Mo and Lores ran towards a safe area. Mo at the moment couldn't think clearly. He grabbed Lores' wrist, his sheening eyes relaying fright. Lores stopped.
"Seven, it's too dangerous here. let's leave this place. I'll go to the palace immediately and request for reinforcement."
"Your highness, do not worry. I will protect you." Lores pacified with a calm smile. To think that someone who was recently showed bravery would be as timid as a snail made Lores wonder. The ever equanimous Prince of Nan has flaws? It was mindboggling. "Besides, we haven't seen the demon yet." He added.
Mo's face soured. "To hell with the demon." He strongly didn't want to know whosoever that demon was any longer. His look then turned concerned few breaths later.
"I'm also saying this for your safety."
"Then what about the other guards? Are we leaving them behind?"
Mo's face twisted in confusion. "They were hired to protect me, and they are performing their duties." Mo answered with belief. He let out a long sigh as he let go of Lores' wrist. The pressure in his voice lessened a little. "Seven, you think you are so righteous as saving everyone's life, huh?" A shred of anger could be traced in his voice.
Lores sighed. He would rather not cajole Mo.
"Your highness, please forgive me. I'm afraid I cannot go back with you." He scanned around the area. "It's safe here for now. You may wait here for us." He turned and left. The enemies would have killed everyone and escaped before the reinforcement arrived, so it wasn't a bright idea to Lores. The lives of the guards were still lives of humans to him. Leaving alone with the prince would be a selfish thing to do.
Mo looked on as the distance of Lores increased farther from him. He couldn't bear to wait there alone without a company. He paced after the other person, lest he went out of sight.
Lores stopped abruptly and looked back. Mo was walking behind him. When the latter saw Lores, he averted his gaze and locked his hands behind. Lores didn't say a word. He just thinned his lips and moved along.
The tiff they had earlier would subside on its own.
Lores suddenly heard what seemed to be the distant cries of people. He stopped and listened carefully. Mo, on noticing the pensive state of Lores, joined the clarification of the discovery. They both looked at each other with the same expression of attentiveness.
"There are people here." Lores confirmed. They nodded at each other and began to trace the source. They moved along the quiet houses and came to an expanse of farmland beside a particular wattle and daub house.
The mournful sounds grew louder.
They hastily made their way to the backyard of the wattle and daub house. There it was; a woodshed imprisoning many of the villagers became visible to the eyes.
When the peasants caught sight of Mo and Lores, they pleas for help intensified. They lively held the vertical wooden bars, seeing a ray of hope.
"What does the demon need this large number of people for?" Mo was outrightly mystified. He focused his gaze on Lores, as if expecting Lores to know the reason. Well, Lores actually knew. His schooling under Idrissa had come handy once again.
"The so-called demon is a vile mage who will make use of the essence of these people together with a forbidden formation and a relic to obtain the highest level of magical prowess. He is most likely planning to overthrow the incumbent dynasty."
"How did you know all these?" Mo was stunned. His knowledge of magery was shallow and so he thought the same of Lores due to the guard's absence in registering any supernatural act.
"I read about it." Lores lied without caring meet Mo's face. "I don't think he has gotten the relic or else these people would have been dead by now."
"What relic is that?" Mo asked with interest.
"The Dragon Flintstone." Lores provided.
At least Mo wasn't so daft. He knew a little about the relic.
"I've heard of that. The Dragon Flintstone is said to have been formed from the remains of a magical dragon hundreds of thousands of years ago. Does it really exist? I thought it was just a myth."
"I don't really know. Some top tier mages claim to have sensed the primordial aura of the dragon, hence the verisimilitude." Lores answered honestly.
"If he is yet to get The Dragon Flintstone, why would he be making a move?"
"That's the ploy we must uncover." Lores thoughtfully stated.
They walked over to rescue the villagers. And just as Lores was about to approach the woodshed, he was forcefully bounced backwards by something. A strong grey aura revealed itself for a split second when Lores collided with the impenetrable area before vanishing out of sight.
