Chapter 2 - Ludicrous Speed, Go!

‘If I’m lucky enough I can get to Hargrave and be done and on my way to Lorinda before Duchess Lightheart even knows I was there.’ Deathwalker thought as he snuck out of the capital.

It was night by the time Deathwalker snuck out of the city. Using Shadow Teleport, he quickly moved to some nearby trees. Once hidden, he activated his dragon wings and quickly took to the sky.

Hargrave was northeast of the capital and bordered the Hibernal Territory. It was the closest duchy to the elven nation ruled by the high elves. With a portal station in the city of Hargrave, the costs to trade between the two nations would drastically reduce, as would the time, which would result in increased trade. Deathwalker knew that would translate to greater prosperity for both nations.

Under the cover of night, Deathwalker rose high into the sky and took off at a break-neck-speed. By foot, from the capital, Hargrave was over a week away by fast horse. It took a caravan over two weeks to three weeks of travel.

The roads and trails were not a direct shot there, which did add some additional time. A crow could fly directly there, and it would probably take it three days. However, Deathwalker calculated it would take him about a full day, maybe even less as he became more comfortable using his combination of dragon wings and magic. He used air magic to reduce wind resistance and friction. Then using gravity magic to reduce drag and shift gravity to propel him forward.

‘You know I wonder if I can break the sound barrier.’ Deathwalker thought as he fed power into his magic to shoot him like a cannonball forward.

The more mana he poured into the effort the faster and faster he went. Trees flew by in a blur. First the trees were individual objects, then as Deathwalker’s speed kept increasing the individual trees turned into one giant green blob. Even with the friction reduction, the speed was too fast to fully compensate, and he started feeling warmer. Until...

BOOM!!!

Deathwalker’s ears popped and rang as he felt the sonic boom he just created. Only the magic he had surrounded himself in protected him from the worst of the effects. Roaring as he went feeling the exhilaration of speed and power, “RROOAARRR!!!”

Realizing the edges of his shirt were starting to catch fire, Deathwalker immediately began to decelerate. As he stopped and floated in the air, he patted the spots to help stop them burning. A new notification was beckoning for his attention.

Congratulations! Your Intuition and Creativity have helped you gain the achievement Defying Gravity! You are one of the very few who have flown faster than the speed of sound! +10 Agility, +10 Dexterity, and +10 Wisdom. Flight movement speed increased by 25%. Mana and Stamina usage reduced by 25% while flying. As this was achieved using a unique combination of Air and Gravity magic, you have created a new spell.

A bold prompt appeared in both his vision and mind, calling for him to act.

Please name the spell.

Deathwalker thought of the first thing that came to him.

Spell: Ludicrous Speed Go!

Mana Cost: Channeled

Description: Manipulate the air and gravity to protect and increase your flight speed. This is a channeled spell. Speed increased based on the amount of mana channeled into the spell. Create a Sonic Boom attack with enough mana used.

“There it is! Ha, ha, ha, ha! This is going to be so much fun to use!” Deathwalker celebrated.

“Wait a minute, I’m here already? Man, I was flying.”

It was still dark outside, allowing Deathwalker to sneak into Hargrave without detection. Dropping down into an alley near the warehouse that was used to build the portal station, he shifted to hide his wings.

‘If I recall, Lt. Tomlin was the one in charge of this location.’ Deathwalker thought as he walked towards the entrance gate.

When he had done this very thing at the capital, the building there only had two guards on duty. This location had four soldiers, with two patrols circling the perimeter. Deathwalker was impressed that LT Tomlin was not taking any chances.

“I bet you Garry would find some way to mess with the guards. You know, I never thought I’d say this, but I find myself missing the murderhobo.” Deathwalker said to himself as he walked out of the alley.

The motion caught the guards’ attention and the four soldiers instantly turned in Deathwalker’s direction.

