Chapter 257 - The Best Kind of Magic

It's 3.40am and I just finished! Somehow this turned into a very long chapter lol.

Hump watched from inside the temple as the shamans worked. There was no simple solution to Lich Queen Irila’s infection, but they spent what remained of the day attempting to get rid of it anyway. When Yunillia called for them to return to Drakalyn late in the afternoon, Hump could still sense the lich’s power in the essence well. It rose through the temple sanctum like some foul stench, clinging to his nose and throat.

He was pleased to be out of the temple and back into the fresh air. They passed heaps of bones, flesh, and the milky residue left behind by fallen spirits as they walked. Without the power of the temple, there was nothing left here to fuel them. Their heartstones had gone out, and whatever regenerative abilities they’d once possessed had faded. Anything useful was already picked clean. What remained would either be buried or left for scavengers.

The forest was dim in the setting sun as they marched back to Drakalyn, though Hump no longer had problems with the light. Ever since he’d received dragon blood, the dark no longer seemed as, well… dark. The trees appeared sharp, the leaves and sticks underfoot were clear. He was enjoying his new abilities even in simple moments like this. Everything from his walking to his magic came more easily. It was an amazing feeling.

“We were impressed with you both today,” Leif said, coming alongside Hump and Celaine. “You’ve gotten strong, Celaine. Amazing how far you’ve come in such a short time. And that was quick thinking with that shield of fire, Wizard. No doubt saved us a lot of hassle.”

“That means a lot coming from you,” Celaine said.

“Yeah, appreciate it,” Hump said, smiling. “Though seeing you all in action, I’m sure you’d have had no trouble handling a few more undead. The plan was executed perfectly.”

Leif grunted a laugh. “As it should be. We walk into situations like that daily. However, that doesn’t mean you should sell your efforts short, lad. There’s risk on any mission, and sometimes even the most comfortable of jobs get someone killed. What you did today was reduce that risk and ensure the mission went more smoothly. That’s something I value greatly—we all do.”

Nearby, Halvar and Nyven both grinned at him. Quin glanced his way expressionless, which Hump counted as an improvement from the distrust and anger she’d had when they were first introduced.

It was a sentiment Hump appreciated, especially since he started leading his own party.

Hump nodded. “Point taken. I suppose success or failure doesn’t mean much when you come out the other side missing someone. Just makes the flawless victories even more important to celebrate.”

“Yes! Absolutely!” Leif clapped him on the back cheerfully, the giant man sending Hump stumbling a step forward even with his new dragon blooded strength. “And celebrate we shall! There’s nothing better than everyone going home together.”

Hump smiled, yet it wasn’t a true one. While the day might be a success, he couldn’t help but feel they’d accomplished nothing that mattered. If Irila truly needed the temple, she would have assigned more of her army to protect it, or she would have been there to face Yunillia herself. The fact that she hadn’t meant only one thing—her objective was something else. However Hump thought of the problem, there was only one connection he could make. It all went back to the Essence Spring. Irila had tainted it with her invasion of rats, she’d conquered temples, forts, and burial grounds and no doubt had her minions pouring power into the essence wells just as they’d witnessed today. The damage was being done quickly, and taking back a single temple would hardly slow her down.

Yunillia directed them to what was effectively her barrack. While there were only beds to treat the wounded, meals were provided, along with any provisions they required to ensure their equipment was combat ready. Hump joined the group for a meal, feeling like far less of an outsider than he’d been at the start of the day.

There was nothing quite like a victory to bring a group together.

***

Rest was not a privilege Drakalyn had time for. Hump had spent what remained of the previous day’s evening playing with Nisha and training his own magic, before getting to sleep early. The next morning, they had their new assignment. This time from a familiar face.

“I’ve located a second pathway through the mountains,” Ado said from the front of the barracks. The rest of Yunillia’s hunters were seated on the dining tables, listening to the shaman intently. “The pass exits at the base of the Verdant Peak.”

