Apprentice

by Nicholas Hale

  The most powerful of these was called implosion, where the caster compressed the air around his target to form a tight ball. He would then ignite the air by using the latent heat present around him. It formed a ball of flame surrounding the target. These spells however, were easy to defend against.

  The real ingenuity of manipulation spells was realized when mages found ways to strengthen planar elemental spells using manipulation. For example, before casting a fireball, a mage could cast implosion. This caused elemental fire to multiply its damage. Similar advantages were gained when using the moisture in the air with lightning- and ice-based spells.

  The catch was, manipulation spells depended on the environment. Lorian had learnt under Thaugmir, the dangers of dependency and always stayed away from such combinations. In his opinion, it was always better to maintain consistency and have your spells and instincts behave more predictably.

  This changed, however, when he found a book detailing manipulation magic in Amadeus's library.

  It was known that not all the energy one drew from the elemental plane could be released in the form of a spell. There were inefficiencies in the shaping and release of energy in the form of a spell. This energy usually just dissipated away from the body very quickly. The book explained the principles of creating a well inside the mortal body to capture the remnant energy. This energy could be stored and later released and controlled using manipulation magic. The quantities weren't enough to make a spell as devastating as its elemental counterpart, but they were far superior to raw manipulation spells.

  The process of creating this well inside his body, however, was not as simple or painless as he had thought it would be.

  The procedure described in the book was violent and involved life shaping magic —as much a taboo as summoning was on the mortal plane. Worse, this particular spell involved manipulating the flesh of his own body. Specifically, constructing an organ inside his body by drawing flesh from his own innards. Parts of his intestine and several other organs needed to be scraped and the new organ formed.

  It was further complicated by the fact that there were anatomical differences between the mortals mentioned in the book and humans. Lorian had to experiment and take bold guesses to figure out how to make it work for humans.

  Lorian had vomited blood and run up a life-threatening fever. The damage done to his own body had even endangered his life in two of the battles in Amadeus's arena, but he persevered and finished the process. He also had to painfully inscribe runes on his new organ to contain elemental magic. After completing the process, Lorian had attempted an implosion spell using the fire from his own elemental well. Whereas a normal implosion spell had barely scratched some of his practice opponents in the training room, the new spell had burnt them severely.

  Most of his days were spent researching these new class of spells that he had discovered. They allowed him to cast spells while moving and with minimal effort as long as he was prepared for battle.

  It was one such spell that had aided him against the Racenarr.

  Lorian quickly realized that there was no possible way he could match it in speed. If he didn't act quickly, the creature would shred him to pieces in the next few seconds. This wasn't a battle that had too many possibilities. He knew for certain that the creature would rush him with its long, sword-like appendages.

  If he didn't avoid the sword, he would die. It was a simple outcome.

  The only vulnerable point he could see was the creature's head, and the only spells that he knew were both fast and moderately damaging were the new manipulation spells he had learned. He was not yet proficient enough to score a strike against an opponent as skilled as the one he faced. He had to increase the odds of his strike being successful—he had to get closer to it to focus the manipulation spell.

  In a split-second, he decided. As he thought it would, the creature had rushed him, its sword limbs all poised to skewer him with their blades.

  Mustering all his energy, Lorian cast the one spell that seasoned battle mages do not. A teleportation spell. They were expensive in terms of magical energy and often left even the most practiced teleporter disoriented for a few seconds. But Lorian knew he had to take the risk. There was no way he was fast enough to match its speed and get close enough while avoiding its blades.

  In an instant, he found himself at the desired place. He had teleported right behind the Racenarr and was hovering a few feet above its head. He felt a sudden wave of nausea. Ignoring it, he released all his stored elemental energy in an implosion around the creature's head. The Racenarr quickly pivoted and skewered him with one of its long sword limbs. Lorian didn't feel pain, but he felt the bony blade pierce through his stomach and out his back. It wasn't fast enough to avoid the implosion, though. Its entire insect like head caught fire and it screeched while the fire raged, burning away its face. Lorian crashed to the ground with the blade limb still in his stomach. The entire fight was over in a flash.

  It had been his shortest battle in the arena. And also, the one where he was most severely wounded.

  Both the oracles had transported him to one of the many laboratories in the castle. They had a small amount of healing power, but most of their healing was physical in nature. They cauterized the bleeding with tiny jets of flame while applying various potions. He had been lucky that the blade hadn't skewered any vital organs.

  "I refer not to your close escape, but to the fact that the creature you fought was but a poor imitation of a Racenarr."

  "What do you mean?"

  "The Racenarr are an extinct race of crafted mythical demons that are rare even among the deepest of the planes. They were created for the sole purpose of battle by the demon lords of Kheshh. They subjugated countless lower planes for millennia using the strength and ferocity of the Racenarr. The conquests of Kheshh led to their arrogance and they began using the Racenarr for sport. To make their battles in the arena more...enjoyable, they created them with increasing bloodlust and aggression until the Racenarr overcame and massacred their own creators. The Racenarr then ravaged the planes above them. And those above them, until thirteen of the greatest arch-demons of the abyssal planes allied to kill them all. The creature you faced was the broken body of one that our captor acquired in his planar explorations. He has infused the essences of some warrior-like creature within it. Had it been a real Racenarr's essence, it would have killed you and our captor both. Perhaps even the godling that stands outside the castle."

