Chapter 011

The Den of Treasures and Magic

Once the train reached the end of its track and the sun’s incubated rays poured through its opening doors, their mission had officially begun.

Rune had never actually visited the town known as Star Bell. He just knew it was the biggest hotspot for traders and dealers in the country. Whether they be blue-blooded nobles or gold-famished thieves, people from across the country flooded its streets in hopes of getting their hands on something special. Something magical. “If you want it, we have it!”, was the official Star Bell motto. As such, the majority of the town consisted mostly of shops, trading companies, and open-air markets. A true treasure trove unique only to Esteras. At least, that was what he was taught.

Even now, as Rune exited the train station, he had to fight the urge to traverse the town and peruse its wide array of contents. Since he was a boy he’d dreamed of coming to Star Bell. Shops here didn’t just sell you typical trinkets and hand downs. There were items possessing magical properties. Artifacts from foreign lands. Foods and treats one could only taste in their wildest dreams. They had it all!

Nevertheless, he didn’t have the luxury nor the money to properly fulfill his childhood fantasies. First and foremost, he was a combat mage on an important mission. Over the course of their journey, James and Sabine disclosed the specifics of their plan. As to not arouse suspicion, the mages would split into pairs and check different sectors of the town for any suspicious activity. Should they discover anything peculiar, they would report to the remaining teams immediately and wait on standby until everyone had assembled as a group. Then, as a functioning unit of magic users, they’d investigate the anomaly together and without delay. But what would James himself be doing while they were out hunting for criminals? Apparently, the slacker had matters to attend to at Star Bell’s military base though Rune had the sneaking suspicion this was his convenient excuse to keep out of harm's way. In fact, he was one-hundred percent positive that was the case.

“Hey, Master. Did you hear?” inquired Daze, hopping next to him. “You’ll be partnered with Ebony for this mission.”

Fixing his mouth into a scowl, Rune leered at James at the top of the train station’s cement entrance stairs, knee-deep in a conversation with Sabine and Striker. “Jeez, what a shocker,” Rune grumbled. “Whatever. It’ll give us a chance to catch up with each other if nothing else.”

“Aren’t you nervous?”

“Why would I be?”

“It’s just that, well, I heard some horrifying stories about that girl,” Daze gulped, his knees trembling like a cowardly, infant child.

“Not interested,” Rune countered, showing him the face of his palm. “Was never too keen on rumors.”

“Come on! Just hear me out!” Daze wailed. “They say she was adopted by a high-ranking combat mage but before that, she actually used to be a noble, if you could believe it.”

Rune folded his arms. “A noble, you say?”

“Yup! And that’s not all. I’ve heard she was disowned by her family because she...” Daze shivered. “Because she...” Daze shivered some more. “Because she...”

“Oh, just get to the point!”

Scuttling closer, the terrified mage whispered into his ear, “Because she killed someone. A member of her family’s servant staff, I heard.”

“You...that's ridiculous,” Rune adamantly denied. "If she did, everyone would’ve found out about it by now.”

“But that’s what I was told!”

“Oh yeah. By who?”

“Lukas.”

And suddenly, everything was beginning to make sense. Loudly releasing a jetting current of air out his mouth, Rune rested a hand over the frantic private and said, “I wouldn’t trust anything that jerk says.”

“You think so?”

“Most definitely. I’ve known Ebony for quite some time. Granted, we were never close or anything. In fact, I’m fairly certain she didn’t even know I existed until we graduated. But she’s not someone to be frightened of.”

“Maybe you’re right. Still, I’d watch my back around her. Something about her gives me the shivers.”

“Would you relax already? She’s quiet and a little introverted but it's not like she’s some kind of monster.”

“Excuse me,” someone said behind them.

All at once, as if his body was set on completely contradicting what he’d just told his worrying comrade, an unsettling chill avalanched down his spine. Turning around quickly, he found the black-haired girl aiming her ice-cold stare at them. A silent, unaffectionate cat observing a pair of petrified mice.

“Y...Yes?!” stammered Rune.

“Major Griffin told me you and I would be partners for this investigation,” she dryly announced, walking past them. “We’ll be starting our search in the northern district so let’s get a move on.”