“That’s a small mountain to the east of Fire Pass,” Celaine whispered at Hump’s side. “As far as I know, the only way through there was to hike it.”

“Got it,” Hump responded quietly.

“How haven’t we found this sooner?” Leif asked. “We’ve had renaissance teams in the area for decades. A pass like this doesn’t just turn up overnight.”

“I believe it tunnels directly through the mountains,” Ado said. “As of yet, I’ve only viewed the most outer part of the tunnel, but most likely it was created either by magic, or by some creature.”

Concerned murmurs went up around the room, while others shouted ideas as to what it might be.

“Our goal today is to collapse it,” Ado said.

“A tunnel of the scale you describe will be no simple task to collapse, even for me,” Yunillia said.

“For a Chosen of Owalyn, I agree,” Ado said. “However, we have a wizard at our disposal. One that I think is perfect for the task.”

As all eyes turned to look at Hump, he smiled, trying to appear comfortable while inside cursing Ado for putting the task at his feet. The shaman seemed to be making a habit of creating plans that involved Hump without consulting him first, and bringing down a mountain pass might be beyond even his skillset.

***

There was no doubt in Hump’s mind that they had caught Irila unaware this time. They encountered little resistance on their way to the tunnel, and what guard force they did find was no match for Yunillia and her keepers.

Standing at the base of the mountain, it wasn’t difficult to guess what it was known as the Verdant Peak. There was little green to most of the mountain, most of it being rocky and grey, but right at the top there was a small woodland grove. An oasis on a desert of rock. During better days, Hump would have liked to climb it and see it from within. Instead, he turned his mind to the task at hand.

The tunnel itself had only been partially visible from the outside, appearing to be a narrow crack on the underside of a large, stone overhang. Even with his enhanced eyesight, there was no way Hump would have ever found it on his own. How Ado had discovered it, he couldn’t even fathom. Let alone how he’d dared to enter and investigate it alone.

They entered with only a brief skirmish. Yunillia led the charge this time, clearing out anything in their path for five hundred paces before establishing a boundary. At the same time, she had half her keepers remain in the air, scouting the area and making sure no more of the lich’s forces snuck up on them while they were inside.

Hump ran his hand along the tunnel wall, the stone smooth and solid against his hand. He held out his staff, Wizard Light shining throughout the giant, seemingly endless cavern.

Yunillia, her forger, Higri, Ado, and Leif’s party stood by waiting.

“Can you really bring this down?” Quin asked, sounding unconvinced.

Hump gazed up at the ceiling high overhead. What was that? ten feet? fifteen? And beyond it was a mountain of stone and earth, all of which had been there for ages.

“Bringing it down isn’t the problem,” Hump said. “At least, a fairly large section of it isn’t. There’s no way I can bring down the entire tunnel, but I can block it off.”

“That’s all I expected of you,” Ado said.

“If you can do it, what’s the problem, Wizard?”

“Well, I don’t have a method of activating my formation from far away. I’ll need to be inside, and while I’m not sure about the rest of you, I really don’t want to be crushed by a mountain.”

“How do you intend to bring it down?” It was Higri that spoke, the runeforger one of the few people in Drakalyn that Hump could discuss formations with, even if they were very different to those of Owalyn’s Chosen.

Hump gave him a brief explanation, outlining his use of formations and his Rockslide spell to lace the chamber with cracks and trigger a collapse.

“So what you need is a method to activate your formation remotely,” Higri said. “We have heartstones that can act as transmitters over short distances.”

Hump blinked at him. “You have what?”

“It’s a incredibly intricate forging,” Higri explained. “In simple terms, we take two identical heartstones and connect them with runes. The range is limited, and essence becomes less efficient the further from each other the heartstones are, but they should enable you to cast your magic from a distance. We typically use them to communicate over long distances. It’s how the elders were able to call us back from the north.”

