A Mage's Power (Journey to Chaos) (40 page)

Rising from the muck were five foot globs of sewage
clustered around a glowing rock; emils. From his mentor's lecture, Eric knew
the rock was their heart. He also knew they didn't like fire.

“Crimson fire, grant my desire! Fireball!” He hurled the
flaming sphere at the cluster of slime. Fear of the dangerous is instinctual so
he wasn't surprised when they scatted, and in fact, he already had a second
fireball soaring. It struck slime and melted it in the heat of his magic.
Before it could reconstitute he dashed forward and smashed the stone with the
butt of his staff.

One down . . . a lot to go.

Culmus swung and his blade rebounded off their jelly hides. “Time
for my ace!”

He touched a rune at the hilt and it flared into life. Red
light flowed in patterns to the tip and coated the blade in heat and light. The
emils couldn't escape the sword's great length. Culmus cut through them like a
hot knife through slime, stone core, and all.

Once again, Eric cursed his staff's fire issues. Culmus'
method was far more effective than his  chant-shoot-crush method. He couldn't
kill them fast enough and for that, he was surrounded. An arm of sewage beat
him from every angle. One bit his arm and its saliva burn though his sleeve.

 
Eric!
Remember my lecture on—

 Eric pointed his staff at the ground. “A lift would be a
gift! Wind Jump!” A gust of air pushed him up and over the emil ring while
scattering them. Landing, he slipped again. The emil that bit him reached his
bare skin. He screamed and pounded it with another fireball. Then he put out
the flames on his vest with a waterball.

The remaining emils were regrouping. He jumped to his feet,
braced himself and shouted, “Not so tame, wall of flame! Flame Wave!” Fire
streamed from his open palms and reduced them to sizzling goo. He himself was
knocked off his feet by the recoil. He jumped up again and smashed the stone
cores as quickly as he could.

Exhausted, he fell forward on his staff. Flame Wave required
a stream of mana and enough willpower to instantly turn it into fire. It was
simple in theory, but draining in practice.

When we get back, we are working on your reserves
.

I just hope I don't have to do that again.

“Are you okay, Eric?” Culmus asked. He was finished with his
share of emils and was now cleaning his sword with a towel big enough for a
human.

“Yeah . . . I'm . . .all right.” He sat down and pulled a
water bottle out of his pack.

“Put that away. It won't do you any good.” Culmus reached
into his own pack and threw Eric a bottle of glowing green liquid.

“Mana Juice!” He took a big gulp and instantly felt his
strength returning. The liquid energy rejuvenated everything it touched. Pure
power; he wanted to drink it all!

“Not too much. That stuff's expensive.”

Reluctantly, Eric screwed the lid back on and put the bottle
in his pack.

“First a dagger and now this? I don't want you to bankrupt
yourself on my account.”

“If we save Kasile, it will be worth it.”

The sewer was clearly the monster's domain. Their markings
and droppings were everywhere. Emils and other creatures attacked every step of
the way to the third floor. Culmus breathed through them while Eric struggled.
When they finally crossed the level and reached the ladder, it
creaked
with every step. If he fell here, he could die. He was about to meet someone
that did.

The pair touched the floor of the first room on the third
level. It was mostly the same as the previous: narrow tunnel, slime river,
walking dead . . . Ten feet from the ladder they heard footsteps and skeletons
walked out of the shadows. They were covered in slime like him and wore armor
like Culmus. Everything else had been eaten. They blockaded both the exit and
the path forward.

Lost souls . . .

You knew they were here?

Of course. Misery loves company
.

Eric didn't have time to unravel his teacher's cryptic
comment; sword-bearing undead were attacking! He stood back-to-back with Culmus
as the skeletons closed in. Dengel told him that skeletons were most vulnerable
to holy magic but, lacking that, fire would do. Eric caught a sword on his
staff and, feeling foolish, swung it through the skeleton's skull. It flew off
and the skeleton kicked him in the stomach. He doubled over and another brought
their sword down on his head.

