CHAPTER 14 - "Reinforcements"
This web novel is a draft of the story. Please expect frequent changes and updates as I see fit. Enjoy! -Cloki
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~~NEAR THE TOWN OF OAKHEART~~
Rigel: "I hope Siegfried shows up before his curse clock runs out of time. It would be a disappointment if he were to die before we even had the chance to talk again.."
Gurix: "Well, you sent me on a mission to bring him to you, and said to stop them if they declined your offer. Did you want them alive this whole time, Rigel?
Rigel: "If you had managed to kill them, I wouldn't have minded. But since you lost, I'm more intrigued to see the party who defeated you. Based on what you told me, the fungi-warriors, aside from one of them, posed no threat to you, and you were able to take down three of them. The real issue was the fourth one, as well as that girl who stabbed you."
Gurix: "Yes, that fourth fungi-knight is a troublesome one. If the boy brings him along, we're going to have to focus on killing him first. He's skilled with ranged magic. As for the girl, I should have sliced her open while she was asleep... I apologize for not being proactive enough."
Rigel: "It's okay, Gurix. I wasn't expecting you to kill her in the first place. Everything is still technically going as planned. When the two show up, I will convince Siegfried one final time to join our agenda, and if he declines, I will end him."
Gurix: "Be careful Rigel, you saw what they did to me."
Rigel: "That's why I've prepared reinforcements to back me up if they were to overpower me, Gurix..."
Gurix: "-oi?"
-Behind Rigel, was a cult of dark mages, about 10 of them. Rigel had gathered them together to serve as a backup if Siegfried and Azure were able to overpower him. Rigel was more than prepared to eliminate Siegfried if he had to, and he was going to go to great lengths to make sure that he fulfilled Hasher's task.
Gurix: "Whoa, Rigel-sama. Where did you find these dark mages? Have they been with us this entire time?
Rigel: "Hasher assigned a few troops to the province of Durma to promote his agenda. While you were gone, I gathered this troop from the Undergrowth Swamp not too far from here. They agreed to help us out with Siegfried."
Gurix: "Don't you think this is a little overkill? I'm sure you could easily take him down with half of these mages! I managed to slice open Siegfried's torso easily, if he had been alone, he would surely have bled out and died!"
Rigel: "I will be taking no risks, Gurix. I'm not concerned about Siegfried, I'm concerned about the girl who almost killed you in one stab. She's made herself out to be very troublesome."
Gurix: "Whatever you say, Rigel. Is there anything you want me to do? I'm obviously still gravely wounded, so I won't be able to help if you were to battle Siegfried, but then again, I don't think you would even need my help."
Rigel: "What I want you to do right now, is rest. I will send you back to Hasher shortly, and you may continue to recover there."
Gurix: "Yes sir, Rigel-sama."
-Rigel turned around and looked at his troop of dark mages. He then proceeded to give them instructions regarding their possible upcoming battle with Siegfried and Azure.
Rigel: "Attention, all of you. As I'm sure you are all aware, Hasher has confirmed the presence of "that person". He has appeared in this world, in the form of a man named Siegfried. If he were to become powerful enough, he would pose a serious threat to Hasher and the agenda of his cult."
-The dark mages look at each other with looks of concern and fear.
Rigel: "Because of this, he has sent me and Gurix out to the province of Durma to eliminate him before he can gain strength. However, you see what they did to Gurix. Due to this defeat, I have assembled you ten to help me take him and his party down. Siegfried himself should be of little concern to you. However, the girl he brings along with him could prove to be more powerful than we initially believe. Be on alert and ready to battle if I call. DISMISSED~"
-The dark mages give a salute in unison, and retreat to their post, hidden behind a collection of thick bushes which bear a copious amount of berries. Collectively, the dark mages shifted their aura to something more appealing, as to not give away their position upon Siegfried's arrival.
Gurix: "You speak with such fluidity, Rigel. It's no wonder Hasher made you one of his high-ranking officers. You can command a troop and deliver detailed instructions with such brevity. I'm almost a little bit jealous!"
Rigel: "I learned to keep things short. People prefer things such as instructions to be right to the point, rather than drawn-out. Gurix, I'm going to send you back to Hasher now. When you arrive, please notify him that I have the situation under control and that I will report back to him once Siegfried has been slain."
Gurix: "Yes sir, Rigel-sama."
Rigel: "Ex-Blink!"
-Rigel cast an advanced teleportation spell toward Gurix, and teleported him across the entire province, back to Eldra, where Hasher resided. This advanced use of magic was a testament to just how powerful Rigel really was.
