Chapter 103: Beyond Prediction
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Oswin guarded the whole area with his hands near his sword’s hilt. His hands only move away when he saw the lady of the Saclea leaving along with the other soldiers. She looked like she was in hurry and it made him curious what happened.
The hall got empty quick, leaving only him pressing his back on the pillar. He waited for a while to make sure there was no one and was about to leave. But, the Princess walked out of the chamber where she was staying and cast her eyes at Oswin. Her red crimson eyes throbbed as if there was a ripple of water in her round eyes.
Her gaze that was piercing turned cold. She went and cast her eyes away from him. Then, she left the hall by taking the black door to her right where her chambers are located. Os win didn’t leave, he stayed, contemplated and muses to himself before giving a big sigh.
He left the hallway and went back to his room located in one of the hallways of the fort. There are still people of the Saclea staying so he was called out by them when they were asking for direction. Some wanted to know the location of their rooms while the others wanted to know the dining hall for the common folks.
The Saclea bannermen were well-equipped. Oswin could tell that the order has funded them well. Their swords, armor, and shields were top quality. He could tell that they were not decoration either. They were bloodied and scarred. He told the visitors and guest what they wanted and left.
He arrives in his room. He took out a silver sword and used a whetstone to sharpen it further. The sword glistened for a while. He closes one of his eyes to look at the polished blade. Nodding, he took out an elixir, drank it and took out chisel with a bone handle. Laying the silver sword flat in front of him, he started drawing runes on the silver sword while the elixir was still in effect.
The elixir sharpened his senses. He could hear the footsteps from the distance. Their voices were echoing. Their armor’s clang and their boots clack were clearly heard. His senses were sharpened to a frightening degree and even so he used all of his focus to carve runic symbols on the silver sword.
Carving runes, this is how Oswin compensate for his lack of spells and magic. These carvings are meant to suppress the otherworld and even the hardest scale of a monster could be easily slid off by the silver sword. He learns these carvings from the runic writers on the sun’s crown. The sun’s crown is considered great teachers and they know how to kill rightly.
Oswin carved the runes to his newly found blade. Indeed, it has been a while since he carved one. The last silver sword he had was split into two and the hilt was broken. Silverswords are great but they lack the grit of Iron, making them less favorable in the battlefield. But they are great in killing anything that is magic in nature. Before there were spells and magic bestowed upon the humans, they used tools and runic carving to deal with the natural.
The Mage easily surpasses those who use runes. In the past, there were only a few sorcerers and wizards that could command the spells. But now in this age, they are many and such old ways were lost to those who favor spells and quick enchantments.
The art of alchemy was now used less in favor to science. The science that was taught by the empire of light was quickly taught, they say that the magic of the old has no place in normal society. The old ways are only applicable to the battlefield and to fights. Oswin heard that there are people in the empire of light dying by hanging with how much heresy.
Using elven, dwarven magic without any permission from the church will result in one’s hanging. Luckily, the Kingdom of Altria, despite its close association with the Empire still hasn’t forsaken its sovereignty just so that they win against the demi-humans in the middle of the continent.
But anyway, Oswin’s senses went back to normal. He could see the runes glow with a blue as it then returned only to what they, scribbles in the silver sword. The runes are only usable within one battle. Usually, the blood of anything washes the runes. Blood are pollutants to runes, and they are the corruption that makes the runes invalid.
He slid the silver sword back to its scabbard. He then opened his drawer. Inside, there were small round bottom flasks containing different sorts of liquid. He took a flask with a red colored liquid, he pulled out the corked, a popping sound and then let the liquid inside, down his throat. His skin flushed red. His eyes sharpen green and the toxicity of the potion immediately went into effect.
The wounds, the body bruises, and the broken bones inside him connected. The potion is lethal to anyone but to Oswin, it was a potion of relief. The elixir is able for him because of the mutation that his body already undergone. After taking the potion he opened up his leather bag and meticulously put the flasks in place. He then took a rolled paper and then counted the herbs inside. There were a mortar and pestle inside the leather bag, His bandoliers are filled with flasks and tools he could drink or throw at anyone.
