The misadventures of the necromancer

Chapter XXVI

"Run!!!" the young man shouts repeatedly. Sorana caught off guard, doesn't even react when he reaches out his hand and grabs her unarmed arm. Something that would normally prompt her to use the sword she held in her other hand to attack him, especially in such a tense situation as the one she's currently in. But he genuinely seems unaware of the conflict between her and the group preparing to attack. Instead, he appears more interested in something on top of the rocky wall from where he came. Amidst all the confusion, she doesn't even remember to resist as he starts running, pulling her along by the arm he now holds. As they run, he shouts again, "Run."

Finally, some sense returns to Sorana as she begins to follow him. This leads her to notice that the poor fool is dragging her towards the armed group in front of them, taking her out of the defensible position she was in. As she prepares to resist him, a loud noise is heard from the top of the rock wall, causing her to turn her attention there as they continue running. With the young man persisting, "Run, run, you fools."

Apart from some rustling bushes, she can't discern the origin of the noise. Looking back ahead, she notices that moment passing by one of the royal guards, who also seems disoriented by the turn of events. She looks at him, and he looks at her passing by. She can see on his face as he watches her being pulled alongside him, that he is realizing he shouldn't let this happen. That is risking letting her escape. When she finishes passing by, she looks back and sees the man's face turning red. Before letting out a loud yell, drowning out the shouts to run. "Stop them!!!"

Their group, as if awakened by the shout. Begins to turn towards the two running to give chase. The guard that had shouted and seemed to be in command was the first to start chasing them, even passing by the other soldier, who still seemed distracted. That's when a figure descends seemingly out of nowhere, landing not far from where she was.

Thus, appearing at the rear of the group. It takes her some time to comprehend what she's seeing. The creature looks almost like a large black ball, almost the size of a grown child. What appears to be a face is defined by the huge insect mandibles, each the size of a hand, just below two completely black spots that she assumes are its eyes. What finally leads her to understand what she's seeing are the six legs the size of a human supporting this body, a giant spider.

The creatures that dominate this area of the forest. That groups of adventurers must be very careful in dealing with them. Strangely, she almost feels some relief at seeing the spider. Now, something starts to make sense. That's why the young man appeared out of nowhere and kept shouting to run. He's fleeing from this.

Unfortunately for the other group, they are now poorly positioned. Indeed, they still haven't noticed the creature. Having turned to pursue them. Everyone except the royal guard who had not turned to follow. So when the creature launches itself at the group. It's that brave man who confronts it while shouting.

" Watch out. To the rear." He uses his sword to fend off the spider. The rest of the group looks back and finally realizes the danger. "No, no. Run, you fools. Don't fight it." She hears the young man's voice shout, while their running slows down. It's when the guard guarding the rear, is hit by one of the spider's legs. Throwing him toward the group. As he hits the ground due to the slope, he starts rolling towards his companion. While the mercenaries begin to take positions to be ready to face the creature.

Still some distance away, they form a small semicircle, with the two guards in the center. They're clearly waiting for the spider to continue after the soldier who had fallen. So they will have an opportunity to attack it from all directions. The guard who remains standing looks at her. The dilemma is visible on his face. His mission is to pursue her, but they're dead if the spider attacks them from behind. The young man had stopped running and had released her arm. And she lets out a sigh of relief and feels the smile on her face. In the end, the gods smiled upon her. With this turn of events, she can now escape. "Damn it, why won't they flee?" She hears the young man say with a noticeable irritation in his voice. And when she turns to see him, she can almost see a fury in his face. She doesn't understand what's going on, and she must only be thinking about the group's fate. She, for her part, doesn't worry too much; they seem competent. Two royal guards and five mercenaries should survive a single spider.

"Damn it. The idiots aren't leaving any choice. If I wait, the spider may get too close to them. The risk is too great." Seeing the seriousness on his face reveals that he is certain of what he's saying. But nothing he says makes sense. What risk could he be talking about? Before she can ask him anything, he stretches out a hand and calmly says, "Draco's Flames." Flames form out of nowhere on the arm he extended, concentrating on his open hand. So, creating a fireball on said hand. Which then shoots out of his hand. The fireball quickly travels the distance to the spider.

But it had already started advancing on the group, and the ball missed. Striking the ground not far behind the creature. When it hits the ground an explosion erupts, as the previously small ball grows. Catching the spider in its blast and narrowly missing the mercenaries closest to the creature.

