Tier five magic was much stronger than he had anticipated, making all the other spells he had learned so far look like parlour tricks. From what Lith had understood, tier five was capable of borrowing a huge amount of world energy.
No matter how strong a mana core was, just conjuring once those purple flames should have left the mage exhausted, yet the sorceress seemed perfectly fine. To be able to cast such spell twice in a short amount of time, meant that the burden on her body was limited.
- "We have to learn a way to do the same. Otherwise the next time it happens, if our opponent is a little stronger or luckier, we’ll be done for." –
After a couple hours, he had yet to find a solution, but his communication amulet finally activated. It wasn’t like a phone; it didn’t ring or buzz. When there was an incoming call, the user would experience a pull to his consciousness, like when you suddenly remember something important.
It was a feeling strong enough to wake someone up from the deepest slumber. Lith didn’t answer immediately, he wanted to give the impression of having been unconscious.
"Lith, thanks the gods you are all right!" As predicted, it was Linjos.
"I’ve tried reaching captain Velagros, but to no avail. What happened to you? Why you have yet to reach Kandria?"
"Headmaster?" Lith replied squinting his eyes, acting confused, like he had just woken up.
"Good gods, Lith! What happened to your uniform?" Before answering, he had changed back, to make his story more believable.
"I..." Lith took a long pause, like he was trying to remember.
"Oh gods! The captain and his soldiers are in danger, they need help! You must hurry!" He seemed to be panicking, stuttering at every word, his face going pale thanks to a little spell.
"Calm down, son. Take a deep breath." Lith did as instructed, and after a while, he was able to tell Linjos what had happened.
In his version of the story, instead of using Warp Steps, the enemies had emerged from underground. The last thing Lith remembered, was being hit by some purple flames before losing consciousness.
"Purple flames?" Linjos was shocked.
"I know very few spells capable of generating such destructive force. That would explain a lot. The captain must have used something to save you, but the damage sustained was too much and you have blacked out.
Then, he has brought you to safety before going back to the fight."
Lith gasped, nodding at the Headmaster’s words. When playing the "I don’t know" card, it was always better let the other party to fill the blanks. The less details he gave, the smaller the chances of contradicting himself.
"Are you alone right now?"
Lith looked left and right at his surroundings before answering.
"Yes. And I have no idea where I am. The only thing I know for sure is that this isn’t the same place where we got attacked. What do I do now?"
"You can’t stay there, it’s too dangerous. At this point, is safe to assume that captain Velagros is either dead or incapacitated. If he is dead, it means that the attackers could still be looking for you."
After pondering for a moment, Linjos spoke again.
"Follow the setting Sun toward west, unless the captain Warped you really far, you will find the river Delilin. Following the river, you are bound to find some settlement. Don’t say you are going to Kandria. Despite the information blackout, everyone in the region knows something is wrong with it.
You would raise suspicions. Ask for directions, but for the city of Pabia. It’s outside the quarantine zone, but close to Kandria and well connected with the main trading routes. Road signs will help you reach your real destination.
Notify me as soon as you arrive."
Lith nodded, then he hung up the call before taking flight.
- "We already knew of the river from the maps. Linjos’ plan is identical to our own, except we would have directly asked for Kandria. Why did you ask for his help?"
Solus’ question made Lith sigh, she was still too naïve.
"Because I’m supposed to be a twelve year old, shocked by an ambush from which I barely survived. I need to appear vulnerable and confused, not like a cold blooded machine." –
Lith followed Linjos’ instructions, easily finding the Delilin river first, and a farm later. Thanks to a stroke of luck, while looking for Pabia, he arrived on the main road.
After that, reaching the outskirts of Kandria was just a matter of minutes. Thanks to Life Vision, Lith was able to see the otherwise invisible energy lines in the space in front of him, stretching beyond the barricades and roadblocks that were still far away.
- "It’s similar to the array used by those assassins to trap the corps’ squad, but much more powerful and complicated" Solus observed.
"I suspect that it can do much more than just block air and dimensional magic. I’ve never seen anything before, but based on what we read from the file and your memories from Earth, I’d say it’s safe to assume that it can block communications too."
"It would make sense." Lith agreed, while his mind was spinning. –
If Solus was right, and he would have bet good money on it, he was about to throw himself into the wolf’s maws. There were countless things that could go wrong once he was isolated from the outside world.
His paranoia required at least a dozen of contingency plans for a situation like that, but he actually had only one. Lith informed Linjos of his arrival, making sure to leave a record of his position.
Traitors weren’t the only ones he had to watch out for, there were also the relatives and friends of all those he had crossed during his time in the White Griffon. Lith knew that for many of them, he was a stain on their pride and reputation.
Normally, no one would dare to touch a prized student, but a quarantine zone was a place were laws and common sense held little value. Those who considered commoners like pebbles, would inevitably be tempted to cause "accidents".
Being without a detail, further complicated the situation. There was no one that he knew or that he could trust, and being the sole survivor was bound to raise suspicions. It didn’t matter if they were genuine or a matter of opportunity, someone could try to pin their deaths to him.
"I’ll inform the supervisor and the Queen of your arrival. Get close to the perimeter, but do not attempt to enter on your own. The soldiers have strict orders, the plague has put everyone’s nerves on edge. Use your uniform as proof of identity. I’ll call you later."
- "Linjos is a good man, after all. Calling the Queen means he has his fair share of doubts too, and is trying to avoid unnecessary troubles." –
Even from that distance, Lith could see how heavily guarded the zone was. There was a ten meters (33 feet) high wall, that circled the area as far as the eye could see. Life Vision showed him that many soldiers and a few mages were hidden behind it.
Lith flew forward at full speed, pretending to not know what was going to happen. As soon as he entered the array, his spell disappeared, making him fall to the ground. Lith had tried to soften the landing, but even low tier earth magic seemed to be blocked.
The impact left him breathless, and before he could stand up, someone pushed him back to the ground, binding his hands, while several blades grazed his neck puncturing even his unnaturally hard skin. Small droplets of blood started to flow towards his head.
- "Man, I hate being always right." -