  Lorian wasn't too surprised. He remembered the grace with which it moved its blades. It was said of good swordsmen that their blades were extensions of their hands, indicating the amount of control they had. This seemed to be literally true in the Racenarr's case. Lorian imagined the same creature, much faster and stronger.

  "I hadn't realized. Have you ever faced one?"

  Lorian could feel the Azhurai enter deeper into his mind. Lorian closed his eyes and felt images forming. He saw the Racenarr, but this one was different from the one he had faced—the color was a bright red. No, it wasn't the color. The creature was completely covered in blood. Lorian saw images of it fighting hordes of large bat-like demons, ripping them to shreds with its blades. The number didn't seem to matter. He next saw an image of a Racenarr fighting against a giant humanoid demon. The demon held a hammer almost as big as itself and brought it down with tremendous force. Its target was a crouched Racenarr in front of it. It might as well have been a bug. Yet it wasn't crushed like one when the hammer came down. It stopped the full force of the hammer with one of its sword limbs. The enraged demon pulled back the hammer for another strike. The Racenarr leapt and in an instant, was on the throat of the larger demon. Lorian saw a gash. The Racenarr made a clean cut from ear to ear, felling the large demon in an instant.

  The images stopped. Lorian was thankful he didn't have to face a real one. The wound in his stomach burned as he remembered how fast the one he faced was.

  "Someone approaches," the Azhurai said.

&
nbsp; Lorian turned to the door and saw Orcus floating in.

  "Recovering well, I see," it said, floating close to him.

  "I should thank you for healing me," said Lorian.

  "Think nothing of it. It was an amazing battle. The creature you fought was one of his most prized creations. The master was most…well…reasonably upset when you defeated it. He was dictating some of his thoughts to me. Look."

  Orcus's eye projected an image of Amadeus talking while drinking a glass of wine thoughtfully.

  "The essence of the Astral Champion I have infused into the Racenarr's corpse is hopeless. Thankfully, the body is lacking only the head. The head of any similarly sized mantid demon can be grafted to replace it. Humanoid essences are unable to handle all four of its bladed limbs effectively. I need to research the essences of the many-limbed creatures that I have acquired. Surely at least one of them is capable of handling swords. The lone strike that it has delivered Subject Twenty-one was non-fatal. Subject twenty-one continues to surprise me. I hadn't expected him to be so reckless. His earlier battle with the Hydrae had led me to believe he had learned to think before acting. But it seems his recklessness is still uncured and has- in this instance- served him well. A teleportation spell was the only possible way he could avoid its strike. He seems able to cast through the disorientation after the teleportation. I must keep this in mind for the next experiment. His—"

  The images stopped abruptly.

  "Hey, I wanted to see the rest of that!" said Lorian, looking upset.

  "I have shown you too much already. Regardless, it was an excellent battle. I continue to root for you, you know. You're my favorite among his test subjects. There was only one other apprentice he had that went seven battles in the arena."

  This one could be useful to us, said the Azhurai inside Lorian's head. It seems to have a certain fondness for you. I cannot read its mind as clearly, but it does bear resentment towards the captor. With some coaxing, it could be pushed to betray him and aid us in our endeavor.

  "How many did he win?" asked Lorian, ignoring the Azhurai.

  "About ten before he was overwhelmed."

  Lorian was no fool. He remembered the words of the Azhurai. He might indeed die inside the arena if he didn't escape soon. The pain from his most recent wound flared up as if his body agreed with his thoughts.

  "Did you want something?" asked Lorian.

  "Yes, I wished to show you something. Could you follow me?" it asked. Without waiting for his response, it floated out of the room.

  Lorian followed it as they made their way inside the vast castle. Its size never ceased to surprise Lorian. They made their way deeper into the castle until they stopped outside a very large door. Orcus seemed to have opened the door telekinetically.

  "I didn't know you were capable of that," said Lorian as he looked around after entering the room.

  It seemed to be a very large library. It dwarfed every other library Lorian had seen in his life. He wondered about the books and the secrets they held within. Even the small library that Amadeus had provided him held powerful knowledge of magic.

  "Stand inside this circle, please," said Orcus, floating above a crudely drawn and growing circle.

  "What is that?" asked Lorian, noticing the circle for the first time.

  He had been too engrossed by the towering bookshelves to notice anything else. He walked close to it and tried to look at the inscriptions. They were runes of a sort. He couldn't make out what language they were written in. He did recognize some of the runes because of his knowledge of the Alekh, but most of it seemed like gibberish.

  Before he could even process the scene in front of him, a voice roared inside his head.

  No! Do not enter that circle!

  Lorian felt searing pain inside his mind. The Azhurai.

  He held his hands over his ears and screamed, trying to block out the pain.

