Exalted Warlock - 46 Chapter 7

Magnus picked up the bow he dropped, plus Bulut’s axes which he threw to one side, and made his way over to where both men were situated.

Bulut sat on the floor still reeling from the concussive blow but was now more focused on the issue of the creature’s head latched on to his arm.

Soykan, on the other hand, was gazing at the fireworks down below with intense ferocity. Magnus had no idea what he was looking for because there was no way anything could survive that roaring inferno.

“Need a hand,” Magnus asked Bulut as he held out an offered hand to him.

“Sure,” Bulut replied as he took the offered hand and got up.

“Whoa take it easy,” Magnus pronounced as Bulut became wobbly on feet and tethered on the brink of falling right back down. Magnus quickly went to Bulut’s side and let the injured man rest his good arm on his shoulder.

“Thanks, lad,” Bulut said as he gave Magnus a weak nod.

“No problem,” Magnus replied. “Let’s just get you back to the hideout and have that arm look at you.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Bulut answered back.

“Good,” Magnus said as he escorted Bulut towards the stairs. He turned to face Soykan who still stood at his spot and asked, “Hey, are you coming with?”

Soykan shook his head and without even looking away from the fire, he replied, “The two of you can go on ahead of me. I have things to take care of.”

“What things?” Magnus asked as he gave Soykan a look that basically said he was being a dunderhead.

“There is nothing left here but ashes and flames, and if you do not want to join in on those creatures’ fate, then we need to leave now. This place is about to go up in a fiery demise, and I do not plan on being inside when it collapses in on itself.”

Then as if to refute his statement, a clawed hand grabbed on to the railing with a resounding slam. Then another clawed hand appeared, finally the Alpha creature’s head emerged.

Magnus stared wide-eyed with his mouth hanging wide open as the fleshy creature hauled itself over the railing and on to the second floor.

One question ran through his mind, and one question alone, ‘how the hell is this thing still alive?’

This was IMPOSSIBLE, that thing should be a pile of ashes or at the very least a smoldering piece of flesh.

However, here it stood right before them, alive and kicking, though with massive burns on its body and soot clinging to its body like a second skin.

It stared pointedly at Soykan with hate-filled eyes but Magnus also had a sneaking suspicion that the look was not only reserved for Soykan.

“Go,” Soykan simply said as he reached into a pouch at his side and took out an ancient looking parchment with weird arcane letters on it. Magnus immediately recognized those syllables, they were Arretic.

He didn’t have time to work them their meaning as they had a fight ahead of them. Loosening himself Bulut out of grasp, Magnus unsheathe his sword and called out to Soykan, “Don’t worry, Soykan, we will have back.”

However, Soykan was not listening as he and the creature were circling each and other and taking stock of one another.

Magnus turned to Bulut for confirmation but then he saw the state the big man was in. Sweat dripped down his face and he looked dead tired from all the fighting he has been doing late this evening. He also looked feverish, wobbly on his feet, and pain flickered through his face.

He was clearly in no state to fight and needed immediate medical attention. It was only through sheer will power that he was not out cold on the floor right now.

“Never mind, I guess it will only be me,” Magnus whispered to himself as he gave Bulut and apologetic look. He knew that the big man would want to do nothing less than supporting his comrades, no matter what. However, he had to butt in and tell it like it is.

“Bulut,” Magnus said as he brought forth all the steel he could muster in his voice. “You need to go back to the carriage and rest. Soykan and I can take care of things from here.”

“Magnus” Bulut uttered as he laid his good arm on Magnus’s shoulder so as to get his attention. “We need to leave.”

Magnus shook off Bulut’s hand and taking the large man’s meaning the wrong way he replied, “Sorry, no can do. I am hale and hearty and unlike you, I can still fight. However, you, on the other hand, are at death’s door and need to rest.

In any event, nobody will take offense. You did a lot of good tonight and now it is time for me to tag in.”

“That is not what I meant,” Bulut pronounce, but Magnus was already sprinting towards the fight.

Soykan fleetingly catch sight of Magnus as he made his way over to the confrontation from his peripheral vision. “What are you doing, here? Didn’t I say leave?”

Magnus rolled his eyes and answered back, “I am obviously here to help! What? Did you think we will leave you high and dry?”

“This is a conflict you can that you can not assist me in, kid,” Soykan replied with a sigh. “Please head back to the hideout and wait for me there.”

Magnus’s temper flared once he heard Soykan answering retort. Was he seriously being snubbed and being treated like an incompetent child, once again, after he went above and beyond, and proved himself tonight?

