The spear clashed with the sword, the impact of the two blades echoed in the park. Talj was relentless, he delivered blow after strike. Every motion was calculated to throw his opponent off balance and strike his vital organs. He thrust, swept and spun, trying to overwhelm his enemy with his swift agility and deadly strength.
Yet no attacks found their targets.
The blacksmith's opponent was rapidly parrying and dodging every attack, without even showing signs of struggle. The Dark Mage drew arcs with his thin dark sword in apparently random diagonals to block Talj's attempts, while side stepping and swirling on his feet.
Talj thrust his spear upwardly, but his foe easily dodge to the left before performing a circular movement with his sword, breaking the spear's momentum. Without losing his footing, Talj used the force of his enemy's attack to his advantage. He spun around and delivered a rapid long-range blow, but the mage simply stepped back.
He's swift. Talj acknowledged. But other than that, his timing seems odd… But I can't determine why yet.
Talj threw his spear at his opponent's chest, only for him to roll to the side with impressive speed. The blacksmith strided to his right. With how positioned they both were, the Dark Mage was located right between Talj and the spear. If he called his weapon, it would pierce his opponent to return to him. Nevertheless, to his great astonishment, his opponent stepped away from the weapon's trajectory in extremis, right before it was about to deliver the blow.
"This one was close, I'll give you that."
Talj clasped his fingers around his weapon and frowned. Both opponents now marched in circles, studying each other. With a quick glance, Talj realized that the Saber Lion was not attacking him, but stood firmly in front of Aklas, as if guarding him from escaping. The thunderous roars in the sky and wind's howling calmed, an indicator that Talj was recollecting himself.
I'll have to deal with that soon too.
The thunderous roars in the sky and wind's howling calmed, an indicator that Talj was recollecting himself. The Dark Mage's voice brought his attention back to his current conflict:
"Now that I have your attention and that you realize that fighting me is as pointless as tiresome, I can finally introduce myself. I am Klaus, second Archmage of The Darkness under the sovereignty of high lord Kroll."
An Archmage… Talj thought while searching through his memories. Nyr mentioned the hierarchy of The Darkness many times. There was The Queen, and under her were her five High Lords, each one assigned to a specific branch of The Darkness's operations and commanded three Archmages, who, at their turn, had authority over a various numbers of captains and their troops.
"And no need to present yourself, Talj Horsh." Klaus went on. "We know who you are, Spearman -Even if I believe the High Lord gives you way too much credit."
Talj listened with only half his mind, the rest of his thoughts were busy honing a plan to end this battle favorably.
Now that I think about it, he seems to react right before I start moving. When I swirled my spear, he stepped away right as I started moving my leg.
"I've come here to make you a deal." Klaus continued his monologue. "And you'd be wise enough to be grateful for it and accept it quickly, so that I can finally move on to cleaning this city."
"And why in my right mind would I make a deal with your filth?" Talj asked.
"Watch your tone, boy. I'm only extending my lord's message." Klaus's voice was booming. "If I had it my way I'd have just killed you both, but apparently there's some grand design at play here."
His eyes… They're faintly glowing. Talj noticed. And I can feel a faint magical power spreading from them… Maybe…
"Anyhow, you don't have much of a choice, Spearman." Klaus gestured towards Aklas. "As you can see, your friend is at my mercy. And, assuming you're not a moron, you have noticed that you cannot defeat me."
His reaction time was not on par with me, no… It was as if he moves according to the movement I am still about to perform… As if he knows what I'm thinking right before I- Oh. So that's what it is.
"So your best option is to hear me out and accept the deal before my patience runs out." Klaus pressed on.
"So you're gonna use Aklas as a bargaining chip?" Talj asked. "And what? Kill him if I refuse?"
"I don't know, and frankly, I don't care." Klaus replied. "That's within my lord's purview, and I've no business meddling with how he treats his prisoners."
"I see…The Darkness sure fell really low if they go as far as haggling with The Spear." Talj flashed a smile.
"Haggling? I don't think you understand your position, boy. High Lord Kroll merely thinks your cooperation is convenient to whatever scheme he has. He doesn't need you, he only believes you to be more useful to him alive than dead."
"Speak your proposition." Talj said.
In truth, Talj didn't care about Klaus's offer. He only wanted to buy time to finish his analysis.
It can't be foresight, because no magic can see through the future. So that leaves two most plausible options: A spell that lets him gaze into my thoughts, allowing him to predict my attack right as I start moving, or a spell that controls his movements to puppeteer him out of harm.
"Finally, you're starting to make sense." Klaus theatrically applauded Talj while wearing a dead pan face.
