Present day October 18, 2018, the Gnolls had been attempting to translate the pages of the ancient text. They had been at it for several months now with the most adept at spells among them. The prophets that had ordered the initial research and notes buried some five thousand years ago did it as they knew these spells were of the utmost destructive power.
Regrettably these notes were found and brought to Merlin and with his expertise in the field of magic it was not long before he was able to complete the Ancient Texts. Luckily for Minlas, Merlin was as wise as he was old so he kept the text in an old Elvish dialect knowing the Elves would never seek the scrolls contained within the text.
The wizards and mages looking at this ancient text could not begin to decipher its meaning let alone its casting capabilities. And so too did the council leader believe this would come to pass hence her rational for allowing Shyler to retrieve the spell book and hand it over to the Dylonians.
Of course, Assassin Benton did not share any of this with the Gnolls. He rather led them to believe that the spells locked within this book would reveal the many mysteries of the ancients. Which I guess in a roundabout way, unbeknownst to Assassin Benton, was true.
He had been somewhat distant since he had brought the book to the Gnolls city and even more distant since the group and the book reached Dylonia. Nothing alarming I guess since he was often distant, just one of the possible side effects of his career.
The truth Mage Tildagar did not understand much of what the assassin did these days as it was very confusing. It mattered little to the mage however, as he was in this for the money. After all, if the assassin was to betray his own people the good mage could care less as he often disagreed with the politics of the current council members.
If the assassin was going to double cross the Dylonian's, which for some strange reason seemed a real possibility, it did not matter to him either as could not stand the race of despicable lizard men. His money was secure as was his part in all of this.
Decipher the ancient book and go home washing your hands of the entire matter. He would so like to be done with all of it, he smiled at the thought of what he was going to do with what was left of the eight thousand five hundred gold pieces when this was all said and done.
* * * *
The assassin had managed a meeting with the Emperor the previous week and it was discussed how long the assassin would be a part of this mission before he would be able to disappear into Tiberius.
In the end it was agreed that once the Dylonian spellcasters were showing significant promise in their training he would be able to retreat to any part of the planet of his choosing.
He knew that even though they could have the Ancient texts translated in a mere matter of months he had to buy the council more time so the Gnolls would need to be discouraged from to early a completion of the text. The assassin sighed as it appeared he would need to be in this godforsaken rat hole for at least about another year.
The assassin sat down upon his bed in the smelting facility on Chardonacic. He was rummaging through his things looking for his photos when he came across and envelope in one of the side pockets.
He did not remember placing it there nor was the writing upon it familiar to him, so he opened it. In it was a Rubik's Chip and a letter.
Dearest Shyler,
I want to thank you for your years of service and dedication to the Minlavian council and its people. Words cannot begin to express my gratitude my friend and when all is said and done you will also have the gratitude of the people.
When it is safe take the rubik chip within the envelope to Syrus he will know how to proceed from there. Your new identity is Chuck Hedican.
Once the chip is placed into Syrus' amber transmitter gem it will set in motion a series of events that cannot be stopped.
If all goes well, I am sure I will see you again sometime in the foreseeable future and if not then enjoy your life outside of the agency.
Sincerely.
Council Leader Czelak
P.S. I was able to secure two thousand and five hundred gold pieces. This should give you ample currency to live a comfortable life. Enjoy
Assassin Benton sighed as he longed to put this card and ID to use and be rid of this place. He knew, however that now was not the time. It was too early to abandon the Gnolls to their own fate and it was still far too early as far as the Minlavian Empire was concerned. In addition, he knew that Syrus was extremely busy at the current moment with the fulfillments of the prophecy.
Agent Benton trusted Mage Tildagar to a point, but he was not willing to trust him enough to put the mission in jeopardy. However, once the Dylonian's showed the appropriate skill advancement in spell casting from the ancient text spells he could feel more comfortable in his departure from the realm of the Dylonian's
Assassin Benton lay down upon the bed, closed his eyes and thought of his family. He would be with them soon he thought to himself for his part in this war was nearly over; or so that is was he thought.
* * * *
The group rode until the sun had almost completely set. With more than half of the fifty miles to go they were reluctant in stopping but they had rode the horses pretty hard today and knew resting was necessary, both for them and their mounts.
The mood was surprisingly light with the impending battle that was nearly upon them. There was, however, an undertone of nervousness in the situation. I mean how often does one get the opportunity to battle a major demon.
The group ate and turned in early with the promises of tomorrow being the end to the first part of their journey.
Syrus, using the scrying crystal, made contact with the council leader giving her a report of both how the battle was going and how the chosen were progressing. She was pleased on both accounts.
At the end of the conversation, she smiled and wished them luck on the morrow's journey.
