Chapter V: MacDougal’s Secret
Chapter V: MacDougal’s Secret
Orphen’s headache had finally subsided. He was walking through the village streets early in the morning. He’d managed to leave the tower by simply walking out of the entrance, though there was the small matter of the two guardsmen he had to rough up. Even though it was barely dawn, most of the villagers were awake. Orphen was walking through the streets alongside them.
He looked at them. Young women, children, older men, frail men, stocky men... Hard workers and layabouts. He had to force himself to stop examining them all after a while. The young men of the village practically blended into the scenery as they walked by. It wasn’t like he hadn’t been noticed, either. The villagers recognized that he wasn’t one of their own, and cast suspicious or disdainful eyes towards him as he moved. It was pretty obvious what he was, given his black attire and his necklace. He just had to be thankful nobody had started hurling rocks at him.
He became acutely aware of the fear surrounding him as he walked on by, but he didn’t much care if they were afraid of him or not. He only wanted one person to be afraid of him, MacDougal. He kept on marching towards his destination, southwards from the tower... MacDougal’s estate.
He finally reached the house, and found it to be a lot more modest than he’d expected. It was a very simple home, like most others in the vicinity. It had a small garden with flowers, and wooden-built walls. Orphen saw no reason to knock, he simply placed his hand on the door handle to see if it was locked. It was. Seeing no other option, Orphen decided to smash it open. Just as he ran back and attempted a forward charge, the door was unlocked and opened... by Salua.
“It’s early, you know...” muttered the man.
Salua looked much as he did last night, except he wasn’t wielding his blade this time. He continued speaking, “MacDougal’s still sleeping, he had a late night.”
“Well, I came to drag him out of bed.”
Orphen had no intentions of talking, he pushed past Salua and entered the house.
“What exactly are you doing?” asked Salua.
“You know what. Fiena said the village is gonna be destroyed, I’m not about to stand around and let that happen.”
“You can’t be serious. Why now? Wait a while, let him flee... Then do what you want with him. It won’t be any of my business.”
“I don’t care what you want, assassin. I’m going in.”
Orphen continued through the house... And it was a hell of a mess. The floor was littered with cheap liquor bottles, and a heap of dirty clothing lay in a pile in the corner of the room. It was pretty obvious that MacDougal and his men had spent a rowdy evening here. Salua walked after Orphen.
“...Salua, did a bull come charging through here or something?”
“This is just the aftermath of last night’s meeting... They drank rather fast... The wine was top-notch, after all.”
“Yeah, sounds like a hell of a party...” Orphen grumbled, inspecting a few empty bottles. “Where the hell is MacDougal?”
“In his bedroom... I’d direct you to the other men first, but they’ve already gone home.”
Orphen walked through into the hallway and suddenly heard a panicked voice coming from one of the rooms, “Wh-Who is that? Who’s talking out there?” Orphen ignored the person. He noticed a door that was slightly ajar, and moved to investigate. He opened it up and saw another mess of a room. There was clothing all over the floor, and even a gas lamp near some fabric... That would’ve been dangerous if it spilled over. What he found more amusing, however, was the snoring, half-naked young woman wrapped up in the bedsheets. Her hair was messy, and her feet were sticking out of the end of the bed. Orphen cast a curious glance towards Salua, who had just come in behind him.
“... This is my room, you know.”
Orphen backed out of the room and closed the door.
“Are you sure you’re religious?”
“... Uhh, kinda? I just need to play the part, that’s all. Who needs to know I’m with Kimluck? This is for the sake of infiltration.”
Orphen just stared blankly as Salua continued.
“It’s a real pain. I need to pretend to get drunk every night... I have to interact with women, and everything! I’m going to pretty great measures to disguise my intentions here.”
“... Whatever, I don’t really care,” sighed Orphen. “So, which one’s his bedroom? If you told me from the beginning, I would’ve just gone there instead...”
Salua shrugged and pointed out a door, and Orphen opened it immediately.
This room was probably the most neat and orderly in the house, Orphen couldn’t find a thing out of place. It certainly seemed fitting for a member of the Kimluck Church. Orphen walked a little closer towards MacDougal, who didn’t seem to be all that asleep anymore.
“Nice morning, isn’t it?” said Orphen.
“Of course it is... Mornings are always pleasant in this sacred place,” replied the older man.
“Even when it rains?”
“Especially when it rains... There’s always a sense of serenity in this place... You know, Sorcerer... The end is nigh.”
“Hah. Spouting off cheesy lines like that really makes it obvious you’re with the Kimluck Church.”
MacDougal’s eyes went wide, and he seemed to be shaken.
“What do you mean by that, Sorcerer?!” asked MacDougal.
“Yeah! What do you mean?” repeated Salua.
Orphen sighed and shrugged. “Behind me is an assassin from the Kimluck Church. In front of me is a professor from the Kimluck Church. Deny it or not, just don’t annoy me with your prattling.”
Salua moved towards Orphen, but it was too late. Orphen jumped back and stretched his hand out towards the man. “Guide me thus, Death Starling!”
As he spoke, the Sorcery rocked through Salua’s body in the form of a shockwave, causing him to tumble to the ground. “Bastard!” screamed Salua as he writhed in pain. He couldn’t get up due to the weakened state of his body.
“I don’t have any intentions of working with a Kimluck assassin,” sneered Orphen. “Besides, you’d only get in the way of my exchange.”
“Your... Exchange?” said MacDougal.
“Fiena,” replied Orphen.
MacDougal’s eyes went wide.
