Battle Mage, The Caves of Time Read online

  Battle Mage Caves of Time

  By

  Donald L. Wigboldy Jr.

  Copy Write October 2018

  For World Maps and More Go To:

  https://www.facebook.com/BattleMageATaleOfAlus

  Other books by Donald L. Wigboldy Jr.

  From the Tales of Alus series:

  The High King: A Tale of Alus

  The Emperor’s Shadow War

  Battle Mage: A Tale of Alus

  Battle Mage: Winter’s Edge

  Battle Mage: The Lost King

  Battle Mage: Dragon Mage

  Battle Mage: Dark Mage

  Battle Mage: A Hero’s Welcome

  Battle Mage: Forging New Steel

  White Hall

  Battle Mage: Winds of Change

  Battle Mage Visions

  Battle Mage Bonds

  Battle Mage Broken Empire

  Other stories from Alus:

  The Unexpected Heir: A Tale of Alus

  Slaves to Magic: A Tale of Alus

  Modern Tales:

  Voran the Night Guardian

  Standing Before Monsters

  The Mermaid’s Chest

  Beyond the Nebula Series:

  Technomancer

  War Wolves (coming soon)

  Chapter 1- Old Friend

  Sebastian had felt the call of magic like an echo in his chest. It was the first time he had ever felt this particular type of magic though he had created the item used to send the call in the first place. He had given out a few lodestones imbued with his magic since he had discovered that, set inside of certain soft stones; the magic could be released and felt by the creator even across vast distances. Without the ability to cross those distances with the newly discovered portal magic, response to such warning stones would have been so slow that it could only serve to be a worry for the wizard if you used them.

  A golden glow appeared in the dim light between a pair of stone buildings growing quickly into a rectangular door before the mage stepped through looking blinded for a moment as his mind worked to catch up to his new surroundings. They called the temporary blinding of a traveler's senses, portal blindness, though it affected more than just his vision. Sebastian had been traveling regularly so the affects seemed to have grown shorter as if he was slowly growing used to the magic.

  Even after his sight returned, the lighting remained dim. High above him the stone ceiling of the massive cave city remained dark while the wall south of him blocked much of the light that came through an opening about a mile away from his position. It was early morning here and the sun in the east shone through the opening into the cave, but the light only helped the far side of the city right now. This meant that Sebastian was surrounded by the gloom of the poorly lit city.

  Looking about, the battle mage frowned. Smoke was in the air hurting visibility even more as it hung in the air with little movement to pull it out of the cave. He had expected to see someone, but the man he sought wasn't in sight and no others served in his place this morning.

  Closing his eyes for a moment, Sebastian tried to sense the released magic. While he was about as well versed in portal magic as anyone from Southwall, it was new enough that the mage hadn't dared create an arbitrary point that he had never used before. If his educated guess was wrong, ending up exiting into a stone wall would end his career and life rather quickly. It would have been an ignominious way for the one they called the Owl to die, he thought with a morbid smirk.

  He started forward into the city leaving the southeast wall behind. Though he had been in Ensolus rarely, the mage didn't bother looking up to the unique stone ceiling high above his head. Built into a mountain in the Dragon Spine Mountains by the Emperor's people, the city had expanded upon the space which had originally been there. What would have made the Dark One choose to build his capital here was beyond Sebastian. He had never thought to ask before and had a few resources that he might even be able to ask for an answer safely away from the city that had been Southwall's enemy for nearly two centuries.

  The noises in the city seemed different. It was always different from anywhere in Southwall, but he had been here enough to recognize a change in the air. As if holding its breath, Ensolus seemed quieter than normal. Usually there was a general hum in the air as if the sounds within the city could no more escape than the smoke now and dim echoes of other people had always seemed to be background noise here.

  Following a street slightly to the north brought the mage in sight of a place known for death, or perhaps more accurately, the dead. Furnaces surrounded by stone walls disposed of those who died inside the city. When not in battle, he supposed that there was a regular flow into the crematorium; but Sebastian noticed that much of the smoke carrying into the air came from here. It was if they had stacked up enough corpses to raise a bonfire and the thought made him frown.

  Elzen, one of the few battle mages aside from him capable of making a gate, had come after the battle that had killed the emperor. Both mages had been in the city that day as well. Sebastian had even gone to the throne room where, using portal magic, Southwall and its allies managed to bring enough weapons and soldiers to the fight to kill the supposedly unkillable foe. The Dark One had certainly put up a fight that no one wizard he knew could have managed. Sebastian and many of the others had nearly died in that fight. Certainly all were exhausted and only the fact that the emperor had taken a new, virtually untested body as the vessel of his godlike power had given them such an opening. The darkness shrouded sorcerer had used so much power that his body couldn't handle it any longer and it was the use of his magic that actually killed him in the end.

  They had pushed him and the emperor's warlocks hard enough to win, but he wasn't certain that without the Dark One's flawed vessel they could have killed him at all.

