In Search of Auria

by Alexis Rojas

  “Aah!” yelled Sebastien as he shot his hand up and cringed his body. Erik did not waste time. He pulled back his sword and threw it to Sebastien’s left ankle. The tip stabbed directly into the ligaments. The big man blared another scream as he could not believe the same thing was happening to him twice. As he felt the jolting pain race up his nerves, he let go of his weapon to grasp his left leg. With the hammer now free to use, Erik tossed his shield, gripped the hammer with both hands and swung it up. He hit Sebastien on the forehead, numbing his body instantly. His knees gave away and he fell back on the rocky ground. Dazed wallop, Sebastien could not summon any movement.

  “It is time to end the legend of The Beast,” Erik stated as he drew beside him. He raised high the weighty hammer and dropped it on Sebastien’s chest. The blow crushed his sternum and ribcage with a cracking sound. He raised his head, but no sound came from his mouth. It was his time, and he realized it. He gently rested his head back and exhaled for the last time. Erik removed the hammer and lowered his head. He took a moment to ease his mind.

  “Awesome!” Beam blurted in excitement, startling Erik, “I thought we were doomed for sure.”

  “What do you mean ‘we’?” Erik shook his head, “I’m the one sweating here.”

  Erik hurried to the cage and with one good swing of the hammer, he busted the cell door open. Beam came out and hesitated before giving Erik a hug, “Thank you for freeing me.”

  “It was nothing, kid,” Erik patted him on the shoulder. “Now, let’s get out of here.”

  He walked back to retrieve his weapons when a shockwave hit his back and threw him over Sebastien’s body. Beam turned to the entrance of the cavity. From the tunnel emerged a chalky colored man with markings on his face and hands. He wore a blue garment and held a grey staff. He exhaled a cold mist through his teeth. Beam tried to summon his remaining energy to cast a blinding light with his wings, but a wave of the man’s hand made him freeze, literally. He began to shiver as a sheet of frost covered his body. He trembled to the ground as he hugged himself for warmth. Erik stood and saw the man walking his way.

  “You have done much work on my cave,” the man gruffly said as he looked at Sebastien’s corpse, “but what you have not realized is that you’ll never get out of it.”

  “Who are you?” Erik asked.

  “I am Dirge, spellbinder of the north,” he replied.

  “Of the north? So you’re the northern fellow Vallias talked about.”

  “Indeed. As for you, I have no need to know your name or history, for soon you shall be dead.”

  Dirge pointed his staff at Erik and hissed, “Atiao!”

  An ivory ray lashed out from the staff’s end and bounded Erik like a rope. Dirge now controlled him. Whichever direction he pulled his staff to, Erik would be flung to; like a ball being pulled by a string. He repeatedly threw him to the wall of the cave, until he flung him back to the ground. All the tossing and bouncing made Erik weak and nauseous. The warlock then grabbed the staff by the bottom end and gave a full swing to the ceiling.

  “Rajia luneta!” he roared as a white crescent formed and shot its way up. It blasted the stalactites above, making them fall down to Erik. He rolled and missed them just in time, but Dirge was not done yet. He made the ivory rope spell again and hurled Erik back to the entrance of the cavity.

  Erik wavered, but managed to stand. There had to be a way to stop the spellbinder.

  “This is a great opportunity for me,” Dirge spoke while facing the chasm. “My mother shall have the adult one, but I’ll secretly stay with this one. All I need to do is wait for it to mature, and I will have its blood. I will have its power!”

  Erik saw Beam shuddering on the ground. He took off the cloak and covered him while Dirge talked. He was left with his gambeson and the glass gauntlets on his arms.

  “The plan is set, it only needs time,” Dirge continued, turning to Erik. “Unlike you, warrior, for you only have time to die.” He gave a full swing of his staff and another white crescent shot out; this time it was a big one and it was headed straight for Erik. The crescent came so quickly he could only raise his arms and receive the impact.

  The crescent came, bounced off the glass gauntlets and hit the wall. Erik was stunned with surprise, as was Dirge. The warlock created another crescent, but it bounced off the gauntlets like the first one.

  “What? But how?”