“Nothing more, nothing less. I want Fiena. We can avoid any more deaths if you stop whatever you’re planning and let her go.”
MacDougal shook his head, “Nonsense! Don’t be foolish... I’m well aware of the risks here, but I must undertake them! This Continent is headed towards damnation, don’t you see? We must ascend beyond the Dragons and claim yet an even greater power...”
“You sound afraid, MacDougal. What’s your deal?”
“...None of your concern, Sorcerer. All my fears are rooted in the past.”
Orphen’s vision went white for a moment. He staggered and fell to the ground alongside pieces of a broken vase. MacDougal had struck him without a moment’s hesitation. His head was bleeding.
“Stop, MacDougal!” roared Orphen, but the older man was already up. He ran across the room and rifled in a container. Finally, he pulled out a pistol and pointed it down at Orphen.
“Such arrogance! You’re a mere Sorcerer! Don’t think you can win so easily!”
“Gh... Big words for a stubborn old man.”
“Sorcerers are an abomination upon this world! You cannot be allowed to live! Do you understand what your kind has done?! Not two-hundred years ago, during the war between Sorcerers and Weird Dragons...”
“Pah! What we did was win! Win and create a future filled with petty, envious people like you!”
“Insolent child! Do you truly believe the divine could be defeated so easily? Do you truly believe the Queen of Dragons has fallen?!”
MacDougal yelled out as his finger moved towards the trigger. Orphen quickly began to recite an incantation.
“I release thee...!”
Click
Orphen expected to hear that sound... But it never came. Instead the smashing sound of another vase rang out as MacDougal was bashed over the head. Salua had come to Orphen’s rescue.
“Traitorous bastard!” yelled MacDougal as he fell to the ground and fired his gun. The bullet lodged in the doorway. Orphen tilted his head towards the point of impact just in time to see out into the hallway. A door opened out there, and Volkan waddled out with his brother following after.
Orphen saw his golden opportunity. He quickly pivoted and swept Salua’s legs. Now all he had to do was pull himself back up and scramble out of the room. He’d been struck, but he had enough power to escape. Orphen ran out of the doorway and slammed the door behind him. He began running down the hallway as MacDougal charged out after him and took aim with his pistol.
BANG
The gun went off, but another opening door blocked the bullet. The woman from Salua’s bedroom had happened to come out at just the right time. Orphen groaned and pushed her back into the room she came from. “Get down, you idiot!” He then used the door as a shield before casting a spell on it.
“I release thee, Sword of Light!”
A wave of searing light punched right through the door, burning the entire corridor as the blast shook the house to its foundations. The initial burst subsided, and the door was no longer a door. The other end of the corridor had MacDougal laying on the ground with a few of the wooden splinters embedded in his body. The pistol had been blasted right out of his hand.
“Wake up, MacDougal,” sneered Orphen as he walked over to the wounded man.
The mustached man slowly opened his eyes. He could do nothing but groan.
“Look. These injuries you have? They’re fatal. You’re going to die if nothing is done... But I can use my Sorcery to heal you. If you tell me what you know, I’ll let you live.”
MacDougal merely responded with quiet groans. Orphen couldn’t tell if it was because he was too wounded to talk, or simply because he was too disgusted by the idea of being healed through Sorcery.
“Tell me. Tell me what you know about the Kimluck Church! Tell me what you saw, what they’re trying to achieve!”
“Hgh...” MacDougal continued to groan weakly.
“You seriously wanna die that much, bastard?!”
MacDougal continued to quietly stare at Orphen, simply refusing to talk.
”Ghh... You really are an idiot.”
Orphen closed his eyes as he placed a hand on MacDougal’s body, uttering out the incantation of healing Sorcery as he did so.
The spell did its work, and MacDougal’s injuries were promptly healed. Even the smallest scratch on MacDougal’s body was restored. So too was his vitality.
“Fufu... Mhuhuhu...” MacDougal started quietly laughing to himself as he reached his hand beneath his body, and drew his pistol...
Orphen gasped out in shock, unable to react as the older man suddenly brought the muzzle of the gun to his own temple.
BANG
He seemed to pull the trigger, pulverizing bone and brains. MacDougal’s body fell limp like a puppet with cut strings. Blood began to pool from the open wound and dribble down all over the man’s body. And, with that, MacDougal took himself and every secret he held to the grave.
“What?!” Orphen stood up, still trying to process what had just happened.
“Your sorcery, Krylancelo. It heated the gun to an unfathomable degree and fused it to his hand. It was only a matter of time before the heated cylinder fired off a round, I suppose he just left it to fate... Or rather, he chose to die here. But you’re the one that killed him.” Salua stood nearby, standing next to the half-naked woman from his room.
“Well, I suppose my work here is done. Killing him in the village would’ve been too risky, but I imagine most people would think I’m the culprit here... And I don’t really want a group of angry villagers with torches and pitchforks coming after me.”
The woman next to him seemed mortified, “Wh-What happened?! Wh-Why is he dead?!”
Salua simply grinned and winked. “Because today’s not such a bad day after all... Isn’t that right, Krylancelo?”
Orphen didn’t respond.
“Well, then... I’ll be fleeing the village. There’s no need for more bloodshed... so make sure Fiena is safe.”
Orphen finally spoke. “How are you so nonchalant after all of this?”
“Isn’t that normal? It’s my job. I see this kind of thing from time to time.” He shrugged and walked back towards the entrance of the house. “I can’t exactly say this was an ideal outcome for me, but... It was nice meeting you, traitor.”
