Chapter IV
As much as I hate to admit it, I’ve gotta give Caeli some credit for managing to survive against this bastard! Nakoma Taurus bitterly shouted in the quiet of his mind.
Almost stumbling backwards, the Master of Fire just barely dodged out of the way of the glaive, its blade coming so close to hitting him that he couldn’t be sure it didn’t slightly graze the bridge of his nose. His opponent was a massive man, standing somewhere around six and half feet tall, with broad shoulders and powerful arms—an appearance that would have given one the assumption that his movement would be slow and cumbersome, especially when garbed head-to-toe in sparkling red knight’s armor. Had Nakoma not already heard about this man from Ryokumo, he would have instantly assumed that he was a rock mage, but the reality was that this knight was ridiculously powerful with wind magic, and thus his attacks were fast and rapid, the glaive moving at speeds that Nakoma only barely managed to follow and avoid. The knight darted forward once more, wind magic propelling his weapon as three subsequent jabs made to pierce Nakoma’s chest.
Damn it all! As strong as he is, if I was at my best, I’d have beaten him by now! he furiously cursed.
Back up on the terrace just outside of Castle Aquesen’s main gates, Nakoma had failed to realize that the faint mana signature he believed was Uma Miyon’s actually belonged to the distorted knight, and in the confusion, the doctor was able to use a magicless weapon to shoot him a handful of times in his torso. Then, in a frantic effort to escape, Nakoma destroyed the terrace and plummeted down into the forest below where he was only able to heal himself so much before the knight arrived to finish the job.
I don’t have time for this! Something happened in the castle and I need to know what! If anything happened to Ilirianna…
“Ilirianna… You will watch over her, won’t you?”
Recalling Toranei’s words from the night before they departed Erika, Nakoma knew that he needed to rush to the princess’s side as soon as possible—to confirm her safety and to determine what Uma and the knight’s allies might have done. Harnessing his fury to enhance his power, Nakoma dodged around the knight’s attacks, then growled under his breath,
“Hinosora.”
It was well known by any mage worth a damn that fire magic was extremely destructive, and could cause damage even to the caster, so when combating them, it was imperative to stay in close proximity and prevent them from being able to use their magic without harming themselves. Every opponent Nakoma had ever faced that knew his affinity had used this strategy, and the red knight was no exception. Ever since he landed in the forest a mere few moments before, he had been within a range that succeeded in forcing Nakoma to refrain from anything too destructive. But having known of this strategy all his life, he had long since concocted a means of breaking free.
The spell Hinosora sent a powerful curved burst of flame outwards from his hand, hot enough that most combatants would react instinctively and hop backwards, giving Nakoma the space he needed to strike with something more powerful. The problem with this current duel was that somehow, his attacks were being predicated.
“Don’t fall back! Take the hit!”
Up on the higher branches of one of the nearby trees sat Doctor Uma Miyon, who had shouted out those words mere seconds before Nakoma had cast the spell, as if somehow, he had known exactly what the Master of Fire was going to do before he did. Heeding Uma’s words, the red knight allowed the burst of fire to hit him, and while it did slightly knock him off of his balance, his armor seemed to take the brunt of the attack.
I can sense the charms he’s weaved in with the metal. Any attack that won’t damage me at this range won’t damage him either! On top of that, I can’t fathom how a magicless man like Miyon is predicting me so well! Nakoma internally grinned. In that case, I’ll just have to do something nobody would expect!
“You can take this one, too!”
“Infernus!”
What?! How did he—?
Despite the close quarters, Nakoma extended his hand and sent a violent spray of flames smashing into the knight’s chest, hoping that when it exploded on impact, it would crush the armor and fry his skin. At the very least, even if the armor didn’t break, if he could heat the metal to a high enough degree, he could cook the man alive. But just like before, Uma called out seconds before he casted it, and as the fire engulfed him, blasting off of the red metal, the knight strode forward. With the intense flames concealing his opponent momentarily, Nakoma was only able to see the blade swinging downwards barely in time.
