“This view is incredible! I can see most of Lake Mingran from up here,” Zupher said, looking down from the cliff.”
“Lovely, isn't it, how the sun reflects on the water and walks right up to you,” Earl said.
Muriel patted Zupher on the back.
Zupher slowed his pace and smiled at Muriel.
“What's up?”
“You know, I've been thinking. This is pretty much the same area that my brother would always come to. Do you maybe think that the sorcerer they are holding captive might be him?”
“I can't say for sure, but if it does turn out to be him, I'll do everything in my power to help free him.”
“Thank you, that really means a lot.”
Racer signalled to the rest of the team to stop.
“Okay guys, we have now reached the parameter that I will cover. It seems like there are a couple of guards outside. They look to be the same ones that I saw earlier. Don't mind them, none of them are vampires. If you feel that you are overwhelmed to the point of needing backup, inform Bellona or Earl; they have an ability to psychically contact me. I will do the same to them if I feel there is anything that you guys should urgently know.”
Zupher and the remaining team left Racer behind and headed further towards the stronghold. There were five guards seated by the main entrance to the fort. They were chatting and having a game of cards.
“Let me handle this,” Bellona said, stepping ahead of the rest of the team.
Bellona raised her arms high above her head. Soon after, an impulse of energy fluctuated from her head downwards. She then directed her hands towards the guards, and a mighty bolt of lightning shot out of her hands. Within a flash, the guards had been incinerated. Bellona and Earl then started jogging towards the entrance of the stronghold. Zupher looked at Muriel in shock.
“She's a lot more powerful than I thought!”
“That's for sure! We better catch up with the others now.”
Zupher and Muriel hurried towards the entrance.
“I require some space please,” Earl said.
The others backed away. Earl picked a book out of his knapsack and flipped over to a certain page. He then started reading the script before him. The ink written on the page lit up in dark magenta in correspondence to each word he said. His left hand started emanating the same dark magenta colour as he progressed reading. After finishing, Earl shut the book and shifted it back into his knapsack. He then slammed his left hand on the ground. A burst of dark magenta energy followed, and as it faded, a small winged creature appeared holding a wand. Earl pointed his right hand towards the entrance of the stronghold, which was blocked by a large steel door. The creature, fairy-like in appearance, flew over to the door and wove its wand. The composition of steel on the door, started to fade gradually, until it was translucent. The creature that Earl had summoned then vanished with an array of sparks.
“We can proceed now,” Earl said.
Earl walked into the stronghold and the rest of the team shortly followed. Two separate corridors led further into the stronghold at the end of the entrance room.
“Looks like we're going to have to split up. Zupher, you come with me, We'll take the path on the left. Earl, you go with Muriel; you'll take the path on the right,” Bellona said.
The two teams commenced to their respective paths.
“There's really not much to this stronghold, is there?” Zupher said, noticing the successions of dark, moulding black bricks around the corridor.”
“I have a feeling that this may actually be a prison,” Bellona replied.
Bellona's suspicions turned out to be accurate as they entered a large room full of jail cells. Each of the twenty parallel cells in the room had a prisoner. The cells were completely barren and most of the prisoners were laying down, lifeless on the floor.
“This is sheer brutality!” Bellona said, glancing at the horrific conditions of the cells.
Zupher and Bellona approached a prisoner that was standing at the front of his cell.
“Can you tell us how you got here and where you're from?” Bellona asked.
The prisoner, stood dead still and stared into space. His eyes were nearly completely rolled up.
“His aura is nearly dried out. These prisoners are cattle for the vampires.”
“They are going to pay for causing such suffering,” Zupher said, feeling a piercing anger.
Zupher and Bellona walked through the door at the other side of the prison room and found themselves in an office. A man was seated at a desk with a computer. He slowly directed his gaze from his screen towards Zupher and Bellona. He took off his spectacles and stood up.
“How decent of you, deciding to speak to the warden to kindly request the release of a prisoner.”
Bellona frowned in disgust.
“You wretched abomination! I'll see you burn!”
Bellona curled her hand into a fist. She breathed in heavily, not once dropping her focus on the vampire. She then released her grip and a fireball appeared in her hand. She lunged her arm at the vampire and the fireball hurled towards it. The vampire flipped over to the side, barely dodging the explosion. His desk and computer had been destroyed.
“You've now angered me, which is a huge mistake!”
The vampire leapt towards Bellona, attempting to maul her. Bellona stepped to the side and shot fire out at it. The vampire howled and retreated a few steps. It then shot a menacing look at Bellona and moved so fast, it looked as if it had completely disappeared, and struck Bellona on the chest. She flew two metres down to the ground and yelled in agony.
Zupher grabbed the remaining enchanted salt that he had, and threw it at the vampire. The effect was not as powerful this time, but Zupher still took the opportunity to project his consciousness at the vampire's psyche.
Zupher found himself in complete darkness.
“Reveal yourself!”
The vampire’s consciousness laughed.
“So you think that you can come into my psyche and do as you please? A weakling like you can never overwhelm me!”