While in the capital, General Marius had informed Deathwalker that there was an added benefit to the oaths that were sworn. All of Marius’ men had sworn binding oaths. Part of the magic of those agreements bound the soldiers to whomever Marius pledged his fealty to. In other words, they pledged themselves to Marius and by Marius’ oath of fealty it gave Deathwalker their fealty as well.

Now what caught Deathwalker’s attention, was that meant if he issued a direct command to one of Marius’ men, they were compelled to follow the orders of their liege-lord. This gave Deathwalker all sorts of interesting ideas. He did have to make sure they knew it was him.

“Kneel before your Duke.”

The bodies of all four men moved without question or conscious thought.

“What the?”

“Why did I just do that?”

“You idiot, he must be Duke Dragonvein!”

“Our apologies your grace!”

“Think nothing of it. You may rise. My apologies, but I could think of no better way to verify my identity.” Deathwalker commented.

“Think nothing of it your grace. I can take you to LT. Tomlin.” The oldest and most level-headed of the guards said.

Nodding, Deathwalker fell in behind the soldier and followed him into the building. It did not take them long to arrive at a similar office to Saul’s in the capital. The soldier opened the office door.

“Lieutenant, Duke Dragonvein has arrived.”

“What?! He’s at least a week or two early! I just spoke to General Marius this morning!” A gruff voiced man, Deathwalker assumed was LT Tomlin said.

“I know nothing about that sir, but he is here.” The soldier replied.

“Well, let him in you fool!” LT Tomlin ordered.

The soldier turned to the side and held the door open for Deathwalker to walk inside the office. Once Deathwalker took a seat the soldier shut the door and returned to his post.

LT Tomlin was a good one- and three-quarter meters tall. Well-toned, dark hair and a mustache that could give Tom Selleck and Sam Elliot a run for their money. The soldier went down on one knee with a fist over his heart, and his head bowed. “Duke Dragonvein it is an honor to have you here in Hargrave.”

“Please rise Lieutenant. I have no need for followers who do not look up. You will forever be bumping into things. Please, sit, and let us converse.” Deathwalker stated.

LT Tomlin rose from his kneeling position and took his seat. “General Marius warned me that you would not be like the nobles. My apologies but we did not expect you for some time. If you give me some time, I am sure I can procure a suite at the finest inns in Hargrave. Or if you prefer, I can send a messenger to Duchess Lightheart’s estate. I am sure they would be honored to host you for the time you are here.”

Stolen story; please report.

Raising his hand, Deathwalker spoke up. “I have no need of any of those things. I came here to do a job only I can do. As much as I would like to get acquainted with the town and get to know our men, I am on a bit of a tight timeline. If you will take me to the portal room.”

LT Tomlin rose to his feet. “If you will follow me your grace. I can show you the way.”

Without another word Deathwalker was escorted to the Hargrave portal room. This portal was just as grand and ornate as the one in the capital. They had not skimped on the opulence.

‘These artists sure love to embellish, but perhaps there is some logic to it. People will expect such things, especially the nobles and wealthy merchants.’ Deathwalker thought as he inspected the portal structure.

Turning to LT Tomlin, “I see the artisans did not skimp on their craft.”

LT Tomlin smiled. He had been concerned his Duke would not feel the work was enough. “Yes, your grace! I made a point to remind them to do their best or we would not procure their services again. After all they were doing the work for high nobility. Many jumped at the chance, I assure you if anything is not to your liking, we can hire whomever we wish.”

Deathwalker inwardly cringed. He understood many jumped at the chance to be noticed by high nobles in the hope of becoming a retainer or at least gaining a patron. That made logical sense as it was about survival and getting noticed. What he couldn’t tolerate was how many patrons took advantage of that hope and treated some retainers with an attitude of borderline abuse or at the very least taking advantage of people and pushing them around.

Deathwalker decided to remove any misconceptions. “Though I appreciate the zeal Lieutenant, I want to make it clear that our craftsmen and artisans are valuable resources. I expect them to be treated as such. Sure, if someone fails repeatedly or is not up to the task, we acquire someone who is. Competency is most important in life and so that is also true here as well. But no matter one’s station we can still treat them with respect. That is how you can honor me as one of my men. Is that understood?”

