8.0

Just as sudden her kiss came to him, Evie parted with him just as quick, if time allowed her, she would have the moment longer, she would even go so far as to enjoy John’s expression in delight for having kissed her. But she could not afford

Evie had planned for this dance date so meticulously for days, she spent long nights awake after she their nightly ritual of her checking up on him just to perfect this day, tonight had to be perfect.

But it wasn’t the case. Whilst following through her plan to create the perfect opportunity for tonight, she discovered that the academy had other plans, and so, like any problem solver, she eradicated the problem—quite literally—had Zondrac investigate the shady business that Dezarith Empire had for the academy students.

Fortunately and unfortunately for her, Zondrac was an efficient person and had dug up certain information that requires her to further validify with her telepathic powers.

Evie had no choice but to use the short window of opportunity to investigate what she had been suspecting of the Empire of Dezarith.

For his sake.

She thought to herself, before glancing back at John’s diminishing figure while she flew further away from him.

John’s face remained flushed and there seemed to be no signs of him returning to his usual poker face without bursting into an idiotic smile every 5 seconds. He kept a calm face as he bid Evie goodbye after their kiss, but the moment she flew into the air with the wings she sprouted, his head would not let go of the fact that she had placed her soft lips onto his.

Her first kiss, her first kiss… No, wait, she said all future kisses… Does that mean she’s already thinking about what will happen when she comes back!? What is this development? I’ve gotta… I’ve got to think about…

The more he recalled what Evie said to him, the happier he felt, the surge of adrenaline made him want to jump from the balcony just to make sure he was not dreaming—not a good idea.

Okay, calm down John. There’s plenty of time to replay what just happened in your head until Evie comes back, it’s just a temporal high, calm down. Let’s just try to remain calm at the meantime… he said to himself, grinning like an idiot.

When the excitement in his veins began to fade, and when he had full control of his overflowing emotions, he decided to descent the stairs and return to the ball room.

There’s nothing better to do, might as well check with the guys before I head to sleep.

Really, he had no point of returning to attend the ball of paragons when something amazing had just happened to him, he could have just returned to east wing and fantasized about the whole scene with Evie earlier but out of some sense of urgency, he entered the ball room with an expectation that someone was waiting for him.

“John is back!” Gobbert’s shouted the moment John saw him and the hero’s party by a side of the hall. But unlike the carefree voice that Gobbert would usually speak to John with, this one contained a hint of nervousness and thrill. Gobbert immediately came to John and asked him to follow.

“Aren’t you suppose to be on your mission or something?” John asked as Gobbert placed a large arm around his shoulders, escorted him to where Scywell and the rest were.

“We just finished. You came at the right time. Scywell wants to speak with you,” Gobbert said as a matter of fact.

“Okay…?”

When he got to where the remaining four members of the hero’s party were, Scywell and Helen shared a look before one of them spoke.

“John, we require your assistance.” Scywell spent no time getting to the point, “It would be great if you accompanied us to Kershent ruins tonight, right after this discussion is over. Due to unforeseen circumstances, I believe bringing you along is the best course of action to our survival. Since there might be an imminent threat—”

“We won’t force you if you don’t want to.” Helen, immediately cut off Scywell before he started to go into the details. “We are short on help, and people’s lives might be at stake if we don’t act quick. What’d you say? Our team could use your healing magic and an extra pair of hands.”

John weighed his options in his head.

Evie was gone until next Tuesday, to attend some Elder Dragon business—according to her. That meant the time that he had intended to spend with the dragon girl was now freed up and he could go on a mission with his friends. Sure, he would have to burn the midnight oil, but compared to the lives he could save and the on-field experience he would get, the answer was a no brainer.

“Yeah, why not? It’s not like I have anything better to do anyway.”

His answer immediately brought smiles to his five friends.

“Alright! Now let me go get some of the food here to go!” Randolph said before he rushed to the aisle of food and began to place whatever he could into a container that had its internal space magically expanded.

“Let’s go Randy, we are leaving this instant. Our ride is waiting for us this moment.”

