The kingdom of ruins, brewed by an air of hostility and also bombarded by forces of the unknown. Alex calmly observed the gate, his eyes fixed on the guards whom their keen eyes were also looking ahead as if they were expecting anyone or anything to try and Intrude. "I wonder," Alex started as he reframed from moving any further, "What would happened if I tried to get pass this guards. What exactly do I tell them?" Alex chuckled as he said this and slowly began to move. "I won't know till I move a muscle." Alex steady steps approached the sharp listening ears of the guards who immediately turned to his direction and pointed out their spears at him. His eerie shadow enveloped them, not only did his crazy shadow envelope the guards, it also casted a devilish gaze upon the guards. Two demonic eyes punctured through the shadow and glared at the guards. As if though it was a part of Alex subconscious. "An intruder." The First guard, Captain Thorne protested with his pointed
After cursing him a few more times internally, Liora turned to look at the tavern, and without looking at the placard above, she could already tell its name. “The Broken Shield? Why are we here?” she quizzed with a raised brow. Before Alex could respond—not like he planned to anyway—she quickly added with a slight frown, “Seriously? Beer at this hour? How do you expect to sell your stuff with clear eyes when you're drunk?” For the first time in a while, Alex took a glance at her. In that very moment, he imagined conjuring a big cog and shoving it into her mouth. She was too loud for him. He retracted his gaze without saying a word and made his way up the short flight of stairs that led to the tavern. Liora's brows twitched, but she had no choice than to follow him. Though, at the back of her mind, she strongly fought against disregarding her superior’s orders to escort Alex. She wanted to at least stab him through the leg. By the time she entered the tavern, Alex was alread
The mercenary squeezed his fists, “You're fodder, red eyes. I was only trying to warn you so you wouldn't do anything stupid. But it would seem I would have to beat some sense into you.” Alex couldn't help it at that point. With his head still cocked to the left, he grinned. Slowly unsheathing his axe, the mercenary announced, “By the way, the name's Borg. You should at least know the name of the man that wipes that stupid grin off your face.” Alex stretched his right hand to the side, “Borg… I'll try to remember that.” Space rippled by his right palm, cracking ever so slightly that nether and dark energies leaked out in a very small quantity, creating this red-black bubble of energies. He grabbed something within this bubble and pulled out a long broadsword. The flux of energies was immediately sucked in and space repaired itself. Gently, and with much care, Alex placed the tip of the sword on the floor, sending a slight tremor across the tavern and the surrounding areas. The b
Alex made sure to exhaust the hell out of Liora by walking around the inner city aimlessly. She wanted to act strong at first, but after walking for an extra two hours, fatigue and thirst began to kick in. She spotted a nearby tavern and suggested that they had some rest there. Alex was in no way tired. He could keep going for days without food or water without faltering, but he agreed anyway. At least… She thought he did. In the brief moment that she turned to look at the tavern, he cast an illusion spell, creating an exact replica of himself close to her, while his real self blended with the darkness of the nearby alley. He was gone. His replica would only last for an hour or so, since he didn't put much magic essence into the spell. He had to reserve his power for his battle against Varek. Liora noticed a slight distortion in Alex's replica’s countenance, but she was too tired to give it any thought. It wasn't as though she could read him in the first place anyway. After havin
Aelia moved to and fro nervously before the sleeping Alex. It was almost time and he was still fast asleep. She was scared that he might lash out at her if she woke him up abruptly—a negative side effect of being a slave to Lord Varek. She had been manhandled and violated over very little mistakes. She gathered some courage after two minutes and crouched down before him. She exhaled softly and tapped him on his shoulder, “Uh... Alex. It's time.” At that very moment, Alex opened his eyes. Crimson met blue as they locked eyes. Aelia almost jumped back in fright. She didn't expect him to wake up so suddenly. Alex could read the fear in her eyes. He sighed and stood up, stretching his left hand down toward her, “Sorry for startling you.” “I-It’s fine,” she took his hand and he pulled her up without any effort. She cleared her throat afterward and began to turn off each lantern, “It's almost time for the guards to switch. We still have about fifteen minutes, but it would take us over
The two of them waited patiently for the switch to happen. Eventually, Alex had to dispel the ball of flames as the guards did a last patrol around the premises. Their infiltration had been going on pretty well now. He couldn't risk them getting caught when they were so close to the central chamber. It wasn't as though they would cause him any trouble. He knew he could take all of them, even without Emberbane, but he needed to be covert for now. If a fight were to break out and it reached Lord Varek’s ears, the warlord could change the location of the witch’s cell, since that was obviously what the intruder—Alex—was here for. No one was foolish enough to try and kill Varek without a very substantial reason. “They're coming,” Aelia whispered, her ears twitching to the vibration of the maintenance room and the trudging of incoming horses. Alex stepped away from the window, his hand finding its way around Aelia’s wrist once more, “Let's move.” The gate to the central chamber opened
