I yawned and dragged my feet against the dirt path, my shoulders slumped and my grip on my sword about to slip. I have been travelling for a few days now, and the fatigue had set in a long time ago. Fighting wild animals around here was no joke, and plenty of them were nocturnal too. It was a challenge to sleep at night without being ambushed by a tigerowl. I groaned and shuffled my feet, trying to read my map when I banged into a wall. Huh?
"Welcome to Joul!" The townsfolk greeted, giggling.
"Ah... Thank you." I replied, my eyes closing. Finally! This place was said to have one of the best rune-makers, and I needed a freeze rune for my sword. They say that freezing an enemy's wounds doesn't help in a fight, but I begged to differ. Some wild beasts had a high recovery rate, and freezing a wound stopped them from healing. It was always better to play it safe than sorry, especially when you're a non-magic caster.
Though, I think I'd rather sleep in an inn instead of going rune hunting right now. I yawned and walked off towards the heart of the town, where inns usually were. I couldn't wait to finally get a proper rest in a nice, soft bed. I entered an inn and paid for a room.
"Enjoy your stay!" The innkeeper exclaimed.
I ignored her and went straight up to my room, placed my sheathed sword near the bed and fell into a deep slumber.
The crowd cheered my name loudly with zest and gusto. I stood in a metal ring surrounded by water, reflecting the pale blue light from my right hand where I held my sword, which made the surrounding air cold and dry. I smirked as my bulky enemy advanced towards me, towering over me. I felt strong, energized, like a battery. I felt it flowing through me.
Magic.
This was an arena battle, where enchanted gear and spell casting expertise could gain you a materialistic wish that would be granted, no matter how greedy it is. Magic casters always had the advantage, and that was why someone like me would always lose. But things are different now. I feel invincible!
"RAHHHHHHHH!" The barbaric contestant roared as he charged towards me. I pointed at him with my sword. I've seen my idol do this before; casting their own spells. I have always dreamed of doing this. Now, I can do it even better.
"Charge."
Immediately, an absurd amount of cold electricity was released from the tip of my blade, electrocuting my opponent, turning him into a charred, yet frozen unceremonious heap on the ground. AHA! The crowd cheered once more as I punched the air in glee. I won!
I fought in a few more matches and tried all sorts of magical tricks. I controlled the water and used it like a whip, and strengthened my ice rune to freeze it to trap my opponents. I let my enemies slice me, only for my body to be unharmed as my separated upper half move around freely in the air before diving in for the win. I laughed as I played around with this unbelievable power. So this is how it feels to be a magic caster! Soon, however, I had to prepare myself for the final battle. I was shivering with adrenaline and excitement. I could not wait.
Once the two of us were in the arena, I studied my opponent carefully. She was a young female, possibly a child. It was hard to tell; she wore a mask and a dark coat. She's the final opponent? I steadied myself. A common mistake made by all casters is underestimating smaller opponents. Smaller mass doesn't mean weaker magic, after all. The child began by bending her knees, and opening her palms. Then, before I could ready myself, she thrust her arms forward, making an overwhelming wind blast blow me away, towards the water. No! I used my sword to freeze it, and began to skate around her. Her feet were rooted in the same stance, so if I can out speed her...
But before I could formulate a plan, the girl then stomped on the ground once with her foot, making the ground split in half, making my ice floor crack. GAH! I lost my balance as the ground split into tiny parts. I refuse to lose! I began to control the air around me, allowing me to float. It was draining, but I will do what I must! I began to wave my sword around, freezing the air and turning it into sharp, cold weapons. The girl could not float, and she was balancing on the floating arena floor, which seemed like it would sink any minute. I will not take chances, however. I began to shoot the ice daggers one by one, and charged at her. She dodged each dagger, seemingly dancing. She then stretched out her hands as I closed in on her, my blade pointing at her head. She pressed both of her palms on my blade, her hands radiating a scorching heat as I tried to power through her defense. How is this possible? The entire floor floated until it reached the edge of the watery arena, but she did not budge as the ground began to crack. She sidestepped and jumped off the floor to land on another floating rubble, letting go of my sword which made me lose balance and hit the hard, brick wall. She grinned.
