by Edward Brody
I grabbed Rithnar’s arm and cast Arcane Missile, causing a small blast where I was holding him.
Rithnar roared and stumbled, but he didn’t release his grip. In fact, his movement only caused his grip to become tighter. “I’ll kill you!” he shouted.
My face and neck caught part of the missile, which seemed to hurt me more than him. I struggled for air even more with the pain, and the bar indicating my oxygen level started blinking as it reached empty.
I cast a Fireblast the same way, grabbing his arm and letting it rip. This time, the explosion on my hand and around my arm was intense. Some of the damage splashed onto my face and chest, and my hand was burned as well.
You have reached level 17 in Fire Magic!
Rithnar roared again, released his grip, and started swatting at small residual flames that were scalding his skin. I stumbled forward, wincing in pain and gasping for air as I also started swatting at leftover flames that were attacking my clothes.
When the flames were patted away, I spun around to find a getaway route, but the moment I turned, all I saw was Rithnar charging towards me at full speed with one of his arms fully extended to his side.
His arm caught my neck and caused me to fly backwards and to the ground. The back of my head smacked hard onto the ground sending a painful shockwave through my body.
I groaned and immediately started reaching for the back of my head where I had hit, but knowing how desperately I needed to get away, I tried to push past the discomfort and get back to my feet as fast as possible.
I shook my head when I sat up and managed to push myself to a kneel. I turned slowly and held a palm out towards Rithnar who was standing right behind me with his brow creased and his mouth agape.
“Let me go now or I…” I stopped mid-sentence, suddenly realizing that my hands were no longer thick and green. They were my normal hands, and the robe I was wearing was my usual Mages Guild attire. At first, I was confused as to why, but then I looked at my status bars, and saw that my health was down to around 40%—below the threshold for the advanced disguise kit to work.
Rithnar’s chest heaved up and down. “Shapeshifter…”
“No, I’m not a shapeshifter,” I muttered.
“A Highcastle spy.”
“No, I’m not a—”
Rithnar glanced to his weapon rack, then back to me before darting to his right and nearly jumping to grab a long, metal spear on his rack.
I jumped up to my feet, and tried to make a break for it, but tripped on wobbly feet. When I glanced behind me, Rithnar thrust his spear at my chest, and I barely managed to tuck my core to the side, evading the attack.
I shot a Fireblast at Rithnar’s center of mass, but he seemed to anticipate the attack as soon as I held my hand out towards him. He both ducked a little and tried to dodge to the side, but the blast still managed to connect with the edge of his shoulder.
He wailed, grabbed his shoulder, and I used that as an opportunity to summon a Fire Curtain right between two of us.
“Spy!” Rithnar yelled. “Highcastle Spy!”
I wasn’t sure what I was thinking when I ran from Rithnar’s home. I was in the Wastelands, and my disguise kit had been removed, so running out of his tent was like jumping out of a warm oven and into a hot frying pan. I glanced both ways as soon as I passed through the curtain of his home, and two orcs were walking towards me—one on both my left and my right.
The orcs both stopped when they saw me, and their eyes went wide in confusion. I swallowed hard and started running in the direction away from the fortress.
I squeezed between two of the tents to get to another row, and though that row was far emptier, too many of the tents in the next row after had storage boxes, fences, and other things obstructing me from moving forward. I pulled my hood over my head and ran for the main road.
“Human!” I heard Rithnar roar from somewhere in the row of his home.
“Where?!” someone questioned.
I power walked by the orcs as fast as I could, tucking my hands in the sleeves of my robe and keeping my head down so my face couldn’t be seen. I saw mostly dirt and shoes, but I had to look up when my shoulder mistakenly bumped into another orc’s, hard. His weight was so much that it caused me to take a step back and my head to jerk up in reflex.
The orc made a millisecond of eye contact with me, and his eyes went wide.
I immediately bolted into my hardest run.
“Human!” the orc roared.
“He’s over there!” Rithnar yelled from somewhere behind me.