“Give me a second, Scy. I am so hungry I might die, I need the energy for my magic to work.”

As soon as Randolph, the last passenger to board the sturdy vehicle manned by an imperial soldier sent from Registoria, the six of them immediately took off from Moxnet academy. With the steel carriage, they continued travelled south-west, their transport moved a good distance on the general paved roads then the coach suddenly took an unexpected turn into the narrow roads that lead them deeper and deeper into the dense forest.

Even coach that was of the highest built quality from Dezarith Empire, the uneven rocky roads caused a handful of unpleasant bumps while the six passengers in it were busy preparing for their outbound destination.

Nom!

Randolph took a soundful bite at the piece of chicken before he leaned back while he endured an unpleasant stare from Angeline who no doubt was holding back on reproaching him.

“What?” he spoke with his mouth full.

“…” Angeline ignored Randolph before inching closer to John who sat beside her.

“The oil just…” John who was acting as the shield between the two of them pointed at Randolph’s face, “…try to close your mouth, the juices are getting everywhere.”

“As a quick recap… According to the mage stationed at Kershent ruins 2 hours ago, a lich was spotted within distance of Kershent village, it’s two days earlier than we have anticipated but it is our job as the response team to hold them off when they attack the moment midnight comes.”

Scywell paused at that and made sure everyone got what he said before continuing.

“Now for why this was an emergency mission, John. Normally, undead forces that are attracted to the artifact stationed in Kershent ruins are low level undead that could be easily defeated by throwing a meager stone at them, they would turn to dust with just light force, but with the sudden appearance of a lich, it meant that the weak undead that the people of Kershent Village faced would have had their powers amplified by at least a tenthfold.”

“Ten times the usual?” Gobbert blurted out of surprise. “Liches are supposed to make undead threats multiplied by twice of their original, even elder liches aren’t that deadly. What is this?”

Scywell nodded, “Correct. That is, if they are naturally spawned liches. But the one that we are about to face is reported to have been properly geared with tier 2 and tier 3 magical items.”

“That means…” Randolph who had a carefree look shot his eyes wide open, he stopped feasting on the food he packed and started to take the situation seriously. “Hang on Scy, how many of those does the lich have?”

“Two golden rings, each imbued with a different elemental magic. A magic deflection robe, and fortunately, a standard staff for low tier casters.”

Liches were notoriously known for their strong necromatic connections to the undead, though they don’t naturally spawn like skeletons or zombies from untended graves, they would take form should a large enough horde of undead were to linger too long in a place. The accumulated amount of negative energy would cause liches to be called forth from the darkest parts of the soil, manifesting itself to be a formidable foe.

Liches were weak when singled out of the undead horde that areunder their control, but the reason that caused everyone in the coach to be on high alert was because liches were natural born necromancers that could continuously spawn undead at a rapid rate.

And now, if one would give high grade equipment to a lich, as a direct result, it would cause all the undead that it summoned and controlled to be at least as powerful as him, if not better.

“A lich, with equipment… This doesn’t feel right Scywell.” The one who spoke was Angeline, her hands pinched at the hems of John’s suit. “Aside from their staff, two elemental rings? A magic deflection robe? It’s statistically impossible for them to even have one, let alone three of those at the same time. Sure, it won’t be too difficult for us. But…”

“…” the hero fell into a silence.

“Don’t you think someone is behind this?”

“It is a possibility,” Scywell answered immediately.

“Then why bring John along? You should have left him back in Moxnet. If anything happens to him,” Angeline argued.

Helen then said in reassuring voice, “He isn’t fighting with us. He will be helping you in the backlines, calming the backlines, treating the injured if there is any.”

“O-oh…” Angeline’s voice became small, her tone changed when she realized she had mistaken John’s role.

She’s worried about me? I know my way around weapons, but what about you Angeline? John looked at her, wondering how would Angeline fare in her cute pink dress of hers.