* * * *
The sun had just crested the rise and the camp was already stirring for their long day. It was a quick breakfast today and the group was off heading in a northwesterly direction toward the science facility.
The day had gone by without incident and without sign of the Eerikye but as the sun had just started to wane there came a loud explosion.
Without thinking Kyjus spurred his horse on to a much faster pace as he could only think of the possible trouble his parents were engaged in. Luckily for him the rest of the group too spurred their horses into faster action. They were a little more than a mile away and the facility now came into view.
You could see that part of the compound was already on fire, were they too late. Kyjus and some of the others feared the worst.
They continued to ride hard. They could all feel their horse's chest heave from the exhaustion of the last week of hard riding. Syrus feared they had deviated once too often and taken too many liberties with their situation.
He dismissed that thought as quickly as it came however, as he knew that he had pushed each and every man, woman, and horse to its limits. Too push harder would have been suicide.
Yet still the facility burned, and they were still minutes away as the terrain was now very hilly. From the top of one such hill Syrus called for a stop. They were all confused but none interrupted the mage as his was already deep in casting.
When done a teleportation dimensional disc sat glowing green in front of the mage. He immediately ambled through the pulsing light disappearing from sight.
"Quickly, now let's all press through the portal before it closes," the magus said to the group.
First Hawk went then Skarnum then the good captain and some of his men. It seemed to Kyjus that it was a designated amount. More than half of the force made it through the portal gate before it disappeared.
Kyjus was immediately distraught as he wanted to help and was about to protest when the magus spoke to those few that remained.
"Our instructions are to ride due west and then once past the facility we will head north. We are to first make sure the people in the facility are safe. After that we are to see to the facility and get those fires out. Once those two items have been addressed then we are to see to the Eerikye and their demon master.
Kyjus was about to object when he felt an intrusion upon his mind. "It has already been decided young master. Let's make sure your family is safe and then we will help to destroy the demon. Fear not for Syrus as we have learned that Arch Magi Flodius and a few lesser mages and even a few clerics made the journey to help with the demon. He will not be fighting the creature alone.
Kyjus nodded his understanding. There was no point in arguing the plan. It was a good plan that allowed for maximum chance of success. Besides Kyjus thought to himself, arguing will just delay the inevitable and any delay was simply not acceptable.
Kyjus leaned down close to his horse trying to penetrate his colt's thoughts. He expressed feelings of urgency in his thoughts and that their final destination was in sight. With his thoughts he spurred the horse onto a greater speed.
Something peculiar happened then and the young mage was not sure whether it was his thought penetrating or if the horse just sensed they were near the goal. The only thing he did know was that his young colt went from a canter and was now operating at a speed that was well into what one was considered to be a strong gallop.
Kyjus had never seen a horse move so fast. It was almost as if he was racing at the Belmont or some other prestigious horse race. His colt quickly outdistanced the others who were left to catch up to the upstart young acolyte.
Magus and Kelsee both followed the young mages queue but by the time their horses joined in on the action the distance between the young mage and the group was insurmountable.
The magus could not fault the boy and his desires to make sure his family was safe, but he did silently pray that nothing ill came of the boy's irrational behavior.
Kyjus was the first to find the southern outside perimeter to the science facility. The perimeter had two fences built a foot apart. Each fence was made of two layers of steel wire metallic mesh. The meshes were set a half inch apart for maximum protection.
He had heard the fencing was made with two-gauge steel which made it far thicker and more durable than your ordinary fencing. This barrier would definitely keep any local wildlife out as it looked sturdy enough to stop a heard of charging elephants.
To make things even more difficult for something to enter every fifty feet outside the fence was a steel pole that stood one foot in diameter. Each large pole was cemented into the ground and reinforced by two poles that were drilled into the top portion of the large pole with the bottom of them drilled into a concrete block in the ground. These poles were somewhat smaller and appeared to be about the same size of a normal gate pipe.
He noticed that about every ten feet was a pipe that was still very solid but was quite a bit smaller than the large pipes but a bit bigger than the gate pipe. These were also cemented into the ground in the same fashion that the large poles were.
Connecting all of these massive pipes was steel cable that appeared to be about an inch thick. This looked to expand around the entire immediate compound. It appeared the science facility was just short of being a secure military compound.
All of this made Kyjus a bit more comfortable but still we are talking about a demon so Kyjus in no way relaxed. Instead, he urged his horse to keep up the blistering pace it was setting.
He was at the southwestern corner of the facility now; he turned his horse and headed north following just a few feet to the left of the outer fence.
Looking inside the facility he could see a large pond; it was about five hundred feet long as it easily went from gatehouse to gatehouse. The young mage had heard Syrus mention that the gatehouses were strategically placed five hundred feet apart and that there were nine all total.
