Chapter 441 - Lessons in Victory

Made an important change to last chapter. The Master no longer appears to be a warlock toward the end of the fight. Instead, Hump senses death essence.

Here is the scene for those interested:
The Master stepped through the dying blaze, robes scorched to tatters, his stone flesh crumbling, streaks of red and raw muscle showing beneath. The veil over his face was shattered. His hair was patchy, burnt. His face was warped, consumed by madness. His eyes filled with pale green light, and that same essence rose in faint streams from across the open wounds across his body.

A cold sensation filled Hump. One he had only encountered a few times before. It was weak, but this was the essence of death.

A lich? Or perhaps a necromancer?

The Master raised his staff and punched it forward before Hump could think further. A golden bolt of force blasted from the tip and struck Hump square in the chest before he could recover his essence enough to raise a defence.

“What do we tell them?” Emilia asked.

“The truth, obviously,” Bud said, looking at her with confusion. “We have nothing to hide.”

“If we tell them everything, we may lose our ability to pursue this matter ourselves.” Emilia looked between them all. “Is that what we want? Hump, how confident are you that you can locate the man behind this?”

“We have his blood and I have multiple spells that should be able to locate him with it,” Hump said, giving a shrug. “It should be easy enough. And in truth, I think it would be best if we were the ones to find the man they called Master. He knew about the Book of Infinite Pages.”

“Was he a warlock?” Bud asked.

Hump shook his head. “I don’t think so. Well… he was a warlock, but not in the same was as Anthony and the rest of the Order of Ancients. I sensed death essence on him. He may be a necromancer or something else related to undead.”

“And if these attackers were working for Kassius, there is no telling who else might be,” Emilia said. “We shouldn’t tell anyone that we have a method to track this ‘Master’ down.”

“Dylan, Celaine, do you both agree?” Bud asked.

“I’m happy to go with the thinkers on this one,” Dylan said. “Doesn’t matter to me either way.”

“I’d like to finish the job,” Celaine said. “Best if we’re the ones that find him.”

Nishari chose that moment to land, and it was far from her most elegant of arrivals. She half crashed to the ground, running as she slowed her speed, her wing still giving her difficulty. There was a hole through the web of it and it seemed to make her move awkwardly. Hump would need to see to that. She let out a huff as she lumbered over to Hump’s side, leaning against him with her head low and tail flat against the ground behind her. Hump ran a hand down her head but she didn’t perk up. He could sense her injury was upsetting her more than it was painful.

Bud let out a long sigh. “Very well. I’m happy to go with the majority on this, and it’s a sound argument. I still think we may want to involve someone with authority so that we’re not operating illegally in the city. Even Marcela or Count Daston could help to keep us out of trouble.”

“If we have time to let them know, I have no issue there,” Hump said. “For now, we have this lot to deal with. Before that though…” His eyes went to Celaine’s injuries. The blood running from her ear was more concerning than the wounds to her body. He held up his staff, the Silver Sprig dangling out.

“No need for that,” Celaine said.

“I’ve got six charges,” Hump said. “It’s fine.”

She shook her head. “Maybe later. It’s better if we look a little beaten up. They’ll ask less questions. And we may yet need this if we are to face the Master again.”

Hump frowned. “Fine.” He turned to Nisha instead. If Celaine wanted to keep her injuries, that was one thing but there was no way he was going to leave his little Nisha with a wound. He activated the artifact, directing its power toward the hole in her wing. In seconds, it was repaired.

Nisha let out a happy huff, her tail beginning to whip happily.

Hump grinned. “That’s better, isn’t it girl?”

“Lorissa, are you alright?” Dylan asked.

Hump looked over to see the druid approaching his girlfriend to the side. She had her arms wrapped around her and was staring at the bodies.

“Lorissa?” he asked again.

She turned slowly, blinking as if pulled from a trance. “I’m fine, Dylan. Don’t worry.”

“You sure?”