  Shaking his head, Sebastian glanced through the opening into the crematorium and his eyes widened. There were so many bodies piled up and most appeared to be human or perhaps elven. It was hard to tell in the light and there were so many orcs working here that the man needed to avoid. They moved the dead bodies to the fires as soon as the previous ones were reduced to dust. Bones that were more resistant to the blazing heat would need to be cleared eventually to maintain the vast numbers of bodies being thrown into the furnaces.

  What had happened here? Elzen had told him that he had found and saved a woman from the emperor's spire less than a week ago. The woman knew little more than different factions were fighting over the city and she believed that a major shift had occurred. There been fighting almost instantly after the emperor had been declared dead. Elves and humans seemed to have tried to keep their hold on Ensolus. Orcs leading goblins, trolls and other creatures had looked to upset the former order, however.

  With the emperor dead, the monstrous beings were willing to fight to become the new leaders. He hadn't heard which faction had succeeded or if the fighting still continued. Sebastian had spent time in Kardor, meanwhile, bringing Southwall's allies portal magic to help them prepare for any new attacks and they hadn't fully finished teaching Kardor's wizards before an army from one of the western cities decided to attack just as he had feared.

  They had turned them back and the enemy army had appeared to be led by an orc warlord called Relgar. When Relgar's plans failed in the face of greater opposition led by Sebastian, Elzen and Ashleen, his wilder girlfriend; elves and humans led their forces away refusing to give up their lives for the self proclaimed king of Ishton, the western city. It had proved that they weren't as willing to follow the orc as they had made him believe.

  He wondered if something similar was going on in Ensolus. Perhaps the emperor's cities would separate from the empire m
aking smaller kingdoms. It would make dealing with them a little easier, though Sebastian had no doubt that any of the cities could become a powerful enemy as well. Worse, they wouldn't know who was in charge or how they planned to go on from here. They could become enemies of Southwall as they had been in the past or they might find new allies within the former empire.

  Eyes beginning to sting from the ash, the man continued past the furnaces and the dead without lingering for long.

  Noticing the lack of life in the area, Sebastian wondered where everyone had gone. There had been more orcs and goblins near the furnaces than he had ever seen, but he hadn't seen any humans or elves that were alive. This was supposed to be one of the human districts of the city. It was even starting to warm up compared to the heart of winter and people should have been around in markets or shops. Though still a ways from true spring or summer, even the Dragon's Spine would warm up eventually and it was nearly spring at least.

  "You there, human!" a rough sounding voice called out from the cross street to his left. "What are you doing out? You should know better than to leave your home. The new emperor made the decree that all humans and elves be processed to serve the new empire!"

  Sebastian paused seeing an orc dressed in armor heading for him. The creature had a barrel chest and thick muscular arms. A knotted club was held in his hand, though a curved sword was attached to its hip as well. Doubting that such a bold declaration would be given without backup nearby; the mage started to question whether he should run or deal with this orc more definitively.

  "I'm just meeting a friend," he stated without shifting his hands towards a weapon. A sword was belted to his waist as well, but the battle mage didn't need it for a simple orc, even if the creature did look physically powerful. He doubted that it had magic.

  A barked laugh that didn't make it to the orc's eyes came out sounding very sarcastic. "And what friend is this? Maybe he wants to be pulled out of his home to be beaten like you. Your kind lost, now be a good slave and come with me."

  "I'm not a slave," Sebastian said calmly. Seeing the creature's face darken as the club slapped sadistically into the open palm of his other hand, led the mage to believe that he had just baited the orc. He could have been more diplomatic, but he wasn't here to be a diplomat and Sebastian wasn't sure if those who had summoned him were in trouble needing him to come with all due haste or not.

  "Smart mouth; know your place, human. You lost. The city is ours and you will serve us now."

  "No," Sebastian said boldly defying the creature.

  Anger flit across the orc's face. "You don't get that choice. I'll beat the defiance out of you. Then you'll take us to this friend of yours. Maybe we'll need to beat him too."

  The orc never called out, but inferred that he had friends nearby.

  "Make me," Sebastian replied dismissively sending the orc into a rage as it charged towards him.

  The club swung for the mage's head. It was a slow clumsy swing, Sebastian thought. He used no magic to see the weapon's approach, though he could have. Raising his left arm, he caught the club as if it were his shield. Flickers of orange light trickled across his forearm and bicep. Covered in invisible runes, these were magic, a new kind found by the mage less than a year ago. Like the portals, Sebastian was the leading expert in Southwall on this kind of magic also.

  Being a mere battle mage; the fact that he knew more about these runes than a full wizard annoyed many of them from his country as well. His magic was supposed to be inferior. Battle mages were considered beneath them by the wizards who measured magical strength in the auras that many could see and read. They were supposed to be little more than just soldiers to their minds. They did know basic magic after all, but without that extra power inside of them, battle mages had been considered only good enough to serve as protectors while wizards did the real magic.

  At least that was how it had been for about a hundred and fifty years.