Zupher’s head started spinning rapidly and he fell to his knees. He then started to sink slowly.
“Your young life-force will do me a good couple years though, so thanks for making the process a lot easier!”
Zupher closed his eyes and felt numb.
'Is this it? Is this how I am destined to die; all that I've been through and accomplished; all the wonderful people I've met? All that I've learned and experienced has led to this moment of my death.’
Zupher remained still while he continued to sink further and further into nothingness.
Just as his head was about to sink under, Zupher opened his eyes and yelled.
“No!”
Zupher focused on all the love in his life. All that he had received and given; all the people who he held dearly and his indomitable will to live. He then lifted up his hands with all his might and raised them as high as he could. A flash of light radiated from his hands and started spreading.
“What trickery is this?! You're just a boy!”
Zupher emerged out of the vampire’s psyche and found him stunned.
“Bellona, hit him now, he is vulnerable!”
Bellona, who had barely gotten up from her blow, picked out a scroll from her pocket and used it to cast another fireball on the vampire. The fireball hit the vampire right in the midriff and vaporised it instantly.
“Are you alright?” Zupher asked.
“I think I should be fine. Bastard got me good though. Thank goodness I had that scroll, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to cast the fireball myself in this injured state.”
“I wonder how the others are doing. We should press onwards and link up with them again.”
“What about the prisoners?” Bellona asked.
“We can't release them in the state they’re currently in. They're pretty much dead like this. I'm sure Muriel will be able to heal some of them or can perhaps spare
a potion or two to help them regain some of their vitality.”
Zupher and Bellona proceeded further into the prison and passed through a door that led to another corridor. Not too far down the corridor, Zupher could see Muriel and Earl.
“Hey guys! Wait up.”
Muriel turned around, her face lit up at the sight of Zupher.
“Zupher!”
Muriel ran towards Zupher and hugged him.
“We encountered a gruesome prison and had to deal with a pretty strong vampire. What did you guys find?”
“Same thing. Absolutely horrific, those prisoners are zombified. We also had to deal with a vampire warden. He gave Bellona a pretty hard blow, but fortunately we were able to deal with him.”
Muriel reached into her knapsack and gave Bellona a potion.
“Drink this. One sip and your injury shall heal.”
“Thank you so much dear.”
Bellona sipped the potion and returned it to Muriel.
“It seems that this corridor leads to the final area of this prison. Let’s move on, but remain wary,” Earl said.
The team approached a large wooden door at the end of the corridor. As Earl was about to check if it was locked, it suddenly opened before them. Upon passing the door, the team found themselves in a hall. There was a square table in the centre. A vampire dressed in grey was sitting on the far end, with a large tome on the table before him. Behind him, was a rack with a another man on it, who had a bag over his head. The vampire looked up and grinned.
“Mages from the Arcane Society. My master will be pleased to hear that I'll soon be due to bring one over for interrogation.”
The vampire stood up and crossed his arms above his chest. He then stretched them out – a wave of energy followed that pushed Zupher and the mages back.
Earl grabbed his book and started a summoning incantation. Bellona shot two fireballs from her left and right hand at the vampire. The vampire spread out his hands and caught the fireballs. He then crushed them in his fists.
“Pitiful.”
Muriel had stepped in from the flank unseen and lashed out with her knife at the vampire. Half of his left arm went crashing to the floor.
“You bitch!” The vampire grabbed Muriel at the neck with his other arm and threw her off into the air. He then pointed at Muriel and caught her in mid-air using telekinesis, and started choking her.
“It'll take me months to be able to regenerate a new arm you insignificant worm!”
“Muriel!” Zupher screamed in rage and sprinted towards the vampire.
Enraged, he attempted a psychic attack, but was instantly thrown out. During the brief moment of psychic interruption, the vampire had released his grip on Muriel.
“Ha! My mind is your worst nightmare!”
Muriel sipped from one of her potions and stood up.
“Zupher get out of range. It's too powerful!”
Bellona ran up to the vampire and shot flames out of her hands towards the vampire. The vampire created an ice ward and nullified the flames.
“Didn’t your folks ever tell you to not play with fire?”
The vampire faded towards Bellona and swung his hand on her head. A cool aura started radiating from his hands. He then released his grip from her head and hit her with a backhand lash. Bellona fell to the ground, unconscious. The vampire sadistically laughed and failed to notice the fire sprite that Earl summoned charging towards him. The sprite released a gush of fire wind that caught the vampire off guard and flung him over to the other side of the hall. The bewildered vampire stood up, clapped his hands together and emitted an icy energy field that put out the burning flames on him. The sprite shot another attack at the vampire, but this time the vampire dodged it and jumped up to the sprite and shot a blast of ice that extinguished it.
The vampire then started walking towards Zupher, Muriel and Earl.
“Looks like you have run out of all your tricks!”
Muriel leant forward but was stopped by Earl's hand.
“Wait!”
Muriel backed down and looked at Earl, confused.
By the time she looked back at the vampire, its head had been cut off.
Racer pushed the body aside.
“Seems I got here just in time.”
