The Abandoned Sorcerer

by Nefarious

  “Can’t help you,”

  “Wait, you haven’t heard what you get in return yet,” she continued, “I’ve heard you’ve been wanting to enter the Seeker’s Summit from a source. I can help you get in, as long as you help me get the information out,”

  Realising she was being serious, Orion calmed. It seemed he had the upper hand after all. “Oh, how would you do that?”

  “I’ve got my ways,” she said, sensually winking.

  “That’s nice,” he said, getting up, “because I’ve got my ways as well. Maybe I’ll see you there,” He walked away and through the door, rushing out of the brothel.

  In wake of his actions, she sat there, her smile still plastered across her face. She had heard he was a young gun shooting up the Seeker’s ranks and had wanted to bring him in early, but it seemed he was out of her hands. As much as she had wanted to stand up and coax him back when he had stood, she had guessed something was wrong when he said he had another way in.

  Apart from her method, the only other way in was to be a 5-star Seeker. And if that was true, alongside the outdated information she had received about him, it suggested a dangerous character beyond control. Sometimes they were more trouble than their worth…

  ****

  Passing through the streets towards The Fat Munch, Orion confirmed she had fed him an aphrodisiac. He still felt horny and he still had a hard-on, despite it being minutes since he had left. It made him feel emotional, and surprisingly, or perhaps not, the first person he thought of was Kora.

  Arriving at the inn, he paced up the stairs and knocked on her door. She opened the door wearing a thin robe, clearly come from a shower. If it hadn’t been for the rigorous training he’d overcome during his Awakening, he would have completely succumbed to his burning urge. It felt like a yearning now.

  “What is it?” she asked, worried about his red eyes and his flushed skin. Looking down, she noticed his dick.

  He pushed her in and kissed her, taking her off guard. After a few seconds, he began tearing his clothes off, sweat dripping down.

  She stumbled to the side and chuckled. Putting two and two together, she guessed what had happened with Madame Rischei for him to end up like this. She had been waiting for him to make a move in forever, but she hadn’t expected it like this. And she definitely wasn’t going to let him get dominate her.

  Slipping out of her robe while he flustered over his clothes, she pushed him onto her bed, licking her lips. Technically, if he was going to get naughty with her, surely she was allowed to get naughty as well…

  ****

  He woke up hours later, the dusk sun burning across his skin. Kora lay on his arm, nestled across his chest. Pushing up, he realised he didn’t have the strength as he toppled back down. She brushed her hazel hair onto him but otherwise didn’t wake.

  Peering down his body, he noticed several bite marks across his skin. They didn’t hurt much, but he was still alarmed by the number, turning to the beast of a woman lying beside him. He gulped, realising she must have gotten intoxicated at some point and gone mad, and he must have been defenceless considering how he couldn’t even remember anything past stumbling into her room.

  “Shit, shit, shit,” he said, trying to getting up.

  “It’s not that bad,” she replied, breaking out of her act.

  “What the fuck do you mean it’s not that bad?! You’ve drunk me to death,”

  “Mmm, but considering the fact that you ploughed me to death, I feel it’s a fair deal,” she said.

  He gulped and felt his anger fall, instead looking at her tanned body in the sunlight. He quickly spotted signs that she might be right.

  “Fuck, I’m sorry. That bitch whore laced the food there,” he eventually said, feeling regret at what he had done and at the fact that he didn’t remember any of it.

  “That’s alright, I had my fair share of fun as well. I’m surprised though you didn’t splurge all over the ladies there though. It is a brothel house, you know? Do you know what they do in brothels?” she said.

  He rolled his eyes, finally finding the strength to move his body. “She wanted me to use me. No way I was going to let that happen,”

  Just as he was about to get out bed, she lunged forward and kissed him, this time taking his breath away. While he didn’t feel at all ready for round 2, he realised a bit more time snuggling with her wouldn’t be all bad.