When the sea of flames that had erupted disappears, only the remains of the fearsome creature burning slightly on the ground can be seen as it rolls slightly.

While she and the others are shocked by what they've just seen by their side, a loud "No" sounds. And the strange young man falls to his knees and laments, almost in tears, "My eggs."

The strange spectacle leaves her unsure of what to think. She can only watch as the stranger starts pounding the ground in frustration. Amid the confusion, she looks around and sees that she is not the only one in shock, none of the other people around also know how to react.

But finally, her mind starts working again, and she can only think about how stupid she is. In reality, everything makes perfect sense. After all, what would a young man be doing here, alone in this forest? The answer now is self-evident: he is an adventurer.

Like most adventurers in Dantar, he is trying to hunt giant spiders in search of their eggs. She had been misled mainly by the state of his clothes. But now she believes he must have been hunting in the forest for some time, which explains the state of his clothing.

In fact, the real surprise now is the enormous power he has just demonstrated. That was a war spell, such is its destructive power. Despite the risk still present, in her heart un immense joy and relief surge. Finally, she has found an adventurer powerful enough for her objectives.

"Greetings, Lord Mage. I am Clem Sampast of the royal guard of Figor," says the soldier who had spoken to her, focusing entirely on the mage. This reveals why he was chosen for this mission. The Sampast family had always supported the usurper. It must have been due to this support that Clem secured his place in the royal guard. With some luck, this might mean he is not very competent.

On the other hand, he was smart enough to be the first to speak to the mage, and now she must think of what to say to gain the mage's support. Before she can think of what to say, Sampast continues, "By order of the throne, I will detain that woman. Do not interfere." Sampast's voice takes on a commanding tone as he points to her.

The mage, for his part, remains kneeling on the ground, simply turning his head towards the group that begins to approach slowly. In seconds, they are back in the same formation they had previously. Sampast managed to get the other guard to stand while helping him to walk, forming the center of the formation, flanked by the mercenaries who moved slightly ahead.

She determines that she must secure the mage's support. Being away from the wall, that could offer some defense. Now, the mage represents her only hope. Before she can speak, a calm and clear voice is heard despite not speaking loudly.

"Uhm, may I ask a question?" asks the mage ironically. Not having to shout makes him sound different. Before, he sounded like a young man, exactly as he appeared. But now, he seems older. Perhaps it's just knowing the power he has.

But it seems she's not the only one who feels this difference, as the whole group stops simultaneously upon hearing his voice.

"Well, I'll assume I can. Where did you say you're from?" asks the mage, appearing tired of waiting for someone to answer. Considering the mage is speaking. The better decision is to see where this will go. If there's one thing she has learned, from her years in court. It has to be careful of what you say around mages, especially the powerful ones. Everyone assumes nobles are the most problematic ones, and they can be difficult. But that, just means those people saying that have interacted little with mages.

At worst, nobles will try to stab you, or more commonly, they'll make a scene while calling the guards. But a mage might very well, simply decide to incinerate you for something you said. It's the advantage of power. And looking at the smoking remains of the spider, it's clear this one is powerful.

So her best hope is that Sampast may say something wrong. Since only with the mage she will have a slim chance of defeating these seven.

Sampast coughs a little to buy time to think but finally speaks. "As I told you, noble mage, I am a member of the royal guard of Figor."

Without moving, the mage continues staring directly at Sampast, merely blinking. "Yes, I heard you the first time. What I want to know is where that is."

Now, she finds herself staring at him. Even in a remote region like Dantar. How is it possible he doesn't know Figor? Looking around, she sees she is not the only one surprised. Even the mercenaries with their faces covered have looks of incomprehension.

"Look, due to an idiot, I couldn't buy a map. So I have no idea where your place is." the mage tries to explain while sounding annoyed. Although it's not a great explanation, the ignorance displayed, is simply too great.

Sampast starts turning red, likely assuming this is some insult. Unfortunately, the other guard seems wiser. And with difficulty, while expressing some winces of pain, answers the question.

"Figor is a city on the left bank of the mouth of the Afort River. Due to the fertile lands around, the city has strong agricultural production, we are especially known for our pears. But it is mainly known for the trade route it commands. The river allows so many goods to and from the interior to pass through Figor. Especially salt."

