Chapter 505: The Spellbreaker's Tale
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Chapter 505: The Spellbreaker's Tale
The Spellbreaker's Tale
Leaving the western courtyard, the three young wizards and their guest made their way up the astronomy tower, going to the classroom near the top. As they settled down on chairs or tables around Atreus, he took a deep breath and began to speak.
"I trained as a spellbreaker. My brethren and I, we were taught how to combat maleficars and all the evil creatures they might conjure." He caught himself, shaking his head. "No, that is the wrong place to start." He cleared his throat and began anew. "Before its fall, Archen was the pinnacle of magic and knowledge on the continent, and our greatest discovery had just been made. I did not know of it at the time, mind you; only members of the Conclave, our ruling council, were informed."
"What was it?" Eleanor asked eagerly.
"Portal magic. The ability to travel across vast distances in the blink of an eye. I'm sure you can imagine how powerful this would be, hence the secrecy. A handful of wizards began working on this, setting up portals across the continent and exploring the magic while the Conclave debated how it should be used."
Martel's eyes widened at the thought. He imagined crossing the length of the Asterian Empire to find himself home in Engby, seeing his family without having spent a single day of travel. And that was the least of it, of course; there would be no need for dangerous sea journeys, as goods and people could cross the oceans to Sindhu or the Western Isles. As could armies, he thought, realising how the Empire would use such magic.
"Around this time, the fiends of the Nether appeared. My brethren and I fought them on more than one occasion, often taking heavy losses. Because of the secrecy concerning the portals, it took us a while to understand the connection."
Martel could guess the reason, but he still sat with bated breath, waiting for Atreus to continue.
"Using this wondrous magic had consequences. Each time the portals were used, it opened a rift to the Nether, allowing the dreadful creatures to enter our world. As this became clear, the Conclave banned further use of the magic, but that did not prove enough." Atreus coughed. "At this point, I became aware of a threat. Unexplainable defeats, signs of forbidden magic used by our own people, and the like. My fellow spellbreakers and I investigated and realised some manner of cult had taken root in the heart of Archen, our own people corrupted. And their aim, their work, was connected to the portals and the fiends."
"Such treachery," Maximilian growled. Martel agreed. Even if he did not know exactly what the fiends were or what they could do, he imagined them much like the jinni; dreadful monsters, whom ordinary people would be defenceless against.
"A small group of us tracked them to a secret location in Archen. As we did not know who among the Conclave we could trust, we did not seek aid, nor did we dare wait while they conducted their malevolent rituals. We charged in." Atreus' voice had grown low, and they all leaned in to hear his every word. "We found a dozen or so of them, including who proved to be their leader and the mind behind all of this. Elena, a prominent member of the Conclave and among those who had discovered the lore of portal magic."
"Disappointing." Maximilian shook his head.
"Do not interrupt," Eleanor chastised him.
"She was deep in the casting of some great and complex ritual. The magic is unknown to me, but the symbols carved on the ground looked familiar. If I were to guess, she was opening a portal inside of Archen. I cannot be certain of her deeper purpose, but it was undoubtedly sinister. So we attacked."
"You must have realised they hunt maleficars as well," Eleanor guessed. "Disguising yourself as one makes sense."
"It is possible I had such cunning even with my mental capabilities diminished. I do remember going to places where she had attacked new victims, trying to find any signs left behind of her. That is where I saw you," he suddenly exclaimed, looking at Martel. "Your red clothing. It made you stand apart. I had seen you before on my hunt for her. That is why I followed you, hoping you would lead me to her."
"But what has she been doing?" asked Martel. "You say her magic was restricted like yours, but she has attacked victims for two years or longer, carrying out her vile rituals to leave them dead or as good as. How and why?"
"When I hunted her, even before the curse struck me, I surmised she possessed three artefacts of great power. Although unable to cast spells, she must have been able to use them still. One of them is a talisman of leechcraft, which should explain your second question." Atreus' expression turned into a sorrowful smile. "How else could someone live for three hundred years? And so through her bond with me, I have also survived far longer than I should, and the blood of her crime flows through my veins."
Martel's mind reeled from one revelation after another. He almost hoped that all of this was some cruel jest.
"What will you do?" Eleanor asked.