“Duck!” Culmus ordered. Eric dropped entirely and Culmus
spun in place. His whirling sword created a kill zone and cleaved their
enemies. Its force was so great that any not cut clean through was swept off
its feet and smashed against the wall. Eric scurried on his hands and knees to
blow off the slime and scatter the bones further. Culmus was still spinning by
the time he was done. Once something that big gets moving, it's hard to stop.
He gradually slowed and slammed his enormous blade into the floor to steady
himself.

“Try looking at the ceiling.”
You said those were 'lost
souls.'

Yes, people that died here. This place is so charged with
mana that it grants half-life. The slime is the animating agent. See that
skeleton? Push it in
.

Eric gulped. With shaking hands, he grabbed its leg and
pulled it to the edge of the sewage stream. With his boot, he pushed in. By the
time its torso was submerged, the skeleton rattled. The head twitched, followed
by the arms and hands. It grabbed the edge of the stream and pulled itself up.
The skeleton had come to life!

At first, Eric was too amazed to strike, but when it picked
up a fallen sword, he had to act. He chanted the fireball spell, dodged the
skeleton's thrust, and shoved it into his foe's ribcage. The explosion blew the
skeleton apart and its pieces flew in all directions.

That . . .that was . . .

Fascinating, I agree. I once wrote a book,
The Life
of the Undead
about their behavior. Did you know that it varies between
Ataidar and Najica?

All I want to know is why it attacked us. It certainly
doesn't eat . . .

Technically, it is not a monster. Though the layman, of
course, would call it so. Would you believe it thinks WE
are the
monsters? That is why they do not attack each other—though their brains have
rotted and their soul has left, they retain a faint sentience from the psychic
imprint on their bones.

Eric did not share his tenant's enthusiasm. The skeletons
terrified him. He was a heartbeat away from becoming one of them. They were a
constant reminder of the danger he was in. He shifted his grip  while Culmus
recovered from his dizzy spell. Together they ventured deeper into the sewer.

Boom-bom . . . . . .boom-bom
. . . . . .boom-bom . .  . . .

More monsters awaited them on the Fourth Level: emils,
skeletons, and other beasts hungry for their flesh and blood. All of them were
stronger on this level and Eric was forced to rely on the Flame Wave more than
he'd like. The recoil was murder on his arm and the cost depleted his mana
reserves, but he only needed a sip of Mana Juice to restore his supply. The Fog
did the rest. It eased his pain and restored his strength.
That's why the
monsters here are so strong. Mana empowers all life.

The Fog grew thicker as they traveled to the Fifth level and
its taste was more pleasant; invigorating. Eric wanted to take one deep breath
after another, but Dengel advised him to show restraint. The air in this level
was a natural stimulant. People in his day would seek out such places for the
high it gave them. A little restored their strength and raised their spirits,
but more induced madness and mutation. Then he went off on another lengthy
anecdote about some military campaign where he made strategic use of them and
Eric zoned out. Culmus nudged him out of his thoughts.

“From here on don't use spells unless it’s an emergency.” He
passed Eric another handkerchief. There was already one tied over his own mouth
and nose.

“How come?”

“Best case scenario: they work too well and go out of
control. Worst case scenario: they destabilize the Fog and cause an explosion
that vaporizes us if we're lucky.”

“And if we're not?”

“We'll join those things over there!”

Hanging from the walls and ceiling were agglomerations of
stone held together by moss. Their eyes shone green and converged on the pair.
Eric quickly tied the handkerchief and put his staff back in its strap. For
this battle, he'd need his dagger. Culmus charged one and grinded it into dust with
his zanpatou. Eric had a different tactic in mind. He ducked inside one's punch
and jammed his blade into their shoulder joint. With a yell, he cut upwards and
severed the mossy sinews holding the arm to the main body. Then it kicked him
in the chest hard enough to knock him off his feet. Pain exploded through his
body but a few breaths of Fog dissipated it.
Three more to go
.