After hearing the explanation, the mage finally stands up, shaking his head, and says, "Afort? Is that the middle river? Right before the mountains leading to the southern plateau?"

The middle river? Sorana has no idea what he means by that, and clearly, none of the others do either. But the rest is correct.

Seeing no objections the mage continues to speak. "Then I've never heard of that city." Here, she feels more than a little offended. How can he say that about one of the continent's main cities?

"The river mouth. I only know of a small fishing village. But I don't remember its name." His voice seems genuinely sincere, and his expression thoughtful.

Despite that, Sorana has to almost bite her tongue not to respond to the insult. He is very clearly trying to provoke them to get a reaction.

Luckily, Sampast takes the bait and shouts, "What?" She is genuinely impressed that the man manages to resist drawing his sword.

Before the situation escalates further, the mage is heard again. "Well. That doesn't matter now. The more important question is. Whether in your city, manners aren't taught? After all, your behavior should be unacceptable in a member of a royal guard."

Now she understands; this is to express that Sampast is embarrassing the whole city. Expressing that despite everything he said about Figor, it's due to the insult the mage received. With a more diplomatic court member, the situation could now be discussed. But he is a Sampast, and they are not known for their diplomacy. For greed, yes, but not diplomacy.

"What?" Sampast asks again, this time in clear confusion.

The mage shakes his head, demonstrating his frustration. "Well. Someone just saved your lives at great personal cost." He says, pointing to the remains of the spider. Clearly, alluding to the spider eggs he just destroyed to save the group.

"Do you thank that person? No. Instead, I get a 'do as I say, or else...'" And from the mage's perspective, that's exactly what Sampast did. He just threatened a powerful mage who had just helped him. For her, waiting was immensely helpful. Convincing the mage to support her with words only, would have been almost impossible. But Sampast had just turned himself into an aggressive ingrate.

"Noble mage, if that's what you understood, I apologize, for that was not my intention. I am only driven by the urgency of my mission, which made me so thoughtless..."

Damn, the man turns out to be smarter than she thought. Quickly realizing that confronting the mage would be a risk not worth taking, he swallows his anger at the insults to apologize.

Maybe that was the mage's intention all along. To see if the man could get past the insults and apologize, which makes him more credible. Is this when she should speak and try to persuade the mage to her cause?

"Right, right," the mage interrupts the guard's speech.

"Of course, none of this has to do with the fact that you're trying to arrest someone in Dantar. Did you have the courtesy to inform the local authorities?" Once again, her silence benefited her, as it seemed the mage wasn't buying their story.

Sampast is momentarily speechless. And when he tries again, the mage speaks first, looking around calmly.

"And just so I know, is it common for your guard to recruit Nintar mercenaries to capture criminals?"

Sorana takes a step back, distancing herself from the group, shocked. Nintar, now the absurd competence of her pursuers makes sense. And her suspicions about their objectives are confirmed. There's no way capturing her is worth the cost of at least five Nintar.

"I, no..." Sampast starts speaking, now quite pale. To once more, be interrupted by the mage, who raises a hand to silence him.

"Friend, don't even try. I recognize their knives," he says, pointing to the identical daggers in the mercenaries' hands. "I had one once."

Upon hearing this, the Nintar seemed to become more interested in the conversation, which until now, they had followed without much action, always keeping their positions ready to attack. Now she can see how well-positioned they are for whatever comes next. Facing them will be very difficult.

Even with the help of the mage's powerful spell, she estimates that at most, they can take down three of the seven. Judging by the distance between each mercenary. It seems they are assuming and preparing for the same. It looks like one of the fireballs can only hit two, and then they will get too close for the mage's range attacks to be useful.

“Well, I mean, I had one of the good ones,” says the mage out of nowhere, seeming to conclude his earlier comment about the mercenaries' weapons.

Now, he gets a very clear response from them. Though only slightly, the five turn towards him. And small movements on their part, reveal that they all plan to attack him.

Without realizing who speaks, she hears, "How dare you!"

This mage truly has a knack for irritating people. But strangely, he doesn't seem worried.

Unlike the royal guards, who watch the mercenaries in astonishment. After all, even if the Nintar didn't care about what could happen next, the guards saw the power of the spell. The reason, they've been talking until now is likely that they must not want to get caught by it.