  * * *

  45. Seeker’s Summit

  * * *

  Orion walked through the slums of Visgamar, experiencing a sharp pang inside his heart as he surveyed the damage surrounding him. The slums were now a dead town, life as rare and sparse as in the Arctic wastelands. Of course, there were still people around but these were just hopeless zombies, going about their daily lives because there were no alternatives.

  Kora followed him, her expression much brighter than before. She had drunk a lot of Orion’s blood, and while it had only put her into euphoria for a little while, the dulled effect still lasted now, a day later, though much weaker.

  While Orion felt glum, she found the situation funny. The first time they had come to this part of the city, they had been wary and careful. Now, they walked like beasts among men, her more than him. Still, she wore a pensive expression on the outside in respect for his emotions. In truth, it surprised her Orion was so emotional considering the reputation the Zakari had, but then again, he had proved himself to be an ugly duckling already.

  They navigated their way through, soon reaching the fort the Sticky Fingers had held. Sensing no watchers, Orion gulped, fearing for the worst. Walking forwards, his fears became a reality as he faced an abandoned fort instead of one with life. He searched for clues, anything that could tell him what had happened, and yet the Gods above seemed to bar him from even this joy.

  Spiritless, he eventually gave up, Kora comforting him with a hug.

  “Why don’t we check Old Joe or Nanlong?” she asked.

  Despite being devoid of hope, he followed her suggestions, first going to Old Joe’s. When they got to the old home, they could see from the outside Old Joe wasn’t in - the windows were trashed and the door was knocked down. Considering the connection he had with Grima, it was entirely possible he had also shared the identity. Most likely, he had escaped the city after they had massacred the elusive group.

  Heading to Nanlong’s mercenaries’ base, Orion finally felt a sprout of hope as he saw the base still had signs of life about it. The mercenaries recognised the duo at a glance and led them in, towards Nanlong, the large man smoking a sickeningly sweet joint. He was slow in his reactions, only turning around after several seconds, his eyes dazed over.

  “J-Jax?” he said.

  “Yeah,” Orion replied.

  Nanlong paused, suddenly smiling. “Ahh, I b-bet you’re here about that d-dumb kid, I mean dumb g-gang,”

  The silence was all the response the large man needed.

  “It happened too quickly, nothing none of us could have done. The w-whore’s gangs cleaned up, and course the Sticky Fingers was a target… They got baited and d-done in, then and there. The surviving few left their base,”

  “What about Thimble?” Orion asked.

  Nanlong took a second to process the question. He merely shook his head.

  After a pause, Nanlong offered his pipe. “Want a smoke? T-takes your mind off… shit,”

  “No thanks,”

  Orion talked for a few more minutes before leaving.

  Over the next few days, he spent his time splurging his money on equipment and items for the trip. Soon after, the two left with Joiroa for Edge’s End.

  ****

  Shielding his face with his hood, Orion surveyed the land. Edge’s End was at the edge of the Empire, on its northern front. Due to how close it was to the Arctic wastelands that followed, it meant the land was consistently harsh and cold. Orion could handle the cold, but the ice flakes which swirled around and tried their hardest to jab his eyes in strong winds were anoth
er matter altogether.

  He led his horse, with Kora following with hers. Joiroa had step up camp several miles behind, aware he wouldn’t be allowed into the Seeker’s Summit. The ground crunched under their steps, its colour a bleary grey. Far in the sky, hidden by cloaks of mist was the sun, a small orb barely lighting up Edge’s End. It had been three months since they had become 5-stars Seekers; while the trip had been planned to be two months long, complications with bandits along the way had put them off track.

  With the Pirosian Empire crumbling, soldiers who had previously served the Empire with pride now returned home to find nothing. In bitterness and due to no better options available, most of them had turned to banditry, robbing the few still lucky to thrive in the Empire.

  Either way, they were here now and that was what mattered to Orion. His heart was pounding, and his eyes were searching the countless wooden cabins below for Kasib. Hoping for Kasib. If he had learned anything from the Seeker’s line of work, it was that when undertaking an 8-star contract, there was a massive chance of no return.