Mo's eyes lit at the anomalous occurrence.
"What was that?"
"It's an energy simulated barrier." Lores provided after regaining his stance. Lores thoughtfully skimmed the invisible barrier, pondering on how wide it stretched. He used his sword on it but it kept bouncing off without even penetrating. It was a strong barrier that only a strong mage would be able to remove.
"This barrier can only be removed by means of magery." Lores deduced after a brief thought. He shifted his gaze to Mo. "The mage must be somewhere around. This woodshed proofs it. Let's go."
While on their way, Mo spoke in wonder.
"Seven, I'm starting to believe that this mage might be a demon." Mo witnessed the invincibility of magical prowess before him. It was nothing like appreciating lush vegetations, beauteous flowers or scenic forests. Little did he know that the day had much more in store for him. He finally realized that there is more than meets the eye in the world.
The got to a manor that had managed to retain its roof, but some of the windows were sorrily crooked to nonarchitectural positions. The gate was wide open, enabling them to see from outside the expanse. The building was looking a bit decrepit, Its surroundings unkempt. But due to the residual decency it retained, it would be sensible to assume it to be the residence of a low rank noble.
"This must be the manor of the Village Head. Judging by how old here looks, the demon must have raided the village long before we were informed." Mo inferred.
"It's suspicious. Who must have prevented the intelligence from reaching you? I'm afraid it's an inside job." Lores looked solemnly at Mo as he deduced.
"What do you mean?" Mo became dazed. Lores spoke after a while.
"Only a bigwig can cover this crucial intelligence, hence the person works for the incumbent dynasty, and holds an important office. Have you not wondered why the intelligence only got to you at this time? It's because whosoever is behind it doesn't want you to know. That person was deliberately buying the enemies time to make preparations."
Mo became even more dazed. "A bigwig? Who's possibly behind this? It can't be father. He wouldn't give the rebels a long time considering they were already making a move. He would have sent men to eliminate them. Wait! Father too didn't get the intelligence on time!"
Mo pondered thoroughly before dropping a rhetorical question.
"Who could possibly aiding another dynasty?"
"Your highness, You should find out yourself."
Mo spoke in a lowered voice while puzzling thoughts roamed his head.
"If it's an inside job as you said, that person doesn't deserve to be alive."
They ingressed the yard. Excluding the chirrups of birds, It was very quiet and sorry-looking to the eyes, although the willow trees standing orderly were still healthy. Their leaves lively rustled in the dank wind.
All of a sudden, black clothed men armed with swords burst out from the structures, encircling the duo.
"It's a trap." Lores said, sweeping his eyes cautiously. Mo subconsciously hid behind Lores.
Battle cries echoed everywhere. The men charged at Lores whose martial arts were incredible. He fought off those who came at him, killing them mercilessly in what seemed to be a deadly blow, their bodies further littering the yard.
Mo seemed horrified which was quite understandable because they were overly outnumbered. He clung tighter to Lores.
The enemies paused, observing that the youth was not to be underestimated. They belted at Lores again after reinforcing their courage.
Lores instantly felt heightened, he felt like his strength had been amplified. With only a slash, he was able to repel tens of the killers. They all felt the force of his sword throw them backwards.
Lores knew his essence energy had been triggered again.
Lores perceived the inrush of something. Thankfully, his reflexes were as sharp as the cronel of a spear. He immediately palmed Mo from the way, as he parried the raging force of a sword. He was violently repelled, landing with his rear.
"So all of you can't take down one person. Useless!" The stern voice of a lady sounded. She stared with contempt at the men on the floor.
Such essence energy, Lores thought while trying to assist himself back on his feet with the help of his sword. That woman must be a strong mage...a stronger one than him.
The lady was donned in a black robe. Her sword was embedded in a layer of energy.
"Seven!" Mo rushed to Lores with a look of concern.
"Are you alright?" Lores just shook his head. Mo realized the level of strength Lores possessed. He did not question Lores for what he saw today had overwhelmed him.
