating walls, they morphed back into the pristine condition they had been before. Nodding his head in satisfaction, Professor Kal began moving toward Trist as she was still pushed into a corner.


    The sound of shattering glass suddenly rang out from overhead, halting the Professor''s steps. He looked toward the obsidian chandelier hanging from the ceiling just in time to see the remnants of his spell fall to the ground like radioactive snowflakes. In a snap, every one of the ghosts that had been destroyed by his spell had returned. A look of indigent rage was plastered on their faces as they glared at him with nothing but unbridled wrath burning inside of them.


    "My gods, what a pain.." Professor Kal groaned as the apparitions all took a step towards him.

 Chapter 70 - [Bonus ] The Haunted Mansion (2/2)

    "Don''t you dare touch me with those grubby hands of yours!" Professor Kal yelled out as he took a step back, not in fear of the undead monsters encroaching his personal space, but out of anger.


    He was very particular when it came to his possessions and his personal space, had had been alone for multiple centuries, only his summons kept him company deep inside his underground lair. To have someone, let alone dungeon monsters, dare to touch his body irked him to no end.


    He lashed out with his gnarled staff, aiming for the monster closest to him. The head of the staff phased through the undead spirit, unable to damage its corporeal form. The ghost took another step forward, the others mimicking its movements. Abandoning physical attacks, Professor Kal waved his hand, manifesting a wall of hungry flames that engulfed the area around him. Before the outcome of his attack could be determined, he used a short distance warp spell to bend space, allowing him to appear on the other side of the room directly next to Trist.


    "I think it''s time for a tactical retreat, don''t you agree?" He said as he reached out to the dog, ensuring that she would be within the sphere of influence of his teleportation spell.


    Much to his dismay, as he cast the spell, he could feel a great deal of resistance. The short-range warp spell worked just as advertised, but his Warp Gate failed to activate. He knew that being inside the dungeon would restrict dimensional magic, as he had learned from the first dungeon he and Ryan had entered. In that instance, although it took a monumental amount of mana, in the end he was still able to successfully cast it. Something was different this time around, maybe it was the depth they were at, or something about the room itself, he didn''t know.


    Even after pouring many times the mana into the spell than he had in the first dungeon, his spell still refused to cooperate. He was forced to use another short-range warp spell, bringing Trist along with him as the specters had begun to close in on him once again. He had no idea what affects, if any, their touch would have, and he wasn''t very eager to find out either. As his mind whirred, seeking out a solution to his predicament, another, much stronger itch assaulted his mind.


    There was some mysterious force at work within the room, something capable of strong psychic attacks capable of even affecting his mind. The more he observed, the more he came to understand that he wasn''t completely immune from whatever was taking place inside the room. The specters shambling towards him were at least partial illusions, this fact alone told him that he was being affected.


    He knew this from the spell that he had used before, Nullification, it was the basic spell that radiated the neon green light. It worked by overloading any spells, such as illusions, with the user''s own mana and short circuiting them. It had worked just fine up until the point it touched the black, shimmering chandelier hanging in the middle of the dance hall.


    Putting two and two together, Professor Kal conjured a six-foot-long spear of ice. Gripping it tightly in his dominate hand, he reared back and threw the frozen projectile at the chandelier. He was definitely not the most physically adept existence on the planet, still, his undead body that was boosted by mana, could still outperform most.


    The spear rocketed toward its target in a straight line, spinning rapidly like a drill. The roomful of illusionary spirits ignored the projectile as it sailed overhead, they never ceased their slow and steady march. Striking true, the spear shattered against the murky crystal, and much to his consternation, caused no damage. What''s more, the remnants of the spear never made it to the ground.


    Like a ravenous black hole, the chandelier pulled in the mana formed spear, taking on a blue tinge for itself. The atmosphere inside the room dropped suddenly, ice crystals began to form on the walls as the precipitation in the air froze and fell to the floor as a light snow. Professor Kal wasn''t affected in the sudden frigid temperatures in any way, but the implications of the phenomenon were concerning.


    "Huh." Professor Kal said in bereft amusement as he looked out across the room.


    The malignant illusions were almost upon him and Trist, and so far, he had yet to come up with a solution. He was trapped in the dance hall and could only teleport around, with Trist in tow, avoiding the now icy clutches of the ghosts. He''d deduced that the portentous chandelier worked to not only nullify magic but could also absorb it and use it as its own.


    Thinking up a solution, Professor Kal shot a super-heated fireball at the chandelier, immediately followed by another large ice spear. His theory was quite sound, he was hoping to thermally shock whatever made up the black crystal. The glass greedily gulped down the almost white-hot ball of flame, making the room as hot as an over for a split second before the man length spear of ice slammed into it.


    Professor Kal watched with anticipation as the chandelier visibly shook and swung side to side. Its hundreds of distinct pendeloques quivered and rattled in their gilded holders. The candles that had remained unlit since the end of the warped music suddenly erupted with the same white flame that he had sent toward it. Prisms hanging below the candles halted their trembling before beams of blue light fired out in every direction, freezing anything they touched.


    Out of reflex, Professor Kal summoned a wall of bone in front of him and Trist, who had long been put into a coma by him to keep her from running around. The bone wall was made of hundreds of human and beast skeletons hobbled together, sealing up any openings between them. Absorbing the chilly rays of light, the bones froze over quickly before deep cracks began to form, forewarning of its imminent collapse.


    "Give me a break!" Professor Kal groaned as he scooped up the large, comatose zombie dog before diving out of the way as the massive wall of bone crumpled and the rays of ice impacted the area behind it.


    Relieved to see that the amount of mana the chandelier could use wasn''t infinite, Professor Kal stood up as he brushed himself off. He noticed that his left leg had been frozen solid and as he put some weight on it, long cracks ran up and down his ice-covered bones. Cursing his rotten luck, he thawed out his limb before his natural regeneration took over and mended his wounds.


    Injuries did not concern him in the slightest, no matter how grievous of a condition his body was in, he would never truly die. That was the greatest benefit of becoming a Lich, your soul would always survive. His body was merely a vessel that his soul was using to interact with the material world. Even if his body was broken down into a pile of ashes, as long as his phylactery remained, he could regenerate his body.


    Currently, his phylactery was off wreaking havoc in another plane, siphoning off the infinite energy residing there. What he had done was not a new idea, several liches in the past had attempted the same as he had. Sending their phylacteries off to other planes in order to protect them from being destroyed. The problem was that once the gateway to the other plane was shut, it cut off all links between the two. Not being in contact with their phylactery severely weakened a lich, and if their body happened to be destroyed while being out of contact, their souls would be lost forever.


    That was the entire purpose of a phylactery, it gave the lich a separate vessel to house their soul should their body be destroyed. It was also capable of rebuilding their bodies over a significant period of time. Should someone destroy the phylactery along with the liches body, then the lich would truly die. The same thing occurred if the liches body was cut off from their phylactery while its soul was inside of it. If the soul could not make it back to the phylactery, then it would simply dissipate into nothingness as it endlessly searched for it.


    That''s what made what Professor Kal had achieved so significant. He had been able to open up a corridor interlinking time, space, and dimensions, establishing an uninterruptible connection between his soul, body, and phylactery. Even though the dungeons seemed capable of interfering with his dimensional magic, he was relieved to discover that his connection with his phylactery had remained unaffected.


    Teleporting once again, Professor Kal was forced to come up with another plan of attack. Magic, no matter how powerful, seemed to be useless against what he thought to be the center of his problems. In fact, it was capable of using his own mana against him, which as a mage, was an enormous issue.


    For some reason, the spirits seemed unable to move any faster than a crisp walk, granting him more than enough time to test out another theory. Reciting a short chant, a summoning circle appeared on the ground, interlocking circles of tightly packed runes rotated within the dimly glowing construct. With a burst of light, a hulking figure crouched in the center of the fading summoning circle stood to its full height, its twisted horns nearly scraping the paint off the ceiling.


    Thorny scales, muddy brown in color and the size of a man''s palm, protected the entirety of the summon''s body. Muscular legs the size of building columns supported its twelve-foot-tall frame. Its tail was just as long as it was tall and ended in a club of spikes made of bone. Thick claws tipped its three fingers that nearly drug on the ground due to its abnormally long arms. High pitched clicking noises came from an inflated organ just below its lizard like jaw that protruded a mess of crooked teeth. It moved its head in jerking motions as it continued to issue the clicking noises, its small, clouded eyes useless to it as it scanned the room with sound alone.


    Pleased to see his fighter had arrived without any issues, Professor Kal issued his command. "Rip that fucking thing out of the ceiling!"

 Chapter 71 - Grand Opening, I Guess?

    The prehistoric looking creature lumbered forward with its mouth wide open, issuing a threatening hiss. It waded through the crowd of apparitions that attempted to bar its path, completely ignoring them as they clawed and bit at its thick protective scales. Professor Kal didn''t know what would happen if he was touched by the illusionary spirits, but he had an idea. He figured that they would act much like the chandelier did and absorb any mana they came into contact with, slowly sapping his power while they used it to empower themselves.


    That is why he had summoned a creature with hardly any mana, a Terrestrial Cave Dragon. Just as their name implies, the creatures lived deep inside the darkest caves, often resorting to cannibalism in order to feed their massive bodies. Over eons living underground, they had lost their sight but had evolved the ability to use echo location in order to ''see'' their surroundings. They weren''t truly dragons either, only named so because of their appearance that very loosely resembled one.


    As the cave dragon came into contact with more of the spirits, it began to slow down its steady march, but only just slightly. In a matter of seconds, it was directly beneath the shimmering, pitch black chandelier. Reaching up with its overly long arms, the cave dragon dug its sizable claws into the crystal. By now it had a dozen spirits crawling all around its body, feebly attempting to injure the monster but was unable to draw any mana from it to strengthen themselves.


    Its muscles bulged underneath its scaly skin as it pulled and yanked on the ornament hanging from the ceiling. It pulled so hard that its feet lifted off of the ground, its long, clubbed tail dragging on the ground as it swung back and forth. Professor Kal was actually a little worried that perhaps the cave dragon might not be able to perform up to his expectations.


    Bracing itself against the ceiling with its feet, its body completely inverted, the cave dragon pulled with all its might. The structure of the chandelier started to warp under the intense pressure of the monster''s grip, some of the crystal glass developing hairline fractures across their surfaces. The flames of the lit candles grew to enormous proportions, engulfing the entire decoration along with the cave dragon in an attempt to burn the creature off.


    Having lived its entire life deep underground, the cave dragon was not built to be able to resist the white flames assaulting its body. It let out a raucous howl as it experienced the unbearable pain of its flesh melting, only finding relief when its nerve endings finally burned, numbing the anguish. Only the compulsion to follow every command given to it kept it conscious as it continued to pull with every iota of strength it could muster.


    After what seemed like an eternity, there was finally some sign of progress. A sharp cracking sound resonated throughout the room, the spirits pooling around the burning monster flickering in and out of existence. Professor Kal urged the summons on, shouting at it to pull harder. He held no sympathy for the suffering monster, only interested in the end result. With a burst of strength, and at the cost of tearing its exposed muscles apart at the joints, the cave dragon ripped the chandelier from the ceiling with the sound of rending metal.


    Instantly, the spirits ceased to exist and the monster, along with the chandelier, fell to the ground in a mangled heap of glass, metal, and sizzling burnt flesh. The blood pooled on the floor had disappeared and the walls returned to what they looked like when he and Trist had first entered the room. Professor Kal cautiously made his way over to the small, gory hill residing in the center of the room. Although there should not be anymore surprises, one could never be too careful.


    Using the end of his staff, he poked at the mangled remains of the cave dragon. Confirming that it was indeed dead, he went about the task of separating its corpse from the ruined chandelier. He was sure that whatever was creating the illusions and affecting his mind was somewhere in the mess in front of him, and he was determined to find it.


    ˇ­..


    A light dusting of snow had coated the ground the previous night, turning the many rooftops a pure wintery white. Contrasting the blinding white snow was the murky haze settling within the city due to the thousands of coal fires working to keep the commoners'' houses warm. The sky was overcast, blocking the morning sun, and threatening to dump even more snow on the already lightly covered ground.


    A deformed clay golem was hard at work using its shovel like arms to clear a long walkway leading up to an inn. It was only three feet tall and had no head to speak of. Its legs were slightly different lengths, making it waddle as it slowly walked up and down the walkway scooping up snow as it did so.


    "Wow, you''re awful at making those things."


    Ben whipped around to see Ryan standing in the doorway to the entrance of the inn, a playful grin spread across his face.


    "I''d like to see you do better, you ass." Ben retorted with a faux scowl plastered on his wind chapped face.


    "Is it all done in there? Should be pretty close, right?"


    Ryan nodded his head. "Yeah, we just finished up. The carpenters are done as well, so everything''s good to go."


    "Great." Ben said as he followed Ryan back into the inn, leaving his clay golem behind to finish its work.


    The inside of the inn looked completely different than it had only a few days ago. Once a foreboding, dark, and rundown structure, was now warm, inviting, and pleasant to look at. The floors had been sanded down and refinished, the cobwebs spanning the window frames had been replaced with brightly colored curtains that stood out against the eggshell white walls. Even the steps leading to the second floor no longer let out harsh squeaks every time someone ventured up them.


    The students had done as Professor Kal had suggested and used magic to deep clean every nook and cranny inside and outside of the inn. It only took them a few hours to complete their task, but many things could not be accomplished with magic alone. That is why they had used some of the gold coins they were left with to hire a small army of carpenters to repair and refurbish the neglected inn. Now that the hired help had finished, they were busy packing up their tools before heading to the front to collect their pay. Once Ryan was done doling out the previously agreed payments, him and Ben were left alone.


    Ben looked around, not quite sure were to begin. "Are we really doing this, running an inn? I really don''t see the point."


    Ryan shrugged is shoulders. "I mean, that''s what the Professor said to do, right?"


    "Yeah, but he''s a bigger ass than you are... ow!"


    Ben rubbed his shoulder where Ryan had just punched him. "I was only joking, geez."


    "Whatever. Anyways, you know as well as I do how temperamental he is. I''d hate to see what would happen if we didn''t do what he told us to do." Ryan said.


    "I guess. Well, we''re committed now anyway, so there''s no going back. Hey, where is Professor Treffle? I figured she''d want to hang onto the money." Ben asked, finally realizing that Ryan was hanging onto a large bag filled with gold coins.


    "Where do you think she is? Ever since they redid the baths she''s been holed up in there. Her and Laura are probably well past being prunes by this point."


    "Guys! Guys! There''s someone coming!" A frantic voice heralded the start of hurried footsteps clambering down the recently repaired stairs.


    Both Ryan and Ben looked up to see Richard racing down the stairs, his face wide eyed and panicked. Ryan was happy to see that the carpenters had done quality work as Richard used the handrail to the fullest. Stopping on the landing at the foot of the staircase, Richard didn''t bother to catch his breath.


    "Saw... out the... window. Someone.... coming to the ... inn."


    Before they had the chance to ask any questions, the double doors opened wide, ringing the little bells rigged to let them know someone had entered. A portly man with a handlebar mustache and very little hair on top of his head waddled inside the finished front room. He was accompanied by three armed men that kept a sense of wariness about them.


    Ben and Ryan recognized the man''s occupation instantly. Both of their families were merchants by trade, so it only made sense that they would be able to identify another one at a glance; the man''s fancy clothes, jewelry, and bodyguards helped as well.


    "You, manservant. I require your best room, and something for my retinue as well.." The fat man haughtily said, not pointing to anyone of them, just glancing in their general direction.

 Chapter 72 - Worms In The Rain

    "Uh, sir. We''re not really open just yet." Ben stated while scratching the back of his head.


    "The door was unlocked, was it not? And you are an inn, correct? So, I see no issues then, now hurry along and prepare my room. I''m rather tired from the travel, and with the borders closing I suspect I''ll be staying here for quite some time." The fat merchant explained, leaving no room for Ben to argue.


    Ryan picked up on something the merchant had said. "Wait, the borders are closed?"


    The merchant looked at him with a troubled look on his face. "Well, saying they''re closed is putting it lightly. Amine has made some worrying movements, putting Morgania on alert. They have preemptively shut down their border with Amine, I am assuming to stem the flow of information should there be any spies in their midst."


    "When did all of this happen? We just came to the city not too long ago." Ben asked, the feeling of anxiety constricting his chest.


    "The decree was passed down just yesterday. I will just count myself lucky for the fact that I had yet to leave the city, sparing myself the long trip to the border only to be unable to cross it."


    The boys were at a loss for words, standing around awkwardly in a stunned silence. The fat merchant was beginning to grow impatient, he let out a huff, reminding them that he was still there. "I do have to say, the customer service of your inn does leave one wanting. If there were any others I could patron I would, but you seem to be the only ones in the city with any vacancies."


    "We''re what now?" Now it was Richard''s turn to finally speak up, which was entirely out of character for him.


    "Oh yes, with the borders closed now, there are many merchants such as myself that are in need of temporary lodgings as we plan out alternative routes. As they are forced to stay in the country and will be turned away at the border, it is only a matter of time before you all become very busy indeed." The fat man said, in a weirdly jolly tone.


    ˇ­..


    "C''mon, all you heard it right? Some Idiot walked into the ballroom. It''s all quiet now, so we just need to go in there, take whatever is left on the corpse, and get out, easy."


    A tall and lanky man was trying to convince four other men to go along with his idea. He was wearing light leather armor with dark brown boots to match. He had two long daggers attached to his hip, and a small pouch filled with little bottles of holy water making ''clinking'' noises as he moved around.


    "I don''t know Frank; the ballroom is nothin'' but bad news. Everyone knows not to go in there if ya can avoid it." One of the four men said, scratching his chin as he spoke.


    A third man was nodding his head, looking like a chicken pecking at seed. "Chuck''s right. We could end up just like those poor saps."


    The last man, the largest one, had yet to speak. He focused on what the others were saying, deep in thought. He was a full head taller than Frank, the lanky rogue of their group, and as wide as two of him as well. He carried a five-foot long, two-handed sword that had been sharpened on both sides of the blade. His armor was leather, studded with well-oiled iron.


    "Let''s do it." The large man said. "We all could use the money, hells, that''s why we''re down here to begin with, isn''t it? We have all the time in the world so there''s no need to rush, we can take our time, make sure we don''t trigger nothin''."


    "Ya sure?"


    "Yeah, I''m sure. You all know Frank''s a coward; he would never do anything that would put his hide on the line."


    Frank looked around the small group as they all laughed at his expense. "C''mon boss, there wasn''t a need for that, now was there?"


    The large man they all called boss slapped Frank on the back, knocking the air out of his lungs. "Sure, I did. Look, they changed their minds, didn''t they?"


    ˇ­..


    Within the confines of the ballroom, what looked like a gruesome crime scene was spread out across the floor. Coagulated pools of dark blood drenched the ground, making every step Professor Kal took feel sticky, and made a wet tearing sound. It had taken him some time to separate the bent and twisted metal from the charred flesh and bone of the cave dragon; now though, he had made separate, neat piles for each entity.


    Absolutely covered in the macabre filth, Professor Kal was wrenching apart the mangled chandelier with a large, iron tool, carefully checking each piece for any unique traits. Trist, the zombie dog, was sitting in a corner happily chewing on a large bone that had once been the arm of the terrestrial cave dragon. So far, he hadn''t found anything noteworthy, but wasn''t deterred in the slightest. A diamond was never found on the surface, one always had to dig to uncover it.


    Trist suddenly dropped the large bone and had taken up a defensive stance, her heckles standing at attention. She had finally sensed the group of living beings that had been stationed just outside the door leading into the ballroom. Professor Kal had known they were there for a long while now, he just decided to ignore them just like he would any small insect scurrying around on the ground. As long as they didn''t bother him, he would let them be.


    Light, timid footsteps sounded out from behind him. The adventurers seemed to have given up on trying to sneak up on him. Trist held her ground, snarling with her yellowed teeth bared. Professor Kal still had his back turned to the group, hunched over a heap of gilded metal and broken crystal.


    "Uh... Hey man, you, ok?" A deep but concerned voice asked Professor Kal from behind. "Where''s the rest of your group? What''s with the dog over there?"


    The group of four men had wary expressions on their faces as they looked around in horror at the gore surrounding the robed man. They could only see Professor Kal''s back as he rummaged around in the wreckage. He was wearing his black robes and was easily mistaken for a living person due to his posture hiding his undead features, although he was covered in blood. The men must have just glanced at Trist, it would have almost been impossible to not notice that she was an undead otherwise.


    "I would suggest you move on to better things and leave me be." Professor Kal spoke in his raspy, deep voice, continuing to sift through the precious metals.


    "Where''s ya crew? It... can''t be just you, right?" One of the men said, his tone probing, lacking any of the concern in the first man''s words.


    "Last chance, leave now." Professor Kal said, his voice oozing annoyance, as he tossed a golden candle holder into a large pile of similarly gilded metal.


    Professor Kal had been separating every part of the chandelier into easily manageable piles. The pieces may not have been what he was looking for, but they were still made of precious metals, thus extremely valuable. They could also be used as mediums for any enchantments he may want to do in the future. Gold and silver were very good conductors, not as good as orichalcum or mithril, but still would allow mana to pass through them with very little resistance, making them worth the effort to collect.


    The men''s faces, once filled with concern and compassion for their fellow man, were now twisted with the all too familiar expressions of envy and greed as they stole glances at the ever-increasing piles of precious metals. Even though they originally held the intention of robbing a corpse, when they had seen that there was a ''survivor'' within the notoriously deadly room they had switched to a more philanthropic mindset. But like so many men before them, when faced with the earthly temptation of gold, silver, and other shiny things, they quickly cast aside their good intentions.


    The men''s hands crept over to the hilts of their weapons as they silently spread out, cutting off any escape for the man in front of them. Professor Kal paid them no mind, still preoccupied with digging out the diamond in the rough. He allowed them to dig their own graves. He had given them more than enough warning, he figured if they no longer felt like life was worth living, who was he to interfere with their mutual decision.


    The crisp sound of steel sliding against steel echoed within the room as they unsheathed their swords or daggers. The four men had formed a semi-circle around the man in black, still not able to see his face clearly because of the way he was standing. They were able to see the thick blood soaking his robe and smell the foul stench of viscera and cooked meat.


    "We''re real sorry about this." The largest of the men started. "We all have debts to pay and mouths to feed up top, I''m sure you understand."


    "You insignificant worms!" A deep grating voice assaulted the men''s ears. "No, at least worms serve a purpose, they wriggle quietly amongst the filth, not pestering a soul, eating shit, and turning it into something useful."


    The man in blood-soaked black robes stood up abruptly, slamming the glass he held in his hands onto the ground, causing it to explode into innumerable minuscule fragments. Now that he was standing, they were able to get a clearer view of whom they were talking to. His head was bald, no, not bald, but fully bare, down to the bone. Only tatters of flesh hung on to the back of his neck, barely keeping his bleach white skull attached to the vertebra.


    The men took a step back, startled by the barking of the dog they had chosen to ignore. Turning around, they all saw what they had missed earlier. The ''dog'' was rotted, exposed bone laid bare for all to see, just like the ''man'' before them. Matted fur bristled with rage as the zombie dog, head lowered, stalked ever closer to them.


    "You, just like most humans, only take; only think about what the world can give you, the thought of contributing to even your own kind never enters your meager, little minds." The voice of the man commanded them to turn and look at him.


    The sound of metal clanking loudly on the hard floor rang on deaf ears. They all stood in disbelief as their eyes came into focus on the fiend standing in front of them. Its skeletal hand was clawed around a gnarled black staff that seemed to suck in the ambient light around it. Their eyes moved past the plain black robe concealing the rest of its body and landed on its face. Withered strips of ashen skin stretched across its face, giving it a permanent grin, displaying its pure white teeth.


    There were no eyes staring back at them, only blazing multicolored flames filling the hollow eye sockets. They were mesmerized by the dancing flames, caught in rapt attention at the contradictory beauty between the dazzling fires and the monster''s sinister fa?ade. Opening its jaws, the same grating voice wailed from its mouth, only seeming much more menacing than before.. "Ah, don''t lose hope now, it''s no fun if there''s no struggle."

 Chapter 73 - Oops!

    Professor Kal raised his skeletal hand, the four men in front of him flinching in response. Arcs of blue electricity leapt between his bony fingertips. The hairs on the men''s arms stuck out in every direction, the thick scent of ozone permeated the air, and the men''s mouths were filled with a nauseating metallic taste.


    The threat of death was a powerful stimulus, capable of breaking the men out of the mesmerized stupor they had been in. For as dimwitted as the men seemed to be, they were actually very capable adventurers, at least skilled enough to delve deep into the Undead Dungeon with only a four-man company. The one that had dropped his sword, quickly retrieved it from the ground before activating an enchanted amulet that was hanging around his neck.


    "I thought the Lich was on the twenty-fifth floor! What the hell is he doing up here?!" The man that had activated the amulet shouted out as an azure light clung tightly to his body.


    The man they called ''Boss'' gripped his two-handed sword tightly, gritting his teeth as he did so. "No idea, but we can handle it."


    Professor Kal let the spell fade away, the ball of lightning he held in his hand fizzled out with a ''pop''. What the large man had said obviously caught his attention. He supposed had he actually researched the dungeon before delving straight into it, he would have known about another of his kind being trapped in this prison. With this new information, his goal inside the dungeon instantly changed.


    One of the adventurers took advantage of the fact that Professor Kal had stopped his spell, lunging forward, stabbing his sword toward Professor Kal''s head. The adventurer''s speed was commendable, much faster than the knights that had tried to break into his room had been. It was evident that some of the higher ranked adventurers were capable of using mana to reinforce their bodies. Perhaps he should collect some in order to test the limits of their endurance, maybe dissect a few to see how the mana affected their organs?


    As Professor Kal was lost in thought over a new field of study, the adventurer had closed in and was nearly on top of him. The adventurer stabbed his sword forward, aiming for Professor Kal''s brightly burning eye sockets. At the same moment, a vial filled with a perfectly clear liquid sailed through the air, tumbling end over end. With a flick of his staff, Professor Kal intercepted the incoming attack, sending the now deformed sword careening off to the side.


    Reaching up with a withered hand, Professor Kal plucked the crystal vial out of the air. The force from the sudden stop was sufficient enough to shatter the thin glass, the contents of the bottle spilling out and covering his hand. A hissing noise similar to water being thrown on a hot fire issued out from his now smoking hand. Like acid, the water like liquid ate away at the ashen flesh and bone, foamy bubbles released noxious gasses as they popped. He held his hand out in front of him, observing the reaction between his body and the unknown substance.


    Another bottle tumbled through the air, then another, Professor Kal put his questions on hold as he warped to the other side of the room. Using mana on his injury, he had already halted the liquids effects and almost completely regrown the lost bone and flesh. He was reminded once again how things had changed over the two-thousand years he had been underground. There was no substance that he could think of that had the effects of what he had just seen, it was clearly something tailored to combating the undead.


    With yet another question he desired answered, he changed his mind on killing the four nuisances. "Answer my questions and I''ll spare your lives."


    "Eat shit!" Came their reply as two more vials of liquid shot towards him from the center of the room.


    A strong gust of wind was all it took to cause the vials to veer off course, making them miss him completely. He raised his hand, gesturing for Trist to back down and get away. He figured that one vial of the corrosive liquid was more than enough to kill her should it contact her. Trist hurriedly obeyed, running behind him as the four adventurers regrouped and prepared themselves.


    Tired of this game, Professor Kal brandished his gnarled staff, slamming the end of it into the ground. The ground trembled and shook, the four adventurers nearly lost their footing as the ground beneath them rolled as if ocean waves were just beneath their feet. A jagged fissure split the room in half, an endless chasm opening up and dividing the four men into groups of two.


    This was too much for the men to handle, the Lich inside this dungeon was only supposed to be capable of basic elemental spells such as fireball or lightening strike, at least that''s what they had heard. They had never personally made it to the twenty-fifth level but had heard the many telling''s of the Lich that resided there and the treasures he guarded. It was the goal of every adventurer within the city to defeat the Lich and raid his treasury, so of course they had done their research.


    This, this was nothing like what they had been told. They looked on in horror as the ground beneath their feet opened wide like the hungry jaws of an enormous predator. They were cut off from the exit, the lich between them and the door they had entered through. All they could do was do their best to survive, but those hopes were crushed in an instant as dozens of insect like creatures clambered out of the grim abyss in the center of the room.


    At a glance they resembled the little pill bugs anyone could find if they would roll over a fallen log, or pick up a large stone and look underneath. The size of the creatures is what set them apart from their smaller cousins. Each one of them were the size of watermelons and a piercing ''tic tic tic'' sound drilled into their ears as hundreds of legs propelled the insects towards them.


    They attempted to kill the bugs with their swords, but the steel bounced off of their hard carapaces, leaving a trail of sparks in their wakes. The steady advance of the insects continued even as the adventurers ran in all directions, they ignored every attack that was thrown at them, their heavy armor deflecting even a fireball launched at them from a weathered scroll one of the men had unrolled.


    One man had finally run out of space to maneuver in; one bug latched onto his leg and proceeded to climb his body, its needle like legs digging into his body. He screamed his throat raw as he frantically stabbed at the insect with his dagger. Seeing that his attempts were useless, he took his dagger and started to cut away his own flesh before he was entirely engulfed in the melon sized invertebrates.


    Several minutes of scuttling sounds and screaming later, Professor Kal had four writhing hills of insects to either side of him. The men''s faces were poking out from under the mass of heavy bugs, each one was pale, and painted with expressions of pain and horror. They watched with wide, bloodshot eyes as the lich that had terrorized them walked up, and past them.


    It stopped only inches away from a sheer drop that extended past where the light could reach, getting on its hands and knees, the lich peered over the edge. "Great! Just fucking fantastic!" They could hear it curse even over the din of the massive insects crawling over every inch of their bodies. "All that time, all that effort I put into finding that damn thing, only for all of it to fall down this godsdamn hole! I just HAD to show off, didn''t I? I could have just tied them up with vines, or frozen their legs into fucking popsicles, but noooo, I just had to open up a fucking hole right under that fucking chandelier!"


    The Lich continued to grumble and curse for several long minutes, its anger clear in its voice. Many of the words it used escaped their understanding, but the meaning behind them were clear. After it seemed to vent a sufficient amount of its frustrations, it stood back up before straightening out its now magically clean black robe.


    "I suppose I only have myself to blame for this." It said as it approached them. "That''s what I get for showboating around, it wasn''t like you''d be able to tell the tale of my greatness anyways; I should have just ended it in a much more... uninspiring manner."


    The four, previously silent men, began to scream and shout, struggling to break free from their living prisons. They had lost the ability to think rational thoughts long ago and were only acting on their survival instincts. Right now, their instincts were telling them that if they did not break free, they would surely die.


    With a silent command, the insects moved their bodies, blocking their mouths and muffling their screams. "None of that please, its torture on the ears. Now, although I said I only can blame myself, that''s just a figure of speech. I wholly blame you four for this misfortune and will expect proper compensation."


    With the ending of those words, the four adventurers learned the true meaning of ''misfortune''.

 Chapter 74 - Filled To The Brim

    Time held no meaning for an undead such as a lich, they would persist as long as the earth still held firm under their feet. Still, even though they had all the time in the world, that did not keep them from feeling impatient. Right now, that was exactly what Professor Kal was feeling as he milled about a large, cavernous room.


    He was currently on the tenth floor of the undead dungeon, in what the adventurers called the ''Overlord''s Chambers''. It was an area where, if you wished to continue further down, you would have to defeat the monster that resided here. It was said there were no other way to open the door without first slaying the beast, and now Professor Kal would be able to confirm that statement.


    He had tried to open the solid door with every spell he could think of in his extensive arsenal, nothing seemed to put a dent in it. Whatever mechanics dictated the operation of the dungeons prevented him from bypassing certain areas. There had been some traps and puzzles that he simply brute forced his way through, but it seemed that he would be unable to do so here. Thus, he was forced to wait until whatever beast or monster reigned dominion over this room resurrected, so that he may kill it once more.


    It wasn''t as if he lacked things to do, he had collected several samples during his journey here, his storage ring now nearly filled to the brim. It was just that he felt the strong urge to reconnect with a possible old friend and having to wade through endless annoyances along the way perturbed him greatly.


    With a click, he opened up a silver timepiece. The little hand had already made a complete revolution around the face, his curious gaze only causing its steady march to seemingly slow even further. He closed it with a forceful ''snap'', returning it to his oversized chest pocket. With nothing better to do, he summoned a simple skeleton while pulling out a small bottle of ''holy water'' he had taken from one of the adventurers. He supposed performing a few experiments while he waited couldn''t hurt.


    ˇ­..


    The shining city, S?ravast, was cloaked within a gloomy atmosphere. The dreadful chilly weather was not the only thing the residents had on their minds. Word was spreading that the Kingdom of Amine had invaded their kingdom with no warning, bypassing the formal declaration of war and conducting a surprise attack. Although they had known that the relationship between their two countries were tenuous, it wasn''t so bad as to go to war, at least as far as they knew.


    The heralds posted around the city spoke of the unprovoked and vicious attack on the fortress city of Nox. Although they had fought valiantly, the city defenders were unable to hold back the invaders, and the city fell within a week. To any of those that knew the entire truth, they could say that the city had neglected its defensive infrastructure over the last several decades of peace. They were entirely ill-prepared for a sudden attack numbering in the tens of thousands.


    All of these events put the Crown in a very poor light, even the common folk could see their weakness, let alone the noble families that sought to increase their own power. Already, there were movements within the Royal Court of Morgania, those with less than savory ambitions would never let such an opportunity pass them by.


    Of course, all the posturing and plotting of the supercilious nobles had little to do with those that were barely scraping by. They were more concerned over where they would get their next meal and if they were going to be forced to die for a country that they felt cared little about them. With those thoughts and worries, the somber atmosphere pervaded almost every aspect of their lives, but should one travel to a newly renovated inn, they would feel a much livelier mood.


    Looking at the inn from the slush covered street, there were hardly an open plot of land for one to walk on. A forest of canvas tents had grown practically overnight, their occupants, too many to fit inside the inn itself, sat around campfires that kept the winter chill at bay. This was actually not an uncommon sight throughout the city at the moment. The streets were lined with hundreds of travelers that had been affected by the sudden war and forced to either find a room, which was nearly impossible, or to camp out within the urban jungle itself.


    Some of the savvier landowners were charging a small fee for those that wished to occupy a small portion of the lots they owned, profiting off the chaos of war in their own way. Being products of families of merchants, Ryan and Ben had taken the lead when it came to managing the sudden influx of business showing up at their doorstep. But even with their limited experience, they found themselves overwhelmed by the sheer volume of people.


    "You know what, if you want something better, get your ass out there and go kill it. Bring it in here and we''ll cook it for you!" Sarah Treffle admonished another patron of their newly opened inn before stomping back into the kitchen.


    This was the fifth person, in just as many minutes, that had complained about the bland food being served in the small restaurant part of the inn. Most people expected good food in the event that they had to pay for it, but with the entire city experiencing such a situation it only made sense that a food shortage was imminent. Prices had soared, so even though Professor Kal had left them with a considerable sum, they were still finding it difficult to buy what they needed.


    Inside the hot and muggy kitchen, Laura and Richard were doing their best to keep up with the orders that continued to pour in. All they served were either hard tack bread, soup with little chunks of dried meat, or hot oatmeal with nothing but a few berries to add some sweetness. Of course, even in times of need, there was also ale to drink along with water.


    "We''re almost out of bread. Ben, can you go and get some more!" Laura shouted out to the young man on the other side of the room directing golems in washing the wooden dishes.


    Ben''s golems had improved in both looks and functionality over his many hours of practice. He now had a group of four ugly mounds of clay with almost perfect representations of human arms sticking out. Each one had four arms and could wash, rinse, and dry, with almost no mistakes. In the beginning, Ben had a small issue with regulating the strength of each one, resulting in several broken dishes. But that is why they were using simple wooden ones, they were cheap, sturdy, and easy to replace.


    "I can''t, I have to be here to control these things, unless you want to wash the dishes while I''m gone?" He said, loosing his concentration, resulting in a few wooden plates falling to the ground in pieces.


    "Fine, I''ll go see if Ryan has some spare time."


    Laura wiped her hands on the dirty apron tied around her waist before tearing out of the kitchen to locate Ryan. He had taken the mantel of the inn''s proprietor, taking charge of the day-to-day operations and budget. With that also came the headache of having to deal with any unruly customers.


    Laura found him behind the front counter, having a heated debate with a mousy looking man with a monocle over one eye. The man looked very out of place due to his elaborate three-piece suit and polished black shoes.


    "I''m telling you sir, we are completely full, there is absolutely nothing I can do about it!" Ryan spoke in an annoyed, forceful voice.


    Losing the decorum of an upper class citizen, the man with the monocle cursed at the young man before turning around and leaving the inn, slamming the door behind him. Ryan shook his head then turned his attention to Laura who was standing off to the side, giving her a tired smile. "All day long it''s like this." He spoke. "I''m about to bar the doors."


    Laura returned his smile before replying. "Don''t do that just yet, we need more flour."


    She watched him as he physically deflated. When the light given off from the magical flames hit just right, she could have sworn to see a few grey hairs hidden within the others. She could understand the stress he was going through, she was experiencing much of the same. Ever since they had gotten to this city, they hadn''t had a moment to truly rest. Professor Kal had bought the inn without consulting them in any way, then unceremoniously pawned it off on to them. Even Professor Treffle didn''t dare to go against his word, so all they could do was what they were told.


    On top of everything else, their homeland had suddenly gone to war. Usually, any citizens of the other country would be rounded up and kept under close watch under the suspicion of being spies. She had to think the only reason they hadn''t been arrested as of yet was because of Princess Alessandria. The other stressor was the fact they couldn''t communicate with their families, no messages would be able to get to Amine unless they paid an exorbitant amount to smuggle them in.


    Worried about his wellbeing, Laura reached out and grasped his hand. The flour soiled his hand as well, but he didn''t mind. The warmth from her touch comforted him, reminding him that he wasn''t alone. He squeezed her hand a little, giving her a genuinely happy smile. "I''ll be back in a little while then, maybe I can set it up to be delivered. We buy enough."


    "All-right, I''ll handle the front then." She said, leaning in to kiss his lips.


    They had grown extremely close ever since the events at Swayzee and had just recently declared their feelings for each other. They both thought that it was truly a shame that they all had to work night and day and had no time to enjoy their newly founded relationship.


    Pulling away from him, Laura''s face was flushed with a light shade of pink. Ryan''s looked much the same. With a little pep in his step, he turned toward the door. Before he could reach the center of the room, the double doors swung open, allowing the cold winter air to invade the warmth of the inn.


    Standing there in a long white robe as pure as the snow gently falling outside, was a bespectacled man holding a leather bound notebook. His brown hair was neatly trimmed and held into place by a coating of hair-product that gave it an unnatural shine. His face was clean shaven and held no expression, he gave off an air of someone that was incapable of having fun, someone that had no room in their lives for anything but their duty.


    Walking into the inn behind the serious looking man was an equally serious looking armored knight. His helmet was removed, but covering his body was white shining armor with gold accents. The symbol of the Church of the Dawn was engraved conspicuously on his chest, standing out for everyone to see. He closed the door behind them, returning to assume his position behind the robed man.


    "I am Holy Priest Ardmane Unilith, this is Holy Paladin Daytonius Hargrove." The robe man stated, not making eye contact with either Ryan or Laura as he spoke. "I am here in an official capacity, and I require to speak with a.... Kalcifer, no last name given."

 Chapter 75 - Backroom Meeting

    Ryan didn''t immediately speak, he looked over to Laura, his eyes asking her what to do. She could only shake her head and shrug her shoulders; she was just as surprised as he was. They hadn''t dealt with the church at all since they arrived, there was no reason for such an impromptu visit of which they could think of.


    In Amine, the Church held little sway within the inner workings of the government, Ryan knew that in Morgania though, it was a different story. To avoid any unneeded trouble, he didn''t dare keep an envoy of the Church waiting for too long. "I''m sorry to say Priest Unilith, he is not here at the moment."


    "Very well." He said, "When can we expect this Kalcifer to return?"


    Ryan smiled awkwardly, he felt extremely uncomfortable for some reason as he spoke to the emissaries of the Church. "I''m afraid I don''t know. He didn''t say when he would be back, he didn''t even tell us where he was going."


    "Mmhm." The priest said as he scribbled something within his notebook. "Well, we will require room and board as we await his return. I''m sure you won''t mind if we have a look around as well, correct?"


    A drop of cold sweat rolled down the back of Ryan''s neck as he listened to the demands given by the church. They were completely full; he had been turning away even the wealthiest of merchants all day long. Not only that, but him secretly being a necromancer in training wasn''t exactly an ideal profession to be in with the church sniffing around. He could feel his chest tightening, he couldn''t breathe and had suddenly grown extremely lightheaded, all he wanted to do was run away, be anyplace other than where he was at the moment.


    Thankfully, an angelic voice rescued him from his distress as he felt a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "The inn is at maximum capacity at the moment, I''m very truly sorry to say."


    Laura had taken up the task of turning down the church, taking the attention away from Ryan. Priest Unilith turned to look at the flour covered young lady; all the while Paladin Hargrove remained as still as a mountain behind him. "You have your own quarters, correct? Those will do fine; Paladin Hargrove and I can room together to save you some trouble."


    "Uh, Umm, Thaˇ­...that is fine, I suppose." Laura Stammered out. "If you would give me a few moments to collect my things."


    "Yes, of course. Take as much time as needed, we won''t be going anywhere."


    ˇ­..


    "Thanks for that." Ryan said to Laura. "I don''t know what happened, I just... froze. I couldn''t even think straight."


    "I could see something was wrong. Are you ok? Do you need to go lie down?"


    "No, I''m fine now. Plus, I couldn''t bring myself to rest while everyone else is working so hard." He let out a sigh as he noticed that the restaurant had suddenly gone quiet with the appearance of the two Holy Envoys. "What are we going to do about them?"


    Laura gave him a defeated smile. "What can we do? We don''t have a choice but to go along with whatever they want. I''m only curious about why they''re here."


    "Yeah... me too." Ryan replied a little forcefully, causing Laura to put the back of her hand to his forehead.


    "You feel clammy, maybe you really should go lay down."


    "No, really I''m fine. C''mon, I''ll help you with your room. I''m sure Professor Treffle won''t mind if you stay with her for a while."


    Laura didn''t fight him any further, nodding her head in reply before saying in a teasing tone. "I''m surprised you didn''t offer for me to stay with you."


    The comment caught Ryan completely off guard, it wasn''t that he hadn''t thought of asking, but knew better than to broach the subject. "Well, Iˇ­... um, you know, I."


    Laura couldn''t hold her laughter in as she trotted away toward her room. "Let''s hurry up, we can''t stand around all day."


    ˇ­..


    Professor Kal stood in front of a set of massive double doors that reached fifty feet into the air. His arms were crossed in front of his chest, and he was tapping his foot on the hard, dusty ground. A ''hiss'' of air sounded from the seams in the door accompanied by puffs of dust that fell like snow. The massive stone doors opened outwards without a sound, allowing Professor Kal to continue further into the dungeon.


    "Slowest... doors... ever! C''mon Trist, let''s go." Professor Kal said as he passed through the mammoth threshold.


    Disappearing behind the closing doors was a small glacier, its tip nearly touching the high ceiling. Trapped within the aquamarine transparent ice was an ugly, six-legged monster. It stood twenty feet high and had smooth, waxy skin. It resembled a fat grub that had sprouted six, equally plump claw-tipped legs. On what must have been its face, a circular mouth was frozen wide open, displaying several rows of saw-like teeth. Two walnut sized eyes were buried underneath several inches of protective transparent skin, almost serving no purpose.