The Master of Fire shoved wind magic into his foot and propelled backwards, out of the way of the attack, as he ceased his casting of Infernus, grimacing at the burns he could feel on his face and hands from using that violent spell in close proximity.
How?! All things considered, that was a stupid idea, so how did Miyon predict it? I mean, unless he can somehow see the future, but that’s impossible for those with magic, let alone someone like him!
Ever since the Age of Ascension, mages and researchers had sought to overcome time itself—to be able to witness things before they took place, or to somehow break through the flow of time and go to the past to change the present. It was a field of magic known as Time Magic, and in theory, it would have been its own affinity. The problem was that Time Magic never succeeded even once. In fact, it never surpassed the stage of being a hypothesis, for not only was seeing the future never achieved, but actually moving through time was inconceivable. Over the centuries, there were oracles and seers who claimed to witness visions of events to come, but every single instance was disproved by the Citadel. In Nakoma’s eyes, Time Magic was laughable, so he knew without a doubt that Uma Miyon could not be seeing the future.
Then…what’s his trick? How the hell is he able to tell the knight what to do?!
In an ideal world, Nakoma would have attempted to capture Miyon and force him to reveal not only his method of predicting his attacks, but also the secrets of their subject, but in that moment, the most important thing was returning to Ilirianna and her team, at all costs.
So it doesn’t matter how he’s pulling this off. I unfortunately have no choice but to kill him if I want to beat this knight! Therefore…
Gathering fire mana in his palms and building it up in a fiery ball between his hands, the Master of Fire grinned when Uma shouted out, “Fall back!”
“REPULSA!” Nakoma snarled.
When he did so, fire exploded outwards in every direction around him, searing the ground and igniting some of the nearby trees, ripping through everything in its path. As Uma ordered, the red knight used Proto to fly off to a safe distance, and before the spell had even finished, Nakoma spun on his heel, identified the tree where Uma was sitting, and…
“To me!”
…cast the spell that formed three bolts of fire around him, sending them hurling straight for the doctor with the sole intention of ending his life. But the knight reacted to Uma’s orders yet again, practically appearing out of thin air to slice the bolts apart with the glaive, successfully protecting his ally before landing at the base of the doctor’s tree, his weapon held at the ready.
“Ah, that was a nice try, Master Taurus,” Uma mocked from up above, his head casually resting on his fist as he observed Nakoma through the lenses of his glasses. “But if you thought we weren't prepared for you to come after me, then you’re more of an idiot than I was led to believe.”
Nakoma narrowed his eyes, desperately trying to catch his breath in this much-needed moment of calm. The problem was that, for every second Nakoma took to recuperate was also a second for Uma and the knight to do the same.
At least he’s at a distance now. As a rough estimate, there’s about forty yards between me and them, so I have plenty of space to go all out. The problem is that the knight’s armor clearly has some sort of heavy protective charm, and thus far, my attacks haven’t been doing the damage I need them to. Perhaps I should switch to blue fire? The Master’s lips tightened in frustration. No, that could be too dangerous in my current state. What I should do is consider fleeing this area. If I can get out of earshot, Miyon can’t warn the knight, and then my attacks will land more often.
“Who the hell even are you two?” he finally demanded, deciding that this was an opportunity to try and see what he could learn from them. Back on the terrace, Miyon had been strangely bold with what he chose to share, though whether that was calculated or the man was simply an arrogant fool, Nakoma couldn’t be sure. Either way, he knew how crucial it could be to coerce the doctor into revealing anything, no matter how seemingly insignificant it was, for at the moment, he knew next to nothing about their enemies.
Uma slowly titled his head, regarding Nakoma with an amused expression, and for a moment, the only sound in the forest was the exploding fireworks above, as well as the crackling of the flaming bushes and grass surrounding them—a product of Nakoma’s earlier attack. “Hmm… Who are we, you ask? I thought I already answered that before? I told you, I’m merely an innocent researcher doing his best to unlock the mysteries of this fascinating multiverse. On my word, Master Taurus, I told no lies to you back there.”