LT Tomlin snapped to attention and put his fist to his heart. “As you command my liege!”

Nodding, Deathwalker decided to say one more thing before dismissing the man. “I expect my people to speak up and share their concerns. I will never fault someone for such a thing. As decorum dictates, pull me aside or share your concerns in private. If it cannot wait, get my attention, and state the matter is ‘duchy business’. Hopefully that is clear as well.”

“Yes, your grace. It is crystal clear. Thank you for caring enough to listen to our humble concerns.” LT Tomlin answered as he thought about how different this man was from the nobles he dealt with in his career as a soldier.

“Good. Now that the matter is addressed, I see everything I asked for is here. I have everything I require to finish this portal station. Please leave me and make sure I am not to be disturbed. I will notify you when I am done and ready to leave.” Deathwalker replied.

LT Tomlin bowed. “As you command, my liege.”

Without another word the Lieutenant left the room and ordered the guards stationed by the door to allow no one entry while their Duke worked.

Having overheard the order, Deathwalker shifted his attention to the task at hand. He knew he would have to speed up the process or at least do what he did last time and create a time bubble around the room to let him work faster. Deep down Deathwalker knew this ability was something he should spend time mastering and he added it to his mental list of things to do later.

Deathwalker chuckled at his internal thought of finding time to master time. “Ha! That sure sounds like an oxymoron.”

Accessing the Infinite Well of Time Magic within him, Deathwalker pushed outward to surround the room in a bubble of increased time compared to the world outside. He marveled how this magic never seemed to run out and operated separately from his mana pool. It did seem to be truly infinite.

“A wonder to ponder later. I have work to do.” Deathwalker said to himself as he shifted his thinking towards the rune-crafting that would consume his full attention.

As Deathwalker carved, he infused magic into each rune. On he went, one after the other. He would only pause to withdraw and consume food and drink from the rations in his bag of holding. Each time he did so, Deathwalker sent a mental thank you to Uriel for gifting him such a wonder.

By the time he finished the Hargrave portal, three days had passed inside the time bubble. Deathwalker’s Rune-Crafting Skill had reached Adept rank, which thrilled Deathwalker greatly, as each rank reduced the effort and time required to rune-craft. He remained in the time bubble another few hours to catch up on sleep and recharge his mental batteries. When he finally deactivated the time bubble what was almost four days inside had been just shy of 4 hours for the rest of the world.

“Man, I really do have to figure out the limits of the Infinite Well of Time Magic. It is by far one of my most powerful abilities.” Deathwalker told himself.

After telling the guards to notify LT. Tomlin, Deathwalker activated the portal gate to make the final connection to integrate the gate into his portal network. By the time LT. Tomlin returned to the portal gate room, Deathwalker had a portal between Hargrave and the capital established. Normally, traffic would have to go through Timberfall as a waypoint, however, as the owner of the network, he could bypass such restrictions.

“It is magnificent your grace!” LT. Tomlin said in astonishment. The men who followed him in all had their mouths open, staring in wonder.

“It is a means to an end for our people. I entrust the protection of this place to you and your men, Lieutenant. Trader Malcom will send someone to help coordinate and manage the accounting and transactions. Please do not hesitate to let us know if you need anything.” Deathwalker instructed.

LT Tomlin put his fist to his heart and bowed his head. His men repeated the gesture. “We shall guard this place with our lives.

Deathwalker nodded.

“Thank you for your dedication and loyalty. Do not forget to let us know if you require anything.” Those were the last words Deathwalker spoke before walking through the portal.

As he exited in the capital, he found Saul and several guards present. When they saw it was Deathwalker they all relaxed.

“Your grace! We were not expecting you so soon! Are you tired? Can I get you anything?” Saul immediately shifted into his comfortable salesman role.