    It might have been strange to see a living creature being part of an ''undead dungeon'', but the frozen specimen in question was the larval form of the corpse fly, so it corresponded with the overall theme. Obviously, on the surface, a corpse fly maggot was many times smaller than what was inside the dungeon, usually no bigger than your fingertip. He wasn''t sure what mystical force had grown the repulsive insect to such enormous proportions, but he had to prioritize his objectives, so left finding out to another day.


    In front of the Professor was more of the same dark and dreary tunnels characteristic of the dungeon so far, condensation was constantly dripping from the low ceiling, or trickling down the walls in small, finger width streams. A cool draft moved within the cramped tunnel, the direction of the slow breeze gently pushing him down deeper into the darkness.


    Not wanting to waste a moment of time, Professor Kal summoned forth a group of jellyfish like monsters simply called ''Tufts''. They earned their innocuous namesake solely based on their appearance. They floated soundlessly in the air not due to any magic, but because of bladders filled with lighter than air gasses that they produced naturally. Hundreds of hairlike tentacles swayed underneath their bulbous bodies that were as big around as large beachballs.


    A faint bioluminescent glow radiated from their fragile looking appendages, used mainly to attract their unsuspecting prey. A simple brush with their stinging tentacles was all it would take to completely immobilize their prey. The tufts carried a toxin within themselves that didn''t affect the body in any way but had the ability to disrupt the mana pathways of any creature they touched. They were the natural predators of the undead.


    With a mental command, Professor Kal sent the tufts ahead of him, using the natural air currents to aid in their movements. Walking along at a brisk pace, with Trist following closely behind him, Professor Kal made his way deeper underground.


    ˇ­..


    "What''re we gonna do?"


    Within a dimly lit room in the back of the inn, sat a round table with five occupied chairs evenly spaced around it. The people sitting in the chairs all had dark circles under their reddened eyes, barely able to keep them open. For the first time all day, the inn was silent, only the noises of the old wood settling could be heard.


    "We need to hire some help, there''s no way we can keep this up." Ben offered up to the worried Richard that looked the most haggard out of them all.


    Ryan nodded his head that was propped up by his arm resting on the table. "I''ll go in the morning to put a request in... I''m thinking maybe ten people should do it."


    "Yeah, with cleaning the rooms, cooking food, serving it... there''s just so much to do." Professor Treffle added, her voice informing them how exhausted she truly was.


    Professor Treffle was maybe the one that had to put up with the most over the last few days. She had taken up the task of serving the customers eating throughout the day, not because she had wanted to, but in order to protect the students, especially Laura. At the end of the day, they were still children and couldn''t defend themselves effectively against any unruly guests. They could have always resorted to magic, but that would have brought too much unwanted attention.


    Professor Treffle''s statement brought unanimous nods from everyone present, with that agreed on, Ryan brought forward another issue. "Now, has anyone heard anything about what we''re here to find out?"


    "Does it really even matter anymore, I mean, they''ve already went to war." Ben said.


    "Yeah, we should be focused on trying to get home... I want to go home." Richard whimpered, his voice cracking.


    No one at the table ridiculed him for his feelings, they all felt the same. They were worried about their families and their friends back home. They had no way to talk to them, it was eating at all of them in different ways.


    "If we figure out who it really was, maybe it''ll end the war before it can really get started." Ryan said hopefully. "They won''t be able to do much during the winter, right Professor? We still have time."


    Professor Treffle nodded her head. "Yeah, you''re right." She paused. "But that''s under the assumption that''s the reason for the sudden invasion. Who''s to say there isn''t another reason entirely."


    That simple observation shrouded the room within a glum atmosphere. If that was true, even if, against all odds, they do uncover who had truly cursed the young prince, it wouldn''t matter in the end. That would also imply that their entire reason for traveling so far in the first place was a moot point.


    Seeing the depressed looks on all of their faces, Professor Treffle let out a tired sigh. "I''ll head out tomorrow, see what I can find. Honestly, what was that jackass thinking when he bought this place.. I think he done it just to mess with us."

 Chapter 76 - A Small World [Bonus ]

    Stepping out into the cold of night, Professor Treffle readjusted the mantle she wore that covered her body, protecting her from the elements. Harsh winter gusts howled between the tents set up surrounding the inn, blowing drifts of snow that built up against each one. A few men were still up, drinking sour ale next to their crackling campfires and talking amongst themselves, their hushed voices carrying far on the night air.


    "Gods I hate winter." She grumbled to herself as she walked away from the inn under the light of the full moon.


    Most of the city was fast asleep, their houses shut tight, and the candles extinguished. She passed by hushed houses, their dark windows watching her in silent judgment. She grudgingly made her way out of the residential district and into one with red tinted lanterns hanging in front of some of the establishments. This section of the city was still very much awake, drunkards staggering and stumbling their way from one building to the next, spending their coins on every manner of vice.


    The eyes watching her now were anything but silent, jeers and catcalls were constantly thrown in her direction, filthy men beckoning her to have a fun time. She glared at them, stabbing at them with her eyes as she continued on silently. She was looking for something in particular, some place to buy the information she needed.


    She had spent a few years on the road after her mandatory stint in the mage corps. Over those years she had learned of the usefulness of the dark underground, the less than legal channels found in every city. One could find everything they desired, as long as you knew where to look. She wasn''t familiar with S?ravast''s dark underbelly but figured with deep enough pockets she would be able to navigate it without too many issues.


    She stopped in front of a large, two-story building; its shutters were closed tight, but she could see the bright light from inside seeping out between the slats. Out of tune music was being played, its distorted melody polluting the air outside, a cacophony of laughter, yelling, and awful singing accompanied it. She sucked in a breath of frigid air between her clinched teeth, preparing herself, then started toward the front door.


    A wave of warm hazy air hit her square in the face. She fought back the urge to cough as whatever was being smoked inside irritated her lungs. The sudden blast of chilly air drew the attention of a few of the bar''s patrons, but they soon dismissed the new arrival and returned to whatever they were doing before.


    She weaved her way through the throng of people, paying close attention to her wallet that she held close to her chest. Pickpockets were always a threat, even more so in such a crowded space. The more skilled ones could steal the socks right off your feet with their sticky fingers, and you wouldn''t know it until your feet grew cold.


    Finding a small, unoccupied table, she sat down. Taking a moment to warm herself up, she scanned the crowded room. She was looking for anyone that seemed out of place, something that made them stand out amongst the crowd. It could be anything, maybe it was a man with a white handkerchief sticking out of their back pocket, or someone wearing a hat one size too big, if she could find that, she''d be one step closer to finding what she was looking for.


    Her icy blue eyes scanned the room full of people, never falling on one person for longer than a second at a time. She was prepared to stake out this bar the entire night if she had to, and if she found nothing, then tomorrow night she would try her luck at another. She would repeat this process as many times as necessary, although she had her fingers crossed that she would get lucky.


    The seat in front of her slid out and was soon filled with a dirty looking man. Bits of food were stuck in his bushy beard and his breath reeked of sour ale as he spoke in slurred speech. "Heya beautiful. How much you chargin?"


    Professor Treffle''s face contorted into a deep frown as the man plopped a small bag of coins on to the table between them. She fought back the urge to slap the man across the face for insinuating that she was a whore.


    "Why don''t you go fuck yourself, you''d have more luck that way." She snarled at him, her eyes burning with mana.


    The man scoffed, clearly amused by her fiery response. "I like ''em feisty." He leaned in closer, his stinking breath causing her to gag. "How about two whole silvers?"


    Professor Treffle balled her hand into a fist, a scowl on her face. She was moments away from losing her patience and breaking the man''s nose. Before she could lash out, a slim hand grasped the man''s shoulder and violently jerked him back into his chair.


    He let out a yelp of pain as the hand continued to tighten, crushing his shoulder. Ignoring the man squirming in agony, the owner of the hand spoke to the Professor. "Fancy meeting you here." Marissa said as she tore the bearded man from the chair, spilling him onto the floor.


    The chair now empty, the auburn beauty took the seat as the man scampered off and disappeared into the boisterous crowd. "Would you like some company?"


    Professor Treffle was more than a little surprised to see Marissa once more, especially in a place such as this. "What''re you doing here?"


    Although they had traveled together for quite some time, they hadn''t really gotten to know each other. They had chatted here and there, but always on superficial topics. It wasn''t that she didn''t like the woman, it was just that her own near constant sour mood had built a wall around her, keeping her from wanting to grow closer to anyone. Over the last several days she had noticed that her curt attitude had been affecting the students that she was meant to protect, so she had been trying to rectify her mindset, but it had been more difficult than she had expected.


    "Me, I''m just looking for a bite to eat, I''m a night owl really. What about you? Shouldn''t you have an inn to run?" Marissa said, flashing her a toothy grin.


    "How did you..."


    "Oh, I hear things. Plus, an inn run by mages isn''t all that common ya know. It''s easy to put two and two together."


    Professor Treffle shrugged her shoulders. It wasn''t as if they had been trying overly hard to hide the fact that they were mages, not with Ben''s overuse of golems for the more tedious chores around the property. Although, it was apparent that many of their patrons had either not heard the rumors or just didn''t believe them, if you went by the number of men that had attempted to grab her ass over the last several days.


    "So, I''m sure you''re not here for the food." Marissa pressed on.


    Professor Treffle let out a sigh, she had no reason to hide anything from her, in fact, she could actually use the help. "You''re an adventurer, right? Are you open to requests if it won''t affect taking care of your sister of course?"


    "She''s doing great actually, with me around she can afford the treatments that she needs. Also, my brother just got into town as well, so now I got all sorts of free time on my hands." She said in a joking tone, lifting her hands up for Professor Treffle to see.


    "I didn''t know you had a brother." Professor Treffle said.


    "There''s lots of things you don''t know about me, just like I''m sure there''s things I don''t know about you, right?" Marissa stated seriously. "If I help ya out, maybe we can get to know each other better?"


    "So that means you''ll help me?" She asked, trying to ignore the strangely warm feeling she was getting from the woman sitting across from her.


    "Of course, what are friends for?"


    Strangely relieved to hear her say that, Professor Treffle leaned in closely and started to retell the story as to what brought them to S?ravast.


    ˇ­..


    Marissa leaned back in her shoddy, wooden chair and let out a low whistle. "That''s gonna be a tall order. Most of them shady types would rather swallow their own tongues than to give up what they know."


    "I realize that." Professor Treffle said. "Remember, I''m a mage, I have ways to make them talk. I just need help tracking down who to talk to, it''s been years since I''ve ran around any of the underground circles."


    "Oh, really? And here I had you pegged as just another pretty face, I''m glad to see you''re somewhat... experienced." Marissa said, her eyes locking on to the Professor''s, causing the later to feel a tingle run down her spine.


    Feeling her face flush, Professor Treffle averted her eyes and cleared her throat. "Well, um. So, if you help me out by pointing me in the right direction, I can pay you a healthy fee."


    Marissa smiled at the sudden bashfulness of the woman in front of her. "Sure, I can help you out, but only under one condition."


    Nodding her head, Professor Treffle urged her to continue.


    "You let me call you Sarah. I think we''re close enough that I can stop calling you Professor, right?"


    "Um, Yeah, sure, that''s fine.." Sarah said, a small smile spreading across her face.

 Chapter 77 - An Old Acquaintance

    Tilting her head back, her collar undone exposing her slender neck, Sarah let the amber liquid slide down her throat burning the entire way down. With a grimace on her freckled face, she slammed the wooden shot-glass back down on the table. Marissa, the auburn-haired woman sitting across from her, mirrored her movements with a shot-glass of her own. Each side of the table had an equal number of empty shot-glasses, this last one making six each.


    "Nope... You, you win... I can''t do another one." Sarah said as she shook her head side to side, her sandy blonde hair swinging loosely.


    "Oh, c''mon, we were just getting started." Marissa ribbed her, looking completely sober.


    Tonight, had been a complete bust, not because they hadn''t found anything, but because they had never started to begin with. Marissa''s bubbly attitude worked its magic on Sarah''s foul mood, eventually convincing her to let loose and have some fun. It had been years since Sarah had an opportunity to completely relax, even though she was in the middle of a rowdy bar filled with dirty men eyeballing them. For a reason she couldn''t explain, she felt safe around Marissa, felt like she could let all of her stress melt away.


    At the end of the night, she could finally say that she had found a friend. It wasn''t that she didn''t have ''friends'' back in Lenova, it was just that most of them were her colleagues in the Academy, not really people she could be herself around. And to add to that, most of them were men, so she felt she had to always be on guard around them.


    Sarah continued to shake her head, she might not have been able to hold her liquor like the woman across from her, but she knew when she had reached her limit. She wasn''t sick to her stomach, but the room had taken on an unnatural tilt. She gripped the edges of the table, using them as support as she hefted her wobbly body up and out of her chair.


    "Dˇ­. do ya know what time it is?" She asked, trying desperately not to slur her words. "Never mind, it''s late, I should really get going."


    Marissa hurriedly got to her feet, catching the inebriated woman before she fell as she took a step away from the table.


    "You''re hands, they''re so cold." Sarah said as she felt Marissa''s freezing hands. "Here, let me..." She cupped both of her hands in her''s before bringing them up to her lips and blowing warm air into them.


    Letting Sarah humor herself, Marissa smiled at her antics. "You''re drunker than a skunk."


    Marissa pulled her hands away then wrapped her arm around Sarah''s waist. Acting as her support, she led Sarah toward the front doors. "C''mon, I''ll walk you home."


    With a sudden realization washing over her, Sarah couldn''t help but gasp. "Oh, my gods, I forgot. The inn is soooo far away!" She then started to giggle, sounding like a mischievous schoolgirl.


    Marissa pushed her way through the crowd of men, earning sharp glares or lustful stares in return. Her narrowing her eyes was all it took to cause those men to back off and let them pass. Opening the doors, the familiar chilly air assaulted them, the cold wind stinging their skin.


    "You don''t have a coat!? Here, take mine, I''m hot anyways." Sarah shouted out, the alcohol affecting her volume, as she started to strip off her mantel, her hands fumbling with the smooth copper buttons.


    Marissa started to laugh and placed her hands over Sarah''s. "Stop it, you''ll freeze to death. I''m fine."


    "But..."


    "I said I''m fine." Marissa insisted as she pulled Sarah along through the snow, helping to steady her staggering footsteps. "I do appreciate it though."


    They made their way slowly down the dimly lit streets. The full moon from earlier in the night was now hidden behind thick clouds, cloaking the city in darkness. Sarah was latched onto Marissa, afraid to let go lest she fall. She was impressed with how strong she was, she was tempted to ask if she would just sweep her off her feet and carry her like a princess. That thought sent her into another fit of giggling as a warmth crept up her face, turning it even redder than it already was.


    "What are you laughing at, missy?"


    "Oh, nothing...." Sarah said before realizing where the voice had come from.


    A group of men walked out of a dark alleyway, their silhouettes barely visible. Even with the amount she had drank, she could still make sense of what was going on. Marissa on the other hand could see everything perfectly well, her eyes were glowing a fiery red as her teeth grew to resemble ivory daggers. Before she could pounce on the men daring enough to attack them, she was surprised by a sudden push from the woman beside her.


    "Go, run!" Sarah stammered. "I''ve handled worse than this."


    After her selfless statement, she started to loudly recite a spell. Her slurred words caused the men to halt their steady advance, they may not have been the most educated of men but knew enough about magic to recognize a spell. Sarah could feel the familiar electrifying feeling of her mana welling up inside of her, moving towards her hands as the spell continued to build. With the final word of power leaving her mouth, the spell leapt from her fingertips and shot towards the men.


    Or, that was what was supposed to happen. Instead, her spell fizzled out as she lost control of the mana inside her body. Little sparks of bluish light crackled from her extended fingertips, completely harmless as they extinguished themselves in an instant.


    "Shit!" She cursed as the men started to laugh, breaking out into a run.


    They were wasting no time in their attempt to capture the two wayward women. One man reached out to grab Sarah, his dirty hands clawing out towards her, hungry. A small fist rocketed out, crushing his nose like a grape, blood erupting out of it and staining the snow crimson.


    "The bitch broke my nose!" He bellowed, covering his face with both his hands.


    Marissa couldn''t help but smirk as she watched Sarah from behind, her hands balled into fists, held up in front of her in a wobbly fighting stance. Two more men rushed her, a little more wary after seeing their comrade''s unfortunate injury. She kicked at one''s groin, aiming to make his member useless, only to have her foot grabbed by the man and throwing her off balance. The other man caught her in a bear hug from behind, pinning her arms to her side.


    Had she been sober, she would have been able to truly use her magic, preventing her from having to resort to her less than satisfactory fighting style. She thrashed about wildly, like an animal in a trap. Unable to move her arms she snapped her head back, connecting with the man''s jaw and knocking him off of her. Marissa watched on as Sarah''s limp body slumped to the ground. She had managed to hit the man so hard with the back of her head that she had knocked herself unconscious.


    The man she had hit rubbed his jaw and spit out a tooth onto the ground, grumbling to himself. Turning their attention to Marissa, the men fanned out and surrounded her, leaving her no way out. They tightened the circle around her, the ones in front of her finally getting a good look at the face of their next victim. Two men nearly stopped their methodical approach, they were so confused. The small woman in front of them had her eyes closed and her nose pointed up into the air, a smile plastered on her pale face, taking in deep breaths like she was smelling something delicious.


    "I''d almost forgotten." She said, opening her eyes, allowing their crimson light to pierce the darkness. "I''d hadn''t eaten a single thing all day."


    ...


    "We''ve finally made it. Gods, if I wanted to spend this much time underground, I would have stayed in my lab." Professor Kal grumbled as he stretched his back in front of a pair of plain looking wooden doors, while Trist trotted around, sniffing at anything that caught her interest.


    He hadn''t wasted any time on his decent into the dungeon, using the predatory tufts to bulldoze his way through. Even the notoriously hardy death knights, fell to the frail looking creatures with but a touch of their long stinging tentacles.


    At first, he had tried to speak with the more intelligent of the undead, holding out hope for an explanation of the dungeons from an inside source. Ultimately, he was disappointed with what had happened. Not even one gave him the time of day, they all instantly attacked him just as the lower undead had done, without exception. What faced him around every corner was just a snarling mess of what was once highly intelligent undead.


    After several floors of the same thing, he had given up on trying to find a specimen to talk to roaming about the floors of the dungeon and had placed his hopes on the doors in front of him. The four troublesome adventurers that he had questioned some time ago, held only limited knowledge of the lich locked inside this room. Luckily, he had run into a few more along the way down, they had been kind enough to fill him in on the specifics, especially on how to open the door.


    He moved his hand over to the copper knob that boasted a healthy, green patina. He turned it once to the left, then twice to the right, wiggled it four times in a circular motion before yanking on it hard, pulling it toward him. He let go and waited, holding his proverbial breath. He was beginning to think that the information that he had wrested out of the reluctant adventurers might not be accurate, it was unthinkable that he had made a mistake.


    Waiting with his withered hands on his hips, he was relieved when the door clicked and sunk into the wall, sliding to the left and revealing the entrance behind it. A large room waited for him, very similar to the one that housed the overgrown corpse-fly maggot. Large braziers housed orange and yellow flames that grew brighter as he made his way into the room. In the center of the room stood a massive throne sitting atop a five-tiered platform, its foreboding ebony granite shimmered in the brightening light.


    The throne itself was made of human bone that had been meticulously arranged in such a way that not even a hair could slip between two of the bleach white bones. Shrouded in an impenetrable darkness, a voice boomed from the macabre cathedra. "Who dares enter into my dominion!"


    Professor Kal took another step forward, the fires in his eye sockets burning in curiosity. "Old Kushim, is that you?"

 Chapter 78 - Peace At Last

    Old Kushim was called that, well, because he was old. He was the most ancient of the liches well before the war had even started. Considering the two-thousand years that had passed since then would put him somewhere around seven-thousand years old. With that amount of time, it was no wonder that he was also known as the most eccentric of the liches. He was known to go on long, nonsense filled rants, as well as burning down the occasional village in order to collect test subjects.


    From within the black abyss that shrouded the throne, two dark blue, almost black, lights followed him as he moved closer to where the voice originated from. The flames set within a lich''s skull were obviously not fire, but the physical representation of the soul. After centuries of research focused on why the soul of a lich manifested in such a way, the only thing that they all agreed upon was that each soul burned in a varying shade of blue. In fact, it was discovered that a deeper shade of blue corresponded with how old a lich was, not with the amount of power they held. That is why Professor Kal had assumed that the one sitting atop the throne was Old Kushim, from the color of his burning eyes.


    Professor Kal stopped directly in front of the first step of the multi-tiered pedestal, Trist cowering behind him. "Get down here so I can..."


    "INSOLENCE! HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO THE UNDEAD LICH KING!" Old Kushim''s deep voice boomed throughout the room, shaking dust and debris from the stone ceiling.


    It was apparent to Professor Kal that there was an issue. Old Kushim might have been nuttier than squirrel shit, but even he wasn''t bold enough to declare himself the Undead King. There is only one being capable of calling themselves that, and he would have destroyed anyone that attempted to usurp the title.


    He ran his mummified hand over his smooth skull in frustration. "Have you completely lost your mind? Is there anything left in there at all?"


    "IT IS TIME FOR YOU TO DIE!!"


    As soon as those words reached Professor Kal''s ears, thick bolts of lightening arced out from the darkness, momentarily illuminating what was hidden within it. The old lich Kushim, was adorned in black and purple robes, the hems were embroidered with iridescent mithril threads that sparkled in the white light. He was still seated on the cushioned seat, held loosely in his hand was a golden staff engraved with exquisite runes and topped with a fist sized blood red ruby. The most gaudy of Old Kushim''s accessories was the crown that rested on top of his bleach white skull.


    A thick band of platinum wrapped around his skull, carved into the precious metal was a diorama depicting a fierce, life or death battle, between the four races. Every part was so intricately detailed that you would be able to see each individual hair on the combatants'' heads. Diamonds the size of a pinheads were set inside the eye sockets of each warrior, giving the illusion of countless twinkling stars with each movement of Old Kushim''s head.


    The arcs of electricity harmlessly impacted a transparent blue wall, and were forcibly diverted into the ground. Each place the finger-width bolts of lightning struck, the transparent wall rippled in every direction and was accompanied by a low pitched hum. After a full minute of being under the futile attack, the self proclaimed Undead Lich King, stopped his assault.


    "You''ve done well to withstand this modicum of power. Let us see how much more you can take!" Old Kushim mechanically said as he stood up from his throne, using the staff as support.


    The multicolored flames set inside Professor Kal''s eye sockets rolled a full circle, he almost wanted to gag. The adventurers had mentioned the script that the lich would follow each time they challenged him, and he had followed it to a tee thus far. Next should be a fireball fired from the crimson ruby set atop his staff, and once Old Kushim had stood up fully, that is exactly what happened.


    The melon sized fireball broke upon hitting the mana barrier that Professor Kal had erected around himself and Trist. A sea of white hot flames washed over him, completely engulfing the surrounding area. The magical attack was extremely strong, greatly boosted by the ruby, it made him curious as to how the adventurers dealt with such a spell. The stone floor turned molten and the air around him became superheated, causing a secondary explosion to thunder out across the cavernous room.


    Once the flames burned themselves out, Professor Kal and company, was revealed to be completely unharmed behind the barrier. "Is there truly nothing left of you old man? Has the dungeon completely swallowed your soul?"


    Lances of ice three feet long answered him as they shattered on the mana barrier, exploding into thousands of razor sharp shards that flew in every direction. Blades of water, gale force winds, boulders the size of carriages all crashed against Professor Kal''s shield, nothing broke through. He was deep in thought, trying to come up with different ways to maybe get through to the lich, or at the very least find a way to interrupt the connection between it and the dungeon.


    Pulling out a weathered scroll from his ring, Professor Kal recited its contents. There were thousands of different spells, there wasn''t a being alive capable of memorizing each one, so he made sure to always carry around a copy of most of the more useful ones.


    Elemental attacks continued to rain down on him and Trist, the undead canine was cowering between Professor Kal''s legs, whimpering. In order to successfully cast the spell he had in mind, he would need to dispel the only thing preventing those deadly attacks, his mana barrier. Although transparent, the mana barrier was a solid construct that did not allow any matter to pass, from either direction.


    With eons of experience under his belt, Professor Kal was able to pace the wording of the spell perfectly. Just after yet another spear of ice shattered over the mana barrier, he dispelled the shield while simultaneously uttering the final word of power. "Dimensional Prison!"


    The air surrounding Old Kushim began to shimmer like a mirage in a sandy desert, his figure faded until only a faint outline was all that was visible. ''Dimensional Prison'' was a spell within the same family as the ''Warp Gate'' spell that Professor Kal enjoyed utilizing so much. The difference was that, instead of opening a tunnel between two points on the same plane, ''Dimensional Prison'' would create a sub-dimension within a small area, separate from the plane from which it was cast. It was not a very user friendly spell due to the casting time, one would almost never use it in battle, it was mainly used to hide contraband or to increase the area of a smaller space.


    Professor Kal was hoping that by cutting off the connection Old Kushim had with the dungeon, that he would regain some semblance of autonomy. Before Old Kushim''s figure fully faded away, a jagged fissure formed within the shimmering air. Within milliseconds, the fissure spiderwebbed, the sound of grinding glass pierced Professor Kal''s ears. A bright white light could be seen from behind the fissures, growing continually brighter until reaching critical mass, triggering an explosion of light and sound.


    Dropping his arm that had shielded his eye-flames, Professor Kal observed the aftermath. Standing there, motionless, was Old Kushim. His dark blue flames set into his skull were burning dimly, as if on the verge of being extinguished. It didn''t even appear that he was registering that Professor Kal was standing only fifty feet away, he was a completely blank slate. Even the flames burning within the braziers interspersed throughout the room had dimmed greatly, just as they had when he first entered.


    He took a few steps closer, his soft leather boots making no noise, watching the statuesque lich intently. When he cast ''Dimensional Prison'', his hopes of it succeeding were exceptionally low. He already knew that for some unknown reason the dungeons heavily restricted the use of dimensional magic. Then why did his storage ring work, or how come he was able to teleport himself and his student out of the previous dungeon, even though it did take a considerable amount of mana to do so? These were all question he did not have the answer to, but the fact that the spell had an affect on the lich, told him that the connection was not perfect.


    Picking up a loose stone from the ground in front of him, Professor Kal tossed it, the stone made a loud ''tink'' sound as it bounced off the lich''s crown. Awakening from his slumber, Old Kushim''s eyes ignited, burning brighter.


    "Who dares enter into my dominion!"


    A familiar line came from the lich''s mouth, causing Professor Kal to prepare his barrier once more. His shook his head in exasperation as a thick lightning bolt struck the barrier, followed by another scripted line.


    "You''ve done well to withstand this modicum of power. Let us see how much more you can take!"


    It was evident that there was nothing left of Old Kushim, or of any being imprisoned within the dungeons. Their souls were obviously powering their bodies, but any form of self was gone.


    How dare they? Not only have they forced millions of beings deep under the ground, imprisoning them for eternity, compelling them to fight and die, over and over and over again; they ripped away the very thing that made them who they are. Maybe the lower undead remained mostly unchanged, but the higher undead were individuals, capable of their own thoughts and feelings. Before the war they had even traded freely with the living, they were but another race living upon the surface of the planet


    The large, open room started to tremble, the solid stone floor groaned and quaked. Glowing braziers toppled over, spilling their burning contents onto the shaking ground. Dust and debris fell from the high ceiling, peppering the mana barrier, making it look as if one was watching a clear pond on a rainy day. Trist was attempting to keep her footing, her long, bony legs splayed wide and her head hung low.


    Professor Kal gripped his staff so tightly that a long crack had formed running from the head to the butt. The multicolored flames set into his eye-sockets roared, the tips of the flames reached a foot above his head and bathed the room''s far walls in a deep, red light. His mana barrier, unable to contain the intense pressure, popped like a bubble. The elemental attacks of what used to be Old Kushim, were pushed back by the force of Kal''s presence alone.


    The old lich looked to be within a hurricane, his shimmering robes flapping and beating his withered body as winds began to howl within the room. Every barrier or attack he generated was immediately destroyed by the overwhelming amounts of mana swirling by him. Trying desperately to control his rage, Professor Kal moved toward Old Kushim. Placing his hand on the lich''s shoulder, the winds immediately around them died down instantly.


    In the brief moment of calm, Professor Kal looked into the lich''s deep blue flames. "How dare they?"


    With those melancholy words, Old Kushim disintegrated into nothing but ash. His robe, staff, and crown fell to the floor in a silent heap, any noise snuffed out by the raging winds around them. Blue wisps of smoke rose up from the ashes, moving rapidly toward the center of the dungeon. Before allowing his soul be reclaimed by the clutches of the eternal prison, Professor Kal cast ''Soul Snare'', capturing the soul within a clear gem he held within his hand.


    Storing the gem away within his ring, Old Kushim had finally been granted a moment to rest.

 Chapter 79 - A Timely Return

    The violently shaking room slowly ebbed and the fierce winds subsided, eventually returning to its once tranquil state. Everything was still, silent, like a placid lake on a windless night. The large room grew darker as the flames from the braziers died down, releasing their last bits of light before eventually being snuffed out. Although not a living thing, the room looked to have died along with the lich that called himself king.


    The overwhelming rage that Professor Kal felt within himself had also relaxed, replaced by a renewed determination to uncover the truth behind the dungeons. His foray into the deep recesses of the earth had only uncovered more questions, questions that he felt could not be answered with his current understanding. He felt he could only begin to comprehend the mechanisms behind the subterranean prisons once he understood the spell that was used. Unfortunately, the spell was only mentioned within the ancient tomes that the Academy was in possession of. There were no details whatsoever, except for the massive sacrifice that was required to activate it.


    He would have to uncover the origins of the spell, who had created or uncovered it, and where it was currently located, a monumental task. But there was no doubt in his mind that it was still being kept, hidden away in some remote corner of the world. He understood human nature to a certain degree and believed that they would never allow such a powerful spell to be destroyed or fall into the hands of their enemies. He was cursing at himself for his lackadaisical attitude when the war had first broken out. Perhaps if he had been involved in the war effort, maybe things would have been different; then again, if he hadn''t escaped far away in order to conduct his research, he very well may have been in Old Kushim''s place.


    "The only way is forward." He sighed, finally releasing his black staff from his iron grip, watching it crumble to the ground.


    He may have let his temper get the better of him for a moment but did commend himself for not harming the dog behind him with his tantrum. Bending down, he collected the items that clattered to the ground once Old Kushim''s body was destroyed. He wondered why they had never been looted before, since he had been a target of countless adventurers before. Given the quality and composition of the items, his only assumption was that they were soul-bound to the old lich.


    Soul-bound items were exactly as one might think, tied to the very soul of the one wielding them. Meaning that as long as the soul existed, no other being would be able to use them. Some items went as far as to actively harm anyone that even attempted to pick them up. Since Old Kushim''s soul was now residing inside a gem, hidden away within his ring in a separate dimension, his soul-bound items were now ownerless.


    The staff and crown, although seething with power, were not really his style. He stored them away, to be assessed another day. The embroidered robe on the other hand was showy but did catch his eye. The deep blacks and violet purples blended together beautifully, creating subtle runic patterns that seemed to move as the soft, unknown fabric shifted between his fingers. The mithril thread used to embroider the hems of the robe felt cool to the touch, Professor Kal could both see and feel the mana pathways sewn into the garment using the mystical metal.


    Stripping off his plain black robe, exposing his skeletal body, he slipped the much more intricate robe over his head. Although the robe was loose, it still felt as if it clung tightly to his undead form. Pouring a little of his own mana into the robe, he bound it to his own soul, unlocking its latent abilities. The mithril thread flashed brightly, but only for a brief moment, then the robe immediately adjusted itself to perfectly fit its new master. Sure that there was more to this enchanted robe than just resizing, he began to pour more and more mana into the fabric.


    Like an insatiable black hole, the robe absorbed the copious amounts of mana being poured into it. It was only common sense that after thousands of years of neglect that the mana stores within the garment would be depleted. After a long while, much longer than the Professor would have thought necessary to recharge it, the robe flashed once more before going dormant, refusing any more mana that was offered.


    "Well, that was anticlimactic." Professor Kal hummed, a little bewildered by the lack of... anything.


    After waiting for a moment longer, still with nothing, he decided to move on and put figuring it out on the back burner for now. He was happy with the dark, yet majestic look and feel of the robe, so not having any obvious functionality did not affect his mood. Feeling that the dungeon no longer held any importance for him at the moment, he decided to raid the treasury that the adventurers had so animatedly told him about, before returning to the surface.


    A small trapdoor had slid open just after Old Kushim''s soul was disconnected from the dungeon. It was located on the furthest wall from the throne made of bone, taking him and Trist a few minutes to make it to the threshold. Once inside, he was gobsmacked by what he saw.


    He''d seen pantries with more treasure hidden away within them than this so called ''treasury''. Sitting there in the much too small room, were five pedestals holding varying valuables that he assumed were the reward for toppling the ''Undead Lich King''. One was a pendant of unknown make, silently floating above its pedestal like it was suspended in an invisible liquid. A great axe rested on another; its wide head sharpened to an edge that could fell a tree with a single blow.


    Professor Kal''s eyes dimmed, disappointed beyond measure. "Junk, it''s all worthless trash." He walked over to a pedestal sporting a comically large hairpin that went out of date centuries ago, picking it up and off its resting place. "This thing is hideous; I wonder what Old Kushim was doing with this crap?"


    It wasn''t as if he was lacking in priceless wonders, he was just anticipating something with a little more substance than what was presented to him. Old Kushim was the oldest lich in recent history, there were others more ancient than he, but they were hunted down and killed centuries before even Old Kushim''s time. Naturally with age, one would assume that a great many treasures would be hoarded, squirreled away from the outside world. So where was it? Where were all of the lich''s most coveted possessions? They certainly were not here in front of him.


    As soon as he picked up the ugly decorative item, the remaining four pedestals quickly sank into the ground, taking the remaining items with them. In a panic, he attempted to wrest a few of them off the rapidly retreating plinths. Like the sword in the stone in tales of old, the other treasures refused to budge, content with remaining on their beds.


    Giving up, Professor Kal threw his hands up in defeat. It would seem that the dungeon restricted the rewards to one per person. "Damnit, now I''m stuck with this thing!"


    ˇ­..


    Ryan wanted to die. He had never felt as stressed as he did right now in the entirety of his fourteen years of existence. He cursed under his breath as yet another key he used had failed to open the basement door. Priest Unilith and Paladin Hargrove were both standing behind him, their imposing presence making him weak and dizzy, he could practically feel their hot breath on the back of his sweat slicked neck.


    His worries began as soon as he awoke from his restless sleep. Laura had informed him that Professor Treffle never made it back to the inn from the night before. They all knew that she had ventured out into the city in search of any information concerning the cursing of King Alexander, and the fact that she hadn''t returned sent all of their imaginations wheeling for the worse. To add to that, the two envoys from the Church of the Dawn, informed him that morning that it was within their rights to search the inn from top to bottom.


    He was supposed to go into the city in search of workers to help them with the inn, but due to the demand by the two envoys, was forced to delegate that important task to his friend Ben. With the disappearance of Professor Treffle, they were now shorthanded, leaving Laura and Richard alone to deal with the many guests within the inn. So now not only was Ryan left with escorting the holy church around the inn, barging into the guests'' rooms, and rummaging through their possessions, but he was also responsible for dealing with the aftermath of said searches.


    Now, after finally searching the entirety of the inn, they have found themselves in front of the only area that Professor Kal had claimed as his own. Ryan could only imagine the amount of incriminating evidence that was waiting for them behind this door. Although they had never disclosed what it was they were looking for, Ryan had an educated guess on what it was. Just thinking about what was to come was pushing him toward a mental breakdown. He was doing his best to try and calm his trembling hands, but couldn''t keep from fumbling the large brass keys, nearly dropping them on more than one occasion.


    After trying the last key on his key chain one final time, Ryan was forced to turn to the two standing behind him and admit his defeat. "Iˇ­. I don''t seem to have... have the key."


    Priest Unilith looked down his shapely nose at the youth before him, his expression not giving any of his thoughts away but his eyes undoubtedly conveying his irritation. "Paladin Hargrove, it would appear that the boy is in need of your assistance with opening the door."


    "Of course." Paladin Hargrove responded with a baritone voice that reverberated within the small stairwell.


    Priest Unilith stepped out of the way, allowing the massive Paladin to take a step toward the door. Ryan was callously pushed out of the way, his physical wellbeing obviously not on the man''s mind. With a solid ''thwomp'', Paladin Hargrove''s fist struck the door near the knob. The dry rotted wood shuddered with the strike, then again with the concurrent blow. Ryan coughed as the musty dust broke free from the crevices within the ceiling, drifting down and coating the three of them.


    In the middle of the Paladin''s blows, Ryan noticed a purple light pulse from behind the door accompanied by a soft tearing sound. Priest Unilith and Paladin Hargrove either had not noticed the phenomenon or chose to ignore it, as the Paladin continued to attempt to break down the door. He only stopped when a furious voice roared from behind the locked entrance.


    "Boy! I swear to the gods themselves, if that''s you making that racket, I will skin you alive!"


    The wooden door banged open, revealing an extremely cross Professor Kal, wearing the ornate purple robe he had liberated from Old Kushim. His furrowed brows only furrowed further, if that''s possible, as he gazed at the three stunned people taking up the majority of the space within the stairwell.


    The first to speak was Professor Kal as he screamed, his spittle spraying out indiscriminately. "Who the fuck are you two?!"

 Chapter 80 - An Unwilling Accomplice

    If anything, the two from the Church of the Dawn were the definition of professional. They took the vulgar question in stride, the only sign that they were offended was a twitchy eyebrow on Paladin Hargrove. Ryan stood there slack jawed, not knowing how to manage the sudden development. He was relieved to see the long absent Professor, but terrified of what could possibly happen next. He started to back away slowly, heading for the stairs as Priest Unilith spoke.


    "Forgive me if I am mistaken, but you must be Kalcifer, correct?"


    Crossing his arms in front of his chest, wrinkling the fine fabric of his new robe, Professor Kal answered. "And what of it?"


    "My associate and I are investigating certain claims that have been brought to the attention of the church. If you would be willing to cooperate with our investigation, we will be able to put this entire matter behind us in a timely manner." Priest Unilith said in a slow and monotonous tone.


    Professor Kal cocked an eyebrow, instantly understanding the situation.


    "Does it hurt?" He asked.


    Priest Unilith narrowed his eyes, not following the logic behind the question. "I don''t follow."


    A mischievous smile spread across the Professor''s face as he answered. "The stick, the stick that''s shoved up your ass has got to be excruciating. It''s so far up there that I''d bet you can taste the pine!"


    Ryan almost fainted, he had to steady himself against the wall. Professor Kal''s cackling sounded distant as he took deep breaths, attempting to stay on his feet. Oh gods, he wanted to go home. Why was he being punished in such a way? Had he done something to anger the gods so much, that they were going to let him die in a bloody battle within some dingy basement? All he could do was pray to whatever gods were listening that the envoys were capable of practicing self restraint, because he sure as hells knew that Professor Kal was incapable of such a feat.


    Paladin Hargrove gripped the hilt of his sword that he kept on his hip, his leather gloves creaking under the strain. His eternally stoic face contorted into a deep frown as he debated on if he should smite the foul-mouthed man brave enough to insult the church, or just arrest him for his blasphemy. Priest Unilith was as equally perturbed as his friend, not used to being talked to in such a harsh manner. Everyone, be they commoner or the King himself, respected the Church of the Dawn; feared might have been a better word, but those two words could be interchangeable.


    They knew better than to even utter a passing remark demeaning the church, and here, this man was openly insulting one of their priests. And he was still laughing! Tears were streaming from the man''s eyes as he continued to laugh and crow at his own humor, he was going at it so hard that he was having trouble catching his breath, wheezing in between fits.


    Paladin Hargrove, having made up his mind, ripped the sword from its sheath in a fury. A thick vein jogged underneath the skin on his forehead as he pushed Priest Unilith to the side and plunged the sharpened steel into the heart of the vulgar man. Thick, hot blood spattered the walls of the cramped stairwell, filling the air with the distinctive stench of iron. Ryan felt the heat from the life-giving fluid as it splattered on his face, he stood in wide eyed shock at seeing the Paladin''s sword sprouting out of his own back.


    Toppling over in a limp heap, Paladin Hargrove fell to the ground with the bloody sword still gripped in his hand. Professor Kal was standing over him, completely unharmed and no longer laughing hysterically. He was looking down at the mountain of a man, now reduced to a small hill, with eyes just as wide as the other two next to him.


    "That''s a nifty trick." Professor Kal said, running his hands over the black and violet fabric covering his heart.


    "What have you done!" Priest Unilith shouted, his calm demeanor nowhere to be seen. "You will pay dearly for this; you have just murdered a Holy Paladin! The church will flay you alive, they will pull your guts out on a spool! You will wish you were never born!"


    "Now, now." Professor Kal said in a joking tone. "He very clearly done it to himself. Don''t try to blame me for it."


    Turning around, Priest Unilith made to escape up the stairs, right where Ryan was standing. Still reeling from the shock of what was happening, Ryan couldn''t understand the weird brow raises and head nods Professor Kal was giving him behind the priest''s back.


    "Out of the way, boy!" Priest Unilith said, knocking Ryan out of the way as he took a step up the rickety stairs.


    Priest Unilith only made it halfway up the stairs before tumbling back down, unconscious and bleeding from the back of his head. Professor Kal had produced a large stone and chucked it at the retreating man, hitting him squarely in the head. By this point, Ryan had been reduced to a hyperventilating mess, his face was pale, and lips were blue. The last thing he saw before passing out was Professor Kal petting a sick looking dog that had come to investigate the noise.


    Shaking his head at his prot¨¦g¨¦''s weak spine, Professor Kal spoke to Trist as she was gnawing on the Paladin''s exposed head. "I guess you''re going to have to help me with the bodies now."


    ˇ­..


    Sarah brought her hand up in order to protect her shut eyes from the warm sunlight filtering through a clear window. In the groggy state between deep sleep and consciousness, she floated in the softness caressing her body and the warmth of the mid-morning sun. Then the headache hit. Like hammer blows to her skull, her head pounded with each beat of her heart. The jarring pain brought with it the muddled memories from the night before, sending her reeling in a panic.


    Her eyes snapped open, only compounding the ache that she felt burrowing into her brain. Finding herself laying within an unfamiliar bed, set within an unfamiliar room, she first checked underneath the silken covers.


    "Oh no." She whispered in distress.


    She was no longer dressed in her dull mantel she had sported the previous night, nor was she wearing any of the clothes that she had worn. She could only see her bare skin, pock-marked from a sickness she had as a small child. Embarrassment, shame, anger, a myriad of emotions was overwhelming her, threatening to send her into a mania. The only saving grace was that her undergarments were still resolutely attached to her hips, allowing her to think that the worse had not happened.


    She took in deep, steady breaths, attempting to calm her frayed nerves. Panicking would be detrimental to her current situation, she forced herself to fall back on her training from when she was in the military and the experiences she''s had in the past. Although this specific scenario had never been covered, they had taught her how to control her emotions to a certain extent, allowing her to overcome any unexpected events.


    Wrapping the smooth top-sheet around herself like a makeshift roman toga, she shot to her feet. The frigid cold seeping into her bare feet reminded her that winter was in full swing, no matter what the sunshine had to say about the matter. Making toward the door, she grimaced as the floorboards creaked under her weight, she put her ear against the grainy wood and listened intently.


    Hearing nothing but the settling timber and the howling wind outside, she determined the house to be empty at the moment. Her goal was to find some clothes before slipping outside and making her way back to the inn. She turned the knob slowly before opening the solid door, its hinges mercifully quiet as they swung inward.


    The room she was in was on the second floor of what looked like a noble''s house. Elegant decorations lined the short hall, while contemporary art hung on the walls leading down parallel the polished banister. A stained-glass sunlight built into the rooftop of the house focused the natural sunlight, illuminating the upper floor with a kaleidoscope of marvelous colors.