“Right! Coming!” Rune called. With a false smile, he waited until the girl put some distance between them until his anxiety left him in the form of a long exhale. “You don’t think she heard us, do you?”

“If she did,” Daze replied, patting his master on the back. “I’ll say a prayer at your funeral.”

“Not helping!”

Honestly, there shouldn’t be any reason to be so afraid, was there? They trained at the same institution. Fought the same kinds of criminals. No matter how he looked at it, both of them were on the same side. So then, why couldn’t he keep Lukas’ nonsensical rumors out of his head? What made him keep his distance from a completely ordinary girl?

He walked behind her, not hurrying to match her pace yet not remaining so far away as to make his reluctance overly apparent. “This place seems as normal as ever. I wonder if the major’s hunch was wrong?” she said. What surrounded them were multi-storied shops of all shapes and sizes as well as a migratory herd of bustling customers and tourists. They could hardly take five steps before being bombarded by smiling puppets striving to lure them into their stores.

As annoying as it was, Rune couldn’t help himself from staring through the glass windows and at the items that were on display. Upon passing by the open-air markets positioned on either side of the street, his eyes dazzled at the fancy and bizarre-looking items the clerks boasted about. There were glittering necklaces rumored to enhance one's natural beauty. In his hand, a man swung around a sword boasting a long silver-colored blade. The clerk posted beside him claimed that they collected the impressive weapon from the mysterious lands of Eywa, the country located south of Esteras. Toys crafted of straw, and granted with the gift of life by magic, laughed and ran over a wooden stall’s table. If he wasn’t on duty, Rune would have without a doubt ended up spending the entire day there, along with every coin in his pocket.

But not even Star Bell’s wonders could distract him from the underlying nervousness festering in his gut. “This place is pretty amazing, isn’t it?” Rune blurted in hopes of initiating a conversation.

“Well, it’s not called the Den of Treasures and Magic for nothing.”

Rune grinned. “I suppose.”

“In any case, why did you decide to assist Major Griffin?”

“...I just wanted to bring these terrorists to justice. Nothing more, nothing less,” he lied.

“Really? Interesting,” she said under her breath. “You know, there’s been a lot of talk concerning you in my bracket. Although, most are complainers perturbed at how the son of the Crimson Traitor was permitted into the military. They must think being a traitor runs in the family, huh?”

“Let them think what they want. It's not like it matters to me."

“I’ve never paid them much mind, myself. I believe most of their criticisms are less to do with doubt or fear and more to do with spite and jealousy. Let’s face it, you're rapidly starting to make a name for yourself. Some are even dubbing you as “The New Everburn Mage”.”

“Don’t remind me...”

“It makes sense you’d have loads of critics. They're jealous of how a commoner and son of a traitor is rising through the ranks faster than they are.”

“And what is your opinion of me?”

“As far as I’m concerned, I couldn’t care less about a person’s past. I’m mostly interested in one’s intentions for the future. With that being said, I’d appreciate it if you tell me the real reason you joined this mission.” Taken aback, Rune contrasted her speculative stare with his glance of vulnerability. “I can tell when someone’s lying to me.”

“Point made,” he chuckled. “But if you don’t mind, I think I’ll keep that to myself.”

“Fair enough. I’m here because I want to shoot up the ranks as well, in addition to stopping these terrorists, of course. Even though I graduated at the top of our year group I still haven’t done anything noteworthy or worthwhile.”

“Given your skills, I’m sure you’ll get recognition in time. And it’s not like I’ll stay in the military for the long run. With me out of the limelight, they’re bound to notice you eventually.”

Ebony stared at him confusedly. “What do you mean?”

“Well, I didn’t enlist because I wanted to be a hero or anything. And I’m not exactly thrilled about the prospect of dying to protect total strangers either. Once I’ve done what I need to, I'll gladly resign then and there.”

“Surely you don’t mean that.”

“Trust me, I do. I play the part of a combat mage because it allows me to pursue my goal within the confines of the law. I’m not the criminal nor the monster others make me out to be, neither do I intend to breathe life into their baseless accusations.”

She frowned. “And even with all of your powers, knowledge, and skills, you still wouldn’t want to use them to better serve our country?