"Nice try, for a dumb beginner."
I lost my grip on my sword. Power drain. I had used too much magic! I fell into the now freezing water, panting. My teacher had told me this before. Magic casters aren't stronger than non-casters because of their spells, but their ability to recover potential energy to convert to magic energy. The stronger their recovery was, the stronger spells they could use. And when far too much was used.... their body will stop converting potential energy to magic energy.
I could not swim up. I was paralyzed. My body felt an intense chill, all the energy draining from my body. The crowd had stopped cheering, and were now whispering among themselves, not knowing what to do. This was exactly what happened to my father. His body he acted like an idiot and had cast the strongest spell he could just to show off; the reason I was born a non-magic caster. I gritted my teeth. No! It can't end this way! My lungs were burning, yearning for air.
"Sir! SIR!" A woman cried. That voice... why is it so familiar? I heard knocks on a door, which seemed so close. Where is it coming from? I tried to move, but my body felt so heavy as I sunk to the bottom of the arena. My vision began to fade.
My eyes opened, my body drenched in sweat. So it was just a dream? I sat up, and looked around, my hand combing through my messy brown hair. My body was still asleep, but my mind was racing. I was casting magic.... and then...there was a girl...?
"SIR! PLEASE, WAKE UP!" The distressed voice cried out once again, banging at my door. The innkeeper!
I forced myself out of the bed, reached for my sword and rushed for the door.
"Oh, sir, thank god! Please, help us!" She said, distress written all over her face.
"What's going on? Why are you so worked up?" I asked, attaching my sheath to my belt.
The innkeeper took my hand and dragged me out of the inn, and in the distance, there were a few men, rowdily threatening to burn Joul to the ground, unless the rune makers would come and work for their gang. How could they! I began to walk towards them, until they shot a fire blast in the sky as a warning. They were magic casters!
Should I still go and help these people? I mean, of course it's the right thing to do, but it could be suicide for me! Maybe if I had a strong freeze rune I could counter the heat from their fire magic. I crept to one of the rune makers.
"Hey, do you have a freeze rune?" I whispered, trying to blend in with the crowd.
"Yes, but I can't do business right now! Can't you see the thugs over there?" The rune maker urged me in a hushed tone.
"If you give me one, I think I might be able to take them down." I replied, trying to look confident. I really don't believe in this, but I have to at least try, right?
The rune maker considered this for a moment, then slowly backed away from the crowd and signaled me to follow him to his shop. I crept towards him as quietly as possible.
"Here." He said when I got inside. It was a rough, grey stone, and it seemed like a joke until he placed it in my hand. I nearly dropped the rune on accident when I felt it's cold aura engulf my hand. Frost began forming on my palm, so I had to insert the rune quickly into the hidden compartment of my hilt. No wonder rune makers wear such thick gloves. My sword then almost immediately began to radiate a cold aura, just like the rune did, with more or less the same intensity. I wanted to admire it for a while, but the rune maker brought me back to reality.
"Go! You have some thugs to put back in their place!" The rune maker instructed. "And if you just leave the town, this rune will freeze you, so you better not be a coward and run!"
I nodded as I sneaked out of the shop, and went towards the thugs. They were now pulling out rune makers from the crowd, and dragging them off to their van. Some had their own rune-enchanted weapons, however, and tried to fight back.
"Hey!" I yelled, distracting the thugs. I gripped my sword more tightly, trying to get used to the chill in the handle. I warily walked towards them.
"Trying to act cool, eh?" One of the thugs said, grinning as he closed in on me, his hand beginning to heat up.
"Actually, it's cold!" I shouted. The man began shooting fireballs. I readied myself and sprinted towards the man, making my sword move in a slicing motion towards the fireballs. My sword kept it's cold aura as it came into contact with one blast and another. It worked! I continued to aggressively charge at the man as I sliced through the multiple burst of flames. The man began to panic as I became just a few meters away from him. Amidst the panic, he lost his footing and fell on the ground. I have the upper hand now! I cut his chest and wrists with my sword, freezing them to the ground. One down!