“I’m sure.”

But her voice was off. She wasn’t trembling, but she seemed too still to Hump.

Emilia leaned toward Hump and the others, her voice low. “She’s shaken. Not typically a combatant. She’s tough though. She’ll be okay.”

Hump gave a knowing nod. This was a rough battle for anyone. Fortunately, their enemy had overestimated the effectiveness of their poison and significantly underestimated them. Whoever it was, they were likely lacking in research. In Hump’s mind, that ruled out Kassius, the Order of Ancients, and Karlac. He couldn’t imagine any of them making such a mistake.

Which left two options—an unknown organisation after his spellbook, or the Silver Circle. The very people that had tried to take the book from Hump’s master all those years ago.

If that was the case, Hump already had a sneaking suspicion he knew where the blood would lead him.

Torchlight soon spilled into the streets. Boots pounded the cobblestones as a group of Chosen arrived on the scene along with a squad of city guards. They were battle ready, their weapons drawn, blessings already in the air.

Too late, Hump thought, but he didn’t say it. He didn’t recognise the Chosen amongst them which made things more convenient. If some higher-ups from Kassius’ welcome party showed up, explaining things might be more difficult.

Their group stood amid the carnage—blood, bodies, broken tiles and smoke linger in the air. The guards looked between them and the damage, tense, uncertain. Bud stepped forward and introduced himself and the rest of them. As soon as it was clear he was a Knight of Kelisia, the tension dissipated.

They explained what happened—the ambush, the poison, and the mysterious spellcasters that led the attack, hiding nothing about the actual events that took place. What they kept to themselves was their speculation about who the attackers might be, the recovered blood, and what they planned to do next.

The Chosen and guards did not press them further. It seemed the fact they were in attendance at Kassius’ welcome party added some weight to their words, and they were soon released to return to their homes.

“We can provide an escort,” the captain offered.

Hump shook his head. “No need for that, Captain.” He thumbed toward the bodies of their attackers. “I can’t see this lot making a second attempt.”

As the guards began managing the scene, cordoning off the area and tending to the unconscious wizard apprentice, Water, Hump and the others were on their way once more.

“I’ll begin preparations tonight,” Hump said. “I’ll pick a spell and get a circle ready by morning.”

“Are you sure we should wait so long?” Bud asked.

“We’re in no state to fight,” Emilia said. “And with injuries like Hump described, I don’t see this man leaving the city. Even if he does, we can follow him.”

“I need time anyway,” Hump said. “I’ll have to read through the tracking options in my book. Even once I pick one, it’ll take me a couple of hours to study and prepare it. And…” he exhaled slowly. “I’m drained. My essence and willpower and running short.”

“Tomorrow then,” Dylan agreed. He gave Hump a clap on the shoulder, then turned to Lorissa.

She stood a few paces from Dylan, arms still folded, her eyes fixed ahead.

“You were great,” Dylan said gently.

She looked at him, then at the others. Her eyes were wide, almost disbelieving. “I can’t believe how calm you all are. We were attacked. On the street. I thought Hump died at least twice. I almost died too.”

“I wouldn’t let that happen,” Dylan said. “We handled it. You handled it. We won, Lorissa.”

“You say we handled it, but I was terrified,” she said, voice rising slightly. “I still am.” She leant in and whispered. “And now you hide things from the guards and intend to go after this man alone.”

“Lorissa—” Dylan started.

“—You’re all going to get yourselves killed! I have heard the stories about the kind of things you get up to. You might play down the danger, Dylan, but I know. And now seeing it in person…” She let out a sigh and shook her head. “I’m worried.”

Dylan gave her a soft smile. “We’re adventurers. This is what we do. And we are part of King Henry’s army, as are you.”

“I suppose I am not typically so close to the fighting,” she said. “But I still fear that you are seeking out danger. That man was powerful. Powerful enough to rival a sixth circle Chosen. This is not someone you should go looking for—not without involving officials.”