“Is that so?” he spat, his voice raspy from having inhaled so much searing air, but he was still able to project his words far enough for Miyon to hear. “Well, that’s curious then, given that you claimed to be from Stellareid. Yet I know that’s not true, because I can sense your lack of magic! I know you’re not from Ijiria!”
“Oh please, don’t misunderstand,” Uma quickly added. “I lived in Stellareid for a time before coming here to Hiriech, so that was not a lie. I merely came from elsewhere before moving to the City of Starlight.” The doctor laughed darkly. “Does it enrage you, Master Taurus, that a mage of your stature was nearly killed by a magicless man like me? I know you Ijirians, and especially the Masters, are a prideful bunch, so I would guess that I may have made you a little angry. Did I?”
He’s mocking me. He’s a magicless going up against a Master, yet he speaks like his victory is assured. Keep telling yourself that, Doctor. It’ll make it all the more pleasant when I torch you to ash!
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“Angry? No, I’m not angry,” Nakoma retorted. “I’m simply amused. What made you think you could kill a Master of Ijiria? Maybe you got the jump on me, but I’m still standing. That knight can’t protect you forever.”
Uma’s eyes momentarily shifted to the red knight standing silently at the base of his tree, almost like a statue with how still he was. “To be honest, once you survived the initial attack, I abandoned all hope of successfully killing you tonight. Instead, all I need do is keep you busy enough for the plan to wrap itself up.”
“What?” the Master of Fire snapped. “And you would so easily admit as much to me?! What the hell are you trying to do here in Hiriech?”
The doctor chuckled, grinning smugly as he mockingly shook his head. “No, no, Master. It’s not what we’re planning to do. It’s what we planned to do, and you’ll be disappointed to know that we’ve already succeeded. We’ve achieved our goal, and soon enough, our allies will have escaped and you will be left with nothing more than a pile of rubble and a room full of corpses!”
It’s already over? So that noise I heard earlier in the castle… Was that what he’s referring to here? No!
Clenching his teeth furiously, Nakoma turned a sharp glare up at the doctor, flames erupting in his hands as he prepared a spell for defense, knowing that he couldn’t afford to allow the conversation to go on any longer. “Is that so? And tell me, Doctor Miyon, what does a magicless bastard such as yourself gain by harming the people in that castle?! What stake do you have in all this?!”
“What stake do I have?” Uma snorted, and for the first time, the amusement in his voice vanished altogether, being replaced by soft yet brutal malice. “Don’t think I don’t understand your laws. I should consider myself lucky that when I opened a portal with my realm dagger, I didn’t find myself spat out in the Citadel. What I’ve gathered is that your laws dictate the erasure of every magicless being that comes into contact with magic, yes? So what stake do I have?” His features twisted in a wild disgust as he spat out his next words. “My life, Master Taurus! Your people would have me eradicated from existence, so it’s only natural that I align myself with those opposed to you, especially when they supply me with the needed resources to understand this reality of ours, where not only magic is real, but there are an infinite number of realms to research! The Kosah-Rei have cared for me, protected me, and supported me, so I’ll be damned if I allow them to fall!” Stretching his arms out to his sides, Uma Miyon cackled then shouted, “Yes, I am magicless, but I can assure you that I’m not going anywhere! The Kosah-Rei have won this night, and they will win every night that follows until your disease of a government is toppled to the ground!”
Without any warning, seeming to take Uma’s declaration as his cue, the red knight burst from the ground, wind magic surging from his back foot as the massive man shot across the forty yards between himself and Nakoma in an instant, magic swirling around the glaive. However, throughout the entire interaction, Nakoma had never once allowed his attention to fully waiver from the more dangerous of the two, and so he was more than prepared.
“Fyuri!” the Master snarled, the flames already held in his hands exploding outwards and hit the red knight square in the chest, bathing him in bright orange.
Most others would have instantly died from such a direct and powerful attack, and though the knight was launched backwards, when the fire receded, he was still on his feet, wind magic pushing the flames away from him. The second Uma didn’t bother to call out, Nakoma knew that the attack wasn’t lethal, but at that point, escape was more necessary than anything.
