"Can you at least describe what it looks like to me? I can only feel it with my fingers and surprisingly there are no mirrors in this dungeon."
She giggled at his attempt at humor, though Sebastian wondered if it was more a nervous release after being shocked by the collar.
"I don't know what to tell you. It appears to be made of a similar metal to the wrist shackles."
The woman pushed to her feet and stumbled. Sebastian put out his hands to steady her and thought that either she was a great actress or the magical feedback had been rougher than expected.
"I feel texture to it and a small hole that I expect takes some form of key in addition to using magic to seal it," the mage stated as Zeria slowly moved around him looking at the collar.
"There are some strange markings kind of like the runes on your swords. Erethia showed me the sketches she had from studying with you. These are different and seem fainter, but I would assume that they are similar.
"I can see no line for a joining, but there is a keyhole here. It looks like it was formed around your neck out of one piece."
"Would you mind trying to force some of your magic into the hole?"
Looking leery of the collar, Zeria said, "Maybe I should try sitting down again then? If it strikes back at least I won't fall as far."
He gave her a smile as the wizard moved back to the floor. Sebastian sat as the woman knelt beside him. Zeria was shorter than him and felt the need to be higher as she tested the lock once again.
Another jolt made the woman flinch, but Zeria only shook her left hand which had been the focus of her magic.
"Ouch again," she complained continuing to shake the sting out of her hand.
Footsteps could be heard coming closer in a purposeful manner making the two separate from each other a little more. Civan looked at the two with a confident smile as he led the warlocks to the bars of his cell. The man's ring of keys was hurriedly used on the lock of the door letting the other men enter without much delay.
Rolan glared at the woman and asked scathingly, "What are you doing here? You failed and were taken off of this project."
Stepping towards the much older warlock, the young woman said defiantly, "I wasn't given enough time, so I was checking to see if anything I had done previous to your torture remained. I am a research wizard after all and have never had the chance to test this magic before. We aren't usually in the habit of trying to turn someone to our way of thinking in such a way."
"Well, you better hope that you haven't unraveled any of what we have done. I think your leaders might consider shortening your leash. If you need more test subjects though, I am certain that something else can be arranged.
"Now leave us. We have work to do."
Giving Sebastian one last look, Zeria tried not to be obvious that she worried over him; but the warlocks were focused on the mage and not the research wizard. Lorgan and Falcon Seirtan moved through the doorway as the woman retreated. The two large men lifted him back to his feet like he weighed nothing and dragged him from the cell. His bare feet were scratched up when he stumbled.
Trying to keep his balance, the men would shift trying to make him stumble more as if partially carrying him was the plan instead of just letting the prisoner walk. Perhaps the pain was part of today's struggle against the three warlocks? He didn't know, but Sebastian had a feeling that this was the day that he had to do something.
Too many men surrounded him to try to break free as they walked. Without his magic, Seirtan would likely be able to kill him without much trouble, if one of the others didn't first. If he had an opening and a little more space, then maybe, just maybe, the mage could push his opportunity.
His wrists were lifted by the chain attached to the shackles with a hook and pulled over his head once more. Enough pressure on the line made it harder to breath, he found, and expected that was the whole point. Lorgan was often ordered to pull on his end of the chain to even pull the mage onto the tips of his toes at times. The pain in his feet and legs added to his agony while magic tore at his mind and body.
"You're weakening finally," Rolan stated looking in his eyes. "You're getting desperate. Let me dash what is left of your hope on the rocks.
"You aren't going to be rescued. If someone does show up for you, Civan has the order to kill you first. You'll never be a thorn in our side again.
"Now if you wish to join our side, then maybe we can talk. If you told me today that you give in, however, I don't think I'd believe you. I want to see it in your eyes. When you're beaten to the point of breaking, I will know it."
"Why do you even bother, Rolan?" the mage asked already sounding a bit winded by the tension on the chain drawing his body upwards uncomfortably. "Even if I joined Terris or whoever is in charge, it won't help Ensolus. You can't give me to the emperor. Even a city ready to rebel wouldn't be crazy enough to join an enemy that caused the Cataclysm of all things. Such a move would be insane."
The warlock glanced over his shoulder at the jailors and the falcon. Uncertain of their loyalties, the man had to consider his words. To break from Southwall and King Alain was one thing, but to turn to the enemy went against what they had all been raised to believe. The Dark One had killed millions and destroyed part of their world. He was the ultimate enemy and evil.
While it had been centuries and no normal man alive was within two generations of a survivor, he had never heard anything but anger for the one who had caused it all.
"Ensolus? Where have you heard that name?"
"It is common knowledge that it is the name of the emperor's cave city."
Looking at those from Southwall closer to the outer door, Rolan didn't see the same clarity on their faces.
"No," the warlock stated in response as he looked at Sebastian once more, "I don't think your people are as familiar with that name as you say. How did you hear of it?"
Sebastian could have told the man that Palose had told him when he ran into the Betrayer. He doubted that the dark mage had told them everything that had been said between them, but his body was already starting to ache and it was time to take his chance. Refusing to answer the warlock made the man scowl and signal to the other two masters to ready for another round of punishment.