"You bastard!"
.....Four to go. My heart sunk as they surrounded me, their palms facing me, ready to burn me to the ground. I took in a deep breath, my grip on my sword tightening. I can do this.... I can do this.... I HAVE to do this....
GODDAMMIT I CAN'T DO THIS! I really should have thought about buying a shield....
The four of them began to cast a flurry of fireballs on me, and no matter how hard I tried, there was no way I could deflect so many things with just one sword. Their magic fire engulfed me, making me scream in pure agony as I felt the burning heat all over my body. Aah....Why am I a non-caster? If my idiot father hadn't lost his magic power, I wouldn't be in this situation! I'd be born with magic! I'd be crushing these thugs! I'd be a hero! Damn it... Damn it all!
My head was spinning, my body in no condition to move. The thugs pulled my sword away from my grasp, grinning.
"What a kind donation, thank ya!" One of them joked. They laughed, giving me a strong look before walking away. A few of the people from the crowd came to my side, working together to carry me away to a safer area.
"Casters bullying non-casters into submission? That's just mean, y'know?" A soft, disembodied voice said casually. It seemed so familiar... Who...?
I turned to see who it was. Long, curly, hazel brown hair... A mask, a dark coat... Wait a minute. Don't tell me it's her?
The girl walked up to the thugs who had taken my sword, embracing a fluffy toy sheep. "I believe that's his, not yours."
The thugs looked at one another and laughed. "Nah, little lady, t'was a gift from the little boy."
She cocked her head and sighed. She took off her mask, showing a pale, freckled face with chocolate brown eyes with eye bags. She gave the thugs death stare and to everyone's surprise, they froze and began shivering, muttering apologies to the child. The handed her my sword, and shuffled away.
"And what about those people in your van? They don't look like they belong in your merry little group." She demanded.
The thugs stopped dead in their tracks, and looked at one another, unsure what to do.
"Alright boys, What's taking so long!" A gruff voice from the van shouted.
A muscle-bound man emerged from the van, wearing a glossy leather jacket and choker. He was holding a huge, heavy sword, his eyes fixed on the girl.
"THE HELL? Y'ALL ARE AFRAID OF A TINY LITTLE GIRL?" He screeched at his gang, who tried to find words to explain the situation.
"Who did you just call..... TINY?" The girl asked, now stomping over to the gang leader. Her eyes were filled with fury. She began to chant, beginning to float, her eyes closed. The gang members began apologizing to the child, but their leader would not back down. He began to advance towards the child, raising his sword above his head, about to tear the child into half.
However, before he could do so, the ground began to shake, making the leader lose his balance and topple backwards. The tremor was powerful, causing even the buildings to shake. I stared at the girl as she opened her eyes, which were now a pure grey. The entire gang was frozen in a glassy state of horror as the ground around them began to crack. They were sinking to the ground, some were begging for mercy, while others had already given up.
"DOWN." She said.
Immediately, the ground beneath the gang sunk at a monstrous rate, leaving a deep, bottomless pit in the middle of the entrance of the town. The girl then clapped her hands, making the hole become filled with dirt, created with magic. Everyone was silent, their eyes glued to the child as she opened the door of the van, allowing the rune makers to escape. My jaw was hanging, my mind unable to comprehend what had just happened.
This child must be from the other side of Rodasa, like those thugs. She's a caster, and a monstrously powerful one, at that. I couldn't believe what I saw. The gang leader must have been from here, because he was just as uninformed as us.
The girl turned towards me, my sword still in her hand. "Yo. You're that dreamer boy, right? Name's Rin, but I'm also known as Bird. Here's your sword back." She said casually, as if nothing had happened, placing my sword near me. The people around me backed off, afraid of Rin. Who wouldn't be? She nearly destroyed the town!
"Well, you should rest for now." Rin said, and looked at the townsfolk, telling them to take care of me for now. They then whisked me away to the clinic, where they treated my wounds as I rested.
Comments (2)
See all