And, just like that, Salua was gone. Orphen shook his head slowly as he sighed to himself.
You hated Sorcery that much, MacDougal? That you’d rather off yourself than take it?
“Whatever. You’re dead now, and I don’t have time to mourn a fool.” Orphen quietly sighed as he wiped blood from his face, quietly lamenting the fact that he couldn’t get anything out of the old man before he died. Even though MacDougal’s head had been blasted apart, the lower half of his face was curled into an oddly serene smile.
Orphen’s melancholy was broken by a familiar, shrill voice outside. “Come one, come all!” the dwarven bastard started screaming. “Come and see what’s happened!”
Orphen suddenly remembered what Salua said about angry villagers, and a sinking feeling ran through him.
Volkan was outside... Rallying up the townspeople.
“Gather and see, people! Wake up! The wicked Sorcerer has slain our kind master!”
“...You have got to be shitting me.”
Orphen scowled as he heard a mob of people outside. They didn’t exactly sound all that happy.
◆◇◆◇◆
“Maaaan! I’m so bored!” yelled Claiomh, still squatting in the bushes outside town. The men she was with all nodded in agreement.
The rangers she was with were all around thirty years old, and had accompanied her after hearing her story. They were just on the outskirts of the village, not too far from some houses. They were in a position comfortable enough that would prevent any of the townspeople from seeing them, though.
“I really can’t wait much longer...” complained one of the men.
He didn’t really like the idea of a young lady like Claiomh being armed, but he supposed it was necessary to keep her safe and well. He and his comrades didn’t have swords, they had long truncheon-like bars used to bluntly beat people, and block attack. It was standard-issue equipment for peacekeeping forces.
“Why didn’t we rescue them yesterday, again?”
“Because we can’t yet! Orphen said not to move until this morning...”
“Why is the hostage commanding the rescuers, again?”
Claiomh wanted to bash the impatient man over the head, but she kept her composure and looked out into the village.
“Look, why don’t we try drawing a plan? What’s the best mode of entry?” Claiomh said, but the soldiers weren’t listening. One of the men began to grumble loudly to himself.
“My momma always told me to keep away from blondes... Now I’m starting to see why...”
“Hey, enough of that!” snapped the girl. She suddenly felt something brush against her leg, and she looked down. There was a fluffy tail sticking out of the grass, batting against her leg now and then.
“Huh...? What’s this?”
Claiomh prodded one of the soldiers and asked for elaboration.
“Beats me. A dog?” shrugged the man.
Claiomh reached down and touched the tail before muttering, “Do dog’s usually have such... Damp tails?”
“...Damp?”
The soldiers all stiffened at her comment for some reason. She suddenly grabbed it and picked it up, and the form of what appeared to be a little black puppy emerged from the undergrowth. The pup wiggled its tail in an attempt to free itself from her grasp; it was clearly smarter than your average puppy. It stared into Claiomh’s eyes, its own visage displaying deep emerald-green hues.
“I-It’s... It’s a Deep Dragon!” one of the guards shrieked.
“A Deep Dragon...?”
Claiomh looked down at the puppy and gave it a gentle pet. It was indeed a baby Deep Dragon. The little creature pressed its nose against Claiomh’s hands, causing the girl to giggle. She almost couldn’t believe that this was the same species of monstrously dangerous beast that Orphen had spoken of.
Claiomh turned around to speak to the soldiers but had found their weapons were drawn, and they fully intended to beat the puppy to death.
“What are you doing?!” she screamed, shielding the Deep Dragon from their attacks. The force of the blow caused her to fall to the ground. “Gah...!”
The soldiers suddenly came to their senses. None of them had expected her to move into their line of attack. “H-Hey...” one of them said. “Are you alright?”
“...How very dare you!” screamed a livid Claiomh. “Why would you do that?! It’s just a child, isn’t it?!” Though she was yelling, the Deep Dragon seemed very comfortable and at home in her arms. She pulled herself up and glared at the men.
One of them finally spoke up, “That’s a Deep Dragon, don’t you see? Encountering one of them in this place means doom for the lot of us.”
“Shut up!” yelled Claiomh, before quieting her own voice. “The villagers will hear us... Don’t you find it strange that a Deep Dragon is so close to a human village anyw-”
Before she could finish her sentence, Claiomh felt an ominous presence wash over them. She slowly turned around and looked deeper into the forest. Fear began to engulf her being as she noticed the massive black creature. It stood deadly still, and was merely looking at them.
“H-How didn’t we notice that until now?” she muttered.
“Th-They say that Deep Dragons can hide inside their own sh-shadows...” said a ranger.
“O-Oh god...” said another, “we’re done for now...”
“M-My momma was right... Blondes... Not even once!”
Claiomh stayed still as she could, quietly surveying the Deep Dragon. It stood at about four meters tall and had a thick black coat of fur. Its snout faced towards her, and its eyes were as deep and emerald green as the puppy’s were. She thought to herself that it was a beautiful creature, and perhaps understood just why there were those that would worship it.
The Deep Dragon moved forwards, inch by inch, until it was right next to Claiomh. Slowly, it moved its maw towards her, and gently took the puppy into its mouth, safely carrying it away from her.
I guess it’s her child... thought Claiomh, but what are they doing so close to the village?
“What are you here for?”
Her question was met with no answer.