“Funny. I never thought I'd see a Nintar even suggest that one of those penknives could ever compare to a Ra... Rac...” Here, the mage starts hesitating and seems to think about what to say.“...kel? Raquel? It's something like that...”

He seems, to be thinking hard about what he wants to say but stays still, reflecting. What is truly strange, is the mercenary's reaction. Where there were looks of aggression before, now there seems to be confusion. Some are casting noticeable glances at their colleagues.

Then the nearest Nintar to the mage says softly, “Ra'tel?”

The mage thinks for a few more seconds, which drag on like an eternity.

“Yes! I think that's the name. You know, it's a knife like yours. Just better. With some red lines on the blade.” The mage's face, while talking has an almost strange innocence as he tries to describe the weapon. Finishing, he points to the Nintar who spoke. And seeming sincere says. “Thanks. I'm not great with names.”

On the opposite side, another of the mercenaries exclaims. “He's lying. There's no way he ever had a Ra'tel. He must have read the description somewhere. How could he have set foot in the valley.”

The others seem to accept this explanation, starting to resume the positions they had left when they heard about the weapon. Just the lost concentration upon hearing about the weapon is already a surprise to Sorana. After all, little is known about the Nintar besides their competence and that they come from some hidden valley.

On the other hand, the mage still does not seem worried. In fact, he looks confused, staring at the mercenary who spoke while scratching, his head.

“Friend. What are you talking about? What valley are you talking about?” Hearing the mage's question, the five immediately stop and look at him. In their masked faces, their eyes seem to want to pop out, such is their amazement.

“Valley? Nahun is on the side of a mountain. And of that, I'm totally sure of. Do you have any idea how many times, I had to climb through the whole village to reach the Forge of the Heavens?”

Now, the mercenaries drop their arms. No longer posing any threat. Although, not understand exactly what they are talking about, Sorana and the guards realize that this mage must know a lot, about the Nintar.

“Damn fetch quests. One moment they want rare metals. Then they want magic jewels. Only to ask later for the blood of a three-hundred-year-old virgin moose. Completely ridiculous.”

The mage keeps babbling strange things, shaking his head and waving his arms, becoming increasingly irritated. Making her conclude that the experience of acquiring the Ra'tel was not pleasant.

On the other hand, the Nintar look at each other without much reaction until one finally speaks with hesitation.

“A Ra'tel needs the blood of a three-hundred-year-old virgin moose?”

Hearing the question, the mage turns and looks directly at the mercenary who asks. Raising a hand to his face slightly covering his eyes.

“Dude, how do you not understand that I was exaggerating? Even if such a thing exists, how would anyone find it?”

“Magic.” This is the only word said by the Nintar, who had corrected the mage about the weapon's name earlier.

He turns to the mercenary who just spoke and starts to open his mouth, then stops. Raises a hand pointing at the Nintar, and after thinking a bit, says. “Fair point. Here, it's perfectly possible that someone would have such a bizarre and useless spell.”

The strange truce created by the odd discussion is interrupted by a shout from behind the group. “Nero, Nero.”

Looking towards the source of the sound. It is possible to see two young men, with a mule by their side, at the top of the rock wall. One of them, the blond, who is waving his arms to attract their attention, seems to be the one shouting.

Immediately, Sampast regains the initiative, shouting. “Attention!! All this talk was just to buy time until his friends arrived.”

“Hey!!” says the mage, pointing aggressively at Sampast. And seeming truly angry for the first time. “If you call those two idiots my friends again, you and I are going to have problems.”

The comment is so strange that everyone stares at him. How does this make any sense? The guard had already threatened him. But what really annoys him is being considered friends with the two he knows?

She can only think this must be some strategy to allow the rest of his adventurer group to take a position to support him. Since that must be the identity of the other two. After all, who goes hunting giant spiders alone?

While the confusion lasts, the mage's two companions begin their clumsy descent from the rock wall. This prompts the mercenaries to wake from their confusion and try to form a new formation. Which is not simple, because effectively they are now surrounded.

“Mage, we have to go to the mage. It's the only way.” Sampast plans aloud, to the agreement of the other guard and several of the Nintar. His conclusion is indeed correct. Leading Sorana to approach the mage to try to assist in the upcoming fight. As long, as he is protected, she has a chance in the coming battle.

