Chapter 20
The Council's attack was less discrete than I had assumed. From what the scout had said, I had imagined that the mages had stealthily taken over the Duke's castle. But it was soon apparent that that was not the case.
When we reached the inner-city walls, separating the civilian district from the noble estates, we found widespread destruction.
The gates were open as if a giant beast had ripped them apart. Chunks of stone littered the streets, and sections of the wall were still burning. Soldiers ran about, trying to help their injured comrades and regain some sort of order.
Ghis knelt beside a large chunk of the stone wall, his light fingers brushing the scorched rock.
"This is very powerful sorcery Sam," he muttered. "I think the Council has sent their strongest mages this time."
I sighed. "Whatever happened to their subtle plan?"
"They've never really been very subtle. And rescuing Sara, their hostage, likely forced them to rethink their strategy."
Laine spoke next. "Well. What's next? Do you want to continue? You usually don't like being a hero."
I nodded. "I'm sick of the Council meddling in my business. They've been involved in ruining my life ever since I left Spuria. The attacks on the caravan, the Duke's blackmail, all of it leads back to them. Once this is over, I can finally enjoy some peace."
Ghis smirked. "And I can finally open that bakery."
Laine shook his head and sighed. "And I can go back to thieving."
The three of us stepped across the destruction and through the ruined gate.
The inner district was in even more chaos than the gates. Nobles fled in all directions, their robes fluttering in the wind as they ran. One very fat man wasn't looking where he was going and crashed into me.
He grabbed my sleeve with chubby fingers. "You there! I demand you escort me out of this hellish place. I will pay you handsomely—"
Laine's eyes gleamed. "Handsomely, you say?"
I yanked him away before he got distracted with another scheme. "We don't have time for that Laine."
I pushed the noble aside, and we walked past him toward the Duke's castle. Along the way, we saw several noble estates in ruins, burning just like the walls.
We found more fallen guards and ruined walls at the castle gates. The keep's stone was scorched black, and the few soldiers who seemed healthy enough to keep fighting did not want to keep going anymore.
I saw one nervous soldier with a shattered sword shouting orders. He seemed to be trying to reorganize a small group of dazed men.
"GATHER THE WOUNDED! FIND THE MEDIC!"
I went up to him and grabbed him by the arm. "What happened here?"
The man whirled around in fear, "Who are you?"
"Long story. Just tell me what's happening inside the castle."
The man's eyes darted to my companions before relenting with a grim nod. "Hours ago, a dozen veiled men stormed the inner gates. They had magic—powerful magic. We tried to stop them, but the Duke's mages didn't stand a chance." He swallowed. "From what I heard from the injured soldiers that escaped, they currently have the Duke, Lord Eris, and Lady Jessica hostage. They've given no demands yet."
"Can you guide us in?"
Ghis spoke behind me, "No need, I memorized the castle's layout with Erwin while planning to enter through the tunnels."
I nodded and let the soldier go. "Let's go then."
The air inside the castle was strangely silent despite the chaos outside. We passed many scenes of battle but didn't see a single living person.
We moved forward, cautiously stepping over wooden and stone debris.
As we rounded a corner, a figure stepped into view. He was clad in the familiar dark robes of the Council, and a veil covered his face.
"I have been waiting for you," the mage said, his voice smooth and assured. "We knew you would come, Sam the Loony Lord."
Great. Now they knew my real name. And they were still using that stupid nickname.
"You will go no further." The mage said.
I sighed, already tired of the theatrics. "Step aside."
The mage's grip on his staff tightened. "You saw the destruction outside and at the noble district's walls did you not?"
He lifted his staff, chanting under his breath. A fireball formed above him, the heat crackling through the air.
"This is the spell that caused that destruction," he boasted.
I raised a hand, calling upon my magic to snuff out the fire before launching it. Instead, a small cloud formed above the mage's head.
Both the mage and I stared at the cloud. He laughed.
"What are you going to do? Make it rain on me and ruin my mood?"
A thin lightning bolt cracked down from the cloud and struck the mage on his head.
The man shuddered violently, his spell fizzling into an uncontrolled explosion. The veiled man went flying backward, crashing through a nearby wall.
The three of us kept walking without exchanging a word.
Ghis led us into a grand hall that he said we could use as a shortcut. The hall showed signs of a terrible battle, with furniture and the remains of soldiers scattered about.
In the center of the room stood two more mages, identical in stature and posture. As we got closer, they removed their veils, and I noticed they looked strikingly similar. The only difference was that one was missing his left eye, and the other was missing his right.
"We are the Twin Eyes of the Council," they declared in unison. "No man has ever stood against-"
"Can we just get on with it?" I pleaded.
The twins grew angry and raised their hands. A vortex appeared above them, and two enormous, feline beasts stepped out. The creatures hissed, looking at us with hungry eyes.
With a yelp, Laine began running in the opposite direction and disappeared behind a door.
"Should I bring him back?" Ghis asked.
"Nah. I'm sure he'll find his way back."
I exhaled, focusing my magic, imagining a massive flood washing away both mages and their monstrous pets. Water began raining down from the ceiling, and I thought my spell had finally worked as intended.