“I said... What are y-“
She stopped. Because she realized something. Another Deep Dragon had appeared nearby. And another. And another. Claiomh, frozen in fear, turned around to look once more... Before she knew it, the very village was surrounded by Deep Dragons. They all stood in perfect silence, staring towards the middle of the village. The three men accompanying her had gone weak at the knees. They refused to accept the terrifying reality in front of them. There were more than a few dozen of the terrifying beasts in the vicinity now, and their gazes were all transfixed on the village. Even an army of elite Sorcerer’s couldn’t hope to take them out... And Claiomh had nowhere to go. She was now caught between the village, and an endless wave of bestial Sorcery.
She suddenly felt something batting at her leg again. The baby Deep Dragon had walked back over to her. She sighed as she picked it back up... Its mother didn’t particularly seem to mind this time. Claiomh decided that no matter what was about to come, they would face it down.
Chapter VI: Swift Slaughter
An axe-wielding man charged on ahead as he busted down the door. “You bastard Sorcerer!” he screamed. Another rushed in from behind him, and another. They were making a beeline for Orphen down a hallway. Orphen shook his head before outstretching his palm and casting the Angel’s Breath sorcery. A pulse of wind blasted down the hall and knocked them back. Orphen winced slightly as the larger man collided with the smaller behind him, but he couldn’t pay them any heed.
“I release thee, Sword of Light!” cried Orphen, blasting a hole in the wall with intense, searing heat. He made a frantic run for it, but the people soon caught on and chased after him. Orphen made a little distance before turning towards the house and stretching his hand towards it. “... Lucky I’m not charging you for a burial, MacDougal...” he muttered, before releasing his incantation. “I crush thee, Primordial Silence!”
The center of the house began to collapse in on itself, almost as if it were imploding. Then, it was followed up by a deafeningly loud noise. An explosion rocked the area as the house blew apart, causing debris to scatter around the area. The people who were following him stopped, horrified at his display of power, but it didn’t hinder them for long. Orphen felt bad for the people who were in or around the house, but he rationalized that it probably wasn’t fatal. The noise of the collapsing house joined the cacophonic chorus of screaming and yelling villagers. Orphen decided to make the most of this opportunity.
“I release thee, Sword of Light!”
He sent out a blast of searing heat in a random direction, setting a few houses aflame. His intention was to sow some confusion as he made his escape... but he was quickly spotted again.
“There he is, get him!”
Orphen responded with more Sorcery. “I call on thee, Sisters of Rupture!”
His spell caused the air itself to vibrate, and the people who were giving chase fell to the grounds, clutching their heads. All but one of them, at least. He looked around in shock before picking up a brick and throwing it at Orphen. “T-Take this!” he yelled, before being shoved down by Orphen and kicked in the head.
“You bastards are more trouble than you’re worth!”
Even if Orphen was able to throw half of the village into disarray, the other half was still wise to his trickery. He continued running, when...
“Master!”
He heard a familiar voice. It was Majic, waving towards him from across the street.
“What the hell are you doing here, Majic?!” yelled Orphen. The kid had to be out of his mind.
“Th-That’s what I want to explain! I want to get Fiena so we could escape, but she wasn’t in her room in the tower!”
“What the hell, kid! You can’t do anything right, can you?! Just let me take care of it, and leave!”
“B-But Master, MacDougal could hurt her...!”
Orphen charged over and grabbed Majic by the scruff of his collar. “Listen. Head out of the village and meet up with Claiomh. I’ll handle the rest, okay?”
“F-Fine, if that’s what you think, Master!”
“Please do. I’m sick of people not listening to me... Especially when I have their best interests in mind.” Orphen sighed and wiped the sweat from his brow. The chaos in the village was causing the background temperature to rise quite a bit.
Suddenly... Obnoxious laughter began to ring through the village.
“Majic,” Orphen suddenly said. “Do not engage with him. I will deal with it.”
“R-Right... That goes without saying...”
The laughter continued to ring out. It was painfully irritating to hear. “Wuhahahaaaaah! Villagers! The time has come to purge the Sorcerer from these lands! Not because of any personal grudges, or anything! Not because he’s a stingy old loan shark, but because of... Righteousness and justice!”
It was Volkan, of course, already riling up the villagers. Orphen couldn’t tell where the yelling was coming from, so he clambered on to a roof to figure it out. He saw Volkan marching through the streets leading Dortin and a group of villagers. Except the villagers he was leading and rallying were... Literally just children.
Orphen slapped his palm into his face and let out a long sigh. Eventually, he extended his hand towards the little idiot.
“I construct thee, Spire of the Sun!”
Volkan was quite suddenly surrounded by a pillar of flames.
“Eeeek!”
The children following him all scatted in fear, and even Dortin ran underneath a nearby porch. Volkan danced around in a panic until, finally, the fire vanished. The little guy had no doubts in his mind as to who had done this.
He suddenly noticed Orphen on the roof and started jeering, “You monster! Did you not care about burning those children?! They’re just children, Orphen! I’m going to call social services, Orphen! Just wait until noon comes, you rat! I’ll activate my ultimate surprise trump card attack!”
Dortin quietly muttered, “H-He doesn’t have one of those...”
Orphen was in no mood for nonsense. “That’s enough out of you, you little wretch! You keep putting people’s lives in danger for no good reason, and you’ll turn on anyone at the drop of a hat!”
“That’s rich coming from you, you trigger-happy murderer! I’ll see you lynched for your crimes!”
“Me?! They’d sooner lynch you, you cockroach!”
“You fool! These villagers love me! My voice is music to their ears, making sweet audible love to them! I am a charmer, don’t you see?! They’ll see you for who you are...!”
“...Alright, that’s it...! I release thee, Sword of Light!”
