CHAPTER 29
WAKE OF CROCOTIAN
“Blug! Blug! Blug!”A girl with raven hair and fair skin spotted the surfacing bubbles from the lake and alerted others as she felt the sudden temperature rise.
Hans finally get a good look at these invaders. It was a well balanced group of six. “Now show me what you got.” And as if they’d heard him, they took out a defensive artefact, conjuring a hemispherical forcefield around them. While the archer of the group ejected back, jumped several steps behind the forcefield. He stretched his bowstring, drawing his heavy arrow and took position aiming at the lake.
“Mh… they sure aren’t novice.” Hans perplexed, doubting wether his boss golem could win.
“Blug.Blug.Blug.Blug.” The popping of the bubble in the lake surface increased quickly and as the lake became the boiling body of water, the steam started eating up the visibility. With an eerie sound of bubbles popping, heightened the tension among the raiders.
The raven haired girl felt a presence. “Get ready—”
She wasn’t even finished and her words were cut off half, same as her body. There forcefield couldn’t even block the sharp cleaving tooth of the Snapjaw-golem as it lunged out of water in a predatory style. And the result was instant dismemberment.
The boss golem, didn’t stopped there, his orders were absolute and his will to please his greater prominent. With a swift motion, it turned and his long strong tail, whipped the remaining four. Two died instantly while two barely survived.
The archer who was aiming at the the reptilian golem couldn’t even let loose its mana imbued arrow. The fear off death had gripped his heart as he knew the moment he shoots the arrow, his fate will be sealed.
With the deft stride, the Snapjaw-golem approached the two injured. It roared with all its might, that shook the whole Mystic Glades. Sending warning to the other raiders of the dangers. However, the two injured wasn’t so lucky.
It opened its maw, appearing to swallow them whole but instead it launched a very hot steam. Making their flesh to leave their bones, perfectly separating it from skeleton.
“Va..Vanir” Hans took in the horrifying scene and stammered. “Just what did you include in formula you damn minion, this wasn’t I wanted to make—”
“You told me to make it strong, senior. Don’t eat your own hat.”
“You damn over achiever, I wanted it to strong… I was talking in terms of physical strength.” Hans shouted dumbfounded. It was true that he was fuelling the life in the golems but the structure and the characteristics all were designed from Vanir’s ingenuity
“What?” Vanir shouted back, and defended himself, “You should’ve made it clear.” He began counting with his hands and added, “I even included, several more combination of spells. Like flame-throw, aerial spikes, meteors fall…you said it to make powerful, its not my fault.”
Hans clenched his fist, he couldn’t get angry what Vanir’s mind had birthed because it appeared so horrifyingly beautiful to him. He laughed at himself mumbling, “Its not a guardian golem, its a hell-bent killing machine.”
“You didn’t know?” Dietrich sounded disappointed. He thought this wonderful creation was birthed from his descendant’s mind, but the situation was something else. Once again, he wanted to recommend Vanir to the alchemist department but soon dropped the notion recalling what Hans responded to him before.
So diverting their thoughts, Dietrich proposed, “A mighty thing like this should’ve a name, foolish descendant…hmm… how about Crocotian.”
“Hmm… Crocotian. Sounds nice. Now I have another powerful golem beside Hydra. I just hope I can convince Deli to not come here—”
“I have to ban this place too.” Dietrich added, “This has become far too dangerous for children. Concordia won’t be raiding here from now on.”
“That helps too. Screw convincing her now. Let her be annoyed she couldn’t find the truth here.”
“Won’t it put a burner to your earnings, senior.” Vanir, mumbled with caution and when both old and new Parvian stared at him, he threw his thoughts out, “Most of our earnings come from robbin… I mean from our visitors.”
“Yeah, but I already have more than enough and its not like others won’t come.” Hans gestured at his collecting golems who were stripping down the bodies. “Ha, these greenhorn are really perverted. Hey..hey..stop you morons, only collect what is valuable…not cloths.” Hans went scolding them, leaving Dietrich and Vanir to converse alone.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“Hmm.. so you thought that.” Dietrich pointed at Crocotian.
“Yeah. I wanted to add more, but that’s all I could do in this short time.” Vanir said thinking himself.
“You will be a real big name if you survive long enough, Vanir Dorfeil.” Dietrich mused, leaving Vanir to blush. These words coming from Dietrich, the chairman of Concordia was something else and he even used his name. Today couldn’t have become better for Vanir.
The trio, soon left the Mystic glades under the care of Crocotian. Not even few days has passed and a news broke out in Concordia. A story Dietrich had concocted without Hans’s knowledge.