Muriel rushed over to Bellona and started a healing spell.
“Are you guys okay?” Racer asked, looking over at Earl and Zupher.
“I'm unscathed, thank you,” Earl said.
“My head is in pain,” Zupher said, grabbing onto his temples.
“Muriel, when you're done, grab Zupher a healing potion would ya!” Racer looked back at Zupher and Earl. “I am going to check who the man on the rack is. I assume it is the sorcerer we were informed about.”
Racer headed over to the man and removed the bag from his head. He was barely breathing.
Seconds after Racer removed from the bag from the man's head, Muriel looked over at him. She instantly stopped the healing spell that she was conducting on Bellona and ran towards the man on the rack.
“Lucius!”
Muriel took out a potion from her knapsack and rapidly put it in the man's mouth.
Muriel started to weep.
“What is the meaning of this?” Racer asked.
“That's my brother!”
Muriel tried to get Lucius to drink her potion, but he wasn't responding.
“Racer, I'm going to need you to back away a little please.”
“But wh...”
“Just do it!” Muriel shouted, feeling deep-seated emotions.
Racer returned to the others at the other end of the hallway.
“What is his state?” Zupher asked.
“He has been suffocated numerous times and pulled on that rack. They must have clearly felt that he was hiding something. It doesn't look like they tampered with his blood and life-force though, he is just perilously exhausted.”
Muriel released Lucius from the rack and lay him down on the floor. She then placed both her hands on his chest. A green aura started emitting from her that expanded within a two-metre radius. After two minutes Lucius opened his eyes.
“Muriel?”
Muriel grabbed his hand and helped him to a sitting position. She then hugged him with tears running down from her eyes.
“I thought I had lost you forever!”
Lucius looked deep into Muriel's hazel eyes. He gave out the gentle smile that had always cheered Muriel up when she was having a bad day.
“I joined the Arcane Society during your absence. It’s a lovely place. Let's go back there to get you healed up fully and start a new life together.”
Muriel stood up and reached out to Lucius’s hand to help him up. He resisted.
“The only place I want to be right now is back with Elsje at the village.”
Lucius stood up.
“I always knew you had a dream of joining the Arcane Society and I am glad you have now accomplished that dream. I appreciate dearly that you have rescued me with the help of your fellow mages, but I ask you to please respect my wishes.”
Muriel was silent.
Racer approached Lucius.
“The Archmage of the Arcane Society was interested in you joining us. Are you sure that you don't want to be a part of our family?”
“Absolutely sure. Thanks for the offer though, but I'll pass.”
“Any particular reason?” Racer asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Don't worry, it is not your concern.” Lucius looked over to Muriel, who was still overrun with emotion. “I'm going to head back to the village now. Don't you want to accompany me there? I'm sure your superiors will be cool with that.”
“I'll be glad to do so, and I'm sure Racer won't mind, right?” Muriel glanced over at Racer.
“Okay fine, but you'll need to be back at the sanctuary by tomorrow morning.”
Muriel smiled widely and hugged Lucius again.
“Oh and do you mind helping Bellona back to consciousness?” Ra
cer asked.
I used up nearly all of my energy healing my brother. I do have a healing potion that you can give to her when she comes by.”
Muriel handed over a potion bottle to Racer.
“What about all the prisoners here?” Earl asked.
“I have three healing potions left. Try and ration them out to as many prisoners as you can. I reckon we should only let them out if they at least regain their basic cognitive functions. For the ones that we leave behind, we can only hope that their respective villages will come to their aid once we inform them.”
“I agree with her. There's nothing we can do to genuinely free all of them. We were not fully aware of the disposition of this place.”
Zupher walked up to Muriel and Lucius.
“Can I join you guys?”
Before Muriel or Lucius could reply, Racer stepped in-between them.
“I'm afraid that will not be possible. There can be some exceptions made to the rules, however, this is asking for too much, Zupher.”
Zupher nodded his head and sighed.
“Okay we'll be off now. Thanks again for helping me out of this hell hole!”
“Don't mention it,” Racer said, winking at Lucius.
Muriel and Lucius made their way out of the prison.
Zupher and Racer went up to Bellona.
“She isn't coming by!” Racer said, shaking Bellona's body. “Zupher, Earl, you two go see what prisoners you can help, while I see if I can get her to wake up.”
After twenty minutes, Zupher and Earl returned to the hall and found Racer sitting next to a conscious Bellona.
“When about did she come by?” Earl asked.
“Nearly ten minutes ago. And with you guys; did you manage to heal some of the prisoners?”
“None. Absolutely none,” Zupher said.
“We tried to administer the potion to a couple of them, but it did nothing. They have literally been turned into walking dead,” Earl said.
“Wow. These vampires are true savages. I did not know their evil reached such depths. Do you reckon we should put them out of their misery?”
Earl tilted his head down.
“That might be the best option indeed.”
“Our means of doing it is a little unclear. I'd typically ask Bellona to burn down a building like this, however, she is in a terrible state right now. Earl could you summon another fire sprite by any chance?”
The Stone of Elsira Page 10