Chapter 50: The Steel Wrought Magus
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The two took care of the lady while having irritated faces. The lady smirks badly at the two as if they are seeing the two as fools.
“What’s up with that look?”
“Nothing, I wonder why you are helping a person that you obviously despise?”
“We don’t, we are only doing this because The Captain needed it. We are gambling here.’
“And you think that saving me will help you and that fool? Bah, I could survive without you fools now that are helping me.”
The lady had this horrible expression. She’s rather jaded to the point of being nonchalant. This pissed off the two and before the soldier could raise his tone the Mage with the purple hair raise her staff and hit the lady right in the gut. She vomited a mouthful of blood. The lady bent her body as the wound on her stomach aches badly.
“Hey...”
“I just can’t this bitch! If the Captain hasn’t saved her then I rather behead her right now!”
“Heh...”
The lady snidely laughs while staring at the crimson sky that was caused by the flames. The hill wasn’t so far and they could see the silhouette of Arden fighting the Pyromancer in the midst of despair. The two was rather angry that despite being saved the lady was still acting this way.
“What’s wrong with you?”
“Huh?”
The lady turned to the soldier with a rather confused expression.
“You have been acting weirdly M'lady. Ever since the day, you kicked the war leader out. I have this feeling that there was something wrong with you. Is it the twisted pride or the lack of honor in your heart? Most of the nobles at least pay their debts or honor those who save them. Yet you, what is wrong with you?”
“What are you saying?”
“I am saying that the man who you spat so much during the entire journey is fighting in your place. I know that the dead maid of yours put you into anguish but can you at least be decent enough to call yourself human? Even the nobles I met had better standards than you. Or are you truly evil that I must put you down?”
He drew his sword making the purple-haired mage widen her eyes.
“So I will have you release the seal on the Captain’s crest.”
“And what if I don’t?”
“Easy, I have to cut your veins off and have your magic veins ripped apart. You can do that right?”
He turned to the purple haired mage who replied.
“Yes, I can do that. We can then leave this lady behind...the Captain won’t like it but if he survives...and we get some revenge from this fuck then it will be fine.”
The darkness in the eyes of the two made the lady even shiver. With her power, she’d never felt helplessness until today. She sees the wanting to maim her in the eyes of the two. Sure, she was rather jaded as she loses her maid and then got defeated by a Pyromancer.
Her loss today was despairing and seeing the two in front of her acting out of loyalty to the Magus who she hated. She understood that with her current state the fear in the two towards her was gone. She controlled them by fear and led them by her power but with her current state. There was no way for her to defend herself.
That smugness of despair in her face vanished like ashes to the wind. She crawled back using her elbows and started begging for the two not to do it. The two has been enduring the lady for half a month and as they are not the Captain they can be cruel.
So without hesitation, the soldier pressed his foot at the stomach of the lady. The lady cried in pain but the Mage merely started chanting as blue strings of energy entered the lady’s wrist. Using this string of energy, the Mage started invading the magic veins of the lady, acting like a poison. The energy crawled to every vein of the Lady and as she does this her body convulsed.
The eyes of the lady rolled up as she tries to cope with the pain. The soldier pressed his foot trying to suppress the lady and the Mage was ravaging the Magic veins of the lady as if trying to rip it apart. The lady’s defenses, however, started acting up.
She was a noble of the family of Asmara, a family of royal guards. And with how they are their crest has the meaning of ‘Being the strongest shield and spear” therefore when the Mage tried to go further and tried to invade her Magic Veins. A hex activated and the purple haired mage had her hands blown apart.
The soldier got surprised about this and tried to help the Mages but the hex became a spear that then stabs the soldier right in the chest. The soldier eyed the lady shockingly as he falls down on his knees and dies. The Mage who had her hands blown apart by the initial activation of the hex screamed as blood spurted like a fountain from her cut-off wrist.
The lady was then bathed by the blood of the Mage. She had listless eyes and even though the hex of the lady protected her from the invasion of her Magic veins. The lady was ‘shocked’ by the activating of the hex, making her unable to control her magic veins.
The two died trying to help the Captain. But their ‘help’ allowed the mana connecting the seals holding the crest of the Captain back to be disabled. The lady’s magic veins lost connection to the seals, therefore, allowing the spell that was made by the lady. Therefore the contract of sealing was nulled and the spell was no longer active.
The lady who had her magic veins had drops of water on her tear ducts. As she was unable to move she could only feel the blood of the two wetting her back.
...
Arden felt so tired that the thought of death happened to come up to his head. He thought that it might not be that bad but then there it was.
He felt like his magic veins were cocked like a gun. The ‘hammer’ on his magic veins that were sleeping got pulled back and a feeling of refreshment came back upon him. The magic veins that the lady sealed were not clogged anymore. He could sense that there was mana flowing in his veins.
It flowed freely like water into a canal. He wondered what happened that that made his magic veins flowing freely. Then he remembered that the only way to free his from the seal was for the lady to dispel the seal or that she dies. And seeing that there was no way for that lady to release his seals.
Arden widened his eyes.
His heart palpitated like mad. He’s finger wriggled as red veins appeared all over his body forming lines of red that cracked like electricity. The Pyromancer saw the red veins on his opponent. He’s ‘I will win’ smile vanished and what was left was panic!