“Why would I? As I said, I’m no hero. Everything I’ve done until this point is for myself and those I cherish. The rest of this world can burn for all I care,” he muttered, adopting a darkened glare.

Closing the curtain on their somewhat awkward exchange roared a thunderous explosion that excreted plumes of smoke into the azure sky. Its shockwave rolled over the city, removing the plates off rooftops and kicking up follies of dust into the many faces of unsuspecting citizens. Rune, shielding his face with his hands, aimed a concentrated stare at the streams of grime ascending into the heavens in the distance. “That doesn’t look good.” The collective screams of men and women pierced his eardrums. Thousands of strangers who’d until this point indulged in their mindless shopping trips now initiated a tumultuous stampede. The tapping of feet and expressions of terror corrupted the town.

Rune glanced to his right and spotted Ebony, who, despite the ensuing chaos, didn’t display the same level of caution or bewilderment as himself. The grin spreading along her pale face emanated what he could only identify as satisfaction. “Ebony!” he shouted. “Do you remember our evacuation training lessons back in the academy?!” The girl, quick to erase her unnerving smile, looked at him and nodded. “Then I’ll leave these civilians to you.”

Draken, the name of the tome strapped to his waist, awoke from its slumber. Engulfed in a blistering, red aura, the enchanted book hovered patiently in front of its mage as Rune held out his hand and loudly recited “Regaleo!”. The tome then revealed to him its contents. It opened its orange covers and flipped through its ancient pages until arriving at the page of Rune’s chosen spell. The numerous lines of black, archaic text written on the faded sheets of paper glowed red, the mage sensing the magic flow throughout the essence channels in his body. Inhaling, Rune leaped into the air. As he did, powerful plumes of orange flames ignited out the soles of his boots. They propelled him off the ground and several stories into the sky.

“You get as many people out of this district as you can! Oh and see if you can get in contact with Daze and the others! I’ll go check out what caused that explosion!”

“By yourself?!" she shouted up at him.

“Don’t worry, I wouldn’t have survived this long if I was a pushover! With any luck, I’ll have this issue wrapped up before reinforcements even arrive!”

Of course, this was easier said than done. Though he wasn’t intent on displaying to Ebony any signs of weakness. Instead, he left the girl where she stood and, like a rocket, blasted off in the direction of the massive stream of smoke. Over rooftops and everyone else’s heads, Rune allowed his flames to torpedo him through the sky as if he was some kind of human-shaped bird of prey. With time and a lot of practice, his eyes evolved to where they weren’t as affected by the strong gusts of wind colliding into his face. They didn’t even water as much anymore! Having used this spell on multiple occasions in the past it remained no longer a challenge for Rune to discern his surroundings. He could see everything from the people below him scurrying away like little ants to his glowing tome soaring behind him in a desperate attempt to match its caster’s pace.

But what he focused on most of all was that of the large, robust figure stepping outside of a wooden building on the verge of collapsing. Rune landed in the middle of the street a few meters away from the beast though he never removed his attentive, partially puzzled, gaze off it. He’d seen these kinds of creatures before and knew exactly what they were capable of. No mere human could ever hope to take down a golem. Especially not one so ginormous. The sentient mass of earth clumsily marched out of the massive crater it created in the building. Composed entirely of yellow rocks riddled with fissures and standing as tall as a three-storied house, the artificial creature walked on all fours, its pair of overly long bulky arms helping to distribute its overwhelming weight. What was most astonishing about it, however, was that mounted atop its bulging, hill-sized humpback were three men wearing ripped clothing, their faces covered by black masks. At first, Rune suspected they might be civilians caught in the golem's path of destruction. Then he looked again, noticing how they weren’t even scared. On the contrary, they laughed and joked with each other as if what was happening wasn't the least bit concerning.

You’ve gotta be kidding me. Inflating his guts, Rune shouted at the top of his lungs. “Hey! What do you three think you’re doing, huh?!”

His shouting must have barely reached them at the peak of their giant monster as only one of the men reacted. Peering down at him, he exclaimed, “What the?! Is that a combat mage?!”

“I thought there weren’t supposed to be any in this area?!” babbled another.

The last of them, the one whom Rune guessed was their leader, growled in his rough voice, “Pipe down, you dolts! We were already aware this could’ve been a possibility. There’s no point in panicking now.”