"First, I must sleep and regain my spells," Atreus admitted. "After that, maybe I should return to where we met. She was there as well. As I noticed and followed you yesterday," he said, directed at Martel, "so she must have noticed and followed me. When I lay incapacitated on the ground today, she summoned the jinni to kill me. That is the second of her artefacts, as you can guess."
"At least we got rid of that," Maximilian growled.
"Only temporarily. A spirit like that cannot be slain so easily."
Eleanor furrowed her brow. "What is the third artefact she has?"
"A most devious device that allows her to change her appearance entirely, though it can only influence one person at a time. Useful for luring victims to secluded places, as she may appear as somebody harmless. An old crone, an innocent young woman, or someone else entirely." Atreus exhaled. "In public, she must appear as herself. Maybe now that I can actually speak to people, I should look for witnesses to the attack the other night."
"It's doubtful you'll find any," Martel interjected. "The maleficar, she uses the sewers to move around unseen." Still strange to realise they had been hunting a woman all this time. A woman, hiding in the sewers. And with that, a dreadful thought struck Martel. "Could she disguise herself as a child?"
"I suppose. I'm not intimately familiar with the powers of her artefact. But a girl of fourteen or older, I can imagine that."
A girl terrified of inquisitors, though she possessed no magic. Who feared that a specific mage hunter was on her trail. Who hid in the sewers and only met Martel when alone. "I think I know who she is, and where." All eyes turned towards him. "She calls herself Julia, and she hides in the catacombs."
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Chapter 505: The Spellbreaker's Tale
The Spellbreaker's Tale
Leaving the western courtyard, the three young wizards and their guest made their way up the astronomy tower, going to the classroom near the top. As they settled down on chairs or tables around Atreus, he took a deep breath and began to speak.
"I trained as a spellbreaker. My brethren and I, we were taught how to combat maleficars and all the evil creatures they might conjure." He caught himself, shaking his head. "No, that is the wrong place to start." He cleared his throat and began anew. "Before its fall, Archen was the pinnacle of magic and knowledge on the continent, and our greatest discovery had just been made. I did not know of it at the time, mind you; only members of the Conclave, our ruling council, were informed."
"What was it?" Eleanor asked eagerly.
"Portal magic. The ability to travel across vast distances in the blink of an eye. I'm sure you can imagine how powerful this would be, hence the secrecy. A handful of wizards began working on this, setting up portals across the continent and exploring the magic while the Conclave debated how it should be used."
Martel's eyes widened at the thought. He imagined crossing the length of the Asterian Empire to find himself home in Engby, seeing his family without having spent a single day of travel. And that was the least of it, of course; there would be no need for dangerous sea journeys, as goods and people could cross the oceans to Sindhu or the Western Isles. As could armies, he thought, realising how the Empire would use such magic.
"Around this time, the fiends of the Nether appeared. My brethren and I fought them on more than one occasion, often taking heavy losses. Because of the secrecy concerning the portals, it took us a while to understand the connection."
Martel could guess the reason, but he still sat with bated breath, waiting for Atreus to continue.
"Using this wondrous magic had consequences. Each time the portals were used, it opened a rift to the Nether, allowing the dreadful creatures to enter our world. As this became clear, the Conclave banned further use of the magic, but that did not prove enough." Atreus coughed. "At this point, I became aware of a threat. Unexplainable defeats, signs of forbidden magic used by our own people, and the like. My fellow spellbreakers and I investigated and realised some manner of cult had taken root in the heart of Archen, our own people corrupted. And their aim, their work, was connected to the portals and the fiends."
"Such treachery," Maximilian growled. Martel agreed. Even if he did not know exactly what the fiends were or what they could do, he imagined them much like the jinni; dreadful monsters, whom ordinary people would be defenceless against.
"A small group of us tracked them to a secret location in Archen. As we did not know who among the Conclave we could trust, we did not seek aid, nor did we dare wait while they conducted their malevolent rituals. We charged in." Atreus' voice had grown low, and they all leaned in to hear his every word. "We found a dozen or so of them, including who proved to be their leader and the mind behind all of this. Elena, a prominent member of the Conclave and among those who had discovered the lore of portal magic."
"Disappointing." Maximilian shook his head.