He dove underneath the creature and sliced the sinews of its
leg as he slid underneath. The monster fell over still trying to hammer Eric.
The mage thought it was disabled, but it flipped over and walked on its hand
and foot. Setting his jaw, he tried a bold move and jumped onto the creature's
back. It dropped to the ground to crush him, and, flat on its back, Eric easily
slashed the second arm. Even then it tried to move, until Eric removed that as
well and even
then
the stone rattled. Eric wiped off all the moss and
when he was finally finished he heard,

“What do you think my sword now?”

Culmus stood cross-armed amidst the shattered remains of
three moss golems.

“Alright, your sword of unusual length does come in handy
when fighting golems.”

Full of pride Culmus declared, “Unusual nothing! In Stratos,
the whole region carries these! Or at least they used to . . .Anyway you never
told me the plan.” Eric scratched the back of his neck. “You don't have a
plan!?”

“I'm making this up as I go . . .”
All right Dengel, you
said you've arranged many successful rescues. How'd you do it?

Normally we would charge in and, I believe the phrase is,
'kick ass.'

THAT was your plan!?

Mother Dragon, remember? I traveled with some powerful
people.
Charging into the Black Cloaks' hideout sounded more like suicide
than
a legitimate rescue. He was a novice, not the Mother Dragon!
Relax.
You will do fine with the concealment spells I taught you. Though this would be
easier if you could use the more advanced spells . . .

That did it. A wave of guilt washed in Eric's stomach and
crashed into his heart. His inadequacy was going to get them killed. It was
just like when he was kicked out of the magician club for letting a secret slip
or when that girl failed geometry because he couldn't mimic her handwriting or—

It is within your power to succeed on this rescue.

But!

Can you make barriers?

Not good ones . . ..

Can you make them?

Yes . . .

Can you cast decent concealment spells?

Yes. . .

Then you can do this. All you need to do is create a
barrier and cast a dark veil within in it. The barrier should prevent anyone
from sensing the concealment spell.

Basilard already explained this in the Yacian Caverns. The
fact that Dengel had to repeat it made Eric feel stupider than usual. Yet he
couldn't dwell on it; he had a friend to save. The fifth ladder looked even
rustier than the last three.

Boom-bom . . .Boom-bom . . .Boom-bom
. . .

The sewer was a maze. That would make it Eric's third: the
Dragon's Lair, then Yacian Caverns, and now Roalt's sewer system. A fork in the
path stopped them. The handkerchief wasn't sophisticated enough to tell the
difference. Culmus walked to a nearby wall and pointed at the junk surrounding
a hole. He tossed a piece in and held up a finger.

“This place is officially called, 'Way of the Rat', for the
intricacy of its tunnels, the random junk, and of course . . .” Rodent after
rodent scurried out of the hole and many others in the hallway. “For the many
colonies of rats that call it home.”

Unlike the rats Eric was used to, these were sapient like
every animal in this crazy world. Culmus explained their purpose and asked for
directions. The whole clan pointed and laughed; all five hundred of them. Then
one stepped forward with a proposition.

“In return for a wedge of cheese, I will guide you to them.”

This rat's name was Alice and she thought the boy's mission
was awfully sweet. Immediately after saying so, she ranted about her
good-for-nothing mate who would never do such a thing for her and how he was a
horrible provider. When Eric suggested breaking up with him, she gasped and
went on
another
long rant about kind he was and how much he'd done for
their litters. Noting their confused looks, she clarified, “Married life has
its ups and downs.”

She walked to the fork in the path. She knew which way to go
because she watched two leggers in black cloaks go back and forth. Shortly
afterward, they ran into a reptilian rat as big as a chest of drawers. Alice
squeaked and hid while the humans drew their weapons.

At this level, the emils and skeletons were cannon fodder.
Creatures much more frightening lurked on the lower levels. Mutated by the
thick Fog, they were both powerful and hideous. Many times Culmus ordered a
retreat before they could be seriously injured. At one injunction, the trio
spotted a spider of titanic proportions; the regular grabbed the novice's
collar and ran away.

Alice stopped at another fork and pointed to the left path  “The
human den is at the end.” Eric confirmed this with the handkerchief; it was
throbbing.