There was no time to discuss it with Aelia. Alex took action immediately. He began to mumble some inaudible words under his breath whilst taking one step after the other out of the storage room. He placed his palms some distance away from each other, waving them in back and forth arcs, as though an invisible ball lay between them. The air got thick, red threads of mana sparking around him like electricity. The threads soon flourished into a dull red aura of magical energy around him. He had to keep the releases of his power to the minimum, or all eyes would instantly be on him—including the normal guards, who were weaker and less sensitive to mana auras. He could tell, his ears twitching to the constant shaking from Aelia behind him. She was already overwhelmed by such a small fragment of his full power. He continued reciting the spell in a whisper and the aura of mana around him flowed down his upper body, and up his lower body. It was as though the space between his open palms w
Alex carried Aelia again and hopped from rooftop to rooftop in a blur. It was the best way to avoid any confrontation with the guards below. He knew a fight with the guards at the dungeon’s entrance was inevitable, but there would be little to no repercussions from that. Not only would he take care of them quickly, no one would notice that the guards had been killed, since no other guard would patrol into the area. The recent guard shift made this a concrete fact. Besides, for those guards to be placed at such a volatile spot, they must be among the strongest, if not second to the Elite Guards. They got past the guards loitering the streets in over a minute and landed before the dungeon’s entrance. Alex dropped Aelia and immediately curled his hands to fists, a small smirk creeping at the side of his lips. Aside from his very short bout with Borg—the mercenary at the tavern—he hadn't gotten the chance to flex his body. And Borg was a disappointing opponent anyway. Feeling the sud
The instant Gaia’s eyes flared open with an unnatural light, the prison cell dissolved into chaos. Alexander barely had a moment to brace himself before the ground shifted beneath his feet. The stone walls of the dungeon bent and twisted, as if reality itself was no longer bound by the laws of nature. Gravity became fickle—pulling in one direction one moment and then reversing violently the next. Gaia, now hovering above him, was a storm of pure, unrestrained magic. The air around her crackled with raw energy as she extended her hand, and the very fabric of space folded around them. Her voice, though once familiar, now echoed with cold malice. “You are nothing but an obstacle,” she hissed, her tone devoid of the warmth he remembered. With a flick of her fingers, the ground beneath Alexander’s feet warped into an abyss. The solid stone floor seemed to collapse into itself, pulling him toward the void. Reflexively, Alexander leapt to the side, Emberbane flashing as he slashed at the sp
“Hm?” Alex knocked one of the standing guards down and half-turned towards Aelia. His eyes gradually dilated and he turned completely, appearing before the cell in a blur. Thick iron bars reinforced with runes of containment loomed like an unbreakable wall. The magic was palpable in the air, an invisible force that resisted their presence. Through the dim light, Alexander caught sight of her—Gaia, the witch of space magic, and one of his closest companions. She lay still on the cold floor, her vibrant energy suppressed, her body weakened from days of magical containment. "Gaia..." Alexander’s voice was soft but resolute as he knelt by the bars, his piercing red eyes scanning for any signs of life. Her breathing was shallow, her once brilliant aura now dull and muted. Without wasting time, he summoned Emberbane and created a scabbard with it, sheathing it by his side. “The prison is enchanted,” Aelia whispered, her eyes darting over the runes etched into the walls. “No wonder her m
Alex carried Aelia again and hopped from rooftop to rooftop in a blur. It was the best way to avoid any confrontation with the guards below. He knew a fight with the guards at the dungeon’s entrance was inevitable, but there would be little to no repercussions from that. Not only would he take care of them quickly, no one would notice that the guards had been killed, since no other guard would patrol into the area. The recent guard shift made this a concrete fact. Besides, for those guards to be placed at such a volatile spot, they must be among the strongest, if not second to the Elite Guards. They got past the guards loitering the streets in over a minute and landed before the dungeon’s entrance. Alex dropped Aelia and immediately curled his hands to fists, a small smirk creeping at the side of his lips. Aside from his very short bout with Borg—the mercenary at the tavern—he hadn't gotten the chance to flex his body. And Borg was a disappointing opponent anyway. Feeling the sud