“B...But he’s a mage! What if his magic...”

“Your eyes not working? A single mage isn’t a match for our Gigas Golem.”

“I beg to differ!” Rune refuted. “If you do this, it won’t end well for any of you. I suggest you deactivate your golem and surrender. This doesn’t have to turn into a fight.”

The leader leered at him. “Wait a minute. I recognize you from somewhere. You’re the Everburn Mage, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, yeah. I think you’re right, boss!”

“And if that’s true...” One of the criminals pointed a finger at Rune, angrily declaring, “then this bastard’s the reason our guys at the Ponsetta Branch got caught!”

Rune scowled. “So, I take it you lot are members of Pygmy Vyper? Looks like some of you really did slip under our noses.”

“Of course we are!” their leader shouted, rolling back his right sleeve to show the purple-colored symbol in the shape of a snake’s head, the official insignia of the criminal syndicate calling themselves Pygmy Vyper. “And it’s because of you our entire organization is in shambles right now! Do you have any idea how much suffering you put us through?!” As mad as he was, his anger was short-lived, quickly being replaced by a devious sneer. “I guess this must be fate for us to run into each other like this. To hell with our original plan! We’re getting revenge on the asshole that dared to cross us! Gigas, flatten this weakling!” he ordered, pointing at Rune.

The eyes inside the golem’s round and rather tiny head radiated an emerald glow. Releasing a deep moan, the beast slowly repositioned its body so that it may better face its new target. Wherever it dragged its enormous knuckles it would leave behind freshly made trenches and with every stomp it took the very earth Rune stood on pulsated. Its face was as emotionless as a brick wall and yet emanated a malicious aura, that of a predator who had just found its prey. Rune got into his battle stance, spreading his feet apart from one another and holding his fists close to his head.

In response, the golem rose onto its stubby hind legs, raising its pair of massive arms into the heavens. A monstrous shadow cast down onto the city, blanketing almost everything in a sheet of unsaturated darkness. A wise mage knew what they could or couldn’t handle. Right now, Rune was certain if he stayed where he was, his life would meet an abrupt conclusion. As the beast plummeted its fists to the earth, Rune distanced himself from his opponent with a mighty leap backward. Although, it wasn’t enough to avoid the tsunami of earth and dust from catching up to him. For the moment when the golem slammed its fists onto the ground was the moment his eardrums almost burst, a loud, clapping noise discharging throughout the entirety of Star Bell. Rune danced the tango of retreat. His body moved and twisted as he dodged and weaved a jetting series of rubble. A rock shard whistled past his face, severing through his skin thus creating a crimson line across his left cheek. A house closest to him collapsed, launching hunks of wood that nearly shredded his waist.

"Regaleo!" Rune shouted again. Burning gales of fire carried him further from ground zero though not even that was enough to avoid the sheer calamity the golem had caused with only its opening attack. A geyser of earth erupted several stories into the sky, belching boulders and pieces of debris that uncontrollably hurtled into the nearby buildings. It was like a bomb had gone off, or an earthquake had commenced. There was nothing Rune could do to stop it, not when he was being blown several meters back by deluging currents of howling winds.

When he finally came to a stop, or rather, when everything went still and quiet, Rune peered through a curtain of dust to see what had become of the town. Chunks of boulders penetrated wooden buildings. Fissures and cracks plagued the street. Parked vehicles had flipped onto their backs whilst any street lights or benches rested on the ground, bent and deformed. The culprit, the earthen hulk which stood idly observing the devastation it caused, disintegrated the brief silence by taking just a single step.

“Now do you get it?!” shouted one of the criminals on its back. “Our golem’s out of your league, kid!”

“Think so? Let’s find out," Rune grimaced.

Rune’s tome flipped to a new page. Magical energy surged through his veins, his right eye illuminated, and lastly, the mage clapped his hands together shouting, “Lesione Pyrobolum!”. They appeared one after another, materializing in a burst of bright, orange light. Five turned into ten, and ten multiplied into twenty. Before long he was surrounded by them, dozens of flickering balls of flame that hovered in mid-air. But when Rune shoved his palm at the beast, in the blink of an eye, each and every one of them launched forward.

