The Wielder of Death Magic

?Chapter 92: Change

“Use the fire skill,” a yell resounded in what appeared to be a cave. The air felt dark and moist, one would feel claustrophobic. “Watch out for the goblins, they have archers,” another yell followed by swords clashing paired with gunshots. The sweet melody of death and despair. “The reader says a boss tier monster resides here,” the faint white color of porcelain sparkled around her neck. It moved around the one who held that device, a girl with black hair. “But this quest was only tier-ten,” the guys with her argued – a loud gnarled perturbed their already frightened bodies. The adrenaline rushed even further, some felt their hands shaking, some grew strong and some felt no pain. Nature’s boost, though it didn’t suffice for the next day; bodies were taken out of said cave.

“Another adventuring party demolished by that tier-ten quest.” A young girl with hair covering her eyes spoke, she held a notepad close to her chest. “I’ll notify the central guild; we need to up the skill level.” The guild leader replied monotonously. The guild leader for one of the branches of the central guilds located in Plaustan. More precisely, the town of Swanview. Since the king’s day of birth – change happened at a rather fast pace throughout the continent. A few months had passed, the seasons changed unnaturally. Swanview slowly changed from a lonesome trading town to a booming adventuring town. All this happened thanks to Plaustan being so closed to Totrya, the monsters were more commonplace. As for the terrain, it differed, once one got closer to the south-west, it changed from plains to mountainous. If one headed to the south-east, the sea would prevail.

Swanview, that town flourished exponentially. The traffic brought about by adventurers held a lot of weight on their daily commerce. Though the skill level for that area had been raised to tier-nine, novice still rushed here. Loads of beasts were to be slain, which meant more money and fame. Since the new tiers got implemented, more and more non-fighters found that they held the potential to become adventurers. The lower three tiers, from ten to seven, were filled. The rank people sought after was Emerald, the green glimmer made all envy. Only a few held that rank, and fewer than five held Ruby. The climb to Gold was but a dream, for Silver had no one in it. As time went by, people got more experienced. This meant that one day, the upper half of the ranking would be filled as well.

The individual guilds were constantly moving, Plaustan, though relatively quiet thanks to their rulers – were at risk of an invasion. The display of strength that happened months ago sent shivers down all their spines. Everyone had one goal in mind, to get stronger. The inter-magical tournament was to be hosted in the coming months as well, it gave another incentive. Arda grew more distant from the rest of the kingdom apart from Dorchester. Those two became allies quickly which beneficiated Dorchester even greatly. The development of castle Garsley got onto another level. Dwarfs, expert builders, were sent to oversee the operation. The once small village grew into a fortified town – a large one at that. A massive wall, made with magic and fragments of adamantite were scattered all across and before long it rose. The reason why adamantite got added was that it served as a catalyst. The magic spell cast onto it made the whole stone wall have the property of adamantite, arguably the strongest material.

The king’s health worsened; the shock from the attempted assassination sent his mind into a frenzy. The next in line after his death was none other than Gallienne herself. Unknowingly, Eira also had a claim to that throne. The royal family grew silent, Raulf became in charge of the politics. This was a bad time for them, but the people acknowledge that the king wasn’t immortal. All awaited the news of his majesty’s passing any day now. Everyone’s life went on as normal in those passing months. Nothing of any big relevance occurred. The implementation of the new system happened inconspicuously and without arising trouble. People accepted the change quickly and monster-slaying became the norm.

Far, far away, hidden in the forest, away from prying eyes. A man with only his sword and wits fought. ‘Three, one, four, six.’ Six enemies laid dead before him after one strike. He had stayed here for months on end. ‘Four, two, one, three,’ another four dead. The discovery of uncharted biomes and unknown enemies. Eyes closed and sword ready to strike, Staxius had fought his way deeper into Arda. Deeper into where none dared to go, a place supposedly haunted. After witnessing the power of the demons that night, Staxius vanished. He had spent his night with family and friends after disappearing once more. None knew where he went, Arda got attacked more frequently but they made it without any hassle.

A warmth, dispersed across the foliage of trees, made its way to Staxius. He sat, hands close to his sword and rested. Around his neck, a small bag with a notebook that described the monsters he fought. It was necessary to input all the valuable information he had for the more one knew about their enemy, the more efficient and less dangerous it would be. ‘I’ve lost track of time.’ The small powernap broke, ‘I should head back, I’ve stayed away from the castle for too long.’ He rose, *crack*, it made him on edge. That was the sound of a branch that just broke. ‘Focus, close your eyes and feel the enemy,’ he stood with eyes closed. It became clear, from not seeing objects to outlines, Staxius could now sense the objects before him. A bright red aura of dread blinded him despite his eyes closed. ‘A strong foe,’ the beast stood behind him, they were separated by a tree.