“This is going to require a lot of essence,” Hump said, getting to the point of the issue and ignoring the fact that he’d never even heard of such technology.

“All you need is to imbue your formation with essence before retreating outside, correct?” Higri asked.

“Correct, but how…” Hump trailed off as Higri pulled a bag from his back, opening it to reveal dozens upon dozens of heartstones.

“Can you use these in your formation?”

Hump swallowed, a flare of excitement rushing through him. Not only was a fortune before his eyes, but the possibilities it presented was perhaps even more spectacular. He’d always liked blowing things up after all.

***

Hump stood atop a small slope just outside the tunnel, staring at the crack. He’d spent a solid two hours crafting his spell, layering formations to create a Rockslide spell that plastered a dozen paces of the tunnel and embedding essence stones into each of the runes. It was the single biggest spell he’d ever attempted, which made him more than a little nervous. He’d crafted the safe formation on the hill, embedding the transmitter stone at the centre of the formation—the focus point for his intent.

“Is everyone ready?” Hump asked.

Affirmations went up around him, many far less confident in his abilities than Ado.

Celaine squeezed his shoulder. “I’ll be standing guard.

“Thank you.”

“We’re ready,” Yunillia said. “Good luck.”

Hump clenched his jaw into a grin. He didn’t need luck. None of that mattered, though. His own belief was what counted. He had no problems with the theory behind what he was doing. A large tunnel was inherently prone to collapse. It lacked support, all he needed to do was create an opportunity for the weight above to bring it down.

Hump drew in a breath, focusing, then he manifested his soul. Essence rose around him, and the world turned violet. He felt his body become stronger, and the dragon blood within him boiled. Power tore through him and he fought to contain it. His breathing grew heavy, his heartbeat raced, his skin became hot.

“…How…?” someone said behind him.

“…He’s not even Chosen…”

Hump placed his staff at the base of his formation, infusing it with essence. He breathed deeply, focusing, his attention fixed on his formation. Essence streamed into it, and he sensed the formation on the other side, connected through the transmitter stone. His reach was fairly weak, but he could sense the power waiting for him on the other side, an explosion waiting to happen, all it needed was his intent.

Reaching out with his mind, he drew upon the essence in the heartstones beyond, fuelling his formations. Lashing at the walls with power. He imagined bronze tendrils lacing the stone, burying into its depths. He sensed the cracks forming, the power building, the energy that needed an outlet.

Hump levelled his staff toward the tunnel, the world erupting with bronze light around him while even more essence burned in his mind’s eye. Around him, the wind stirred into a storm, blasting at his battle robes and cloak, making it billow around him. He took one final breath, his spell as ready as it would ever be.

“Crumble before me,” Hump whispered, “Rockslide.”

A giant crack shook the air, like thunder booming, only this came from underground. For a few seconds, nothing happened.

“Did it work?” Ado asked.

Hump frowned. “I’m not—”

The ground shook. A gentle rumble at first, but it built until the entire world was quaking. Dust and debris rose into the air from the crack, then the entire rock face exploded in a great cloud. Hump kept his balance against his staff, fuelling his spell with more intent, focused only and bringing the tunnel down even as the ground shuddered beneath him.

“Look at that?” Celaine said, pointing at something on the mountain.

Hump turned his attention to a spot just above the tunnel, where the earth started shifting, then all at once a giant section of the mountain started sliding. Rocks and stones tumbled over each other, raging down the side of the mountain, tearing up more earth, trees, and anything else in its path. Hump’s heart hammered with excitement. His eyes widened as he stared at the scale of the collapse, unable to keep the gleeful smile from his face.

“Gods above,” he whispered.

Now this was magic. This was what he trained and studied for. While at times he enjoyed combat, and he certainly appreciated the wealth and recognition it came with, there was nothing quite extreme destruction.

As the crashing rubble came to an abrupt halt, and the dust slowly started to clear, Hump couldn’t help but imagine what the future might hold. One day, if the situation allowed for it, he really wanted to level an entire mountain, or make it run with rivers of lava. Gods, his blood was boiling just thinking about it.

