Mokk stepped through the field of light he had created, invisible and hidden from Botchin. Time was moving slower for the two of them but for everyone else it would appear as if everything happened in the blink of an eye. The Dructini scavenger paced back and forth in the town square with his Miunli blade drawn and eager for combat. In addition to the field of light, he had cast another spell around him to disrupt the light his body reflected, making him semi invisible. If Botchin knew where he was, he could easily disrupt the spell and make him visible again.
“Those Sword Dancers and their pesky blades.” He muttered as he maneuvered around. Botchin continued to pace around, not hearing the comment from Mokk.
The intense drain of managing two spells at once was taking its toll, and Mokk could feel himself growing weary with each passing second. If he were to win this fight it would have to be sooner rather than later. He flipped through his spellbook rapidly. There was a spell he had prepared years prior, after dueling with another Miunli Sword Dancer, and subsequently losing that fight. This time however, things would go differently.
He took in a deep breath as his spellbook landed on the proper page. It was a lengthy spell, one that took a while to see its full effect, it would also take a good amount of his energy to cast it. With a wave of his hand, the light reflection spell ended and he became visible again. He landed softly on the stone pavement as Botchin turned to face him.
“Finished with your little tricks?” Botchin asked
Mokk didn’t answer.
Botchin shrugged and reached into his coat.
“Fine, be silent then, the strong hero doesn’t need to say a word.” Botchin said mockingly. “However there may be something I have for you, care to guess?”
Mokk raised an eyebrow and placed a hand onto his spellbook. It seemed Botchin was also stalling, he probably knew that he couldn’t keep the field up for much longer. It worked in his favor however, so he played along.
“The lies you tell will be the last blade you fall upon.” He stated calmly, his fingers brushed over the page, feeling the magic begin to flow as the spell started to take effect.
Botchin slightly recoiled at the remark but was quick to compose himself.
“What poetry! Though if I am to tell lies, then that is the price I’ll have to pay.” He pulled out a small orb, wrapped in a sheet of paper from his coat pocket and began to unfold it. “Your kind disgusts me, locking yourselves in your towers and toying with the laws of the world.”
Mokk narrowed his eyes. Botchin smiled and looked at the orb, casting the piece of paper to the side. “This was something I got off of your friend over there, I paid a hefty price for it.” He nudged his head in the direction of Thorn, who was sitting there frozen against the pole. “But it’s worth it to kill one of you mages.” He gritted his teeth but there
Mokk closed his eyes and felt the flow of magic running from the book, it filled him with energy. In truth, Mokk admitted that even with such a long time to cast it, the spell was ultimately quite simple. He knew that for Miunli blades to work they needed to be able to cut through the magic. If he were to cast the magic directly into his body then they would need to cut through his body to stop the magic, not a preferred outcome. Mokk could feel the flesh of his body begin to tear away as it was replaced by sheer light. The light mimicked the appearance of his body but bristled with power
Botchin watched closely as Mokk’s spellbook brimmed with power. The Miunli blade in his hand thrummed as it sensed the nearby magic. He threw the orb into his coat and readied his sword.
“Damn you! Wielder of the light! I’ll kill every last one of you!”
Mokk closed his eyes as the spell finished casting. He would have to finish this before the frozen light spell wore off, otherwise he would never be able to show his face in this village again. His body felt weird, like it was being torn apart but put back together at the same time. He felt like he was both everywhere and in one contained space at once. He looked up at Botchin and as he raised his eyes he was in front of him.
Botchin swung his sword in quick response, it cut through thin air as Mokk vanished and reappeared at his side. Mokk brought his fists slamming into Botchin’s side, the sudden force sending him skidding several feet along the pavement. He let the momentum move his feet as he stepped backwards and ended up near his frozen men.
“Sorry Srill, I’ll need to borrow this.” He said, grabbing his men’s spear out of his frozen hands.
Mokk winced as he tried to focus on keeping both spells together at once. ‘Strange’ he thought, realizing that even being made of light he was still breathing heavily.
“You worshipper of Lursin!” Botchin called out, hurling the spear towards Mokk. The spear faded around him, flying through his body of light.
“Nobody on this day will remember what transpired here.” Mokk responded. He took in a deep breath and rushed forward, as Botchin swung his sword downwards, Mokk sidestepped and punched the Miunli sword. A shockwave blasted across the square, emanating from where Mokk’s hand was now up against the blade.
“I don’t think it works that easy.” Botchin said with a smile. Mokk looked up at him and brought his leg crashing into his face. Botchin was laughing as he crashed to the floor. “And here I was thinking you were just an old wizard, I’m disappointed in myself.”
“Just stop talking already.” Mokk said, spinning around to bring more force for another kick. Botchin managed to roll out of the way as Mokk’s leg crashed into the stone pavement, sending debris flying up into the air before it became suspended.
