The words spread like wildfire. The two megalomaniacs had done what others could not. They were left defeated but the wounds they inflicted were much more to demise the admiral's pride and glory. Frustrated and humiliated, the queen Izura commands her best tracker, her best diviner to find the man who only left a bounty and his dagger fasten on her desk.
Yet even with their very best, there was nothing they could do. It was a mystery to them and to him and his companion, the stillmage. Using his dagger and the bounty parchment as a locator, the diviners cannot track his location. It's as if he wasn't even existed, it's as if he was but a wind faded after passing through.
Even the ten councils of Mavigrid were shocked. A sneering smug was written on their faces, a heartfelt of joy to those who loath the queen admiral. And for those who do not, they only pity her. Even Izura's followers and servants are filled with abhor emotion.
By their unlawful action, Akatosh and the stillmage had triggered some of the council members and their royal barons. To bring Akatosh to their side, to use him as their pawn. A sniggering smile of corruption is all they had in mind.
There across Starhim, the 'Thief's Guild' was intrigued by Akatosh and Amaragnum' exploit. They were left to wonder about his capabilities, his power, his quality. Regardless, Akatosh was no more than an intricate to them.
Following the aftermath of Akatosh and Izura, the state of Mavigrid became stricter. All around the city, its provinces, villages were under the iron-jurisdiction of fugitive and travelers' law. It was still early so Akatosh had time to hospitalize his injuries, a town three-week journey to Dolvadish. It was an average town, a place called 'Kermish' southeast of the main city. A town thrived from the inn-like fortress there at the heart of the village. It was a fortress-like tavern to be said and there Akatosh laid to rest for over four days, thereafter the closest temple healed his wounds.
Because of his sense of awareness as a man being hunted down for his crimes. Akatosh didn't stay there more than three hours. He only ate and left the inn in haste without making contact with other adventurers or people.
Not in haste to exit the borders of Mavigrid, Akatosh took him nearly a month to reach the borders of Dolvadish. And when he reached halfway across the edge of Dolvadish using the roads leading to Ravalind. Akatosh felt the atmosphere became frostier, it was the dawn of winter.
"Winter huh." Akatosh sigh, riding a wagon he just recently hitchhike.
"What about it." Comes Amaragnum tired from Akatosh's long traveling.
"Nothing, I was planning where to live… Or maybe." Akatosh smile.
"Rag (Amaragnum)…" Akatosh called. "I was thinking about your hideout. Can you still teleport us to where that place is?"
"You sure got tons of demands. Well certainly I can, but what are you going to do with it. Hibernate?"
"Let just say, our secret base." Akatosh smile staring at the fading beam of lights as the frosty clouds start to slowly envelop the land.
As the silence tends for a couple of minutes, they again resume another conversation.
"So…" Akatosh calls. "I was curious about the admiral queen there at Mavigrid. Even I with no magic felt that extreme pressure the moment we confronted her."
"Nah, she's just strong. Clearly, you heard her rumored story there at Maginum. But… I was surprised though. We stillmage are lucky to have massive quantities of energy and power. And she wasn't a stillmage so she must have trained a lot, sadly we will never know."
"I see."
"However, I can easily deal with her if I'm at my full prime."
"Shove off…" Akatosh quickly said. "Well, the world is a big place for both of us. There are a lot of people out there who can top and beat our asses. Who knows your magic might be inferior to some of these new generations?"
"You're right. I too was anticipating my years of imprisonment. If that dilly-dally old fool of mine still doing good, we might get into a rematch."
"Really, is fighting you're only good at from that misty brain of yours," Akatosh says, conjuring a thick blanket to keep himself warm.
"Says the man who always picks up a fight at every step he takes," Amaragnum responds.
Just as they are about to make another argument, snowflakes start to fall. And Akatosh couldn't help but envelop from his past. He was silent, so silent that the driver was hesitant to make a conversion. But for a point of perspective, Akatosh was merely contemplating his own purpose, his circumstances, his destiny as to why him.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
He had met the 'one', yet he was still baffled. True, there are countless other billions or so to be the pick. Yet he was telling himself as to why a question he asks himself.
With the passing time where snow slowly envelops the green grass. Akatosh felt Amaragnum's presence dissipates through the book thinking he must have gone fishing.
Thinking nothing, Akatosh slowly searches for a good spot to rest. Avoiding the loaded goods, he slowly sinks his slumber without the help of Chifya's potion.
Reaching the majestic bridge, Akatosh shifts his position right beside the driver for an overlook. The second time crossing the bridge was different. Snowy ground laid to rest on the side of the bridge. Horse and carriages' track print the white road. The cold chilling wind feverishly howls the passing wagon. And the once beautiful scene coming from the stepping waterfalls turns into a dark and grayish atmosphere. But even at this gloaming time, Akatosh was still bedazzled by its twilight beauty.