  Surprised that the human's arm wasn't broken from the powerful blow from the club, the orc didn't let that keep him from trying to subdue the lighter weight human in front of him. He tried to grab for the mage with his left hand as his right raised the club to strike again.

  Sebastian was faster. Fending off the orc with his right hand, the battle mage swung through the block clipping his opponent on the chin. As hard as the club or perhaps steel, even grazing the creature with his fist made its eyes widen slightly. A grunt escaped its lips feeling hurt.

  "Tougher than ya look," it stated shaking his head before trying to attack again.

  Sebastian was right handed, but the shielding runes weren't on that hand. He knew how to shift them, but the mage was trying to deal with the orc quickly, so he ducked and tried to close with the heavier, more powerful creature in front of him. Like the orc, he decided to grab for the monster to pull him closer. Though the strength of the orc was able to resist him, Sebastian managed to wrestle with the heavier creature with a surprising amount of power in his smaller human arms.

  Being faster also, the battle mage shifted slipping inside of the bigger creature's guard bringing his left fist up driving up into its jaw. Even though it outweighed him, the orc was lifted into the air with the power of his off hand. Its feet landed but his knees refused to lock in place. They gave out and the orc fell forward as it tried to fight through the sudden haze and sparkling lights in its head.

  Striking another blow to the side of his opponent's face catching the temple, the orc dropped face down onto the ground. He couldn't see the eyes roll back, but the limpness of the body falling onto the stone beneath him led the mage to believe that it was unconscious before it came to a final rest.

  Turning in the direction he believed that he had felt the magic of the broken lodestone, Sebastian called on his magic. "Stealth," he breathed the word disappearing from sight. With so few pedestrians around, finding his way through the blurred world around him was made much easier. He could hold the invisibility part of his spell for a long time and it should keep him from being spotted again.

  His forehead wrinkled and the mage wondered how long the duration would be these days. While most believed that a wizard or mage's level of strength in magic barely changed throughout his life, Sebastian knew that his innate power had grown. Beyond that, he had used his rune marks to augment his magic beyond even that. Most wizards that read his aura now said that he felt like a wizard, albeit most would say one that was on the weaker side.

  The thought was a momentary distraction and as he walked, the battle mage noticed something else. Looking around, even with his reduced vision thanks to his spell; Sebastian realized that he hadn't seen another human being since he had arrived. At least he had seen no one that was alive anyway, he thought thinking of the piled up corpses near the furnaces of the crematorium.

  This was the human quarter, though most called it a ghetto to be more exact, but the orc had said something about staying in his home. From what he and the spies who had been here for months had discovered, this section of the city was relatively poor but had a large population. There were markets and businesses here, but compared to areas like that of the elves and human lords in the spires closer to the emperor's spire, they lived meager lives. Even the orc sector created by those who served in the military with higher ranks, lived richer than the humans in this area.

  While Sebastian hadn't come to Ensolus of late, and had been basically warned off helping out by the wizard guild and mage corps, the mage no longer took orders from either side. That also meant he received less information than he used to get also, since Sebastian now worked for the king directly and was essentially retired from the group which had trained him before he took that knowledge and added upon it all. His ingenuity relating to magic had helped the young man figure out a way to convert many wizard level spells, and that had both gained him favor as well as making him nearly trapped while both the guilds and the corps tried to drain him of every thought and concept he might find.

  A group
of orcs moved towards him blocking off a significant part of the street. Moving quickly to the side, he flattened his body against the wall of a building giving the creatures added room for them to pass. He wasn't so much afraid to run into even this many orcs at one time, but Sebastian didn't want to risk them calling even more of their kind into this area. If he drew attention to himself, the entire city could descend upon him making this mission impossible since he was uncertain of the changes here since the fall of the emperor.

  Once the orc patrol had passed, the mage moved onward in silence and the odd haze that only he could see from inside the invisibility field. While his vision was essentially blocked, the magic of the spell gave him a secondary type of sight which he used for a few more blocks until he was fairly certain that he was close.

  "Hound," he breathed quietly. If there was someone nearby, they might just think it was the wind or something since there was nothing for them to see.

  Added to his magical sight, Sebastian was suddenly able to see and hear well beyond his normal ability. He sniffed the air like a dog, but ignored the negative connotation as he tried to find a familiar smell. If Drayden were to know that the mage could find him based on his knowledge of the man's odor, the captain might have changed his bathing habits though it wouldn't truly help.

  A faint hint of the man he knew well enough to sense came to him and the battle mage continued until he found a building that looked large enough to be a warehouse. It had seen better days, though nothing truly seemed to fall completely apart inside the cave city. Space was at a minimum and dilapidated, unused buildings were likely torn down or renovated as owners died and their possessions were passed on to the next generations.

  It was a little big to seem like an obvious hideout for the captain and his small team of spies hidden within the enemy city, but on the other hand as long as it wasn't occupied at the moment that might be the charm of using the place. Drayden was an expert at hiding himself, sometimes even in plain sight as he was a bit of chameleon.