Dragon's Tale 37

One against four was never a good odd to face, and worse if all four were actually magic users with significant military experience. Add in the fact that they were led by a Sorcerer, and I had a true challenge in front of me. 

While I had already killed the majority of their group, it didn’t give me as much confidence as it was supposed to have, because ultimately, the only reason I was able to do so was a combination of a bunch of freaky events that belied belief. Not only they underestimated me as they hunted because of my earlier escape, but also, at the moment of my attack, they were distracted by a rebellion of their captives. Add in the fact that the chaotic environment of the mountain worked perfectly to mask my magical presence, and they were whittled down by essentially the most perfect ambush possible. 

Facing a sudden rain of fire while trying to dodge a water spear, all the while the earth shook underneath me told me that the reputation of Roman Legions was well-deserved. The combination of attacks, launched without the slightest discussion, forced me to react by casting a magical shield, because it was impossible to dodge all three attacks simultaneously. I either cast a shield and not only wasted my mana, but also sacrificed initiative, or dodged, and received at least one dangerous attack. 

Counter-attacking would have been a dangerous but viable strategy, if it wasn’t for one important detail. I was being attacked by the mages only. The sorcerer was yet to cast his spell, his hands glowing, awaiting my choice before committing to a spell, ready to defend and attack as the situation demanded. A perfect strategy to snatch me. 

I could hear my late grandfather’s lessons echoing in my ear. ‘A mage that follows the flow of the opponent is a stupid mage. And there is no difference between a stupid mage and a dead mage but time.’ I had to change the balance somehow. 

Unfortunately, that was easier said than done. Other than a unique lightning spell I was yet to perfect, I had no option to risk myself. It was a unique movement spell I had created myself based on a few mentions in the library. Unfortunately, it left my muscles burning and twitching. I could use it to get away, but that would mean letting them go, something I could not afford. Unless I killed every single one of the mages, they would know that I was responsible for the death of almost a dozen mages, and Rome had massacred tribes and subjugated small nations for less. 

I needed them to believe that their expedition force had died because of the mystery of the mountain. If they lose a Sorcerer mysteriously, it was unlikely for them to send another. It was the only chance for me to avoid a lifelong chase, or being imprisoned in the mountain, no matter how nice the city was. 

Without using the lightning dash, I had to rely on other stuff. And despite being a sorcerer, only the element of the sky, the lightning, gave me the chance to succeed. The elements of Gaia —earth, fire, air, and water— still resisted my control, and it robbed me of the edge I could use against them. 

The quick lightning bolt I launched as I rolled to the side exploded on the Sorcerer’s shield, who looked more than happy to stay in defensive while the other three continued their assault. The biggest disadvantage of the lightning was its unsuitability to defense, and using a non-elemental defense might work against the mages, but it’ll also allow the sorcerer to attack me. I tried to hide behind a tree, but it exploded before I could reinforce it. I tried to raise an earth barrier, but the sorcerer just blasted it, before redirecting my lightning bolt… 

Five minutes into the chase, I was feeling properly exhausted, paying for the two area-effect lightning explosions I had used for earlier, and constantly throwing lightning bolts like candy wasn’t exactly the most relaxing activity. And whenever I used the occasional non-elemental spell, or relying on other elements, the drain became even more noticeable. The mages were starting to get exhausted as well despite using much weaker spells, but the same couldn’t be said for the sorcerer himself. He had a stony expression on his face as he methodically deflected or blocked every spell I could. 

“How about I surrender?” I murmured even as I launched another lightning bolt, mostly to break the pace rather than with genuine intention. I had hurt them enough to know that a quick suicide was vastly preferable to be captured. The same end, but without the pain and the humiliation. However, my idle statement worked, just not the way I intended. The sorcerer’s calm expression finally showed a flicker of emotion. Pure fury. It went just as quickly as it arrived, but it told me something important. He wasn’t calm, he was just experienced enough to hide his emotions. 

And it gave me a plan. Not a nice, honorable plan, a kind that could easily be described as despicable, but I didn’t ask to be hunted like a dog by half-a-cohort’s worth of mages led by a sorcerer, so I felt justified. “Come on, what does a few useless mages matter,” I commented with an exaggerated dismissiveness. “I’m sure your employee wouldn’t care a bunch of useless dogs too distracted to notice an ambush. He might even reward you for getting rid of a bunch of useless guys.” 