  Without warning, Orcus shoved him into the circle. The pain suddenly stopped. Lorian was sweating. The runes of the circle were glowing.

  "There," said Orcus. "Now we won't be interrupted by that stupid demon."

  "You know about the Azhurai?" asked Lorian. Since he had entered the castle, he had always felt the Azhurai's presence. This was the first time he was completely free of its influence. It was like there was large hole inside his head where the Azhurai had been. The pain quickly faded.

  "I do. A particularly nasty creature that one. Hold still. I need to cast another spell to make the protection last longer."

  Lorian wasn't sure he wanted to be cut off from the Azhurai. Had Amadeus figured out their plan? The Azhurai was his only ally in this castle, and this would place him at a severe disadvantage. He made to move out of the circle before Orcus spoke.

  "You should not step out of that circle. I'm not doing this because the master asked me to," it said as it began casting the spell.

  "Then why are you doing this?" asked Lorian.

  "You really think the Azhurai is your ally? I know the average mortal is stupid, but I thought they knew better than to trust demons. Especially ones they know nothing about."

  "It's better than dying in that arena as an experiment for your master," said Lorian. He would have to step out of the circle quickly, before Orcus could complete the spell. He wasn't sure why he was hesitating.

  "You should calm down. I'm on your side."

  "You? You wish to help me escape?"

  "I wish to help 'us' escape. And you can get out of that circle now," said Orcus. It had stopped casting. Presumably, the spell was done.

  "Why would you want to escape from here?"

  "Because the master is a madman? Because I don't want to spend what semblance of life I have looking at his experiments for all eternity? They ceased to be interesting about five hundred years ago. I have many reasons. But mostly because he plans to get rid of me."

  "Why would he do that?"

  "He has given me too much free will. He makes another oracle as we speak."

  "How do you know this?"

  "Will you stop asking so many questions? I know it because he has captured the essence of another oracle from the void. And because he made me open my mind to Auros. It is a matter of shame among oracles to share our memories. The fact that Auros does not see it that way just shows how much of himself he lost when he was given life by the master."

  Lorian was unsure of what he was thinking. Yet he saw little need for the oracle to lie to him. Right now, he was completely under Amadeus's power. There was no purpose in playing any clever mind games.

  "I had a plan before. I still think it's my best option."

  "Your moronic plan of infusing the Azhurai's essence into the Ich'varth construct?"

  Lorian's cheeks flushed red. He was feeling more uncomfortable with Orcus by the second.

  "Your expression tells me I was right. I thought you were cleverer than that. Let me tell you exactly what will happen if you do that. The Azhurai will eat you without a moment's hesitation and then get destroyed by the master. I know not what the Azhurai has been telling you when he enters your mind, but remove all thoughts of having a rational contract with it. Despite its seeming shrewdness, the creature is extremely primal. It lives to cause pain and misery. A moment of terror in your eyes is worth a hundred years' imprisonment to it. All it wants is to consume you before you die in the arena. You are not the first mortal it has tried this with."

  "Surely it desires freedom?"

  "Haven't you heard anything I said? It hasn't tasted mortal flesh for several millennia. As soon as it is given life, its hunger and primal instinct will overpower it."

  Lorian felt rage building up inside him. Not at the Azhurai. It was a creature, as Orcus had mentioned, that was purely primal. He felt ashamed with himself for considering that an option. But most of all, he felt angry with Amadeus for putting him in this situation.

  "It is, however, right, in that it is the only creature in this castle with the strength to withstand the master.
For a short while at least."

  "What do you propose we do?"

  "We go ahead with the plan you had in mind. But with some changes. The infusion is a complicated process. But it can be learned. Having done it so many times, the master has carefully outlined the steps. Even a mortal with rudimentary understanding of magic should be able to discern the spells required. Casting them is another matter."

  "What changes?" asked Lorian, referring to the plan.

  "The master had studied the numerous ways in which essences can be modified. Most of the modifications include making the essences subservient, while leaving them enough free will to still remain formidable. The master had found ways to modify the fundamental behavior of an essence. He has made spells to make them aggressive or docile. There are spells to set them after a single target and also to make them explode—to destroy themselves and their target."

  "You think I can cast such a spell? One to modify the creature and set it after Amadeus?"

  "You should be able to. But the problem is that the creature cannot be easily broken. When one such as the master has been unable to break its spirit, I doubt you can do any better. The only way is to trick it into entering the construct without letting it know it has been modified."

  "How do you think I can do that? It might be a primal beast, but it can read emotions and thoughts. I mean it actually can…I could feel it sifting through my thoughts as one would a book."

  "This is why I have cast the protection spell. It should last a few days at the least. Unless you're foolish enough to remove it on your own."

  "Why would it trust me when it can't read my mind?"

  "It only knows that I have forcefully cast this spell on you. That I have pushed you into the circle. You can convince it that it was Amadeus's intent to do so."

  "You think I can convince it of this?"

  "Do we have another choice?"

  "Your plan isn't too different from mine..." said Lorian. He was a little disappointed since even this plan had many holes in it. The most glaring one being, would the Azhurai be strong enough to fight Amadeus.