But before they can launch their attack, an unusual scene occurs. The mule, which had remained at the top of the rock wall, starts running towards the cliff and jumps off, coming down here.

Despite the height not being much, after all, just before the mage Nero, as his companions had called him, had done the same. But he is not a mule.

And the mule, having landed, continues its run down the hill towards them. Faced with this strange sight Sorana and everyone are left with their mouths open.

“Grumpy, Blondie, don't you see the armed guys? Go back, you idiots.” The mage yells at the top of his lungs, using his hands to project the sound. But that reveals he is not counting on the help of his companions. So, how does he plan to resolve the situation?

Seeing the other two follow the instructions given to them, the group's attention returns to the mage. The mule arrives at their side and starts to walk through the group.

“The usual, take down all the enemies that approach.” another strange phrase from the mage causing confusion. This mage seems to specialize in creating confusion.

“Ancestors!!!” one of the Nintar yells, frightened, moving away from the mule passing by him. When his companions look at him. He points to the animal that continues to approach the mage without caring about anything. To then say in a trembling voice.

“He must have told the truth. He follows the path of Sekellos.”

The other mercenaries look at the animal passing while they step back slightly.

When the mule gets close to the mage, it turns to face them and stands there.

“What are you doing? Prepare for the attack.” Orders Sampast, who seems to be finally losing his patience. Unfortunately for him, it seems the Nintar aren't listening, more concerned with exchanging glances among themselves while studying the animal that just arrived.

“Sekellos.” the mage whispers lightly, seeming to think about something. Finally, snapping his fingers before saying. “It has to do with the knife, right?”

“But, you're wrong. I didn't choose that. I went instead for the Na...” Here, he stops again while thinking about what to say. “Nate???”

“Naksu!” says admiringly the Nintar, who has been completing the names the mage had been trying to say.

“Yes, right. Thanks.” Confirms the mage, pointing at the mercenary again while thanking him.

“What are you talking about? We have a job to do.” Asks a frustrated Sampast. To be silenced by the look of one of the mercenaries. This Nintar then takes a few steps forward before speaking.

“Noble visitor. I think you understand that we have a job to do. Therefore, I apologize for the insult you suffered. And I ask that you allow us to do, what we have to do.” Speaking in a calm, paused, and respectful tone. This man looks directly at the mage. Completely ignoring her, even though it is her fate, that is being decided.

Part of her feels incredibly insulted, but she understands that in this discussion, her opinion doesn't count. She doesn't like it, but this is a conversation between those who can impose their will. And she is not one of them.

As such, this is the moment to finally speak. It is now or never. “I...”

“Why?”

A single word from the mage. But with that word, she feels immense relief. It seems that despite the connection with the Nintar, he doesn't seem to want to do their bidding. Maybe their doubting his word about the weapon was a bigger insult than anyone realized. Mages can be like that, taking question with otherwise small insults.

For his part, the Nintar who was speaking remains silent.

“Come on. With the Sekellos thing, you must understand the odds.” His voice remains calm, but now it seems amused while pointing to the animal in front.

“I don't believe, you still believe to have the advantage. Seven to one isn't good against me, alone. And I'm not alone.”

She is happy that he is already considering her as support. While the Nintar continues not to respond.

"You must know. The moment this fight starts, I only need to kill two of you. For your numerical advantage to disappear." Again he isn't making sense. If they lose two, there will still be five. But the Nintar don't disagree with him. They must not be counting on the royal guards for the fight. 

“As such, I don't feel. I have to accept your requests.”

Hearing this, Sampast passes by everyone and approaches the mage.

“What! You think you're better than seven warriors. You're only one mage.”

“Nope. I don't think anything. But, they know. I'm better than you seven.” while talking the mage uses his, head to indicate the mercenaries.

“Bastard.” Says Sampast, while starting to draw his sword. Apparently, having forgotten how Nero had dealt with the spider.

“Clem!!!”, yells the other guard.

“I think your companion wants you to look around.” Says an amused mage.

And when he does just that, he can see that the mercenaries have given up, sheathed their weapons, and started leaving. They all walk to the right instead of going forward, potentially causing a fight.

“Let's go, Clem. The two of us aren't enough to continue. This is over. Better to report what happened.” Hearing this Sampast reticenting agrees with a nod and joins the retreat.