    All of these sights failed to impress her, her own family was of noble blood, so she was accustomed to seeing such splendor. Although, whoever''s house this was must have been of notable wealth to be able to afford stained-glass, as it was exceptionally labor intensive, and the dyes used were rare.


    With timid steps, she made her way down the stairs, making sure to keep a tight grip on the bedding that covered her naked body. Successfully making it to the landing without creating too much noise, she stopped for a moment and listened to the house once again. Satisfied in the nothingness reaching her ears, she continued her anxious journey deeper into the house in search of something more traditional to wear.


    As she moved from room to room, she began to grow concerned over the lack of people. In a house as lavish and large as this, it wasn''t uncommon for there to be at least a dozen servants running about, conducting their daily tasks. Trying not to worry about something she had no control over, she began to rummage through a seven-foot-tall, elegantly carved armoire that stood in the corner of a downstairs bedroom.


    "I am relieved to see that you are finally awake." A sultry voice penetrated her ears from directly behind her, so close that she could feel the breath on her bare shoulder.


    She wheeled around instantly, her fist already whipping toward where the voice had come from. Hitting nothing but empty air, she looked around in confusion and thought for a brief moment that maybe she was hallucinating. It had felt so real, soˇ­ visceral; there was no way that she had imagined it. A cold draft caused her skin to goosepimple, alerting her to the fact that she had dropped the bedsheet that covered her body.


    "I can see why Marissa has taken such an interest in you." The same voice rang out, only this time coming from the other side of the room. "You have a charming quality, and you clearly take care of your body."


    She hurriedly retrieved the sheet that had rumpled around her feet before directing her attention to the man standing next to the canopied bed. He was tall and slender, not in an effeminate way, but in a way that made her curious as to what was hidden beneath his tight-fitting attire. His stunning shoulder-length silver hair shone in the sunlight trickling through the crystal window, it flowed like water as he moved toward her. His skin was flawless but appeared sickly pale, like he hadn''t ever felt the kiss of the sun; but at the same time there was a vitality to him, a strength that contradicted his pallor.


    She instinctually took a step back but had nowhere to go as she bumped into the wardrobe behind her. A familiar chill prickled her skin as the man gingerly lifted her chin with his thumb and forefinger, directing her eyes into his. Deep crimson irises encircled pure black pupils, a feature so unique and striking that she found herself lost inside his gaze.. She suddenly took in a gasp of air; she had been so enraptured that she had forgotten to breathe.

 Chapter 81 - Back Together Again (1/2)

    Anyone who viewed the two of them staring longingly into each other eyes would have found the whole episode incredibly uncomfortable. Silence reigned supreme within the room for several long minutes, only to be broken by someone clearing their throat from the doorway. Hearing the disturbance, Silus turned his head to see Marissa standing there with an armful of freshly laundered clothes.


    "I brought her clothes, they''re all clean now." She said, eyeing the progenitor that had created her with a tinge of jealousy.


    Releasing Sarah from his grasp, a smirk appeared on Silus''s face. "You have nothing to fear, I was merely reconnecting with an old acquaintance."


    "You know Sarah?"


    Silus took a seat on a plush chair located in the corner of the room. Sarah was still standing where she was in a daze, her ice blue eyes frozen over but quickly thawing.


    "Calling this human by her first name? You really have grown attached." He paused, allowing Marissa''s face to regain some of its color. "But yes, I knew her in my past life. She was always cordial with me, so I hold no ill feelings towards her."


    Marissa nodded her head, she was very curious about her master''s past, but it wasn''t her place to probe into it. If he wanted to, he would tell her. But she did have a concern. "Won''t she recognize you? I mean, I''m sure ya don''t look the same, but stillˇ­"


    "No. She won''t. I''ve altered her memories of me so that..."


    "YOU WHAT!" Marissa shouted out, enraged. Her eyes shown crimson red, her teeth growing to fine points. "You can''t do that, you have..."


    "KNOW YOUR PLACE!" Silus commanded, appearing directly in front of the noble vampire, grabbing her throat, and lifting her feet off the ground.


    He could feel what she was feeling, the anger, possessiveness, attraction; everything that she was feeling at the moment he could feel as well due to their proximity. He could also feel that not all of those feelings were directed towards him. Once his child had sufficiently calmed down, he plopped her back onto her feet.


    "I only altered her perception of me very slightly, nothing else. That, along with the changes I''ve gone through since we last met, should be enough so that she only feels a slight DeJa''Vu when looking at me."


    "That''s it, you swear?" Marissa asked in a raspy voice.


    "Of course, I would never harm my childrenˇ­ or their playthings." Silus replied in a cool voice.


    By this time, Sarah had almost completely recovered, her slight movements interrupting the heated conversation between the two vampires. Blinking hard, she rubbed her eyes with her free hand before looking around the room in confusion. Spotting Marissa standing there not too far away, overwhelming relief washed over her.


    She took a step forward before she noticed the ethereally beautiful man standing next to Marissa. She didn''t know how she had missed him before, it seemed that every time she took her eyes off the man he would disappear, even though he was still clearly there. Seeing his striking features, memories flooded into her mind. She remembered the night before, so cold, so terrifying; then how she woke up in a strange bed, in a strange place, with nothing but a blanket covering her. After that, nothing; she furrowed her brows, trying to remember but couldn''t.


    "Marissa, what''s going on?" She looked around the room, at the man, then down at herself covered in a silken sheet. "Where am I?"


    Marissa gave her a soft smile before trotting over and handing over the clothes she still held in her hands. "Here, put these on. They''re all nice and clean. After you''re done, come into the kitchen then we''ll talk, ok?"


    Sarah took the clothes with her free hand, before Marissa turned around and left the room, taking the man with her. She let out a slow breath, wincing at the pain throbbing in her head.


    ˇ­..


    Ryan''s eyes fluttered open, revealing a ghastly sight that made him wish that he had never woken up. Directly in front of him, hanging upside down by their ankles, were the two holy envoys from the Church of the Dawn. His stomach turned as his eyes wondered down to the metal buckets sitting beneath them, catching the blood as it drained from slits in each of their necks. The sickly-looking dog was lapping up the thick blood from one of the buckets, making nauseating slurping noises as it did so. Luckily, he had been tempered somewhat during the massacre in Swayzee, so he managed to keep his breakfast from making an appearance.


    "It''s about time you''re awake." Professor Kal said from somewhere within the dim and drab basement. "Do you have any idea how heavy that big one was? I think I may have pulled something hoisting him up there, I could have really used your help. Useless...."


    Professor Kal''s voice trailed off into incomprehensible muttering as he returned to whatever he was doing in a corner where Ryan couldn''t see him.


    "Why did you have to kill them?" Ryan asked, his voice unnaturally calm as compared to his mental state from earlier. "Do you know what''s going to happen to us now? To everyone? Did you not take that into consideration? What am I saying, of course you didn''t, you never do!"


    "Hey now!" Professor Kal interjected as he came into view, wearing a blood-stained leather apron with his sleeves rolled up. "You seen what happened, you were there. That big lout tried to kill me, if anything, it was self-defense!"


    "IF YOU WEREN''T SUCH A DICK ALL THE TIME THAT WOULD HAVE NEVER HAPPENED!!" Ryan screamed, losing his calm. He had both hands on his head, nearly pulling chunks of hair out as he cursed like a sailor at the man taking it all in stride.


    Once Ryan had screamed himself hoarse, Professor Kal finally retorted. "Are you finished now? I don''t think they heard you on the second floor, maybe you should go at it again?" He paused. "No? Good, now sit back down, and shut up."


    Following the direct command, Ryan plopped back down into the poorly crafted chair he woke up in. The sickly-looking dog, sulked over to him and sniffed at his hand while he was seated, allowing him to finally get a good look at the four-legged creature. Assuming that it was one of the Professor''s summonses, he slowly patted its large head with an outstretched hand, the dog''s rotted form not seeming to bother the young man.


    Professor Kal watched the two of them bond as he spoke. "Now, as you can see, we do have a slight problem." He gestured to the two bodies strung up from the ceiling. "But it''s nothing that can''t be corrected."


    Ryan froze in place, his hand planted between the dog''s ears. "Corrected? How in the FUCK can you correct that!" He yelled, his finger pointing to the two corpses.


    "Language, please." Professor Kal chided before continuing. "You are right, we can''t ''unkill'' them, but we can replace them."


    Professor Kal didn''t miss the overly skeptical look plastered all over Ryan''s face. Even Trist, the zombie-dog, cocked her head, looking as if she was following along with their conversation.


    "Just come back down here tonight, after the bodies have had enough time to drain completely, I''m going to impart on you the forbidden ''Transference'' spell." Professor Kal said, saying the last part with a theatric air about his voice.


    Rising to his feet, Ryan let out a defeated sigh. He was far too involved in everything to refuse, even if he wanted to quit being the madman''s apprentice, where would he go? Even if he did run away, the Church would hunt him down to the ends of the earth, he had no chance of surviving by himself. All he could do was grow up, and follow the Professor''s lead, although crazy, he did always seem to be reliable when you needed him the most.


    "Alright, fine. But can you at least come up and help with the guests, you''re the one that bought this place to begin with."


    "I''m not really a people person."


    "Whatever." Ryan sighed, before remembering something important. "Oh, Professor Treffle never made it back last night!"


    "She''s a big girl, she can take care of herself." Professor Kal said dismissively as he probed the corpses hanging by their ankles with a long, hooked instrument.


    "Do you even care? She went out looking for information about the King''s curse, while you were out somewhere, doing gods know what!" Ryan accused.


    "I''m sure she''s fine, I know she''s still alive at least, so you really have nothing to worry about." He rebutted.


    "How do you know that?"


    "Magic!" Professor Kal said colorfully, holding both hands up and wiggling all of his fingers.


    "Why are you like the way you are?" Ryan asked rhetorically, shaking his head while making his way toward the basement door.

 Chapter 82 - Back Together Again (2/2)

    Ryan left the childish Professor to his own devices, closing the door behind him as he made his way up the stairs. Blood stained the ground and on a few of the wooden stairs, he figured it would be his responsibility to clean the mess. He let out another sigh as he climbed upwards toward the refreshing sunlight and warm atmosphere of the boisterous sounding inn.


    The hectic scene within the upper part of the inn was in stark contrast to the lower. The front parlor was once again packed, like it had been everyday for the last several, full of stranded travelers all clamoring for a place to spend the night. Ben must have returned at some point during his absence, he was standing on the front desk yelling out into the crowd, his voice being lost within the stormy sea of indignant shouting.


    Some of the travelers were yelling at Ben, but only the ones that were the nearest to the boy. All of the others were yelling at each other, mere moments from coming to blows. This was much worse than how it was the days prior, the throng of people almost seemed desperate to find shelter. That''s the last thing that he needed at the moment, more problems to deal with, taking a moment to prepare himself, he waded through the crowd toward Ben.


    "What''s going on?" Ryan asked, shouting.


    Relieved to see his friend, Ben crouched down so that they could hear each other better. "I have no idea." He admitted. "I came back from hiring a few people and walk into this. Richard was all clammed up, just standing there being screamed at. I had him go back into the kitchen just a few minutes ago, I''ve been trying to get them to shut up, butˇ­" Ben gestured out over the rowdy crowd.


    Nodding his head, Ryan hopped up onto the desk next to Ben. With another target to yell at, the already noisy crowd grew even louder, causing some of those within the mass of people to plug their ears with their fingers. One man, his anger needing to vent itself lest his head explode, took this moment to reach out for the new arrival, meaning to drag the young man into the seething crowd.


    Ryan, seeing the hand come toward him, stomped down with his boot, and trapped the offending appendage between it and the oaken desk. He could tell by the crowd''s increasing hostility that it was only a matter of time before screaming would be replaced by violence. He had decided that the man that had attacked him would serve as an unfortunate example.


    Words of power flowed from Ryan''s mouth, although no one could hear them, they still fulfilled their purpose. The magical gems giving off light placed throughout the room noticeably dimmed, a cold wind blew through the crowd of people, causing them to stop their bickering and search for an open window but finding nothing. A whistling so loud that it caused their ears to ring drew their attention back to the front of the room.


    By this point they had all gone silent, all but the man whose head was being ravished by a small whirlwind swirling around, consuming everything down to his shoulders. His screams could rival the shrill sound of the rotating vortex as he desperately tried to yank his hand free of the youth''s boot pinning it to the desk. Satisfied, Ryan abruptly lifted his boot while simultaneously cutting off his mana to the spell he had conjured, timing it perfectly with a hard yank that sent the man flying backwards into the hushed crowd.


    The man''s shoulder length hair was now sticking straight up, frozen solid, and resembled the cyclone that had styled it. Hundreds of seeping cuts covered his panic-stricken face, some deeper than others because of Ryan''s inelegant mana control; the fact that he hadn''t killed the man just showed how far he had come since starting out as Professor Kal''s student.


    "Now, can someone tell me what is going on?!" Ryan shouted over the silent, wide-eyed crowd.


    The once boisterous crowd was now at a loss for words, seemingly unable to come up with any answer for the young mage. Mages were almost always members of the elite, either extremely wealthy or of noble birth. Realizing that they had all been behaving in such a way in front of one, even maybe two, they all just wanted to turn tail and run.


    An old, croaky voice filled the room, coming from somewhere in the back that Ryan couldn''t see. "Monsters, my young Lord." It said, the crowd parting to reveal an old man, hobbled over his crooked cane. "Monsters attacked us last night. We''re all refugees from Nox, and after a week of hard travel we were told there was no room inside the city, that we would have to camp outside in the cold!" He paused, catching his breath. "That is fine said we, as long as we have firewood to chase the cold away, we can survive. But what would happen to us the first night that we were not running from those Amine bastards! Monsters! They came in the night, slaughtered us, dragging some off into the darkness. Now no one wants to sleep outside the walls, we''re all terrified of what is lurking out there, waiting for us."


    Ryan and Ben both were taken aback, instantly visualizing the four-armed, winged demons that had razed Swayzee. Ben asked the question both of them were curious about. "What did those monsters look like?"


    "Wolves!" A young man yelled out, standing near the center of the crowd. "Wolves as big as horses, a whole pack of ''em. Their fur was as black as the night, and they were faster than the wind!"


    "NO!" Another older man argued back. "They were goblins! I seen ''em with ma own eyes! Came outa the woods, their beady little eyes glowing piss yella, I could smell their breath from ma tent!"


    "You both are wrong." A third voice interjected with a sense of authority. "The woods themselves came alive, wrapping their cursed vines around those poor souls and draining them dry. Whole world is turn''n to shit!"


    Those tales started another heated discussion within the crowd of people, some agreeing with what they had said, others adding their own words of what they had seen. All that Ryan and Ben gathered from the stories was that the demons were most likely not involved, at least not overtly. Raising his voice once again, Ryan addressed the raucous crowd.


    "Quiet! Quiet! ... SHUTUP!!" Ryan yelled out, finally calming the crowd. "You all can''t stay here."


    That statement sent them all into an uproar. Derogatory slurs came hurdling his way, seeming as if they had forgotten the fact that the boy was a mage. The cold chill whipped through the room once again, instantly cooling off their reignited tempers.


    Ryan eased the mana swirling around in his body as he opened his mouth to speak. "Like I said, we are completely full, there are no rooms available. That being said, the stables still have some room, if you don''t mind smelling like a horse." A low murmur swelled within the crowd. "That''s your only option, either that or you can try your luck on the streets."


    The city guard would never allow them to set up camp in the middle of the street, not only would it impede any foot traffic, but it would also create a hotbed for crime, even worse than the refugee crisis already had. A stinking stable was magnitudes of times better than the risk of being eaten alive by monsters outside the city walls. Not wanting to argue any further with the mage, many of them only had one choice left to them. With those thoughts in mind, the crowd dispersed, making there way outside and to the stables.


    Hopping down from the desk, Ryan looked to Ben. "That was easy enough, wasn''t it?"


    "I guess." Ben said, shrugging his shoulders. "What do you think about what they all said, about the monsters?"


    "I don''t know. There must had been a breakout somewhere. I''m sure the adventurers will handle it, we have our own problems to worry about."


    Ben looked around. "Speaking of which, where are the guys from the Holy Church? Weren''t they following you around?"


    Ryan looked as if he had swallowed a frog. He searched for the right words to tell his friend. "Uh, they''re hanging around in the basement for awhile. Setting up something, said not to bother them."


    Ben looked worried instantly. "Didn''t the Professor say not to touch the basement? What if he comes back and they''re down there?"


    Before Ryan could answer, the little doorbell above the front entrance rang out, indicating another guest had arrived. Swinging their eyes to see who it was, they saw two familiar faces, and one that they hadn''t seen before.


    Professor Treffle looked no worse for wear as she walked in with Marissa by her side, both chatting happily and smiling. A gorgeous man towered behind them, with long silver hair and eyes that had a red tint to them. Both Ryan and Ben stopped on his face, it was familiar to them, like they had seen the man before somewhere.. Putting it off for now, they both greeted the trio.

 Chapter 83 - Transference (1/2)

    Ryan waved over to the two women, happy to see that the Professor was safe. "Are you alright? What happened last night?"


    "What? You''re not gonna say hi to me?" Marissa said with a playful pout on her face.


    "Hi, Marissa." Ben said, filling in for Ryan.


    "Hi''ya Benji!" She said with her usual bubbly air.


    "Sorry, Hi Marissa." Ryan said before redirecting his attention to the Professor. "Professor?"


    Sarah didn''t feel like retelling the entire saga of the night previous, so told him the shortened version. "Well, I just ran into Marissa last night while I was out and about. It was getting late, so she let me stay with her for the night. Oh, and this is her brother, Jack. He had just gotten into town to help with their sister as well."


    With that introduction, the silver haired man gave a small nod. Ryan and Ben both turned to him and greeted him in kind, leaving their questions unasked.


    "They both wanted to check out the inn, so they were kind enough to escort me back here." Sarah said, her chipper tone surprising the two students.


    "That''s awfully nice of them." Professor Kal''s voice interjected itself from the top of the stairs leading down into the basement.


    Ryan winced at the gravelly sound, not turning around to look at him. Ben spun around in shock, thinking instantly of the two envoys from the church. Sarah''s uncharacteristic, good mood turned sour when her eyes fell upon the man that had pawned off all of the work onto them, only to run off somewhere for over a week. Marissa kept the toothy smile on her face as Professor Kal walked over to them, his face a mask of neutrality. They stood there in awkward silence as both Professor Kal and the man with the silver hair, eyed each other up and down. Even the taciturn Marissa started to display a hint of worry as the standoff continued.


    "What''s wrong with you?" Professor Kal asked, breaking the silence. "It looks like you''d get a sunburn from a candle."


    Marissa acted immediately, pulling Sarah away from the two men. It would take all of her power just to protect the woman should her master decide to rampage after being insulted in such a way. Ryan and Ben didn''t move from their spots, they just shook their heads and gave the man an apologetic smile, hoping that Marissa''s brother wouldn''t take too great an offense.


    Without missing a beat, Jack retorted. "You''re much shorter than I had expected."


    Now it was Ben and Ryan''s turn to back away in fear. They held their breaths, just waiting for something terrible to happen.


    Professor Kal narrowed his eyes before chuckling lowly. "Just don''t break anything that''s mine and we won''t have any problems."


    He didn''t wait for a response from the man, just turned on his heel and headed back down into the basement. Leaving everyone with an extremely confused look on their faces as they watched him disappear down the stairs. After he was gone, they all swiveled to look at Jack, the same looks on their faces as their eyes probed for an answer. He just shook his head and shrugged his shoulders, as if he was just as confused as everyone else.


    After they recovered from that strange encounter, they all stood around and chatted for a few minutes before Jack suggested that it was time for he and Marissa to take their leave. After Marissa promised to come and visit in the future, her and her ''brother'' walked out into the wintery afternoon.


    "He knows." Silus said in a matter-of-fact voice.


    "Knows? Knows what? That we''re..." Marissa trailed off.


    "Yes of course."


    "Does that meanˇ­" Marissa started, her voice full of worry. "You promised you wouldn''t hurt Sarah!"


    "Calm down, you were standing right there as we came to an understanding, you have nothing to worry about."


    Marissa had a muddled look on her face as she cocked her head to the side. "Is that what all that was? And what makes you even want to tip-toe around him anyways? I''m not complain''n, I just don''t see the reason."


    "Did you not smell it?" Silus asked, keeping his voice low.


    "The blood?" Marissa answered. "It was thick on him, the boy too, but rumor has it that he''s a necromancer, so I wasn''t too awfully surprised."


    "No, not that. The way the man smelled. I barely picked up on it myself, so I cannot blame you for failing to do so."


    "He smells just like all men do." She crinkled her nose. "Disgusting."


    "Never mind." Silus sighed. "Just keep your distance from him from now on."


    ˇ­..


    Later that night, once the inn had fallen asleep, Ryan made his way back down into the foreboding basement. He was pleasantly surprised to see that the bloodstains had been cleaned as he walked down the last few steps before the basement door. Not bothering to knock, he opened the door and went inside the musty room.


    What greeted him was a room that was drastically different than it had been before. It was now spotless, the curtains of spiderwebs draped across the thick supporting beams were nowhere to be seen, and the dirt and grime had been scraped off of most of the flagstone walls. Even now, there were a handful of skeletons, with brush and bucket in hand, scrubbing away at the walls.


    Heavy metal tables were interspersed throughout the room, each one lacking an inch of space on top as they were covered in mountains of paper sketches, notes, equipment he was unfamiliar with, and several large jars filled with a clear liquid that contained alien looking creatures. The only section of the basement that wasn''t filled with what he would call junk, was the center of the room. There, a perfectly level area had been set up, leaving plenty of space to work in.


    Professor Kal was sitting in a finely carved leather chair, the skin used to upholster the furniture still had the soft fur of whatever creature had gave its life for him to sit on. He was reading from a thick book, its cover was as black as coal with no title or words visible to Ryan.


    Putting the book down, Professor Kal addressed his student. "Ah, you''re finally here, we can get started." He stood up. "Here, take this and draw the circle in the book over there. Make sure to leave enough space for another one, we''ll need two of them side by side."


    He handed Ryan a piece of chalk along with the thick book already turned to the magical array in question. It seemed to him that the Professor was not interested in fielding any questions, so he could only nod his head and do as he was told. If there was one thing he had learned since becoming Professor Kal''s student, it was that the man only did things that he wanted, he would never cater to anyone, not even his prot¨¦g¨¦.


    He looked at the pages filled with step-by-step instructions on how to complete the magical array, the only problem was that it was written in some strange language he had never seen before. "Uh, Professor. I can''t read any of this."


    Professor Kal turned from what he was doing to address the boy. "It''s got pictures, doesn''t it? Use that thing between your ears, lad."


    Swallowing his consternation, Ryan studied the runes and geometric shapes laid out within the book. Most of the symbols shown, he wasn''t familiar with, he wished he could read the passages to gain an understanding on their function, but he was still able to draw them out without that knowledge. He first started by tracing out a large circle roughly five feet in diameter, doing his best to keep it as circular as possible.


    The next step was placing a square within the circle, each corner overlapping the previously drawn line. He took a few minutes to study the intricacies of the runes that were supposed to fill the margins between the square and circle. This is where most of his time and focus were committed, runes were incredibly important when it came to crafting a magical array. They are the instructions for what the mage wants to circle to do. How they are drawn and where they are placed, all have an effect on the amount of mana used to activate the circle, how long that mana will power it, how powerful the effect will be, etc. The other aspects of the circle have an impact as well, but not nearly as much as the runes do.


    After nearly thirty minutes of painstaking concentration, the margins had all been filled with chalky runes of power. A five-pointed star, representing the five families of magic, took up the center of the square. The margins within the star also requiring hundreds of runes to be drawn within them. Ryan let out a tired sigh, already mentally strained from the work. He shook his hand, working out the cramps before getting a new piece of chalk and diving back into the magic circle.


    Wiping the sweat that had accumulated on his brow, Ryan took a step back to admire his work. There was hardly an empty space left within the magical array, he could almost see the runes of power glow with a magical light as his eyes scanned his work for errors. Not seeing any, he turned to the Professor next to him. "I''m finished."


    Peering over at his work, Professor Kal commented. "Not bad for a beginner, you''re lucky that your affinity will make up for the mistakes or else I''d have you start over."


    Taking that as a rare complement, Ryan beamed.


    "Knock that look off your face." Professor Kal reprimanded. "Watch how I do it."


    The Professor grabbed his own piece of chalk before starting his own magic circle, drawing in reverse order from what Ryan had. "If you start in the middle, you won''t be fighting yourself when drawing it, less chance of smudging it and having to start over."


    Ryan made sure to follow along, keeping a close eye on the Professor''s fluid movements and artistic way of drawing his runes. It was almost that the way he drew them added something more to them, gave them more substance. It was beautiful to watch, by the time he was done with the circle, it looked like an artist had completed a masterpiece right before his very eyes. His magic circle, when compared to the Professor''s, looked like a child had drawn it.


    "See, easy." Professor Kal said with his hands on his hips.


    "What now?" Ryan asked, still admiring the Professor''s work.


    As Ryan closely studied the Professor''s magical array, Professor Kal walked over to two long tables with white sheets draped over them, hiding the contents underneath. Grasping both sheets with his hands, Professor Kal yanked hard, revealing the secrets they were concealing. The naked corpses of the holy envoys were laying peacefully on the tables, their bodies almost as white as the sheets that were covering them. Scalpels, saws, manually operated drills, and other grotesque tools lined the tables next to the bodies.


    Ryan looked on with trepidation as Professor Kal spoke with a sense of grandeur. "We prepare the meat puppets!"

 Chapter 84 - Transference (2/2)

    "Slowˇ­ and steady. Slowˇ­ and steady." Ryan repeated to himself over and over as he slowly cranked the rib-spreaders, wincing as the man''s sternum cracked open like an egg.


    Professor Kal had told him that the first thing that needed to be done, was to give the ''meat puppets'', as he so tastefully called them, a power source. The small wagon of mana stones that Princess Alessandria had given him, proved useful in this aspect, only taking a few moments for the man to find two stones the size of two of his fists put together.


    Once you found one that met your needs, you needed to remove the heart of your ''puppet'', making room for the stone. This was Ryan''s current step, and he was having a few issues with dissecting a human. When Professor Kal had originally told him that necromancers were not inherently evil, he believed him. Now, as he was actively removing parts from a member of the Church of the Dawn, he was beginning to think otherwise.


    "Alright. Once you have the ribs opened up, the heart is easily accessible. Take your scalpel and just cut it out." Professor Kal instructed, as he quickly removed the heart of the priest as an example.


    Taking ahold of the cold metal tool, Ryan clenched his jaw as he used his free hand to move aside the lungs of the paladin. Residual warmth reminded him that the man had not died too long ago, that thought made him sick to his stomach. He''d killed men before, that night that he and Laura were attacked. He didn''t feel remorse for taking such actions but digging around someone''s insides was quite a bit different and would take some time to get used to.


    Once he had cut the organ free from the man''s chest, he held it in his hand, feeling the weight of it. For such a large man, it only made sense that his heart would be large as well, and Ryan inspected it with fascination. Surgery was viewed as barbaric, as such, there was very little knowledge on the anatomy of the human body. So, having a chance to have a peek at what was hidden beneath the skin was irresistible for Ryan to pass up, his hesitation at dismembering another human-being nowhere to be seen.


    "Here." Professor Kal handed him a clear crystal jar filled with a yellowish fluid. "Put it in here, you can play with it later."


    Doing as he was told; Ryan plopped the organ into the jar and picked up the glowing mana stone that was sitting on a small table next to him. The next step in the process was to place the stone inside the now empty cavity, making sure to anchor it to the surrounding tissue with mithril thread. He had a little trouble tying a sufficient knot around the stone to keep it in place, but after a few failed attempts, managed to secure it.


    "Good." Professor Kal said. "Now sew him back up and we''ll move on to the next step."


    The professor was much faster than he was, his sutures were aligned perfectly, and were of equal length. It was clear that the man had done this sort of thing several times before, causing Ryan to start to question his past. Alas, he knew better than to pry, he valued his life much too highly. After cutting the final stitch, Ryan backed away from the operating table, relieved to be finished with the grisly work.


    "Now we need to place the bodies on top of the magical arrays." Professor Kal said, pulling out his macabre looking pipe and igniting it with the tip of his finger.


    Ryan was halfway back to the tables by the time he realized the Professor had no intention of helping. "You can''t expect me to do this by myself!"


    "Of course not, I''ll take care of mine." Professor Kal said, waving his hand, causing two large summoning circles to appear on the ground on either side of where he was sitting.


    The runes and geometric shapes spun as the circles grew in diameter, finally stopping at about five feet around for each. Out of the hard packed dirt that the basement floor consisted of, two massive embodiments of death clawed their way into their plane. They were outfitted in coal black armor, each of the same make, but boasting different etchings that decorated their surfaces.


    Ryan was close enough to see their rotted skin through the gaps in the full plate armor. Two pairs of ice blue eyes followed the boy as he walked around the hulking brutes, inspecting them with eyes full of wonder and excitement; he even ran his hands over their textured armor, feeling the chill emanating from their undead bodies.


    "Are these death knights? I read about them in the Necronomicon you gave me."


    "Don''t get too close, they could kill you with a sneeze." Professor Kal said with a chuckle as the boy pulled away with a start.


    "Such a scaredy cat." The Professor said before giving an order to the two death knights.


    The two summoned undead marched over to the priest''s corpse with surprisingly silent steps. With one on either end, they lifted the drained body off of the cold table and brought it over to the magical array on the ground. After gingerly placing the body over the circle, taking great care not to smudge any of the runes, the two death knights took up position off to the side, motionless.


    "What about the other one?" Ryan questioned.


    "Consider it a part of your training. Move that big ole slab of meat over onto the circle without ruining it, should be easy enough." Professor Kal said, leaning back into his furry chair and attempting to make rings of aromatic smoke with his pipe.


    Ryan stood there for a few seconds, slack jawed and frustrated. He was already exhausted from the several hours of magical array construction and amateur surgery, now he had to move a near three-hundred-pound man nearly twenty feet by himself, all without ruining the chalk drawn magical array. Closing his open mouth, he cursed his lot in life yet again that day, rolled up his sleeves then set about moving the man''s corpse.


    After a few failed attempts of rolling the man off the table and onto his shoulders, he took a step back to catch his breath. His current approach would never work, he could try summoning like Professor Kal had, but his level of proficiency in that area of magic was lacking compared to the others. He could summon about five goblins, maybe two zombies, or a single ghoul, but that was it. None of those would be able to help accomplish the task he was given, he had to think of another way.


    Pulling the grim looking Necronomicon that the Professor had given him out of his storage ring, he began to flip through the yellowed pages looking for any spell that might be useful. There were several summoning spells that would allow him to summon monsters large enough to lift the man, but his mental fortitude was far from strong enough to overpower the creatures. If he failed to control them with his mind, they wouldn''t hesitate to attack him, devouring him whole.


    Skipping over the summoning section, he found himself skimming through the curses, then the mind control, which would be helpful if the paladin was still alive. He paused at an interesting spell that allowed the user to enter the astral realm through astral projection. Astral projection allowed the mage to walk through walls and ignore other physical obstacles, but still be able to observes the physical realm without being detectable. Impure thoughts raced through his head as he envisioned what a few of the female guests were hiding beneath their clothes, what Laura would look like in Professor Treffle''s room...


    Shaking his head and filing those thoughts away for later, he dogeared the page before moving on. Turning the last page, he reached the end of the Necronomicon. There was nothing in there he could use, either due to his lack of experience, or his poor mental fortitude. Thus, he was forced to think outside of the box.


    After racking his tired brain for a few more minutes, Ryan came up with a solution. "Hey Professor, I bet you can''t..."


    "Don''t even try it. You''re nowhere near smart enough to try and trick me." Professor Kal said mockingly as his smoke rings gradually began to form perfect circles with each attempt.


    Grumbling, Ryan returned to rubbing his temples in a vain attempt to coax his brain in producing a miracle. Like a steel trap, nothing escaped from the pit that was his imagination. Finally in a fit of frustration, he decided that if he couldn''t move the man to the circle, he would move the circle to the man.


    Reciting from memory, he spoke words of power as the ground began to shake subtly. With an explosive ''crack'', a fracture appeared between the two magical arrays. Adjusting his spell, he turned the hard-packed earth that made up the basement floor into a liquified state that led right up to the table holding up the paladin''s corpse. Continuing to chant, Ryan coaxed the slab of hard ground he had broken off containing his magical array into the river of rolling earth, guiding it on its journey across the room.


    Once the slab was in position, he cut off his mana from the spell, then pushed the body with all his might. Rolling off of the table, and landing onto the hard ground with a sickening ''thump'', the paladin''s body lay splayed out over the magical array. Nodding his head in satisfaction with another job well done, Ryan turned to find out how he did on the test.


    Professor Kal was standing there with his arms crossed and shaking his head. "You ruined my floor, and I hope the king appreciated all the shaking while he was taking a shit!"


    Ryan''s face reddened with embarrassment as he tried to downplay the raucous he caused. "It wasn''t that badˇ­ see, it didn''t even knock over your jars."


    He pointed over to several jars containing varying specimens, sitting precariously on some shelves hanging on the stone walls. Although their contents sloshed around quite a bit, the containers they were in were unharmed. Professor Kal shook his head once again in disappointed resignation, standing from his chair and moving over to where his magic circle was drawn on the ground.


    Taking a seat and crossing his legs, he continued on with the lesson. "Now, as long as your little stunt hasn''t damaged anything, everything should be ready for the next step. Listen closely."


    Professor Kal adjusted his position before continuing. "The spell, like I said before, is called ''Transference''.. What that means is that you will move, or transfer, your soul into the body you have prepared."

 Chapter 85 - [Bonus ] Behind The Scenes

    The King of Morgania, Lexington Morgania, looked as if he had aged several years over the past month. His full head of gray hair, once thick and luscious, was now thinning and brittle. He had wrinkles before, due to his advanced age, but now his face had taken on a sickly pale shade of yellow. His lack of sleep and overwhelming stress had built up to the point that he was beginning to get physically ill. The report he was currently listening to, being given by one of his retainers, only added on to his burden.


    "With the influx of those escaping Nox, the food stores will be enough to last the winter, but only if we reduce the rations to the bare minimum. This will undoubtably cause the populace more hardship, increasing the likelihood of dissidence. Along those lines, the city guard is requesting more manpower in order to deal with the increase in petty theft, mainly foodstuff from the local shops." The man holding the long list of issues paused, before continuing on.


    "Monster attacks have been increasing with each passing night, the direction of which indicates that the Cassian Forest is the epicenter. Several forays into the forest have been attempted to uncover the cause, but so far, none have been successful. The Adventurer''s Guild has put out a request to the highest ranked adventurers, but it will take some time for them to arrive within the city."


    "Bishop Croft." King Lexington pulled his head up and off his hand supporting it, directing his gaze toward a gaudily dressed man sitting to his right. "I was told that a highly ranked paladin and priest had yet to return from their expedition into the Cassian Forest, can you provide any more details?"


    "I''m afraid that is all we know. We are currently preparing a substantial force that will accompany the adventurers when they arrive. We are hopeful that we will discover their whereabouts then." The bishop said, a small smile never leaving his lips.


    With an unsatisfied grunt, King Lexington turned back to the man with the list. "Continue."


    "There have been no new movements within the city of Nox, but the handlers have been unable to contact the spies we have placed within the city. We fear that they have been forced into hiding or have been found out and executed. Our troops have been gathering fifty miles south of the city and will be ready to move as soon as the first thaw arrives."


    "Will we be able to retake the city?" The King asked.


    A grizzled old man sitting further back in the room stood and answered with a rough voice. "Yes, Your Highness. We have gathered five-thousand knights, along with thirty-thousand conscripted men. We will surround the city, cutting off their supplies and simply starve them out. Meanwhile, another two-thousand knights and twenty-thousand conscripts will push north, razing every village and town between here and their capital. We will pay back the humiliation they have caused us ten-fold!"


    A murmur of heated agreement rippled through the room, all of the nobles and adjutants bobbing their heads up and down. King Lexington also agreed with the sentiment but knew that it would not be as easy as his general proclaimed. The loss of life would be staggering, but he could not allow such a transgression to pass without a proper response.


    King Lexington directed his attention to the beautiful woman sitting quietly in the corner, another woman with a metal arm was standing behind her at attention. "Daughter of mine, can you not contact the man that escorted you here. You say he is a powerful mage, and he has given your guard a marvelous magical artifact that even our royal mages cannot begin to comprehend." He said, glaring at a man dressed in gilded robes that had lowered his head in shame. "I would like to make a request of him."


    Princess Alessandria was not surprised by her father''s request. She was never allowed to be present during meetings such as this and figured there was a reason for the exception. "Father, are you not concerned over the fact that he hails from Amine?"


    King Lexington shook his head. "I''m sure had he held any malicious intent; you would have not returned to me alive."


    "He could still be a spy sent to instill havoc!" A voice sounded some concerns from the back of the room, garnering more head bobbing in response.


    Holding up his hand, the King demanded silence. "That very well could be, but I still wish to recruit him. We will just limit the information that he has access to."


    No one in the room argued with the King, deciding it was better to keep any objections to themselves. Princess Alessandria bowed her head, before giving her father her response. "I will do as you command father, but keep in mind that he is as greedy as he is powerful. He will not move for meager rewards."


    Bishop Croft interjected his thoughts into the conversation, ignoring the fact that it was considered a slap to the face for the King. "Princess, what is this mage''s name, if I may ask?"


    "Of course, Bishop Croft." She said with a bow. "He goes by Kalcifer. He did not give me a last name during our travels. He said he was a Professor at Amine''s Academy of Magic and the Mysteries."


    A look of deep concern appeared on the bishop''s face, he turned to the King. "Your Highness, the Church is currently investigating some troubling matters related to the mage called Kalcifer, although nothing has been reported as of yet, I cannot in good conscience allow you to align yourself with such a man."


    "What matters are you referring to?"


    "I''m hesitant to say as the accusations are only rumors, but it has to do with forbidden magic."


    The King nodded his head before developing an even deeper frown on his already weathered face. "How long will this investigation last? Do you require our help in the matter?"


    The last thing he needed now was more problems, it would be best for everyone involved to snuff out fires where one could. Even if the man did save his daughters life, he could not allow someone to live if the church is that concerned over the matter. He could only assist the Cloth in any way he could and await their conclusion.


    "We have sent our best investigator to look into the matter, we are expecting word from him any day now." Bishop Croft said with certainty.


    "Very well then." The King said. "Daughter, await the report from the church. Should Mage Kalcifer be found innocent of whatever offenses that have been levied against him, then go to him and convey my request. Should he be found guilty, be prepared to assist the Church in whatever they may require. I will leave the matter to you since you have dealt with the man before."


    Princess Alessandria could only obey her father''s words, so she bowed her head once again, swallowing her concerns. She thought she had figured out the man''s character for the most part, he was crass, rude, and did not respect any authority other than his own. But he still seemed to care for those around him, at least he did in her eyes. In truth, Professor Kal did in fact care for those he considered his students, but not in a loving way. He viewed them as his possessions, as an object that served a purpose, and he would do anything to keep his possessions to himself.


    She couldn''t think of a reason he would garner the attention of the Church; he had done nothing suspicious during their travels. He had only been helpful, first creating fire to keep the survivors warm, then gave Lilith her life back with the memory metal.. She decided then and there that she would help clear his name in any way she could, even if it meant defying the church.

 Chapter 86 - They Say Size Doesn’t Really Matter

    "Don''t look so surprised, honestly, what did you think we were doing?" The Professor asked rhetorically as he noticed the worried look on the boy''s face.


    "Won''t that kill us? If we put our souls intoˇ­ that?" Ryan couldn''t help but express his hesitation over doing such a thing.


    He was by far not an expert on the soul, but his common sense was screaming at him that this was a very bad idea. He was imagining himself stuck within the corpse of the paladin, watching his own body die before his very eyes. It was just too much for him to wrap his head around.


    "What are they teaching kids these days, really?" Professor Kal mumbled to himself.


    Ryan shot a glare at the man. "You''re the one teaching usˇ­ Professor."


    Clearing his throat, Professor Kal got the lesson back on track. "Moving on. To answer your very valid question, no, your body will not die. The brain, although fragile, and in your case smaller than normal, does serve a purpose. It will keep your heart pumping and your lungs taking in air."


    Ryan didn''t say anything to the slight, just narrowed his eyes as the pompous man continued.


    "The downside is that your body will be without a driver so to speak, thus, will be completely defenseless while your soul is occupying the meat puppet. Before you ask, that is why I''ve summoned thing one and thing two over there. They will protect our bodies while we''re gone."


    Ryan nodded his head, closing his mouth. Professor Kal brought out the coal black book, skimming through the pages, finding the correct passage. "Now, the language used here is old Elven, the old geezers hiding up in their trees might still speak it, but that''s as far as it goes, it''s a dead language. This spell will not work after translating it into the common tongue, believe me, I''ve tried. So that means you have to pay close attention to me as I recite the spell."


    Ryan indicated that he understood.


    "Good, now the reason we drained the blood from our puppets is to keep the resistance within the body to a minimum. Each living being is unique, built around the soul in perfect harmony, allowing seamless integration between the physical and spiritual bodies. Blood not only transports nutrients throughout the body, but also connects the mana pathways to each other that ultimately leads to the soul. Removing it will allow your soul, once it inhabits the puppet, to make new connections within the body that will allow better control. Do you understand?"


    "Yes, Professor."


    "OK. So, until your soul creates the needed mana pathways, your control over the puppet will be severely limited. You''ll be able to move, but it will be difficult, and your senses will be extremely dulled as well, so don''t be too surprised."


    "Professor." Ryan started, actually raising his hand. "What happens ifˇ­ you know, we die?"


    Professor Kal actually looked pleased. "Great question. Your soul will be sent back to your real body, although it won''t be pleasant. It will be the worse pain imaginable and will last several daysˇ­ if you''re lucky. So, I would advise you to try your best not to do anything stupid."


    "Why? How do we cancel the spell then? Wouldn''t it hurt just as much?"


    "No, it wouldn''t." He answered. "The entire point of the spell, well, most of it; is to create a corridor that your soul travels through into the puppet. The same applies to the return trip as well. When you are ready to leave your borrowed meat suit, you recite a short chant and the corridor is created, providing safe passage for your soul. Without the corridor, your soul is exposed to all of the energies within the plane, and even some from outside, damaging it."


    Ryan looked like he was pondering what he had just heard, the answer he was given generating another question. "What about ghosts? Aren''t they just wayward souls, cursed to roam the world? Wouldn''t they not exist if their souls were constantly being damaged?"


    "You''re full of great questions today, aren''t you?" He said, humoring his student''s curiosity. "How much do you know about ghosts and spirits trapped in the material plane?"


    Ryan thought for a moment before answering honestly. "Nothing."


    "Ghosts are souls that have not moved on. Their souls have been trapped long enough for a protective barrier to form, protecting them from further damage. Without a physical body, they do not feel the damage done to them, but they cannot repair that damage either. The damage also causes them to lose who they were, driving many of the spirits mad, preventing them from correcting whatever wrong prevented them from moving on in the first place."


    Professor Kal redirected his attention back to the book held in his hands. "But that''s a lecture for another time. All you need to know about souls for this is that you do not want to have it exposed to the outside world if you can help it. I will recite the spell first, to show you how it works. Once I''ve grown comfortable within the puppet, I will help you cross over to yours."


    Ryan was suddenly inundated with hesitation. It was like he was about to be put under for the first time, he knew that it was probably safe, but the fear of the unknown caused his anxiety to rise. He worked through it the best he could, focusing on the Professor''s words that he read from the black book. He couldn''t understand any of it but could see the reaction as the magical array underneath the priest''s corpse started to radiate a burgundy hue.