Instead, the water stopped abruptly, and I scowled. It had only rained enough to leave us in ankle-deep water.
The cats, however, recoiled at the sensation. Their pupils dilated in sheer panic, tails puffed up like startled kittens. With terrified yowls, they turned on their summoners, claws bared.
I watched as the mages were swiftly overwhelmed by their own creations.
Ghis looked at me with his eyebrows raised. "That was… surprisingly easy."
I began walking towards the exit. "Well, cats do hate water."
With that, we stepped deeper into the castle, following the path of destruction towards its heart. The eerie silence persisted, broken only by our footsteps against the cracked marble floors.
Then, a broad figure stepped into view at the end of the hallway. He was a hulking man wrapped in thick robes, easily twice my size. Even through the robes, I could see his massive, muscle-bound frame.
"Well done," he boomed, folding his arms. "You have made it this far. But you will go no further."
I muttered, "Can't tell you how many times I've heard that since I came to this world?"
The mage ignored me, flexing an arm the size of my head. "You see, I love building muscle. My body is a temple of strength, sculpted to perfection. No man can best me in a contest of sheer might." He grinned, rolling his shoulders. "And even if you tried magic—" he tapped a glimmering necklace around his neck "—this artifact grants me absolute magical resistance. With my muscles, and my necklace, I am unbeatable."
"Are you even a mage, man?" Ghis asked.
"Who needs magic when you have arms like this," the man replied.
As he posed, I saw Laine appear behind him. He snuck up behind the man while he was showing off, quietly jumped, swiped the necklace, and ran a few feet back.
The bodybuilder turned just in time to see Laine holding up his defensive charm.
He grinned, twirling the necklace as he stepped back from the brute. "This looks like it'll sell for a lot."
The man slowly turned back to me.
"What was that about your magic resistance?" I asked him.
After a long pause, he simply squared his shoulders. "No matter! I do not need magic resistance to crush you! Face me, Loony Lord!"
I sighed. "You guys really have to stop saying your weaknesses out loud."
The man was still confident, so I thought about reaching into his mind with magic and instilling a sense of overwhelming fear. I wanted to make him mentally weak. Instead, his massive muscles began to wither away at an alarming rate. His biceps, his shoulders, everything, began to shrink.
He looked down and screamed in horror.
"MY GAINS!" he howled.
He clutched his now-spindly limbs, his robes suddenly loose on his body. "All those decades of work! I—no! I can't let anyone see me like this!"
With a pitiful scream, he turned and ran down the hall, his scrawny legs barely carrying him as he vanished.
Laine crossed his arms. "My plan of pretending to run away in fear worked!"
"Yeah, sure," Ghis deadpanned.
We pressed on.
The next room was… unexpected.
One moment, we stepped into what should have been another ruined hallway. The next, we stood in a vibrant garden. Vines twisted up marble columns, birds chirped, and sunlight streamed through a sky that should not have been visible, considering the floors above us.
A man stood on a balcony overlooking the garden. This mage wasn't wearing a veil, and I could clearly see his smug grin. "Welcome, travelers," he announced, his voice full of self-importance. You have wandered into my domain, a realm of illusion and intellect. And now, you are trapped!"
I exhaled loudly and kept walking towards the door I saw at the other end. As I reached out to grab the doorknob, I blinked and found myself in the garden's center.
I frowned and tried again, this time without blinking. Again, I found myself standing at the center of the garden.
The mage chuckled. "You see, you are now within an endless loop. The only way to break free is to answer my three questions correctly."
Laine groaned. "I hate quizzes."
The mage beamed. "Question one! In the city of Karan, what price might one expect for a genuine emerald the size of a child's fist?"
Laine answered without hesitation. "Depends on the quality, but usually around six silver coins if it is non-magical in nature. Karan is near several emerald mines and because of that, the value of an emeralds declined within the city."
The mage faltered. "What? Why would a hero know that?"
"I'm a thief."
The mage's face twitched, but he quickly regained his composure. "Fine. The second question! When a recipe says to 'cream the butter and sugar,' do you simply beat it senseless, or is there a particular technique to it?"
Ghis shrugged. "You beat it until it's light and fluffy, not senseless. Aerating the butter and sugar helps with the texture."
The mage's eye twitched. "Why would you—" He took a deep breath. "No matter. The final question! A challenge none of you can conquer. As you may know, there have been many people in the past that have come to our world from another realm. A hobby of mine is learning from these people about the games that people play in their own world. What… are the ways to get an out in the otherworldly sport of basketball?"
I smirked. "Trick question. There are no outs in basketball."
The illusion shattered instantly. The garden faded, replaced by a small, cold room. Standing directly before us was the mage, who now looked utterly dumbfounded.
The three of us grabbed and slammed him to the ground, stomping on him as we vented our anger.
He screamed under the assault. "Mercy! MERCY!"
I held up a hand, stopping Ghis and Laine. "Enough."
I pulled the battered illusionist to his feet, dusting him off. "Now…" I leaned in. "Where is the Duke?"