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After doing his thing, he went and wrapped them all up and made them easily accessible. To others, he looked crazily prepared, but to Oswin, who has no abilities other than relying on his hard-learned combat skills and tools. He has to be prepared and use every contingency he has on his head to win. He was a mutant indeed, a lesser mutant but he was not that impressive compared to others.
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Meanwhile...
The air rumbled as the cold snow came about. There were two people in this snow region with their skins turned into bark or iron. The man within the thick fur coat examined the giant iceberg floating down the endless foggy sea of ice. With him was a robed woman with a coiled staff whose skin was turned into a bark. The man had steel-like texture on his skin.
They seemed to know that the winds being produced were giving a strange effect. The man knew about the weird ice caps and knowing this he came with the idea of resisting the magic by turning themselves into beings with hard skin. This somehow worked and now they are able to resist the disease of festering.
“The ice caps are easily harder than obsidian. Magic won’t work on it, and I doubt any spells would be able to tarnish it.”
“I notice that. That is why I am using this.”
The man’s mana rumbled. Within a quick magic, an iron egg was born out of his mana. He then grinned with his steel-like face and put it on the ground.
“The iron egg, are you sure you want to use that? The last time we used that, we annihilated an entire network of tunnels used by the vermin kind. But would it work?”
“Yes, it will. Magic won’t work but this one will. It is only merely natural and even the toughest material in every planet won’t be able to resist the splitting of atoms.”
“Indeed, I have seen the effects of this bomb and it worries me. Last time it was underground. So we were able to escape the tunnel out of pure luck.”
“I told you that the trigger and timer were damaged. I lacked the mana and I wasn’t able to connect to yours in the best time. I have been fighting those vermin’s and I worry that taking your mana will put you down.”
“Thank you for worrying but this time, please make sure that such thing never happens and that we are miles away before you trigger this thing. And for you to be lax about this, does that Geas of your still work?”
“Ah, well, it does but you broke the Geas and now I am free from at least speaking what this thing is. Other than that, I am taking my secrets to the grave.”
“Yes, yes, so how is planting the iron egg?”
The man was working on the iron egg. He made sure to attach the thing to the ice caps by using a method that would allow the iron egg to stick on the ice caps.
“It is okay. Are you cold?”
“My bark skin prevents the cold, but my blood should be freezing.”
“I can warm you up.”
“Hmm, I’ll think about it.”
“It is just warm from the fire you know?”
The man grinned. The woman with round eyes frown.
“Cheeky, and at the same time disappointing that you say that.”
“Why? Are you expecting anything else?”
“You really are.” she patted her poor forehead, and the trace her hand down brown and sighed. “Whatever, if I know that this would have happened, I wouldn’t have run away with you.”
“Do you regret it then?”
“Being saved, not at all, what about you?”
“I don’t. If you didn’t say those words I might still be lurking in the dark. Running away from everything, being delusional in every sense of the way, in fact, you made me feel like I am someone other than an imitation.”
“That’s good.”
She smiled.
“So what about that iron egg, is it okay? I am freezing here.”
“It is...and if the weather doesn’t mess with it then we will be fine. At best if it comes to it I will protect you with all my might.”
Her lips curled into a smile.
“I know.” she pointed her palms at the iron bomb. “But I won’t be bothering you so I rather cast a spell barrier on this thing.”
A spell circle appeared and wrapped the iron egg.
“That should do it.”
“Well, it looks thick enough. Let’s go.”
The woman nodded. Together, the two left the area and crossed the snowfield and walked for miles. The man counted the distance and when he was sure that it was safe. He took out a switch connected to the iron egg and pushed the red button.
Then, a mushroom cloud and a shockwave happened. The giant iceberg that was in the distance vanished as if it didn’t exist, and what was left were the melted ice and scorched snowfield and the giant waves washing the lands.