“Relax, Angeline, we won’t put him in danger. He is just here in case any of us got seriously injured.” Gobbert said before he fished a short sword from his bag and handed it to John. “It’s not the dagger you carried around but it’s better than nothing. Should work just fine, yeah?”

Accepting the sword John spoke, “Are all of you going to be fighting in your current attire? Because…” he gestured at the well woven clothes from the ball that they still had on them.

“Hahaha, this is what I like about John boy here. Always thinking ahead!” Randolph snapped his fingers at John, made an approving face. “We have our gear at the back, we are changing change the first thing we stop. The empire always provides us custom fitted gear for all our missions. Now you mentioned it…we don’t have any for him, don’t we?”

In response to Randolph’s gloomy realization, Gobbert gave a smirk, it was though he seen the problem at hand through and had prepared for it. “Just wear that suit from my uncle’s shop. All clothes they make are guaranteed to be stab resistant, it gives more protection than your regular leather armor.”

“Whaaaattt???” Randolph screamed in surprise while everyone looked at Gobbert as though he was on drugs. “And your uncle just gave us these high quality clothes?”

“They make clothes for nobles, it must have some level of protection or the clothes won’t fetch such high prices, won’t they?” Scywell said. “Though, our equipment is still better. So please do wear your light armor despite having Gobbert’s family’s suits, Randy.”

“Fine...” Randolph folded his arms.

John nodded, though somewhat startled and confused to why he was given something like this for the price of nothing, he muttered a quiet “Thanks,” to Gobbert who was in front of him.

“No worries, John, glad that you have protection on you. Uncle Warren will definitely want to hear about this once we are done. Can’t wait to see him start bragging his craftsmanship to his customers again!”

It did not take long after that for their coach to arrive at their destination, Kershent Village. Though their moods were somewhat lifted from Randolph’s constant jokes regarding only buying clothes from Barcus’ tailor shop this day onwards, everyone remained vigilant towards the mission that they were tasked with.

Their transport was stopped by the entrance to Kershent Village, two imperial guards that guarded the entrance denied their entry in fear of causing unnecessary panic among the inhabitants. The driver had no choice but to park the coach by the road as everyone changed into more suitable clothes—except for John who will enter with his dashing outfit.

Once finished wearing his armor, Scywell was the first to catch up to John who stood by the two guards, “What are your reasons to deny entry? Your intentions to interfere with our work are in violation—”

“Sir hero! The situation has escalated quicker than it was relayed to the capital! The lich had moved pass the ruins and had taken part of the village! This is no ordinary lich, it actively seeks out the living and turns them into the undead!”

Scywell gritted his teeth at the report. If they knew this much about the lich, no doubt, lives were already lost while he was on his way here.

“Where’s the rest? Where have you escorted the others?”

The soldier that spoke looked to the other nervously, the both shared a glance before the other spoke. “E-escorted to the village townhall. It seems that the lich was uninterested the moment anyone entered the townhall…but the village is overrun with the undead, s-sir.”

Helen appeared beside Scywell and spoke after him, “Where’s the mage that contacted us? We need his help to bring the villagers to safety.”

“Mage?” the first soldier said dubiously. “I don’t recall a mage in Kersant Village.”

Kersant Village? Isn’t it Kershent Village or are their accent somewhat different compared to the ones Moxnet students have?

“You don’t know?” Angeline followed up from behind them, “Your best magic user and you don’t know!? What have you two been doing here?”

“I…” the two soldiers became speechless. “We are newly stationed here, please forgive our ignorance!” they apologized in unison.

“Just a moment ago you two—” Angeline tried to protest but John was there to stop her and asked everyone what the next best plan was.

Scywell who was not particularly happy with the two soldiers guarding the entrance gave instructions to the imperial soldier that manned their coach to contact headquarters and request for immediate backup. Partly because he was doubtful of what was just said, and partly for security.

The six of them gathered in a spot far away from the two guards, Scywell instructed, “Now that it’s come to this, we are going with the second plan, we need observe how many villagers are still in the townhall. For now, we stay clear from the main roads and get to where the residents are.”

