Where the portal ended up was not anything close to what I expected not like you could predict much in a magical world, but still. The sun had not yet set in this part of Armensia and from what I could remember in the coordinates we were given, we were in the Northern part of Armensia which also meant that the sun in this twisted world set in the North. The area was an expanse of hills some of which were covered with short grass while others were covered with trees so dense you could only tell that they spread over more than one hill. In the distance to the right of the forest before us, there were settlements that seemed to terrace their part of the hills.
"So where did they say the breach was again," I asked hoping we didn't have to start using the winding roads. They made travel really slow.
"Somewhere in this creepy hilly forested district. It's a no man's land that can be occupied by any of the races in Armensia. They call it Callair, and the people that live in those settlements are quite peaceful. Though you shouldn't be surprised if you find an elf married to a dwarf or ice dragon. It's part of the reason that no man's land was created on Armensia. Places like the wizard capital look down on inter-racial marriages. So this is where they go to get away from the criticism," Ciara explained with a smile on her face, "but that's not where we are going. The breach is located in the forested part of this hilly terrain."
"This is going to be a drag," I complained even though I really didn't mind. It was the time that I would be losing. I could barely feel my footsteps with this armour. My movements were so effortless I could do this forever.
"Well then, I have an easier solution," Ciara said smirking. I knew I wouldn't like it.
"It's okay. We can walk, right guys," I looked to the others for help and they only looked away each pretending they had found something really interesting to look at.
"Just hear me out. You and Isaac...."
"Woah Woah Woah, slow down there. This is about Kevin," He began complaining. He hadn't thought that he was going to be a part of this. I wasn't feeling too confident about myself either.
"Oh shut it. It's nothing serious," she shut us up, "All you two have to do is scout the area. Kevin from the ground and Isaac from the air. See nothing too hard. I just have to put a spell on you first," she said.
"Oh, yeah that's not so bad. Wait, spell, what spell? I didn't sign up for being hexed," Isaac began. At this point, Kendall was laughing so hard at us he was clutching his belly while Jacob just dismissed everything that was going on with a smirk. To be honest he looked like he was not even listening.
"Oh shut it, Kendall. Keep it up and we'll meet in the battle-room," I took a stab at trying to threaten Kendall.
"Oh, I'll be looking forward to it," he said smirking. 'What did I get myself into? Kendall is a very quick teleporter.'
"Everyone listen up," Ciara said slightly raising her voice to catch our attention. She took a deep breath as though we irritated her from the way we easily went off-track. "It's only an invisibility spell to conceal you. Make sure you keep in constant telepathic connection with us. Scout the area as fast as you can and be as quiet as you can. Considering the armour you are wearing, that shouldn't be too hard."
Ciara's plan was quite neat if you ask me. Too bad it was I who had to implement it. I began focusing on my power. Breathing in and out to get a good rhythm. I found out some time ago that when I did this my speed was remarkably greater. Although I hadn't used it quite well yet. This was my chance to fully test it out. For the first time, I could feel the magic flowing through my body. It was an amazing feeling.
When I was confident of just how fast I could go, I set off. In three seconds I was at the end of the forest turning to weave through the hills one more time for a better inspection. I couldn't exactly explain it, but I could remember everything I passed by and even while was running, I could make extremely split micro-second decisions. Was this the true power of speed? It was like I had all the time in the world and still moving fast in that state. And still being able to think really fast like my brain too had sped up.
I weaved through the hills which seemed smaller and even more insignificant at this speed. Honestly, I was looking for some kind of sign that needed investigation. 'Kevin, report,' Ciara's voice sounded in my mind.
I weaved through three more hills while answering, 'Not yet,' Which I shouldn't have said because as soon as I said it I detected a sinister presence a couple of hills away from me. 'Hold on. I think I found something. I'm going to take a closer look,' I said while I took a very long abstract route in order to get a look at the source of this sinister magic. I came close to the spot and hid behind a tree before peeping to take a look. I completely forgot about the invisibility spell.
Although what I saw next caused me to forget it further and curiosity leaked in. Guys, I think I found it. The thick trees had finally opened up and formed a path to the side of a hill which looked like it could have been an entrance but was never made. The path led to a dead end. I would have been confused by what I saw, but the magic coming through from the inside of the hill was undeniable. Texan was in there. It was as if the hill was supposed to house a cave that had been sealed. The entrance was probably cloaked by magic. I stood three hundred metres from the entrance waiting for the rest of the artras.
