We entered the hall. It was more like a massive arena surrounded by stands, where adult mages had already crowded. I stepped into the center, bouncing from foot to foot and cracking my neck. The thrill of battle began to slowly push away the exhaustion.
"Zenhald, no teleportation!" Alastia warned strictly, throwing up her hands.
"Understood, accepted," I replied, smiling predatorily.
A hum rose in the stands.
"Supre Archmage, go ahead! Show so class!" they yelled from sowhere above.
I theatrically pointed a finger at myself, like, "what about ?", but the young mages weren't even looking at . Bumr, oh well.
"Let's do one elent each for a warm-up?" I suggested.
Alastia squinted slyly: "Let's do it. I'm electricity, you're fire. Like the good old days?"
"O-o-oh, yeah!" I grinned happily.
I took a sprinter's stance. Dash! A massive explosion rang out under my feet, and I flew at her with a whistle, winding up my right fist for a strike. Alastia dashed to et . When there was barely a ter left between us, I braked with a deafening sound, and a furious pillar of fire erupted from behind my back toward Alastia.
But she was no longer there. Sparks of lightning flashed on the left—she had moved with incredible speed. I imdiately aid my palm in her direction, releasing a tongue of fire, and used the recoil to fly backward.
In that sa second, two blue magic circles flared up below and above . BOOM! A massive release of energy occurred between them. I barely managed to create two fire discs, spinning them around myself as a shield.
Impact! Alastia appeared from behind and roundhouse kicked . I managed to put up a "fire cushion," softening the blow, and landed on all fours.
"Don't step out of the arena," Alastia wagged a finger at . "Naughty, naughty!"
In response, I stomped my foot, and the entire arena beneath her broke out in yellow spots. She tilted her head, studying my sche, and at that mont WHOOSH! A pillar of fire rose to the very ceiling, obscuring everything from view. A dark figure slowly erged from the flas, heading toward ...
But Alastia was faster. She simply stepped in close and placed a hand on my shoulder.
"A good lesson, Zenhald," she whispered.
A sharp jolt ran through my body.
"EEEEK!" I completely contorted, and then... started laughing wildly. She was simply tickling , passing funny little jolts through her fingers! "Ah-ha-ha-ha! Enough! Stop!" I writhed as best I could, trying to break free.
"Alright, alright," she let go of .
"I surrender!" I exhaled, wiping tears of laughter. "By the way, you didn't really do anything, Alastia!"
"And I wasn't supposed to. It's just a lesson," she looked back at the stunned faces of the audience. It seed this was the first ti they were seeing combat magic turn into a friendly scuffle. "I wanted to show them what control is. Alright, you're probably completely exhausted."
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
She grabbed by the scruff of the neck, like a naughty cat, and simply dragged across the floor toward the exit. I didn't even resist—I had no strength left to argue. And so she dragged down the corridors.
"Will you feed ?" I asked pitifully from below.
"Co on, Zenhald, let's eat. We haven't done that together in a long ti."
We reached the dining hall. Alastia brought two bowls of hot soup. We started eating, and I felt a pleasant warmth spread through my body. She looked around and said quietly:
"I still can't forget our tis at the Academy. They were so... carefree."
I finished my portion and, without overthinking it, laid my head right on the table. Alastia smiled and placed her cool palm on the top of my head, gently stroking my hair.
"Sleep," I heard her voice.
I closed my eyes. It beca very, very quiet in my head.
"Zzz... zz... zzzz..."
October on Mount Slick turned out to be unusually bustling. The port was practically finished, and the first trade routes had already begun to be laid through the icy waters of the north. While Zorgh's bureaucracy was slowly grinding up the remnants of the old world. But Alastia... Alastia is a natural disaster that doesn't let you relax for a second.
"Surrender, Zen! Admit that I caught you!" her insistent whisper reached right into my ear.
Her arms were tightly wrapped around my neck, and even though I understood that this was part of our eternal ga, it was getting harder and harder to breathe. I went limp theatrically, feigning a complete loss of strength, but Alastia only tightened her grip.
"If you don't surrender right now, I'll literally strangle you!" she threatened, and cheerful sparks could be heard in her voice.
At that mont, Zorgh appeared in the doorway. He looked as if he had aged another ten years just looking at us.
"My lord..." he began, trying to maintain an official tone. "Could you co with to the pier? Lady Alastia, perhaps you'll let the Lord go after all?"
"I'll let go when he surrenders!" she snapped, not changing her pose.
"I WON'T SURRENDER!" I yelled, hissing, resisting her hold with my last ounce of strength.
Realizing that my legs wouldn't make it to the port today, I simply flicked my hand, summoning magic. Gravity obediently vanished, and the two of us— in her hold and her refusing to let go—smoothly floated up into the air.
"Zorgh, show the way!" I commanded, levitating us after the king. "We're right behind you!"
"Surrender!" Alastia yelled as we drifted over the heads of the astonished residents.
"I WON'T SURRENDER!" I yelled back.
I landed on the deck of the ship, breathing heavily and fixing my disheveled red hair. The iron bow of the vessel inspired respect—these guys were clearly used to smashing through ice or other ships' hulls. Standing around were huge n, slling of salt and steel, who watched mine and Alastia's ga of tag with undisguised suspicion.
"Can't catch ! Can't catch !" I yelled at Alastia, jumping back to the mast when she tried to grab my ear again.
"I gave up, only because Zorgh asked!" she snorted, adjusting her robes and instantly assuming the appearance of a majestic archmage.
Zorgh climbed up after us, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
"These are guests from the country of Lant," he introduced officially. "They live two thousand kiloters from here, along this sa coast, but their climate is noticeably warr."
We were escorted into an inner cabin lined with dark wood. There, behind a massive table, sat a man with a weathered face and a piercing gaze—the ambassador of Lant.
"Oh, Zorgh!" he began in a bass voice, rising to et us. "Glad to welco you again. So these are the ones you spoke of?" He bowed politely to Alastia: "Supre Archmage Alastia..." and then shifted his gaze to . Obvious bewildernt reflected in his eyes. A teenager with scarlet eyes and disheveled hair clearly didn't fit his idea of the Mountain's "great power." But he stayed silent and gestured for us to sit.
Zorgh sat opposite him, while Alastia and I perched on the side. I was still casting sidelong glances at her, expecting a trick, but she was already listening attentively.
"Lant is our potential trade ally," Zorgh began, unrolling a map.
"Co on, Zorgh," the ambassador interrupted him. "We are already practically allies! But... there are two problems. The first is the state of Groutar. Those upstarts control a narrow strait and have jacked up taxes so high that trade is becoming worth its weight in gold. And the second..." he darkened. "So massive beast has appeared in the sea. It sinks ships and makes it impossible to sail properly."
"I see," I tossed out shortly, and sothing clicked in my head again.
Reviews
All reviews (0)