  The pitch George had for selling the gauntlets was true; they really do protect you from magic!

  “I believe your tricks won’t work anymore,” Erik said with a smile. He ran to him as the sorcerer shot icicles from his magical staff.

  “Konyel!” he shouted every time, but the icicles crushed to bits as they came in contact with the gauntlets. Erik finally reached him and grabbed the staff. They both struggled with it, until Erik gave him a head-butt and snatched it from his hands. He then swung it down and smashed it Dirge’s shoulder, breaking both the staff and his collar bone. Dirge screamed and fell back, but what was behind him was the chasm. He slipped in with a gasp.

  Erik didn’t stop to rest after Dirge fell into the hole. He quickly retrieved his sword from Sebastien’s ankle and prepared himself for anything. What if the spellbinder wasn’t dead? With all that magic flying around, who knew if he suddenly came out flying, shooting lightning from his hands. But instead, Erik heard a strained moan coming from within the chasm. He cautiously walked to the edge and saw Dirge holding onto a lumpy rock beneath the ledge. He could not lift himself up. Being a sorcerer that dealt with spells, he did not have the strength or powerful body a warrior like Erik demanded.

  "Help me, don't let me fall!" Dirge begged.

  "Tell me what I want to know and I shall take your hand."

  "Yes, I'll do it."

  "What does Vallias want with the fairy?"

  "I conducted an arrangement with him. He would give the fairy to the witch of the north in exchange of a potion to prolong life. He would then vanquish the kingdom and have a long rule... Please, I'm slipping."

  "Answer this one quickly. What does the witch want with the fairy?"

  "The blood of a daystar holds the essence of its powers; fire, light, warmth. She wishes to drain her of her blood and create a concoction that will grant her the power of the sun. With that new power, she will become even more powerful and expand her realm."

  Erik stretched down his left arm and grabbed Dirge's hand, but he only lifted him half way up. Slowly he raised his sword.

  "No, wait, you said you'd save me!"

  "Wrong! I said I’d take your hand." And the blade descended.

  *

  The severed hand felt cold to the touch. Dirge was a man full of deceit, ruthlessness and hatred. And in front of me was another man of the same kind. The only difference between the two was this: one of them was dead, and the other was not. But, the time was nearing. Vallias would soon draw his last breath and embrace his death.

  25- Witches, Fairies, and Knights

  "I'll give you a hint," I said as I continued waving the severed hand I held, “it belongs to the one who made the chains and collar that imprisons Auria." I could see in Vallias’ eyes a staggering loathe taking shape.

  "You killed my son!" Lorana barked, stressing her hands before her, creating a fume of blue sparks.

  "Yes, I did! And now that he's dead, maybe you can clear up a doubt I’ve been having. When a witch man dies, does his magic die with him?"

  The sparks plashing from Lorana’s hands stopped. Vallias stared at her awaiting an answer to my question. Then, they all looked back as they heard the sound of metal tearing. Auria was breaking her chains and cracking the glyph block off her neck. Her eyes were golden, and her lines were as vivid as the first day I met her. She could have broken free since the moment the spellbinder perished, but her anguish didn't make her realize she was no longer under his will.

  "Quick, subdue it!" ordered Vallias, but it was too late. She was already bending the iron bars. A soldier w
as about to beat her with a lance, but my flying dagger reached his back first. She finally separated the bars wide enough to fit through, and up she flew to the skies. While everyone watched her take flight, I charged. The first one on my sights was the witch man that shot the disc at me. While he looked up, I slashed him across the back.

  I couldn’t see Auria very well because of the brume created by the Enchantress. Lorana hid the potions in her gown and fired spinning blue orbs at her. She used her bare hands to create the magic. Being the “Matron”, I guess she did not need a staff. The other witches ganged around her in a protective circle as she launched the spheres. Since she was missing her shots and the witches stayed with her, I focused my attention on the soldiers.