"I'm sorry young lad but this is far as I can go." The driver said after he had parked the wagon at the side of the inn, the tavern right near the bridge.
"Don't mind, I was going to ask you for a warm bed. But I never thought you work here." Akatosh responds after seeing the man unload the goods.
Giving a helping hand, three workers from the inn came for help. And after taking the last goods into the inn, as always Akatosh directly goes to the innkeeper for a room. And just as he was about to head towards into his room. Akatosh saw a cluster of adventurers and people gazing at the post board.
Intrigue by their attention, Akatosh goes towards for a slight sight. And when he realizes they were mooting one single bounty post. His face was flabbergasted, it was him they were discussing. The sixty gold rewards that had once been written on the bounty paper was now a continental bounty. Through his triumph in trampling the rich and powerful people, his bounty crimes reach over a hundred worth of gold coin which is now continental money.
"Oof, one hundred and ten gold. Dang son! Looks like you're as wanted as me in a different realm." Amaragnum laughs. "So, what are you going to do about it."
"Beats me." Akatosh laughs out his bounty crimes. "Ain't this more problematic."
When morning came, Akatosh quickly left the inn after he'd finished his plate. He was in a hurry so was Amaragnum who couldn't wait to have his revenge on the one who imprisoned him for centuries.
Using 'haste spell', the two in one reached the place where he'd fought the giant kobold. That's when he realized why the kobold was too strong for him and Ashalain after Amaragnum carefully explained lich's power.
"Lich has the power to influence other things that surrounds them but only in a designated range. They can channel their power and essence alive or dead just like me a demilich. However, as a demilich, I am more complicated and much more powerful than a lich. Though, since I lost all my energy and power, I need a body to utilize my spells and magic."
"I see," Akatosh says, entering the inn owned by Garry the first tavern he'd sheltered. And after a few custom greetings, their topic now directs towards the cave.
"Well, after you had left the place. There were five adventurers a gold tier to be exact. They came five days after you and your maiden left. I don't know much but they only came here for an investigation, the cave where you last went."
"And?" Akatosh responds.
"Pretty much nothing at all." Garry sigh. "I asked them how their trip went but in return, it was no more than a bunch of burned corpses and a few explored dwarven ruins."
"That's all? Literally, that's all they have said."
"Yeah, is there something wrong?"
"Nothing…" Akatosh says booking a room before stepping out from the inn.
When they arrive at the place, corpses from before were no more to be seen. Thinking as he moves, Akatosh thought it must be the work of the recent adventurers that Garry told them. Leaving the lair of the lich, he first checks the den of the large kobold. And it seems to say everything was free of corpses only one thing that remains are burned woods and scorched walls and grounds.
"Are you ready my boy?" Akatosh says, standing from where he'd last felt the lich's cold and dark presence. And without calling or drawing out Amaragnum's dark energy. Purple orbs initially dangling through the air. In an instant, the atmosphere ruptures from where he stands.
From where he stands, the place was distinctive. The perspective from his surroundings was all rubbles. The lights that illuminate the realm are blurry in pigment color. Seconds of descrying the place, far in front of him ten meters apart there he rises. Crawling out from the ground like a man digging his own way out of his grave. Tattered red robes and decaying body the lich which Amaragnum dearly want to obliviate appears.
Enclosing Akatosh's sight, they began to fill their own promised leverage. As the lich slowly takes its full shape so too Amaragnum slowly envelops Akatosh's body. It was now all-out as Akatosh's sclera turns to pitch-black while his Irish brim into gleaming blood red. The stock-up energy that Amaragnum gathers quickly dispersed from Akatosh.
"So, you've been hiding this whole time," Amaragnum said now in Akatosh's body. "I have been waiting for this moment… Hayes."
The lich however didn't respond to Amaragnum’s words, it only slowly shakes his head measuring Amaragnum.
Anticipating an answer, Hayes the lich just by pointing his skeletal fingers. The dimension they stand abruptly enlarge stretching indefinitely for merely ten seconds. Simulacrum, ten flaming blue orbs appear from Hayes's back floating in an organized circle. And for the last part of his greeting, a ray of decaying magic rockets towards Amaragnum.
Responding to Hayes's regards, Amaragnum with his flaming palm hammers the ground. And in an instant, the roaring decay disperses to thin air. Upsetting the privilege of Haye's realm, the clouds up above twist and roar in thunder. In a flash, the sky rains in fire like what he'd did at the bandits' camp.
The moment they had met after thousands of solitudes, Amaragnum and Hayes quickly resolve to a brawl. And the calamity of magic was just starting to boil to an extreme sensation.