“If that’s all you’ve wanted then you should’ve said so.” Botchin replied. He swung his sword upwards as a quick reaction, barely managing to stave off a blow from Mokk’s leg. The force of the impact rippled the air and cracked the pavement below the two. Mokk winced as his concentration began to drift. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, the people in the crowd began to move again.
Botchin took advantage of the slight lapse in focus to attack with an array of whirling strikes. Mokk quickly tried to dash and dodge away but the last of the strikes caught him on his shoulder. He grit his teeth, suppressing a howl of pain that threatened to exit his lips. Botchin looked at him with a smile, as he was about to open his lips to remark, Mokk swiftly closed them with his fist.
Botchin stood stunned, the world was spinning around him as he felt another blow hit his face. Another attack came crashing through his ribs as he felt his legs give out beneath him. His eyes were blurry but he could see the anger in the Mage’s face as he slammed his fist repeatedly into his body.
As Mokk rained down blow after blow on the scavenger, he noticed that through all of it he continued to smile from his bloodstained teeth. It was a wicked grin, full of ill intent. Mokk was too focused on the grin that he didn’t notice Botchin pull the orb out from his coat again. He didn’t notice the orb as it began glowing brighter and brighter. By the time he realized it was too late as a wave of energy erupted from the orb and overtook the entire town square. As it overtook the armed crowd they began to move as the magic dissipated. Mokk looked at his hands and watched as they began to fade, then with one final effort he mustered all of his strength to drive his fist into Botchin’s chest. There was a pause in the air as the blow connected, then a great shockwave blasted across the town square.
Botchin held a hand up to the side of his body where his left arm used to be. He fell to his knees and coughed.
Stolen story; please report.
“The days of your kind are numbered Mage.” Botchin said. He wiped his remaining hand across his mouth, smearing blood over the side of his face. He looked at his hand and then back up to Mokk, his scavengers were running towards the two. “The world is beginning to shift, and there’s no place for your magic in it.”
Mokk felt his legs begin to fade and sat down on the stone pavement. He stared ahead, past Botchin and into the distance. “No matter what you do, there will always be magic in this world. It is just as fundamental to this land as water and air is.”
Botchin smiled. “I don’t suppose you’d want to bet on that future in these final moments of ours?”
Mokk met his eyes and smiled.
The two stood apart from each other as the armed scavengers rushed towards them. But by the time they reached the two of them, Mokk had already faded away, and life was gone from Botchin’s eyes.
——————————-
Siwan and Nerri weren’t quite sure what they witnessed as they peeked over the market stall. One second the Magic Man and Botchin were standing apart from each other preparing to fight, then the next there was several great shockwaves that rippled the stones and shook the houses. Then there was silence as the two men sat apart from each other, one bloodied and the other fading away into the air. Siwan clasped a hand over her mouth as she realized that the fabled Magic Man was no more. Nerri tried to pull her spirit weapon out but there was no glow from the markings on her arm.
“Stay down.” She said, pulling Siwan down behind the stall.
“Nerri, they killed the Magic Man.” Siwan replied, her voice quivered and her eyes began to tear up. Nerri looked back at her and sighed.
“I saw, but it looks like their leader isn’t in the best of shape either.” She quickly looked out to where the crowd of armed men were gathering around the corpse. She could hear jubilant shouting from the Evrin merchant in the distance. “Sounds like Thorn is still out there.”
“He’s still alive?” Siwan asked, wiping a tear from her eyes.
“For now- I’m sorry, are you crying right now?” Nerri asked.
“Tears for the fallen drop out of respect.” Siwan replied, closing her eyes. Nerri stared at her.
“Is that some sort of- you know what, never mind,” she held her hands up slightly, staying out of sight from the scavengers. “You can tell me all your strange sayings once we get to safety.”
“They’re not strange-“ Siwan tried to protest but Nerri pushed a finger against her lips, pointing back at the town square. Footsteps were approaching them, the gentle plop of leather boots on the stone was almost silent at first. Another pair of footsteps joined in, then another, and another. Soon the sound turned from a gentle into a mighty storm as the herd of scavengers thundered past the two. Siwan held her breath as the large crowd moved past their stall. Out of the corner of her eye she watched their boots rise and fall, only a couple feet from her.
“Where are they going?” She mouthed to Nerri. A simple shrug was the response. Siwan didn’t dare to look out at them, fearful they would spot her the second she did. She held her breath as they marched past the two of them, the crowd was completely silent, only the sound of their boots punctuated the air. Even the sound of Thorn shouting in the distance had died down. Then even the sound of footsteps died down. Siwan took a deep breath of the night air, a cool smell that was punctuated by the sharpness of smoke.
“I think they’re past now.” Nerri whispered, slumping up against the market stall.
“Are they going to come back?” Siwan replied, matching the hush of Nerri’s voice. “Won’t they try to get revenge for their leader's death?” She couldn’t imagine they wouldn’t try to keep fighting, especially now that the Magic Man was dead.