There was no time to discuss it with Aelia. Alex took action immediately. He began to mumble some inaudible words under his breath whilst taking one step after the other out of the storage room. He placed his palms some distance away from each other, waving them in back and forth arcs, as though an invisible ball lay between them. The air got thick, red threads of mana sparking around him like electricity. The threads soon flourished into a dull red aura of magical energy around him. He had to keep the releases of his power to the minimum, or all eyes would instantly be on him—including the normal guards, who were weaker and less sensitive to mana auras. He could tell, his ears twitching to the constant shaking from Aelia behind him. She was already overwhelmed by such a small fragment of his full power. He continued reciting the spell in a whisper and the aura of mana around him flowed down his upper body, and up his lower body. It was as though the space between his open palms w
The two of them waited patiently for the switch to happen. Eventually, Alex had to dispel the ball of flames as the guards did a last patrol around the premises. Their infiltration had been going on pretty well now. He couldn't risk them getting caught when they were so close to the central chamber. It wasn't as though they would cause him any trouble. He knew he could take all of them, even without Emberbane, but he needed to be covert for now. If a fight were to break out and it reached Lord Varek’s ears, the warlord could change the location of the witch’s cell, since that was obviously what the intruder—Alex—was here for. No one was foolish enough to try and kill Varek without a very substantial reason. “They're coming,” Aelia whispered, her ears twitching to the vibration of the maintenance room and the trudging of incoming horses. Alex stepped away from the window, his hand finding its way around Aelia’s wrist once more, “Let's move.” The gate to the central chamber opened
Aelia moved to and fro nervously before the sleeping Alex. It was almost time and he was still fast asleep. She was scared that he might lash out at her if she woke him up abruptly—a negative side effect of being a slave to Lord Varek. She had been manhandled and violated over very little mistakes. She gathered some courage after two minutes and crouched down before him. She exhaled softly and tapped him on his shoulder, “Uh... Alex. It's time.” At that very moment, Alex opened his eyes. Crimson met blue as they locked eyes. Aelia almost jumped back in fright. She didn't expect him to wake up so suddenly. Alex could read the fear in her eyes. He sighed and stood up, stretching his left hand down toward her, “Sorry for startling you.” “I-It’s fine,” she took his hand and he pulled her up without any effort. She cleared her throat afterward and began to turn off each lantern, “It's almost time for the guards to switch. We still have about fifteen minutes, but it would take us over
Alex made sure to exhaust the hell out of Liora by walking around the inner city aimlessly. She wanted to act strong at first, but after walking for an extra two hours, fatigue and thirst began to kick in. She spotted a nearby tavern and suggested that they had some rest there. Alex was in no way tired. He could keep going for days without food or water without faltering, but he agreed anyway. At least… She thought he did. In the brief moment that she turned to look at the tavern, he cast an illusion spell, creating an exact replica of himself close to her, while his real self blended with the darkness of the nearby alley. He was gone. His replica would only last for an hour or so, since he didn't put much magic essence into the spell. He had to reserve his power for his battle against Varek. Liora noticed a slight distortion in Alex's replica’s countenance, but she was too tired to give it any thought. It wasn't as though she could read him in the first place anyway. After havin
The mercenary squeezed his fists, “You're fodder, red eyes. I was only trying to warn you so you wouldn't do anything stupid. But it would seem I would have to beat some sense into you.” Alex couldn't help it at that point. With his head still cocked to the left, he grinned. Slowly unsheathing his axe, the mercenary announced, “By the way, the name's Borg. You should at least know the name of the man that wipes that stupid grin off your face.” Alex stretched his right hand to the side, “Borg… I'll try to remember that.” Space rippled by his right palm, cracking ever so slightly that nether and dark energies leaked out in a very small quantity, creating this red-black bubble of energies. He grabbed something within this bubble and pulled out a long broadsword. The flux of energies was immediately sucked in and space repaired itself. Gently, and with much care, Alex placed the tip of the sword on the floor, sending a slight tremor across the tavern and the surrounding areas. The b
After cursing him a few more times internally, Liora turned to look at the tavern, and without looking at the placard above, she could already tell its name. “The Broken Shield? Why are we here?” she quizzed with a raised brow. Before Alex could respond—not like he planned to anyway—she quickly added with a slight frown, “Seriously? Beer at this hour? How do you expect to sell your stuff with clear eyes when you're drunk?” For the first time in a while, Alex took a glance at her. In that very moment, he imagined conjuring a big cog and shoving it into her mouth. She was too loud for him. He retracted his gaze without saying a word and made his way up the short flight of stairs that led to the tavern. Liora's brows twitched, but she had no choice than to follow him. Though, at the back of her mind, she strongly fought against disregarding her superior’s orders to escort Alex. She wanted to at least stab him through the leg. By the time she entered the tavern, Alex was alread