"Actually let me think…" Talj spoke up. "Yeah, no sorry my friend. I don't care about your offer."
The blacksmith smirked at Klaus.
Assuming it's the first option, clouding his thoughts by annoying him will work to my advantage, and he'll still have to react on his own, meaning that if I am fast enough I can still .
The Dark Mage raised an eyebrow and shook his head in irritation.
"If only those idiots in Enyo did their job." Klaus complained to himself in a sigh. "All they had to do was kill the general, find the woman and deliver her to The Darkness… But no! They had to mess even the simplest of tasks, which of course that I'm the one who's supposed to clean up their mess-"
Talj abruptly reached for Ghost Burst. In a flash, he crossed the distance between him and Klaus and arched his spear in a circular attack, aiming to slash his opponent's torso diagonally.
Klaus suppressed a scream. His eyes opened large in surprise as he hastily jumped to the side. However, this time, the white blade bit the archmage's skin.
The attack didn't fully land, as it only cut a small area below Klaus's left shoulder, but Talj rejoiced. This conformed his theory: Klaus could see through his attack patterns, but he still had to command his own body to react in time.
"Oh now you've done it." Klaus's voice was venomous. "I'll show you your place, brat."
Talj filled his body with thunderous energy, allowing himself to be both swifter and stronger. He lunged at his enemy again, and this time the blacksmith noticed the change. Klaus was no longer airily countering all his attacks. No, Talj could now see the concentration and struggle in his opponent's eyes.
Talj induced more power into his spell and body, attempting to overwhelm his foe. He thrusted his spear, slashed at his opponent, spun the staff up and down… All with a tremendous force and speed. Klaus clenched his jaw, clearly getting more provoked the more he faltered.
Faster! Stronger! The Spearman commanded his body. Don't let him keep up, best him!
Talj attempted to cut his opponent's throat, but Klaus parried the blow again. However the Dark Mage underestimated the strength behind the blow and lost his balance upon deflecting the blacksmith's attack. Seizing this opportunity, Talj continued his movement and turned his hips before raising his back leg. In an impressive twirl on one limb, he back-kicked Klaus in the chest. And to add more damage, he infused the strike with a lightning bolt that shot through his leg.
Klaus was sent flying over the ground before sorely landing on his back, dropping his sword in the act. Talj thought of continuing his assault while his opponent was knocked out, but his previous maneuver had been tedious and required him to recuperate for a bit. He panted heavily, but he was glad that he could land a direct hit on his opponent.
The Archmage got on his feet, his face red with anger. He was rubbing his chest where Talj could see a dark spot on his clothes.
"That does it!" Klaus exclaimed before raising his arm.
Talj barely sensed the spark of a spell being cast before he felt himself getting pushed back by a devastating force. He revolved in the air, flying over the ground for a few meters before sinking his spear into the ground. The impact left a train in the grass before he could stabilize on his feet.
Suddenly, the Spearman's body felt incredibly heavy. He fell on one knee, clasping his spear to keep himself from falling. He tried to get back up, but all he could do was rise a few centimeters while trembling.
He must have a manipulation spell that creates and controls physical forces. Talj deduced, gritting his teeth. I can't even cast spells!
Klaus picked up his sword, his expression ominously dark. A black aura surrounded him as he approached Talj with deliberately slow steps, giving the young blacksmith a look of disdain.
"I'll just kill you both." The archmage declared. "Then I'll sweep this city clean like I was originally supposed to do before I was handed the task of babysitting you."
Talk renewed his efforts, clumsily attempting to stand up and adopt a fighting position.
"Don't bother." Klaus said, getting closer to Talj. "Your body must weigh ten times its usual mass right now. Even with your body strengthening itself with magic, it's impressive you even manage to breathe without suffocating."
Darn it! Move! Talj ordered himself. Either that, or all our efforts would have been for naught!
Talj put more strength into his legs. He felt as if his body would tear up and snap, but still fought through the pain. Bit by bit, the Spearman managed to finally stand up.
"You're a tough one, I'll give you that." Klaus acknowledged. "But if you're struggling to simply stand up, then you might as well save yourself some pain before death."
"S-Shut up!"
"Goodbye, Spearman. It was not a pleasure." Klaus raised his sword, and prepared to strike…
Come on! This can't be where it ends!
The sword fell down, aimed at Talj's neck.
And then they both felt it.
A presence.