    As the Professor continued to read from the book, the glow intensified. When it reached its brightest, he bit into his finger and drew a five-pointed star onto the center of his forehead. With a blinding flash, from both the magical array and the bloody star on his forehead, the spell was complete. Professor Kal''s body went limp, but somehow remained seated. Ryan moved his focus onto the corpse that had started to spasm.


    Priest Unilith, now Professor Kalcifer, shakily got to his feet. Moving his limbs slowly, he took a moment to grow accustomed to his temporary body. Turning around, he saw Ryan standing there with a look of wonder on his face; that is until he suddenly noticed something and quickly covered his eyes.


    "Clothes! Please!" The boy shouted out.


    "What? They''ve been naked the entire time. Why is it only bothering you now?" Professor Kal asked even as he moved over to where the priest''s robe had been stored.


    "It''s different when it''s just flopping around in front of you." Ryan said, still adverting his eyes.


    Once the Professor had adorned his priestly garb, he rejoined his student next to the paladin''s corpse. "You just have no appreciation for the male form. I bet you would have a completely different reaction if it was a woman standing in front of you."


    "Can we not talk about this right now." Ryan asked, already tired of the subject.


    "Suit yourself." Professor Kal said, shrugging his shoulders. "Take a seat next to the circle. I''ll recite the spell, and you just repeat after me. Do your best to match my annunciation, it relies heavily on it."


    Ryan nodded his head in understanding. He let out a deep breath before indicating that he was ready to begin. Reading out of the book, Professor Kal slowed down his words so that the boy could follow along. Although he butchered several of the words, his magical array still took on the same burgundy glow as the Professor''s did. At the moment that the circle shown the brightest, he bit hard into his finger. Ignoring the pain, he hurriedly completed the star on his forehead.


    Ryan never saw the blinding flash as he did when the Professor completed the spell, his vision went completely blank as his soul was cut off from his body''s senses. The next thing he remembered was being cold. So cold that for a moment he thought he was caught outside in the middle of winter, then he remembered what had happened. He opened his eyes to see the dirty ground and white chalk runes he had drawn earlier. He tried to move his body but found it to be extremely stiff, he started by slowly wiggling his fingers and toes, then working up from there.


    Using the nearby table as support, Ryan pulled himself up and stood on wobbly legs. The perspective point of this body was surreal, he dwarfed Professor Kal by at least a foot. He looked down at his pale body, the chiseled muscles stood out in the white light given off by the magical flames lighting the room. Although dull, he could still feel the explosive power the paladin possessed in life. He flexed his muscles as a giddy smile spread across his face.


    Inspecting his body closer, he finally noticed the large member dangling between his legs. Suddenly, the smile vanished from his face as a wave of inadequacy washed over him. During the operation, he had done his best not to look at the glands of either men, so he hadn''t noticed the size of the paladin until now. Being a part of his own body, it was impossible to avoid noticing now, and it sent him into a depression.


    "What''s wrong?" Professor Kal asked as he brought over the Paladin''s armor. "Is there something wrong with the body? Tell me now before we get going, I don''t want to have issues later on."


    "Oh, no, nothing''s wrong with it." Ryan answered in a melancholic voice.


    Following the huge man''s line of sight, it didn''t take long for the Professor to deduce the reason for Ryan''s behavior. "My god''s, it''s as big as your arm! Better not let Lacy see that or she''ll be running off to become a nun!"


    Ryan let out a dejected sigh. "Her name is Laura, Professor."


    "Whatever." Professor Kal said as he plopped the armor on top of the table.. "Quit staring at it and get dressed, we have a few things to go over before we head off to the Church."

 Chapter 87 - A Witness

    Ryan fumbled with the heavy armor as he worked his large, stiff fingers. He was also not accustomed to putting on the protective gear either, so naturally, it took him a few minutes to get dressed. Professor Kal waited patiently, smoking his pipe, which looked strange being held by the priest dressed in his holy garb. Once he finally managed to get dressed, he turned to the Professor to listen to what he had to say.


    Professor Kal put his black pipe away within his chest pocket before filling him in on need-to-know information. "Alright, you already know about the ''try not to die'' part, so I''ll cover the other things you need to keep in mind. The most important thing, as I''m sure you''ve already noticed, is that you have no access to the memories stored inside your puppet''s brain. Once the brain is dead, that''s it. The spell only reactivates the needed sections, such as your senses and motor control, there is no way to retrieve the memories without damaging the brain so much that all of it would become useless. Soooo, that means we''ll be flying blind in there, so keep a low profile and don''t draw any attention to yourself. We don''t know who they associate with, or any of their secrets, so it''s best to just not talk to anyone if we can avoid it."


    "Alright." Ryan said.


    "Next, being that we don''t have any blood, we look like those sheets over there. So, it wouldn''t hurt to put on some makeup to cover that up. The only other thing is that while you can eat and drink, your digestive tract is not functioning. So whatever you eat will leave the same way as it went in, so make sure to chew your food well."


    Professor Kal, finished with his spiel, headed toward the basement door. "That should be about it. Now, it''s almost dawn, so we''ll go up there, gather ''our'' things, and head off to the church, ok?"


    "Professor!" Ryan shouted out, his voice full of fear. "Your body, something''s wrong with it!"


    Professor Kal swung his head to look at his body that was still sitting crossed legged on the floor. His black hair was quickly taking on a gray color as chunks of it fell out and drifted down onto the floor. His rosy skin was ashen white and appeared to be sagging, like it was in the process of melting off his bones. He sprinted across the room, taking a sheet that once covered the priest''s corpse and used it to cover his own.


    "Don''t worry about it boy, it''s fine." Professor Kal said in a less than convincing voice. "Let''s go, hurry up. We don''t want to dally."


    "But Professor!" Ryan protested as his large body was being pushed to and out of the basement door. "Will that happen to my body!? Professor!"


    ˇ­..


    The Holy Church of the Dawn was a massive organization that spanned the three Kingdoms that made up the western continent, and it showed. They were always collecting tithes from the common folk and the nobles alike, stuffing their coffers with gold coins, allowing them to build grand cathedrals in ''honor'' of the Goddess of the Dawn. The largest cathedral within S?ravast was seated well within the noble district, standing imposingly amongst the other well built and grandiose structures.


    The cathedrals footprint rivaled that of a small village, providing ample space for the few thousand priests and paladins that called the massive building home. Six towers, arranged in such a way as to represent a star, reached into the sky with solid gold suns tipping their spires. The low winter sun''s rays reflected off of their golden counterparts, causing them to shine brightly against the gray backdrop of clouds. A colossal mural made of stained glass welcomed all of those that approached the main doors. It depicted Thesan standing tall, with a burning scepter in hand, above all of the other races who were down on their knees and praying to her.


    Professor Kal stopped just short of the doors, staring up at the work of art. He gave a derisive snort before shaking his head.


    "What''s wrong Professor?" Ryan asked in a low but gruff voice that he was still struggling to get used to hearing.


    "Who? Remember, I am Priest Unilith. Don''t tell me your intelligence dropped in correlation with the increase in size." Priest Unilith chided the large boy behind him.


    "Sorryˇ­ Priest Unilith."


    Facing forward, Priest Unilith walked while he talked. "And it''s nothing, just don''t believe everything you hear while you''re here, you must always keep an open mind."


    Ryan didn''t reply, just nodded his head as he followed the man in front of him across the threshold and into the immense building. The front ''room'' was at least as large as the inn they had just come from. Their boots walked on magnificent, polished marble, so clean that Ryan could see his reflection when looking down. A giant sculpture of the Goddess occupied the center of the room, it was the most lifelike sculpture Ryan had ever seen. If it wasn''t for the fact that it was carved from pure white stone, he would have thought a giantess was standing there, judging everyone that walked beneath her.


    In the entire room there were no desks or reception area, there weren''t even any chairs or sofas to sit down on. To the sides and back of the cavernous room, tens of doorways led to different sections of the cathedral. There were so many that Ryan was sure that he would never be able to find his way around. He hoped to be able to find a map, but highly doubted he would be lucky enough to come across one.


    In either corner of the room, spiral staircases wide enough to walk five people across led up to the second floor before going up higher, all the way to the fifth floor. On each floor were more doorways, reminiscent of a beehive. Dozens of priests and nobles buzzed about on each floor, carrying out their tasks, some stopping to talk to one another.


    He leaned in close to Priest Unilith''s ear, talking quietly as to not be overheard. "Do you have any idea where we''re going?"


    Professor Kal was walking slowly with both his hands clasped behind his straight back, his pace never slowed as he walked in a certain direction. "Not a clue."


    Ryan really wasn''t very surprised by the answer. He just followed closely behind the Professor, keeping an eye on everything going on around them. They had just made it to the base of the fifty-foot-tall rendition of the Goddess of the Dawn when a young-looking priest hurriedly approached them.


    "Priest Unilith! Priest Unilith! I am so blessed that I caught you so quickly." The young-looking priest said, an overjoyed expression on his face.


    "Oh dear." His expression changed to worry after looking at the two men in front of him. "Are you alright? You both look dreadful, are you ill? Should I call Brother Terrilyn?"


    "Oh, no, thank you." Priest Unilith said dismissively. "We have just been burning the candle at both ends you could say, doing priestly things. You know how it is sometimes."


    The young priest looked at them with a strange look on his face for a moment before moving onto whatever it was he was there for originally. "It does grow hectic from time to time, I will have to agree. That''s part of the reason I am looking for you, it''s about the investigation you have been assigned."


    "Really?" Priest Unilith asked, his eyebrows raising in deep interest. "And here I was about to turn in my report."


    "Then it is fate that I was able to run into you before you had, I don''t know the details of the information, only that it is of great importance. The Goddess really does work in mysterious ways." The young priest said, clasping his hands together and bowing his head.


    "Well." Priest Unilith started. "Lead the way!"


    "Of course, follow me." The young priest said before taking off at brisk walk, leading them to a doorway in the middle of the back wall.


    Behind the door was a long, straight hallway. Magical flames burned, hanging from the stone walls, providing white light for the windowless corridor. The relaxing scent of incense drifted between the walls, but no matter how hard they looked they could not identify where it was coming from. They walked for several minutes, passing other priests every so often, nodding to them in greeting as they did so. Finally, they came upon a set of doors made from exquisite cherry. Rapping lightly upon the door, the young priest announced their arrival before entering.


    Following the young priest inside the room, they were astonished to find a large, tactically decorated office waiting for them. The floors were made from lacquered hard wood, cut and placed in such a way as to created diamond patterns throughout the room. Tall bookshelves lined one wall, filled with unknown knowledge. On another wall were beautiful paintings depicting expansive foreign landscapes that Ryan were unfamiliar with.


    A roaring fireplace, almost as big as Ryan''s room back at the inn, burned happily as they strode across the room. The most amazing aspect of the entire room were the huge bay windows that overlooked the city-scape of S?ravast. Snow covered rooftops, with smoking chimneys poking out from them, took up most of the view, but the Royal palace was the centerpiece of the display.


    A large desk sat squarely in the center of the windows, taking full advantage of the beauty of the city. Covering the desk were mountains of papers and sitting behind those mountains was a regal looking man, dressed in robes much more decorated than either of the priests that had just entered.


    "Brother Yolinka, you return to me so quickly? And it seems you have brought Brother Unilith and Paladin Hargrove with you, the Goddess must be smiling upon you today."


    Priest Yolinka bowed his head toward the man. "It is as you say, I happened upon them on my way out. It was surely divine providence."


    "Then you are excused, thank you for carrying out the task I had given you so quickly." The man said, before gesturing for Professor Kal and Ryan to sit in some chairs in front of his desk.


    Once Priest Yolinka had left, the high ranking man spoke. "Well, I was not expecting you until tomorrow at the earliest, but this is for the best. I know that you have only just begun your investigation into the matter of the man named Kalcifer and his alleged necromancy, but an important development has occurred that we have determined to be of upmost importance to the investigation."


    Professor Kal leaned forward in the masterfully crafted chair he was seated in. "Please, do tell."


    "A witness has come forward." The man said.. "They say that they had witnessed the evil deeds of the man in question, first hand."

 Chapter 88 - False Witness

    "I highly doubt that." Priest Unilith let slip as he leaned back in his chair.


    The man looked surprised at what the priest had just said. "Pardon me?"


    Ryan couldn''t help but roll his eyes at the Professor''s gaffe, listening in as the Professor hastily covered up the odd remark. "I mean, Kalcifer had just arrived within the city, the timing is just odd is all."


    "Right. Well, I cannot argue with your logic, but the witness is very reliable. There is no reason to doubt their words."


    "Who is this witness? Where are they now?" Professor Kal asked, narrowing his eyes.


    "Are you two alright?" The man asked, failing to give the Professor the answer he desired. "You both look awful, and I''ve never seen Paladin Hargrove make such sour looking faces."


    Priest Unilith turned his head, glaring at the large man sitting beside him. "We''re fine. We had just eaten something that must have been spoiled. You can never truly know what thoseˇ­ commoners put in your meals."


    Chuckling, the man nodded his head. "That is true. Really, the only thing they are good for is giving us their spare coin." Once they all shared an awkward laugh, he continued. "But if you''re not feeling well, I can always hand this off to anotherˇ­"


    "Absolutely not!" Priest Unilith interjected. "The Goddess''s work is never done; we would be remiss if we were to neglect our duties due to a minor stomach bug. Isn''t that right, Paladin Hargrove?"


    "Uhh, yes." Ryan croaked out.


    "Others should follow your example Brother Unilith, Paladin Hargrove." The man said, standing up from behind the desk and handing over a piece of parchment. "He''s a merchant from Amine, his name is Leonard Trimbledone. He''s well known in both our capital and Amine''s, but just like everyone else, he is stuck within our walls. He''s staying at an inn nearby; it shouldn''t take too long to see what he has to say."


    Priest Unilith took the piece of parchment from the man, skimming it over before tucking it away inside his breast pocket. "Thanks, we''ll go right over there and interrogate him."


    "There''s no need for the hostile tone, Mr. Trimbledone is an upstanding citizen, he''s made several donations to better the church." The man said, sitting back down behind his desk.


    "Oh, well, then what is the point of going over there at all, we might as well just round up this Kalcifer and burn him at the stake." Priest Unilith said in a nonchalant tone, causing Paladin Hargrove to shift uncomfortably.


    Missing the sudden hostility in the air, the man laughed before speaking. "You know as well as I do, that we need it to look official, if we just burned him alive without crossing the t''s and dotting the i''s, we''d have even more paperwork to do in the end." He paused, gesturing to the towering piles of paperwork spread over his desk. "And that is something I want to avoid."


    ˇ­..


    "What are we gonna do?" Ryan asked as he closed the door behind them after leaving the office of the high-ranking man.


    Professor Kal had produced a pair of silver rimmed glasses, the lenses of which were tinted a shade of green. Putting them on, he began to closely inspect the walls, floor, and ceiling of the long hallway they had used to get here. "We''ll kill him, of course."


    Ryan shook his head at the seemingly simple solution to their problem. "We can''t just kill him, what about his guards or the fact that if the only ''witness'' is killed, they would suspect us even more?"


    Professor Kal stopped and picked his head up from the floor. "You make a fair point. Ok then, first, we''ll get him to officially recant his testimony, then we''ll kill him."


    Letting out a sigh, Ryan looked at the priest in front of him clambering around on the marble floor. "What are you doing? If someone sees us their going to be suspicious."


    "Aren''t you curious as to how we entered on the ground floor and ended up at the top of a tower?" Professor Kal asked, with his nose only inches off of the polished floor.


    "No, but I''m sure you''re going to tell me." Ryan said with an exasperated tone.


    "I wonder about you sometimes boy, you need to relax, enjoy the world around you. Really, what''s the worst thing that''ll happen if you stopped worrying about every little thing." Professor Kal said, standing up and putting his glasses away inside his ring.


    "Uh, they could catch us, then torture us until we either die from blood loss or shock." Ryan said with a deadpan face.


    Professor Kal started down the long hallway, leaving the morose Ryan behind. "I bet you''re great fun at parties."


    "What''s that supposed to mean?" Ryan asked, following behind him but not receiving a reply.


    ˇ­..


    The streets running between the noble''s houses were much less crowded when compared to the rest of the city, they were also cleared of snow on a daily basis. As they walked down the cobblestone-street, the finely dressed nobles and their servants all bowed as they passed. Soon, they found themselves in front of a familiar looking inn. It was the one that Professor Treffle and the students had stayed in the first night after their arrival.


    They walked past the long line of people all trying, and failing, to bribe or influence the employees of the inn to give them rooms that were just not available. Ryan felt sympathy for the workers taking the brunt of the crowds'' anger, he couldn''t count the number of people that had yelled and screamed in his face over the last week, so he knew exactly what they were going through. As soon as the throng of people noticed the two church members, all of their yelling and curses ceased as their eyes followed them to the front.


    "We''re looking for a Leonard Trimbledone." Priest Unilith said with an uptight tone.


    The poor woman that was running the desk looked up at him with trepidation in her eyes. She had dealt with the members of the church before, although arrogant and corrupt, they had never made her feel the way she was right now. When she looked into the priest''s dull eyes, she felt all of her hair stand on end. "Rˇ­room twenty-five."


    With a nod, the priest turned on his heel and headed up the stairs located not too far away. The paladin that towered over him looked small as he followed behind him, his heavy footsteps thudding on each wooden step. At the end of the hall on the second floor was a room with a brass twenty-five marking the door. Strange grunting noises were coming from inside, sounding like a boar rooting around in the dirt, searching for truffles.


    Ryan looked at the Professor with an embarrassed look on his face, if his body still had blood he would be beet red at the moment. Professor Kal let out a derisive chuckle as he fiddled with the lock on the door. As Ryan heard the ''click'' of the lock being picked, he took in a deep breath and prepared himself for what he was about to see on the other side.


    Bursting in, Professor Kal strode inside with large steps, announcing the church''s arrival with a loud voice. Ryan followed behind him, his eyes glued to the floor in hope of saving himself the awkwardness of interrupting the sensual act. What waited for them within the parlor of the opulent suite was anything but sensual. The largest man Ryan had ever seen, was seated in a plush, low sitting chair. He was dressed in fine silken sleepwear, and sweat had wicked into the fabric, creating large discolored patches. The sounds and sweat had not come from the man making love, but because he had been straining himself to reach the table filled with sweets placed just outside of arm''s length.


    The round man looked at the two of them with two beady eyes, that on a thinner person would have been wide with surprise. Professor Kal and Ryan both stared back in silence, each finding the situation to be more embarrassing than if they had walked in on him having sex.


    Clearing his throat, Professor Kal broke the tense atmosphere. "Are you Leonard?"


    The fat man took a moment to process what was said to him before rapidly nodding his head, his multiple chins jiggling as he did so. "Yˇ­yes, that is I, Leonard Trimbledone."


    "Good." Professor Kal said, taking a seat across from the merchant. "I''m sure you''re aware of why we are here. Go ahead and tell us what you know."


    "May I have a moment to refresh myself? I''m afraid I was not expecting your arrival for quite some time." Leonard said as he struggled to get to his feet, crumbs falling off of his blue pajamas and embedding themselves into the rug below.


    "Sit back down!" Professor Kal barked. "If you truly cared for your appearance you would have never gotten that way to begin with. I cannot be wasting my time on the likes of you, so just tell me what you know so I can be done with this farce."


    Ryan took a step back, he could almost feel the anger radiating from the Professor as he glared at the man trembling before them. He had not a clue as to why he had suddenly grown so irate, but decided to just remain silent. Leonard quietly sat back down, the chair deforming almost to the point of failure as he did so. Professor Kal took out a quill and parchment, ready to record his false witness.


    "I, uhˇ­ forgive me for anything that I may hav..."


    "Just get on with it before I truly lose my temper!"


    Fresh sweat beaded on Leonard''s forehead as he opened and closed his mouth like a drowning fish, he was at a loss for words as the Priest in front of him stared daggers into his very soul. "I, uhˇ­ yes. Uh, As you already know, I, uh, I am a merchant by trade." His words became more coherent the longer he spoke. "I mainly dabble in luxury goods such as silk, perfume, jewelry, and the like. What some people may not know is that I''m also involved with the trading ofˇ­ human commodities."


    "So you''re a slave trader?" Professor Kal pressed him.


    "Well, in simplified terms, yes, but just like the other wares I trade in, I only handle the most desirable of slaves."


    "What does that mean?" Ryan asked, his voice deep and intimidating.


    The fat merchant looked over to the paladin still standing, a lecherous grin spreading across his face. "I can offer you a sample, if you''re curious, free of charge of course."


    Suddenly realizing the meaning behind his words, Ryan hastily shook his head, eliciting a small chuckle from the merchant. "No bother, the offer will always remain on the table to my friends in the church."


    "So, what do slaves have to do with necromancy?" Professor Kal said, not amused with the current banter between Ryan and Leonard.


    Straightening up, Leonard got back on topic. "I''m not sure to be honest, I am not familiar with magic, not to mention the dark arts. I only know that while I was in Amine, I was solicited by a mage for some of my finer goods."


    Professor Kal narrowed his eyes. "Go on."


    Leonard was put off by the intense glare and intimidating tone coming from the priest seated across from him, so he hurriedly completed his testimony. "Well, it wouldn''t have been the first time that I had sold goods to mages, it is actually quite commonplace for them to indulge themselves with the commodities I provide. What struck me as strange is the frequency of his purchases. At first it was just one, a young girl, just barely into adulthood. Then only a week later, he had purchased two more slaves, even younger than the first." The fat merchant paused to take a raspy breath before continuing.


    "Then the number jumped to five the following week. Now, I''ll be the first to admit that I was happy to find such a wealthy customer, a repeat one at that, but even I could tell there was something amiss with what was transpiring."


    "Is that all you have? Just a man buying a bunch of slaves?" Professor Kal said, his voice flat, devoid of emotion.


    A serious look spread across Leonard''s pudgy face as he leaned forward, with no small effort, and lowered his voice. "The number is not the strangest part. All of the young maidens that I sold the man were unsoiled, never knowing the touch of a man.. With all of those signs combined with the rumors I later heard, there''s just no other explanation than that man dabbling into the dark arts."

 Chapter 89 - The Plot Thickens

    Professor Kal leaned back in his expertly upholstered chair. With either hand on the armrests, he tapped his index finger in an uneven tempo. His face was a mask of neutrality, neither Ryan nor Leonard was able to infer what the man was thinking. Professor Kal abruptly shot forward, rocketing to his feet, causing the portly Leonard to take in a sharp breath as he fell backward due to surprise.


    "Nope, I''m positive that I''ve never met you before today." Professor Kal stated simply as he produced an iron contraption, covered in rust, and boasting a menacing corkscrew on one end.


    "Oh, uh, what? Uh, of course we''ve never before met." Leonard stammered out as his eyes tracked the tetanus riddled took the Priest held in his hands. "Whˇ­ what is that for, if I may ask?"


    "Isn''t it obvious? You are clearly full of shit, and this tool here will help us get to the truth."


    Fear quickly replaced Leonard''s confusion as the pale looking priest closed in on him. As his eyes followed the truth-finding tool, he was able to tell that it was not rust covering it, but a thick layer of dried blood. He attempted to get up, but a quick shove from the priest easily forced him back down. As Professor Kal was about to pierce the trembling merchant''s thin skin, a voice of reason sounded out.


    "Professor! You can''t do that!"


    Stopping, the professor stood up and looked at the worried paladin. "What is it now? Don''t tell me you have a soft spot for overweight slavers?"


    Ryan quickly shook his head. "No, it''s just that I don''t think a hotel room is the best place to get him to talk. The walls are probably pretty thin."


    Leonard''s confusion only grew, but he was crafty enough to know that his life was in danger as the two church members discussed the best place to conduct his torture. As nervous sweat rolled down his face, he built up his courage before yelling out for help.


    "HELP! HELP! SOMEBODY HELP ME!"


    Startled by the man''s sudden outburst of ear-piercing pleas for help, both Ryan and Professor Kal scrambled to quiet the man. Tripping over a poorly placed end-table, Ryan, in his heavy stark-white armor, fell headfirst into the screaming man. The chair, unable to manage the already substantial weight along with the heavy impact from the flailing Ryan, broke apart and sent Leonard tumbling across the wooden floor.


    Seizing the opportunity, Professor Kal jumped atop of Leonard as he struggled to stand. As the professor straddled the large man like a cowboy breaking in a bucking bronco, he attempted to shove a rag into his mouth. It was surprisingly difficult to shove something into another person''s mouth as they thrashed about, screaming. After several failed attempts, he had finally succeeded, only to have his finger nearly bitten off at the first knuckle.


    Pulling his hand back, Professor Kal cursed as the fat man continued to scream. "Kick him in the head!" He yelled. "Knock him out!"


    Not knowing what else to do, Ryan quickly got to his feet and carried out the order. With a heavy leather boot, he struck Leonard across the face, breaking his nose, but failing to render him unconscious. Ryan kicked him again, and again, but still the man screamed, only with blood trickling out of his head. He was about to kick him once again but was stopped by the merchant himself.


    His screaming had turned into incoherent moans. His eyes rolled into the back of his head, showing only the whites as Professor Kal and Ryan looked down at him. He clutched his chest in obvious distress as his face grew pale and his lips turned blue. After several long seconds, Leonard ceased moving altogether.


    Ryan and Professor Kal looked at each other, then back down at the merchant, then back at each other.


    "You killed him, way to go." Professor Kal said, breaking the silence as he stood up from straddling the now dead merchant.


    "Me? I didn''t kill him, you did!"


    "I wasn''t the one kicking the poor man in the head!" Professor Kal retorted, shoving all the blame onto his student.


    "You could have just used some magic to restrain him!" Ryan pointed out with a forceful voice.


    Rushing to the door, Professor Kal opened it and poked his head out. Looking down the hall and seeing nothing, he shut the door behind him and locked it. "I don''t think anyone heard anything. We should be alright."


    Plopping down on a plush sofa with a floral pattern embroidered into the fabric, Ryan let out a deep sigh. "Why didn''t you just use magic? I mean, now he''s dead and we didn''t find anything out."


    "Have you tried to use magic since inhabiting your puppet? Go ahead, let me know how it goes."


    Furrowing his brows, Ryan set about moving his mana around in an attempt to cast a spell. He was able to instantly feel that there was a massive issue. In his own body, he was able to manipulate mana like he would his own hands. It was intuitive, as natural as breathing. Now, inside the paladin''s body, it was like he was trying to blow tar through a straw. He could feel the mana moving, but it took all his concentration to just get it to flow in the right direction.


    Giving up, Ryan turned to Professor Kal who was currently rifling through the merchant''s possessions. "Isn''t this going to be a problem? We''re defenseless without magic; unless you know how to fight?"


    Tossing away a piece of parchment, Professor Kal never stopped searching for any information as he answered. "Of course I know how to fight, but it shouldn''t come to that. We just need to fix his face up a little and lay him on his bed, his heart gave out anyway, so they''ll just chalk it up to natural causes."


    "Aha! Found it!" Professor Kal exclaimed as he pulled out a small, leatherbound notebook. Rapidly flipping through the pages, he eventually stopped on a page near the end of the book. Ryan watched as the Professor''s face gradually morphed into one of understanding, then immediately into one of confusion.


    "Have you ever heard of the ''Golden Dragon Merchant Co.''?" Professor Kal asked as he tucked the little notebook away into his chest pocket.


    Ryan, still seated on the fancy sofa, shook his head after some thought. "No, I haven''t. My father has dealt with almost every other merchant company in Amine, and he''s never mentioned them before, are they from S?ravast?"


    "His ledger says they''re based in Amine. Apparently, they paid him a hefty sum for ''consultation''." Professor Kal paused as he grabbed onto the dead merchant''s legs. "Come help me with this."


    As Ryan grabbed ahold of the other end he continued. "The only thing I see this man giving advice on is where the best places to eat are. So, I''m assuming someone has paid him to come here and spread lies."


    With a little bit of a heave, and a whole lot of hos, the two of them managed to get the extra-large corpse onto the well-built bed. Taking a kit out of his ring, Professor Kal began too expertly cover up the damage done to the man''s face. After a few minutes, the merchant looked almost as good as new, except for the fact that he was very much dead.


    "Won''t they see the makeup on his face?" Ryan asked the obvious question.


    Shrugging his shoulders, Professor Kal didn''t seem too concerned with that fact. "Well, it''ll be a while before they even find him up here, and even longer until someone qualified takes a good look at him. By that time, we should already be back in our original bodies. What we really need to do is figure out who runs this ''Golden Dragon'' business, whoever it is, must not want to live for much longer."


    ˇ­..


    Amazingly, no one inside the inn had noticed the loud commotion occurring on the second floor. It could have been because they truly hadn''t heard anything, or it could have been that they just didn''t care. Either way, Professor Kal and Ryan both left the inn without issue and made their way back to the large cathedral they had come from. Finding themselves in front of the towering statue of the Goddess of the Dawn, they took a moment to gather their thoughts.


    "So, we have about a week''s worth of energy before our puppets become completely useless. I doubt we''ll need that much time, but you never know, so keep that in mind." Professor Kal lectured quietly.


    "All we have to do is turn in the report you wrote, right? Why are you talking about a whole week?"


    "When will be the next time we get a chance like this? Can you imagine what secrets are hidden behind these walls, the magic they''re hiding from the rest of the world? We''ll need some time to thoroughly search this place."


    "Alright." Ryan nodded, not against the chance to learn more about magic. "What about the inn though, and what do we do when we do have to go back? We can''t just leave our puppets laying about, they''ll blame you no matter what the report says."


    "Who cares about the inn." Professor Kal said dismissively, brushing off Ryan''s annoyed look.. "And when we do need to return to our bodies, we''ll just arrange some small misfortune to occur, they''ll never suspect a thing."

 Chapter 90 - The Rooms

    Never in his long existence had he ever seen such a confusing layout. Each overly ornate door he walked through led to seemingly random destinations, even ones he walked through before would change where they led to. He assumed that the reason for the seemingly random warps were to dissuade anyone from finding something they were not supposed to, and it was working.


    Finding himself in yet another long, barren hallway, Professor Kal let out a frustrated sigh. He and Ryan had split up some time ago, opting to divide and conquer, but so far, he had conquered very little. There were several spells stored within his ring that he could use to make things much easier, but that would of course alert those within the church of his presence. Being that his magic was restrained while in the meat puppet, being discovered was something he wished to avoid.


    He ran his fingers over the smooth, painted walls as he slowly made his way down the hall. He held no great hope in finally finding his intended destination, but he could always count on his patience. Crossing over an invisible threshold, he felt the faint sensation of moving through space as the hall in front of him remained exactly the same. He reached for the brass doorknob, quickly turning it. This would be his one-hundredth and fifty-first door, so he wasn''t holding his breath.


    The door swung inward without a sound, only a whisper of air rushing out could be heard. Upon entering the space, Professor Kal could immediately tell that this room was different from all the others he had entered before. It was most definitely a library of some kind, books filled tall bookshelves that reached high into the air. A sense of longing filled his soul as he reminisced on his own library, hidden under the earth, now devoid of the books that once filled it.


    The door closed behind him, cutting him off from the hallway he just walked down and leaving him alone inside the massive library. He took a step forward before stopping with his foot hovering just above the ground. Just like the long halls that created the labyrinth like cathedral, this library was also filled with magical arrays that were almost impossible to detect.


    Donning the enchanted glasses, he began to study the rotating runes and shapes that they revealed. "So, this one here is a silent alarm, and this one traps them inside a barrier. Wouldn''t want any intruders to get away now, would you?"


    Taking great care not to trigger the alarms, Professor Kal used a small silver wand to alter the orientation of the runes that slowly rotated within the array. After several minutes, he finished with the first array and moved on to the second, not losing focus on the monotonous work. As he was hunched over the array that fueled a pair of steel golems hidden behind a false wall, the door leading into the library swung open and a pair of footsteps echoed throughout the vast archive.


    "Brother Unilith... what are you doing?"


    Straightening up and tucking the silver wand into his long sleeves, Professor Kal cleared his throat before answering. "Oh, well, hello there brotherˇ­" Suddenly, Professor Kal began to cough violently, distracting the priest from him not knowing his name. "Ah, excuse me, some spit went down the wrong tube."


    The priest cocked an eyebrow as he examined the man before him. "Since when have you worn spectacles? And what are you doing in the bishops'' library? Did Father Verlan give you permission?"


    Putting on his most disarming smile, Professor Kal took a step toward the frowning priest. "I''ve always worn these, please keep that fact to yourself though, it is dreadfully embarrassing." Putting the glasses away, Professor Kal continued. "And yes, I do have permission. How else do you think I managed to get in here?"


    Nodding his head, the priest put his suspicions aside. "Right, well, what is it that you''re looking for? Perhaps I can help."


    "I''m sure you know of the case I was assigned to."


    "Of course, it''s not everyday a necromancer pops up. Really, I feel sorry for the man. I doubt he really is dabbling in the dark arts, but you know how these things go." The priest said with a faux look of sympathy on his face as he let out a sigh. "Really, it should be an open and shut case. Why are you even putting in the effort to look into it?"


    "As Bishop Verlan said, ''It''s always better to cross your t''s and dot your i''s, makes less paperwork for you in the end.''." Professor Kal said, hoping he put the right name to the man he met with earlier.


    Chuckling, the priest grinned. "That does sound like Bishop Verlan. Come, I''ll help you find what you need."


    The priest walked deeper into the library, stepping over the already deactivated magical arrays and making his way to the one that he had yet to fully neutralize. As the priest walked over the magical array nothing happened, stopping in the middle of it, he turned around and beckoned the Professor to follow him. Crossing his fingers, Professor Kal took large steps into the library.


    "What''s wrong?" The Priest asked as he noticed Priest Unilith slightly hesitate before moving further into the library.


    Taking the last step with a little jump, Professor Kal let a small grin spread across his face as he answered. "Nothing, absolutely nothing. Everything is great actually."


    Emboldened by the lack of response from the magical array, Professor Kal followed the priest deeper into the library, making small talk as he did so. They walked for several minutes through rows and rows of shelves containing mountains of priceless books. Professor Kal only wished he was left alone so that he could have been able to study them.


    Coming up on a barred door, the priest began to slow down. "This is the forbidden section of the library. Everything concerning necromancy and other forbidden magic is stored behind this door. I''m sure that Bishop Verlan has given you the key, so go ahead, I''ll be around if you need me."


    "Oh, thank you so much." Professor Kal said as he slowly walked over to the door. Noticing that the priest hadn''t moved and was still standing there, watching him, he turned around. "You can go now, I can find my way back when I''m done, it might be a while, so there''s no use waiting for me."


    "I have no doubt that you can, I just want to make sure you make it in without any issues." The priest said, clasping his hands behind his back.


    "Rightˇ­" Professor Kal said as he went back to the locked door. Slipping the silver wand from his sleeve, he jammed it into the keyhole. Wiggling the wand around vigorously, Professor Kal tried to bump the lock open. It was the only thing he could do since he was being observed. Still struggling with the lock, Professor Kal could sense the priest moving in closer to him, peering over his shoulder.


    "Is something the matter Priest Unilith?"


    "Nope, just a stubborn lock is all." Professor Kal said, giving up on the lock and gripping the silver wand hard in his hand.


    Feeling something off, the priest just a few feet behind Professor Kal, began to chant a short spell. Instantly, Professor Kal spun around, brandishing the silver wand. Before the priest could finish the final word of power, the Professor jammed the wand into the priest''s eye and deep into his brain. Like a puppet with its strings cut, the priest crumpled to the ground, limbs twitching periodically.


    "Damnit, another mess to clean up." Professor Kal cursed as he went back to the door, this time producing a proper lockpick.


    For being a door that was supposed to protect the outside world from deadly, forbidden magic, it was pitifully easy for the lich to pick the lock. In only five minutes, the door swung open, welcoming the intruder inside like an old friend. Before he walked through the door, he turned around and dragged the priest''s body in with him, making sure to lock the door behind him.


    ˇ­..


    Poking his head around a corner, Ryan surveyed the long empty hall. It looked just like the dozens of hallways that he''d seen before, even the amount of lighting was the same. If he didn''t know better, he would say it was the same one that he''d been in several times before. Straightening up, and taking one last look behind him, he strode toward the only door at the end of the long hall.


    Professor Kal had told him to keep an eye out for anything worth taking but so far, the only interesting thing he had seen was when he walked in on a priest and a nun doing anything but holy acts. That was a very awkward situation for everyone involved, one that would take him awhile to get out of his head.


    Grasping the doorknob, he gave it a turn, hearing the click of the deadbolt sliding into place he pushed the door open. As soon as it did, the air from inside the hall rushed into the room. The force from the wind was so great that the door flew inward, yanking him along with it, and slammed into the wall of the room. Losing his grip on the door, Ryan was pulled into the room by the inrush of air, his heavy armor digging out divots into the hardwood floor as he bounced.


    The door he came in through slammed shut, cutting off the incoming air which stopped pushing him further into the room. Finally, no longer being pushed along, Ryan was able to stand. Immediately, he noticed that something was very wrong with the room he just entered.


    First was the silence. The room wasn''t just quiet, but there was absolutely no sound, even as he clapped his hands, he couldn''t hear anything. He tried to talk, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he could feel the air inside his lungs rush out, leaving them collapsed. His tongue was tingling in an uncomfortable way as wisps of vapor were coming out of his mouth and eyes. His entire body felt tingly as well, not as bad as his tongue, but just as uncomfortable.


    He was certain that if his body was not already dead, being inside this room would have killed him already. He took a step forward, trying to get used to the strange sensations covering his entire body. He noticed his hands were beginning to swell as he opened and closed them, luckily, they stopped before they got too large to be useful.


    "What in the fuck?" He mouthed, not sure what was exactly happening.


    He looked around the room he was sucked into, just noticing how dark it really was. The only source of light was far off into the distance, a soft blue glow that he could faintly see. The soft light failed to reach the ceiling or the walls, making the room seem like an endless black void. Even the door that had slammed shut behind him had melded into the absolute darkness, causing him to momentarily panic as he didn''t know any other way out.. The only thing he could do was make his way to the only light source within the room.

 Chapter 91 - Not In Kansas Anymore

    Stopping himself from immediately sending his soul back to his original body, Ryan took a few moments to calm his frayed nerves. He was in no danger of dying, and the strange feeling he was experiencing all over his body was uncomfortable, but not anything that he couldn''t withstand.


    With nothing else to go on, he started to make his way to the soft light that was far off into the distance. With each heavy step, no sound made it to his ears, but he could still ''hear'' the vibrations that would run up and down his body. He counted himself lucky that he didn''t have a heartbeat, if he did, he thought that the sound would drive him mad.


    He walked for several minutes, but still, the light he was chasing never seemed to get any closer. Whatever magic that made this room so large was lost to him, he only wished to have some of the tools that Professor Kal possessed so that he could ''see'' the arrays causing the phenomena. With the thought of magical arrays crossing his mind, he halted his steps. He was in danger of triggering any traps if he could not see them, without the use of his magic, he had no way to do so either.


    Shrugging his shoulders, he decided not to worry about it. He was already exceptionally far into the room and hadn''t triggered anything as of yet, and the fact that any living thing would have died immediately upon entering the room meant that the likelihood of traps also being in place were low. Although low, there was still a chance, so Ryan unsheathed his sword and continued onward toward the soft blue light.


    His eyes were so incredibly dry, every time he blinked it would feel like grits of sand were digging their way into the whites of his eyes. Any tears that he made would evaporate before they had a chance to do any good. It made much more sense to him to just keep his eyes open, so that''s what he did. It was difficult at first, the natural instinct to blink was very strong, but after a while he was able to overcome the urge.


    He had all the time in the world to practice his control over the bodily functions of his puppet as he walked. Even after an hour of keeping up a constant pace, the blue light had only grown in size but not clarity. He was committed though, with no other landmarks to go off of he only had two choices, continue on, or return back to his body. And the choice was already made, he would much rather endure the extreme discomfort for the entire week than be lectured by the Professor for giving up early.


    Ryan had no way to tell the time, even if he had a pocket watch there was no light nearby for him to see it. While Professor Kal had opted to wear his storage ring on his meat puppet, he had not. He was much too worried about loosing such a treasure and the items kept within. He had even hidden away the summoning amulet he always wore around his neck, so he was only in possession of what he was wearing and his sword.


    What felt like at least half a day had gone by, after walking nonstop, he had gotten close enough to the blue light to just faintly make out some characteristics. An enormous ice-blue diamond sat suspended above the ground. Obsidian bands seemed to be wrapped around the wagon sized gemstone, before trailing off into the black void, to someplace that he failed to see. Urged on by his curiosity, Ryan quickened his pace.


    Luckily for him, along with his undead body, his stamina was also infinite as long as the mana gem held power, so it took him little time to make up the remaining distance to the source of the light. Once the diamond came fully into view, he stopped in his tracks. The ''diamond'' that he saw at such a far distance was actually pure ice that had formed into the shape of the precious gem. The black lines wrapped around it were really arm-thick steel chains, runes were carved into the hard metal that were also glowing faintly.


    At the center of everything, trapped within the magical ice and heavy chains, was an ethereal beauty. Long, golden hair, frozen in time, draped over her sizeable bust, concealing them from view. Her face was the definition of tranquility, Ryan felt more at peace than he ever had just by staring at her perfect features. Flawless, cream-colored skin still looked supple and tantalizing, even when viewed through the thick ice.


    Even though Ryan was faced with the most beautiful woman that he had ever seen, and she was completely naked, he felt no sexual urges, only sympathy. While the woman''s face looked so peaceful and serene, and her skin so youthful and full of life; everything from below her ribs looked withered and decayed. Her creamy skin had wilted and blistered; Ryan could see the pus clearly from the other side of the ice. Her arms, although slender, conveyed strength and vigor, were sharply contrasted by legs that were atrophied and distorted.


    Something was very clearly wrong with the woman imprisoned inside, Ryan didn''t know what though. He had never heard of any condition that would affect the body in such a way, not even his Necronomicon spoke of such a thing in its passages. It was up for debate on if the woman was even still alive; who knew how long she had been here, or if she had died before being entombed.


    Taking his long sword, Ryan tapped on the magical ice. He couldn''t hear anything, but could feel the vibrations running through the sword and up his arm. They told him that the ice was extremely hard, much harder than his simple steel sword. He then turned his attention to the chains wrapped around the frozen prison, looking closely at the dozens of runes carved into its surface.


    Amazingly, most of the runes he recognized. They weren''t the ones commonly used in today''s magical arrays, but were much more similar to the ones that Professor Kal had been teaching him as of late. The way they were arranged suggested that instead of securing the ice, as one might think due to the chains themselves, they were being used to supply the ice with a continuous stream of mana. The runes continued on, repeating themselves on each link that he could see before fading off into the abyss.


    After making several laps around the ice, Ryan still didn''t have any idea what was going on. Was this woman locked away in here because she was dangerous? Or was she preserved in the ice, on her last breaths, in hopes of finding a cure to whatever disease that was afflicting her? He just didn''t know, and it didn''t matter anyway, he had no way of finding out in here. There was nothing but blackness as far as the eye could see, so making any other discoveries was impossible.


    Before setting back out into the darkness, in vain hope of finding the way out before his mana gem exhausted itself, Ryan placed his hand on top of the magical ice. Cold was not the first thing he felt, like he would have thought, instead, he felt a shock. It was like electricity was running through his hand, causing the muscles to spasm. It wasn''t a horrible feeling, not compared to what he was feeling just being inside this room, but more like a tickle that was growing by the second.


    His curiosity satiated, Ryan pulled his hand from the ice. Turning around, he was dumbstruck by what he saw. Instead of the black abyss that he had grown used to seeing, nothing but soft, green grass swaying in the wind could be seen. The sky was deep blue, puffy white clouds marched across the horizon, their bellies tinted a shade of gray. The sun was warm and pleasant, causing him to want nothing more than to just lay down and bask in its glory.