"Do not interrupt," Eleanor chastised him.
"She was deep in the casting of some great and complex ritual. The magic is unknown to me, but the symbols carved on the ground looked familiar. If I were to guess, she was opening a portal inside of Archen. I cannot be certain of her deeper purpose, but it was undoubtedly sinister. So we attacked."
"You must have realised they hunt maleficars as well," Eleanor guessed. "Disguising yourself as one makes sense."
"It is possible I had such cunning even with my mental capabilities diminished. I do remember going to places where she had attacked new victims, trying to find any signs left behind of her. That is where I saw you," he suddenly exclaimed, looking at Martel. "Your red clothing. It made you stand apart. I had seen you before on my hunt for her. That is why I followed you, hoping you would lead me to her."
"But what has she been doing?" asked Martel. "You say her magic was restricted like yours, but she has attacked victims for two years or longer, carrying out her vile rituals to leave them dead or as good as. How and why?"
"When I hunted her, even before the curse struck me, I surmised she possessed three artefacts of great power. Although unable to cast spells, she must have been able to use them still. One of them is a talisman of leechcraft, which should explain your second question." Atreus' expression turned into a sorrowful smile. "How else could someone live for three hundred years? And so through her bond with me, I have also survived far longer than I should, and the blood of her crime flows through my veins."
Martel's mind reeled from one revelation after another. He almost hoped that all of this was some cruel jest.
"What will you do?" Eleanor asked.
"First, I must sleep and regain my spells," Atreus admitted. "After that, maybe I should return to where we met. She was there as well. As I noticed and followed you yesterday," he said, directed at Martel, "so she must have noticed and followed me. When I lay incapacitated on the ground today, she summoned the jinni to kill me. That is the second of her artefacts, as you can guess."
"At least we got rid of that," Maximilian growled.
"Only temporarily. A spirit like that cannot be slain so easily."
Eleanor furrowed her brow. "What is the third artefact she has?"
"A most devious device that allows her to change her appearance entirely, though it can only influence one person at a time. Useful for luring victims to secluded places, as she may appear as somebody harmless. An old crone, an innocent young woman, or someone else entirely." Atreus exhaled. "In public, she must appear as herself. Maybe now that I can actually speak to people, I should look for witnesses to the attack the other night."
"It's doubtful you'll find any," Martel interjected. "The maleficar, she uses the sewers to move around unseen." Still strange to realise they had been hunting a woman all this time. A woman, hiding in the sewers. And with that, a dreadful thought struck Martel. "Could she disguise herself as a child?"
"I suppose. I'm not intimately familiar with the powers of her artefact. But a girl of fourteen or older, I can imagine that."
A girl terrified of inquisitors, though she possessed no magic. Who feared that a specific mage hunter was on her trail. Who hid in the sewers and only met Martel when alone. "I think I know who she is, and where." All eyes turned towards him. "She calls herself Julia, and she hides in the catacombs."
Chapter 505: The Spellbreaker's TaleThe Spellbreaker's TaleLeaving the western courtyard, the three young wizards and their guest made their way up the astronomy tower, going to the classroom near the top. As they settled down on chairs or tables around Atreus, he took a deep breath and began to speak."I trained as a spellbreaker. My brethren and I, we were taught how to combat maleficars and all the evil creatures they might conjure." He caught himself, shaking his head. "No, that is the wrong place to start." He cleared his throat and began anew. "Before its fall, Archen was the pinnacle of magic and knowledge on the continent, and our greatest discovery had just been made. I did not know of it at the time, mind you; only members of the Conclave, our ruling council, were informed.""What was it?" Eleanor asked eagerly."Portal magic. The ability to travel across vast distances in the blink of an eye. I'm sure you can imagine how powerful this would be, hence the secrecy. A handful of wizards began working on this, setting up portals across the continent and exploring the magic while the Conclave debated how it should be used."Martel's eyes widened at the thought. He imagined crossing the length of the Asterian Empire to find himself home in Engby, seeing his family without having spent a single day of travel. And that was the least of it, of course; there would be no need for dangerous sea journeys, as goods and people could cross the oceans to Sindhu or the Western Isles. As could armies, he thought, realising how the Empire would use such magic."Around this time, the fiends of the Nether appeared. My brethren and I fought