Okay, Kevin. Stay right there. Ciara said back through our metal link. I felt a draft of wind and looked behind me only to see my friends transparent. Ciara had cloaked everyone, but somehow I could still see them. So Kevin, where....., Ciara was stopped mid-sentence by a sudden movement. I turned my attention back to the entrance I had just discovered. Right at the end of the path that the trees created, a hooded man stood and he seemed to be casting a spell at the dead-end side of the hill that I had confirmed was an entrance to wherever Texan was hiding. The grass-covered wall dissolved and there stood a dense thick steel door. The door opened slowly and the bone-chilling dark aura of Texan spilt out of the door.
The dark mage stepped out of the cave dressed in the same attire I had seen him in earlier that day. "I thought I told you not to come here again," he growled at the smaller man.
"Lord Texan, please be reasonable. If the artras manage by some miracle to slay you, Master Travas' plan for the rise of the Great Seven will not come to fruition," the smaller hooded man pleaded. The dark aura that surrounded Texan seemed to almost triple in intensity. It was nothing like what I had felt at school. He stepped closer to the small hooded man and lifted him by the collar of his hood so he was face-to-face with him.
"TELL MY BROTHER THIS THEN. I DO NOT TAKE ORDERS FROM HIM," he yelled at the face of the smaller man before dropping him.
The small man took a slight bow, "Yes, master," and with that, he melted into his own shadow. Texan looked furious after that conversation. 'Family issues, am I right,' Kendall joked causing some of us to chuckle.
Texan turned to go back into the cave. 'Kevin we need a way inside that bunker or cave or whatever...' Ciara began but stopped for some reason. I looked back to Texan and noticed he had stopped walking at the door. He was sniffing the air as some new scent had just wafted in.
'Guys, isn't he the one who absorbed the power of the great wolf?' Jacob asked. We all quietly observed the dark mage as he turned around from the door and look straight at us, "Artras," he growled.
'Crap. Guys, he can see us,' Ciara cursed as her cloaking spell wore off. Right then, Texan disappeared in a swirl of black mist.
"Is he gone?" Isaac asked.
"Doubtful," Ciara said as she armed her left hand with a fireball. I really wish I learned magic as a kid, I complained right before we heard a low growl resonating through the forest making everything vibrate.
Instinctively we turned around and there it was. A colossal bulky pitch-black wolf that easily towered to fifteen feet in height. The wolf was covered in battle scars which only made it look scarier. It lowered its head getting ready to charge straight for us. In a blink, it charged for us a top speed.
Kendall was the first to react. Dashing forward at a very high speed only to sidestep at the last moment. The wolf brought down its huge jaws, which looked like they could snap him in half on his former position. The wolf was not done as it quickly hit the brakes and lashed to the side to get Kendall. Using all the strength he could muster, which wasn't little, he jumped up, missing the wolf's jaws again by a very small distance. Kendall kept going up with help of added teleportation till he was about fifty feet above the ground. He was breathing hard. The wolf continued its pursuit.
It leapt up following Kendall into the air. Kendall launched a volley of fireballs straight into its wide-open mouth. "GUYS, MOVE!!!" he yelled at us. He propelled himself back to us as the wolf thrashed from the fireballs.
"Guys get behind me," Ciara said and we did so before asking what she was going to do. She only ignored us and raised her hands to her glasses. She looked straight at the wolf which had now stopped thrashing and was getting ready for another attack. Just as it began charging, Ciara whipped her glasses off.
The warmth of the sun was the first to leave us. Clouds covered the sky and temperatures kept dropping. Our breaths all turned misty. "Umm, Ciara…..uh…" Kendall had begun, but stopped when he saw the wolf ahead of us struggling to move while ice covered it at an alarming rate. "What kind of magic is this?" Texan deep voice reverberated shaking the very earth, "You think ice can trap me," he yelled, but nonetheless, he kept freezing until he was in what looked like an iceberg.
Ciara quickly put on her glasses when he couldn't move anymore. Everything that had been in her field of vision had been frozen solid including all the trees and the effect had been experienced over a wide range. "What just happened?" Jacob asked bewildered.
Ciara turned to us. Her eyes were even more frosty than usual and her face had turned pale from whatever magic she had just unleashed. She opened her mouth to speak only to be stopped by the sound of cracking ice. We all turned our attention to the wolf in the ice.