  “All of you, kill him!” Vallias commanded. They went at me one after the other, but I fended them off. The first one came with a slash to my head. I knelt while shielding my face and cutting his leg. The second tried to slash me from the right. I blocked with my sword, stepped in and rammed the rim of my shield on his throat. Now three soldiers remained, and one of them was Vallias’ bodyguard. His weapon of choice: a flail with three spiked weights. The three soldiers attacked in unison, jumping to strike. I hopped backwards to dodge, and at that moment I saw a blue flash flicker out the corner of my eye. Suddenly, a ray streaked in front of me and a wall of ice formed. The ice wall shaped itself around Vallia’s men, trapping them inside. They were dead in an instant.

  “I missed,” a witch man said from afar. He had left Lorana to come after me.

  “You imbecile!” I heard Vallias shouting from the other side, “You killed my men!”

  Unable to continue toward him, I turned my attention to the witch man. Unfortunately, he wasn’t finished with his spells.

  “Convo empal,” the sorcerer chanted and stomped the ground with his staff. From where he stood, a row of stalagmites rose from the earth toward me. I dodged and rolled to the right. I sheathed my sword when I saw he continued summoning the impaling stones. I ran around in a closing curve, evading the stalagmites. And when the timing was right, I ran directly to one of the incoming rows. I quickly put my shield beneath my feet, and when the stalagmite rose, it launched me to the air. The witch man yelped as I landed on him, and with one quick punch he fell unconscious.

  I looked forward and saw Lorana still firing at Auria. Auria did her best to swerve, trying to absorb the few rays of sunlight that made it through the brume. She avoided the spells long enough until one of the orbs hit her calf. Her leg cramped with a frosty white, like the snow around Lorana. I unsheathed my sword to go and confront the witch, but like lightning, Beam flew from out of the woods and tackled her.

  “Leave Auria alone!” he glared. The other witches flocked around him. They shot their blue magic, but he was too fast for them. He flapped his wings like a blur, punching and kicking them away.

  “Ha ha, I am too quick for you,” he mocked as he floated in the middle of his adversaries. But, as he laughed at them, a hand squeezed his nape from behind. It was Lorana. She raised him with such a firm grip, he could not even fly to free himself. She then raised her other hand and long ice needles emerged from her palm.

  “I only need one fairy, and it isn’t you,” she said.

  Beam struggled, but before Lorana could do any harm, a column of light struck upon her. From above, Auria flared a cylinder of fire from her hands. The snow beneath Lorana melted and Beam freed himself from her grasp. Lorana screamed as the light burned right through her. When Auria stopped and the column of light disappeared, Lorana’s body was roasted. The crispy corpse fell back, and immediately all the snow and all the coldness that had come with her disappeared. The stones, bushes and grass returned to their warm and vibrant states. The rays of the sun dissipated the brume in the sky. When the witch faction saw their leader wither like an overcooked piece of ham, they hastily fled to the north.

  “You are not getting away that easily,” Beam yelled and went after them.

  “No, Beam. Stop!” Auria shouted, but he didn’t listen. She had no choice but to follow him. I would have gone with them, too, but there was one last thing I needed to resolve. I retrieved my shield and took my dagger out of the soldier’s back. I ran around the ice wall to find Vallias gazing up at the sky. I neared him and prepared my sword, “It’s time I returned the favor, Vallias.”

  “Life is such a delicate thing,” he said, “One cut, one hit, and it can be taken away. An insignificant cough could take you to your death bed in less than a month. Yes, it is so delicate… and you had to ruin it!

  “I was going to rule a kingdom,” he pointed his sword at me, “I was going to expand our lands, I was going to make the Vallias name known throughout the world. But, you had to come and lay waste to my future!”

  “The only future you have is that of my blade through your throat. Now, come! I’ll teach you how death feels like.”

  I ran to him and swung my sword, fueled by revenge and ferocity. I wasn’t letting him get the better of me this time. I jabbed my blade forward and aimed to the sides. But, as precise as my attacks were, he blocked and dodged every single time. He thought he had an advantage for being quick, but my fury was about to quell his ego. I thrust my sword with all my strength to his chest, and for the first time he couldn’t block quickly enough. My blade did not crack his armor, but it certainly pierced his mind. He stumbled back and arched his eyebrows in puzzlement.