Rigel: "Now then, I believe I need to sharpen my spells before Siegfried shows up. I want to eliminate him to a pile of ashes, along with that girl he brings with him. Mages, have you brought the mana flowers with you as I asked?"
-One of the ten dark mages emerged from the bushes, holding a bucket filled with a large number of mana flowers. He provided them to Rigel and Rigel set the bucket down next to him, as the stream of mana began to flow through his body and into his Vat.
Rigel: "mmmyes, I believe this should be enough mana for my little rehearsal. Allow me to show you ten the true power of a dark mage."
-Rigel then proceeded to draw his wand, which was made out of the severed horn of an Akuma, and cast a few advanced spells into the air.
[[ -"Akuma translates to Demon in Japanese. In Provincia, the Akuma are a race of demon people who tend to reside in the far reaches of the province of Rhodo. They are primarily defectors of the Eldra province, as their race was forced into the agenda of Hasher's cult of dark mages near the beginning of the Great Provincian War." - ]]
Rigel: "OL-UMBRA-ANGUIS!"
-Suddenly, a serpent made out of shadows emerged from the wand, and slithered across the ground before dissipating.
Rigel: "EX-NUBES!"
-A cloud appeared in front of Rigel, and the air was sucked out of it like a vacuum. This was a very powerful suffocation spell...
Rigel: "RI-FERRUM!"
-Then, a black blade formed from Rigel's wand, and launched itself at a high velocity into the bark of a tree, puncturing it before dissolving and running down the tree bark in a liquid form, melting parts of the tree with it.
-Rigel put his wand away and smiled devilishly. He laughed, and said to himself-
Rigel: "I think these spells should suffice well enough if Siegfried were to show himself... I will not be holding back, Siegfried..."
Rigel: "I hope Gurix made it back okay..."
~~IN AN UNDISCLOSED LOCATION~~
-Gurix suddenly appeared before a table and a few chairs, still in pain from his previous battle. He looked up and saw a very powerful witch. She was young, probably in her early 20s, and had white hair that stretched down to her shoulders. She wore a black and gold jacket, and a black witch's hat decorated with a cute yellow ribbon. She wielded a large staff. Gurix sat down in one of the chairs, and began his conversation-
???: "It appears you are wounded, Gurix. Has Rigel sent you back here as a safety precaution?"
Gurix: "More or less. Rigel sent me alone to stop Siegfried and his friend, but when I caught up with them, they had four extra allies I was unprepared to fight, and they bested me... Rigel sent me back to you to heal and has assembled a team of ten dark mages to aid him in his battle with Siegfried. He and the girl he travels with are on their way to Rigel as we speak."
-The witch then proceeded to sip from a cup of tea she had prepared herself. She offered another one to Gurix, and he accepted.
???: "I'm disappointed in you, Gurix. However, you fought more opponents than we prepared for. Please, explain to me how you were bested in battle."
Gurix: "I was able to take down three of the four fungi-warriors, but the fourth one was able to distract me enough so that the girl could stab me from behind, and she pierced my heart."
???: "I'm sorry- did you say "fungi warriors?"
Gurix: "Yes, there were four of them. They appeared to be half mushroom half man. They may not be very large, but they definitely know how to strategize."
-The witch had a look of confusion in her eyes, she sighed, and proceeded to talk to Gurix-
???: "Interesting... well, I'll go tell Hasher what you told me. He needs to know that his party has suddenly been reduced to one. Gurix, go rest. I'll take care of the rest."
Gurix: "Yes ma'am, Vega-sama."
~~IN THE THRONE ROOM~~
Vega: "My lord, it appears that your party has-"
???: "-been reduced to one. Is that what you were going to say, Vega?"
-Vega looked at her lord with a look of fear in her eyes. She was aware of her lord's advanced sense of clairvoyance, yet she was unaware that it could reach that far!
Vega: "Erm- yes, Hasher-sama. Your party has been reduced to one. Rigel sent Gurix back to the castle, and he is now resting. He was gravely wounded by a mage girl who stabbed him in his heart."
Hasher: "I saw the whole battle. To be honest, I was surprised that he was able to take down three of the four fungi-knights. The four fungi-knights of the Durma Province are known to be high-ranking members of the League of Knights. They are the sworn protectors of the Vilona Woods. I commend Gurix for his battling efforts."
Hasher: "However, Rigel has now found himself in a really dangerous situation, Vega-san."
-Vega looked at her lord with confused eyes.
Vega: "How so? He's one of your highest ranking dark mages, and has practically mastered all of the advanced shaman magic spells! Based on what you told me the other day, Siegfried is a brand new adventurer with no magic experience. I'm sure Rigel would have no trouble taking him dow-"
Hasher: "He's going to lose, Vega..."