The six of them had reviewed the map of Kershent earlier, and given the situation, they will be going to the village townhall located at the very east of Kershent Village by circumventing the village by following its edges. Thankfully the townhouse was by the very edge of the village too so they won’t have to travel more than 500 meters.

Helen quickly cast [Silence] on everyone, preventing any sounds that anyone might make before their group moved to their destination.

The six of them walked by the neatly trimmed meadows that Kershent had maintained. In no time, they reached the townhall and got around to the building’s entrance without encountering any of the undead that the two soldiers mentioned. In fact, when they looked down to the cobblestone streets, aside the cold wind the blew against their clothes, it was empty and void of anything that resembled the undead or living.

“…”

“Scy, did you think the two soldiers were lying?” asked Randolph as he patrolled around the vicinity of the townhall, poking his sword watchfully at the space in front of him while he checked for signs of any ghouls. “This place looks more abandoned than filled with undead.”

“The undead must have been ordered to retreat and gather the moment they sensed Scywell’s energy. This lich must have its senses boosted by his gear…” Angeline paused before she noticed something on shifting the ground.

“Something is there!” John quickly pulled her back to where he stood.

Not a moment after she moved away, a bony hand erupted from the spot and grasped at the air above. Following the bone white hand was an arm, then another arm, it was not long that the pair of hands dug at the ground before them in attempts to crawl towards them.

“Skeleton!” Gobbert shouted as he lifted his shield held a defensive position as more of the cobblestone ground nearby started to crack just like the spot Angeline was at. Gobbert swung his club at the partially formed skeleton whose upper body was in their view, shattering its skull and ribs on impact. But when he thought it was over, more of the same bony limbs began to erupt from the ground besides him. “There’s no end to them…”

“Gobbert, save your energy, keep away from them,” Scywell ordered, Gobbert instantly obeyed and retreated with his shield raised to his shoulders.

Creek, crack, clank, cluck…

Fissures formed from the ground as the crisp sounds of dry, fragile bones moved before their very eyes, though the skeletons moved slowly, it did not take more than a minute for the whole street finish sprouting droves of ghastly looking skeletons.

“Decipher what was once a permissible entrance, [Unlocking of the Barred].”

Clack, behind John, the keyhole to the wooden doors of the townhall immediately became undone by Helen and they all entered before the skeletons reached them.

When Gobbert, the team’s defender, last entered the townhall and shut the large doors with his large arms, from the windows, John could see the skeletons have already flooded and surrounded the townhall.

The clattering sounds of the bones held together by the sinister magic, the inhuman groans that the skeletons, it was though the undead were begging the living to join their pack though a gruesome death.

“What was that?” Randolph who watched the skeletons with John asked.

“[Summoning Trap]. It activates whenever someone stepped on the designated spot.”

“No shit Angeline, but why are there so many spawned after the first?” Randolph said in a harsh tone. “Ah— I didn’t mean it that way, sorry,” he quickly apologized. It wasn’t because he was rude or angry, rather it was out of concern for what will they be doing next.

Skeletons, on their own, were weak, as they were the lowest of the undead, they relied more on numbers rather than their individual strength like zombies. But given to how unusually fast they were summoned after the first was destroyed, there must have been a hundred or more spawned outside that moment.

John said out loud, “It must have linked multiple spells with it, it’s a pain if we want to use the main roads… But it looks like the spell triggers when they detect living people. Though, the skeletons look like they are losing steam, they aren’t even moving towards the townhall…”

“Reactive magic huh?” Helen asked. “It’s good that they aren’t going to attack us, but that will make escorting the villagers out difficult, Scywell will have to—”

At the mere mention of the word ‘villagers’, a fragile voice called to them.

“A-are you here to save us?”

It came from a child no less than ten, who was but one among many the faces that were looking in their direction.

Pale, doe-eyed, stiffen faces of people who whose faces that John had never seen before stared at him and his friends, with the word ‘desperation’ clearly written on them.

That’s a lot of people… A hundred? Hundred fifty?