A presence so imposing it stopped Klaus in his motion. It was nothing compared to the tempest Talj had triggered earlier. No, this one emanated so much magical power it triggered a primal fear within them, as if their bodies knew they were facing a danger that was not to be taken lately. They both turned their head towards its source, and their eyes met a large bulky man with a brown beard. His hair was now kept in a pony tale. And his smile, although confident and amused, was terrifying.
For, despite his smile, General Salzeka didn't look happy at all.
"A tree that grows strong will spread its branches majestically." He said, walking across the devastated garden. "And soon, these branches will give birth to beautiful flowers, blooming and thriving into delicious apples."
Salzeka unsheathed a large blade from his back, his eyes still driven at Klaus, and continued:
"However, the tree only feeds the apples gently until they mature. It can't control each fruits' fate. Some will eventually get greedy, and will seize all the sweetness the tree motherly provides for themselves, overriping themselves in their gluttony."
Talj felt Klaus's spell momentarily lose his grip on his spell and took the opportunity to Ghost Burst away from him. The archmage didn't seem to care, his gaze was warily fixated on the slowly walking Dali General.
"Those fruits will eventually rot." Salzeka went on. "They will spoil, because the excessive ripeness they stole crushed them from within. But greed is infectious. The rotten apples will reach out to the nearby ones to feed on them, spreading their sickness all over the branch. So, to protect the tree and all its apples, the spoiled ones must be cut off and burned."
Salzeka finally stopped in his steps, looked up at Klaus and widened his smile before finishing:
"And you, my friend, are one heck of a spoiled apple."
Talj walked, slightly wincing, besides the General and mused:
"Are you secretly a poet in your free time?"
"Bah, I just liked to read a lot when I was a kid." Salzeka answered.
"General Salzeka." Klaus finally spoke up. "Alas we meet. I was getting bored of quarreling with brats that are unworthy of my time. Allow me to introduce myself-"
"What's the deal with him?" Salzeka asked Talj, tilting his head.
"He wanted to kidnap my brother, strike a deal with me… And something about sweeping the city clean, I think?" The blacksmith replied, rubbing his chin.
"Don't ignore me when I'm talking to you!" Klaus's voice was filled with anger. "I am the Archmage Klau-"
"You're screwed, that's what you are!" Salzeka interrupted him. "Archmage or not, you're gonna have a really bad time for the mess you caused."
The General raised his sword, ready for combat.
"Save your strength, Salzeka." The Dark Mage replied. "You'll need it soon enough if you wish to save your precious Kaelnah."
Talj and Salzeka squinted their eyes.
"I have your attention now? Good." Klaus triumphantly smiled. "Now, let's take it from the top: Your conversation with Kinfol on the ship did not go unnoticed, you know? The High Lord was very surprised that, out of all the five Generals, you were the one who figured out how to bypass your Great Oaths."
Salzeka didn't reply, to which the Dark Mage went on:
"You both got dangerously close to the full truth. While the other Generals only noticed that The Darkness's activity grew in the past few years, only you two realized that the orders that you took no longer came from your kings, but from Queen Dallaam."
"Get on with it." Salzkea urged. "We knew more than we should for your sake, so what? You're gonna kill us to make sure we don't spill the beans?"
"That was the plan, however there have been some… complications. But it doesn't matter. What matters is that you now know that disobeying your king doesn't break your Oath, which is problematic for us as we need complete cooperation from you."
"I said get on with it." Salzeka said in a threatening tone.
"My High Lord is merciful." Klaus smiled. "And so, he is giving you a chance to redeem yourself: Follow your original order and hand over Talj Horsh. Prove your loyalty to the winning side, and you will be rewarded!"
"What if I refuse?" The General asked.
"Then you will be killed, as your knowledge and erratic behavior compromises The Darkness's plans. Of course, it goes without saying that we've taken careful measures to ensure your death -and the death of all the Generals that is- so there's no need to ask the boring question of whether or not I'm sure I can take you on."
The Archmage paused and looked deep into the General's eyes.
"So, Salzeka? What will it be? Serve us and have a place in the new world of Her Majesty, or die a needless death?"
The silence that ensued unsettled Talj.
There's no doubt that Salzeka is still under the order of bringing me in. He thought. And whatever is the flaw he found in the Great Oath, I'm pretty sure it doesn't mean he can openly disobey his king, or at least not unless there's a very fitting reason to do so, like a more immediate danger. Which means that, despite the circumstances… Salzeka still can't be considered an ally… And as soon as he'll be done with Klaus, he'll have no choice but to bring me into custody. I have to sneak away soon if I want to come out of this situation unscathed.