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The Pyromancer rushed at Arden and formed a powerful punch enchanted by iron and fire. He thought that Arden wasn’t going to dodge it but he truly wasn’t able to! Arden instead uses his left forearm to parry the blow of the Pyromancer. The Pyromancer thought that Arden was being stupid but then he noticed the ‘steel’ like sound. The Pyromancer then tried to take a step back but he saw Arden punched his rib.
Smack!
The blow that Arden released wasn’t that hard. But feeling the blunt force of the attack he did. The Pyromancer swallowed his saliva. The Magus shouldn’t be able to make him feel anything with his fist. But that force just now was like a hammer striking iron!
The Pyromancer looked at Arden and saw that his hands to elbow had a ‘steel-like texture’ that was kind of tainted by his flaming fist. The Human should have felt the flames but seeing the slight coating of mana around him made the Pyromancer confirmed that the human in front of him was using magic!
The Pyromancer thought that human was a magic-less bastard but seeing the human unharmed and coated with magic. He can only deduce and accept begrudgingly that he was a Magus! But even so, the Pyromancer didn’t dare to lose heart. The Human might be a Magus but it doesn’t mean that he could not fight a Magus!
So instead he took a step back and prepared to counter the spells that the Mage in front of him might release. Mages are all about spells and thus it was the only way.
But...one...two...three seconds passed and he saw no magic being released. The Pyromancer wondered but didn’t dare to lower his guard.
“This body is made of dulled wrought steel.”
The mage spoke as the red veins on his body crackled madly. The Pyromancer felt a surge of mana as the magic crest of Arden pounded the ‘hammer’ of his veins, bursting the mana inside him.
“Hollowed in the inside, yet burning on the outside.”
Then a twenty-eight inches weapon appeared on his right hand. The ‘weapon’ has two barrels and its grip was made of polished wood. The weapon was quite peculiar and seeing it. The Pyromancer can only wonder what it is.
Arden snap the weapon opened. Then he constructed two twelve-gauge slugs on his palms and put it in before snapping the barrel back to normal. He then pointed the barrel of the weapon to the Pyromancer who was just within the distance.
He walked a bit and rushed to the Pyromancer!
The Pyromancer covered his head but then a loud thundering sounded out!
The sound made the Pyromancer deaf, and then he felt his stomach being caved in!
The barrel of the weapon that the mage wielded managed to hurt him. He felt wary and tried to retreat only for Arden to snap the barrel open again. Entered two more slugs and shot the Pyromancer right in the same spot again, piercing the Pyromancer’s stomach!
The Pyromancer felt a burning sensation.
The searing pain made him grit and before he can even take a shot at Arden. The Pyromancer saw the barrel of the weapon in front of him. He could not even open his mouth when the strong blunt force made him see stars. He fell on his back and before he can even try to get up.
He saw the weapon that was in the hands of the Mage vanishing! Then using his thumbs, Arden pierced the eyes of the Pyromancer making him scream in pain. The Pyromancer tried to struggle but Arden converted the rest of his remianing mana into a voltage of electricity!
The crackling of electricity burst on his hands and as he fries the Pyromancer with both of his hands!
The Pyromancer echoed a despairing scream as the Pyromancer then muttered his last mantra.
Hearing this mantra Arden pulled his thumbs out from the eyehole of the Pyromancer and tried to retreat. With his magic crest active now. He could remember the knowledge that his foster father gave him. That when a Pyromancer at its death door their body would explode.
So knowing this Arden tried to convert his last of mana to transmute his body into steel. But before he can fully strengthen his whole body, the Pyromancer exploded and Arden was then blown back by the explosion! The searing heat wrought his arms and slowly burned it!
He felt the blazing pain but gritted his teeth as he gets blown back far from where the explosion happened. The explosion then sizzled and finally disappeared leaving only a charred hill. Arden could still see the fire but still, he stood up while feeling most of his limbs still burning in pain.
Using his mana to construct the sawed off shotgun and making three batches of ammunition drained him. Not to mention that in order to protect himself from the blast he had to transmute his body into steel. He was exhausted, bleeding and he could feel that he needs time until he can get healed.
Thus instead he decided to search for the Lady.
He doesn’t know if she was alive or dead but for now, can only try and see.
...
The lady heard the explosion that happened in the distance. Looking to where the explosion was she wondered if the Pyromancer died. She’s known that when a Pyromancer is defeated in battle they would release their death mantra. Once that is released then they would explode.
So seeing the explosion she wondered if he won. And then in the distance, she saw a figure whose tattered cloak blows with the wind. The figure’s limbs were like rusted steel. He was bloody all over and he has cuts on his robes. She recognized the figure.
The figure saw her and when he gets there in front of her and saw the other two, dead in their pool of blood. He made a sad expression unbefitting of his appearance. The lady was rather listless. She wanted to speak but with how things are she can’t. Not until she realizes what the man will do to her.
She imagined a lot of things but as expected the man looked like he wanted to help her. His usually dead eyes that emited kindness hurt her and seeing it glowunlike usual made her unable to speak up.
“Let’s go milady.”
He said with saddened voice.
She wanted to complain to this figure who she insulted for the past weeks. Why he of all people would try to help her when she has done many wrongs to him? She wanted to berate him more because of this. Make him go away and leave her like the failure she is.
But yet...there was a stream of apathy that covered her.
And even though so she wanted to complain and vent.
She just let the Steel Wrought Fool Help her.
It seems that she still fear death after all.