Scywell was the quickest to came to his senses, he immediately placed a hand on his chest, stood firmly as a soldier would before a commander and started announcing himself, “My name is Scywell Shatterstep, hero of Dezarith Empire, my team and I are here to help, may I speak to—” Without letting Scywell to finish his sentence, the villagers started and bemoan their helplessness, each of them spoke louder than the previous in order to gain Scywell’s attention.

“We are saved!”

“Please help us!”

“We don’t want to die.”

“Have mercy on my soul!”

Ten, fifteen, twenty, no, at least a hundred of the villagers began to cry out for help before they started flocking around Scywell who stood gallantly before them. Man, woman, old, young, all were gathered in this place but none of the soldiers that have escorted them here were to be seen, from their hopeless gazes and trembling bodies alone, one can conclude what had happened to the soldiers that were supposed to protect them.

“Does anyone know the village chief? Or a mage that goes by the name Olivia?” Helen tried to ask the scared people but none of them paid attention to her and only gathered around Scywell in a horde, it was though villagers went into a frenzy the moment they learned he was the chosen one by the Archangel of Compassion himself. The hero chosen by grace.

Their desire to meet the hero only grew stronger by the second, to the point where they have lost their common sense to the possible salvation was before them, the villagers had become so desperate for Scywell that they were practically shoving each other in their way, arms, legs, torsos were violently yanked away as the villagers competed with each other.

Unfortunately for John and the rest of the hero’s party, they were caught up in the villager’s panic.

“Hey, stop pushing…”

“Oww! There’s no need to punch me!” Angeline yelped.

“Scy, ask them to stop.”

“One at a time people— Gah!” Gobbert tried to organize the villagers but ended up with an elbow in his gut.

“Scywell…” Helen muttered as she looked towards the hero.

“Everyone please calm yourselves, I promise to bring everyone to safety, but—” Scywell spoke as he was repeatedly swarmed by people, hands furiously grabbed him as they all tried to have the hero to themselves.

“Please bring me back my family, hero!” shouted one woman as she grabbed him by the shoulders.

“Very well, madam, that is once every one of you can remain calm and I will. Please, everyone, all I ask is for all of you to—”

“Scy, do something about them… I don’t want— Oof!” another elbow connected to Randolph’s nose amidst the chaos, causing an audible crack to be heard from where Scywell stood.

It was then, that Scywell Shatterstep snapped.

“Enough!” he shouted as loudly as he could and commanded the villagers with his sheer voice. “All of you will cease your panic this moment!”

All the villagers who were in the frenzy of meeting him stopped in their tracks, those who were holding him by his limbs have now backed a good distance away from him. The ground below Scywell was covered in a blast of ice so cold that it caused immediate harm to anyone who stood on it too long.

When his anger subsided, Scywell returned to his neutral voice, “Randy, are you fine?”

“Yeah… No worries, it was just an accident. John’s on it…” Randolph gestured to John who already had [Heal] cast on his fractured nose, leaving only fresh blood trickling down his face.

Satisfied with his friend mostly unharmed, Scywell gave a nod before he addressed the villagers with a sharp glare. “May I speak to the person charge? The leader of this village?”

“…”

None of the villagers held in the room replied.

“In that case, does anyone know where the person in charge is?”

After a moment of hesitation, a voice among the fearful villagers spoke up. “K-Kershent ruins. T-the lich t-took the chief and the soldiers that brought us here.”

“Is there anyone that knows the mage who goes by the name Olivia?”

“…”

The villagers looked at each other blankly, then shook their heads weakly when none of them had the answers the hero wanted.

“Very well. I shall consult with my team before we discuss our next move. Please remain patient, I can assure all of you that help is coming and we won’t leave Kershent Village until we see everyone here leaves safely.” Scywell said in a much colder tone then when he first introduced himself to the villagers. Though his intent was still pure, what happened with the villagers moments ago was enough to irritate him.

The villagers made a few grunts here and there, some even complained to why Scywell had not immediately escorted them outside, but most of them begrudgingly accepted his answer for the time being and left the six of them to discuss among themselves.