Orphen pointed his hand right at Volkan, engulfing him in an explosive force.
The resulting blast knocked the dwarf out cold.
“How do you like that? Not so big-mouthed now!”
Orphen then heard a yell from behind him. It was Majic. The boy was being forced to climb up on to the roof by a massive crowd of angry villagers. Orphen and Majic were completely surrounded on all sides. “Welp. This is great,” he muttered.
Majic sniffled and yelled, “What do we do?!”
Orphen responded by grabbing Majic hard by the shoulders. ”O-Ow!” the boy cried.
“Shut up, if I let go then you’ll die.”
“What?”
“I’m using Sorcery to get us out of here.”
“I-I didn’t know that was possible...”
“Usually it isn’t. It’s gonna be a bumpy ride, but I’ll give it my best shot. Don’t say a word. I’m transferring your Sorcery and combining it with my own, we’ll make it further that way.”
“R-Right!”
There was no time for either of them to waste on thinking, the villagers had their weapons drawn and were already clambering up to the rooftop.
“If this spell fails, then our bodies will burn up and evaporate. If there’s an obstacle where we’re meant to land, we might end up getting fused to it and killed. If you move, or I let go of you, then the air might combust and kill everyone here... us included. There are too many variables.” He paused, before looking down at the village. “These people will struggle to their last breath. Will you?”
“I...” Majic muttered. “You’re asking if I want to die?”
“No.” Orphen shook his head. “I’m asking if you want to live. These people are doing whatever they can.”
“...Then yes, I want to survive.”
Orphen sighed. One of the men had already made it up to the roof. He charged at the duo with a shovel. Orphen couldn’t afford to waste any of the energy he was siphoning from Majic, but he lunged forward and smacked the man regardless. “Take that, you bastard!” he yelled.
The man fell off the roof.
◆◇◆◇◆
“Seems you made it,” Salua muttered, looking over towards Fiena. She was clad in ordinary clothing and wore a brown cloak, obscuring most of her features. The village seemed to be in an uproar, and an explosion had rung out earlier, but that was far from them now.
Fiena looked down as she addressed the man. “...Did you not manage to bring her?”
“Who do you mean?” Salua tilted his head.
“...The servant woman from MacDougal’s house. Were you two not lovers?”
“...Me, and that woman?”
Salua sighed. It wasn’t like he had special feelings for that servant or anything. Salua wanted to make that clear enough to Fiena.
I’d rather you didn’t think of me as some charmer... I’m not some hero. I’m just an assassin...
Salua spoke up. “She ran off in the confusion, but I’m sure it’s better that she stay with her own people.” He shrugged.
Fiena remained silent.
“It’s better that we use this chance to escape. The Sorcerer is causing a disaster in the village, we can use that to our advantage. If it’s Majic you’re concerned about, then I promise you he’s in no danger.”
Fiena smiled for a brief moment, “You’re right... He can’t die here.”
Still, an uneasy feeling nestled in Fiena’s bosom as she looked back to the village.
“Okay... I’m ready,” she said.
Salua nodded. “MacDougal’s dead, so I doubt the villagers will treat you too kindly if they find you. We need to survive until then.”
“Where are we going...?”
“My hometown. As far as anyone else is concerned while we make the journey, you’re my daughter. We can go and meet my brother and figure things out from there.”
“Ah, I’d like to meet your brother, then!”
“I doubt it, honestly.” Salua gently smiled, and patted the girl on the head.
He turned back towards the village and faintly heard Orphen yelling some kind of Sorcerous incantation.
“...There’s no way he could die in a place like this, neither he nor his apprentice.”
Fiena nodded by his side, and the two made their way into the forest.
◆◇◆◇◆
Majic and Orphen stood breathlessly on the rooftop, having defended themselves from a few incoming villagers. Orphen turned to Majic as if to ask if he was going to be okay.
Majic silently shook his head.
...For what it’s worth you’re holding out incredibly well, for a kid... thought Orphen. He was tremendously impressed by Majic’s displays of Sorcery when repelling the villagers.
“That’s enough.”
Five men appeared, and their leader spoke up. All of them were wielding pistols.
“Oh boy, it’s MacDougal’s favorite lackeys, huh?” spoke Orphen in a sardonic tone.
“Don’t you dare make a mockery, you Sorcerer bastard!” screamed the man. “You killed our savior, and we will avenge him!”
“Sure... Sounds like fun. But what’s the point in doing that? Shouldn’t you be picking out a new leader? Why don’t you aim elsewhere? You won’t fix your problems just by killing us.”
“What... What do you mean?” The man seemed confused.
Orphen grinned. “What, you don’t have a succession plan in place? Did you think MacDougal was gonna live forever? Which of you takes over now he’s gone? Which of you fixes the village?”
The men all turned to look at each other, hesitating for a moment. Orphen took full advantage of the opportunity.
“Oh dear, none of you are fit to rule at all... You’re too easily distracted!”
Orphen grabbed on to Majic for dear life and began to recite an incantation...
“I dance within thee...!”
The men raised their pistols once more.
“Heavenly Castle!”
“Uwaaaaaah!” cried Majic as Orphen suddenly used Sorcery to leap them to another rooftop. They hadn’t left the village, for some reason. Orphen quickly steadied himself before yelling out, “I release thee, Sword of Light!”
A sudden blast of heat and energy struck the rooftop they had just jumped from, burning it to pieces and causing the armed men to fall off the sides.
“Yahoo!” yelled Majic, but the villagers simply moved to surround the house they were now standing on top of instead. Orphen just grinned.