Talj gave the General a wary glance. Even if Salzeka had a good heart, he still was uneasy about the situation. If he accepted Klaus's offer, he'd have to fight them together at once, and the thought of facing both a Dali General and an Archmage of The Darkness was unsettling enough to fill his head with doubt. Nevertheless, his worries melted away at the sight of his old captor shaking his head.
"I'm not the kind to be put on a leash, sorry." Salzeka grinned.
Klaus laughed and mischievously glanced at the General.
"I was hoping you'd say that." He said before snapping his fingers.
Suddenly, the ground shook. Talj felt its vibration clearly beneath his feet. A sickening sensation filled the air, the essence of a dark and corrupted magic slowly spread around the park. An abrupt dark purple flash sparked behind Klaus.
The spark slowly moved up, carving a trail in its path. The trail slowly parted, as if the air itself was getting ripped like a sheet. As it split, it exposed beyond it a dark vortex that exuded a power which revolted Talj to the core.
A Rift… But I've never seen one so big… And let alone one being opened in the middle of a city!
The Rift pulsated its ominous aura. Slowly, something crept out of it. Talj's eyes frowned in horror and anticipation. A humanoid monster walked out of the portal. It looked like no creature the blacksmith recognized. Its skin seemed to be made of a grey metal, and its forearms ended in two long blades. Another creature, this time walking on four legs, stepped into the garden, and another, followed by one more…
"That's not all." Salzeka warned.
Following the General's gaze, Talj realized that many other smaller rifts had opened in the streets that spread from the park, allowing other beasts to step into the city. The Spearman could feel the Rifts' presence spreading through the city.
He's turning Kaelnah into a parade of monsters! Talj cursed internally.
"Why you!" Salzeka tried to dash towards the Archmage, but the latter raised his arms, and the Akhdar General suddenly dove to his knees, victim of the Dark Mage's spell.
"As you can see, the entirety of your precious town is in morbid danger." Klaus said, a mad smile curling his lips. "And soon enough, my beasts will lay waste on Kaelnah. Even with all your might and your soldiers, General Salzeka, you cannot save all its inhabitants. I will burn your precious Academy to ashes and turn the biggest city of the Akhdar Kingdom into a battlefield of flames and chaos!"
"You piece of-" Salzeka tried to get up, but the spell was firmly keeping him in place.
"Don't be sad, General!" Klaus sneered. "You'll soon be dead by my blade! Your pain and anger will soon vanish away! Hahaha!"
But then, the Archmage's face froze. His laughter died with his smile, both replaced with an unexpected awe. And all because Salzeka… Stood up.
A simple action, yet it was enough to startle the spy. Salzeka's skin glowed red, his grin beaming. Then, to everyone's surprise, he raised his sword and threw it above him. The blade twirled in the air before falling back into its master's hand.
"H-How can you move so freely!?" Klaus was taken aback.
Ignoring the question, Salzeka moved towards Klaus and said:
"So, y'said that despite my strength I wouldn't be able to save the city. I say, to pox with that. Y'said that I should serve you and join the winning side, I say, to pox with that. Y'said I would soon die by your blade. Well… I say TO POX WITH THAT."
Salzeka raised his blade vertically in front of his face as a form of martial salute. His aura now shining bright red.
"I am Salzeka Bellator, the Akhdar General of The Dali and direct protector of its king. Mark my words, renegade: I will not let you destroy Kaelnah and kill its inhabitants! No blood shall be spilled in this city tonight but yours! Until my last breath, I shall defend this city and this kingdom with every beat of my heart!"
Salzeka then closed his eyes. His face in utmost concentration. Talj could hear him mutter:
"When arms fail in strength but not in might… When too burdenful becomes the light… Then let the horn's call vanquish all fright… Heed my summon and aid in our fight!"
He's chanting… Which means he needs to channel a tremendous amount of magic…
Another magical power swarmed through the city, this one fiercer but less wicked than the one emitted by the Rifts. Suddenly, a red mist gathered around Salzeka. Talj recognized the characteristics of a summoning spell.
However what he didn't expect was for the mist to abruptly spread out rapidly, as if animated by a crazed will. Talj finally realized what Salzeka was doing.
A domain spell… But from what I can sense, he's expanding it until it covers over half the city!
Domain spells were spells that triggered a specific effect on a given area. However, the larger the area the more overwhelming it gets for the caster and the greater the amount of magic needed in order to sustain the spell. For Salzeka to unleash his spell on a radius that went over half a kilometer was more than impressive!