He remembered the old mage mentioning the entire perimeter of the facility was just over two- and one-half miles. It was a large facility with grand purposes he knew, and it was up to him and his friends to save it.
He looked again within the compound which seemed to be void of any life. This was a good thing Kyjus thought to himself as this fact may mean that the Eerikye and their demon master may not have penetrated the facilities perimeter.
The young mage spotted two buildings several hundred feet within the facility. These buildings were about the size of a large barn back on earth. Their appearance was very similar to that of a barn so Kyjus had surmised that this may have indeed been their very purpose.
He was coming up on what appeared to be a water tower some one hundred feet north of the lake. Between the lake and the tower stood what Kyjus believed to have been the pump that Syrus had talked about. It was quite a bit more primitive then something one would find on earth, but it looked sturdy and crude but effective, nonetheless.
There were eight pumps tactically located within the compound. There was one on each corner of the stone wall located within the petrol refining facility. Kyjus could clearly see this even though it was located on the eastern side of the facility.
There was a fifteen- or twenty-foot stone wall that comprised the outer portions of the refining facility. Inside Kyjus spotted at least five large holding tanks that soared about twenty feet above the wall. They were made of solid adamantine and were virtually impenetrable for obvious reasons.
They had taken more than a year to construct as Kyjus remembered vividly the tale that Syrus wove about this portion of the facility.
The refining station located within this portion of the facility was nothing compared to the great refineries located on earth but if you stopped to consider the fact that what was made here supported a satellite the size of a large US city it was still quite impressive.
The young mage also remembered Syrus talking about the grade of petrol that was produced as he said "the purity of this petrol surpasses even the very finest that your government produces on earth. Even your rocket fuels are of poor quality by comparison".
It was easy to see why the council so desperately wanted to keep this facility intact and why the Dylonian's so desperately wanted to destroy it.
Kyjus spotted a long slender building through the trees as the fence turned forty-five degrees to the east. This must have been the herb drying facilities that Syrus spoke as they had the look of a log cabin on the sides, but the young mage could clearly see the glass that was carved nearly comprising the entire portion of the structure.
He could also clearly make out the stable that was located in the northeast corner of the facility. In the distance some ways behind the stables and the drying greenhouse the young mage could make out the largest building within the compound.
It was several stories high. All around its perimeter were pillars made of stone. The view from this spot was breathtaking to the young mage for the structure remained in tack. There was none of the enemy within the compound although Kyjus could now make out fighting in the distance and saw smoke, but it was still about a quarter to a half mile away.
The young mage was about to turn the corner and head due east which would have not only put him in clearer sight of the enemy, but it would have taken him far too close to the fighting.
Kyjus felt again an intrusion upon his mind. You have run to far too fast my friend. Call your horse to halt as I am going to create a gate right there near the guard tower. This gate will take us into the compound and allow us to fulfill our mission without compromising the facilities security.
This thought quickly penetrated the young mages mind and he was able to reign in his horse only a few feet before he went pass the guard house.
Kyjus waited for a minute to let the Magus Sheplin and the princess catch up. The magus prepared his spell which was near its end when the remaining forces of Borensia arrived at the guard tower.
All total nearly fifteen of the towns soldiers, the Magus, Kelsee, and Kyjus were here to help quell the fires and make safe Hummerdell. The swirling green mist of the portal gate began to form as the soldiers reigned in their horses.
This time Kyjus could make out the other portal about two hundred or so feet inside the gate. It was adjacent to the stables and not far from the main quarters of the facility. As the portal completed Kyjus bolted through not even needing Magus Sheplin's prompting to enter.
The princess was next followed by the Borensian Soldiers and lastly the magus himself. After the arch magi's entry, he promptly said the incantation that would close the portal. It would not do to have the enemy spot the portal and gain entry prior to the spells natural conclusion.
The small group of adventurers and soldiers quickly boarded their horses into the stables. They then made, with all do haste, their way over to the rising pillars of smoke. It was hot today as it had been in the recent weeks. There was very little rainfall in this area, perhaps just a drizzle here and there.
The greenery was quickly turning into shades of brown, so the trees, grass and shrubs were quick to catch fire and burn. The fires continued to swell to the point that they were now about fifty or so feet away from the eastern drying greenhouse.
One of the herbologist directed the group to the pumps and the area near the closest greenhouse. "If the greenhouse caught on fire almost a month's worth of work and forty percent of this year's crop of Blackthorn, Dittany Root, Monkshood, Oris Root and Vervain would go up in flames" she said to them as sweat and dirt poured from her brow.