“I’m in a better situation to play around with them, now!”
Orphen took a more hostile pose as energy flowed through him, the energy he’d drained from Majic and added to his own reserves. He felt like his body was light as a feather, all of a sudden. His body was enveloped by newfound strength. But, just before he could prepare his next move...
Whooooom
A ringing sound like rushing water filled everyone’s ears. A bright, unfathomably bright light blinded everyone’s eyes. Orphen managed to gain his vision back quickly; he glanced around. Majic had fallen over and was clutching his head. They looked towards the center of the village... And it was gone. There was nothing left but an enormous crater.
“What the...”
Orphen stared at the smoldering crater where the tower and workshop used to be... And quickly became aware of the presences surrounding him. He quickly became aware of the Deep Dragons that were now everywhere.
The villagers stared on in absolute shock, unsure how to proceed.
Finally, the voice of a girl broke the silence, “Orphen!” she yelled. It was Claiomh. She was in the center of the village, atop the back of one of the Fenrir. She clutched an infant Deep Dragon in her arms, and three cowering men stood behind her.
Orphen and the villagers were extremely confused by the sight.
“O-Orphen! The Deep Dragons... they’re really not happy!”
“What?”
“They’re saying that they’re going to kill everyone in the village!”
As she spoke, one of the Deep Dragons opened its eyes wide, and searing hot flames... White fire, spread out across every last inch of land the beast surveyed. Buildings evaporated in seconds, metal boiled, and people were turned to dust. Orphen instinctively covered his face with his arms, but even the air itself was hot enough to cause great pain.
The light vanished, and about half of the village vanished with it.
Silence followed, and then screaming. The villagers ran in all directions, not understanding what was going on.
Th-They seriously managed that with a glance?!
Majic was cowering on his knees, shaking and panicking. Orphen pulled him up before turning back to Claiomh.
“What are you doing on the back of that thing, you idiot!”
The little Dragon in her arms fidgeted as she responded, “This little one...! His family are going to destroy the village, but they said they’d let us go free! I didn’t want them to do this, but I came along anyway!”
“What in the hell...” Orphen felt like berating her, but decided against it. He suddenly felt something probing into his mind. It was the gaze of the Deep Dragon that Claiomh was riding.
《Thou hast encroached upon our sacred lands. The people here have committed a grave taboo.》
The voice spoke directly into Orphen’s mind, just like the night he attempted to invade the village.
《The consequence for such a crime is execution and disposal.》
It seemed that the others in the crowd heard the message as well, because the townspeople were whipped up into a frenzy. Orphen had no doubt in his mind that a mass slaughter was about to take place. Orphen jumped down from the rooftop and the Dragon’s eyes flashed, causing another wave of heat to engulf the village. Orphen saw another ten people turn into scorchmarks, and waited for the white pillar of flame to dissipate.
Orphen dropped to the ground and raised his necklace high into the air. His heart was beating a thousand times a second but he had to keep himself calm.
“I dance within thee, Heavenly Castle!” yelled the Sorcerer. He invoked his teleportation magic again, but he didn’t move himself. He had wielded his pendant and teleported it into the Deep Dragon’s neck. It whizzed through the Dragon’s throat with an explosive force and flew out the other side. The great beast reared its head, causing the people riding it to fall right off. Orphen charged forwards... To find himself face-to-face with the creature. It glared at him with deep, emerald eyes. The villagers behind him ran in all kinds of directions, only to find themselves incinerated by the gazes of other Dragons.
...All it takes is one wrong look and this thing will wipe me from the world itself...
Orphen hated to admit it, but he was in a situation where he couldn’t possibly win.
“Orphen!” yelled Claiomh, running by the man’s side along with Majic. “Let us help you!”
“...And how do you expect to do that?” groaned Orphen. “We can’t do anything. These things can read our minds, we don’t even have a plan!”
“Then what do we do...?” Majic panicked. “We have no options!”
“Actually...” Orphen grinned, reaching over towards Claiomh and grabbing the puppy from her grasp. “We have a hostage.”
“O-Orphen, no!” said Claiomh. Majic simply stood in stunned silence. There was no other option Orphan could go for here, he needed to bluff his way out with a hostage situation. The Dragon in the middle of the village, the one presumed to be the leader, stopped entirely. As did the other Dragons that were laying waste to the village and its people.
“I’m serious, Deep Dragon! Listen to me!” Orphen yelled, knowing full well that the Dragon could probably read his intentions. He surmised that the one he was facing was likely the mother of the little one he held.
“I won’t ask why you attacked this place, so just leave without a word. Understand?”
The infant Dragon didn’t seem all that bothered, it just kind of merrily chirped in Orphen’s grasp.
“If you leave this place, I will free this child. But if you don’t...” He held up a free hand. “I am a trained Sorcerer, and I have been an assassin before. I will not hesitate to kill it in front of you.”
There was no answer, and for a long time silence reigned.
Finally, the Dragon’s eyes narrowed.
《Do as you like.》
“What...?”
That was not the response Orphen had expected or wanted to hear.
《We Deep Dragons are a race of warriors. We may grant pain to our enemies, but we can relieve it from our kin. Do not underestimate us, Sorcerer, we may grant life as easily as we seize it.》
It opened up its beautiful emerald eyes wide, staring Orphen down and calling his bluff.
《The Sleipnir do nothing but dominate. The Nornir do nothing but manage and create... And we Fenrir hunt without mercy, we are meticulous and efficient in our elimination of the enemy. We do not live a meaningless life. Unlike you, we do not serve a wayward, meandering journey.》
“...Wayward? Meaningless?” Orphen gritted his teeth.