“You think they’d at least try to finish the job.” Nerri brushed dirt off of her dress and stood up. “I suppose we should be grateful if they truly are leaving though.”
Siwan nodded, it didn’t make any sense that they would just leave like that. “Should we go and follow them?” She asked, though the thought of chasing after them made her heart skip a beat. She had had enough adventure for the day, her legs still burned from the encounter in the forest.
“And what do we do when we run into them? Wait for them to kill us?” Nerri scoffed and looked at Siwan’s legs. “You could try and beg them to stop, but I think that’s what they’re doing.”
Siwan rolled her eyes and reached out to Nerri for assistance in getting up. The warrior maid was quick to assist her, even with her thorny remarks.
“Do you think my father will be upset with me?” Siwan asked as she leant on Nerri for support.
“Again with this?” Nerri responded.
Siwan closed her eyes and took a step forward, wincing as the pain shot through her body. “Even though my body is on fire, I still can’t shake the feeling that what my father is gonna say will be worse.”
Nerri looked at her and shook her head in disbelief. “You really think that little of your father?” She asked. Then without waiting for a reply she continued. “Your father may be tough, but he’s gentle and just. He knows you’re not to blame. If anything, he’ll be overjoyed that you're okay.”
Even through the pain, Siwan felt a bit of comfort at Nerri’s words. They started walking across the pavement back towards the manor. Each step was painful but the thought of her father embracing her drove her onwards.
“Hey!” A voice shouted at them, startling Siwan. “You’re not going to just leave me here like this are you?!” Siwan stopped and nearly fell to the ground, almost bringing Nerri with her. She looked towards the voice and saw Thorn still tied to the stake. He wriggled his wrists in an attempt to free himself from the rope. He stared at Siwan with his one good eye as the pair approached him. “I saved your life earlier, the least you could do is free me.” He pleaded with a smile.
“Ms. Lady, the Merchant Thorn would like you to free him.” Nerri said through gritted teeth.
Siwan looked up at her and furrowed her brow. It was true that he had saved her life earlier, but he was also the cause of the entire village being burned, and the festival being ruined.
“You’re lucky the Magic Man killed their leader, otherwise you’d be burning alive right now.” Nerri spat at him. Thorn looked at her, his eye narrowed but he didn’t say a word. Siwan could envision steam rising out from his body as he seethed with anger. In a way, it made her smile to see the proud merchant sitting there being berated by a lowly maid.
“Leave him Nerri, we’ll let my father decide his fate.” Siwan said and urged Nerri to continue moving past the man.
“This is how you repay me?” Thorn called back to her. “After me and Salvin risked our lives to save you?!”
Siwan looked at the merchant and felt anger welling up inside her. The memory of Salvin’s head rolling on the floor pushed her past the breaking point. “If it hadn’t been for that stupid dragon you brought here, you wouldn’t have needed to save me!” She shouted, her voice quaking as she thought of how easily everything could have been avoided. If only the merchants hadn’t come today, if only they had been delayed along the way, her home wouldn’t be burning. Tears welled in her eyes. The people that wanted to celebrate could’ve been free to celebrate, there would have been laughter in the air instead of the screams that still haunted her. “And why? Why did you need to bring that dragon? To gain some gold? What good is gold when it’s stained with blood?!”
Thorn stayed silent as Siwan yelled at him. When she was done he looked up at her with a grim look. His mouth was set in a thin line as he spoke in a low voice. “You spoiled child, you don’t know anything on how the world works. Far greater forces are at work beyond your village, forces that you couldn’t even imagine.”
Siwan took a step towards him. Breaking free from Nerri’s support she pushed through the pain. Her legs threatened to topple but her anger gave her the strength to keep moving. Thorn watched her approach and leaned forward.
”True, I don’t know how the world works, what I do know is that you caused this village to suffer.” She gestured to the buildings that were still burning, most of which were beginning to collapse. “This didn’t need to happen.”
Thorn shook his head and laughed.
“Don’t think you’re free from the blame, little miss, without your impulsive interference, things would have played out much smoother.”
Siwan recoiled slightly, bristling with anger at Thorn’s remark. ‘If I hadn’t been so impulsive.’ The thought bounced around in her mind like a wild animal. Her anger rose up once more.
“I did what I had to do to save my village.” She wanted to stand her ground proudly, but the thought that she had messed everything up made her legs shake. Thorn noticed the fear and uncertainty and laughed.
“You didn’t save your village, you condemned it.”
His eyes widened as a glowing spear slammed into the stake, severing the rope that tied him there. Siwan looked back at Nerri. The warrior maid’s face was covered in dust and grime yet there was a fire in her eyes as she stood tall after throwing her spear.
“Enough.” Nerri stated as she recalled the weapon to her side. She spun it around once before dismissing it into the air. “You’re going to pay for ruining my feast tonight.”