Out of nowhere, a memory ticked in Talj's mind. An afternoon, where he was walking alongside Kinfol after she had finished a tiresome meeting with Queen Lin. Out of curiosity, the blacksmith had asked about the other Dali Generals. The Spearman remembered her words clearly when they spoke of Salzeka:
"General Salzeka Bellator…" She had seemed to think. "He may not be the strongest of the five, but he's definitely the fiercest. Some would say that he's a brute who got to his place through sheer strength, but that's most definitely not the case. He knows how to rely on his strengths and compensate for his weaknesses. Despite his temperament, he understands there are battles he could not win. That's why he chose to study Summoning out of all the branches of magic. So that, if a fight where his weaknesses overwhelmed his strength came to be, he could rely on his own arsenal of troops to compensate for it. Be it a deficit in number, an enemy that was too fast for him or a situation where civilians were involved… He wanted to be ready for any sort of hazard. He used to say 'A man, no matter how strong, can never be an army.'"
"So… He studied Summoning Magic to… give them abilities that would cover for his weaknesses..?" Talj had asked. "From how you're describing him, however, it seems like he wants an army of his own but also wants to fight his battles head on."
Kinfol chuckled lightly and replied:
"Unironically, yes, that is exactly how he is. An army where each man had an ability that complimented his. He wanted to be ready for any sort of battle, no matter how ridiculous and unsound its scenario sounded."
"And did he succeed? Surely not, because such a spell would require to split your own consciousness into dozens and dozens of fragments, not to mention the magical toll-"
"The General's Parade." Kinfol had interrupted Talj.
"What?"
"He called the spell The General's Parade. I too didn't believe that he succeeded in his personal endeavor but… I must say that the results of his years of efforts were frightenedly spectacular. No matter how hard I try to describe it, it'll never honor the actual feat that Salzeka had achieved."
And now, Talj could see exactly what Kinfol had meant. No matter how many words he'd used, he couldn't describe with accuracy the show that rolled before him.
The mist slowly drew figures in the park, their presence revealed by the bright glow of their eyes. Their number rapidly grew, their shadows slowly filling the red mist that was dissipating, revealing them one by one like a veil that's being lifted before the start of a play. Except that this time, the stage was all around the spectators, not in front of them. After mere instants, Talj could see them clearly:
Warriors of all sorts, all wearing different armors and weapons, marched through the streets of Rolmea. Their faces -if they had any- were all hidden under helmets or hoods. Their eyes glowed, each one with a different color. They walked deliberately slowly, each step carrying a purpose. The only thing they shared is the crimson coloring of their armors, weapons and skin which seemed to be made out of a curious stone.
How can he do that… It's as if I feel his presence everywhere! How can he fracture his mind into such a tremendous amount of summons! Not to mention the magical reserves he needs to fuel the spell!
As Kaelnah filled with both monsters and Salzeka's summons, realization slowly dawned on Talj: This city was about to become a chaotic battle ground! Could Salzeka even keep his word and protect every citizen?
Suddenly, everything stilled. Salzeka's soldiers and the monsters looked at each other for long seconds, gauging each other carefully in a strange quiet that promised conflict very soon.
"Kid." Salzeka addressed Talj, his eyes still driven on Klaus. "As much as I hate it, I still gotta listen to my king and get you. The only reason I'm not doing it is that I consider this madman a more urgent threat. Do you see where I'm getting to?"
Talj nodded. The message was clear: Salzeka couldn't help Talj directly. The blacksmith had to find a way out of this situation alone.
"Go. Do what you gotta do to get us out of this mess." The General continued. "We still believe in you, so give it your best shot. And for all of our sake, kid, get stronger. You see what we're dealing with here? Something inside me tells me this is just the beginning of our problems. If you can't face at least that much, then you'll be toast."
"Are you two done!?" Klaus snapped. "I don't have all day!"
"Go." Salzeka repeated. "Grab your friend and get the heck out of here, boy. I'll handle this shit face."
Aklas! Talj remembered his brother, still at the mercy of the Saber Lion. The fight with Klaus and Salzeka's spell made him completely forget about him.
Talj turned towards the fountain, realizing that his confrontation with the Archmage had pushed him away from it by a great distance. His feet motioned on their own, carrying him through the park as he zigzagged between Salzeka's summons.
"Aklas-" He tried to call out as he strided towards the edifice.
But abruptly, the blacksmith stopped. His face went as white as his hair, all expressions fleeting it. His breathing got suddenly heavy, and his heart pounded as if it wanted to break free from his chest.
Aklas and the Saber Lion had both disappeared.
"No…" Talj's voice broke. A torrent of emotions saturated his mind. "No no no! Aklas!?"
Talj called out to his brother again, but the only thing that answered him was silence.
Before it got swayed away by the chaos that erupted.