He could understand having a purpose in life, but he could never understand having such a blatant lack of care for the sanctity of it. Orphen sighed quietly, holding the infant out to its mother.
“Killers like me have no place to judge...” he muttered, as the Deep Dragon took her child once more.
“Orphen...” Claiomh murmured. But Orphen didn’t pay any attention to her.
《I praise thee for having such a steadfast purpose in life, young one. But thou art ignorant of the greater workings of this world.》
The Deep Dragon quietly spoke to Orphen, before uttering 《Farewell.》
The Deep Dragon’s eyes closed, and it remained still. It hadn’t attacked.
Historically, Deep Dragons never had survivors of their attacks. This was because they were apex hunters, absolute predators, they hunted down their targets with merciless precision. He knew he wasn’t out of the woods yet.
Orphen suddenly turned around and darted towards a building, bumping past several villagers on his way. He ran until he found the house he’d blown up earlier... He looked around and dug through the rubble until he finally came across what he was looking for. A pistol. He picked it up and checked the ammo, making sure that there were bullets inside. There were four. He held it tight in his hand, hoping that the raging fires wouldn’t cause it to explode or go off.
He let off a sigh.
“...Sorcery won’t kill these things, so I doubt guns will... But I can hardly do anything unarmed.”
《Are you ready?》 rang a voice in his head.
Orphen immediately tensed up and began a Sorcery incantation to clad himself in armor as a column of light engulfed the building he was inside. The armor dissipated along with the light, it was clear that it was the only thing that had saved his life.
A gust of wind blew right past him as he came face to face with the Deep Dragon once more. The house was completely obliterated. The fleeing villagers were no longer visible at all. Off to the side, he saw Majic and Claiomh laying unconscious. The puppy had somehow ended up in her arms again. He couldn’t see the three rangers anywhere, though.
Orphen raised the gun and pointed it between the Dragon’s eyes.
He pulled the trigger.
BANG
The bullet simply vanished. The Dragon’s Sorcery had rendered it completely inert.
《Do not think poorly of us. We are a warrior race. We exist only to fight.》
“You killed countless unarmed people! This wasn’t a fight at all, it was a slaughter!”
《We were only operating according to the plan and its rules. This village was no longer necessary.》
“What do you mean by that?! They worshipped you! They believed in you!”
《We are aware. Our eyes and ears were within this village, after all. Our Sorcery allowed us to view things as seen through her senses.》
Fiena... thought Orphen. He knew there was an advanced form of Sorcery that allowed one to share senses with lesser creatures.
《The one commanding us required information of MacDougal... We allowed him to shelter her, and had her infiltrate this village.》
“Infiltrate... Find information...?”
Orphen realized that the Deep Dragons effectively wished to know what he wished to know. He gripped down tight on the gun to the point that his hand ached.
Who the hell... Who the hell is responsible for this...?
《Fiena spent a long time in this village, enough for us to conclude that MacDougal no longer had the information we sought. It is our opinion that the man went mad and came out here pursuing nonsense.》
Orphen didn’t necessarily agree, but arguing with them was pointless. MacDougal was dead, and nothing would change that.
“Why are you telling me this?”
《Is it not obvious?》
The Dragon’s gaze intensified.
《We wish for you to be our new eyes and ears.》
Orphen jumped back, ready to cast a defensive spell, even though he knew it was futile. No matter how far back he could jump, escaping the Deep Dragon’s dominion was a futile effort entirely. He attempted to weave the armor either way, but it fell apart the moment his incantation was spoken.
“I-I release thee, Sword of Light!”
The heat fizzled away within seconds of him casting it. Orphen suddenly realized something that was so clear it felt almost obvious in hindsight.
“You...!” he snapped, “You aren’t omnipotent, you’re just Sorcerers!” Sorcery was far from omnipotent, and it had its own weaknesses and strengths. That didn’t mean the Deep Dragons were any less strong, but it did mean they weren’t infallible. Just as Orphen’s Sorcery could only travel as far as his voice could... The Fenrir’s Sorcery could only travel as far as their vision could.
So long as he could block the Dragon’s line of sight, he still had a chance.
“Majic!” cried Orphen, as he fired off two more rounds at the Dragon.
The boy stirred and sat up, “Wh-What is it, Master?!”
“Use that!”
“Use... what?! Oh... you mean...!” Majic realized the situation surprisingly fast. “I disturb thee, Cage of Light!”
The young prodigy rattled off the incantation with expert precision, and the entire area was engulfed in a blinding flash. The light reflected off almost every melting metallic surface, shining right into the Deep Dragon’s eyes.
《You mean to disrupt our vision?》 replied the Dragon in a calm tone. The voice was much harder to hear due to the hindered field of view.
“That’s right!” yelled Orphen. “We’ll make sure you can’t look anywhere without being blinded!”
Orphen began casting more spells as he ran around the area. “I construct thee, Spire of the Sun!” A torrent of flame erupted around the Deep Dragon, causing various bits of mechanical debris to melt or expand. Something small and metallic flew from Orphen’s hand along with his spell as the area began to heat up.
《You know this isn’t enough to win, don’t you?》
“I do, but still...!”
Orphen was about to cast another spell, when...
BANG!
A noise rang out within the sea of flames, causing the Deep Dragon to moan in pain. It slumped to the ground. “You forgot about my pistol!” grinned Orphen. “Blocking your line of sight was just a decoy. I threw my pistol over there, my real plan was to have the flames cause it to overheat and blow up... Then hopefully hit you with its last shot. Which it did!”