    Instead of giving in to his desires, he turned around in a panic, only to see that the ice was gone and so were the chains holding it. He ran a few steps, put off by the gentle breeze filling his robes. He looked down in shock once more, instead of his heavy paladin armor he was wearing, he was dressed in his robes from the Academy. He was even back in his original body, the meat puppet nowhere to be seen.


    Feeling himself all over, Ryan tried to convince himself that this wasn''t real. It couldn''t have been. Even if he had accidentally triggered some magical array, it would have transported him inside his meat-suit, not his original body that was safely tucked away in the basement underneath the inn. What he was in now must be an illusion of some kind, one that was trying to lull him into a false sense of security. He may be young, but he wasn''t stupid, the more peaceful the surroundings were, the more on guard he was.


    Closing his eyes, Ryan murmured a short chant. When he felt the familiar warmth flow towards his hand, he smiled. Opening his eyes he saw a small flame burning in the center of his palm, licking the tips of his fingers with its flickering tendrils. His magic was definitely working in this place, relaxing much of his pent up fear. At least he wouldn''t be completely defenseless should something happen to him. With renewed conviction, he picked a random direction and set off, keeping a wary eye on his seemingly tranquil surroundings.


    ˇ­..


    The ''forbidden'' section of the library was much larger than what Professor Kal had originally thought it would be. It was maybe the size of his own library, set up in much the same way, and housed several thousand tomes and scrolls in varying degrees of decay. Magical lanterns hung from the high ceiling, bathing the entire room in a gloomy atmosphere that fit the rooms monicker perfectly.


    Before setting off into the room, Professor Kal searched the body he had dragged in with him. Within one of his pockets was a small gemstone that had a single runes carved into it. Inspecting it closely, he deduced that it was the ''keystone'' to the entire library, allowing its wielder to traverse the archive without tripping any of the arrays. Unfortunately, that item was the only thing of value the priest had on him.


    Pushing the body off to the side, Professor Kal began going through the books one by one. Of course, he wasn''t reading each one of them, just merely glancing at the titles etched into their spines. Still, even with this approach, he couldn''t possibly hope to find anything useful in the amount of time left to him. He would just have to leave it up to fate, which was something he detested doing.


    Climbing up on a ladder, all the way on the top shelf some twenty feet off the ground, Professor Kal pulled a pure white tome from the shelf. The bright color of the cover, shining out like a beacon amongst the drab shells of its neighbors, is what drew the Professor in. No title was on the outside of the book, making whatever was inside a secret waiting to be unveiled. Still perched high on the wooden ladder, Professor Kal flipped the thick book open to its first, crisp page.


    "Those sneaky devils." He hummed to himself while shaking his head.


    "Hiding such a thing from the worldˇ­"


    Inside the radiant looking tome was a name, a name that even he thought was only a legend of old. Amaranthae Tragwyn. Legend had it that Amaranthae was the first High Elf ever to be recorded. She was also believed to have had the ability to commune with the spirits deep within the ancient forests, gleaning otherworldly knowledge of healing and arcane magic. All of today''s healing magic was based on her teachings, or so it was told. The truth could have been different, but nobody really knew.


    But Professor Kal surmised that at least some of it was true, at least that''s what this book would suggest. Inside were techniques used for healing magic that even left him impressed. Many of the ideas inside were innovative and unique, holding the ability to allow even an amateur mage to perform miracles.


    The fact that the church would keep such life saving magic from the masses, and instead opt to keep the status quo, was particularly malevolent. But then again, who was he to say what was right and what wasn''t? He had done numerous things that would have caused an uproar, everyone has their reasons, even the church.. Storing away the holy grail of healing magic within his ring, Professor Kal continued his search.

 Chapter 92 - Promises

    Ryan was terribly tired of walking. If he could, he would choose to hold up in his bed and not move a muscle for at least an entire week. Alas, like most things in life, things were not going his way. Just like the room he was in earlier; this space was equally as massive. He had been walking for hours with nothing to see but the white puffy clouds and the green grass gently swaying in the warm breeze.


    Stopping at the base of a small hill, Ryan decided to take a break once he climbed to the top. For some reason, his stamina wasn''t nearly as good as it was while he inhabited the meat-puppet. Even though he was certain he was inside an illusion, it would seem that he still grew tired like he would in reality. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he trudged up the slight incline, keeping his eyes on the ridge of the hill.


    Looking down from the top of the hill, Ryan shielded his eyes from the sun and let out a tired sigh. Things were just getting more and more confusing. Although he wasn''t sure what he was expecting to see while he was stuck in this place, a small lakeside cottage was not very high up on his list.


    Sunlight was reflecting off of the rippling water, making it look like a rolling sea of precious gems. Tall deciduous trees dotted the landscape around the half-moon shaped body of water, their leaves were deep green and shaped like palm sized stars. A short, rickety pier jutted out into the water, a small rowboat was moored to its side, bobbing up and down and bumping against the wooden pilons.


    A cozy little cottage set back from the water some fifty feet, its front door facing the opposite side of where he was looking. A stubby stone chimney was producing a slim flow of smoke that was being carried away by the breeze. Suddenly, Ryan thought that he could smell freshly baked bread, making him salivate no matter how much he told himself that something was wrong.


    Cautiously, he made his way down the grassy hill and toward the cottage. He kept his eyes on the wooden structure, just waiting for someone to come out, but they never did. Smoke continued to churn out of the chimney, the smell of baked bread and other goods were getting stronger the closer he approached. He could only hear the sound of the wind winnowing through the trees, and the lapping waves, breaking over the small pebble beach directly to the side of the pier.


    There were no sounds of any animals, not even insects could be heard buzzing about. He''d noticed the incongruity on his march here, and it was only being amplified by the oddness of everything laid out in front of him. Maybe whoever had made this illusion, no matter how realistic it was, was not skilled enough to replicate living things and all of their complexities. Or maybe they just didn''t care to? He didn''t know, but as he reached up to knock on the cottage door, he was sure he was about to find out.


    "Come in!" A clear, calming voice came from inside the cottage before he could even touch the door.


    Ryan hesitated, taken off guard by the sudden invitation. He was hoping to find someone that might be able to explain what was happening, but when suddenly faced with what he had wanted, he suddenly wasn''t sure if he really wanted it.


    "Please, come in and make yourself at home." The voice rung out again, the tone itself was inviting and soothing to the ears.


    "Oh, alˇ­alright." Ryan stammered before taking a deep breath and opening the front door.


    Once inside, he was assaulted by many different savory smells, much more than what he could smell from the outside. A small table, big enough for only two chairs, sat calmly underneath a single paned window. A down stuffed bed took up residence in the far corner of the single roomed cottage, its pristine white sheets pulled tight over the mattress. A quaint, wood-burning stove took up almost an entire wall, Ryan could feel the heat radiating off of it from where he was standing by the front door.


    But the thing that demanded his attention the most was the woman that was standing in front of the churning stove, humming a happy song that he was not familiar with. She had long, golden hair hanging far past her waist, swinging back and forth as she moved along with the tempo of her humming. She was dressed in a sleeveless, pale yellow sundress with frilly lace lining the bottom hem. A simple, white apron was tied around her waist and was covered in flour, pointing out the messiness of the baker wearing it.


    Turning around, the woman locked eyes with him. Smiling the most beautiful smile he had ever seen, she spoke. "Please, take a seat. Dinner is very nearly ready."


    She motioned to the small table underneath the window, causing Ryan to turn back to it. When he had walked by it initially, it was devoid of any dressings; but now, it was completely set with all of the cutlery and fine china one would expect to see at an evening meal. Ryan timidly pulled out a chair from the table and took a seat, keeping his eyes on the woman who turned around and continued cooking.


    "You''re the woman from the ice, aren''t you? What is this place? Where am I?" Ryan asked, trying to keep his accusatory tone from breaking through.


    Stopping her fluid movements at the sound of his voice, the woman turned to face him, a sad smile spread across her face. "Yes, that''s right. I know you must have so many questions, but please wait until dinner is ready, I''ll answer whatever it is that you want to know."


    Not waiting for a reply, she turned around to put the finishing touches on their meal, leaving Ryan to wallow in his own thoughts.


    ˇ­..


    "Now, go ahead and dig in. Just know that it''s been so long since I''ve had any visitors that I''m afraid I might be a little rusty in the kitchen." The beautiful woman said as she motioned to the feast that was currently sitting on the table in front of them.


    There was the freshly baked bread that Ryan had smelled on his way to the cottage, as well as a perfectly roasted duck resting on a bed of leeks, its oily skin shimmering in the sunlight streaming through the window. A crisp salad with dark, leafy greens filled a large wooden bowl. Accompanying the greens were an assortment of colorful, chopped vegetables that included tomatoes, peppers, and carrots among other things. Casseroles of different kinds sat off to the side, each one tempting him with their mouthwatering scents. Finally, there was a deep pie, filled with tantalizing caramelized apples, still baking in the oven.


    Everything was cooked with extreme skill; it was all fit for a king. Ryan had to hold himself back from following her lead and devouring the spread she had offered to him.


    "What''s going on here?" He asked instead of filling his plate with the irresistible food.


    Nodding her head, not looking put out at all due to her guest''s question, the woman brushed some of her golden hair behind her long, pointed ear before answering. "Well, let''s start off with introductions, shall we? My name is Amaranthae. What''s your name?"


    "You''re an elf?" Ryan blurted out before he could catch himself.


    "Wellˇ­ yes. Is that a problem?" She asked, cocking her head to the side.


    Seeing the overwhelmingly cute gesture coming from the woman, Ryan blushed in embarrassment and infatuation. "No, no, of course not." He said in a fluster. "It''s just that the only other elf I''ve ever met was the old, grumpy librarian."


    A soft giggle escaped Amaranthae''s rosy lips. "Rest assured, I may be old, but I am anything but ''grumpy''. After I answer all of your questions, you''ll have to return the favor and answer a few of mine as well, if you don''t mind."


    Nodding his head, Ryan agreed, feeling much more relaxed around the woman than he had at first. "Right, of course. First off, my name is Ryan. It''s nice to meet youˇ­ Amaranthae."


    Hearing his cordial reply, a radiant smile spread across Amaranthae''s flawless face. "Now, to start, yes, I am the woman that you happened to come across. And before you ask, unfortunately, I don''t know the circumstances of my imprisonment."


    Ryan furrowed his brows. "What''s that mean? You don''t know why you''re in the ice?"


    Looking down at her hands, Amaranthae almost seemed embarrassed. "I don''t remember. I don''t remember anything after that day. I was just walking through the forest, like I did every day, talking to the spirits that lived there. I stopped to rest at a nearby spring, thenˇ­ nothing." She took a deep breath before continuing. "The next thing I remember is being cold, so terribly cold, I almost couldn''t stand it. It took me a very long time, but I finally created this place; a place I could escape to, to get away from the cold."


    Ryan slowly shook his head, nothing she was saying made much sense to him. "So, this place isˇ­"


    "It''s all in here." She said, tapping her forehead with her long, slender finger. "You''re a mage, correct?" Seeing Ryan nod, she continued. "Good, then think of it as a separate plane, but instead of a physical one, one for your soul. Over the years, I discovered that I couldn''t use my magic in any meaningful way while being trapped, but I could still use my mind to sense my surroundings. Utilizing my mind, it was only a matter of time before I was able to create this place, my own little paradise."


    "If you were able to sense your surroundings, then could you tell what was going on around you while you were imprisoned?"


    "Well, yesˇ­ at first." She spoke. "For the first little while, I could feel a great many souls around me, all doing different things. But eventually, they all went away, I couldn''t even sense the air around my cell anymore, it was like everything had vanished. I thought that maybe the world had finally come to an end, up until I felt your soul making contact with me."


    She looked Ryan in the eyes, her face full of relief, and what looked like longing, longing for another. The look made his heart flutter, and his face turned red as a wave of different emotions washed over him. From the way she was talking, she had been imprisoned within the magical ice for an untold number of years. It was actually quite surprising that she was still sane after so long, alone, and isolated.


    A deafening silence fell over the small table, neither one of them had yet to sample any of the dishes. Ryan was in his own little world, trying to process everything that he''d just heard, while Amaranthae was worried about overwhelming the first person she''d talked to in ages. Moving silently, Ryan smoothed out the wrinkles in his academy robes.


    ''Let''s say I believe you." Ryan finally started, putting on his best poker face. "Why would anyone want to capture and imprison you? And what about your body? The state that it''s in wouldn''t be what I would call great."


    "Nothing lasts forever." Came her sad reply. "Even entombed within whatever it is that keeps me here, my physical body will still decay and die. Why whoever done this to me just didn''t kill me, I''ll probably never know, but I can still guess as to why."


    Leaning in closer, Ryan was hanging on her every word. "Why?"


    "Because of what I am, and what I can do." She spoke. "I am a High Elf, one that communes with the spirits of the world. I''m also a master of healing magic, able to heal otherwise fatal wounds instantly, even able to bring those that had recently died back to life. Who wouldn''t want to study me, try to steal my secrets and keep them for themselves?"


    "That should be impossible." Ryan said, thinking deeply to himself about what she had told him. "Bringing someone back from death would tear their soul apart, there would be nothing left to resurrect."


    Amaranthae smiled wide, even though the young man in front of him suggested that she was lying. Leaning forward herself, locking her deep, violet eyes with his plain brown ones, she spoke in a deep, sultry voice.. "Help me break free from this prison, and I promise that I''ll teach you many things."

 Chapter 93 - Something’s Amiss

    "Oh, it all sounds just so wonderful!" Amaranthae exclaimed, grabbing onto Ryan''s hands as they sat next to each other on the only bed in the cottage.


    His face instantly reddened at the physical touch; the woman next to him was the epitome of beauty, nearly irresistible. His hormones were currently raging through his body, causing his heart to race, his palms to slicken with sweat, and the hems of his pants to slightly lift off of the ground.


    "Well." He stuttered. "Itˇ­ it is pretty great, most of the time. I mean, to me, it''s pretty ordinary, but I can see how you''d think so."


    "So many people, so many soulsˇ­..." Amaranthae muttered under her breath as she looked far off into the distance.


    "I''m sorry, what?" Ryan asked, not sure he heard her right.


    "Oh, nothing, I was just thinking out loud." She said quickly, before changing the subject. "Thank you for telling me so much about the world outside, it seems that I''ve missed so much, but now we should talk about how to break the spell imprisoning me."


    A serious look plastered Ryan''s face as he nodded his head. "Right, so, where do we begin?"


    "Well, I''ve had a very long time to think about it, and the solution is actually very simple. My prison requires a constant supply of mana, all you need to do is either disrupt that supply or cut it off completely. Then I should be able to overpower my restraints, breaking free."


    "Are you sure? Are you strong enough to break free all on your own?" Ryan asked.


    "Maybe. I might need your help from the outside once you cut off the flow of mana. You''re a mage, so just attack the ice with all of your might, that should be enough." Amaranthae said, confidence shining from her violet eyes.


    An awkward chuckle left Ryan''s throat as he scratched the back of his head. "Uh, yeah, that might be a problem."


    "What do you mean?"


    "Well, it''s a very long story, but the short version is that I won''t be able to use magic once I leave here." He reluctantly confessed.


    Hearing what he had said, Amaranthae furrowed her brows. She wasn''t going to dig any deeper into what he said, it wasn''t her place, but the fact that he wouldn''t be able to use magic would pose an issue. "That is a problem, but one that I think you should be able to overcome, given some guidance."


    "What do you mean?"


    "If you can''t use magic, then you''ll just have to call upon something that can."


    Now Ryan was the one to cock his head in confusion. "I still don''t understand."


    "Spirits." She said in a soft voice. "I''m going to teach you how to communicate with the spirits."


    ˇ­..


    The forbidden section, deep within the bishop''s library, was currently in shambles. Old books were strewn all over the room, scrolls were unfurled, and the musty smell of ancient paper and iron ink permeated the hazy air. Professor Kal was currently sitting atop a small mountain of books, gnawing on the end of his long, dark pipe.


    He had long given up on discreetly searching through the numerous texts, and had begun to just tear through the books, putting anything that seemed to be of use inside his ring for later analysis. Everything else that didn''t make the cut, he simply left wherever. By the time anyone would discover the state of the room, he would be long gone, and they would be stuck with the mess.


    "Well, I think I''m about done in here. Now, what am I going to do with you?" Professor Kal said as he stood up and looked over at the crumpled up, cold corpse now covered in fallen books.


    "I''ve got several experiments that you could help me with, but then again, I''m sure someone is bound to miss you at some pointˇ­ Hmmmm."


    After thinking for a moment, and then quickly coming to a decision, Professor Kal put his pipe away and pushed the books off of the dead body. Propping up the body, with its back against the wall, he took a step back to inspect it. Other than a slightly bloody eye from where he had stabbed the man with his wand, the corpse was in perfect shape, making his next step much easier to pull off.


    Taking a blood red potion out of his ring, he sprinkled a few drops onto the body''s tongue, making sure not to get any on its robes. The crimson liquid sizzled and popped as it trickled down the dead man''s throat, noxious gases wafted out of its mouth, causing the Professor to pinch his nose to avoid the smell. As he waited for the potion to kick in, Professor Kal slung the priest''s dead body over his shoulder and made his way out of the forbidden section of the library.


    With the keystone safely tucked away in his pocket, he had no fear of triggering any of the magical arrays as he made his way toward the exit. Just before reaching the door, he unceremoniously dropped the body he was carrying onto the hard, stone floor.


    "That should be long enough." Professor Kal said, taking a step back from the body.


    As he waited for the potion to take effect, he brought out some flint, steel, and some accelerant. Just as he placed the materials on a table not too far away, a sliding, shambling noise sounded out from behind him. Turning around, he came face to face with the recently departed priest, standing hunched over and slowly swaying side to side.


    Professor Kal walked up to the animated corpse, grabbed its chin, and raised its head, looking into its dull eyes. "In ten minutes, take this and this." He said, letting go of its chin and placing the steel and flint into the corpse''s hands. "And hit them together, over and over again, got it?"


    Not even getting a grunt for a reply, the corpse rose both its arms in a clumsy manner and looked as if it was about to hit the two materials together. Instead of hitting them though, it froze in that position, waiting for the correct amount of time to elapse. Pleased with everything, Professor Kal nodded his head before taking the accelerant and splashing it on the books immediately around the waiting corpse. He made doubly sure to soak the corpse''s robes in the flammable liquid before slipping the keystone into its pocket, leaving the library, and closing the door behind him.


    ˇ­..


    The front of the cathedral was the exact same as when he left it. Priests and paladins busied about, going in and out of the many doors spread across the room. The massive statue of Thesan stood tall, watching all of those that passed beneath her. Professor Kal Hummed a tune as he stood with his back against the statue, garnering odd looks and shaking heads as he studied a pocket-watch he held in his hand. The second hand ticked away happily, oblivious to the fact that it was counting down to an event that would change the lives of so many, none for the better.


    "Excuse me, are you Priest Unilith?"


    An eerily familiar voice reached his ears over the constant low din, echoing through the massive foyer. Looking up, Professor Kal was greeted with a veiled woman, wearing a matching light-blue, silken dress. Another woman was standing at the ready, directly behind her, wearing light leather armor, with long sleeves and leather gloves to match.


    Already knowing who it was, Professor Kal let out a sigh, not liking where this was likely heading. "Who wants to know?" He replied gruffly.


    "I was told that you are the lead investigator concerning a certain man, is that true?" The woman said in a curt tone, avoiding his own question.


    "I am, and I''ve already turned in my report. So, there''s not really much to talk about." He said, looking back down at his pocket watch before snapping it shut and returning it to his pocket.


    His words seemed to have some effect on the woman as she took a step closer to him. "You''ve already completed your report, so fast? Shouldn''t it have taken at least a week or two, it''s only been two days."


    "What does it matter to you anyway? Don''t tell me you were in cahoots with a suspected necromancer!?" He said with an exaggerated tone.


    "Of course not, I was..."


    Before she could finish her sentence, a small tremor tore through the cathedral, causing the stained-glass windows to rattle in their frames and some neglected dust to fall from the timber rafters.


    "What the fuck was in that library?" Professor Kal muttered to himself, scratching his head as he turned toward the back of the foyer.


    Less than a heartbeat later, another, much more violent tremor gripped the cathedral. The windows shattered from the vicious shaking; a kaleidoscope of razor-sharp meteors bombarded those below that were running for cover. Fissures formed in the polished marble floor, and the hidden magical arrays dotted all over the cavernous lobby brightened before overloading and exploding. Those unfortunate enough to be too close to the arrays as they detonated were either severely burned or outright killed from the forceful ejection of mana.


    As pandemonium spread like a plague throughout the room, Professor Kal started walking toward the front of the church, leaving the two women behind him without saying another word. He wasn''t certain what was in the library that could have caused such an event, but he was certain that now would be a good time to make an exit.


    But before he could, a tertiary shockwave ripped through the church, this time causing him to actually lose his footing and nearly fall. He only remained standing due to the fact that he managed to spread his legs far apart and wave his arms about in a humiliating display.. Luckily, everyone that was within eyeshot of him had much more important things on their minds at the moment as a deafening, deep roar washed over them from somewhere deep inside.

 Chapter 94 - Broken Chains

    With a final wave goodbye, Ryan was sent out of the soul plane that he had just spent so much time in. Although on the outside only a dozen hours had passed, for him inside the soul plane, it felt like a little more than a week. Amaranthae had told him that time held no meaning inside the plane she had created with her soul, it was one of the main reasons that she was able to remain sane for so long in such isolation.


    He found himself standing there with his hand placed firmly on the magical ice, pulling his arm away, he found it to be almost frozen up to his elbow. It didn''t matter to him, the pain was tolerable, and he would be able to speak with the spirits without the use of his arms anyway.


    Closing his eyes, he began to recall the lessons Amaranthae had given him over the last week. According to her, even though spirits sounded much the same as ghosts and other monsters of that kind, they were in reality, vastly different. Ghosts and such were souls that failed to cross over, souls that were damaged beyond repair and stuck within the physical realm without a vessel. Spirits on the other hand were, simply put, sentient clusters of mana.


    Of course, the actual makeup of the spirits was much more complicated than that, but that was all that he needed to know about them to be able to speak to them. The difficulty of speaking with the spirits lay in their quasi-physical makeup. They were most definitely within the physical realm that all other living things occupied but being made purely of mana meant that they interacted with everything differently than anything else.


    Most of the time, the spirits didn''t even notice other living things, even if they were directly making contact with each other; the only thing they responded to were large fluctuations of mana, or certain words of power, which is what Amaranthae had taught him. Apparently, anyone could commune with the spirits, it was actually quite simple. All one needed to do was get their attention with a very specific ancient phrase, then convince them to act on your behalf.


    The only problem was that they would never do anything for free. In order for them to want to move to your will, whoever called upon them would need to barter with the spirits, giving them something in return for their favor.


    Taking a deep breath, Ryan started to recite the phrase that had been drilled into his head. "Sferetsil hior ca riqyistol, E bisiimhol elu tu hilf ci en ca teci up niid. Nokgil purthol ecni rijoleth auyrsiljisil tu ci."


    Speaking those words physically made his mouth hurt, the annunciation was very difficult to master, and even after over a week of just repeating the phrase over and over again he still felt like he butchered it. Of course, he was also standing in a perfect vacuum, so he had to wonder, if there was no sound, would the spirits really be able to hear his call?


    Amaranthae had said it wouldn''t be an issue, that as long as there was mana nearby, your intent would be felt by them. And after several long seconds, her words were proven true. A pale, white mist began to form around the magical ice. At first, Ryan thought that maybe his eyes were starting to fail him, but a soft, barely audible voice whispering inside his head told him otherwise.


    "Whatˇ­ do youˇ­ desire?" The ambiguous voice asked as the mist in front of him swirled on non-existent wind currents.


    "You''re a spirit?" Ryan asked after hesitating for a brief moment.


    "Isˇ­ that allˇ­ you wish to know?"


    "No, no, sorry." Ryan hurriedly thought, before changing the course of the conversation. "The chains, supplying the ice with mana, can you break them?"


    "Do youˇ­ understand what you areˇ­ asking?"


    Ryan nodded his head, clearly set on his current path. "I do."


    The mist swirled in absolute silence, as if it was contemplating something that Ryan would never understand. After several seconds, the pale mist ceased its ethereal movements, the soft voice once again echoed within Ryan''s mind.


    "A priceˇ­ must be paid, a priceˇ­ of fleshˇ­ and bone. To releaseˇ­ such a being onto the worldˇ­ is a follyˇ­ that you willˇ­ soon regret."


    Ryan furrowed his brows, he didn''t understand what the spirit was saying. "Wait, what are you talking about? What being? Are you talking about Amaranthae?"


    The spirit did not reply. It had already set about claiming its debt as the mist moved slowly toward him, encompassing his entire body in its transparent form. His arm, still frozen from the long contact with the magical ice, began to dissolve from the fingertips up. Shouting out, Ryan flailed his arm, trying in vain to shake the mist off of it.


    Nothing he did stopped his arm from dissipating into the mist. Now, his arm up to his elbow was gone, and there was no sign that it was stopping. At the same time, the runes carved into the large steel chains began to dim and flicker as the spirit carried out its end of the bargain.


    Ryan had set forth a series of events that he was no longer in control of. As the chains slipped off the ice, the spirit finally released him from its cold embrace. His entire left arm was now gone, even some of his shoulder was now missing. Even his armor wasn''t spared, only a large open wound remained, exposing dead muscle and cold bone.


    Terrified of what the spirit had did to him, and of the cryptic message it had uttered, Ryan took several shaky steps back from the ice. He was suddenly overwhelmed by a sense of danger as thick cracks began to form in the once seemingly unyielding ice. Even in the perfect vacuum, Ryan could ''feel'' the mana radiating out from Amaranthae''s body in rapid pulses. With each pulse that washed over him like massive waves of pressure, nearly bringing him to his knees, the ice broke apart even more and fell to the ground.


    Before long, the only thing left from the ice was rubble piled up on the ground, leaving Amaranthae suspended above it with her eyes still closed and her face still in its tranquil state of perfect beauty. Ryan stood there in awe as he stared at her. Slowly, Amaranthae''s eyelids began to flutter open, and her limbs began to twitch. She leisurely descended, landing on the ground, supported by her twisted, atrophied legs.


    Ryan was worried that she wouldn''t be able to stand on such injured limbs, but she seemed to have no issues as she took a few steps toward the chains still suspended from an unknown anchor point. Lifting up her slender arm, her golden hair fell from the soft mounds that they were concealing from sight, sending Ryan into a pubescent fervor as he gawked at the beautiful woman. Ignoring the large man awkwardly staring at her, Amaranthae grasped one of the chains, and pulled the chain down with seemingly little effort.


    The ground beneath Ryan''s feet rumbled, bringing him out of his stupor. His ears, that hadn''t heard anything in so long, were suddenly filled with an intense whistling as air rushed in to fill the black void. Like a heavy curtain being ripped off of its rings, the infinite black abyss that surrounded them fell all around them. Blinding light rushed into the room along with the tempest of air, causing him to close his eyes and try his best to plug his ears with his only hand.


    Once everything had settled down, Ryan opened his eyes, letting them adjust to the light that now filled the room. He was standing in the center of a large chamber, a highly intricate magical array took up much of the floor space, and arrays even filled the walls and ceiling of the room. The long, thick chains, along with the remnants of the magical ice were nowhere to be seen. Amaranthae was standing there, stark naked, staring at him with a vacant look plastered on her face.


    Ryan took a step towards her, putting his worries to the back of his mind. "That was pretty intense, we should leaˇ­."


    Cutting him off, Amaranthae threw her head back and started to cackle and screech, sounding nothing like the woman that he had spent the last week with. As she continued to laugh, the ''disease'' that was affecting her lower half started to rapidly spread to the rest of her body. Her remaining creamy white skin cracked and withered, thick pus leaking from the boils that sprouted from her pores. Her arms grew slightly longer, and her slender fingers transformed into hooked claws that were as black as a starless night. Golden strands of hair drifted to the ground, leaving her nearly bald, with only stiff, bristly white hair remaining on her head.


    Finished with her horrific transformation, Amaranthae locked eyes with Ryan as he was slowly backing away. Her beautiful, deep violet eyes were now cloudy white, sunken deep into her crooked face.


    "Freedom at last!" She spoke in a raspy, baritone voice. "That bitch thought she could rid me from the world! Using her own body to imprison me, only for a simpleton to come along and reduce her sacrifice to nothing!"


    Hearing those words, Ryan knew that he had fucked up, he grasped his sword hard in his left hand, still backing away from the monstrosity standing before him. A crooked smile spread across the monster''s face, exposing rotted yellow teeth. "Do not try to flee. You still have to receive your reward, remember? I promised to teach you many things. Oh, you seemed so eager then, didn''t you?" She stepped closer to him, causing him to flinch. "What''s the matter? You don''t find me attractive anymore?"


    "Whatˇ­ what are you?" Ryan asked, mustering his courage to speak.


    "Shhhh." It sounded, bringing a crooked, clawed finger up to its pursed lips. "Watch, watch as I show you what I am."


    With those words, words that shook his very soul, the creature that occupied Amaranthae''s body began to transform once again. The room shook violently again as the monster let out a bestial roar that rattled his brain. Its flesh bubbled and swelled, tearing at the joints. Its bones snapped before elongating and growing thicker, changing its shape completely.


    Ryan didn''t stick around to find out what the final result would be, he turned around and ran for the door on the other side of the room.. He didn''t look back as he flung it open and ran through it, leaving the horror behind him, roaring and transforming into something the world had never seen before.

 Chapter 95 - Feed Me Seymour

    Professor Kal scratched his chin as the people around him got to their feet, all of them looking around, fearful of the deep roar that had reverberated throughout the entire cathedral. Whatever had made that sound must have been uncommonly powerful, its presence alone was enough to overpower the magical arrays set up around the church, causing them to explode in spectacular fashion.


    His curiosity getting the better of him, Professor Kal returned to the statue where he had left the two women behind. They both had managed to stay on their feet by using the statue as support during the worst of the shaking, and where now standing around much like everyone else. He was about to suggest to them that they make their leave when a panicked voice shouted out from the back of the foyer.


    "Professˇ­ I mean, Priest Unilith!"


    Professor Kal brought his attention to an armless paladin, gripping his sword in one hand, with an extremely ugly look on his face as he ran through the curious crowd. Rolling his eyes, Professor Kal couldn''t help but curse at his incompetent prot¨¦g¨¦. "Godsdamnit boy! What the fuck did you do now?"


    Stopping right in front of him, with his grisly open wound bare for all to see, Ryan simplified the situation as much as he could. "Wellˇ­ you see, I may have done something stupid."


    "Well, that''s no surprise there!"


    Not bothering to argue, Ryan continued. "It really wasn''t my fault, you see. She tricked me, I thought she was wrongly imprisoned, and so, you know, I just had to get her outˇ­"


    Ryan''s oversimplified explanation was punctuated by another bestial roar ripping through the air around them. Noises of distant explosions could be heard, sounding like the cathedral was being torn apart, and they were growing closer. Screams and shouts were the next thing to be heard as priests, paladins, and nobles alike surged through the doors in the back of the room, running for the exit.


    "What''s going on? I demand an explanation!" The veiled woman interjected, her voice shaking underneath a firm veneer.


    Turning to her, Professor Kal shrugged his shoulders. "I have no idea Princess, but I would suggest leaving if I were you."


    "How did youˇ­" She started, before being interrupted by a rending tear coming from close by.


    "Professor, it''s coming." Ryan said in a somber tone.


    "Professor?!" Princess Alessandria said with a voice full of confusion. "Tell me what''s going on, immediately!"


    "Princess, we should leave, now!" Lilly said, dropping their poorly put together disguises, stepping in front of the veiled First Princess.


    "Both of you shut up!" Professor Kal spat before turning to the armless paladin. "Boy, we''re going to have some words when we get back."


    "Yes, Professor." He replied, hanging his head.


    With an explosion of wooden and stone shrapnel, the back of the foyer disintegrated as an otherworldly horror burst forth into the spacious room. It was every bit as tall as the twenty-foot-tall statue that they were standing next to. It was covered in warty, thick skin the color of bark, with six, whip-like arms ending in claws that could rend steel as if it were paper. It stood on hoofed feet that sent out thunderous shockwaves with each step it took closer to them.


    It looked around with rolling white, bulbous eyes at all the humans that were standing stock still in fear and shock. Its face was humanoid, but only in shape; it had a wide mouth, spanning from one long, pointed ear to the other. No nose sat on its horrid face, only two slits were present, slanted just above its dripping maw.


    "My gods boy, what would drive you to want to let THAT out?!" Professor Kal asked, a disgusted look on his face.


    "I swear, it didn''t look like that before."


    "Whatever, I think it''s about time we go, don''t you?" Professor Kal suggested.


    Just as he grabbed hold of the large paladin, the monster made its move. Scooping up the closest priests with its long arms, it brought them to its wide-open maw. Inside its mouth, instead of teeth, were thousands of wriggling worm like organs, reaching for the screaming priests as they flailed around in horror. Other nearby priests acted quickly, casting their most powerful spells, they launched a barrage of holy magic directly at the beast.


    Beams of pure light impacted the monster''s warty flesh, chains of radiant holy energy sprouted from the floor, wrapping around the creature''s six limbs. Paladins rushed forward, their bodies bulging as they called upon their own magic to invigorate their flesh, gripping their swords and morning stars. Ignoring it all as a rock would flies, the monster easily broke the chains attempting to restrain it and shrugged off the rays of scorching light. The paladin''s physical attacks left not even a mark as they bounded off its armored hide with each feeble strike.


    No longer restrained by the chains, it brought the priests back to its hungry mouth, the undulating, worm like organs latching onto their faces. Sickening, muffled screams could be heard even over the sounds of the attacking priests and paladins. Professor Kal watched in rapt attention as the priests'' bodies withered at a visible pace, soon, leaving nothing but empty husks that the monster let fall to the ground in crumpled heaps.


    With a triumphant howl, the monster bellowed toward the ceiling, causing all of those present to cover their ears. Even the brave priests and paladins that had taken up arms against the monster were shaken to the core, some even dropping their weapons and cowering in fear. One particularly unlucky paladin was squashed like a grape as the monster stomped down with its wagon-wheel sized hoof, his blood and viscera exploding out in every direction, splattering the ground with crimson.


    With speed that was unnatural for its size, the monster began grabbing every human within reach, bringing them up to its gaping mouth before sucking them dry. With each person that it fed upon, a miniscule ripple of mana spread throughout the room, completely going unnoticed except by one person.


    Professor Kal was currently pushing Ryan, still inside his meat-suit, hurriedly toward the front exit. He was using the paladin''s massive frame to bulldoze his way to the door, trampling anyone who did not move out of the way fast enough. Princess Alessandria and Lilly were right behind them, jumping over trampled bodies as they ran for their lives, trying their best to ignore the horrid screams and nauseating sounds of the carnage happening behind them.


    Bursting out of the front entrance, Professor Kal and the others followed the flood of people down the stone steps. Many people lost their balance, tumbling down the stairs, knocking over others as they did so; it was complete pandemonium. As soon as they all made it to level ground, Professor Kal produced a scroll from his ring, handing it over to the Princess.


    "Take a deep breath, then tear this scroll in half." He directed quickly. "It''ll take you away from here."


    "Whatˇ­ what is going on!? I demand an answer!" Princess Alessandria screamed out, her voice barely carrying over the chaos going on around her. She was terrified of what she had just seen, flashbacks of what she had gone through just weeks before resurfacing in her mind, making her scared and angry.


    "Just shut your trap and do as I say!" Professor Kal, still piloting his meat-suit, snapped back before addressing the armless paladin nervously pacing next to him. "Now would be a good..."


    Just then, the finely cut, marble stones making up the front entrance to the cathedral exploded outward, peppering the still running survivors in heavy boulders and splintered wood. Ryan ducked and covered his head with his only arm while Lilly''s shirt sleeve torn to shreds as her arm transformed into a kite shield, protecting her and the Princess from the debris.


    Looking up, Ryan saw the abomination standing atop the perron, grasping a few lifeless bodies in its clawed hands. Its cloudy eyes scanned those running around below it, the sound of alarm bells was just starting to sound out from nearby, alerting the city to the calamity that was befalling it. Hearing a ripping sound, Ryan turned to see Princess Alessandria hastily rip the scroll with trembling hands.


    Instantly, a Warp Gate sprouted into existence, its dark-purple, oval entrance floating just above the ground. Without hesitation, the two women leapt into the portal, disappearing without a trace as the gate closed with a popping sound.


    "Professor, what should we do now... Oh, SHIT!" He had just turned to where the Professor was just standing, only to find a red smear on the ground and a large stone sitting on top of it.


    It was very obvious that the Professor had met an untimely end, and it sent Ryan into a nervous fit when he thought about how angry he would be. He looked to the incoming monster and seriously considered if it would be worth it to just stick around and face it, rather than go back to the inn and confront the Professor''s wrath. Then he saw its wide, uncovered mouth containing the hundreds of writhing organs and decided that perhaps it would be best to just return to the inn.


    Just as the monster plucked him from the ground, Ryan completed the spell that would create a corridor for his soul, sending it back to his body waiting within the basement of the inn. Bringing the now limp meat-puppet up to its mouth, the organs latched onto its face and attempted to feed.. After a few seconds of not getting what it desired, the monster threw the body to the ground in enraged frustration, a little confused as to why the human it had pursued so far, didn''t have a soul to consume.

 Chapter 96 - A Little Drafty

    Opening his eyes, Professor Kal was greeted by muffled light filtering through a thin, yellow stained cotton sheet. He was back in the musty basement of the inn they had yet to name, the air was moist, and the smell of mold clung to his silken robe. Pulling the sheet off of himself, he groggily got to his feet, his world spinning slightly.


    Having your soul travel through the material plane unprotected was anything but a pleasant experience. Even for a lich, whose soul could be considered hardier than most, it was difficult to weather the symptoms. His undead body felt hot and fuzzy, his mana pathways were itching as his damaged soul started the process of repairing itself.


    Luckily for him, the link to his phylactery aided in the process, speeding up his recovery many folds as the chaotic energy from the other plane was funneled into his wounded soul. Straightening up, he stretched his fleshless bones, taking pleasure in the sounds of his cracking joints. After his light stretching, he regrew his mortal shell as he was expecting company to arrive at any moment.


    The two death-knights, still standing sentry by the basement entrance, followed a voiceless command and retrieved the body of his young student that was sitting on the floor. As gently as drunken bears, the death knights began to strip the young man naked, his skin unconsciously growing goosepimples from the cold, subterranean air.


    A Warp Gate appeared in the center of the room and two disheveled women came spilling out of it, forming a tangled pile on the floor. The portal closed behind them and they quickly looked around, taking in their unfamiliar surroundings, before finding an all too familiar face staring down at them. Before they could attempt to ask any questions, a groggy moan came from not too far away, drawing their attention to two, very large black knights, and the very naked young man they held in between them.


    Ryan opened his eyes as his mind was still processing everything that was going on around him. It was unusually cold at the moment, and for some reason his body ached all over like he had been inside a wash basin. As his eyes attempted to focus in the dim light of the basement, he saw Princess Alessandria and her personal guard, Lilly, awkwardly looking away from him as they sat on the ground. Just next to them was Professor Kal, standing there with his arms crossed and a smirk spread across his plain face.


    With a wave of just a finger, Professor Kal created a frigid breeze that rolled through the dark basement, causing Ryan to shiver. With the Professor''s help, Ryan suddenly realized why it was that he was so cold. Embarrassed beyond belief, Ryan tried to step behind one of the death-knights, only to be grabbed by the two of them and held into place.


    "Professor!" Ryan shouted out. "What are you doing?!"


    "You got me killed, you little shit. I believe it''s a fit punishment, consider yourself lucky I don''t have these two march you up there in front of everyone in the inn!" Professor Kal barked at the horrified boy.


    Ryan started to struggle, but soon discovered how futile it was to try and overpower the two monstrous summons. The only thing he got for his trouble were more bruises on his arms and shoulders. As his student hung his head in defeat, Professor Kal turned his attention to the two women that had just gotten to their feet.


    "Now, I''m sure you both have loads of questions; unfortunately, I''m not going to answer any of them. So, you two set tight down here for now, ok?"


    "What are youˇ­" Princess Alessandria started to say when iron bars rose up from the hard packed floor, reaching all the way to the ceiling, confining them in a tiny jailcell.


    Shocked by her treatment, Princess Alessandria grit her teeth in anger while Lilly''s arm morphed into a blunt hammer before striking at the iron bars, creating sparks that helped light up the dim basement. Still being held between the two death knights, Ryan lifted his head, looking at the commotion.


    "What''re you doing now?" Ryan asked nervously, still beet red from embarrassment.


    "I''m protecting my cash cow. Can''t have her running around, getting herself killed." Professor Kal said, pointing to the Princess.


    "Excuse me!? I AM NOT a COW!" Princess Alessandria scolded him from behind iron bars, clearly very offended by the Professor''s offhanded insult.


    Turning to face the angry Princess, Professor Kal glared at the woman. "Shut it, Princess. You''re lucky to be alive, so I don''t want to hear anything coming from you, got it?"


    Turning a shade paler after seeing the look in the mage''s eyes, Princess Alessandria took a step back from the iron bars but couldn''t help but mutter something as she did so. "Asshole."


    Ignoring the insult, Professor Kal took Ryan''s crumpled up robes and tossed them to him, hitting him in the chest with them before they fell to the ground. The two death knights released their grips on the boy at the same moment, allowing him to timidly bend over before he hurriedly dressed himself.


    "Let''s hurry up there, I''m sure whatever you let out is just wreaking havoc, and the more of the city we save, the more they''ll have to pay us." Professor Kal stated.


    "Won''t someone hear them?" Ryan asked, pointing to the two women.


    Professor Kal shook his head. "We don''t have to worry about that." He turned back to the Princess. "So, just relax down here for a bit, and when I get back, we can talk business."


    ˇ­..


    The inn was as boisterous as it was the last time Professor Kal had seen it, still filled with travelers displaced by the sudden outbreak of war. Many of them were only carrying what they can in their pockets, having been forced to sell the rest to afford a place to stay and warm food to fill their bellies. By now, the alarm bells had spread to this side of the city and could faintly be heard through the thick wooden walls and the low roar of the people inside.


    There were several new faces running about, taking orders, and talking to guests. Professor Kal had heard that Ben had went out to find some help with running the day-to-day operations, and it would seem that he was successful in that endeavor. But he didn''t really care, they could run the inn into the ground for all he cared. He had just bought the place on a whim, not even with his own coin for that matter, for a reason that he couldn''t remember now.


    Shaking his head, driving away the superfluous thoughts, Professor Kal strode across the lobby of the inn with Ryan in tow. Stopping at the front counter, Professor Kal grabbed Ryan by the shoulder. "Go and get everyone, bring them here."


    Nodding his head, Ryan took off at a brisk pace, not wanting to make the Professor wait any longer than necessary. After a few minutes, and a little persuasion, Ryan managed to tear everyone away from the busy work they were doing. Ben and Richard actually looked relieved to have an excuse to get away from what they were doing, while Laura seemed just a little upset at the fact that Ryan had disappeared for more than a day without her knowing where he had gone off to. Professor Treffle on the other hand looked disinterested in the whole ordeal, like she had something else on her mind, as everyone waited around for the Professor to speak.


    Clapping his hands together, Professor Kal brought everyone''s attention to himself, even a few of the nearby patrons turned to look at the well-dressed mage. "Alright everyone, long story short; there''s a monster on the loose in the city, so don''t leave the inn, or you might be killed."


    At those foreboding words, everyone present perked up, not sure they had heard him right. Even the eavesdropping guests stopped talking long enough to finally hear the alarm bells that were still ringing outside, alerting the city of danger. Peeking out the windows, gasps could be heard as the guests could see the city guard, along with adventurers of every rank, hurrying deeper into the city.


    "Where in the city? Tell me!" Professor Treffle shouted, pulling everyone''s attention from the windows to herself.