"You will talk and then we will see if you will break today. Answer me now!"
Rolan made a mistake then and closed the distance between him and the battle mage. Believing the prisoner worn down and unable to defend himself any longer, he grew too bold. The three warlocks had always maintained a bit of distance from him. He was a trained soldier with skills that could kill even without his magic.
Though the warlock stood just beyond the reach of his legs should the mage lash out, he was not beyond the range of his runes. Sebastian suddenly flicked his right hand towards Rolan releasing the harpoon and wire. Without training to control the rune, he wouldn't have been able to alter the movement enough; but the battle mage sent the line to wrap around the warlock's neck before he could adjust to the unexpected attack.
Blood splattered as the barbed wire dug into the man's neck, but it was nothing until Sebastian drew it back sawing through the flesh like a banded saw blade. Rolan screamed since it hadn't been a deep enough cut to slit his trachea, but the veins along the sides of his neck gushed as their seal was broken.
Shock gave the owl the time to test the strength of the shackles. Exerting all his strength, even as the runes augmented it several times beyond his base ability; Sebastian heard the metal bands break free as the hook and chain holding them rattled with the effort. Lorgan felt the release of the weight and lifted his eyes in surprise to the chain suddenly weightless in his hands.
Not bothering to watch the looks on his captors' faces, the battle mage acted. The harpoon whipped towards Master Wiler, the biggest of the warlocks physically and next closest to him. Pulling back to avoid Sebastian, the man couldn't evade the reach of the harpoon. It plunged into his neck making the warlock reach for the pain. This attack pierced
through to the spine before Sebastian yanked it free in a spurt of blood.
Wiler dropped to his knees even as the mage moved within range to kick the last warlock in the neck hard. The man's eyes rolled back in his head as his brain was addled. He too fell to the floor, but Seirtan and Civan were already acting in response. The jailor turned to run. With an open door to flee towards, the man hoped to escape what he believed was certain death.
Occasionally a prisoner would escape his cell or attack a jailor. He had been there when it had happened. They would blame the one who tortured them and want to exact a blood price in exchange. Civan was too much of a coward to give him that chance and was lucky that the falcon was there to guard against Sebastian's pursuit.
"Reflex, fireball," the mage called out moving to attack the hindered owl.
His runes helped him immediately. Blue eyes easily read the movement of the fire. His reaction time wasn't what the battle mage had with reflex, but it was enough to swat the fireball with his left arm batting it away. Defensive runes protected that side completely even against fire.
Seirtan didn't worry over the minor inconvenience and moved towards the prisoner with his sword already drawn. Sebastian managed to block with his left arm. A scratch could be felt at the skin level, but the rune would guard against any real damage as it resided in his skin. He kicked at the larger man making him block. He heard a grunt from Seirtan at the unexpected power of the attack. His speed and power delivered greater damage from a man that appeared less powerful to the bigger falcon.
Disengaging, Seirtan called on another spell to compensate, "Stone skin."
It played to Sebastian's favor in that it slowed the man. Since stone skin added an amount of invulnerability at the cost of stiffening the skin with the power of stone, it would work against the mage's reflex spell. Unfortunately for the owl, it would also make taking Seirtan down much harder while the defense remained as well.
Fighting the reflex spell without one of his own; Sebastian could only play to the weakness of the spell. There was only one. Seirtan's mind could see his movements and begin reacting faster than he could actually make his body move. With his runes to help, the owl was quicker than normal as well making it a closer fight. He wasn't using a sword, but Sebastian drew the harpoon to his hand to thrust like a pointed dagger.
The metallic clang rang out in the dungeon room several times before Seirtan dropped back breathing through his mouth and looking frustrated.
"Impossible," the bigger man stated with a frown. "There is no way that you should be able to fend me off that way without your reflex spell. You shouldn't have any magic either, but you have something that I can't see."
Knowing that knowledge of his runes wasn't coupled with healers who could actually place them on others even in Red Hall, Sebastian kept his advantage to himself. It was a small one, but proved that runes could make a man without magic a threat even to a trained battle mage.
Before the two could test each other once more, a roar of rage escaped Lorgan as he lunged for Sebastian wielding a heavy metal rod used for burning a victim's skin. The mage had seen the massive jailor out of the corner of his eye waiting for him to flee or do something stupid. Luckily it was the second.
Ducking the poker, the owl released the harpoon as the man closed. It wrapped around the attacking arm giving Sebastian extra leverage. Using the power of the jailor's attack, he turned shifting his weight and sent the big man's body off of his hip and over his shoulder towards Seirtan. With the reflex spell in place, the big mage had thought to pair the jailor's attack with one of his own. Momentum worked against him as Lorgan crashed against the falcon.
Even with his reflexes enhanced, his body couldn't shift to avoid the mass of the man once he started to move. Sebastian had hoped for the man to get greedy and the two worked together for the owl to disable them both, if only for a moment.
"Idiot!" Seirtan cried out shoving the stunned jailor off of him.