Vega: "-- --"
Vega: "Have a little faith in Rigel-kun, would ya? If it's the mage girl you're concerned about, although she was able to take down Gurix, it was a surprise attack! Rigel is going to be fully prepared for anything that the two of them throw at him."
Hasher: "Soon enough, Vega, you will see what I am talking about. I'm not worried about the mage girl. I'm worried about Siegfried."
Vega: "-eh, oi?"
Hasher: "Siegfried is not the person he appears to be. He's different than the other "people" we've had to deal with in the past... He is way more dangerous than anyone here is able to even imagine, and Rigel is about to figure that out for himself. I warned him before he left for Formai that Siegfried was stronger than he looked, but Rigel, and his stubborn attitude, brushed it off. He must now face the consequences of his fatal error."
-Hasher seemed to be aware of Siegfried's ability to fuse with Camriel, but was reluctant to speak of it, as revealing it himself would lead to mass hysteria throughout the cult of dark mages. For now, he simply decided to hide the truth.
Vega: "How can a guy like you go from being confident in your agenda, to scared of one guy, just like that? Do you know something that we don't, Hasher?"
Hasher: "Vega, I'm sure you're aware of the differences between "those people" and the regular adventurers in Provincia, however, Siegfried differentiates even further from both groups. If you wish to hear the truth, meet me in my office privately, and I will inform you."
Vega: "Whatever you say, my lord. I'm going to go check on Gurix and provide some healing to him. If you need me, you know where I'll be at."
Hasher: "I doubt I'll be needing you anytime soon, Vega. But I will surely call upon you when required. Thank you."
-Vega gave Hasher a salute, before retreating to the room where Gurix was.
Hasher to himself: "Rigel, don't forget about the portal I opened to you before sending you away. If you are in danger, just teleport back, and forfeit. I can't afford to lose you this early..."
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~~BACK IN THE CARRIAGE~~
-Siegfried and Azure kept traveling through the night, and as the hour approached 3:00 AM, Siegfried began to notice more and more oak trees appearing in the distance. They were getting close to Oakheart. Siegfried turned around to notify Azure.
Siegfried: "Azure-san, we're getting close to Oakheart. Are you ready to confront Rigel? Azure-sa-"
-Siegfried turned around and noticed that Azure had fallen asleep in the carriage! In her hand was a completely empty bottle of Skime, and in the other hand, her wand. She had attempted to cast a healing spell on herself but was too drunk to do it right, and instead cast a spell of drowsiness instead!
Siegfried: "Damnit Azure-san, what did I tell you... You're passed out drunk! Ugh, hang on Theresia, pull over real quick."
Theresia: *RAW!*
-Siegfried climbed to the back of the carriage where Azure lay-
Siegfried: "You know, Azure-san, you're pretty cute when you're asleep, but don't take that in a creepy way."
-Siegfried pulled a potion out of the sack of drinks. It was a blue potion that was labeled ["Mana *Warning, Strong Flavor*"]. He opened the potion and began to pour it down Azure's throat. Like last time, her eyes bolted open, and she choked. She glared at Siegfried and said-
Azure: "*COUGH* *ACK SHIT* "SIEGFRIED WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!? WHY DO YOU KEEP POURING RANDOM LIQUIDS DOWN MY THROAT YOU NUMBNUT!?"
Siegfried: "Azure-san, you were asleep, drunk, when I turned around. I needed to wake you up. Although, it seems you aren't too drunk anymore, considering your speech is consistent."
Azure: "Next time, PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF THE GODDESS, just shake me awake. Okay?"
Siegfried: "Sure thing Azure-san. However, I woke you up to let you know that we're almost to Oakheart. I can see the distant trees, signaling that we're close."
Azure: "Ah, you're right, Seigi-kun. Those are oak trees! We really are close! Here, let me take the reigns, I'll take us the rest of the way. You rest up for a short while until we get there. It should be no more than another half hour until we arrive."
Siegfried: "Okay, Azure-san! I'll be back here preparing myself to confront Rigel..."
-Siegfried gave the reigns to Azure, and together, they took off once more, closing in on the entrance to Oakheart. It was approaching 3:00 AM, meaning that Siegfried had about 5 hours left on his curse clock. He was running out of time, yet he felt confident. He knew that if all else failed, he had a trump card of his own that he could pull to save himself. The only issue would be explaining it to Azure afterward...
~~NEAR OAKHEART~~
Rigel: "They should be arriving shortly, given they traveled through the night. It's their only option if they are to get here before Siegfried's curse claims his life..."
Rigel: "Come and get it, Siegfried..."
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