The golem was colossal though, in this instance, its size was working against it. There was little it could do to avoid such a huge bombardment of spells. Smirking, Rune watched as his fiery missiles crashed into his opponent, veiling the beast in a thick cloud of smoke, dust, and ash. Golems are powered by hearthstones. If it is destroyed then the golem is finished. Since I don’t know where those bastards implanted the stone, I’ll just have to attack everywhere at once. A solid plan given the circumstances and what he was fighting. However, an aura of disappointment soon shrouded him as the golem emerged from the cloud of smoke with only a few scorch marks burned onto its body. It was as if Rune’s attack had no effect on it whatsoever. The only thing he managed to do was make it angry. At least, it appeared to be angry if the bone-chilling moans it was making was any indication.

Without the orders of its master, the beast launched from its spot and swung its fist back. In the face of this unstoppable force, Rune pivoted on his feet and leaped into the air screaming “Regaleo!”. Torrents of fire carried him out of the giant’s reach, the creature smashing its knuckle into the ground and sending splinters of the earth everywhere. Now, Rune was no expert when it came to golem knowledge though from his perspective, and the terrified expressions of the criminals mounting the beast, it was clear that they’d somehow lost control of their overgrown minion. The golem looked from side to side, confused as to where or what it should demolish next. Finally, it came to a conclusion. Lowering its head, it charged directly into a nearby building and, as a result, ended up on the street adjacent to the previous. And to make matters worse, unlike their last battleground, this street still had a fair few people who hadn’t yet evacuated. From the skies, Rune pinpointed up to fifteen minuscule figures running in terror as well as the golem who’d set its sights on them.

“Dammit!” He descended out of his azure retreat like a falcon ambushing an unsuspecting hare and landed in between the group of defenseless townsfolk and the approaching calamity. “Anguis Mordeo!” he roared, blasting a typhoon of crimson out the palm of his hand. For a moment, it stopped in its place, seemingly taken aback by the new destructive fire spell. But even that wasn’t enough to stop it for long. Out the corners of his eye, Rune spotted the golem raise its hand into the air. Without hesitating, he abandoned his position and jumped away, narrowly avoiding getting squashed. Crouched on the floor, he glanced at the walking mountain. Whilst he himself was running low on essence, it looked to him that the golem was only getting more and more powerful the longer their duel was extended. His mind raced for ideas, new tactics he’d yet to try. If he surrendered now, death only awaited him. If he gave up, everything he’d worked for would be lost.

Nevertheless, discounting how strong his resolve to survive and overcome was, it couldn’t vanquish the fear and hopelessness he felt when he spotted the golem launch its fist towards him. With no time to dodge and no spell to stop it, he could only stare at the images of his childhood that quickly festered in his mind. Once again, he was reminded about the unfairness of this world. It mattered not how badly he wanted to live. In the eyes of nature, he was but another insignificant insect getting snuffed out by a stronger hunter. Such was life.

Yet, for some reason, having already prepared himself for his meeting with Ryas, his heart still pounded. He could smell the dry, summer air. Feel his throbbing muscles. No longer did he see his mother’s kind smile, the memory unceremoniously flashing out of his consciousness. What instead he witnessed was the golem’s blocky fist mere inches from his face. For some reason or another, it had stopped. However, Rune quickly realized why. Extending out the street and nearby buildings, numerous murky appendages had swiftly confined the golem in its place. One of these shadowy tendrils cuffed itself around its wrist, two more around its legs, another its waist, and another its chest. What Rune found himself staring at was a titan stripped of its free will. In just a few short seconds, the artificial titan had been completely subdued.

“Apologies for my interference,” said a familiar, frigid voice. A few feet from where he was standing there manifested a spiraling, black void composed of shadows. Rising out of the pool of darkness, pale hands aiming at the constricted golem, the black-haired girl acknowledged an equally petrified Rune with an innocent glance over her shoulders.

“...Ebony?” uttered the fire mage.

“I can see why you were struggling so much. This golem is strong.” Ebony removed her gaze off him and aimed an unsympathetic glare at her struggling prisoner, her left eye glowing red. “Fortunately, my shadow magic’s stronger.”