Magnus was sick and tired of being patronized, letting his anger get the best of him, he shouted out to Soykan, “Like it or not, I am here to help, and there is nothing you can do about it. Thus take it or leave it, I do not care! But just know I am helping, no matter what.”

Soykan stared at Magnus, too astonished to even make a reply, and why shouldn’t he be. Magnus might argue, complain, or even drag his feet when an order is given, but in the end, he always follows through.

This unruly insubordination was a first, and it went to show how close to the breaking point Magnus was about this particular subject.

Soykan was so gobsmacked, that he did not even notice it when the Alpha creature went on the offense.

In a blur of ash coated flesh and mass the Alpha creature lunge at Soykan, and only after it’s too late did the man notice the creature going for his throat.

However, before the hybrid creature could cross the whole distance a tomahawk sunk into his foot causing the creature to trip and fall.

Soykan must have awoken from his shocked state since he tore the parchment in half.

Magnus, who send out the throwing ax, looked at Soykan with a slightly raised eyebrow. He was utterly bewildered at what Soykan was up to, because why the hell would the man tear up a parchment? What was he expecting to happen, some miracle?

Then before he knew it he got the answers he was looking for.

Out of nowhere, a massive lightning bolt cracked through the air, deafening his ears and briefly blinding his sight. The lightning struck the downed creature like a turret, causing it to howl out in pain, and singe its body, leaving a trail of smoke behind.

“What was that?” Magnus whispered to no one in particular as his eyes were as wide as saucers.

“It was a Magic Scroll of Lightning Bolt,” Soykan unexpectedly answered Magnus’s question.

“Could I have one of them?” Magnus blurted out as Soykan took out another scroll from his pouch.

“You will only kill yourself if you utilized it,” Soykan replied as he tore another scroll in half which was perfect timing since the Alpha creature was recovering.

This time the attack was nothing that eye-catching, nevertheless it was deadly just like that Lightning Bolt. Magnus was only able to perceive the incoming attack when he noticed that the Alpha creature’s shadow was roiling like a boiling pot and then starting to bunch up, as it got up from the ground.

In only a few seconds the shadows solidified and formed a spike that protruded out of the Alpha creature’s belly.

“What was that now?” Magnus asked as he stood off to his side doing nothing. No wonder he told them to leave, it was clear from the way he was manhandling the creature that he had this all under control and in the bag.

“That was a Shadow Spike,” Soykan answered.

“Dang, is there any way I could learn them?” Magnus wondered out loud.

“No!” Soykan replied. “Those spells were 1st Order and since you are not at that level, you should stick to what is.”

“And what is my level?” Magnus inquired as he was paying rapt attention now.

This was first time that Soykan spoke of anything that had to do with Magic. He did not know how, but Magic never if ever rarely comes up in their conversation. He could equate that to his other training which takes more importance, also the fact that he never got around talking about it with him.

“That would be 0th Order spells or better known as Cantrips,” Soykan responded back as he took out the third scroll in a row. “Now could you go back in the carriage with Bulut while I handle this?”

“Nah,” Magnus replied. “I rather watch you push around this Mr. big and ugly.” Magnus was amazed and intrigued by this creature. Unlike the faceless ones who were horrifying to look at, they at least could be taken down once and for all.

However, this one refused to go down and stay that way. It just kept coming back up, like right now for example; even with a massive bleeding hole in its stomach, it still came at Soykan with murder in its eyes.

He was starting to wonder what it meant to be above the realm of the mundane. What is this? Becoming an unkillable machine of destruction!

That is why he asked Soykan the exact same question, “Why is this thing not dying after it received all that damage?”

However, before Soykan could reply, he shredded the scroll in his hands. This time the creature received no damage, instead, the ground underneath it started to soften and become cold oatmeal.

Slowly the creature started to sink into the ground and no matter how it struggled, it couldn’t get out.

Magnus had no idea how that was feasible since the ground underneath should have given in on itself and collapsed. But he took that to mean that Magic in this world bends reality and does not take physics into consideration.

“That spell was Mold Earth,” Soykan uttered and Magnus could have sworn he noticed a sense of gloating in his voice.

“Now to answer your question, that creature is at the same rank as me, 1st Order. So, just keep in mind when you reach the rank beyond temporal moral frailty, you become very difficult to get rid of.”

“So, basically, you become like a cockroach,” Magnus mused out loud. “Good to know.”

Soykan must have chocked on the spittle he was swallowing since he started to break down into fits of coughing. Once he got himself under control, he gave Magnus who was grinning a him, a reproachful look, then said nothing more as he once more reached into his pouch.

Magnus silently laughed to himself, ‘beyond temporal frailty of a moral, my ass,’ he thought. ‘You can choke on our own spittle like everyone else!’