You shouldn’t have told me what your goal was, Doctor, for now I know that you can’t afford to let me run!
“Repulsa!” he chanted, and just like before, he sent a violent surge of fire blasting in all directions around him, but unlike before, he concurrently sent wind magic into his feet, uttering a soft “Proto” under his breath that the roaring of his attack would conceal. Of course, concealing his next move was merely instinct, for Uma was still a step ahead of him.
“He’s attempting to flee!” the doctor shouted.
As if having expected the same thing, the knight was once again upon him, cutting him off midair by pressing off the trunk of a tree before launching directly at him. Nakoma refused to alter his trajectory, the two combatants coming together as the fire mage tapped into every ounce of energy he had left in his body to send out a burst of flame that clashed with the wind-powered cut of the knight’s glaive.
If Miyon’s predicting my attacks, and I can’t yet get away, then I merely have to cast spells faster than he can shout! Casting concurrent spells wasn't the easiest thing even when he was fully healed, but Nakoma knew how to reach deep down inside him and pull off whatever he needed to survive. I swore to Tora that I’d protect Liri, so I’m sure as hell not going to allow anybody to stand in my way when she could be in trouble! You two made a mistake when you decided to challenge me!
Landing back on the forest floor, Nakoma sent wind mana surging into his right hand and fire mana into his left, then released them just as the red knight closed the gap yet again. The massive glaive swung down towards the Master of Fire, but within the span of a second, Nakoma deflected the attack to the side with Nex before swiftly altering the shield of air so that there would be a hole in the center. In the same move, he put his left hand just before the opening, using more wind magic to give a form to his chaotic fire, creating a controlled burst that once again sent the man lurching backwards as he was overtaken by heat.
Nakoma Taurus didn’t relent.
Dropping the shield, he cast Infernus and sent a powerful and continuous jet of fire into the knight’s body, using his free hand to form shields of wind all around the man, boxing him in and containing him in the one spot. But rather than try to break free, the knight used Proto to push through the fire, and even though the stab of his glaive was roughly five feet from Nakoma’s neck, he could feel it brush across the skin, as if the blade had been extended by wind magic.
Clever bastard! Just what is that armor made out of?! I’m starting to think he’d be a hard match for even Cartus!
The knight now gaining a brief upper hand, Nakoma was thrown on the defensive once more, constantly casting a variety of fire and wind spells in an effort to break through the impenetrable armor. The flames that were deflected by the knight scattered around the forest, and as trees began to catch fire, Nakoma knew that if he didn’t do something soon, the entire place would burn to the ground. The problem was that he was just barely managing to keep the knight at bay, and no matter what he did, he could not overcome him, especially with Miyon constantly calling out warnings from the tree.
Then perhaps I do use blue flames? Do I take that chance and risk burning my arms off?
Fire magic had three stages of power, and with each increase in the stage, the fire became more intense, but the potential for damage to the body became more likely. Red and orange flames were the basic type, with most fire mages, and even novices, being able to cast spells safely. Blue flames were much more difficult, with around only ten percent of all fire mages able to use them without causing any damage to themselves. White flames were the most powerful, and in some ways, the most destructive magic of all, but were so uncontrollable that there were plenty of horror stories where the caster burned away everything around them, themselves included, until there was nothing but their ashes left as evidence of their existence. Only those near the level of the Masters could do it, and even Nakoma struggled to cast them safely at his best.
White fire would break through his armor without question, and might even disintegrate Miyon in the process, but I’d probably die, too. Blue flames won't kill me, but without a healer nearby, I might not be able to reach Aquesen if I fail! Orange isn’t working, though, so what the hell am I supposed to—?
Nakoma exhaled sharply, just barely dodging around a blade of wind when, off in the distance and mixed with the booming of the fireworks, he heard what sounded like the pained screeching of a monster. The knight’s helmet prevented Nakoma from knowing if he heard it, too, but there was no doubt in the Master’s mind that it wasn’t a hallucination.