them on more than one occasion, often taking heavy losses. Because of the secrecy concerning the portals, it took us a while to understand the connection."Martel could guess the reason, but he still sat with bated breath, waiting for Atreus to continue."Using this wondrous magic had consequences. Each time the portals were used, it opened a rift to the Nether, allowing the dreadful creatures to enter our world. As this became clear, the Conclave banned further use of the magic, but that did not prove enough." Atreus coughed. "At this point, I became aware of a threat. Unexplainable defeats, signs of forbidden magic used by our own people, and the like. My fellow spellbreakers and I investigated and realised some manner of cult had taken root in the heart of Archen, our own people corrupted. And their aim, their work, was connected to the portals and the fiends.""Such treachery," Maximilian growled. Martel agreed. Even if he did not know exactly what the fiends were or what they could do, he imagined them much like the jinni; dreadful monsters, whom ordinary people would be defenceless against."A small group of us tracked them to a secret location in Archen. As we did not know who among the Conclave we could trust, we did not seek aid, nor did we dare wait while they conducted their malevolent rituals. We charged in." Atreus' voice had grown low, and they all leaned in to hear his every word. "We found a dozen or so of them, including who proved to be their leader and the mind behind all of this. Elena, a prominent member of the Conclave and among those who had discovered the lore of portal magic.""Disappointing." Maximilian shook his head."Do not interrupt," Eleanor chastised him."She was deep in the casting of some great and complex ritual. The magic is unknown to me, but the symbols carved on the ground looked familiar. If I were to guess, she was opening a portal inside of Archen. I cannot be certain of her deeper purpose, but it was undoubtedly sinister. So we attacked.""You must have realised they hunt maleficars as well," Eleanor guessed. "Disguising yourself as one makes sense.""It is possible I had such cunning even with my mental capabilities diminished. I do remember going to places where she had attacked new victims, trying to find any signs left behind of her. That is where I saw you," he suddenly exclaimed, looking at Martel. "Your red clothing. It made you stand apart. I had seen you before on my hunt for her. That is why I followed you, hoping you would lead me to her.""But what has she been doing?" asked Martel. "You say her magic was restricted like yours, but she has attacked victims for two years or longer, carrying out her vile rituals to leave them dead or as good as. How and why?""When I hunted her, even before the curse struck me, I surmised she possessed three artefacts of great power. Although unable to cast spells, she must have been able to use them still. One of them is a talisman of leechcraft, which should explain your second question." Atreus' expression turned into a sorrowful smile. "How else could someone live for three hundred years? And so through her bond with me, I have also survived far longer than I should, and the blood of her crime flows through my veins."Martel's mind reeled from one revelation after another. He almost hoped that all of this was some cruel jest."What will you do?" Eleanor asked."First, I must sleep and regain my spells," Atreus admitted. "After that, maybe I should return to where we met. She was there as well. As I noticed and followed you yesterday," he said, directed at Martel, "so she must have noticed and followed me. When I lay incapacitated on the ground today, she summoned the jinni to kill me. That is the second of her artefacts, as you can guess.""At least we got rid of that," Maximilian growled."Only temporarily. A spirit like that cannot be slain so easily."Eleanor furrowed her brow. "What is the third artefact she has?""A most devious device that allows her to change her appearance entirely, though it can only influence one person at a time. Useful for luring victims to secluded places, as she may appear as somebody harmless. An old crone, an innocent young woman, or someone else entirely." Atreus exhaled. "In public, she must appear as herself. Maybe now that I can actually speak to people, I should look for witnesses to the attack the other night.""It's doubtful you'll find any," Martel interjected. "The maleficar, she uses the sewers to move around unseen." Still strange to realise they had been hunting a woman all this time. A woman, hiding in the sewers. And with that, a dreadful thought struck Martel. "Could she disguise herself as a child?""I suppose. I'm not intimately familiar with the powers of her artefact. But a girl of fourteen or older, I can imagine that."A girl terrified of inquisitors, though she possessed no magic. Who feared that a specific mage hunter was on her trail. Who hid in the sewers and only met Martel when alone. "I think I know who she is, and where." All eyes turned towards him. "She calls herself Julia, and she hides in the catacombs."