She continued. "not to mention that these fires are now less than fifty feet from the petrol facility and if that would somehow catch fire, the devastation it would cause would be ghastly".
Kyjus believed that this whole fire scheme was just an attempt to keep people focused away from the enemy. It seemed to be working.
Magus Sheplin quickly busied himself with a spell as did the princess. While the Magus' spell concentrated on drenching the area near the greenhouse with a torrential downpour of rain the princess concentrated on area frost spells that significantly lowered the temperatures of the entire area.
Both spells had great impact not only on the terrain but also on those within the vicinity as they were now cooler and refreshed.
Kyjus knew the spell that the magus had used, torrential downpour was not a spell within his book however, so he thought he would try his hail spell and hope that he made the same mistake as last time.
Casting a frost shield upon himself Kyjus began the short walk over and into the fire and away from others just in case he did get hail.
The princess saw him and thought him crazy. "Is he daft or has he just plain lost his mind," she shouted to the Magus over the turmoil of activity.
"I don't think either", was the response.
Many of the other onlookers watched as the young mage entered the fire, some even gasped and halted what they were doing to take note.
"I am guessing a frost shield was utilized so he could not feel the fire. The young master has shown himself to be quite adept at shielding. As to what he intends to do while he is immersed in the flames is beyond me," the magus said with some uncertainty.
Standing with arms spread wide, staff in one hand he reached the other into his reagent pouch in his front left pocket. As he reached into his pocket it hit him. His last spell failure was a bust because he used the wrong ingredients. He had failed to add silver studs in with his dry ice.
By just using dry ice he had received a much less consistent hail then he had hope. In fact, they were just very large very salty rain drops. Now admittedly they would not be very helpful when fighting off most enemies, but when the enemy is fire however, salt water may be just the thing he would need.
Pulling out the largest block of dry ice he had the neophyte mage began to seek out the area in which he wanted to cast his spell upon. He could now feel the warmth of the fire penetrate his shield ever so slightly. He knew in minutes the shield would no longer offer him the protection that he needed so he must cast this spell and hope it eliminates much of the fire and the heat it was providing.
The young mage began to chant the words of his spell. It was at first but a whisper upon the wind but as he continued the words "Bombardus Krusa", his voice and command began to carry.
The clouds darkened and churned as the lightning within raged on. The lightning stayed within the clouds as the mage did not call it to reign down from the sky. Instead, he used that power to continue to agitate the clouds above.
With a loud boisterous crescendo, the young mage repeated the spell words one final time. The gods had heard him as deafening roar of thunder shook the countryside. It was a trickle at first but within seconds the trees, ground, and part of the greenhouse where being pelted with raindrops the size of small coins.
The fire hissed in protest over the first few seconds but as the moisture continued to bombard the earth around the young mage the fire was losing its grip on the land.
Kyjus could already feel the heat lesson as the rain continued it's decent upon the ground. Many of the scientist and facility staff watched as the rain was quickly doing their job for them. A cheer went out as the last of the fires was dashed by the down pouring of salt water.
In looking back Kyjus noticed that ice was now starting to form a barrier of protection around greenhouse. The princess ice spells in combination with the rain pouring from the sky had created a barrier that even the heartiest of fire spells might not penetrate.
Since the entire area was now blanketed with an inch and counting of ice there was no danger of any of the fire arrows catching fire.
The soldiers who were still in awe every time this young mage performed a spell simply shook their heads as they now raced toward the front gates and the promise of battle.
Unlike the princess, magus and the Borensia soldiers present, the rest of the onlookers had not yet heard about the power of the young mage. It was those folks that stood in awe at his display. They were relieved the immediate danger was dispensed but they had the buckets and hoses and pumps ready should an attack begin somewhere anew.
* * * *
The people that gathered within the science facility were not the only ones that paused to observe the spell and the activity that was occurring within the compound.
The eyes of the Eerikye Chieftain glazed over red, and a guttural growl emanated from his lips. Those men around him took a cautious step back as they were starting to get a sense what they were truly up against.
The Eerikye around redoubled their efforts as they took this as a sign of strength from their chief.
The demon in birdman form set his mind back to the task at hand as he was amply occupied with the two mages, he was doing battle with at this moment. Should the mage that called forth that rain enter the fray prior to him dispatching one of the mages he was already engaged in, it may be too much for him to handle especially given the restrictions of his current form.
The beast thought that he may have to shed this mask earlier than anticipated as this group of humanoids was a far greater nuisance than he could have imagined.
The Chieftains' thoughts were lifted from the battle for the briefest of moments, but he knew against his current enemies this was far too long. He turned his attention back to the battle just in time to see a bolt of lightning slam into his chest. The creature roared away the pain.
Perhaps it was time to show his enemy what they truly faced.