《Clever... By blocking my sight, I couldn’t read your thoughts...》
The injuries to the Dragon were minor at best, but it was still quite an impressive feat.
《But you know it takes more than that to kill me.》
The Dragon was correct. Even if Orphen had managed to kill this one, the village was surrounded by far more.
《We are more than capable of wiping you out in seconds.》
“Then why haven’t you done it yet?!” growled Orphen.
《Because we know thee, Krylancelo.》
“Wh...!” The words hit him like a punch to the gut. It wasn’t possible for the Dragons to know that part of him...
《We know of thine acquaintance, and have made a pact with them. Thus, we cannot bring ourselves to kill you. If you truly say you will give your life to protect what remains here, then we will leave this place.》
Orphen couldn’t believe what he was hearing... But only one name came to mind when he thought of someone who could be great enough to form a pact with these strange, Godlike beings.
...Childman.
Even though he quietly begged for an answer, the Dragon refused to give him one. It slowly rose to its feet, injuries gone.
《But this village must be removed. Those who attempt to enter our sacred lands must be disposed of.》
The Dragons surrounding the village all stood to attention, focusing their gazes. Orphen knew what was about to come, and closed his eyes.
...When I open my eyes... everything is going to be gone... They’re all going to be dead!
He could feel the searing heat of the Dragon’s Sorcery burn at him; it was almost too great a burden to bear.
Ghh... Damn it! Damn it...!! What can I do...?!
Orphen screamed out in frustration, pounding at the ground with his fists. He yelled, “I-I’m Krylancelo, damn you! You can’t kill me! So don’t do this! Don’t do this, or I’ll kill you! I swear!”
Then, it was over... And he opened his eyes once more.
The entire village was gone, not a single trace remained. There was only burning, scorched earth. It was as if the settlement had been wiped from reality entirely. Strangely, however, Orphen, Majic, Claiomh, and any surviving villagers were left completely unharmed. They all found themselves on the ground, looking up at the Deep Dragons.
A small figure stood above Orphen. He thought it was Claiomh at first, but she was smaller... It was Fiena.
《Why hast thou returned, Fiena?》
“Because I knew you wouldn’t let them go... I knew you wouldn’t forgive their transgressions...!”
《We told thee as such... But why did thou not flee when thou had the opportunity...? And what became of the assassin?》
“I... I showed Salua the way out of this forest. I’m sure he had some of the information you wished to know, but... He’s my friend! I couldn’t just give that up! And the same goes for these people, you can’t kill them!”
She looked towards Majic, and then back towards the Deep Dragon.
“I share your senses, I draw from your Sorcery. But you know that, right? That even if I can’t muster enough to kill you, I could still use it to stop you!”
《It seems we made poor judgment when choosing thee.》
The Dragon’s words were punctuated with a jolt of electricity that coursed through Fiena’s body. A force that Orphen assumed was generated by the Deep Dragons cutting her off from their senses entirely. The girl was knocked back, but Orphen caught her.
“Maybe... Maybe it was a mistake!” she continued. “Maybe if you’d have gotten a strong man, then he could’ve won over MacDougal and put an end to this... But you didn’t! You got me!” Tears welled up in her eyes as she spoke. Orphen gestured to Majic to come and take her from him, which he did.
Orphen spoke up once more, “MacDougal is dead. Nobody will invade your territory anymore, understand? You had no reason to come here as you did.”
《That is far from the point. Crime begets punishment.》
“Haven’t you killed enough?”
《Our forest was violated. Man does not realize the meaning of taboo.》
“Does that really justify the slaughter of innocent, uninvolved parties?!”
《Crime begets punishment. It was justified well enough.》
Orphen shook his head, he clearly wasn’t getting through to the Dragon at all.
“Do it!” Claiomh suddenly yelled, running out as her golden hair fluttered in the wind. She held up the baby Dragon as it opened its eyes wide towards its parent. A light shone from its gaze, hitting the Deep Dragon at the feet... It gradually began to expand, whisking the creature away into nothingness.
《Know this, human Sorcerer... Just as this child obeys that girl... We too, obey...》
The Deep Dragons suddenly began fading away. It was clear that the attack hadn’t killed them, but whatever had just occurred caused them to retreat. The puppy barked happily and rubbed its face against Claiomh.
《We are of a race of warriors. The price we have paid for service is the power of Sorcery we obtained... But thou? In thine arrogance, thou have claimed it for free. Thy kind... Are a disease... Such unrestricted freedom combined with such power... Is dangerous... Our kind protects the Continent, and someday we shall protect it from thee.》
“That’s a load of crap!” yelled Orphen. “I release thee, Sword of Light!”
As if to make some kind of point, Orphen angrily shot a spell out into the forest... But it was met with no answer. Even if something more was to be said, Orphen wouldn’t have wanted to hear it. Orphen sighed quietly, ruminating on the words he’d been left with.
He turned to find Fiena crying in Majic’s arms, but now they were joyful tears. She was free. The villagers, too, were overjoyed to be alive. They had lost their homes, but they could mourn their dead and move onwards with joy in their hearts. Orphen looked at Claiomh, and she gave him a little grin. He glanced towards the little puppy nestled against her chest, and wondered what the future was going to bring them...
Orphen sighed quietly. It had been a tremendously traumatic day for a lot of people... But now it was all over. He looked to the sky as it gradually changed color, and let out a breath of relief.