What the hell was that? It was in the direction of the city… Nakoma’s eyes went wide. No… That couldn’t be… When the changeling pretended to be Abigail, Caeli admitted that he exposed Nyx’s presence in Hiriech. Miyon and this knight went after me in order to keep me away from the castle, so wouldn’t they do the same to Nyx? If they succeeded… If they got the jump on her and managed to kill her, then that would mean…?
A second scream, one slightly farther away than before, echoed through the night, leaving Nakoma Taurus certain that he was not mistaken.
Shit… I need to get to Aquesen, but if Miyon’s allies accidentally released the Wraith, then the people of Hiriech are in danger! Until it’s stopped, it will only continue to kill, and with Nyx no longer in control, it won’t distinguish between enemies and innocents! They’re going to need me! I'm the only one who can take it down!
Overwhelming dread partially consumed him, and though he needed to reach Ilirianna at all costs, he could not leave Hiriech to the mercy of the Wraith of Eniok. The longer he was held off, the more would die, so he had no choice.
There was a spell he avoided using unless it was absolutely necessary. If he cast it, it would destroy everything within half a mile of him. Much of the forest would be leveled, and it might even reach the walls of Hiriech, but it would absolutely end the fight and enable him to rush to the city. In Nakoma’s weakened state, it might not kill the knight due to his armor, but if he didn’t reach Miyon in time, the doctor would die.
It’s my only choice. Forgive me…
“FLEE NOW! WE NEED TO GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!’
That desperate shriek from Miyon was satisfying, in a way, but it also meant that the knight had already darted up towards the tree to collect the doctor to flee just as Nakoma began drawing mana for the spell. Fire swirled around his body, and he internally sighed as he watched the red knight propel himself up to Miyon, pick him up, and soar into the sky.
They’re going to survive. In some ways, I guess that’s a good thing, because it means I can track them down and confront them on my terms. You guys have won this one, but I swear on my name…
I will find you.
And, with the power in his hands, Nakoma Taurus uttered the incantation.
“Coreptio.”
***
His arms wrapped around Barron’s neck, Uma Miyon glanced over his shoulder, gazing not through his glasses, but over the top of the rims so that he could witness the oncoming power with his normal sight. For a brief second, he could see the tiny individual that was Nakoma Taurus down in the forest, but in an instant, he was consumed by the most intense explosion Uma had ever seen with his own eyes, consuming everything around the Master of Fire and all of the forest that surrounded him. Even dozens of stories into the air, the heat and the energy from the flames hit Uma and Barron, and though he knew he should have been terrified that they would have been caught up in that had he not been using his glasses, Uma Miyon could only grin in awe.
That explosion… It’s like a miniature nuke…
The fires rising into the sky indeed resembled the mushroom clouds of a nuclear warhead, and he couldn’t help but doubt that Nakoma survived even though the Master of Fire wouldn’t have cast it if he believed himself to die. The trees were all destroyed, and it even looked like the eastern wall of the city didn’t come out unscathed.
“Are you okay, Doctor Miyon?” Barron grunted, his voice sound muffled due to the helm.
“Okay?” he parroted, a wild smile twisting his face. “I’m beyond okay, Sir Kristoff! I’m magnificent! Such raw power…from one person! It’s just…amazing, isn’t it? Oh, magic… I think I’m in love…”
Controlling the wind around them, Barron allowed them to practically fly away from the site of their battle, and though Uma didn’t want to turn away from the beautiful sight of the explosion, he couldn’t help but glance down towards Hiriech off to his left, trying to spot the source of the screeching from before.
The second he heard that noise, he resorted to this? I wonder why? What was so significant about that screeching?
“Shall we make for the rendezvous?” Barron inquired, to which Uma nodded.
“Yes, we should. I’m sure the others will be curious to know what that was.”
Barron grunted once more, and as they soared back down towards the forest, Uma Miyon grinned to himself, enamored by the flames.
Until next time, Master Taurus.