“Hump!” Celaine suddenly shouted, shaking him.

He turned to find her giving him an annoyed look.

“Keeper Yunillia’s speaking to you,” she snapped.

Hump turned to the keeper, who was staring at him. He wasn’t completely sure, but he thought he saw surprise in her eyes.

“You brought down part of a mountain,” she said. “That wasn’t the objective!”

Hump glanced at the mountain, where a chasm now scarred its side, as if a giant had gone and taken a bite out of it. He grimaced. In his excitement, he’d not quite thought about what he’d just done.

“In my defence, this was my first time trying to collapse anything on that sort of scale,” he said. “How was I supposed to predict this?”

Yunillia sighed, while at her side, Ado burst into laughter.

“He may have ruined the view, but no undead are going to be getting through there anytime soon.”

Yunillia smiled. “No, I suppose not. Though if we find another tunnel, perhaps scale back the destruction a little.”

“No problem. I can do that.” Hump glanced back at the ruins of the tunnel, doing his best to hide his disappointment.

Celaine nudged him and hissed, “Stop looking like that.”

“Like what?” he asked.

“Like someone just took your latest toy away. You can’t go blowing up mountains!”

Hump frowned at her. “You can’t argue that that wasn’t the best thing you’ve ever seen. Who knows when I’ll get another opportunity like this?”

Celaine rolled her eyes. “Just keep it to yourself.”

“Is everything alright?” Leif asked.

“All good,” Celaine said, she glared at Hump. “Aren’t we?”

He nodded jerkily. “Never better.”

***

Mission after mission, Hump joined Yunillia’s dragon keepers and the other hunters, and with each day the summer solstice drew closer.

As time passed, he found that his role within the group developed, and with it, he sensed his place in Drakalyn change too. Ever since his success at Verdant Peak, he felt a respect from those around him. Before, his power had been relatively unknown—being a Rank 4 wizard didn’t mean much to the Chosen of Owalyn—but now, they trusted him for large scale attacks. Often, it would be up to him to take care of the fodder when they assaulted undead positions, or he’d draw the attention of the enemy force and free up people like Yunillia to lead the forces into the most secure positions.

It made for an effective strategy, and Hump thrived on it. On the training, the fights, and the ever-increasing grasp over his own power. The undead made for perfect practice. There was no need to think twice about unleashing devastation against them. He could wield his lava abilities to the limit without fear of causing unnecessary suffering, and with every passing battle, he saw more and more of its potential.

Vivienne had been right—there were few spells more effective than lava at controlling a battlefield. He was constantly surprised by how far he’d come, and what it truly meant to have manifested his soul. He hadn’t simply advanced another tier, he had transcended. His dragon blood transformation had only served to emphasise it further. And he had to admit, he was enjoying the feeling of strength that came with it. Yet also, the more he understood his power, the more clear it was how far he had left to go, and just how powerful figures like the Warlock, Anthony, truly were.

Over the next few weeks, they recovered much of what the lich had conquered, slowly securing more and more territory until at last it was just the fortress that remained. And day by day, the summer solstice drew closer. The day that they would their counterattack on Fort Highgaze, bolstered by Owalyn’s hunt, and reclaim the mountain pass had come.

It was morning when all the warriors of Drakalyn gathered before the Great Tree, awaiting Owalyn’s appearance. Morale was high, and there was an air of excitement and anticipation that infected even Hump. Today was the day they went to war, imbued with the boon of a goddess.

“Wizard Humphrey, a moment please,” Yunillia said.

Hump nodded respectfully and responded, “Keeper Yunillia. How can I help?”

“I have a task for you today,” she said. “One that I think your particular talents will serve well.”

It was there, beneath the Great Tree while awaiting Owalyn’s boon, that she revealed her plan, and his role in it. A role Hump couldn’t help but worry might just get him killed.