  Making their way down the mountain range, they came upon the clearing where the Seekers had set up. Beyond this was the Passing sea, the icy waters like blades against the skin. As they entered the clearing, a light-footed woman skipped their way, checking their identities with scrutiny. When convinced they were who they claimed to be, they were let in and allowed to choose one of the remaining lodges. They were also told the summit all the Seekers had gathered for was tonight.

  After a short rest, Orion made his way to the sea, sitting by the coast for a time with his legs dipped in the water. The Passing sea continued to the west, separating the Zakari’s land from the Arctic wastelands. The further you swam across it, the thicker and colder and calmer the waters got until they morphed into sheets of ice you could walk across. It reminded him of fond memories, of the time when his family had been around him, of when he had a protective shield against the world.

  Looking into the horizon, he wondered if he had gotten stronger than his dad. Seconds later, he shook his head with a deprecating smile. While he had exploded in terms of strength in the past year, he was still a distance from his dad and his uncle. They had been true monsters, and they had been the foundations of the House. Somehow, they had also fallen…

  Eventually calming like the waves around his feet, he got up and left for his lodge. Inside, he had fun with Kora, coming out a few hours later as he glimpsed the sun’s final spurts of light before the night. Leaving with her, they joined a large circle of Seekers crowded around seemingly nothing, just a blank arena several metres in diameter. A few minutes later, a platform had been hoisted into the centre and Orion could sense the Seekers around growing impatient, not so much with irritation as with anxiety. Personally, he didn’t care and was just searching for Kasib.

  Half an hour later, around a hundred Seekers had joined the circle. During this time, he had spotted and waved at Smith and Maya, although Kasib was still out of sight. It was at this time he saw the crowd part for two men he knew well: Jowler and Leo.

  Taking to the podium, Jowler took in the scene, breathing in the same chilled air as his brothers and sisters around.

  “We have a problem,” he said, his voice powerful, his message resounding through the clearing, “It goes by the name of Yhaoli,”

  46. The Final Journey

  * * *

  “I’m sure you’ve all seen the recent surge in contracts; monsters are now systemically attacking our settlements, razing villages and sometimes even towns. From all the information that’s been gathered, I am now without doubt there is a figure organising this, and that it is the beast known as Yhaoli. We’ve lost tens of our brothers and sisters to this monster’s games, each more precious than the last, and I will not allow the last bastion of humanity to crumble like this,” Jowler bellowed.

  Magic had been used to create a sound bubble around the clearing, restricting the words to the Seekers. These words echoed, the cold fury within Jowler’s speech resounding through the Seekers’ minds.

  “But this is old news to me, and to you too, I hope. When we had our suspicions last year, Kasib was sent to the Arctic wastelands to slay it before it did any damage. Though it must have heard of his mission somehow as while he chased it north, it came south into the Empire.”

  Orion frowned at this. While he had known Kasib had been staying at the Zakari House to chase a monster in the north, he hadn’t known it to be the infamous one shaking the Empire.

  “But we don’t know where exactly,” Jowler continued, “Nor do we know many details about it. The only detail I’m certain about is that it’s dangerously strong; we all know the races of monsters can’t be charmed to work together – it’s impossible. But all of them respect strength, and since they now work united, their figurehead must be beyond any measure of strength.”

  As the fat Seeker continued listing other details Yhaoli was rumoured to have, Orion felt a loose clasp across his shoulder. Turning around, he saw a bald man his size with piercing brown eyes, the sort that could see right through his soul. He stared at the man slack-jawed.

  The man gestured him to follow, and so Orion did without so much as a question. But, just as he was about to leave the circle, Kora caught his hand, her expression perplexed. In response, he shook her hand off and walked away. She looked to Jowler, then to Orion, before hastily following the Zakari as he followed the bald man.