    "What''s gotten into you?" Professor Kal asked, taking a step back from the fanatical woman.


    "Just tell me already!"


    "The noble district, the last time I saw it." He hurriedly answered, fearful of her sudden serious look.


    Without another word, Professor Treffle bolted out of the inn and into the frigid winter air, running in the same direction as all of the other guards and adventurers. Professor Kal looked to the others, trying to figure out the odd behavior, but only received shrugging shoulders and shaking heads as an answer.


    "Whatever." He finally said before moving on. "You lot stay here then, you''ll be safe. Me and dumbass over there will be back after a bit."


    "Why are you taking Ryan with you?!" Laura blurted out, still angry at her boyfriend for abandoning her, but concerned for his safety.


    "It''s his mess, he''s got to help clean it up."


    Leaving no room for argument, Professor Kal opened up a Warp Gate right there in the middle of the lobby before grabbing ahold of Ryan and pulling him through it. With the portal closing right on her nose, Laura let out a frustrated huff before stomping off toward her room. Ben and Richard, who both had remained silent thus far, looked at her as she stormed off, questioning what she was doing. A quick minute later, Laura returned, dressed for the winter chill.


    "C''mon you two, we just can''t stand around and do nothing." She said, expecting them to follow her out.


    Richard, looking ghastly pale, timidly retorted. "Bˇ­ but the Professor said to stay put."


    "Fine, stay here then, I''ll go by myself." She said, not willing to argue with her timorous friend.


    Ben let out a reluctant sigh as he turned to leave. "Hold on, let me grab my coat."


    Laura nodded her head, her long ponytail bobbing along with her motions. After another minute, Ben returned wearing his thick winter jacket, carrying something in his arms. With a bit of force, he shoved another jacket onto Richard, a stern look on his face.


    "You''re not getting out of this one so easily.." He said.

 Chapter 97 - Ignition

    Stepping out of the Warp Gate, Professor Kal scanned his surroundings. The entrance to the Cathedral was in ruins, splintered wood and shattered stone lay everywhere, scorch marks were etched into the large stone walls that framed the entrance. Thick, dark smoke was finding its way out of the massive cathedral, deep inside there was a fire raging. A handful of mangled bodies lay in frozen pools of blood, dozens of carrion crows were already circling overhead, waiting for the right time to come down and feed.


    "Oops." Professor Kal said absentmindedly as he suddenly remembered what he had set up inside the bishops'' library.


    "What is it? What''s wrong?" Ryan asked from behind him, on edge, as he was looking around for the monster with wide eyes.


    "Oh, nothing, don''t worry about it." Professor Kal answered as he made his way to where his meat-puppet had met its end.


    Circling around the large stone that had crushed him, Professor Kal found what he was looking for. Sticking out from underneath the heavy stone was Priest Unilith''s arm, with hand attached. On his middle finger was Professor Kal''s storage ring, still looking impeccably clean even amongst the blood and filth. Slipping his treasure back onto his own finger, a small smile spread across his plain face. He was naked without his ring, now that they were reunited, he felt complete.


    "Great. Now, let''s go find that thing, shall we?" Professor Kal said to his student that had his head on a swivel.


    "Shouldn''t we prepare or something? Do you have any ancient artifacts or rare potions that could help us kill it?" Ryan asked, expecting his teacher to carry the day.


    Shrugging his shoulders, his black and purple robe flowing like water in the winter breeze, Professor Kal answered. "Oh, I probably do, but where is the fun in that?"


    "The fun? People are dying and you''re worried about the fun?" Ryan said with a stunned face.


    "No, not just the fun." Professor Kal started as they walked towards the sounds of battle and mayhem. "Just think about it. If I go in there and slay this beast with little to no effort, then they''ll think that it really didn''t pose a threat. But, if it rampages around, causing massive amounts of damage and casualties, then they will see just how horrendous it was."


    Ryan stopped in his tracks; his face scrunched up as his brain tried to work out his teacher''s train of thought. "I still don''t get it. Why do we want to do that?"


    "Money! Well, not just money, there''s other benefits as well, but mainly money." Professor Kal said with a chipper tone. "If we topple a monster capable of destroying, let''s say, half the city; then they will have no choice but to pay us handsomely for our troubles!"


    "You''re a terrible person, you know that, right?" Ryan stated as he caught up with the Professor.


    "Hey! I''m not the one that let that thing out, am I?" Professor Kal snapped back as they exited the walled courtyard of the church and walked into a wide, paved road.


    Directly across from them were two story villas, with large bay windows and enough space between them for small, manicured courtyards; they were the perfect homes for those with enough wealth. The villas stretched down the road both directions for well over half a mile, smaller roads broke up the line of dwellings every half-dozen houses, allowing for foot-traffic to access the roads behind them. But right now, there was no foot-traffic, the road was completely deserted, except for something neither of them was expecting to see.


    "Are they zombies?" Ryan asked.


    "No, they''re something else, something I''ve never seen before." Professor Kal said, his voice full of hardly concealed excitement.


    Shambling randomly down the road were the withered bodies of those that the monster had fed upon. They were making no sounds as they took slow steps towards unknown destinations, their mouths hanging open in silent screams, revealing white teeth and black gums. Their eyes were what the two found the most fascinating, and the most unnerving; they were the darkest of blacks, bereft of any light whatsoever.


    Their eyes seemed to see nothing, and everything, at the same time. Their heads moved in jerking motions as they scanned their surroundings, looking for something that the Professor and Ryan could only guess at. One creature, dressed in city guard''s armor, noticed the two of them standing motionless on the road. Its previously torpid movements shifted into a dead sprint as it ran at them with widespread arms and gnashing white teeth.


    "Well, they''re much faster than zombies." Professor Kal stated matter of factly "And he''s bringing some friends along as well."


    Along with the reanimated guard, came over a dozen other former humans, all dressed in fine clothing or priestly garbs. Ryan found it unnerving that they made no sounds as they closed the distance between them, yes, he could hear their pounding footsteps and the clanking armor of the guard, but there was no moans or shouts, not even heavy breathing could be heard. Their speed was not anything super-human, apparently whatever magic transformed them had not granted them enhanced capabilities.


    Lifting up his hand, Ryan took the initiative. After reciting a short chant, black bolts of lightning jumped from his fingertips, arcing the fifty-foot gap, and striking the lead monster. Even being struck by magic wasn''t enough to illicit any sound from the reanimated corpse, it convulsed where it stood, its leather armor cracked and popped as the lightning cooked the animal hide. Some of the other corpses drew close enough that the lightning jumped from the first, to them, although the effect was much less, they still trembled from the lightning.


    Cutting off the supply of mana to his spell, Ryan let his arm fall to his side. It would seem that he was successful in stopping the walking dead from attacking them, although for some reason they had yet to fall to the ground. He and Professor Kal stood still, watching them, waiting for whatever was to happen to happen. In just a short minute, the armored corpse, with his skin a coal black, took jerky steps towards them once more.


    "It looks like he wasn''t done yet." Professor Kal stated as he watched the animated cadaver pick up speed, although with difficulty.


    "I put a quarter of my mana into that!" Ryan exclaimed, surprise filling his cracking voice.


    Scratching his chin, even as their attacker was drawing closer, Professor Kal posed an idea. "Maybe they''re resistant to magic? Or just lightning, although that lightning had your death affinity mixed in as wellˇ­ hmmm."


    With a snap of his fingers, red hot flames erupted from the cobble stone road, engulfing the lead monster in a ravenous inferno. The flames died down almost as fast as they appeared, leaving a shriveled-up heap of bones and black ash.


    "Well, they''re not resistant to fire. Maybe you just needed to put some more ass into it?" Professor Kal suggested.


    Following the Professor''s lead, Ryan''s next attack was a simple fireball spell. The melon sized ball of flame arced through the air, a deep whooshing sound following it as it super-heated the air around it. Coming into contact with a dried-out nobleman, it exploded, sending bright light and glowing embers in every direction. Once the bright flash of light and heat had subsided, Ryan was once again shocked by the sight of the monster still running toward him, only now, completely naked and scorched black.


    Five, arm sized spikes of ice sailed through the air, impaling the monster. One spike managed to completely remove its head, leaving only a blackened, skewered body flailing around, grasping at air. As Ryan looked at the other dozen creatures almost upon them, they all burst into white flames. The heat was so great that it forced him to turn and protect his head or else all of his hair would singe off. In a matter of seconds, only he and Professor Kal remained standing, along with the skewered corpse still squirming.


    "Tough, aren''t they." Professor Kal said with a bit of appreciation in his voice as he made his way to the burnt pincushion.


    "I''m sorry Professor, I thought I had put enough mana into that." Ryan said, disappointed in his lack of strength.


    Professor Kal shook his head as he studied the reanimated corpse, dodging its clumsy attempts to grab hold of him. "For once boy, that was not your fault."


    Ryan cocked his head as he looked up at the Professor, doubting his own ears. "What do you mean?"


    Having gotten everything that he had wanted from the monster, Professor Kal snapped his fingers, quickly reducing it to nothing but ashes. "It''s resistant to magic, not just magic but mana itself."


    "Then how do they still move around if not powered by magic?" Ryan asked, taxing his fundamental knowledge of reanimating the dead, trying his hardest to understand what the Professor was talking about.


    "I don''t know!" Professor Kal exclaimed, an honest to goodness smile spreading across his usually placid face. "I''ve never seen anything like it before, none of my mana detectors could sense what was animating it, it''s a complete unknown. Isn''t it EXCITING?!"


    "Well, it would be, if people weren''t being killed right now." Ryan stated, his mind not finding the same wonder the situation as his mentor''s.


    Waving his hand dismissively, Professor Kal flicked the sleeves of his exquisite robe, turning to his student. "Who cares about them? This is the discovery of the millennia!"


    Even as they bantered back and forth about the significance of the corpses functioning on another form of energy other than mana, the ghastly sounds of battle could be heard echoing off of the nearby buildings. The city guard had been fully deployed to the nearby area, evacuating civilians from the noble district, and desperately trying to do anything to stop the creature from feeding any further.


    Word spread rapidly throughout the city that an unknown monster had begun rampaging within the noble district, killing all in its path. Those in other districts were unmoved by the noble district''s plight. The noble district was almost a completely different world to them, many found it to be divine punishment that had fallen upon the corrupt upper class, taking joy in the thought that they were being killed. Of course, there were also those that took advantage of the fact that the city guard had moved almost all of its force into the noble district, they began to loot and steal, knowing that the chances of being caught were nil.


    The sudden war had changed the composition of the city of S?ravast, there were many within the city that had been displaced by war, or those that were forced to stay there due to the border being a literal warzone. With so many mouths to feed, especially during winter, it was inevitable that many thousands would go hungry. Then came the monster attacks from the nearby Cassian Forest, driving those camped outside the walls to take refuge within them, increasing the discontent population even further.


    All of these factors had created a powder keg within the shining city, just waiting for ignition, this sudden attack by an unknown monster was the spark.. Just the heated rumor of their country being unable to contain a single monster was enough to completely shred any lingering hopes they had left, leaving them with only one choice, to fight for their own survival.

 Chapter 98 - Locating The Beast

    "How many of these things are there?" Ryan asked, breathing heavily while sweat dripped from the end of his nose even though it was the dead of winter.


    Professor Kal looked over his shoulder at his exhausted student, subtly shaking his head. "Here, drink this, it''ll put a little pep in your step."


    Professor Kal produced a long, thin glass test-tube as big around as a finger, that was corked on one end. Inside was an orange liquid that bubbled each time it sloshed within its container. Taking it from the Professor, Ryan inspected it suspiciously. He was a little hesitant to drink some random potion his crazy professor just handed him, but his mana was running dangerously low, and they still hadn''t caught up to the monster yet.


    For the last hour they''ve had to kill dozens of those walking corpses created by whatever had taken over Amaranthae''s body. Each he killed took him about a third of the total mana he held within his body, making the progress extremely slow. Professor Kal only stepped in when there were more than three of such creatures, telling him that ''You only grow stronger by pushing yourself to the absolute edge''. His words did make sense to him, but due to the seriousness of the matter, he wished that the Professor would assist him more than what he had so far.


    Pulling the cork out of the glass tube with his teeth, Ryan put it to his parched lips and drank the contents in one large gulp. It was cool going down, almost so cold that it burned. Once reaching his stomach, he could feel the cool sensation coating his stomach before moving down into his bowels. He found it very uncomfortable and started to squirm, attempting to rid himself of the strange feeling.


    After a few seconds, the cold sensation faded away into nothing, leaving him curious as to what the unidentified potion really did. Before he could ask though, he felt the mana inside his body begin to swell, and soon was completely refreshed. He quickly cast a spell, only taking up about a tenth of his mana, and found that his rate of mana recuperation had multiplied ten-fold.


    "Why didn''t you give this to me earlier? We could have saved a lot of time." Ryan asked, not finding any side effects by drinking the orange liquid.


    Professor Kal turned to go down a narrow alleyway, answering as he did so. "Well, it doesn''t last for very long, only about an hour or so."


    "Does that mean we''ve almost caught up?" Ryan asked the obvious question.


    Professor Kal nodded his head as he continued on, walking at a brisk pace. "Just a few more streets over."


    "How can you tell? The sound is coming from everywhere." Ryan stated, pointing out the fact that the sounds of battle were echoing off of every building as they drew closer, making it almost impossible for him to discern which direction it was really coming from.


    Professor Kal slowed his pace, eventually coming to a stop. With his pointer finger, Professor Kal stuck it toward the sky above the buildings some distance away. There, circling high in the sky, were hundreds of large, jet-black birds. "The carrion crows follow the corpses."


    ˇ­..


    Peering around the corner of a high-end weapons shop, Professor Kal studied the battlefield not too far in front of them. Somehow, they had managed to lure the creature into a large plaza situated inside the noble''s district. The cost of luring the monster must have been great; crushed, and mangled bodies littered the plaza, the braver of the carrion crows were already feasting on the still warm flesh even as the battle still raged on around them.


    The city guard, along with the adventurers, paladins, and priests, were fighting a losing battle. The paladin''s steel kite shields could only withstand a few blows from the monster''s claws before becoming so warped as to be unusable. The priests were exhausting themselves, constantly buffing their holy counterparts and healing any wounds that occurred. But even with their most powerful holy spells, they could not keep up with the amount of damage they were sustaining, with every other attack another paladin or adventurer would die.


    Professor Kal watched with narrowed eyes as more of the city guard poured into the large plaza, the number of combatants numbered in the hundreds. Nevertheless, no matter how many bodies were thrown at the monster, it was still unscathed, not even bothering to try and avoid the attacks coming its way. It was obvious to him that it was merely playing with its food, enjoying the despair its prey was experiencing.


    "Professor, what do we do?" Ryan asked, his voice hinting at his apprehension.


    "We wait just a little longer. Do you feel it? The ground, the calvary is coming." Professor Kal stated, not taking his eyes off of the one-sided battle.


    Ryan diverted his attention to his feet, trying to feel what the Professor was talking about. After a few seconds, he could. A low rumble shook the ground, it was faint at first, but quickly grew in intensity. A moment later, he could hear a cacophony of hoofbeats thundering towards them. The windowpane of the weapons store they were standing by vibrated violently in its frame, the rapid rattle announcing the arrival of the Royal Select.


    Over a hundred knights in polished steel armor rode into the square, stopping some distance away from the ongoing battle. Being pulled by six horses was a highly ornate, massive carriage. Professor Kal could sense the mana coming from inside, immediately informing him of who must be within.


    "Ah, they''re taking this seriously." He said, grabbing Ryan''s attention.


    "Who is it?"


    "Their Royal Mage, I can''t remember his name, but I can feel his mana from here. Watch closely, you might just learn something."


    The Royal Select''s captain began barking orders from atop his steed. Immediately, the over one-hundred knights dismounted and got into formation, their movements were fluid, almost mechanical, indicative of their relentless training. Forming a solid wall of flesh and steel, the Royal select stood with shields at front. The creature, standing every bit of twenty feet tall, wasn''t oblivious to the movements of the new arrivals. But instead of seeming fearful, a wicked grin spread across its humanoid face. Also noticing the arrival of reinforcements, the remaining adventurers and city guards retreated under the protection of the paladins, and priests reinforcing them.


    Now standing alone amongst a field of corpses, the monster started to take in deep breaths, its chest expanding with each one. The Royal Select remained motionless, waiting for the creature to make a move. The large carriage''s door swung open, allowing several well-dressed mages to disembark. The last to leave the carriage was a tall man, with salt and pepper hair. He was wearing a majestic robe that was black with iridescent mithril hems.


    Professor Kal couldn''t hear what they were saying to each other as they watched the monster, but he figured that they were waiting to see what was going to happen, just as he was. In only a moment, the monster stopped taking in air and opened its mouth wide; a black miasma bellowed out of its open maw, contrasting sharply with the white snowy ground. In another breath, the miasma settled over the ground, creating a dense fog that covered the entire plaza.


    "Professor, what is that?"


    "It didn''t look like a spell, but I could be wrong. I really don''t know." Professor Kal said, as he scribbled away in his notebook.


    This day had been chalked full of new discoveries, his anger at his student for getting him killed earlier had completely disappeared. He watched intently as the black fog sunk lower and lower towards the ground, seeping into the bodies strewn about. He had an idea of what was coming next but was quickly proven wrong.


    Although mana was not in play here, Professor Kal thought that the monster was raising the dead in much the same way as he would, just utilizing a different medium to do so. As the first body began to twitch, the Royal Select unsheathed their swords, preparing for combat. More and more of the hundreds of bodies began to convulse, tortured moans and screeches spreading across the plaza. The more than fifty priests that had taken refuge behind the line of knights, pushed through their exhaustion, and cast several cleansing spells, trying to stop the undead before they had a chance to rise.


    Much to their consternation, their Holy spells had no effect whatsoever, the bodies continued to violently writhe on the ground. Before they had a chance to attempt their spells once more, the bodies suddenly stopped their movements all in unison. An eerie silence filled the air, only the startled calls of the carrion crows could be heard mixed in with the winter wind blowing across the plaza.


    The last little bit of the thick miasma faded into nothing, Professor Kal took a step closer to the battlefield, trying to get a better look. Maybe the Holy magic had succeeded? Without mana to sense, he had no way of telling for certain. A low murmur spread throughout the ragtag combatants behind the Royal Select, many voices were expressing their relief at a small victory. Some even went as far as to drop to their knees and pray to the Goddess of the Dawn, thanking her for this small miracle.


    Almost as if a malevolent god was mocking them, all of the bodies violently burst open, sending blood and gore spurting in every direction. Bubbling up from inside the bodies was a mass of veiny flesh that continued to grow with every passing second. Soon, hundreds of eight-foot-tall cocoons stood where once there were bodies, pulsing rhythmically like a heartbeat.


    Not daring to wait for whatever was inside to hatch, the mages, along with the Royal Mage, began chanting simultaneously. Professor Kal could sense the mana rushing from every direction towards them, building up within the Royal Mage. The Royal Mage was using the other mages around him to help channel more mana than what he would normally be able to handle, all in order to cast an extraordinarily powerful spell.


    The grey winter sky, filled with low hanging clouds, instantly darkened. It was as if night had suddenly befallen the entire plaza, it was hard for Ryan to even see the monster, even though it had been clearly visible only moments before. The gentle winter breeze reversed, now being drawn toward the center of the plaza and with increasingly greater speed. The wind soon grew into a fierce gale, ripping the roofs off of nearby buildings, and pulling anything not nailed down into the plaza.


    The monster dropped down, digging all of its claws into the frozen ground. Even then, it started to be pulled toward the center of the plaza, leaving deep gouges in the ground. Dozens of the cocoons, still beating like hearts, were pulled from the ground; exposing long, thick fleshy roots that were anchoring them. The dark storm continued for several long seconds, Ryan was very nearly pulled along as well by the strong winds, he was only stopped by Professor Kal grabbing ahold of him before he lost his footing.


    Gradually, the wind died down and the darkness faded away, revealing a vastly different landscape. All of the nearby buildings had been nearly leveled, only the ones built of stone managed to withstand the storm. Many of the tall trees standing around the plaza, some more than a hundred years old, had snapped in half, their tops nowhere to be seen. In fact, for all of the obvious destruction that had occurred, there were no traces of the debris, everything was just gone.


    Unfortunately for the Royal Select, the monster had managed to weather the spell, along with most of the cocoons that had sprouted. Only the ones in the immediate area were pulled inside the spell, leaving the rest unharmed. Those that remained rooted into the ground beat faster and faster, bulges could be seen moving around on the inside, hinting that whatever was growing inside was about to hatch.


    With a wet tearing sound, the first egg burst open, spilling a clear fluid over the now clear ground. Bursting out of its gestational sac was a hideous abomination. It was shaped much like an insect, with several long legs, tipped with black, bone like scythes cutting into the frozen ground as it chittered toward the line of armored knights. Its body had only one segment, with beady black eyes running down each side and was covered in pink flesh that was quickly hardening into a darker red color.. Its mouth was a circular hole with several rows of small, sharp teeth dripping with clear saliva that corroded the ground as it drooled in hunger.

 Chapter 99 - Stepping In

    Professor Kal couldn''t see the expressions on the knights'' faces but could tell by the way they were shifting while standing in line that they were apprehensive about the approaching monstrosity. So far, only one such insect had hatched, but there were still a few hundred bulging, veiny sacs ready to burst open at any second. Once they had, the Royal select would be greatly outnumbered, even with the remaining members of the church and city guard bolstering their numbers.


    The eight-foot long, four-foot-high insectoid skittered across the hard frozen ground, closing in on the knights with their shields raised. Just as it reached the solid line of flesh and steel, it jumped up into the air and at the knight unlucky enough to be in the center of the line. Ducking his head behind his shield, the knight tried to block the creature with the thick piece of metal while the ones next to him hacked at the leaping insect.


    Ignoring the sharpened blades gouging out its flesh, the monster drove its blade like legs into the armored knight. Finding little resistance from the knight''s armor, the foot long blades tore through steel and flesh alike, sending up a fountain of blood that stained the nearby soldiers. Before the knight''s body could hit the ground, the insect swiped its long legs to the side, catching another knight''s unprotected neck and separated his head from his body.


    Now covered in blood, the nearby knights furiously drove their swords into the monster''s body. The monster didn''t seem to care about its own life as it took every hit, only focusing on killing the next knight. Another two knights met their end before the insect was finally killed, its body curling up on itself like a dried-out spider. One monster managed to kill four knights, and injured several more, before they were able to kill it and there were hundreds more just now hatching.


    The knights regrouped, being forced to step over the bodies of their fallen brethren as more of the insects burst from their eggs and made a beeline for them. Large fireballs sailed overhead, impacting the ground in front of the knights, forcing the insects to zig and zag in order to avoid them. Arrows followed shortly after, many missing completely, but a few finding their marks but doing very little in terms of damage. Holy spells strengthened the Royal Select, faint golden light emanating from the armored figures. Everyone present was doing everything they could to fight the monsters bearing down on them.


    The Royal Mage finished a spell and held his hands up over his head, a wall of flame thirty feet high erupted in front of the knights, blocking off the monsters'' path. The red-hot flames swirled and danced, causing the entire area to heat up, driving away the winter chill. Agonizing screeches could be heard from behind the roaring flames as dozens of the insects were engulfed in the spell. Smart enough to not rush to their deaths, the other monsters instantly turned in either direction, skittering off to go around the blazing wall.


    One step ahead of the insects, the Royal Mage redirected his spell to either side of them, cutting off their path once more. Unfortunately, even though he was one of the strongest mages in the Kingdom of Morgania, his mana supply was not infinite. By extending the wall of flame to cover the flanks of the knights and those behind them, the overall thickness of the wall went down dramatically. A few of the insects threw themselves into the now thinned wall, sacrificing themselves, prodding for weak spots.


    Many of them were burned alive doing so, but a few managed to break through relatively unharmed. Seeing their brethren breaching the flames, the monsters all rushed towards the thinnest parts, climbing over each other to be the first ones to spill blood. The Royal Mage had his hands full in maintaining the spell, he was constantly adjusting it to counteract the insects constant prodding but was unable to keep up with the flood of bodies.


    More and more of the vicious insects broke through the wall, the mages that accompanied the Royal Mage were raining down fire and brimstone atop the monsters in an effort to kill them before they could tear through the line of knights. Even though they were powerful mages themselves, their battle experience was severely lacking, the fear of the enemy caused many of their spells to fizzle out before doing any damage.


    "Shouldn''t you be helping them? You''d probably get more gold if you saved their lives." Ryan stated as he and the Professor watched the pitched battle from a safe distance.


    Some of the insect by now had reached the waiting knights, tearing into the line, rending steel and flesh alike. Heated battle cries mixed together with howls of agony as the well-disciplined line fell apart and morphed into a quagmire of brutality and stinking death. The Knight''s Captain was still atop his horse, barking orders and doing his leveled best to keep his men together.


    Most of his men had never seen a true battlefield, the last several decades were peaceful, the only enemies were groups of bandits and the occasional small skirmish along the border with the two neighboring countries. But even if they did have any experience with fighting, it would have been against other humans, not relentless insectoid monsters that only desire was to slaughter.


    "I suppose you''re right, boy. Alright then, time for maximum effort!" He said to himself, clapping his hands together.


    Professor Kal slowly made his way into the open plaza, seemingly like he was taking a Sunday stroll, enjoying the sights of the city. His dark purple robe billowed in the winter breeze, its iridescent mithril thread glimmering in the dim winter sunlight. The massive monster was still standing where it had been, enjoying the sights of its minions tearing through the human warriors. Noticing the lone man walking toward the middle of the battlefield, it turned towards him.


    Following a silent command, a half dozen of the man sized insects split from the rest and scurried towards him. Professor Kal''s pace didn''t falter even as they closed in, his only reaction was to raise his right-hand level with the ground, pointing toward his attackers. Closing his fist, the lead insect imploded in on itself. Its long, thick body crumpled like a tin-can, spilling hot guts and steaming blood onto the ground. Its blade like limbs bent at odd angles, sickening crunches filling the chaotic air.


    Two more pushed past their mangled comrade, their sharp legs gouging the stone paved plaza as they did so. With his next step, Professor Kal stamped on the ground, large cracks formed in the stone, spiderwebbing their way to the onrushing monsters. With a thunderous crack, the ground split open as a massive fissure appeared beneath them, swallowing them whole. Just as quickly as it appeared, the fissure slammed shut, sending a shockwave across the entire city and out into the countryside that could be felt for miles.


    With such a show of force, Professor Kal had drawn quite a bit of attention to himself, more of the hideous insects pulled away from the faltering mismatch of troops and headed toward the lone man. Even the towering behemoth that had spawned the monstrosities gave him its undivided attention, ignoring the others as it sensed the threat that he posed.


    The final three monsters leapt over the freshly closed fissure, the distance between them and Professor Kal was only a few dozen feet. With a wave of his hand, earthen spikes rose up to meet two of the airborne insects, impaling them on sharpened spears of stone. The final one thrust its long legs forward, stabbing its blade like limbs deep into Professor Kal''s chest.


    Ryan flinched, closing his eyes to the sight, thinking that if he couldn''t see it unfold then it wasn''t real. How could his invincible teacher be done in so quickly? And with him gone, who was going to stop the monster that he had foolishly released upon the world?


    "This robe is just the neatest." A calm voice said, reaching Ryan''s ears even from across the plaza.


    Ryan opened his eyes to see that the insect that had fatally stabbed his professor lay dead at the man''s feet, blue blood seeping from self-inflicted stab wounds. Ryan smacked his own forehead, how could he have forgotten about the robe that had started this entire journey, the one that had killed Paladin Hargrove so easily. Ryan leaned forward, watching as his teacher took on an army of monsters.


    ˇ­..


    Professor Kal stopped his advance, he eyed the dozens of monstrosities tearing up the ground as they rushed towards him. Killing the handful of insects had taken very little effort on his part, they were slightly more trouble than the demons were back in Swayzee, but not much more. Now though, the numbers he was facing could prove to be problematic, so he decided to call upon a few helping hands.


    A massive magical array spread out beneath his feet, smaller magical arrays began to grow off of the larger one, covering an area that took up half of the plaza. The teal light being given off by the spinning runes and geometrical shapes rivaled the radiant light from the wall of flames still burning some two-hundred yards away.


    Clawing their way out of the stone ground, eyes burning with animosity, were over two hundred death knights standing solemnly with jagged swords drawn. Seeing the sudden arrival of so many foes, the incoming monsters let out an intimidating hiss as they picked up even more speed. As the first of the monsters tore into the line of death knights, it was made clear that these soldiers were on a completely different level than the ones on the side of the living.


    Even as the blade like legs of the insectoids tore into their rotted flesh, not a sound could be heard from the death knights. They hacked and stabbed at the attacking monsters, their armor being cut open and their bones cleaved, but still they fought on. Blue blood ran across the frozen ground like a river, filling the air with the reek of copper.


    A death knight finally fell, its helmeted head separated from its bulky frame. Even with overwhelming strength and unending stamina it was impossible not to suffer casualties.. But no matter, Professor Kal simply waved his hand, summoning forth a replacement, keeping his fighting force in top form as the enemies were slaughtered one after the other.

 Chapter 100 - Direct Hit

    Professor Kal looked over the small battlefield unfolding just in front of him. His undead knights were routing the vicious insectoid monsters, completely overpowering them in every aspect of the bout. He looked over to one death knight that had just lost his sword arm, nothing but a jagged stump remained. Instead of screaming in pain, or falling back to be healed, the death knight simply grabbed ahold of the slashing monster and began to slam it repeatedly into the ground.


    Even as the monster''s deadly limbs flailed and stabbed at the armored undead, the death knight continued to slam it down, over, and over and over again. After a few minutes of the barbaric assault, the insect lay motionless and broken on the cold, stone ground. Not missing a beat, the victorious death knight immediately sought out another target, finding it more difficult to do so as time went on.


    Professor Kal nodded his head, he was pleased with how everything was unfolding, although a little disappointed as well. He was hoping for a bit more of a challenge, it had been a long while since he last stretched his magical muscles and had yet to find anything that would scratch that itch. The demons back in Swayzee were a nice warm up but was far from what he was looking for. His eyes settled on the towering behemoth charging toward him at breakneck speeds, maybe the source of all this death would prove to be a worthy foe.


    ˇ­..


    Seeing that the ferocious monsters had stopped their unyielding charge, Royal Mage Gustave K?rner dropped the Inferno Wall he had deployed. It was a risk that he had to take, his mana was getting dangerously low, and the amount of mana potions he had taken thus far was borderline fatal. He was pushing his body to the absolute edge just maintaining the powerful spell and needed a moment to rest, even if it opened them up to attack.


    He had never seen such monsters before, even while delving deep into the many dungeons spread across the Kingdom, he had never witnessed such abominations. Word about a monster rampaging through the city spread to the palace quickly, and the king saw it fit to have him accompany the Royal Select in subjugating the wayward beast. They hadn''t known what kind of monster they were dealing with but decided it best to put a stop to it quickly, thus the King''s own forces were mobilized to cull it.


    Upon arriving at the scene, he was immediately beset by a deep dread as his eyes fell upon the hundreds of corpses littering the once splendid plaza. What was even more upsetting was the ''monster'' slaughtering so many of his countrymen. Just looking at it made his stomach churn, its uncanny humanoid face caused an instinctual fear to well up within him, making him want nothing more than to flee and hide away from its large, dull eyes. But he had a duty to uphold, so, he swallowed his fears and set about using the most powerful spell in his arsenal in order to end its life in a single strike.


    It was a spell passed down to him from his mentor, the previous Royal Mage, which he had gotten from the Royal Mage before him. It was meant to be a hidden trump card, used only for when the country itself was in danger. It had the power to consume everything within a given area, the only restriction on its power was the amount of mana poured into it. With the help of his assistants he had brought along with him, he was able to encompass the entire plaza with the spell and watched in horrified astonishment as it failed spectacularly.


    With his initial attack bearing so little fruit, he was forced into the defensive, barely managing to slow the tide of monsters as they hatched from their vile eggs and set upon the knights. He felt absolutely useless as the number of deaths mounted higher and higher, with the only thing he was capable of was barely maintaining the spell that only delayed their inevitable demise. But as fate would have it, the monsters abruptly changed course, giving him and the knights much needed respite.


    Now that he had dropped the wall he had erected, he could see what it was that grabbed the monsters'' attention. An unknown force, twice the size as their own, was handily dealing with the ravenous monsters that were giving them so much trouble just moments before. He watched in slack jawed amazement as one of the towering, armored knights took the full brunt of an insect''s attack to his chest, its sharp bladed legs jutting from his back. Instead of toppling over like any other being would, the knight wrapped his arms around the bug and started to squeeze; even as the monster struggled violently, the knight continued to crush it against himself until eventually, the beast stopped its struggling. The highly trained Royal Select in front of him were also intently watching their reinforcements, not believing their eyes as the knights fought on, even after losing limbs or being skewered by the bugs'' spear like extremities.


    "Men!" The knight commander barked. "Reform ranks, take any potions you have now, this isn''t over yet!"


    Immediately doing as they were told, the Royal Select hurriedly moved the bodies of their fallen comrades and guzzled the potions that they had brought with them, healing any wounds that were not overly grievous. The others also followed suit, taking this moment to collect themselves, knowing that even though the mysterious knights had the upper hand at the moment, that all could change at any time.


    An infuriated scream spread throughout the plaza, drawing everyone''s eyes to the six-armed monster that was running toward the line of black knights still slaughtering its creations without mercy. Every one of the soldiers watching, felt immense fear and anxiety as it closed in on the black knights, knowing that as soon as it was finished with them, they would be its next target.


    ˇ­..


    A wall of solid stone rose up from the ground, casting a dark shadow across the plaza and causing the ground to tremble. Professor Kal was confident that the incoming monster would find the barricade he had conjured difficult to bypass, giving his death knights enough time to finish off the insects. A loud impact sounded from the other side of the earthen wall; large chunks of stone flew up into the air as the wall itself began to shake.


    Just as Professor Kal was considering reinforcing his wall, the monster burst through, leaving behind a tunnel that was perfectly round. For a creature as big as it was, the monster was very quick on its feet. Once through the thick wall, it had only taken it but two breaths to close a gap of some one-hundred yards between it and the death knights. Giving up on defense, Professor Kal weaved a new spell, taking but a moment to send a thick lightening bolt down from the heavens and toward the beast.


    As the thick smell of ozone filled the air, the monster bulldozed into the line of death knights still hacking away at the remaining insects. Armor, weapons, and body parts alike haphazardly flew through the air, littering the ground with gore up to fifty feet away. As it picked up one death knight in its clawed hands, the lightening raced from the clouds in a zig-zag pattern, creating blinding light and a deafening boom in its wake.


    The bright flash of light only caused Professor Kal to lose track of his target for a split second, as his eyes readjusted, he fully expected to see an ugly, twitching corpse being hacked at by his death knights. Instead, what filled his vision baffled him. The monster was still standing, only in a spot quite a distance away from where it was when the lightening had struck. At its feet were several motionless death knights, their helmeted heads crushed flat, and their bodies mangled.


    "You''re a slippery one, aren''t you?" Professor Kal mumbled to himself as his brows furrowed.


    He hadn''t sensed any teleportation magic being used, although, everything that the monster had done so far lacked any mana to begin with, so it could have been some sort of short distance warp. Then again, maybe the monster was just that fast? He just didn''t know.


    The monster''s dull, white eyes rolled around in their sockets. Even without pupils, Professor Kal could tell that they were focused on him. He could feel its hunger behind its gaze, the overwhelming desire to consume not just flesh and bone, but the very thing that made a being alive, their soul. The first time he watched the beast feed, he could see what was happening. It would suck out the soul of its victim through the disgusting appendages wriggling around in its mouth, empowering itself with each one. By now, he was sure that it had fed on several hundred people, making it difficult for him to accurately gauge just how strong it truly was.


    "Be still." Professor Kal said in a monotone voice.


    As his baritone voice carried over the plaza, everything slowed to a crawl. The silently advancing death knights froze in place, their swords or axes suspended in mid swing. A few of the last remaining insects hung in the air, the spell catching them as they were leaping through the air, frozen in time. Even the sounds of the knights hurrying to reform their formations ceased to reach his ears, nothing but silence filled the plaza.


    Professor Kal weaved through the hectic mixture of death knight and monster, taking care not to soil his robes on the copious amounts of blood and viscera. Making his way to the monster, he stopped just before it. Looking up, he studied its outer appearance, taking note of its unnaturally smooth skin that reminded him of polished stone instead of living flesh. Its hazy eyes were still focused on where he was just as he cast his spell, its six arms contorted in different directions as it was reaching out to strike the nearby knights.


    Reaching out to touch it, Professor Kal placed his palm on its shiny, yet dry skin. "I was hoping to capture you alive, oh well, your corpse will still provide me with the answers I seek."


    Beginning a low chant in a language long dead, Professor Kal was preparing to use one of his most fatal of spells. It was not showy in any way whatsoever, the only way to tell that the spell was cast was by the end result, instant death. It was guaranteed that, once the spell was cast, the targets very soul would be extinguished, leaving nothing but an empty shell of a body. It was called Mortal Putrefaction.


    As his voice rose in a cadence that would churn a normal person''s stomach, Professor Kal noticed an irregularity. It was barely imperceptible, he had very nearly missed it if not for looking at the right spot at the right time, the creatureˇ­ was still breathing.


    "Well, shit.." Was all he could say before a heavy clawed hand struck him from above, sending him careening towards the nearby building, cracks forming in the stone pavement as his body tumbled.

 Chapter 101 - Gloves Off

    Like a bomb had gone off, the weapons store that Ryan was standing next to exploded, sending razor sharp shards of glass and other hazardous debris shooting out in every direction. Ryan failed to react in time to the sudden development, his face had been struck by a few pieces of glass which caused his blood to spatter onto the ground. He had no idea what had happened, one moment the Professor was standing there behind his army of death knights, the next, the shop exploded.


    Now Professor Kal was nowhere to be seen, only the monster remained and was making quick work of the remaining death knights still valiantly fighting against the insectoid monstrosities. He knew deep down in his heart where the Professor ended up and could only pray to the gods that there was enough of him left to heal.


    Making his way past the destroyed front window, stepping over the shattered timber and twisted weapons that littered the floor, Ryan held his breath. The front counter was now in pieces, just like most of the showroom now was. Behind it was a storeroom, a large hole now taking up most of the solid wall. Ducking his head, Ryan went inside the room, laying inside was what he feared the most.


    Professor Kal''s limp corpse lay twisted and disfigured on the storeroom floor, large pieces of glass, wood, and even a piece of a steel sword were embedded in his mangled body. White bone jutted out of jagged flesh causing Ryan to cover his mouth to avoid emptying his stomach. The Professor''s chest was caved in, large, deep gashes indicated where the monster had struck him. His head was only hanging on by a thin strip of flesh, and his face was almost unrecognizable from the road-rash.


    Ryan fell to his knees, his mind in a state of disbelief and mourning, the blood from the deep cuts on his face falling to the ground and mixing in with the Professor''s that was pooling beneath his still warm corpse. In an act of desperation, Ryan began to cast all the healing spells he could think of, he didn''t know very many, but had learned a few from Laura during their travels. Ryan wished that she was there, maybe she could think of something, anything.


    He stopped, he knew that even with the best healing magic in all of existence, you couldn''t bring back the dead. Then he thought of Amaranthae, or, the monster inhabiting her body. She had told him of being able to bring back the dead, restoring the flesh and pulling the soul back into their body. He shook his head, that was impossible, and even if it wasn''t, there was no way he would be able to do it. Looking over his shoulder and out of the hole in the store, he could see the last of the death knights being crushed by the monster, the insect like monsters scurrying off in every direction, most likely to feed on the citizens of S?ravast.


    He let out a defeated sigh, all was lost, and it was entirely his fault. He had fallen for the wiles of a monster, released it into the world, and now nothing could stop it. The one person he had depended on lay dead before him, his guilt was overwhelming, and he could only hope for a quick death as he heard distant heavy footsteps drawing closer.


    "I''m sorry for all of this, I truly am." He said, his voice full of remorse as he looked upon the Professor''s mangled form.


    The rhythmic thudding of the encroaching footsteps filled his ears, the ground itself trembling with each one. Taking a deep breath, Ryan stood; he was determined to face the monster head on, refusing the give it the pleasure of watching him cower in fear. He watched the silhouette of the beast grow larger as it approached, soon, the entire front area of the store was cast in an oppressive shadow.


    Stooping low in order to see inside, the monster occupying Amaranthae''s body spoke. "Come closer, come into the light."


    Its voice was soft and kind, a sharp contrast to the repulsive body that was looking down at him, it reminded him of the things that Amaranthae, no, the monster had taught him over that week inside its soul plane. He knew that he was much too weak to stand a chance against it, but maybe he could use what he was taught, use the spirits to help him fight.


    "Sferetsil hior ca riqyistol, E bisiimhol elu tu hilf ci en ca teci up niid. Nokgil purthol ecni rijoleth auyrsiljisil tu ci." Ryan quickly recited the phrase that had been drilled into his head, hoping to make contact with any nearby spirits.


    Gravelly laughter filled his ears as the monster''s face stretched into a sardonic grin. "Do you honestly believe that the spirits can help you? What are they compared to a god?"


    "That''s a little conceited, isn''t it?" A familiar voice spoke up from behind Ryan.


    Turning around, Ryan was astonished to see Professor Kal getting to his feet, his bones snapping back into place with sickening cracks and his grisly wounds mending themselves at unnatural speeds. His head was still dangling by a strip of flesh, Ryan watched as Professor Kal used both of his hands to maneuver his head back into position before the bones and flesh knitted back together.


    "Yˇ­ you''re alive?!" Ryan yelped in surprise.


    "Sure." Professor Kal simply replied as he cast a cleansing spell on his robe, ridding it of the blood and grime that had soaked in.


    By the time the Professor made it to where Ryan was standing, all of his grievous wounds had completely healed, even the hair on his head had returned to its original position. Ryan wanted to aske him about his resurrection but knew that right now was not the time nor the place to do so. The monster was still eyeing the both of them, the unnerving smile still spread across its face.


    "My, my, you''re a tenacious one, aren''t you? I''m sure your soul will taste..."


    A massive pillar or earth erupted from the ground, striking the monster square in the throat, knocking it back and off its feet. As it fell backwards the ground beneath it liquefied, swallowing the monster, and leaving nothing but its head above the surface. A fierce gale whipped through the plaza, the knights watching from the opposite end were barely able to stay on their feet as the wind pushed them towards the outer edges of the square.


    The monster struggled and shrieked, trying desperately to escape its earthen prison. The wind continued to grow in ferocity, the howling gale cutting off the monster''s shrieks of anger. An orange glow shined down from the sky, growing in intensity along with the wind. Ryan looked over to Professor Kal, wanting to ask what was going on but his question caught in his throat.


    Professor Kal''s hands were at a forty-five-degree angle to his body, his palms facing towards the square. He was chanting a spell, the words lost in the wailing storm. His robe was glowing brightly, once hidden runes were now clearly visible, spinning rapidly as mana surged around him. Professor Kal''s healthy flesh was aging at a visible pace, his full head of black hair turning grey and brittle.


    Ryan was mortified as he saw Professor Kal''s body morph into that of an old man, deep creases on his sagging face. But as the spell continued to build, the aging did not stop. His skin went from deep wrinkles and liver spots to ashen grey and necrotic, his brittle hair had all but fallen out and his eyes sunk deep into his skull.


    "Professor, stop, you''re killing yourself!" Ryan shouted, struggling to hear himself over the raging winds.


    Ryan attempted to plead with the man who he thought was burning through his life force to power whatever spell he was casting, but no matter what he said, Professor Kal continued his chanting. Ryan''s eyes went wide in horror as the flesh melted from Professor Kal''s body, leaving nothing but stark white bones underneath his extravagant robes. Burning inside his hollow eye-sockets were bi-colored flames, red and blue, interspersed with a deep black darker than Ryan had ever seen.