“I am fine Saul but thank you for the offer and your attention to detail.” Deathwalker replied.

“I take it the Hargrave portal station is complete.” Saul stated more than asked.

“Yes, the Hargrave gate room is fully operational and ready for use. Please inform your brother and General Marius. I would like someone sent who is ready to oversee the transportation fees. Let’s also send some additional guards to serve under LT. Tomlin’s command.” Deathwalker instructed.

“Most excellent, most excellent! May the wonders you create never cease!” Saul replied excitedly.

“Did Sebastian get back okay?” Deathwalker inquired about his friend.

“Oh yes, your grace. Lord Dormeir arrived in Timberfall without incident. Malcom went back with him. According to my brother, he was anxious to return to his territory and ensure the construction of his portal station was completed as soon as possible.” Saul answered.

“Yes, once each of the territories within our duchy are connected via portal, trade and defense will become so much easier.” Deathwalker commented.

“I take it you plan to leave soon your grace. Where to next?” Saul asked.

“I’m going to head towards Lorinda.” Deathwalker answered.

“I can see why you came here. Lorinda is slightly closer to the capital than Timberfall, but not by much, due to the winding trail to get there.” Saul commented.

What Saul did not know was for Deathwalker, who would be flying there, the distance was much shorter from the capital. ‘I don’t have to worry about some winding road.’ Deathwalker thought, but replied, “It will give them some time to finish construction.”

“Ah, very wise, as usual your grace!” Saul complimented.

Once again, Deathwalker exited the capital and snuck into some nearby trees. It was still early in the morning so many of the populace were not up yet. After checking that no one was watching, Deathwalker rose high in the air.

Making sure he was at least a good distance away from the capital, Deathwalker activated Ludicrous Speed, Go! Pumping mana into the spell the world became a blur, and he heard the sonic boom from Deathwalker breaking the sound barrier.

Nearby travelers heading to the capital caught the tail end of the sonic boom.

“What was that!”

“Are we under attack?!”

“I have never heard anything like that!”

“What?! What did you just say?! My ears are ringing!”

The band of travelers were not the only ones to catch the sonic boom. The sound impacted into a nearby cave. The echoes reverberated off the walls disturbing and waking the long slumbering dragon.

Draconis stirred for the first time in over 100 years. He had fallen into deep slumber after he reached the point of maturity. For dragons it was a significant power boost when they reached each threshold. Draconis had reached his transition from a young dragon into an adult.

Draconis yawned. “Rawrrr! What wakes me from my slumber? Perhaps it is time to see what changes have taken place since I was last awake.”

Draconis flew out of his cave high in the mountains. As he surveyed the surrounding areas, the dragon noticed how much these humanoids have spread since the last time he was awake. Prior to his slumber, the closest kingdom was sparsely populated. Now Draconis saw the signs of many humanoids everywhere he looked.

Those same travelers heading to the capital saw the large dragon flying overhead. The horses attached to their carriages were frightened and very skittish.

“Oh no! A dragon!”

“We must warn the capital!”

The horses took no coaxing to pick up speed and get to the capital post haste.

Draconis watched the puny humans and horses flee. “Ha! Yes! These humans may have spread like weeds, but they still know their place. Seeing them run reminds me I could eat. Let me find some cattle nearby.”

It did not take Draconis long to find a pasture with cattle grazing. He knew he had to act quickly as his natural dragon aura who scares most prey animals away. Not giving them a chance the dragon blew flames to kill multiple cattle before he landed and began devouring his prey.

The local farmer who witnessed this sent his son to warn the city and seek help. “Go son! You must get help!”

“I will not leave you, and ma!”

“You must! The nobles must be warned!”

“Those nobles do not do anything, pa!”

“They may not do anything to help us, but they believe in self-preservation! A dragon is a kingdom wide threat! Now, enough arguing. Go!”

The farmer’s son bolted out the back patio and took off as fast as his legs could carry him, making a straight line towards the city.