Chereads / Tale of the Forsaken Mage / Chapter 13 - The Madman's Laugh

Chapter 13 - The Madman's Laugh

POV of the Dark Brethren Leader:

"Wrey Evergreen... amazing, I must say." The words left my mouth easily. I could hardly keep myself from shaking in my throne. My face could not subdue nor fight the smile creeping amongst it. It felt as if my whole body had received the pleasant taste of a temporary shock; my senses tingled. The stimulation... I desired to savor it.

"Impressive," I said as I covered part of my face with my hand. "You are quite amazing in every aspect. To think you were this strong... I would stand no chance against you in my former body. Even now, I am in no condition to properly handle all three of you." Reflecting on the situation, the rush died and my composure returned. "Even in my current body, I am still no match for the three of you."

Opening my other hand, I stared at my palm. "That's right..." I mumbled. "I'm no match for you right now. Even with this near undying body, I've achieved great power, but my loss of magic is quite the burden. At least for now... at the very most, we'd clash and result in a stalemate that would favor whoever was the least fatigued." Taking my hand off my face and locking both of my hands together while folding my legs on top of each other, I snickered.

"However, your strength is not enough," I said with a teeth-clenching smile as I repositioned my hands across the armrests of my throne. "A war is brewing, and you will be nothing more than a victim—perhaps a name on a tombstone if you're lucky. After all, it's inevitable. Indeed, you're smart... but I'm smarter."

I thought about the disposable servant that I had used earlier to continue my infiltration in Aerodom. Despite being a mere pawn to prolong Aerodom's recovery and eventual counterattack, I had cursed him completely. Not only did I control his action, but I controlled his memories.

"Oh well," I sighed. "It's only a matter of time until Aerodom falls... until it all falls apart." Waving a vial around in my hand, I continued thinking out loud. "The only thing I regret is not being able to properly seize the elixir of life." The small droplets of the beautiful purple-ish, pink elixir swirled against the sides of the vial; my eyes followed.

Tucking the vial back into my cloak, I arose from my throne and entered a larger room in which all my subordinates awaited my appearance. The room had died down with its many conversations as all attention sought me out. There, I stood in the center-back of the room; my two most trusted subordinates kneeled beside me.

"Time is not on our side," I addressed the crowd of hundreds. "But time is not on anybody's side," I continued. "Not us or our enemies. It shall halt for no one, but it shall favor those who take advantage of it, and so I tell you, Rise!"

The kneeling horde rose; with a proud fist pump in the air, they cheered. Their voices intermingled with each other as if one body: the Dark Brethren. Hundreds of men and women eager to achieve a common goal.

"With that being said, our raid on Aerodom was a success. However, do not rejoice for long. Aerodom will not be our only enemy. We must play the field wisely and secure a better seat in this inevitable war."

Exiting the cave, I took out the vial and poured it on the dirt. The few droplets sunk into the rocky soil.

"Surgite filii terrae!"

Two golems sprouted from out of the earth. A solid mass of hard, large rocks formed their bodies. Their eyes opened and glowed the same color as the elixir. The calm wind stormed in frustration. Kicking dirt up and forming dust, it blew strongly. The moon turned away from us, and the stars barely twinkled.

"With this, I will march upon the world and strengthen our forces," I said. "Welcome, Geo and Gol."