  They walked out of the clearing and a distance away, the bald man picking up a glubber’s lamp along the way, shielding them from the darkness. When they stopped, the bald man placed the lamp on the ground and rubbed his deeply calloused hands together. He observed the two younger Seekers in front of him, the male obviously with his heart in his mouth and the female catching his eye and glaring back.

  “When Jowler told me he had trained an exceptional Zakari, never did I think to be you, Orion,” the bald man joked, visibly releasing tension between them.

  “Kasib, I…,”

  Kasib calmly watched Orion stumble over his words. He wore a plain shirt, trousers, and boots. An orange robe fluttered over his shirt. His visible skin was riddled with scars, but still it was his eyes that demanded the most attention. They were bright and intelligent, but simultaneously sharp and wild.

  “I only heard about what happened to Reion and the rest of your family last month,” Kasib said, his aura taking a dejected turn. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be of help,”

  At this Orion broke into tears, falling to his knees as he released the grief locked up in his heart. Even as he tried to regain his composure, tears kept gushing out until he gave into his grief, softly sobbing.

  Kasib kneeled down and hugged the young Zakari, his hold soft and warm. Kora watched from the sidelines, unable to put any of her thoughts into words or action. This was the man Orion had been chasing; this was the man who hunted Yhaoli; this was one of the strongest Seekers ever to have existed.

  When the sobs eventually dried up, the bald Seeker helped Orion to his feet.

  “You’ve been through a lot, and I know Reion would be proud if he could see how far you’ve come. Still, even if I had been in the Empire at the time, I wouldn’t have been able to stop the massacre,”

  “B-but you’re…” Orion struggled to say, shocked at what Kasib had just admitted.

  “I feared as much. How much do you know about the massacre?” Kasib asked.

  “I don’t know. It just happened, and I escaped. I don’t know anything else. I was looking for you to figure out what had happened,”

  Kasib sighed, taking a step to the side, gazing into the skies. “Have you heard of your cousin Eira? The one that entered the Imperial Army?”

  Orion nodded.

  “Since Reion doesn’t care for the Imperial Army at all, I guess he didn’t tell you her rank. She’s a general, one of the 3 across the Empire. But I’m sure Reion has told you of her strength, I’m sure your whole family has, after all, you Zakari’s respec
t strength too much.”

  Orion nodded again, suddenly realising he didn’t want to hear whatever Kasib wanted to say next. Yet he needed to: his soul burned with anticipation.

  “Eira led her army from the south of the Empire towards the west, towards your House. She then massacred your family,”

  This dazed Orion as he fell, stumbling backwards with his arms. “What?! WHY?!”

  “I don’t know,” Kasib admitted. “I guess the only one who truly knows is her. Considering the fact the Piros didn’t, and still haven’t, punished her for the turmoil she brought to the Empire means they must have been desperate,”

  Thinking back, Orion finally realised how his family had been ambushed in the tunnel while escaping. Of course they had been, Eira had probably ordered soldiers into the secret passages around the House. And it made sense how they had been so taken off guard if it was Eira, after all, while he had never met her, he had heard enough about her to have a coherent picture. Exceptionally talented, frighteningly strong, and cunning.

  But if she had planned everything so well, how had he escaped? Why hadn’t the person who had rescued him ever come back? How had they escaped from Eira’s army in the first place? He briefly considered her rescuing him and placing him in Visgamar, before dropping the thought. If she was bloodthirsty enough to murder her own blood, her own father and mother, then she would have zero problems with decapitating a cousin she had never met.

  But then why had she attacked in the first place? Orion had wanted to take revenge, and he still did, but this was alike a strike to his head, muddling his thoughts and emotions. He had to know why she had massacred her own family!

  “Even if I had wanted to help,” Kasib continued, “I’m only enough to match her, not her and the legions at her beck and call. And that was in the past. If Reion and Regnar fell to her, then she has exceeded me. Either way, I’m sorry for being useless, Orion,”