“Get him!” I heard another orc cry out.
Boiling Blood, I thought, casting the spell, and as my run speed increased, I reached into my bag for the Liar’s Mask.
Congratulations! You have learned the spell: Liar’s Walk.
Things became blurry as I ran as fast as I could, but I noticed every orc I passed repeat the same similar pattern—first pausing as they couldn’t believe their eyes, and then a moment or so later reaching for their axe, mace, or other weapon before joining the train of green forming behind me.
Liar’s Walk, I thought once I had the Liar’s Mask firmly attached to my face, and I went invisible, leaving a stationary façade of myself behind.
I veered to my left and ducked inside the first random tent I saw once I had cast the spell, and to my surprise, there was a female orc inside, sleeping on a bed of hay, cradling a small child, not much bigger than the one I had found in the Freelands.
I stayed as quiet as possible as I heard the orcs outside yelling not far from the tent.
“He’s disappeared!” someone shouted.
“How?! Where did he go?!”
“Impossible!”
“Magic! He’s a mage! He used magic!”
The commotion caused the baby to stir, and the movement of the child slowly woke the mother.
The orc woman’s eyes were heavy as she woke, but the moment she noticed me, they went wide with fear and bewilderment.
“Quiet…” I muttered, holding a finger up to my lips.
She looked down to her baby, then back up to me, pulled him close to her and shouted, “Intruder!”
“No, no, no!” I spoke.
“Help! Intruder!” she yelled again. “Human!”
“Fuck!” I spat, held out my hand and shot an Arcane Missile at the orc woman’s face.
The orc screamed when the missile connected between her eyes and rocked her head back. Her baby fell from her arms, onto the floor, and started wailing loudly. It made me wince to see a baby fall, but it was an orc, and well… I couldn’t save ‘em all. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to save anyone anymore and wasn’t even sure if I could save myself.
I ran from the tent, and when I saw the first orc running towards the cries and screams, I cast another Liar’s Walk.
I used the couple of seconds of invisibility to gain some distance and veered between tents again, but unluckily the row I ended up in was filled with even more of the savages.
I continued to run towards the mouth of the Wastelands, weaving between tents, hoping that my agility alone would allow me to survive. Boiling Blood had worn off, and when I glanced towards my status bars, I was not only running out of mana, but I was running out of stamina as well.
There was only one thing I could think to do.
Sora! I started to kneel to slam my hand on the ground.
Thwack.
I was rocked back right before my palm made contact, and when I looked towards the source of an intense pain, I saw an arrow shaft sticking out of my shoulder.
“Got him!” an orc yelled, lowering his bow.
My heart raced, and I grabbed the shaft instinctively but didn’t pull it out, knowing I would begin to bleed. Instead, I turned my head to see orcs flooding between the tents.
I scrambled up, cast a Liar’s Walk, and dashed for the main road to no avail. As soon as I made it to the road and the spell wore off, almost all the onlookers had stopped what they were do
ing, and orcs were swarming towards me from all directions. They had circled me, and I had nowhere to go.
Fire Curtain, I thought again, raising a circular wall of fire around me.
I took a deep breath, lowered my eyes, and exhaled. My mind raced with every possibility, but no spell or ability I had could get me out of the situation. Even if I summoned Sora while I sat in the middle of the ring of fire, she’d have to somehow cross through the orcs and the fire to get to me—which wasn’t going to happen. On top of that, my mana was nearly spent from all the Liar’s Walks.
I was going to die. There was no way to avoid it.
I swallowed hard, grabbed my staff, and got to my feet. I was going to lose everything I was carrying, so the best thing I could do was fight and at least hope for a skill gain before I died. I was scared as hell to enter the void again, but there was nothing more I could do but fight ‘til my last breath.
As the curtain began to fall, I started to charge an on-cast effect with my staff, but incredibly, a strange electrical flicker flashed all around me, right where my Fire Curtain had been before. The energy was faint at first, but then flickered again a little brighter, and then again, but this time in a pattern of large, triangular pulses that melded together like a geometric puzzle. The triangles that formed the round dome of energy around me were semi-transparent blue energies, and their edges intermittently buzzed with electricity.
