Chapter 4: Deception; Part 2
“Does it do anything else?” Aasceon asked, approaching Karkus.
“No. Grab my shirt, and we’ll start.”
“The great I will not do that. You will be the one holding my armor as we go.”
“Alright.”
Karkus extended his right-hand, groped the air for a moment, managed to hold something cold, and grasped it. Something sharp pierced his hand, planting itself deep into the skin. His hand throbbed viciously. He retract — Aasceon gripped his arm.
“Don’t!” Aasceon shouted. “You want to die?”
“This is ridiculous.”
“You’re ridiculous. You ought not to touch me until I say so. Hold my sword until we’re out. Someone will bandage it in my base.”
“It hurts.”
“Endure it, weakling.”
Karkus was indeed a weakling. His self-healing ability and his magic in general wasn’t working. As long as it doesn’t pulse light to his heart, it was just a decoration. Whether the man meant to do this or this was an accident, Karkus just gritted his teeth.
“Click your tongue so I can use the Echolocation,” Karkus said, holding himself from showing the torment from the throbs of pain, "and I’ll map this place.”
“Echolocation? There’s no such special magic as useless as that! Special magic is exclusive to the owner, and need not another vessel to activate. You’re trying to make a fool out of me! You’re not a person I know — I’ll play none of your games.”
Karkus didn’t reply, and instead started to make the threads appear. Escaping from the man was now the number one priority. The man didn’t have the same personality like Trakun, who was friendlier and can banter with Karkus in the first meeting, and he didn’t have to worry surviving — his magic cured every injury he experienced. Karkus silently hoped that the other citizen were unlike Aasceon.
Aasceon pulled his sword, forcing Karkus to lose balance and fall on the ground. The sword seemed to have rooted itself in Karkus’ hand.
“Who would have thought I’d be able to meet someone else than that self-important guy?” Aasceon mumbled. “Why are you here?”
“I fell on a trap door,” Karkus said truthfully, “and I end up here with you being unnecessarily aggressive.”
Karkus heard steel rattling not from afar. The sword twisted slightly.
“You did that?” Aasceon said.
“Not holding any metal at all,” Karkus said.
“Aasceon must be nearby. Come on, I’ll take you to my base,” the man who called himself Aasceon harrumphed as he dragged Karkus.
Odd, Karkus thought. The man probably didn’t own the name, Aasceon. Either he called himself in third person, or a fake, Karkus wasn’t bothered which was true. The threads that grew were less than an inch, including the ones on the man. They lit up the cave, and although faint, Karkus could see the outline of everything. The man was brawny, and only had the sword as a weapon. The cave before them was rather wide. In fact, there were no stalagmites, stalactites, and columns; an open space that seemed to be leading somewhere. Beyond the ceiling, he saw threads from the other side. With the thin ceiling, the exit must be nearby.
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Karkus scooped the threads with his other hand and placed it in his mouth while being dragged. As long as he didn’t swallow it, the curse won’t activate, theoretically. The man told him to stop moving, however, he didn’t comply. Karkus then prepped a plan to escape from the man.
Beyond the ceiling above him, sparkles of light began to appear like stars in new moon, coalescing together to form an array of crimson magic circle. The Curse channeled by forming a tiny dot which grew incrementally. Karkus jerked his hand from the sword. But the sword didn’t budge and tightened.
“What are you?” The man said.
“As much as I’d like to visit your base, I have to do something else much more important.”
In one go, Karkus gulped the threads from the right of his mouth. The light in his left hand pulsed light to his heart. His left hand glowed and formed a hazard symbol of skull and bones. It returned back to his hand, and became a stream of red light to his heart and burst out. The light then flashed into his right arm, and disintegrated his right hand stuck with the sword.
Another set of symbols appeared on his left hand: Caduceus, Rod of Ascelpius, and a Cross. Then those returned back to the back of his left palm, becoming green light which generated a new hand. He lost count of how many times he created another part of his body.
Above, crimson sparkles were forming as if stars appearing during the dusk, and then coalesced together to make a crimson array of magic circle. It produced a sphere that shot toward him. Using a coil spring symbol, he propelled himself upward. Luckily, the sphere broke through the ceiling, making huge hole which displayed the sky, and hit Karkus. If the sphere went through without breaking the ceiling, he would’ve been in a situation where he would fight the man.
As the sphere crashed to Karkus, he swallowed the threads from the left of his mouth. He made shield symbols, and managed to dissipate most of the impact. The one that hit him stung him a little. The rocks, which fell slower, followed. Using the last of the magic, he formed the silhouette of the silver-armored man. Silver light flashed into his heart, and spread to his body. He grasped one of the larger rocks, spun together with it twice (like how the armored-man did against the wolves), and released it to the man who had surprise written all over his face. The release threw Karkus backwards — the reaction force. The man immediately dodged to the side, but the rock still chipped his shoulder pad, and grazed the shoulder. Blood poured out, and the man tore the leather part of his armor between his elbows, and covered his shoulder.
“I have returned the favor,” Karkus shouted as he waved farewell. “Later, if we meet again, I will fight you in a much more suitable place.”
Chapter 4; Part 2 End.
Extra:
Got my first review, yay! I didn't expect one to be written so soon since my content is still low. Anyway, thank you very much to you who have read to this part of the story. I appreciate it!