The lady sported a smug smile as she approached the duo. She was already a natural at the peak of the stage of familiarity. A person like Lores who was still in the stage of origin was no match for her.
"So you all are indeed planning a rebellion. You've taken the leniency of the archmage for granted!" Mo warned of the impending consequences. She released a scoff.
"That's what the Freydors do. They only know how to brag about the archmage. His Lordship's power is already great. By the time he gets The Dragon Flintstone, he will be on par with the archmage. As it is now, I don't think there is any other person who can face the archmage head-on besides His Lordship."
"You run your mouth so well even when The Dragon Flintstone is no yet in your possession. Aren't you more boastful than the Freydors?" Mo retorted.
"Even without the relic, His Lordship can still become very powerful with just the life force of those people. The relic is just a catalyst to speed up the process."
"Who do you serve?" Mo asked. The lady jeered before answering.
"Prince Of Nan is still too young. You weren't born when the event happened more than twenty years ago."
It was then realization hit Mo. He eventually knew the identity of his adversaries.
"The Snowils. You are one of the survivors from the extermination executed on the Snowils. Your Lord must be the mage of Snowil. He was defeated by the archmage, leading to the extermination of the revolutionists. You've waited for so many years, but why now?"
"The gentry know about the revolutionists. Prince Of Nan is not an exception. It doesn't matter the number of years we stayed low. What matters is that we've taken action."
"It seems the lesson from several years ago is not enough for you. I'll advise you to stand down. The king might show you mercy."
"Hahahaha" The lady laughed in a lunatic manner, then spat in disgust afterwards.
"The Snowils are not that skittish. We had the founding kings of Liz. We can never disgrace our progenitors." She adamantly said, her voice stern.
"You do not hesitate to kill people for your self-centered yearnings. You and your lord don't deserve to be alive." Lores glowered at her. It was a cruel means of magery, and would be greatly frowned at. She stared amusingly at Lores, then cocked her head.
"I'm sick of hearing those righteous talks. Alright. Let me see if your righteousness is capable of keeping you alive today."
Lores quickly pushed Mo away, darting his eyes skyward. The lady had sprung at an incredible height with a wave of energy surrounding her. Her sword was held with both hands as it discharged an unearthly aura. Dried leaves were blown away, and Lores felt the sensation of an unfriendly wind. He strode out of the way just in the nick of time.
She brutely descended, causing streaks of crevices on the ground.
"You're an attainer with a weak essence energy." She deduced having sensed Lores' frailness. She smirked. Lores should be a piece of cake for her.
Lores knew how crucial it was to use his powers. The lady could not be defeated by ordinary means.
He put his mind aright, his eyes flaming with anger.
He watched as she sped, piercing her sword towards him but he wasn't agitated. He was building up his gnosis.
As we know, due to Lores' stagnancy in the first stage, he would not be able to channel his essence energy to his sword. Only those in the second stage could do that. His magical prowess depended more on his gnosis.
The springing up of fluctuating energy became worthy of awareness. A strange wind began to converge in front of Lores, creating an energy simulated shield. Once her sword collided with the shield, it became stagnant and only tremored persistently.
Their eyes battled without yielding.
However, Lores' defensive attempt was only ephemeral. When the lady reinforced her powers, Lores' shield dispersed, allowing her sword to inflict an opening on his flesh.
An unpleasant sensation was felt on Lores' ribs. Blood seeped leisurely.
His face paled as he gruntled in pain. Lores gripped the lady's sword to prevent it from making a further pierce, uncaring about the blood trickling from his hand.
She displayed a victorious smirk.
Suddenly, Lores experienced an unexplainable revival inside of him, as if he was being empowered by something. The diamond shaped mark on his forehead revealed itself, glinting beautifully.
The lady's smirk evaporated and was replaced by perplexity.
Lores' lips evilly curled up.
His gaze hardened.
Author's note:
Thanks for reading! Remember to vote and tell me what you think of Lores😊