There were at least thirty orcs I could see standing on the other side of the barrier, and one stepped forward and swung his axe at a triangle. When his axe struck, electricity snaked out from the barrier, up his axe, and into his body. He cried out and jolted back from the shock.
“What magic is this?!” one of the orcs growled.
Another orc walked close to the barrier and breathed heavily with an eager grin on his face. “It doesn’t matter. He can’t use his magic forever.”
I rattled my head, making sure I wasn’t hallucinating from hitting my skull earlier. Like them, I couldn’t make sense of the magic surrounding me.
“It’s my magic,” an orc said, stepping from behind the group. He was a tall orc with long, greying hair and a deeply receded hairline. He wore a dark purple robe with a dark red belt cinched around his waist. “Leave him alone, everyone.” He spoke softer than the others, his voice filled with far less rage.
“Mordok!” one of the orcs surrounding me barked. “Why would you protect this human? Release your magic at once!”
“Do not harm him yet,” Mordok said. “I must find out why he’s here, as he is a member of my guild.”
I rattled my head in confusion. Judging by his belt, the orc was a member of the Mages Guild, and he was siding with me over the orcs? I was shocked.
Rithnar pushed past the other orcs and came face to face with Mordok. “What ignorance do you speak of?! We are at war with Highcastle! He is clearly a spy. Look at his mask!”
“Mages—at least those of the guild—are neutral,” Mordok explained. “It would go against our guild’s creed to spy on one of two warring factions.”
“Nonsense!” another orc yelled, raising his axe in front of him. “Remove your magic, or I’ll have you gutted for treason.”
“Treason? As a member of the Mages Guild, I am also neutral in that regard,” Mordok explained. “The Mage’s Hall is neutral territory, so he is not in violation there.”
“He is not in the Mages Hall!” another orc shouted.
“He will be soon,” Mordok countered.
Rithnar stepped closer to Mordok as if not intimidated by him at all. “We will not let this human live!”
“Maybe,” Mordok said. “But first, I must know why he is here. The Mages Guild here in Morgsgorg has not had an outside member visit in some time. It’s very possible that he was heading to the Mages Hall and simply lost his way.” He looked to me and raised his eyebrows. “Is that the case?”
My eyes darted from side to side. “Um… yeah! I was headed towards the Mages Hall. I just got lost.”
“Liar!” Rithnar said. “He was shapeshifting.”
Mordok’s eyes narrowed. “Shapeshifting? Is that true?”
I swallowed and glanced to Rithnar then back to Mordok. “No, not at all… I was just lost.”
“See?” Mordok said. “He’s simply headed towards—”
An orc with a cutlass raised started running for Mordok, cutting him off. He growled loudly as he closed in to strike.
Mordok raised his hand and a small bolt of electricity rocketed out of his fingertips. The tiny bolt flew swiftly through the air, and when it hit the running orc, the orc fell and started shaking uncontrollably as his body was engulfed with electrical currents.
Another orc stepped forward and growled but made no further movements.
“He’ll be fine,” Mordok said, looking down to the injured orc. “But please, let’s not fight like goblins.” His eyes homed in on me. “I’m curious as to why another member of the Mages Guild has ventured into the Wastelands. Allow me to take him to the tower to question him, and if I find that he’s a spy, I vow to kill him myself.”
“I cannot allow it!” Rithnar roared.
“Why is one measly human so important to you?” Mordok asked.
“He knows of my missing wife and child,” Rithnar explained. “I must find out what he knows.”
“Hmmm,” Mordok hummed. “You can accompany me to the Mages Hall as well and serve as a witness that my intentions are true. We’ll find out whatever he’ll share about your family, and we’ll kill him if necessary.”
Rithnar’s eyes narrowed.
Mordok looked towards the orc he had shocked who was groaning and pulling himself off the ground. “I don’t suppose any of you wish to challenge me, do you? Why lose your life over something like this?”