    The light outside had now turned a deep red, the cold in the winter wind had been driven off by a scorching heat, the ground began to shake as a deep roar could be heard from outside the store. The weapons shop, already damaged from Professor Kal''s violent entry, groaned, and rattled as the thick timber beams splintered from the stress.


    Outside, the monster strained even harder to escape, a look of fear was evident on its humanoid face. Oppressive heat battered Ryan''s body, his sweat evaporating as soon as it left his pores. The roaring grew louder, it was all that Ryan could hear. He covered his ears and squeezed his eyes shut, his senses overwhelmed by the crushing sound and intense tremors, it felt as if the world was tearing itself apart.


    Just as Ryan thought that his mind was going to be washed away by the chaos surrounding him, suddenly, silence. Cracking his eyelids, thinking that maybe he had already died, Ryan witnessed a sight that would stay with him for the rest of his days. Standing there, still with his skeletal hands palm out, Professor Kal was looking towards the sky with the flames in his eyes burning intensely. He was no longer chanting his spell, Ryan thought that maybe it was over, that the worst had passed; then, Professor Kal spoke in a deep, harsh voice.


    "Nothing escapes death."

 Chapter 102 - Richards Trial

    "Richard! You really need to get it together." Ben scolded his reticent comrade as they hurried down a chaotic backstreet, heading towards the noble district of S?ravast.


    It was nothing but pure pandemonium unfolding all around them, no matter where one looked there was madness. People were fighting in the streets, using any weapons that they could get their hands on as they bludgeoned each other. Once beautiful storefronts that displayed fine clothing and expensive wears were now shattered, felonious opportunists running inside and hauling away anything that wasn''t bolted to the ground. Gut-wrenching screams filled the air as the entire city seemed to be falling into a state of unbridled debauchery.


    The three students clung to each other as they carefully weaved through the fighting and frenzied hordes of people. Richard, with his timid personality was having the most difficulties out of the three of them, his apprehension acted like a beacon to those that had less than wholesome intentions. Ben and Laura had just broken through a group of thugs blocking off the street, demanding a ridiculous toll to pass.


    "I''mˇ­ I''m sorry, I just, they''re people." Richard stammered, ashamed of himself for not helping the others even as the group of men attacked them with lecherous eyes directed at Laura.


    "They''re not people anymore Richard. Just look around you." Laura pointed to all the irrational people around them, her voice gentle but firm. "I don''t know what''s going on, but they aren''t in their right minds anymore."


    Richard nodded his head as he let out a breath he''d been holding, it would be hard for him to view human beings as anything other than that, but he also knew that now was not the time to hold back. They would need to work together to be able to make it into the noble district, there was no telling what they might run into.


    "Good." Laura said, seeing Richard''s affirmation. "Let''s keep moving, I think we''re close."


    They continued on at a hurried pace, taking back alleys and smaller roads, actively avoiding the more populated areas. As they approached the noble district, they began to notice that less people were fighting each other and instead were running as quickly as they could away from the district. After a few more minutes they discovered what they were running from.


    "What is that thing?" Ben asked no one in particular.


    "Iˇ­ I don''t know." Laura said, her voice wavering.


    The three of them ducked behind a building just after rounding a corner heading down a back alleyway. Further down the dim alley was a man, crouched down, biting, and clawing at another man that was feebly struggling to crawl away. The man cannibalizing the other had his back toward them, so they were unable to see his face, but they were able to hear the pleading screams the other man was making.


    "C''mon, we need to do something." Laura said with conviction as she stepped out into the alleyway.


    Reciting a short chant, Laura sent a spear of earth hurtling toward the human turned monster. The three-foot long spike drove into the monster''s back, sticking out the front of its chest. Except for the monster jerking from the sudden attack, it seemed completely unfazed as it whipped its head around to glare at Laura with its hungry, black eyes. Opening its mouth in a muted shriek, the monster abandoned the dying man and sprinted towards them.


    Laura, due to the experience gained during the calamity that befell Swayzee, quickly weaved another spell. Realizing that she couldn''t kill it quickly enough, she directed her spell at its pumping legs. The unpaved alleyway suddenly turned into quicksand, swallowing the rapidly approaching ''thing'' up to its abdomen and causing it to bend at the waist violently, slamming its face into the hard ground in front of it.


    Recovering quickly, the monster thrashed around, desperate to escape the trap and attack the three students. Laura, Ben, and Richard all hesitantly approached the monster, being careful not to come within arm''s reach.


    "We should hurry up and kill it." Ben stated, not wanting to take the risk of it escaping.


    Richard, as timid as always, hugged himself with his arms and stared at it with wide eyes as the monster gnashed its cracked teeth. "We should go back to the inn. Professor Kal said we''d be safe there."


    Laura rolled her eyes so hard they hurt; she was coming to her wits end dealing with her classmate''s cowardice. "Fine. Go ahead and go back if you want, we won''t stop you."


    Richard looked to Ben who just shook his head before pausing for a second, deep in thought. Looking between Richard and the struggling monster, Ben proposed an idea. "Kill it, Richard."


    "Whˇ­what?"


    "I said you should kill it." Ben said, more of an order than a statement. "That''s the only way for you to toughen up. Either kill it, here and now, or we''re going to leave you behind."


    Laura opened her mouth to object to her friend''s harsh tactic, but Ben cut her off with a raised hand. "It''s for his own good, and ours. What will we do when we get surrounded by these things and he freezes up? He needs to do it, or else we''re all going to die."


    Laura''s retort stuck in her throat, she knew that Ben was right, no matter how severe it sounded. Richard was going to drag them down with him due to his reluctance to fight, they all knew that, even the boy in question. Richard hung his head in shame, deep down he knew Ben was right, he just couldn''t help it. He was always afraid.


    At the Academy, he was always afraid to speak out of fear that his classmates would ridicule him due to his poor family. Although he was the son of a noble, they were nearly destitute, forced to sell off nearly all of their possessions just to pay the taxes that they were honor bound to pay. They had lost all of their land held by his family for many generations all because his grandfather''s gambling. When he died, his father inherited all of the debt left behind, it came at a great shock to him to say the least. Overnight, his entire family had become the laughingstock of the kingdom, or so his father told him.


    Even though this had all transpired well before he was born, his family''s dishonor was always fresh on his mind. So, he decided it was better to stay silent and keep to himself, if they didn''t even know he existed, then they wouldn''t drag his family''s name through the mud. Then, one day he was grouped up with Laura, Ben, and Ryan, everything changed after that.


    He still didn''t speak, but he didn''t mind being with them either. They always talked to him, never bringing up his family, treating him like they would anyone else. They made him feel excepted, more so than his actual family. They''ve been through so much together since the day they were grouped together and ventured out into the forest, he would do anything for his friends.


    "Iˇ­I''ll do it." Richard stammered, his voice cracking but his conviction still breaking through.


    Under Laura and Ben''s watchful eyes, Richard timidly approached the monster. As he drew closer, the monster''s black eyes focused on the boy, causing his steps to faulter slightly. After a moment, Richard pushed on until he was only a few feet away. Although he was a quiet, fearful boy, Richard still put in hours upon hours of practice when it came to magic. That was especially so since he started to participate in Professor Kal''s auxiliary classes, he had always put in just as much work as everyone else had in that class, and now was the time to put what he had learned to use.


    Letting out a deep breath, Richard raised his hand parallel with the ground and pointed it toward the flailing creature. He still hadn''t mastered chant-less casting, so he started reciting a spell in a low, quiet voice. The warm feeling of mana welling up in his body was comforting to him, it helped him to concentrate on the spell rather than what it was he had to do.


    Within the dim alleyway, the cold winter wind started to pick up, blowing drifts of snow from one end to the other. As Richard felt his mana reach its peak, he uttered the final word of power. "Heaven''s Guillotine."


    As his words echoed around the alleyway, an invisible blade cut into the monster''s neck, nearly decapitating it. As thick, almost black blood oozed from the monster''s neck, Richard stood there in disbelief. It was still alive. Even as its head dangled lopsidedly by a single strip of flesh, its eyes followed him, and it continued to gnash its teeth and grope with blood-stained hands.


    The school of magic Richard had the most affinity with was air, this allowed all of his air related spells to be much more effective than they would have been otherwise. That was why he had used such a powerful spell, it was one that Professor Kal had taught him personally, so he had no reason to believe that it wouldn''t be powerful enough to kill a single monster.


    "Thatˇ­ that should have killed it. I don''t knowˇ­ howˇ­" Richard trailed off as his anxiety kicked into gear, fearing that his friends would berate him for failing to live up to their expectations.


    Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked over to see Ben next to him, staring at the monster much the same way he was. "That wasˇ­ impressive."


    "It didn''t die thoughˇ­"


    "I know, but it should have. I mean, its head is nearly gone..."


    "GUYS!!!" Laura shouted out in fear, interrupting the two boys'' discussion. "Look!"


    Following the girl''s horrified pointing, Richard and Ben saw an unbelievable sight. Further into the city, but not too far from where they were standing, was a large burning object hanging in the grey winter sky. It was still quite small, at least in comparison to their surroundings, but they could tell that it was quickly growing larger.


    Trailing behind the burning object was a thick trail of black smoke, miles long, indicating that the object had originated from far above the clouds. Suddenly, a deafening boom shook their surroundings, the nearby windows shattered and the ground trembled, it felt like someone had punched them all in the chest as the air was forcibly driven out of their lungs.


    Whatever it was, was burning so brightly as it forced its way through the atmosphere that they could scarcely keep their eyes on it. The earth thundered and the air itself became notably warmer as the burning object neared the city. The buildings around them shuddered as the wind picked up and quickly morphed into a furious gale.


    The three of them looked at each other, fear plastered on all of their faces.. Without saying a single word between them, they all turned away from the plunging object and ran, leaving the still thrashing monster half-submerged in the cold ground.

 Chapter 103 - The End Is Nigh

    Looking up at the Professor, Ryan feltˇ­ nothing. It was as if his mind refused to believe what it was seeing. Professor Kal''s skeletal form stood imposingly, with its arms spread wide, looking up at the cracked ceiling of the weapons shop with intensely burning flames. The exquisite magical robe billowed in a silent breeze as mana continued to surge around him. Thenˇ­ a blinding flash of light overpowered Ryan''s senses, immediately followed by darkness as his consciousness slipped away.


    Opening his eyes, Ryan cast his gaze around in confusion, his mind taking a few moments to recall everything that had happened. Struggling to his feet, Ryan found himself standing in the middle of a veritable hellscape. The weapons shop he was in was no longer standing, it had been reduced to nothing but scattered debris and one, solitary stone wall only held up by a smoldering timber beam. In fact, all of the tall, grandiose buildings that surrounded the plaza had been flattened, only a handful of stone walls hinted that those buildings once stood there.


    A raging fire was currently burning in every direction he looked, the hot wind prickling his exposed skin. The flames were so tall that he could not see anything behind them and the heat so intense that every breath he took was agony. Black smoke filled the sky, the carrion crows had long been driven off, and everything took on an orange hue as the ravenous flames devoured the numerous wooden buildings.


    Sitting ominously at the epicenter of this hell on earth, was a wall of steaming earth piled so high that he was unable to see over it. With no other clues to go off of, Ryan carefully made his way over to it, patches of molten rock still dotted the area, causing Ryan to have to weave a careful path. Taking great care not to burn his hands, Ryan clambered up the sloped wall, his feet digging into the loose soil and sending clods of clay cascading down to the ground. Once making it to the top, he peered over the ledge and was greeted by an immense crater, more than one-hundred feet across.


    He had never seen anything like it, he knew of no spell that had the power to deform the landscape like what was in front of him. It was as if an angry god had reached down from the heavens and gouged out the earth like a child would sand on a beach. Pooled at the foot of the nearly bottomless hole was molten rock, shimmering bright red and distorting the air above it with its dangerous heat. He coughed as noxious, acrid gases reached his lungs, irritating them with their toxic presence.


    Generating a fresh, although hot, breeze with his magic, Ryan was able to at least catch his breath as he scanned the rest of the crater below. The walls of the crater were surprisingly smooth, the sparkle of black glass catching his eye as he moved his head from side to side. As his gaze focused on the bottom of the large bowl, he noticed a dark spot near the center of the burning lava. The light was much too brilliant for him to see it clearly, he leaned forward, straining to see what it was from so far away.


    Suddenly, the loose soil underneath his hands fell away, sending him tumbling over the edge and down the steep, smooth walls. The walls of the crater were not a sheer drop but were much too steep for him to be able to stop his rapid descent. He frantically dug his fingers into the slanted walls, they may have seemed smooth, but that was only from a distance. The small bits of glass formed after the impact bit into his fingers and hands, dirt mixed with blood, forming dark red mud that encrusted his hands as he screamed.


    Tumbling uncontrollably, Ryan''s mind couldn''t form any coherent thoughts, let alone any spells that could have saved him; he was completely at the mercy of gravity as he quickly approached the bottom of the crater. His body turned unexpectantly, bending his leg the wrong way, breaking it cleanly just below the knee and causing his spinning vision to waver. Just as Ryan thought, not for the first time that day, that his death was all but certain, the earth that had so far done nothing but beat his body and soil his robes, rose up and engulfed him, instantly halting his perilous fall.


    Turning back to what he was focused on before his clumsy student decided to fall to his death, Professor Kal looked down at the humanoid monster laying severely wounded in a small, bubbling lake of molten rock. He was currently floating above the lake, his dark violet robes billowing in the rising heat. He would usually try to stay away from such a hazardous area, as fire was widely known to be the bane of all undead, but magic was the solution to many problems, all much greater than a little heat, so he had no issues bearing the temperature.


    In all honesty, he was a little worried. The spell he cast, Star Fall, was one of the most powerful incantations within his rich arsenal. He had used it once before, a very long time ago, it was only a few hundred years after he had first become a Lich. He was high up in the Aalenian Mountains, trudging through powdery snow that piled up to his waist, the wind pushing drifts that challenged the tall pine trees that dotted the area.


    He was searching for a cave that had been mentioned in several legends passed down throughout the years, a dragon''s cave, one filled with untold treasures that hadn''t seen the light of day in eons. After countless months searching up and down the perilous mountains, crossing vast, bottomless ravines and braving fractured glaciers threatening to collapse at any moment, he had finally discovered what he had been looking for.


    The entrance to the dragon''s cave was quite large, making him crane his neck to view the ceiling fully, it was also very well hidden, tucked away behind a massive rock on the easterly side of the largest mountain within the range. As he entered the dragon''s lair, he was immediately chased out by the owner of the cold and dark abode. It was a massive frost dragon, every bit of twenty feet tall at the shoulders and boasting a tail that was double its height. A pair of antler like horns topped its large head, three rows of neat teeth lined its hungry maw, and a pair of ice blue eyes, burning with rage, glowered at him as he ran.


    Needless to say, he was no match for a fully grown frost dragon, at least not a head on confrontation. After being harassed for two days and three nights by the enraged frost dragon, with none of his tricks he knew of working to help his escape, he was finally cornered inside a small crevice with nowhere else to run. As the saying goes, ''A cornered rat will bite the cat'', and right now, he was the rat. With nothing else to lose, he took the time to cast the spell he had only read of in an ancient tome, ignoring the dragon''s sharp talons as they gouged deep tracks into the stone right in front of him.


    In the end, he failed to kill the dragon. He hadn''t nearly the amount of mana back then as he had today, so the spell was comparatively quite weak. But it did succeed in driving off the legendary creature, giving him a chance to escape down the mountainside, licking his wounds as he did so.


    He didn''t have very many complete memories from that far back in his unlife, so thinking of it made him smile to himself. Although, at the moment he was still in his lich form, so there were no lips to complete the action, but the sentiment was still there. A pained gurgle from the monster baking within the molten lake drug him back from his sunny reflection of the past, grabbing his complete attention.


    "How are you still alive?" He asked it, his insatiable curiosity causing his brain to itch.


    The humanoid monster swiveled its dull, grey eyes in his direction, an amused, bloody smile stretching across its face. "Look, this fire does not burn me, your spells are all but warm summer breezes upon my skin. Even your most powerful spell can only draw some blood and break my bones, only delaying the inevitable; how pathetic."


    Professor Kal scowled, what the beast said was true. Even now he could see its body mending itself back together, closing the open wounds and setting the fractured bones back into their proper places.


    "This mortal world will fall to me, only serving to fill my belly." It continued, struggling to stand. "Even you, undead, will be consumed; there is no escaping your fate."


    "Who are you to decide the fate of an entire plane, to boast of its destruction as if it is certain?"


    "Who am I?" A low chuckle filled the boiling crater, reverberating off its steep walls. "I am the end of all things, the devourer of souls. I carry no name, for no man nor God remains to whisper tales of my passing. I leave empty husks in my wake, only barren lands and hollow, silent skies remain.. Now, cease your frivolous resistance, let me delight in your soul, become one with me and then you''ll finally grasp the eternity you so desire."

 Chapter 104 - Is This The End?

    The flames within his orbits flickered as he cast them down at the nearly recovered monster. He was certain now that whatever this thing was, was not from this plane. Amaranthae must have encountered this abomination all those years ago, and using some unknown spell, sacrificed herself to seal it away within her own flesh. There must have been more than that to the story, but the details would be forever lost to the ebbs of time. One thing was for certain though, he was nowhere near as selfless as the Goddess of healing magic.


    With a wave of his hand, a swirling portal opened directly above the monster. The lava the beast was wading in suddenly surged beneath it, pushing it up and into the churning gateway. With a flash of violet light, the open portal snapped shut, instantly separating the monster''s head from its multi-limbed body. Spurts of black, viscous blood poured into the molten rock, generating copious amounts of foul-smelling haze as the body fell limply back to the molten pool.


    Professor Kal''s bony face didn''t betray any of his emotions as he silently watched the monster''s body slip beneath the roiling pool. He knew that there was no way that that would be it, that he had defeated the self-proclaimed devourer of worlds with such a simple trick. He put some more distance between himself and the pool of lava, cautious of any sudden attacks being thrown at him. His disappointing student was still wrapped up in a cocoon of hardened earth, passed out from the pain of breaking his leg following his violent fall from the ledge high above.


    Without looking back, he opened another Warp Gate before moving Ryan, cocoon and all, into it and out of the immediate danger. He had enough confidence in being able to protect himself, or at the least, escape; but that was as far as it went, he would rather not have to hunt for another student that happened to have the same affinity as Ryan had.


    An eruption of light, heat, and molten rock came from the glowing pool below him. He narrowed his eyes, the flames in his sockets dimming as he strained to peer through the spray of liquid rock. Hidden behind the veil of light was the monster''s headless body swimming through the pool of molten rock like a fish in water. Its six limbs grasped solid ground and hauled its massive body out of the pool, its hoofed feet digging deeply into the soft soil of the crater''s wall.


    Out of the gaping wound that was its neck, grew countless tendrils of wriggling flesh. Professor Kal couldn''t get the sight of maggots swarming a decaying corpse out of his head as he watched from above. The tendrils of flesh slowly morphed into the shape of a head, some began to harden into rock hard bone, others squirmed around before turning into pink, sticky muscle. In only a matter of moments, the monster''s familiar dull, grey eyes were once again staring up at him.


    "Nothing you do will stop me, none of your paltry tricks will delay the inevitable." It spoke. "Lay down and embrace your fate, for I am the end."


    A blast of fire broke over the rambling creature''s face, obscuring its vision and temporarily deafening it. As the flames subsided and its vision returned, the monster noticed that its audience had vanished, leaving it alone in the bottom of the crater. With a smirk, it dug its many claws into the steep walls and began climbing to the surface.


    Professor Kal floated high in the sky; his fiery gaze cast down on the ground below. The winter sky was filled with billowing columns of black smoke from the ever-expanding fires below. Hot air was rising rapidly, pulling the cold air from further away towards the flames, fanning them further. It was the beginnings of a firestorm.


    Having a bird''s eye view allowed him to see everything happening below, even through the thick, choking smoke. He waited patiently for the monster to make it halfway out of the crater before attacking it with his formidable magic.


    "Titan''s Jawsˇ­"


    The massive crater instantly constricted onto the monster, trapping it inside and causing ripples to spread out, toppling buildings in their wake.


    "Heavens'' Wrathˇ­"


    A jagged bolt of lightening tore the sky in half as it reached for the earth, creating a blinding flash and deafening boom as it struck the ground.


    The plaza was now unrecognizable, nothing but flat, desolate earth remained. The meticulously sculptured foliage had been burned to their roots while the tall, ancient trees uprooted and thrown into the raging fires beyond. A sparkling black obelisk now stood where the crater once was, a glass coffin that Professor Kal knew wouldn''t hold.


    Small cracks began to spider web on the outside of the black glass before giving way to larger fissures that ran from top to bottom. With a resounding ''crack'', the obelisk split in two, revealing the unharmed monster. Professor Kal wasn''t surprised, he had a feeling that whatever he could throw at it, the monster would be able to repulse it. He was up against something more than just a monster.


    He silently descended to the barren ground below, his boots creating crunching noises as he walked towards the otherworldly monster.


    "What would it take for you to just go to another plane?" He asked, shouting across a good distance; he knew better than to get within reach of the monster.


    The monster laughed once again, a noise that grated on Professor Kal''s nerves. "Bargaining, are we? Tell me, does the reaper spare the souls of man when they beg and plead for just one more breath? Does he stop swinging his righteous sickle, reaping souls like blades of grass, just out of pity?"


    "That''s a no then, right?" Professor Kal said, replying to the monster''s long-winded response.


    Without another word, the monster charged at him, kicking up clouds of dust as its large hooves dug into the ground. Reacting quickly, Professor Kal summoned a wall of ice, cutting off its path. The monster easily broke through the chilly obstacle, only to be met by three, thirty-foot stone golems on the other side.


    Dodging one wagon sized fist, the monster was struck by a second and sent stumbling backwards, slipping on the large ice chunks from the just destroyed wall. Not letting the opportunity escape him, Professor Kal ordered the golems to pile on top of it, morphing their stony fingers into meter long swords.


    Blood saturated the ground beneath the golems as their weaponized limbs hacked and slashed tirelessly. One golem was pushed back, tipping over and falling hard onto the ground. Another was shattered, its body crumbling into thousands of pieces like a dried sandcastle kicked by a child. The third golem continued its attacks, its sharpened fingers digging into the monster''s flesh with little affect.


    "Get up you klutz!" Professor Kal yelled at the golem struggling to stand.


    No matter how angrily he shouted, the golem couldn''t move any faster, and was soon destroyed along with the other one still attacking. The monster''s six, clawed hands crushed the stone heads of the golems as easily as crushing an egg. As the last bits of stone peppered the ground, the monster charged forth once again, forcing the Professor to retreat into the tumultuous city streets.


    The noble district had long been evacuated, its prosperous residents escaping either into the royal palace, or outside the city altogether, leaving no one to fight the encroaching fires. Hurrying down an empty street, thick smoke choking the air and burning embers falling like rain, Professor Kal cursed loudly. He didn''t know what he was going to do, he had never run into a problem like this before.


    He knew he could teleport away, leaving the city behind and avoiding the monster all together. But he also knew that that would only lead to the end of life on this plane, eventually, he would be forced to face the monster one way or another. The ground trembled from behind him, turning around, he saw the building he just passed by collapsing, its flaming timbers spilling into the street. Rising up within the flames was his pursuer, still smiling its sinister grin as it walked out into the cobbled street.


    "Shit!" He cursed again, lifting up into the air and sending an explosion of poisonous gases hurtling towards the monster.


    Not staying behind to see how affective his attack was, Professor Kal took off into the city once again. Flying over the buildings was much faster than taking the streets, but the downside was that anyone could see him in his skeletal form, but at the moment, he couldn''t have cared less. He would be lucky to survive this ordeal, let alone defeat the monster, so really, there wasn''t a point in trying to hide his undeath.


    The winding streets below him were beginning to become much more populated as he drew closer to the common district. People were running hither and yon; most were trying to run towards the city walls as they noticed the approaching wall of smoke and the dark ash drifting down like snow and covering the streets. Another reverberating crash rung out behind him as the monster smashed through a line of timber houses, sending splintered wood and plaster flying in all directions.


    The commotion drew the attention of the already fleeing commoners, forcing them to cast their gazes in its direction. There was a momentary silence as their eyes met the monstrosity, only the far-off roar of the growing fire could be heard. Then the first scream came, one couldn''t tell if it had come from a man or a woman, but it didn''t matter, like a spreading sickness, the screams jumped from one to the next until everyone was screaming and running, running faster than they ever had, many trampling over others in their bid to escape.


    Professor Kal watched as the monster diverted its attention from him to the smorgasbord spread out in front of it. Easily outpacing the slow-moving humans that were dragging each other down, trying to escape, it swept them up in its many arms before feeding upon their souls. The Professor knew that he had to stop it from feeding, it was difficult to even injure it now, if it continued to grow stronger it would be nigh invincible.


    With only one clear choice, Professor Kal began to cull the fleeing people. He separated the monster from the throng of citizens with a wall of stone before flooding the streets with white hot flames, incinerating them in hell fire until nothing but ash remained. He was prepared to raze the entire city if it meant preventing the abomination from feeding, he was willing to sacrifice as many lives as it would take for him to buy enough time to figure out how to permanently kill the beast.


    An arrow whizzed past his bony head, it was easy enough to dodge, but it still caught him by surprise. His focus had been on the calamity unfolding beneath him, so he hadn''t noticed the large gathering of soldiers a few streets over. They must have finally gathered up the soldiers left behind to protect S?ravast, sending them into the city to quell the civil unrest.


    He clicked his nonexistent tongue as more and more arrows targeted him, forcing him to lower his altitude. He had to divert all of his mana into killing off the helpless civilians before they could become food for the monster, he didn''t have any to spare to ward off the deadly projectiles. Turning back around, he found the street devoid of any people, and most disturbingly, any monsters.


    He had lost track of it in the few short seconds he had been distracted, he cursed his lack of foresight, he should have equipped some items to protect him from something as simple as iron arrows. He had to find it quickly, before it fed even more. Just as he poured more mana into his flight spell, the house directly below him exploded, peppering him with debris. Jumping out of the wreckage was the creature he was looking for, its mouth wide open, the worm like organs extending out and wrapping themselves around his bony body.


    He attacked on instinct alone, a blade of air cutting into the wriggling mass, severing several of them at a time. Fire burned even more, and ice froze them solid. No matter what magic he threw at them, they would regenerate just as fast, shooting back up to replace the ones that were lost before dragging him down. As he disappeared into the monster''s gaping maw, the fires in his eyes flickered like candles in a storm before extinguishing altogether.

 Chapter 105 - Faded Memories [Bonus ]

    "Sir, sirˇ­ are you okay, sir?" A worried, high-pitched voice brought him back to his senses.


    He found himself sitting behind a large, dark cherrywood desk, paperwork was haphazardly strewn across the surface and a small potted plant took up residence on the right-hand corner. He moved his eyes to look at the source of the voice, finding a young girl, maybe fifteen or sixteen, standing in front of him. She was dressed in plain black robes with an unfamiliar crest sewn into its decolletage, she was also wearing a very worried expression on her heart shaped face as her innocent blue eyes nervously watched him.


    "Iˇ­ I''m fineˇ­" He replied, although his tone of voice was anything but certain.


    Ohˇ­ okay. I''ve finished my report sir, here." She said before sliding the yellowed parchment onto the desk, then quickly running away like a frightened rabbit.


    His eyes followed her as she left the room, the door noisily shutting behind her. A wave of confusion flooded his brain, immediately followed by panic, causing his heart to race and his mouth to lose all of its moisture. In a fluster, he pushed himself up from his chair, the wooden furniture tipping over and clattering on the floor behind him. His chest hurt, it was difficult for him to catch his breath, his world was beginning to spin, and the edges of his vision were darkening.


    Stumbling over his heavy feet, he caught himself on the ledge of the windowsill. The sun was shining brightly through the open window, the warm rays and the gentle breeze helping him to calm his mind. He stood there, taking big, steady breaths until he could think clearly.


    Where was he? What was going on? Most importantly, who was he?


    His mind was still adrift in a sea, no, a deep ocean of confusion. The waves of uncertainty rocking the ship that was his mind, threatening to break it apart and sending it to the bottom, far down where no light could hope to reach it. His heart began to race again, he hurriedly focused on the scene outside to calm his mind, the many different people all dressed in matching black robes scuttling off in various directions.


    The more he stared, the more familiar the scene became to him, like he had seen it before in a dream he hardly remembered after waking the next day.


    "What is going on?" He asked himself, his voice thin and breathy.


    Now that he had calmed down, he examined himself along with his surroundings. He was dressed in a black robe, much like the young girl and the others were wearing, but his were embroidered with golden thread on the hems. As his hands ran up and down the smooth, silky fabric, he noticed his hands. They were old and withered, swollen with arthritis. He held them up to his eyes, turning them back and forth.


    Dropping his hands down to his side, his sunken, tired eyes scanned the large room he was standing in. The desk he found himself at to begin with, was sitting next to the large open window. An unused fireplace was set into the wall on the opposite side of the room, a large rug made out of an unknown animal''s skin. The rest of the room was either decorated by masterfully painted portraits, or by bookcases filled with hundreds of unspoiled tomes.


    Taking a few steps towards the books, he noticed his hunched over posture and the pain constantly shooting up his back. The act of walking alone was enough to make him out of breath, his labored breathing filled the empty room. Finally making it to the bookshelves, he pulled a random leatherbound book down and opened it.


    As he flipped through the pages, his confusion only grew. All of the pages were blank. He pulled another book off a shelf, allowing the one in his hands to fall to the floor. He opened it, only to find that it was blank as well. He pulled another down, then another, then another, all of them were blank, not a single thing etched onto their many pages.


    "What the hell?! What the hell is going on?!" He fell to his knees, his old bones screaming in pain as they impacted the floor.


    "Sir, sirˇ­ are you okay, sir?" A high-pitched voice brought him back to his senses.


    He found himself sitting behind a large, dark cherrywood desk, paperwork was haphazardly strewn across the surface and a small potted plant took up residence on the right-hand corner. He moved his eyes to look at the source of the voice, finding a young girl, maybe fifteen or sixteen, standing in front of him. She was dressed in plain black robes with an unfamiliar crest sewn into its decolletage, she was also wearing a very worried expression on her heart shaped face as her innocent brown eyes nervously watched him.


    "Iˇ­ I''m fineˇ­" He replied as his mind reeled in uncertainty.


    Ohˇ­ okay. I''ve finished my report sir, here." She said before sliding the yellowed parchment onto the desk, then quickly running away like a frightened rabbit.


    His eyes followed her as she left the room, the door noisily shutting behind her. A wave of confusion flooded his brain, immediately followed by panic, causing his heart to race and his mouth to lose all of its moisture. In a fluster, he pushed himself up from his chair, the wooden furniture tipping over and clattering on the floor behind him. His chest hurt, it was difficult for him to catch his breath, his world was beginning to spin, and the edges of his vision were darkening.


    Stumbling over his heavy feet, he caught himself on the ledge of the windowsill. The frigid winter breeze leaking through the seams of the window helped to bring clarity to his mind. The sky was overcast, low, grey clouds dusting the world with snow.


    His mind was still adrift in a sea, no, a deep ocean of confusion. The waves of uncertainty rocking the ship that was his mind, threatening to break it apart and sending it to the bottom, far down where no light could hope to reach it. His heart began to race again, he hurriedly focused on the scene outside, the many different people all dressed in matching black robes scuttling off in various directions, leaving tracks in the pure white snow.


    The more he stared, the more familiar the scene became to him, like he had seen it before in a dream he hardly remembered after waking the next day. Then it struck him.


    "Wait, wasn''t I just overˇ­" He asked himself as he turned to look at the bookshelves on the other side of the room, all of the books sitting quietly in their places.


    A fresh wave of panic came over him, driving any sane thoughts from his mind as his heart raced. He dropped to the ground, gasping for air, and clutching his burning chest. His world spun more and more, his consciousness slipping into darkness...


    "Sir, sirˇ­ are you okay, sir?"


    "SHUT UP!" He spat, knocking over the potted plant, and causing it to shatter onto the floor.


    The girl, with terror in her eyes, ran from the room, her black robes fluttering behind her.


    "Damnit! Damnit! Damnit!" He roared, his feeble voice taking on the qualities of a wrathful demon.


    A strength welled up inside his ancient body, a strength that felt alien and yet intimate at the same time. He stormed over to the closed window, wanting to shatter it, destroy it out of anger. When his wrathful eyes set upon the clear glass, all of the anger dissipated as if it was never there to begin with. Outside was nothing but darkness, a deep abyss of nothingness.


    The more he stared, the more he felt the sudden surge of strength drain from his body, quickly returning it to its old, frail form. His body grew weaker with every passing moment, eventually he collapsed were he stood, his world turning black before his body hit the ground.


    "Sir, sirˇ­ are you okay, sir?"


    "Why are you doing this to me?" He asked the young girl, his voice equal parts anger and despair.


    Cocking her head, she stared at him with her dull, white eyes. "I don''t know what you''re talking about sir."


    Without another word, the girl gave him a smile that didn''t quite reach her eyes before turning around and skipping out of the room.


    Resolving to figure out what exactly was happening to him, he swallowed his fear and began searching through the exquisite desk. Each drawer that he pulled out were only filled with mundane, everyday things one might find in any desk, blank pieces of parchment paper, discarded ink wells along with a few that were still full, a stamp with the seal that he''d seen on the young girl''s robe, and quills with long, radiant feathers tipping their ends. Finally, pulling out the bottom-most drawer, he found something of note.


    On yellowed parchment were hand drawn diagrams and notes, the ink they had been etched with had long taken on a rusted hue. His eyes scanned the documents, but everything was blurry due to his deteriorating eyesight. With a frustrated ''harrumph'', he dug around inside the desk until he found something to help him see, a magnifying glass. Holding the tool up to his eye, the cryptic writing and foreign diagrams became much clearer.


    "The Ceremony of Endless Dusk? An infant''s liverˇ­ nightshadeˇ­ on a full moon?" He mumbled the contents of the documents to himself, he found the process listed familiar, just like he did this room and the seal embroidered onto the robes. It was like a nagging idea in the back of his mind that was trying to make its way to the forefront of his thoughts, only to be kept just outside his reach.


    Having finished reading the contents but coming no closer to understanding the situation he was in, he put them back into the desk and made his way to the closed-door opposite of it. As he was just about to turn the doorknob, he paused. Fear was wriggling its way back inside of him, threatening to wrap its icy clutches around his timid heart. Hardening his resolve, he pushed the anxiety back down into the pit of his stomach and pushed open the door.


    What met him on the other side was not a deep, dark abyss waiting to swallow him whole, or some eldritch horror brought to life by his fanciful imagination. Nor were there any answers to the myriad of questions that still filled his weary mind. It was simply a vacant hallway, filled only with the magical light given off by the magic stones in the ceiling.


    Looking down both ends, he found them to be identical to each other. Shrugging his shoulders, he chose one at random and started walking down the hall. As he walked, he noticed that there were no doors other than his own. Stopping, he turned around to see his door some distance back the way he came. Deciding to continue on, he turned back around, only to come face to face with death itself.


    He fell backwards, shouting out in fear and tripping over his own feet in an attempt to get away. As he backpedaled, using his hands and feet to walk like a crab, he noticed the skeletal figure mirroring his movements, it was also wearing a robe exactly like the one he was wearing. He stopped moving and it stopped moving. He raised his right hand over his head, it done the same. He got to his feet, and it followed him.


    He carefully made his way closer to his skeletal doppelganger, his eyes locked onto the red, black, and blue flames burning brightly in its orbits. Stopping just in front of it, he lifted his hand and pressed it against the skeleton''s hand. As their hands touched each other, he didn''t feel the expected dry, hard bone, but the coolness and smooth texture of glass under his fingertips. He took a step back, the fear finding its way back into his heart once again.


    Looking down at his hands, he found them to be those of a corpse''s, the skin picked clean, revealing the bleach white bones beneath.


    "No..."


    He took another step back from the mirror, overwhelming terror filling his heart as he found himself standing in the mirror, smiling back with dull, white eyes....

 Chapter 106 - Discovering Yourself

    In a fit of rage, he struck out at the smirking figure standing in the mirror, shattering it into hundreds of razor-sharp pieces that fell to the ground. A dull ache radiated up from his hand, looking down, he saw that the old, wrinkled flesh once again covered his bones. Across his knuckles was a large gash that oozed blood and exposed his moving tendons. Taking a handkerchief out of the pocket of his robe, he wrapped it around his hand and continued on, his footsteps grinding the broken glass into the plush maroon carpet that lined the hall.


    After what felt like hours of walking, he finally found the end of the hallway. A spiral staircase came into view, it was magical in nature as that the steps were not supported in any visible way, just silently floating in place as they led down. Carefully, he put his foot on the first step, testing it with ever increasing weight. Satisfied that it wouldn''t give way and send him tumbling down the steps to his death, he slowly made his way down.


    The last floating step led him to a cavernous room teeming with activity. Young men and women were hurrying about, some in groups of three or more, all talking amongst each other, producing a cacophony of voices. A large board set imposingly in the center of the room; a long counter placed directly next to it. Many of the men and women were either looking at the board or talking to the people behind the counter.


    As he nervously weaved his way through the throng of people, many of them bowed and acknowledged him as ''Sir'' as he passed. Ignoring them completely, he stopped in front of the massive bulletin board. Pinned to it were many pieces of parchment, all completely blank. He shook his head quickly back and forth before looking back at the board, only to find that nothing had changed.


    Fed up, he turned away, only to come face to face with a young man staring at him with those dull, white eyes.


    "You''re going to die." The young man said, both his face and tone of voice apathetic.


    "Shut up!"


    "You''ll never get out of here." Another, more feminine voice informed him from his right.


    Turning his head toward the additional voice, he saw a mousy, young woman looking at him with the same white eyes. Looking around himself, he noticed that all of the hustling people had grown still, all turning to look at him with those lifeless, white eyes.


    He took a step back.


    "You''re already dead."


    Then another.


    "Your soul will rot in here forever."


    Another.


    "Just give up."


    A magnitude of voices derided him as he retreated toward the back wall. It was becoming harder and harder for him to keep his terror in check. He was beginning to believe those voices, that he was already dead, that he was in hell, stuck here for all eternity. He started to run. The monsters with their dead eyes parting for him as he ran, watching him, always watching.


    He burst through a door, closing it hastily behind him, the dust drifting down and coating his balding head as it was shaken from the rafters above. His chest billowed up and down as his body starved for air. His heart was racing, threatening to burst from his chest, ending his terror once and for all.


    Slowly but surely, his heart slowed as well as his breathing. As the adrenaline faded away, it was replaced by extreme fatigue, he only wanted to lay down and rest but knew he couldn''t. He had to keep pressing forward, he had to find a way out of this horrid place.


    There was a short hall in front of him, the only light being given off came from two lit torches hanging off of stone walls. The short hall led to a dim stairwell, the light from the torches unable to pierce the veil of darkness as the steps ran down into the earth. Taking a torch from its sconce, he held it before him, using it to light up the darkness as he made his way down the treacherous steps.


    A cool, damp breeze sapped the strength from his feeble frame, the sound of dripping water reached his ears from further down. Running his hands over the moist, stone walls, he felt the ancient chisel marks left behind by whomever had built this passageway. Eventually, an orange glow could be seen, growing brighter with each step as he drew closer.


    The stairs opened up into an underground room, a few braziers burning merrily in the four corners, providing dim, orange light. Taking a breath in, he observed, that other than the smell of mold and moisture, there was the thick smell of iron, of blood. A large table was set up in the center of the room with many different items separated into neat piles sitting atop of it.


    Taking the torch, he examined the contents of the table, the harsh glow casting flickering shadows on the nearby walls. Everything listed on the ancient parchment that he had found within the desk was sitting on this table. Nightshade, crushed unicorn horn, arsenic... an infant''s liver, everything he needed was here. He stopped at that sudden thought, why did he need all of this? Was there something that he was supposed to do?


    The papers in the desk listed the ingredients, and the steps to follow during the ritual, but it failed to mention what the ritual was supposed to accomplish. Was he meant to perform the ritual, the Endless Dusk? Everything was already prepared, a magical array was drawn into the dirt floor in the center of the room, all the ingredients were present, all he needed to do was complete it. But should he?


    What if this was what the monster with the white eyes wanted, maybe it was just a trap? If it wasn''t, then why would it let him come this far? Then why did he feel like he needed to, had to perform the ritual. That if he failed to complete it, everything would be lost forever.


    Heavy thuds could be heard echoing from the stair way, sounds of creaking wood accompanying each one. Something was trying to break down the door at the top of the stairs, sending him into a momentary panic. He wasn''t certain how long the door would hold; he didn''t remember locking it, but he must have, seeing how much trouble it was giving whatever was on the other side.


    Steeling his resolve, he began mixing the ingredients as per the instructions he had read on the parchment. His old and feeble body moved with practiced motions, as if he had been practicing alchemy for many, many years. He tried not to put too much thought into why he knew what he did, he just allowed his body to follow its own path as he watched the concoction come together.


    He was starting to feel a little bit dizzy as noxious fumes wafted up from the beakers in front of him, an acrid smell clung to the inside of his nose, overpowering any other scents that might have been in the musty air. He mixed the two of them together, creating a deadly looking purple liquid that bubbled and belched inside the clear glass flask. He held it up to the dim firelight and swirled it around, making sure that it had completely blended together.


    A booming crash came from atop the stairs, quickly followed by heavy footsteps that grew louder with every passing moment. Startled, he fumbled the container he was holding, nearly dropping it. Luckily, his old body still had somewhat reliable reflexes and was able to catch it at the very last moment. He moved as quickly as he could toward the center of the magical array, keeping one eye on the dim entrance to the stairway as the footsteps drew near.


    Emerging from the darkness was what he had feared the most, an abomination with a stretched human face and bulbous dead eyes. The orange glow from the braziers caused shadows to move and dance across its horrid face, making it appear to be constantly changing as its eyes locked onto him from across the room.


    "Theeeeeeeere you are." It said in a soothing, feminine voice. "Still putting up a fight even though you''re already dead?"


    Still clutching the glass beaker in his arthritic hand, he edged closer to the center of the array. "How am I already dead? What are you? What is this place?"


    The monster slowly moved in closer, a smile spread across its pallid face. "It means just that, you are dead, only this little bit of your soul remains."


    "So, this place is constructed just to torment me? Are you here to pass judgement upon my soul?"


    Its eyes seemed to shift between him and the flask in his hands as it answered. "This wretched place is of your own making, the last bastion of your pitiful existence. Although I am fascinated with how it managed to keep me out for so long. I was only able to influence you at a distance, but no longer, it is time you except your fate."


    He took the final step into the array, keeping his eyes on the monster in front of him. "And if I refuse?"


    "I GROW TIRED OF THESE GAMES!!" It bellowed, its feminine voice morphing into one fitting its appearance. "You obstinate worm! Just roll over and die!"


    As the monster charged forward, knocking the large table to the side, and sending it crashing against the wall, he brought the flask to his lips and guzzled it. The effects were immediate. He doubled over in immense pain, the potion ate away at his insides, turning his flesh into fuel for the magical array. The dozens of runes and glyphs making up the circle exuded an oppressive, crimson hue.


    The monster dashed into the magical array, attempting to put an end to the process, only to be repelled by a solid wall of red light that surrounded it and the man inside. It used its many clawed hands to strike at the forcefield, each hit creating an arc of red lightening accompanied by harsh buzzing sounds, but no matter how violently it attacked, the wall held firm.


    On the other side of the transparent wall of light, the man was collapsed on the ground, his body convulsing as wafts of smoke from his melting insides poured from every orifice. He was past the point of feeling pain, what he was feeling now was worse than anything he could have ever imagined. It was as if every nerve in his body was being dipped in scalding hot saltwater before being raked over hot coals to dry, like his very soul was being cut up into minuscule pieces only to be sewn back together with needle and thread.