It was then that I decided to use the spell I had just learned. I concentrated to feel the magic flow within me which wasn't so hard. I let it flow to my outstretched hand pointing towards the frozen then wolf. The ice shattered and the wolf let out a very angry growl.
"IMMOBULO," I yelled at the top of my voice. The magic in my hand began to take shape and purpose and shot out like a blast of blue lightning. The wolf struggled against the magic which did not stop crackling until it was frozen still. The immobilising spell had proved effective but I could feel the huge drain on magic power that it had taken.
"I guess eliminating one of these guys will ruin their plan," we turned back to see Jacob's hand blackening. I had seen the spell before. It had been used on Bergstrom's dragon.
"Jacob, what are you doing?" Ciara asked him with a hint of alarm in her voice.
"You know Kevin. I too know just how bad the situation we are in is. We can be killed in this beautiful world. Killed by people the likes of him. No one will miss him, right? And Travas' secret plan will never work out," Jacob said now taking aim at the wolf.
"Jacob, don't do it," Ciara yelled at him while we watched the black spell start to dislodge from his hand. I sped up to him and delivered a well-executed spear to Jacob's gut in order to throw off his aim. The spell soared through the air taking the shape of a black blade meant to kill its target. We watched the dagger soar through the air.
During its flight, the wolf disappeared and in its place stood a small man wearing a hoodie with a similar build to the one who had spoken with Texan earlier. The blade flew past him and grazed his cheek. He immediately fell to the ground and saw him convulsing in pain. Black veins were developing around the cut. That small graze was still trying to kill even though he and not been struck by the full force of the attack.
Ciara stretched out her hand to reach out to him but stopped when she noticed black mist coming off him. He was forcing himself to teleport in his condition. Five seconds later he vanished in a swirl of black mist.
"Damn it," Jacob yelled. I turned to him. I was about to scold him, but someone else beat me to it.
"Jacob, what was that?" Ciara scowled.
"I almost had him," he yelled clearly frustrated.
"You mean you almost killed him," Ciara retorted.
"Yeah, and he got away. If Kevin hadn't….." Ciara stopped him with a harsh slap across the face.
"We don't kill using a death blade, Jacob," Ciara said to him. I just had one question.
"Umm, Ciara," I called.
"Yeah," she answered.
"Do we kill?" I asked, "at all?"
Ciara took her time thinking about the question until she finally mustered up the strength to say it, "It's never been done. Taking someone's life here can have serious repercussions here in Armensia. If Jacob had succeeded in killing Texan, then he would lose all his magic since Texan contains a creature of legend. Jacob would then go on to lose his sanity and would go through pain in order to atone for the crime of killing two creatures, not to mention using the forbidden death curse of Armensia."
Jacob looked at his hand and began to tremble. He fell to his knees weakened by this revelation. Isaac went and knelt by his side to try and comfort his friend while he trembled. Kendall went on to ask, "But then I don't understand something. Why would Travas carry out all this evil without killing anyone?"
"I didn't say killing someone was impossible. If a mage caused a calamity and Armensians died in the process then they would not receive any magical judgement. That's why the Dark Seven are feared. The creatures whose power they stole are capable of causing huge disasters like storms and earthquakes. Travas was probably protecting someone, but the Great Storm Wolf is capable of wiping us out with thunder. This makes them capable of committing murders using magic without repercussions," as Ciara explained this, my nerves cooled down. This only meant Travas and the other dark six couldn't attack recklessly. That would explain why Texan shifted before fighting us.
"Besides, all these rules only apply to magic and magical weapons. One can still be killed with bare hands. But this is rare because Armensians are fond of using spells that protect them from such things as strangulation."
"Guys, the cave," I yelled suddenly remembering where we had found Texan and began to run towards the door but stopped when the others did not follow.
"Handle things at the cave, Kevin. We are going to search for Texan," Ciara relayed her orders before teleporting. I walked to the cave and entered through the thick steel door. Thankfully Texan had not closed it. Kevin went through the door and into a large cave that was illuminated by numerous blue glowing crystals. He moved through the cave and mystifying as it looked, Kevin could tell it was a recent infrastructural development. This whole cave had no signs of ageing. Either it had a very good caretaker or it had been recently constructed. He continued into the cave and rounded a corner to reveal a sight that caused him to gasp in terror. Who would do such a thing?