“Have you heard?” A girl in the task hall asked another, “Mystic glades is a place where a mage sealed a monster. And Golems are preventing people to wake him up”
“Yes, the task hall banned the raiding at Mystic glades”
The bustling discussion continued about Mystic glades and instead of becoming quiet, the dungeon became more lively as the strong individuals started raiding the forest to satiate the curiosity.
Meanwhile Hans was counting zeroes in his dwarven bank account card. “Its frickin’ four million gold. I’m not rich but a filthy rich now.”
“Thats good, but how are you going to break the news of your withdrawal from Glory Wars.” Vanir said, concerned, adding, “Almost everyone is looking forward for your participation.”
“I’m not their monkey.” Hans mused, asking, “Why should I entertain them—”
“Me neither,” Vanir agreed, adding, “I should withdraw —”
“But you are my monkey. So you’ll have to participate Vanir. And win. Period.” Hans furrowed his brows, and asked in deep voice, “Do we have an understanding?”
Vanir wanted to scream out that Hans wasn’t even the winner and now he was demanding the first place from him. But Hans’s eyes had already caught his inner thoughts and his expressions were asking Vanir, to just dare and speak those words.
Vanir remained silent and their mischief dungeon soon escalated into a murder den. This continued for few days and Mystic Glades earned its first danger ranking of three stars. “Not bad for my first dungeon.” Hans said proud as he read the news paper which Vanir had brought in a hurry and was still gasping.
“Wha…Senio..r.. what do you mean, first.. do you plan to have more?”
“Not now.. but this is lucrative business.. just look at our haul!” Hans pointed the pile of potions and artefact. Even expensive armours that the golems had stripped along with cloths.
“So how much did you earned till now?” Vanir finally asked what he was curious for nearly two months.
“So, you can’t hold it anymore?”
Vanir nodded comically, “just tell me already?”
“Nope.” Hans shook his head in denial. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Vanir but Dietrich had forewarned him to not disclose how much he made and Hans agreed with the thought. The last thing he wanted to plant a greed and envy in Vanir. But reward should be given for excellent performance and it can’t be monetary unless it was salary; words of his wise ancestor.
“Vanir.” Hans asked, “How much does a magic tower cost?”
The question even perplexed Dietrich and Vanir wasn’t the exception. He was troubled, just how much had Hans accumulated, so he could ask this nonsensical question. He was stunned so the elder among them, Dietrich spoke, “It can’t be bought with money. Why do you think, Parv still don’t have it?”
Hans chuckled and turning to Vanir, he asked, “Do you want a magic tower?”
Both Dietrich and Vanir was gone beyond their senses. A magic tower was collection of knowledge and research. The life works of mages and their hidden legacies, in terms of power they are impenetrable body that could flatten the lands with their firepower.
Parv as a country of knights never managed to make one while Clandor had eighteen towers itself. Several other counties somehow managed it obtain one or create one with ridiculous amount of money.
Vanir wanted Hans to understand that he was talking nonsense but Hans’s determined eyes was telling him to answer if he desired one. Gulping, Vanir asked him, “What if I say yes?”
“Then you shall have it. When I chose you, I promised then, you will never bow before any but only me, right? A Magic tower masters have immunity to bow to any king, I heard.”
“Senior. I appreciate your thought. But you do know how ridiculous you sound?”
Dietrich agreed, Hans was projecting an impossible dream to Vanir. He wanted to say something but Hans began to speak with confidence. “Yeah, I know it is ridiculous thought. But a man must dream big, then he’d be force to think and turn it into reality.”
“Yeah..yeah.. cut your nonsens—”
“Vanir Dorfeil.” Hans’s voice was deep, “I’m asking you as your master. Do you wish for a mage tower?”
Vanir couldn’t refute those determined eyes and like a bewitched person, he uttered, “Every mage dreams of it. I had dreamed that too. Yes, I want a mage tower.”
“Then, you shall have it.” Hans mused.
“Ahem! Ahem!” Dietrich interrupted, “Sorry to rain your parade, foolish one. There are 24 magic towers in Genas, at least that I know of, and had formed the organisation you know as the Mage tower, equivalent to Knight association.”
“I know, Mr chairman—”
“Clandor has 18, Grimgar has 2, Utar has 1 while Sunfall has 3. Only Indu, Parv and Hellforge- the dwarven lands, have none.” Dietrich spoke further and Hans nodded that he was aware of. “Then How do you plan to acquire one?” Dietrich asked with a tinge of annoyance.
“Haven’t you heard?” Hans grinned, “Clandor is having a civil war and a war is a lucrative business too, Ancestor.”
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