    His wrinkled flesh began to blister, some growing as large as lemons before bursting open, spilling thick yellow pus onto the dusty ground. All of his hair had fallen out and his eyes dried up to resemble shriveled prunes before dropping out of his skull. His blistered skin sloughed off in large chunks, revealing rotted muscle and white bones. Even his black robes were being eaten by the vile potion, rotting away with the rest of his body, turning into dust.


    The monster never ceased its attempts to break through the barrier, in fact, its attacks seemed to take on a frantic speed as the ritual progressed. It could only watch as the flesh disintegrated off of the man before it, leaving only a bleached white skeleton curled on the floor.


    With no more flesh to burn, the magical array''s power dissipated, causing the barrier separating the monster from the man to fall. Just as the monster took its first step into the array, the skeleton at the center began to move, its snow-white bones working to stand themselves upright. The beast moved faster, desperate to cross the final few feet between it and its target.


    Thick, iron chains burst forth from every direction, wrapping themselves around the monster, barbed hooks digging into its waxy flesh. Thrashing about, the hooks burrowed deeper into its large body, causing black blood to spatter on the walls and ceiling. Quickly finding that the restraints only tightened the more it struggled, the monster unwillingly gave up trying to escape.


    "I think it''s time we get to know each other better, don''t you?" Mage Khorag Kolbr¨˛narsk¨˘ld, or more recently known as Professor Kalcifer, spat in a deep, grating voice, the flames in his eye-sockets blazing with fury.

 Chapter 107 - Whats Yours Is Mine

    The iron chains tightened at those words, the clanging of the links running over each other filled the clandestine room. Gnashing its teeth, the monster thrashed about, not understanding why it couldn''t break free of the weak looking restraints. This was its soul plane, its own universe where it reigned supreme, there was absolutely no reason for it not being able to escape.


    "What have you done?" It roared at him, putrid spittle flying from its mouth.


    In a flash of indigo flames, Professor Kal''s naked bones were promptly covered by a flowing, pitch-black robe. The design of the dress was as plain as plain could be, no embellishments could be seen on the robes, just inky black silk that greedily swallowed the surrounding light. Raising his skeletal hand, Professor Kal snapped his fingers, and the scenery began to transform in response.


    Instead of a damp, dreary cellar, they were now surrounded by fertile, rolling hills that spread out in every direction as far as the eye could see. Wildflowers bloomed underneath the mid-day sun, bees and other insects buzzed cheerily from flower to flower, spreading pollen and taking nectar in return. White puffy clouds slowly marched across the deep blue sky, changing shapes into various animals as they did so.


    He could feel the familiar energy coursing through his body, but it was different than what it was before, it feltˇ­ denser. Before, the energy flowed into him at a constant speed, not much greater than his own natural mana recovery rate. This still allowed him to have a near inexhaustible supply of mana available to him, something that made him one of the most powerful beings in this plane. Now though, something had changed.


    For reasons unknown, the energy was now flooding into his soul, almost to the point where it was painful. The quality of the energy was much higher as well. It was like he had been drinking pond water before, just skimming the scum off the top before downing it. Now, it was like he had found the purest mountain spring, the water cool and invigorating as it quenched his insatiable thirst. He was very curious as to how such a change had occurred.


    "It seems that I''m in control of this place now." Professor Kal said as he watched a knight shaped cloud valiantly fighting a white, puffy dragon. "I''m assuming that we''re inside your body, do you allow all the souls you eat to run roughshod in here?"


    A grimace appeared on the monster''s humanoid visage; the sound of teeth cracking came from its clenched jaw as it stared daggers into Professor Kal''s back. "You impudent whelp, release me this instant!"


    The chains began to constrict around the beast, its skin tearing, blood seeped from the jagged wounds. "I would suggest that you be more agreeable. I''m not quite sure what''s going on, but I have an idea. I just want you to confirm what I suspect to be true."


    "You think you can question me?" It said with a grunt. "I''ve eaten entire worlds, why should I humor your curiosity?"


    "I suppose you''re right." Professor Kal said with a sigh. "That only means I have no use for you then."


    At the end of his sentence, the iron chains began to burn with shimmering red and black flames. The flames didn''t seem to heat up the seemingly simple chain but did start to slowly eat into the monster''s verrucose flesh. Not wanting to give Professor Kal the pleasure of hearing it scream in agony, the monster remained silent even as its skin bubbled and popped.


    Conjuring up a plush leather chair for himself, Professor Kal took a seat directly across from the roasting monster suspended by the burning chains. He wasn''t the kind of being that derived any pleasure from watching such a sight but held no great aversion to it either. He surmised that being such an indominable lifeform, that the beast had never been on the receiving end of such treatment, and thus would only take a short amount of time to succumb to the torture, then give him the information that he desired.


    Leaning back in the chair, resting his bleached white skull on his bony knuckles, Professor Kal watched on as the monster began to scream.


    ˇ­..


    Deep within the noble district, most of the buildings had been either heavily damaged or destroyed outright. Only a few of the well-built stone buildings, some distance away from the plaza, were able to withstand the cataclysmic impact of the meteor and the shockwave that immediately followed. One such building had only half survived, its roof had been ripped off the structure completely, the glass windows, along with the frames, were blown out, and the stone wall facing the plaza had been pushed in with such force that a few of the outer stones had been turned into gravel.


    In the center of the building, the heavy stones and splintered timber, along with broken furniture and other elegant household items, began to heave up and down like something was breathing underneath the pile of rubble. After a moment, the pile rose up before falling off to the side, revealing a transparent sphere of mana that surrounded two unharmed women.


    "What in the world was that?" Marissa asked, not expecting to get the answer she was after.


    "I don''t know, but I can still feel the mana that surged along with it. Whatever it was, was a spellˇ­ Although I''ve never heard of one being able to do anything like this." Sarah said as she looked around at the destruction.


    Being careful not to fall on the shifting wreckage, Marissa and Sarah helped each other make it onto the cobbled road in front of the destroyed house. The once empty road now had piles of debris spread over it, some sections were completely blocked off by collapsed buildings.


    "If we''re going to make it back to the inn, we''re going to have to navigate through all this crap." Sarah said with a huff.


    "Why do you want to go back to the inn? We should probably just leave the city like my brother and sister did." Marissa said as she pointed up into the sky at the thick, black smoke blotting out the mid-winter sun.


    "Wellˇ­" Sarah started while kicking at some small rocks near her feet. "I sorta left the kids back at the innˇ­ by themselves. Hey, if I hadn''t come when I did, you would have been flattened underneath all that!" She finished, defending herself fervently against Marissa''s judgmental look being shot in her direction.


    "I do appreciate the thought." Marissa said with a small smile. "But I''d been fine, you really shouldn''t worry that much about me."


    "You don''t know that! What if you were trapped underneath all that rubble, I''d never find you?" Sarah explained, her tone filled with worry.


    Shaking her head with the smile still on her rosy lips, Marissa gingerly took Sarah''s hand, causing the latter to blush deeply, before pulling her along. "It doesn''t matter, you''re here now. C''mon, we should get going."


    ˇ­..


    A wet squelching noise sounded out as Marissa pulled her steel short sword from the monster''s skull, its partially coagulated blood stuck to the sharp blade like tar. Grimacing, she flicked her blade in an attempt to rid it of the blood but was forced to use a piece of cloth she pulled from some nearby rubble. Sarah was standing back some ten feet, watching on in wonder at the woman''s pure fighting talent.


    "How many does that make now?" Sarah asked as she approached her friend.


    "At least a dozen. You really don''t know what these things are?"


    "No, I never heard or read about anything like this while at the Academy. Then again, I''m not an expert on the undead, so it''s possible they''re just a different variation?" Sarah explained, not really believing her own theory on the matter.


    "Well, whatever they are, they''re disgusting." Marissa nearly gagged as she threw the soiled cloth on the ground.


    They had been making their way to the inn, weaving in and out of destroyed buildings and small fires that were steadily growing larger. They hadn''t seen any people during the first part of their journey, but as they approached the commoner district, they had run into theseˇ­ things. At first, thinking they were run of the mill zombies, Sarah attacked them with an area of effect spell called Conflagration. It simply raised the temperature inside a certain area up to intense temperatures, depending on the amount of mana the caster poured into it.


    Although her spell did catch the creatures on fire, the moment she cut off her mana to the flames, they quickly extinguished and then the monsters rushed them. That was when Marissa acted; unsheathing her sword faster than Sarah could follow with her eyes, she was in front of her in an instant, slashing at their attackers with surgical precision. In no time at all, every single monster lay on the cold ground, unmoving.


    After an initial inspection, neither one of them had any idea what they truly were, only that they didn''t seem to be an undead in any conventional sense. An undead, according to the simplest definition, was a corpse reanimated due to the effects of mana. There were several different species of undead, and they all used mana in different ways, but they all used it nonetheless, with no known exceptions. These creatures on the other hand had no mana coursing through their shriveled bodies, at least not any that either one of them could sense.


    They were also very difficult to kill, especially for Sarah since she mainly focused on using magic to attack. They did take damage from magical attacks, but only from the physical aspects of the attacks, not from the magic itself. If she skewered a normal enemy with a spear of ice, not only would they be run through by the projectile, but they would also suffer from frost damage as well as the mana within the spear would spread from the initial wound, freezing the surrounding tissue. These creatures on the other hand would still be run through by the spear but it would end there, the mana didn''t seem to want to spread out, becoming nullified by some unknown force. Thus, since their first encounter with the unknown monsters, Marissa had been taking point in dispatching them, with Sarah holding a supporting role.


    Returning her sword back to its sheath, Marissa continued walking in the direction of the inn. "We still have a way to go, and we''re starting to see more and more of these things."


    "Soˇ­?"


    "So, it might be time to rethink the idea of going back."


    "I can''t do that." Sarah said. "I can''t just leave those kids by themselves. I know I already have once, but I had to at the momentˇ­"


    The vibrations of a multitude of footsteps cut her explanation short, forcing them both to turn around and see where the disturbance was coming from. Many of the buildings around them had remained largely undamaged, so it was difficult for them to see what was coming toward them, but due to the fact that they didn''t hear any voices or yelling accompanying the footfalls meant that whatever they were, they weren''t human.


    "Shit!" Marissa cursed before scooping Sarah up in her arms and taking off at incredible speeds.


    Sarah was taken completely by surprise, she knew that Marissa was unusually strong, especially so since she had a chance to see her in combat but being whisked off her feet and carried like a small child was something she hadn''t expected. It was a comical sight if one ignored the circumstances, Sarah was just slightly taller than Marissa was, so she actually had to pull her feet up in order to keep them from dragging on the ground. Sarah almost began laughing as she bounced up and down in Marissa''s arms, until she saw what was behind them.


    Spilling out into the road was a stampede of more than two hundred of those black-eyed monstrosities. Each one was sprinting at full speed, their arms and legs pumping in discorded harmony, their mouths hanging open in silent screams. Although there were hundreds of them crammed between the buildings on the small road, sprinting at full speed, not one of them ran into any of the others, they were moving together almost as if they were one single being.


    "Runˇ­ fasterˇ­" Sarah urged in patchy words as she watched in horror as the creatures seemed to be gaining on them.


    "I know!" Marissa replied, knowing full well how much trouble they were in.


    Coming to a sudden stop, Marissa planted her feet into the ground before pushing off with a supernatural burst of strength. Sarah screamed and tightened her grip around Marissa as they sailed through the air before gently touching down on a nearby rooftop.


    "It''s ok. I think we''re safe for a bit." Marissa reassured her friend as she began to pry Sarah off of her.


    Catching her breath, like she had been the one running while carrying another person, Sarah straightened out the dress and cloak she was wearing as they had become quite disheveled during their speedy escape. While she collected herself, Marissa looked over the edge of the slightly sloped slate rooftop and down onto the road. The surge of black-eyed monsters stampeded past the spot they had just leapt from, continuing on down the road seemingly oblivious to their location.


    Hearing a sigh of relief coming from right next to her, Marissa turned her head to see Sarah looking over the edge just like she had been. "That was too close. Thanks, you saved my life."


    Returning Sarah''s grateful smile, Marissa nodded her head. "Don''t mention itˇ­"


    The sound of a small explosion interrupted Marissa mid-sentence, drawing both of their attention to a collapsing building down the street from them. Staggering out of the still crumbling debris was a towering monstrosity; with warty, sickly grey skin, six long arms ending in clawed hands big enough to hold a fully grown adult, and a stretched, humanoid face with clouded white eyes. It stumbled across the street before falling into another building, causing it to collapse as well. Something was clearly wrong with the monster, it was acting as if it were drunk, shaking its head back and forth as it tried to stay upright.


    "Whatˇ­ what is that?" Sarah whispered, afraid that the new arrival would somehow hear her.


    Marissa didn''t say anything in return, only shaking her head as she watched the monster brace itself against a sturdy, stone house before starting to pant heavily, wisps of red and black flame escaping its gaping mouth.

 Chapter 108 - A New Lease On Life

    The sight in front of him was ghastly to say the least, the monster was barely hanging on to life, the scorching chains had burned away large tracts of its flesh, exposing white bone that quickly began to burn as well. The parts of the monster that hadn''t come into direct contact with the chains were burned and blistered, some of the skin looked like melted wax, running down onto the ground, and making small piles. Steaming entrails had fallen out of its abdomen, the skin and muscle holding them inside its body had cooked and cracked due to the heat, splitting apart.


    The monster itself hung limply from the chains, the only reason it still drew breath was because Professor Kal allowed it to. He was currently pacing around the beast, using healing magic to keep it alive, making sure to knit its nerves back together so it would still feel the pain.


    "Tell me, how did you come to this plane?" Professor Kal asked again, not expecting an answer. He had been torturing the monster for several days now, at least that''s the amount of time that had passed within this soul plane. The monster had been quite stubborn, refusing to speak at all during all that time, even though it had suffered unspeakable torment.


    "Mhhhrrggererg." An unintelligible gurgle came from the monster''s throat, its chest bubbled from the escaping air, revealing just how much damage it had suffered.


    "Oh, here, this should help." With a wave, a radiant light enveloped the creature, healing the monster almost completely. "See, look at that; good as new."


    Although it had been healed, brought back from the brink of death, the beast still hung there lifelessly from the chains. Letting out a tired sigh, Professor Kal kicked the beast with his foot and asked the question again. With a snort, the monster came out of its near comatose state, coughing and gasping as it picked its head up to look at the Professor.


    "Implant... I implantˇ­ my soulˇ­ inside a being from the plane." It explained in a thin, raspy voice.


    "Then what? You take over their body?"


    "Yes... it takesˇ­ some time to grow strongˇ­ strong enough to take over completely."


    "So, how''d you wind up getting trapped?"


    "Unˇ­lucky."


    "Ha." Professor Kal scoffed while shaking his head. "I suppose so, you implanted yourself in one of the most powerful mages of that time. She must have sensed something wrong, that''s why she locked herself away. That leaves the question as to how the church gained possession of Amaranthae''s body, though." He paused, giving it some thought. "Ah, I suppose it doesn''t really matter in the end."


    Professor Kal sat back down on the plush, leather chair that had magically reappeared in front of the restrained monster. "So, you implant yourself inside a living creature, just like a contemptible parasite, then bide your time until you become strong enough to take over the host''s body? That''s a rather roundabout way to invade another plane. What''re the advantages of doing it that way?"


    Taking in a deep, ragged breath, the monster answered. "The planesˇ­ suppress any foreign invaders. If I used a body that originatedˇ­ from the plane, then I can useˇ­ my full power."


    "So, you''re saying planes have a will? They can determine what belongs and what doesn''t?"


    "Yesˇ­ and no. Planes are akin to living organismsˇ­"


    "And you''re the disease." Professor Kal finished the monster''s train of thought for it.


    The creature''s face twitched at the comparison; it must not have appreciated being compared to a virus, but Professor Kal couldn''t have cared less how it felt. He took a moment to mull over what he had learned from the monster. He knew some things about planes, but he was far from an expert on the subject. Materializing his long, twisted pipe, he leaned back in the chair and began to puff rings of foul-smelling smoke into the monster''s face.


    "Now, I gather that you feed on souls." He started. "What happens to them?"


    "They are ripped apart and broken down, fueling my power, my magic."


    "So, you use souls to power your magic?" He asked. He wasn''t unfamiliar with using souls for power, liches were widely known to use them to power their phylacteries, although, they didn''t use them to power the spells themselves. He didn''t know of any process to use souls in such a way, but he did see the merit in doing so, perhaps that was a field of study worth pursuing in the future?


    Using souls to power its spells would explain why those creatures he and Ryan killed earlier were so resistant to mana, with another source of energy already filling their bodies the mana would have a hard time affecting them in any meaningful way. Now that he knew the why, the only thing to sus out would be the how. But like so many things as of late, he would have to come around to that issue later, there were other things he had to ask.


    "Alright, so if they are broken down andˇ­ digested, why am I still here? Although I would like to believe I''m something special, I know that''s not the case." Professor Kal admitted with a wave of his hand, taking pride in his own humbleness.


    "Iˇ­ do not know how your soul survived." It conceded. "Most of your soul had been devoured, but a sliver of it remained hidden from me, protected by some external influence. That is why I moved you into my soul plane, in the hopes of cutting off whatever force was keeping your soul from completely fading away. In the end... that was a mistake."


    The monster let its head fall limp, rattling the rusted iron chains. It looked to Professor Kal that the beast was growing weaker with each passing moment, probably because he had taken control over its soul plane, robbing it of the energy it needed to sustain itself. Seeing how the energy from the other plane seemed to harm it, he wouldn''t be able to supply it with any power in order to keep it alive much longer.


    Standing up from the leather chair, Professor Kal strode over to the nearly dead monster. "One final question. How do I get out of here?"


    "This is stillˇ­ my plane. As long as my soulˇ­ exists, you cannot leave." It said in a hushed tone, not bothering to lift its head.


    "Very well." With a wave of his skeletal hand, the monster combusted into red, blue, and black flames, its body quickly turning to ash as the flames ate away its soul.


    ˇ­..


    On the boundary between the noble and commoner district a fierce battle was taking place. The soldiers that had been stationed within the city in order to protect it from any attacks carried out by the Kingdom of Amine, had finally rallied together to face the ever-growing presence of unknown monsters, and had made their way to this location. After encountering a few of the black-eyed monstrosities enroute, they had some idea as to what to expect, but were still woefully unprepared for what was to come.


    A flood of hundreds of the monsters had taken the soldiers by surprise, quickly breaking through their meager defenses, and causing their lockstep formation to fall apart, forcing them into a chaotic, bloody brawl. Although the soldiers of Morgania outnumbered the monsters three to one, they were still only men, unaccustomed to the ferocity of the attacks and were initially overwhelmed.


    Bodies littered the street, blood ran between the cobblestones and into the ditches, and the screams of dying men filled the air. The soldiers'' commander barked orders from atop his warhorse, bringing some semblance of order to their fractured formation. As the frontline soldiers held back the monsters, the others regrouped behind them, forming a wall of lances that stuck out like needles in a pincushion.


    Having formed a proper formation, the soldiers were able to actually handle the onslaught from the monsters, using their long spears to stab at them before they could get in too close. Although it took them numerous jabs to actually kill one of the monsters, they were slowly making progress as the wall of monsters broke against the stalwart soldiers.


    Not far away, breathing heavily, the three students stopped to catch their breath within a narrow alleyway nestled between a pair of two-story buildings. They had been dodging black-eyed monsters and frantic civilians alike, they had even narrowly avoided being killed by a hideous monster that looked like a cross between a human and an insect, needless to say, they were exhausted.


    Laura, Ben, and Richard still had no idea where Ryan or Professor Kal had gone, and had given up trying to find them. The city was much too dangerous at the moment to be running around with no clear destination and, as much as it pained them, they would just have to trust in the Professor to keep their friend safe.


    "How much further until the inn?" Richard asked in a raspy tone as he wheezed.


    Ben shrugged his shoulders before turning to look at Laura, their interim leader.


    "Don''t look at me." She said, "I was following you two!"


    Ben''s eyebrows arched up in surprise. "Following us?! We were following you!"


    "It''s not my fault!" Laura stated, defending herself. "We were all just runningˇ­"


    Richard let out a defeated groan as the realization dawned on them, they were lost. Being lost any other day would only amount to a mild nuisance, but with the city falling into chaos, it was life threatening. The sounds of the battle between the soldiers and monsters echoed down the alleyway, overpowering their heated conversation as the battle seemed to shift closer to where they were.


    Frightened of the possibility of getting involved in the battle, the three of them stopped pointing fingers at each other and ducked inside one of the buildings next to them. Whoever had lived inside the house must have left in a hurry, the front door was unlocked, and the fireplace was still smoldering, barely heating the house. Quickly closing the door behind them, they pushed a tacky looking sofa across the wooden floor and in front of the door, creating a makeshift barricade.


    Peeking through the plain white curtains, they watched as the soldiers made a hurried retreat, fear plastered all over their pale faces. The monsters were still harassing them as they ran down the street, but it wasn''t them that the soldiers seemed to fear. A loud crashing sound that caused the house to tremble came from outside, rattling the windows in their frames and nearly causing them to stumble over the top of each other.


    "What was that?!" Richard cried as he scurried away from the front window.


    Another resounding crash shook the house, this time much closer, causing the plastered walls to crack and fall apart onto the floor. The house itself was threatening to fall apart as the entire frame listed to the side, the roof resting on the house adjacent to it was the only thing keeping it from collapsing fully. A wet slap sounded out from directly in front of them, the noise reaching them easily through the now broken window.


    Looking out, the three students saw a massive monster laying face down in the middle of the street. Its many arms flailed erratically, creating large gashes in the cobblestone street, and its hooved feet were kicking violently into the empty air. As it convulsed on the ground, they could see its humanoid face twist into expressions of terror and anguish. Multicolored flames belched out of its gaping mouth with each labored breath it took.


    "I don''t even know what''s going on anymore." Ben quipped as the three of them watched the unbelievable spectacle unfolding before them.


    With a sickening ''pop'', the monster''s cloudy, white eyes dropped out of its skull, iridescent flames immediately taking their place. The hungry flames soon consumed the monster''s entire body, leaving no area untouched as they grew in intensity. Instead of blistering and blackening like one would expect when being burned by fire, the monster''s skin began to dissolve, as if it was sitting in acid.


    A horrid stench filled the air as the soft flesh melted down into a sloppy puddle, leaving nothing but its thick bones exposed to the elements. The three students gagged as they watched, although the flesh had been reduced to such a state, the red, blue, and black flames still burned intensely, with no signs of stopping.


    Being picked clean of flesh, the large bones of the monster started to tremble. At first it was hardly noticeable, but only after a few moments they began to vibrate so forcefully that they could feel it through the ground. As the bones vibrated, they began to break at odd angles and with such force that the sound made them cover their ears. After breaking, they would fold in on each other and fuse, becoming much smaller but extremely dense.


    After a few minutes of the gruesome process, the bones had reformed themselves into something much more familiar, a human skeleton. Standing upright, the skeleton began to move its limbs and roll its shoulders, testing out the abilities of its new body.. It even jumped up and down, making sloshing noises in the puddle of sticky flesh underneath its feet, little waves of gore spreading out in all directions.

 Chapter 109 - Gains And Losses

    The blustery winter wind howled as it passed through his smooth, white bones, reminding him that he had actually made it back into the physical world. A lich like himself had the ability to reconstruct their physical body should it be destroyed, but the process was slow and painstaking, taking anywhere from a decade to half a millennium to complete, if forming the body from scratch. If the lich had set up either a spare corpse, or other resources to utilize beforehand, the time it would take could be drastically reduced.


    With so many raw materials graciously donated by the nameless destroyer of worlds, and the overwhelming power granted by the plane his phylactery resided in, he was able to recreate his body in a matter of moments. He had noticed it while inside the soul-plane, the connection between his soul on this plane and between his phylactery in the other had been drastically improved, allowing for vast quantities of the otherworldly energy to surge within his body.


    His new form felt as light as a feather as he jumped up and down, although, when he landed, the stone beneath his feet was driven deeper into the frozen soil beneath. Prying a large stone from the roadbed, he held it between his bony hands before applying a bit of pressure. Thin cracks spiderwebbed across the rock''s surface before it violently exploded, sharp bits of rock clanged off his naked bones, the rest fell to the ground as dust.


    Naturally, with a body consisting of nothing but bones, his strength wasn''t derived from any muscle. His body moved through the very same energy that powered his spells, mana; and just as with any enchanted weapon or armor, the conductivity of the material would greatly impact its performance. As he felt the flow of mana through the mana pathways within his bones, he could tell that there was practically no resistance at all, meaning that his body was as close to a perfect conductor of mana as could be possible. After some time admiring his wonderfully remarkable new body, he looked around himself, trying to determine where he was in the city.


    The wooden buildings around him were largely untouched, though a few had been destroyed, and one was leaning dangerously to the side. The street he found himself on was littered with bodies, both soldiers and withered corpses alike. It was obvious that a battle had taken place very recently as the blood staining the stones had not yet frozen completely.


    Huge columns of black smoke choked out the sun, and rained soot down over the city. He didn''t know for sure how long he was inside the monster''s soul-plane but figured it couldn''t have been too long since the fires hadn''t spread very far. Perhaps, now with no more black-eyed monsters being created, the city may have an opportunity to react to the blaze, fighting to keep it contained before getting completely out of control.


    Moving forward, he sloshed through the mess spread out under his feet. After walking a few steps, he bent down and started to sift through the gore. He started in one area before quickly moving onto the next. His leisurely movements began to become more and more frantic as his search failed to bear any fruit. Just before he resorted to burning away all of the filth covering the street, he finally found what he was looking for.


    He rolled the cold metal through his fingers as he lifted his storage ring up and out of the grime. Although it had just been lying in a pool of blood and guts, and being digested by a monster just before that, it was still spotless as it gleamed in the fading sunlight. He was a little disappointed that the robe he had gotten from Old Kushim''s hoard had been destroyed but was greatly relieved to find his ring had survived.


    Sliding the golden ring over his bony finger, his mindˇ­ drew a blank. A little taken aback, he poured his mana into it once again, but his mind, again, failed to connect with the ring. Impatiently taking the ring back off his finger, he closely inspected it, trying to find any defective areas. The surface of the ring itself seemed to be just as it always was, the inscriptions were small and delicate, but were surprisingly sturdy. They should have been able to survive being dropped into an active volcano, or dipped into a boiling vat of acid, or even being eaten and shat out by a dragon, he had that much faith in the craftsmanship of his ring, but there was still something preventing him from accessing it.


    "Damnit." Professor Kal cursed loudly.


    This was a major issue, one that he would need to rectify as soon as possible. Those unfamiliar with the way enchanted storage items worked may think that should one be destroyed, that all of the items inside of it would magically appear, but that was far from the case. If they were to be destroyed, everything inside of them would be lost forever, trapped within a sub-space bubble. His ring acted like a door; his mana signature was the key. Without a door there to open, there would be no way for him to retrieve the things he had stored away. Luckily, his door hadn''t been completely destroyed, only damaged, he still had a chance to repair it and retrieve his items.


    Unable to do anything about it now, Professor Kal dropped his hands to his side, looked up into the ashen skies, and let out a frustrated groan. Everything he had procured from the church''s forbidden library was inside his ring, all of his potions, robes, wands, scrolls, everything was inside of it. That''s not to say that he was cut off from all of his belongings, he still had plenty of spare gold and clothing back inside his underground lab but retrieving it would be a great inconvenience.


    Cursing again, he put the ring back on his finger before turning his attention to the two-story building that was leaning heavily to the side. As soon as he had rematerialized back into the physical plane, he could feel multiple sets of eyes watching him. His mana empowered senses told him that his wayward students were one of the groups, while another was some distance away, watching from an elevated position and were much more discreet in their voyeurism.


    It really didn''t matter to him who saw him in his true form, they wouldn''t be able to connect him to his living half, and even if they did put two and two together, they would be hard pressed to convince anyone of the truth. Deciding that what he needed at the moment was some levity, he quickly turned around, his fiery eyes settling on the two-story house that was leaning heavily on another. With a devilish grin, he took off at a run, his bony feet kicking up frozen blood and muck with each heavy step. Panicked screams abruptly gushed out of the broken front window, their owners hidden behind the white chiffon curtains that flapped in the harsh breeze.


    A small explosion rocked the already battered building, pushing the structure past the point of failure, causing it to begin collapsing in on itself. Halting his steps, Professor Kal began to cackle with childish glee. Even mixed in with the sounds of the falling debris, he could hear three sets of scampering footsteps getting further and further away coming from the street adjacent to the one he was standing on. He figured that they must have cast a spell, creating a hole in the back of the building for them to escape through.


    He was happy to see that at least they acted quickly, that all of his teachings had at least made them able to think on their feet without freezing up. Now with nothing left to do, Professor Kal made his way into the abandoned house next door, he needed to find something to cover himself with before he warped back to the inn.


    ˇ­..


    "What in the Nine Hells was that?" Sarah asked as she stared slack jawed at the empty street some distance away, where a very animated skeleton just was.


    Marissa was staring at the same empty street, her fair-skinned face scrunched up in a strange expression. She did not recognize the undead that hadˇ­ emerged out of the towering monster''s remains, but for some reason a strange sense of familiarity was nagging at the back of her mind. Shaking her head, she drove the feeling from her mind.


    "I don''t have any idea." Marissa admitted.


    ˇ­..


    ''Clink, clink, clink''. The sounds of stones striking hard metal echoed within the dark and damp basement underneath the inn. Princess Alessandria was sitting cross-legged, with her back against the cold iron bars, throwing small pebbles at the bars adjacent to her. Lilly was sitting off to the side, much like the princess was, both of them had bored looks on their faces.


    "When do you think he''ll wake up?" Princess Alessandria asked, tossing another small pebble, and hitting Ryan''s dirt covered, unconscious body sprawled out on the floor just outside their prison cell.


    "I do not know, Your Highness. Though it has been some time, hasn''t it?" Lilly answered with the back of her head resting against the bars.


    With no natural light making its way into the underground space, it was difficult for them to be able to tell how much time had passed since becoming trapped down there. Neither one of them thought that it had been a full day as of yet, but it must have been getting close. Several hours ago, a Warp Gate had opened up, giving them some hope that the Professor was returning and would set them free, but the only thing that came through the portal was a large clump of soil surrounding the body of one of the students.


    They could tell at a glance that he wasn''t dead; his chest was still moving in and out, telling them that he was still breathing. At first, they had tried to wake him up, shouting out to him. Thinking that he would be able to tell them what was happening outside, and maybe convince him to release them, but nothing they did even so much as made him twitch, so after some time of trying, they reluctantly gave up.


    "Do you think Mage Kalcifer will even let us go?" Lilly suggested, "We''ve seen many things that would be better for him if we were not to speak of them." She motioned to the zombified dog sitting just outside their cage, drooling messily as it looked at Ryan as he slept.


    "Iˇ­ I trust that he won''t do anything he might come to regret in the future." Princess Alessandria stated meekly, "And weˇ­ we don''t know anything for sure. Maybe he was working with the church, that''s how Priest Unilith had a warp scroll that led back here. Maybe that dog is just very illˇ­"


    "Princess... that dog''s ribs are showing, OUTSIDE of its body."


    "...very, very ill." Princess Alessandria mumbled, her voice barely audible even in the silent basement.


    Quiet came over the basement once again as the two women both let out worried sighs. With nothing else to do to pass the time, their imaginations ran wild with the various horrific scenarios that were likely to befall them should Mage Kalcifer return. The only sounds within the large room were the slow drip of water falling into a puddle, and the low whining of Trist as she eyed Ryan''s sleeping form with hungry eyes.


    Just then, breaking the deathly silence of the gloomy basement, space itself tore open. A large fissure that split the air ran from the spider-web coated ceiling, down to the dusty, dirt floor. A sharp tearing sound grated their ears as it spread apart, allowing crimson red light to flood the previously dark room. Shielding their eyes from the sudden assault of light, the two women pushed themselves as far back from the fissure as possible, straining against the cold, iron bars.


    Bathed in the blood-red light, a silhouette of a man leisurely walked out of the fissure and into the dingy basement. Once safely outside, the wounded space closed, stitching itself back together as if nothing had happened in the first place. The basement was once again plunged into darkness, the terrified women blinded by the sudden shift in illumination.


    A deep voice reached inside the cage from the darkness, causing the two women''s skin to crawl as it wormed its way into their ears. "Hello there, ladies.. It''s wonderful to see you both alive and well."

 Chapter 110 - Say Youre Sorry

    "Maˇ­ Mage Kalcifer." Princess Alessandria started, swallowing hard, "I''m pleased to see that you have made it back safely. Does that mean you were successful in subjugating the monster?"


    Professor Kal could see clearly in the near pitch-blackness of the basement. He could see the terrified looks on their faces as they pressed against the bars of their cell. Even as the princess spoke, he could see her eyes dart back and forth, trying desperately to peel back the darkness so that she could see what he was doing. The way that both of them were behaving truly stung a little, it was as if they had suddenly started to fear him for some reason, even though, he thought, he had been nothing but nice to them thus far.


    Snapping his fingers, the magical lights reignited, bringing the ambient light up to a level to where everyone could see clearly. The soft blue flames cast dancing shadows across the hard-packed ground, giving the dingy basement a haunting atmosphere. At the same time, the iron cage that had imprisoned the two women crumbled away, turning into powdered rust that sank to the ground.


    Pulling over a wooden chair, Professor Kal straightened out his poorly woven pants before taking a seat. Trist, happy to see her best friend return, trotted over and started to nudge his hand with her cold, dry muzzle.


    "What happened?" Professor Kal asked, cocking his head, "Before I left, you both were so lively, so... bold. Now, it''s as if you''re staring at an uncaged beast, frankly, I''m a little offended."


    Taking several steps back, Princess Alessandria''s eyes went wide, "You''re not Mage Kalcifer!"


    At the same time, Lilly quickly stepped in front of the First Princess, her arm morphing into a morning-star, complete with three-inch long spikes jutting out in every direction.


    "What are you going on about?" Professor Kal asked, genuinely confused, "Of course I''m me, right, dog?" He looked down at the perpetual wagging machine that was resting her had on his lap, her large, clouded eyes looking up into his.


    "We traveled with him for quite some time, you look nothing like him! Who are you?" Lilly barked out, demanding an answer to her question.


    A little taken aback by the current situation he had found himself in, Professor Kal stood up from the chair before marching across the room and started to rummage around in one of the chests residing in the corner. After a moment, he pulled out a large glass flask, its mouth sealed with a rubber cork. Inside of the container was a silver liquid that perfectly reflected the soft blue light given off by the magical flames.


    Without hesitation, he pulled the stopper from the flask with a deep ''thwomp'' that reverberated throughout the room. Holding the container in one hand, he used the other to trace out a large circle just in front of him. The metallic liquid gushed out of the flask on its own accord, following the invisible line traced out by his hand just moments before. After forming an oval some three feet from top to bottom, the liquid began to thin out, filling the middle of the oval with boiling, silver metal.


    Soon, the roiling surface of the oval was replaced by a placid, mirrored finish, perfectly reflecting Professor Kal''s countenance. Not believing his own eyes, Professor Kal leaned forward, closer to the perfect mirror floating silently in the air. With just a thought, the soft blue light of the magical flames instantly transitioned into piercing white, driving away all of the lingering shadows that inhabited the room.


    There, staring back at him with piercing, amber eyes, was a devilishly handsome man. His thick, shoulder length hair was the darkest of black, the white light of the room becoming lost in the forest atop his head. His facial features were rugged and sharp, as if a God themselves had chiseled a masterpiece out of flesh. Just a hint of a beard covered his striking face, giving it an even more masculine feel. If he didn''t know better, he would have thought a stranger was looking back at him through the floating mirror.


    He followed the contours of his face with his fingers as he allowed the blinding white light to dim considerably, allowing the exiled shadows to return to the underground room. This was a face that he hadn''t seen in almost three-thousand years, this was what he looked like in the prime of his life, before he even considered turning himself into an undying lich. Well, it wasn''t exactly as he remembered, his own subconscious hubris must have altered his appearance a smidge while he reconstructed his living shell.


    In the process of becoming a lich, the body undergoes a violent and devastating transformation. All of the flesh is burned away, granting power to the spell, and allowing the soul to be able to bind to the phylactery, becoming affectively immortal. In most cases, the process is so traumatic that the caster often experienced compartmentalization of their memories, locking them away behind a subconscious wall. Add this phenomenon to a lich''s near endless lifespan, and all of the experiences that brought with it, and it would not be difficult to understand why they were considered insensible and insane.


    With no clear memory of what he looked like before his transformation; he had just made his shell into an amalgamation of what a human male would look like. This resulted in a completely average appearance, not too ugly, not overly attractive, entirely mundane, and forgettable. Now, since he had somehow unlocked the memories lost to him all those years ago, he had unknowingly crafted his living shell into something that closely resembled his actual self.


    He smiled a wide, toothy grin, enraptured within his own vanity. He had never been one to really care about his appearance, at least not recently. It seemed that after recovering some of his fragmented memories while imprisoned within the beast''s soul-plane, that his very personality had shifted slightly. Suddenly bothered with the changes occurring within himself, he hastily waved the hovering oval away, scattering the mirror into countless drops of shimmering liquid.


    Regaining his composure, Professor Kal cleared his throat before turning to face the anxious looking women that were still very much on guard against him. "Well... hmmmmm. There''s a perfectly good explanation for my sudden transformation."


    "Let''s see..." he hummed as he returned to the solitary chair he was seated at before, "Ah yes, magic. Yup, that''s it, I used magic before to conceal my true identity. As one beautiful person to another, I''m sure you can sympathize."


    The two women glared at him with skeptical eyes, not dismissing the explanation they had been given, but not entirely believing it either. He did sound much the same as he had before, his mannerisms were unchanged as well, and then there was the fact that the ''sickly'' looking dog seemed to accept him as its master, happily licking his hand with a drool covered tongue.


    "Let''s say we choose to believe you." Princess Alessandria said from her position safely behind Lilly, "And you really are Mage Kalcifer. What is it that you''re truly after? You said all you wanted was gold for felling the beast, that you imprisoned us to keep us safeˇ­"


    Gaining a little bit of her courage back, Princess Alessandria stepped forward, confronting the seated man, "You may think me daft, that I am unaware of the happenings going on around me, but I assure you that I am not! I went to the church to help clear your good name, I thought that I knew what kind of man you were, that, although crass, stubborn, and exceedingly materialistic, you were someone that I could trust. As it turns out, I was a fool!"


    Professor Kal leaned back in his chair as the Princess continued her impromptu rant.


    "I don''t know how, but it was you that I talked to inside the church. It was you who handed me the scroll that brought us back to thisˇ­ place." She looked over to Ryan''s unconscious form, "He was there as wellˇ­ How wicked of a soul do you have to be to drag a child, an innocent boy, into whatever nefarious misdeeds you are arranging outside of the light''s touch."


    Professor Kal let out a tired sigh, he had too much on his mind at the moment to really have a desire to argue with the hysteric woman, "What proof do you offer to collaborate your wild accusations? Me and the boy were here when you stepped through the gate, how could we have been conversing inside the church if we were here the entire time?"


    As he said those words, he spread his arms out wide, gesturing to the entire room. Although he had been caught red handed, she had no proof other than her own conjecture; and no one would believe such a yarn, even if it did come from the First Princess.


    "Proof? You want proof!?" Princess Alessandria started, basically shouting at the man, and gesturing toward Trist who was still happily wagging her tail like a macabre whip, "Just look at the fucking mut! That alone is enough to confirm the slanderous rumors circulating about you, or are you going to say that that bitch is only a little ''under the weather''?"


    "That''s hurtful, isn''t it Trist?" Professor Kal said compassionately as he looked down at the zombie-dog, before looking back up at the fuming Princess, "I don''t see how her condition can be proof of anything, and at least my ''pet'' has all of her limbs still firmly attached."


    Princess Alessandria''s eyes nearly rolled out of her head as she sneered at the man''s juvenile rebuttal, "Of course you are who you say you are, there''s no other man that could possibly be as grating on the nerves as you!"


    Motioning for his pipe, but receiving nothing in return, Professor Kal scowled as he remembered the state that his storage-ring was in, "You''re no refreshing spring breeze yourselfˇ­ Princess. Any other respectable person would be on their hands and knees, pressing their faces into the grime, thanking me for saving their lives not only once, BUT TWICE! Yet here you are, flinging half-cocked conspiracy theories and disgusting accusations around like a peasant slinging shit in the fields!"


    Losing her temper, Princess Alessandria snapped back at the mage, "The only shit here is you! You arrogant cur!"


    Professor Kal erupted from his seat, the soft, magical light taking on a harsh, crimson glow that perfectly echoed his current mood, "I could kill you where you stand! Rectify the mistake I''ve made by saving your wretched, ungrateful life."


    The pressure inside the room was palatable, the magical flames were overflowing from their sconces, the flames burning so vigorously that they were licking the timber beams above. Trist had backed away, taking refuge underneath a long, metal table with her tail tucked between her legs. Princess Alessandria, suddenly realizing the truth held within his words had clamped her mouth shut, her face drained of all its color and cold sweat had drenched her shivering body.


    Lilly, struggling against the overwhelming pressure gushing forth from the mage, stepped in front of the terrified princess. She brought her metal arm, in the shape of a morning-star, up to bear, prepared to strike the mage down at any moment. Seeing this, Professor Kal sneered at the woman''s antics. He couldn''t believe that a gift he had given someone, out of the kindness of his heart, would be used against him in such a way.


    With a snap of his fingers, Lilly''s magi-steel appendage deformed and elongated, taking on the form of a scaled serpent that slithered its way around her body and wrapped her in an unbreakable hold. Losing her balance after being restrained, Lilly toppled over like a dead tree in a deep forest, hitting the ground with a hard ''thud''. Now alone, and faced with an enraged mage, Princess Alessandria shrank back, desperately trying to make herself as small as possible, her eyes wide in primal fear as she watched him stride across the room towards her.


    Bringing his face mere millimeters away from hers, Professor Kal issued his final words on the matter in a low growl that shook her to the core, "You think your status protects you? You think you can use your royal upbringing as a shield, use that fucking crest as an excuse to slander whomever you please without fear of repercussions? I could squeeze the life out of you right here, right now, and no one would be the wiser. Your final moments on this plane would be spent struggling for each breath with my hands wrapped around your neck, and the only ones that would mourn your passing would be the crows, bowing their heads to you before feasting on your stinking flesh."


    Becoming overwhelmed with dread and losing all strength within her legs, Princess Alessandria collapsed to the ground, a warm and wet sensation spreading out from her loins. Professor Kal gave her one final glare, his amber eyes stabbing daggers into her soul, before turning around and walking back to take a seat in the wooden chair situated in the center of the chilly basement.


    "At least that''s what would happen if I were a man quick to anger." He said glibly, his tone holding no traces of the wrath of just moments before, "Indeed, you''re lucky to have crossed paths with me, someone who would educate you on the inner workings of the world outside your gilded castle. I only ask a small favor in return for the lesson imparted upon you."


    He paused, making sure that the Princess was listening to every word, "That you put all of those foolish speculations of yours to rest, that you put your efforts into something more productive, something that will not lead to anyˇ­ unforeseen consequences. Do you understand?"


    Princess Alessandria nodded slowly, coming to terms with what was being said to her. Lilly lay motionless next to her, the metal serpent still tightly constricted around her, but she was still able to nod in agreement as well. With a devious smile, Professor Kal clapped his hands together, standing from the chair once more and eliciting a wince from both women residing on the dirty ground.


    "Ah, I almost forgot. Before we get down to the brass tacks about payment for slaying the monster, there''s one other thing that you must do."


    "Whˇ­ what is it?" Princess Alessandria asked timidly, swallowing hard to keep the contents of her stomach in check.


    With a serious face, Professor Kal motioned to Trist standing warily behind him, still seemingly terrified of the situation, "You need to apologize to the dog."