  “How could you hit me? I’m faster than you,” he babbled. I eased my stance for a moment and shook my head.

  “Unlike life, Vallias, death is relentless,” I spoke ardently, “It takes your dreams, your passions, your memories, and drives them into oblivion. I suffered this when you killed me, and my soul was left distraught. But now, with this second chance I have being given, I will not let death reach me. I will live out my dreams, I will take joy in my passions, and I will cherish every memory. No, Death won’t reach me. But, I will do all that I can so that It can quickly claim you!”

  “You fool! I’ll kill you again!” Vallias darted forward and aimed for my head. I stretched my shield outward and bounced the cinquedea right out of his hands. Instantly, I aimed for the throat.

  This was the same move I made before I died. Would the same thing happen? Would I have to eat my words?

  Not likely.

  Vallias bent down under my blade as he reached behind his back. But, before he reached for a dagger, before he could even bring his hand back, I raised my knee right up his face.

  Vallias stumbled away with a moan, stuffing his face on his palm. When he removed his hand, I saw he had a bloody nose and his upper lip split open. He screamed out of pain and madness, and in that rabidity, he went at me with only the dagger. As he stretched his arm to strike me, I swiftly cut the knife out of his grasp. He shouted and hugged his arm. He wailed in agony when he looked at his hand. I cut it in half, slicing off his ring finger and pinky.

  “Damn you!” he yelled, “How dare you do this to me?”

  I did not answer. Instead, I steadily walked toward him. I gripped my sword firmly and breathed calmly, for I knew I was about to finish it. Vallias turned to run, but in his desperation, he tripped and fell. As he struggled to get up, I was surprised when he threw himself to the ground again and crawled to a small patch of grass. He picked up something from out of the patch and quickly stood. He raised his hand and showed me what he found; it was the round vial with the red potion. Lorana had it, but it must’ve dropped out of her gown when Beam tackled her.

  “I may not get to be immortal,” Vallias said as blood ran down of his nose, “but I’ll have the power I deserve!” He popped the cap with his teeth and gulped the red liquid.

  “No!” I heard from beside the ice wall. It was the sorcerer I had knocked out. “Don’t drink that one only. Not the red one!” But, it was too late. Vallias drank it to the last drop. The witch man took his staff and ran away.

  Vallias threw the vial and laughed, but immediately fell to his kn
ees. He started to get rigid and constricted. What a fool! This was not some type of medicine or herbal tea; it was a magic potion blended by the Enchantress herself. An extreme effect was bound to happen.

  A red aura engulfed his body, and his skin puffed and boiled. I heard his armor crack, and a strong fizz of burning flesh. He screamed loudly as he bent to the ground. Then, the dirt and grass around him blew away, and the aura finally toned down and disappeared. What remained was not the man I had engaged in battle, but something closer to a monster, an ogre, a fiend. His body grew bigger and bulky, his skin turned crimson, and his armor had fused into his flesh. He no longer had a horned helmet, but a horned skull.

  He then observed his hands and body, “What has become of me?”

  This is what the witch man meant. He knew that drinking the red potion alone would have this monstrous effect.

  “I look horrible,” Vallias continued, raising his fists, “but the power, I feel it. It feeds my spirit, my will! Never have I felt this mighty and great. I admit, it is not the shape or form I wanted. But, with this strength I can rule over all!”

  I dashed and slashed him under the ribs, but my sword jounced off. I did cut him and he did bleed, but he felt no pain. He just smiled. In return, he gave me a wallop with the back of his hand that drove me to the ground. The hit dazed me, but I could hear his laughter. He admired his newfound strength. I quickly hopped to my feet and stabbed him on the abdomen, all the way to the hilt. He roared and flinched, and yet he didn’t fall. Before I could pull the sword out, he pushed me away.

  “Don’t you understand?” Vallias barked, “You can’t kill me now, Death will not claim me!”

  He sluggishly pulled out the sword and raged at me like a mad bull. I could do nothing but to block with my shield. He used my own sword against me, and each pounding attack felt like the push of a battering ram. I couldn’t take it anymore and backed off.

  “Running away, I see,” he said, bursting into an ugly laugh.