Hump opened his mouth to tell her that they’d dealt with much more difficult situations before, only for Celaine to pinch his arm. He frowned at her, but she shook her head, clearly wanting him to stay out of it. Lorissa’s reaction had surprised him. She was a fourth circle Chosen of Vesta—one didn’t reach such heights without exposure to at least a little danger. At least, that’s what he thought. She should trust them to know what they were doing.

“You won’t tell anyone, will you?” Dylan asked quietly.

She glared at him then rolled her eyes. “No. Of course not. I just don’t want to see you get hurt.”

Dylan smiled and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “Thank you. I’ll be careful. Promise. Shall I walk you home?”

She shook her head. “No need. I’m going straight to the temple. I’ll stay at the dormitories tonight.

“We’ll go together,” Emilia said. “It’s not far.”

Lorissa gave a grateful nod. Together, they all did a loop around the battle and headed back to the temple district. Once Lorissa was safe, the rest of them split up, Hump and Celaine returning to the safe house with Nisha, while the others went to the Rike Estate. Come morning, there would be more to do.

***

“Anything I can help you with?” Celaine asked gently, her fingers massaging his shoulders.

Hump sat at the dining room table, his staff leaned against the wall beside him, the Book of Infinite Pages open but untouched before him. He’d just finished tending to her wounds, using the Silver Sprig, doing what he could with a single charge to close the worst of them. The bruises would fade with time. The pain, hopefully, sooner.

He shook his head, offering her a tired smile. “No need. This won’t take too long, and I’ll focus better on my own.”

She leaned down and kissed his cheek, her lips lingering for just a moment. “Good night then,” she whispered. “Try not to take too long.”

“I’ll try,” Hump said, though they both knew that was unlikely.

As she disappeared down the hall and the soft click of the door marked her retreat, silence fell over the room.

Hump drew in a slow, steady breath and closed his eyes.

His mind was still racing, so he focused on the River and Waves, letting the rhythm of their imagined flow pull his scattered thoughts into a line. His breathing slowed. The pressure inside his chest ease. The battle was over, but his mind still churned with thoughts of the Master. Again, Hump was reminded of how far he still had to go, but also of how far he had come.

Today, he’d accomplished something that would have once been an impossibility to him. He’d faced down a caster that could only have been Rank 6. A powerful wizard with years of experience, and yet… Hump had stood his ground. He’d set a trap, and it had worked.

Yet even with that, he had failed to break the man’s defences completely. Failed to finish him off when he’d had the opportunity. Too many of his spells were unsuited for the conditions. He couldn’t very well cast Rivers of Lava on a rooftop in a city district. He needed more. He needed spells that could finish fights. Spells built for precision and pressure. Magic that could match his growth and the enemies he was now attracting.

He knew that, but finding the time to actually learn anything to a standard he could use in combat was difficult. Soon, they were supposed to begin their journey north to the Dukedom of Yore. He was already using the Time Stop Hourglass everyday to get practice in, but an extra two hours only made so much difference.

His soul thrummed. He could feel it—full to bursting. His very being buzzed with stored essence, strength woven into every fibre of his being from the weeks of Spirit Overflow and the hard-won victories he had endured. He could feel, with a certainty, that he was nearing the next stage—the realm of the Rank 6 wizard. He had focused on his foundation as advised by his predecessors, and this is where he would either be rewarded or fail. He had seen it in the battle—the way he had managed to control the essence around him even against the will of a more powerful wizard.

It would be time soon, but the dangers for this next step were too great for him to attempt alone. When the time came, his party would watch over him. Before that, he needed to solve his necromancer issue.

Feeling focused now, Hump turned fully to his task. He pushed aside distractions and leafed through the spellbook’s glowing pages, searching for spells suited for tracking a person by their blood.

Now that he was paying attention to the subject, there were surprisingly many in the book. Strangely so.

What in the world were my predecessors up to? Hump wondered.