The flare of anger that passed through Sorcerer’s face scared me, though not as much as the huge silhouette of a wolf made entirely of water, charging toward me scarily. Rather than trying to shield myself, I nailed his spell with a lightning bolt of my own, something that required impeccable aim and iron nerves. A moment of delay, and I would have died. 

“Ah, I see,” I murmured lazily even as I dodged the assault of the three mages, their pattern was broken by the angry assault of the sorcerer. “Based on your incompetence, I’m guessing they were trained by you. You should thank me, I prevented your useless disciples from shaming you in polite society.” 

I had no doubt that the sorcerer was smart enough to realize my objective of angering him intentionally. But anger was an interesting emotion. Just because his mind knew about it didn’t mean that he could control his emotions perfectly. Another water wolf attacked me, this time followed by a fireball, but pair of lightning bolts from my end was enough to handle the threat. “Missed again,” I stated lazily, doing my best to hide my labored breaths. 

The sorcerer attacked, this time with an area-effect air spell, something hard to dispel with a lightning bolt, but also with limited damage. It also created a cloud of dust, which obscured everything for a moment. 

It was the opportunity I was looking for. Rather than trying to defend magically, I covered my face with one of my arms, while I sent a special lightning bolt toward the mages. It was the chain lightning, a very useful spell for dealing with the small groups, but with a great drawback. It required constant channeling to make sure it maintained its stability enough to jump into the nearest target, hence the reason I hadn’t used it against the crowd. 

Handling three mages was a more manageable task, but not without its cost. As the earth-shattering cry of the first mage reached my ear, I maintained the focus. But it meant I couldn’t even cast a shield to defend myself against the wind, and it was too close to dodge. The gust of wind hit me with all the strength of a tornado, filling my skin with cuts even as it threw me back. Still, I was focused on channeling the spell, and the cries of the second mage reached my ear even as my back connected with a tree painfully, with a crack that I recognized as three of my ribs breaking. Of course, identifying the number of broken ribs from their sound was another little skill I had to ‘thank’ my grandfather for. 

The pain enveloped my mind as the winds continued to drag me back, along with the tree trunk I had broken during the collision. Without the physical improvements I gained during my unique Ascension, I would have died, or at least lost consciousness, no matter how used I was to pain. Ultimately, the human body had some limits impossible to overcome with willpower, and even with my improvements, I was pretty close to it. 

Still, through the sheer stubbornness, I was able to maintain control of the spell, and the third cry reached my ear, followed by the furious cry of the Sorcerer. I lost the connection with the spell, meaning he had managed to successfully shield himself. However, I wasn’t the only one that couldn’t shield myself and channel top-tier attack magic at the same time. The gust of wind lost its power, depositing me on the floor, and I stopped after rolling several times. Not the best thing to experience with broken ribs, not to mention with more wounds than skin. And I had a broken piece of branch in my leg, nicely pinning me in place. And just to make things even better, I managed to lose my belt, along with all my weapons.

I was on my limits, and even if I used my lightning dash to escape, I doubt I could run more than a few hundred yards, which would mean that I would be captured —if I don’t die from blood loss first. 

The sorcerer dashed toward me, only to slow down when he saw my horrible condition. “I’m going to enjoy torturing you before I send you to Pluto,” he gloated gleefully, his face contorted with a mad joy, which, admittedly, I deserved completely. 

It was time for one last bet. “Not if I send myself first,” I answered even as I grabbed the tree branch from my leg, and pulled it out, which let my blood flow freely. “You’re out of time,” I said, betting everything on his desire of vengeance. 

“No!” he cried furiously as he dashed forward. “You can’t get away that easily.” 

It was the opportunity I was looking for. Before he could realize what was going on, I reached my magic, and charging my body with lightning before I threw myself forward, putting all my weight on my working leg. It threw me barely ten yards forward, but it was just what I needed to stab my opponent in the neck with the branch that was still covered with my blood. “Please pass my greetings to Pluto,” I murmured even as I tried to suppress a completely new source of pain, my skin burned with my internal lightning, my muscles twitching horribly. The only positive thing about it was that being burned from inside out cauterized my wounds, saving me from the risk of immediate death in exchange for excruciating pain… 

All told, I thought even as I tried to stay conscious under the tyrannical assault of pain, it was a successful battle. The opponent was dead, and I was still alive…