The power of the battle mage was enough and coupled with his augmented speed, Seirtan was to his knees swinging his sword towards Sebastian's stomach before he could close the distance. Like the bigger mage, the owl couldn't alter the physics of his momentum quick enough to take more of an advantage, but the other weakness of the battle mage's spells was beginning to rear up in this fight.
Though quick to respond, Seirtan's movements were slower than before. Sebastian's left arm took the brunt of the sword strike with the defense runes, even as he fought to make his body jump back. He was barefoot and felt the slick stone covered in blood. His back foot slipped slightly making a slight opening for the other mage.
Again his left arm blocked. He felt the pain of the metal striking his skin, but the runes shrugged off the strike once more. Seirtan fought the slick floor as well and backed off to disengage and ready a new attack.
Throwing his only perceived weapon, the harpoon, at his opponent Sebastian baited the man into another ill advised movement. Instinct and bravado made Seirtan catch the line of the harpoon even as he pulled on it trying to draw the owl to his blade without crossing the slick floor in turn.
Noticing the wince of Seirtan's eyes at the biting wire in his hand, Sebastian released two more of his weapons as he let the man's strength drag him into range. Leaping forward adding his speed to the momentum, the owl struck with a knee, but there was a spike there now as well. One of the many runes that the merfolk liked for close combat, the knee spike scraped up the other man's leg before lodging in his side.
Time had worn down the stone skin and the resistance was less than half allowing the smaller mage to draw blood.
Sebastian made the sword miss again using his left arm. A dagger extended from his fist catching Seirtan in the shoulder where arm met chest. It dug in enough to make the bigger man cry out. A second strike caught the outer arm, but the stone skin was enough to deflect the blow this time. The surprise of the attack loosened the man's hold on the barbed line. As it pulled free, the wire raked the inside of Seirtan's hand.
Bloodied, the bigger man tried to regain space between them having taken the worst of the trade.
The younger mage stepped back in less of a hurry. He gauged that the wounds to Seirtan would slow him down even more. The reflex spell was likely ending and would be risky for the mage to try again so soon. A mind could only handle short bursts of that kind of magic. It was possible to chain it a couple times, but injury might make it impossible to sustain.
Stone skin had given out as well. The smaller attacks from Sebastian coupled with the large scale blow from Lorgan had worn the magic away along with the expenditure of his energy. There were other spells that he could try, but few made sense under the conditions inside the room.
"I'll give you one chance, Seirtan. Tell me how I remove this collar and I'll let you live."
"Ha!" the big man blurted with confidence. "You don't have your magic and I've seen all your tricks now. All I need to do is refresh my reflex spell to turn this around."
Placing his left hand over the right forearm, Sebastian created a dark hole before pulling a black sword from his flesh. A portal rune, he could pull larger objects from it when he had magic, but it had always been designed for pulling swords, daggers and other weapons out during battle. Whether it was some pocket dimension holding the gear, he had yet to figure out; but what he did know was that he held a sword making him even more dangerous for the other mage.
"I have dozens of runes on my body blended to match the coloring of my skin. You have no idea what else I can do. Now tell me how to remove this collar."
Sneering at the smaller man, Seirtan stated, "Find the wizard that put it on you and have him remove it. There's your answer. Now what, owl, is it?
"If you were smarter, you would have figured that out for yourself.
"Fireball," the mage ordered the flame aimed at Sebastian once more. "Reflex."
Sebastian deflected the fire with his left hand again and watched as the big man tried to rush
him across the floor. There was something different to his attack. As Seirtan closed, Sebastian could see it in the mage's eyes, the reflex spell had failed. Watching those eyes, he watched them widen even as he heard the sickening sound of the black blade entering his flesh.
Staggering back, Seirtan looked down as the ebony sword slid free of his stomach. A clang as he dropped his sword preceded the mage dropping to his knees. His hands tried to hold back the blood, but his gasping breaths told the younger man that the point of the blade had ruptured the left lung.
"If you had a better answer to help me break out of this collar, I could have healed you, Seirtan," Sebastian said stepping back from the dying man.
"You... won't... make it... out of... here... alive," the fallen mage gasped in short breaths managing to sneer at the owl despite his wounds.
Cleaning the black blade on the shirt of Lorgan before inserting the weapon back into the oval void, Sebastian kept his eyes on the dying man. The warlocks weren't of any significance. One was dead already and another was bleeding and unable to speak.
He moved to the unconscious Master Ileden and pulled his tunic over the man's head. Unintelligible sounds came from his mouth as the warlock tried to speak around his tongue. His eyes were still glazed. Unsure how much longer the warlock would remain that way or how long it would take for Civan to find help, Sebastian needed to move.
Judging Wiler's boots would fit better than the shorter warlock's; the owl stole both his boots and his pants. He had managed to avoid getting blood onto the man's pants, but his tunic was a bloody mess.
Sebastian dressed quickly. Before he was finished, the mage heard a sigh from Seirtan before he tumbled onto the floor dead.
Feeling like some crypt robber, the mage stole the coins from their purses joining the money into one pouch. A last glance to the fallen men, both those unconscious and dead, sent Sebastian hurrying from the dungeon room to look for a way out of the mess he was in now.
Battle Mage Visions (A Tale of Alus Book 12) Page 31