Precisely, like on Earth; where gifted people thought of themselves more superior than the average folk. It seems like this mentality has spread to this world as well.

He knew Soykan was not trying to insulting him or even thinking himself more superior than him, only being proud of his prowesses.

Still, he hated that!

Somebody might be richer than you, better looking than you, stronger than you, but in the end we are all the same, human. It is a fact that many forget in their hubris.

“Close your ears,” Soykan cried out, interrupting Magnus’s introspection.

Magnus immediately did as he was told without any question or argument as he put both his index fingers in his ears.

At once he understood why Soykan made that call as the creature stopped struggling in the quicksand and let loose one of its ROARS that he heard numerous times so far.

However, this time it was different as the prolonged cry uttered was not merely as it seemed.

Instantly his mind fell under a cloud of darkness as all of his thoughts roiled and churned while he started to feel delirious. Magnus had no idea what was going on, but he knew he had to fight it.

Once again he heard the roar echoing at the back of his mind, which got louder and louder, until it was all he heard. He wanted to utter that sound himself and roar out to the burning, collapsing tavern, but he refused.

He refused to be told what to do, to be imposed upon. However, the roar got more glaringly louder, until he felt like his mind would explode.

Then before he knew it, it was over. It was like the sheet covering him was taken off and he could finally breathe.

Magnus tried to get his breathing under control as he panted in and out like a breathless dog. He then wiped at his forehead which felt wet and slick and came away with a soaking wet hand.

“Ah, I see that you are alright,” Soykan observed while he looked perfectly normal.

“How does -pant- this look- pant- alright to you?” Magnus asked.

“No need to fret the details,” Soykan replied. “You did commemorable withstanding that attack. Not many should have been able to. I must say you are spiritually strong.”

“What the hell what that?” Magnus asked as ignored Soykan’s remarks.

“I think it is an ability of the creatures,” Soykan declared. “I like to call it frenzied madness.”

Magnus turned to look at the creature, unbelieving that even this dumb lug has an ability up its sleeve!

How was this fair?

Magnus once more looked Soykan up and down and asked, “Why did that damn thing’s ability not affect you?”

Soykan chuckled lightly and replied with his own question, “If you were able to withstand it, then do you think I couldn’t?”

Magnus nodded his head in acquiescence, can’t forget he is 0 and Soykan is a 1.

“Anyways,” Soykan continued, “The attack was for you, not me.”

“WHAT!!!”

“Yea,” Soykan said with a nod of his head, “I think was trying to take you down with it.”

“And you just let it happen!” Magnus exclaimed. “What if I wasn’t able to withstand it?”

“Don’t get your panties in a bunch,” Soykan said as he held out his hand, to try to pacify the incensed kid. “I would have made it painless.”

“You mean you would have killed me?!”

“Now, now, I would have wept over your loss, greatly so,” Soykan said being all melodramatic and what not.

“Ooo, I will give you something to weep over,” Magnus declared as his hands balled up into fists.

Then, interpreting their squabble was a growl from the hybrid creature as it looked furious for being ignored like that.

“Let me take care of that,” Soykan said as this time he held out two magical scrolls this time.

He tore the first which brought a chill to the surrounding but the Alpha creature had it worse as ice started to form all around its body. Finally, it was encased in ice from head to toe, as it stood unmoving and unblinking.

Then Soykan ripped the final magical scroll and this time Magnus felt the wind picking up as it billowed his clock around him. Once more Magnus was only feeling a tiny portion of the true effect of the spell as he watched invisible blades of wind slice and dice the ice sculpture.

All that was left when the spell reaped its toll was small chunks of ice, littering the floor.

“Now those two spells were Ice Sculpture and Whirlwind of Blades!” Soykan pronounced, as he looked at his handy work.

Magnus too looked at what the creature became, he knew there was no way that it could ever come back from that. But after what he has seen tonight, there were doubts, so he had to ask.

“Is it dead?”

“Mhh,” Soykan said as he rubbed his chin which was immediately not a good sign for Magnus.

“This might be overkill,” Soykan mumbled as he took out another scroll, “but you are right kid.” Soykan said as he gazed down at Magnus.

“Although calling people like me a cockroach is not refined and insulting. The comparison is still acute and exact. Somehow, only Pandora knows, people like me always find a way to crawl back into the land of the living.”

Magnus audibly gulped as Soykan made that statement, these people at Soykan’s level and god forbid above, are truly a terrifying lot.

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It wasn’t the power they commanded that made his spooked, thought bending the cosmos to your own will was an appalling prospect to deal with. It was their nature that stricken him with horror and agitation.

They could literally do what he did, come back to life!