“Say it again that you’ll kill him!” one of the orcs spat.
“Only if he’s a spy or I find it necessary,” Mordok explained. “Otherwise, I will treat him as a neutral party and purge him from the Wastelands when our business is finished. Either way, he will not cause any more trouble here.”
“Ergoth would not approve of this!” an orc shouted.
“If necessary, I’ll talk to Ergoth,” Mordok said. “But first, I’m simply gathering information.”
“I’m going,” Rithnar growled.
“And this orc will go as well to assure I keep my word,” Mordok said, motioning his hand towards Rithnar. “None of you have anything to fear. Now clear out and get back to your business.”
All of the orcs rumbled amongst each other but eventually lowered their weapons. One by one, they started to return to what they had been doing before, but a handful remained, watching closely as Mordok approached me.
“I meant what I said, human.” Mordok frowned and snarled like any other orc. “If you’re here as an enemy to the Scourge, I will kill you.” He held up a hand, looked at it, and rubbed two of his fingers together. “A slow and painful death by magic will have you wishing one of these orcs had taken their axe to your skull.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
2/21/0001
Rithnar and I followed Mordok to the Mages Hall, which turned out to be the large square tower with a massive hole on its side, set back a bit in Morgsgorg.
The internal layout of the tower wasn’t much different than the one in Highcastle, but rather than a rounded staircase rising up in a circular pattern, the tower in the Wastelands had a squared staircase that stopped at each floor. It was darker, dirtier, rundown and less inviting but otherwise had a familiar feel.
Mordok led us to the third floor, pushed on a heavy door, and its hinges squeaked loudly as we entered.
Inside the room was a rectangular, beaten up wooden table with ten chairs around its sides, and the walls were lined with bookshelves. There were a few hardcovers placed here and there on the mostly empty shelves, but there were more cobwebs and dust than anything.
“Have a seat, both of you,” Mordok commanded, motioning his
hands towards the table.
I had a seat at the closest chair, and Rithnar sat one chair away from me. Mordok pulled up a seat on the other side.
The aging mage cleared his voice. “What are you doing in the Wastelands, green belt? Does this have something to do with our war with Highcastle?”
“No.” I shook my head. “I mean, technically yes, but not really.”
Rithnar slammed his fist on the table. “Where is my wife and child?”
“Settle down!” Mordok yelled and sneered.
Rithnar breathed heavily, flared his nostrils but quieted down.
“Let me explain,” I said, glancing back and forth between the two orcs. “I was traveling through the Freelands when I came across a battle between some orcs and Highcastle soldiers. I decided to help—”
“Help who?!” Rithnar growled. “He’s working with Highcastle! Your guild rules mean nothing!”
“I acted on my own accord, not as a member of the guild,” I explained. “I helped because I’m a human, and…” I shook my head. “I’m sure you both can understand.”
“Were there other mages with you?” Mordok asked.
“No,” I said. “Just my guild mates. I mean, not members of the Mages Faction, but my actual guild.”
“A thin line…” Mordok muttered.
I nodded and turned to Rithnar. “I found your wife and baby hiding from Highcastle soldiers under a wagon. Something came over me, and I decided to help her so that they weren’t slaughtered.”
Rithnar stared at me a hard a moment, shifting his jaw without saying anything, but finally yelled, “Liar!”
“That’s an even thinner line,” Mordok said. “Assisting both Highcastle and the Scourge is a severe conflict of interests.”
“He lies!” Rithnar shouted again. “He can polymorph. I’ve seen it.”
“I don’t believe he lies,” Mordok said. “I can sense a liar when I meet one, and thus far, I sense mostly truth from this man.”
“I can’t polymorph,” I said, shaking my head. “I used a disguise kit to come here. Your wife was killed by… someone, and as she was dying, she gave me a quest to return your child to you.” I shook my head again. “How else could I have gotten to you? I would’ve been attacked on sight if I tried coming here any other way.”