In a matter of seconds, the tree trunk broke into tiny pieces. The beast, the leader of the wolf-fang, a beast that had a tier-eight level rating, had stranded away from its pack. The attack sent echoes around the forest, as a result, the peacefully resting birds all flew. Gone, Staxius disappeared just before the strike. He didn’t see it coming, rather, he sensed it. Despite the speed at which he dodged; the wolf still hurt his arms. The claws slashed through his grey armored suit as if he wore just a plain old shirt. The wound was deep, it bled, but this didn’t faze him in the least. *Sniff, sniff,* instantly, the smell of blood gave away his location. The eyes turned redder; the wolf’s demeanor changed from wandering to aggressive. To which, its strength increased proportionally. The angrier it was, the stronger it got. The right hand, the one with which he gripped the weapon, lost its vigor. The blood made holding tight, harder. It all happened in a matter of seconds, both opponents stared at each other. Staxius kept his eyes closed, all he saw was a pair of eyes from which he sensed the aura, a beating heart, and shiny claws with a faint outline of what the enemy was.

.....

The months spend inside the forest was for this exact moment. To see semi-clearly when he closed his eyes. The goal; to become the fastest and most accurate man who walked this Earth. Swift and efficient, all his magic turned to augmentation as opposed to offensive assaults. The fighting style didn’t change, for he used a sword before magic long ago. However, he used them separately. Now, after some getting used to, he managed to combine his magic with swordplay flawlessly. The beast snarled and rushed him, swing after swing, it tried to bite, maul his head off, rip his body in half, but Staxius stood strong. The wolf gave him a run for his money. Desperately, he tried keeping up but the beast kept on getting stronger. The tier-eight increased half-way to seven.

The fight remained defensive; his foe attacked relentlessly. Each shock fractured bones, it reminded him of the time he fought against his loyal companion. ‘Fenrir,’ he mumbled, the wolf pounced, he leaped on its head and shot up into the skies. ‘Why am I fighting so defensively, I’ve fought harder enemies. Is that fight against the Hydra still weighing on my sub-conscious?’ he had reached the peak, the sight of Arda from the top was only but green. ‘not possible, I’ve trained hard to become stronger, I can’t let some wolf show me up. I’ve defeated a legendary wolf after all, that beast is but an ant before her.’ The freefall began, he quickly gained ground. The foliage came into view fast. Baffled, the wolf stared up at Staxius, *Boom,* a large explosion rattled the ground. The smoke cleared, the wolf laid on the floor, the body vanished. Slain in less than a second, though he defended for ten minutes.

Moments before the explosion was heard, Staxius conjured a fireball. He threw it with enough velocity to fall just inches away from his hands. The sword, common and basic, just steel without nothing special to it, lit with a dark mist. Before touching the ground, the sword pierced the wolf’s heart, the fireball exploded almost simultaneously. It served to break his falling velocity. It revealed a large hole in which he stood with burnt marks all over. The death element’s recovery healed him quickly. ‘Regeneration is overpowered,’ dusk set-in.

The cold-night breeze blew and the walk began. He decided to head for Arda’s capital – though the journey had taken him, far, far away.

“Your majesty,” stood before her, a row of elves and dwarves. “Raise your head and speak,” the throne room remained the same, the greenish light emanating from behind made her as imposing as ever. “Us dwarves have been working the mines per your orders. However, tis not the issue, the sudden rise in monster activity in our area has proved to be of a greater danger than we anticipated. Our fellow brethren have been going missing ever since. Therefore, we humbly plead for her highness to send royal troupes and help quell our quandary.” The short-bearded man lowered his head once the complained finished. With a silent sigh, she spoke once more, “you may now start,” she pointed at one of the elves. “We’ve encountered the same problem your majesty, out in the forest, beasts of unknown nature all but ambush us while we hunt for food and provisions. Obtaining the necessary sustenance for the lower level’s taverns have grown more difficult. We all but require an escort for when we go out hunting, a scout if you’d prefer – someone who can clear out all the pesky monsters before we go on our hunts.” She took a minute to think, “very well, you shall have your escort and I’ll send part of my army to help clear out the mines. Ask for further details in the portal room.”

They all cheered and thanked her, her smile changed into a frown as soon as they left. “you’re sending out too many of your royal guards to deal with weak monsters.” The sage came from behind. “I know that, but if the people are dead, who is going to reinforce this kingdom of ours.” She replied with pride in her voice. “Well, what if the queen dies, who is to lead the people into prosperity?” The sage fired back, he cleverly twisted her words. “Bore me not with your wittiness, I haven’t the time to argue.” She exhaled, “how I wish Staxius were here,” then pouted. “Worry not, he shall be back soon,” the sage patted her shoulder and smiled. “Months have gone by; I haven’t heard from him ever since that party. I just hope he’s doing alright.” She stared in the empty hall. “Why don’t we form an adventuring guild for the people of Arda. I’m sure the kingdom will be more than happy to help.” He added, the old man said something she hadn’t thought of. “An adventuring guild for non-humans, this may be a tough undertaking but...” she liked the sound of it. “that’s not such a bad idea.” She smiled.