Chapter 111 THE HIDDEN STRONGHOLD

Chapter 111 THE HIDDEN STRONGHOLD
"Christian," Magnus said, a slight smirk playing on his lips. "Do you have a map of the continent?"

"Yeah," Christian replied, sounding a bit puzzled. "It’s in my office. Why do you ask?"

"Follow me." Magnus instructed.

The young sorcerer turned and picked up his pace, walking briskly. Christian and Xyra kept right on his heels, neither of them questioning his sudden urgency. If Magnus was this excited, he was definitely onto something. Perhaps all that quiet brooding had finally paid off, and he had pieced the puzzle together. They followed him eagerly, curious to see where his thoughts had led.

When they reached the office, Magnus brushed right past the guards at the door. Startled but familiar with the boy, the guards didn't try to stop him. They knew he wasn't a threat... well, not to them, anyway. He was a friend, and always welcome.

Christian walked in behind him and headed straight for his desk. He pulled open a drawer and retrieved a worn, yellowed map. Its edges were frayed and torn from years of handling. A man in his position rarely needed to consult a map, but now and then, they proved invaluable. This was one of those times. He smoothed it flat across the desk, revealing detailed markings of every town, city, forest, and valley... even the tiny settlement just outside Drester.

Magnus leaned over the parchment, immediately losing himself in thought. He stared intently, his eyes scanning every inch of the map while completely tuning out his two companions.

"Xyra," Magnus said suddenly, breaking the silence. "When you used that teleportation spell, where exactly were you trying to go?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, blinking in confusion.

"What image did you have in your head right before you used it? That's how the magic works, isn't it?"

"Yeah..." Xyra paused, looking back on that chaotic moment. She had been terrified, her mind racing too fast to think straight. The place she had pictured wasn't where she actually ended up, though landing just outside Millmore had been a stroke of luck. "I was thinking of the town Sirona was in... and I pictured Darren, too."

"But you didn't land there," Magnus pointed out, his smile widening. "The spell deposited you just outside Millmore. That was its absolute limit."

"What are you getting at, Magnus?" Christian asked, leaning closer to the map.

"I think I know where the Sorcerer's League headquarters is," Magnus declared triumphantly. "Think about it. A teleportation spell was cast from that mountain town. The distance they traveled has to be equal to, or less than, the distance we traveled when we fled. That means they couldn't have gone this way, or that way." He ran his finger south of Millmore, then dragged it west. "Our only real options are east and north. East is nothing but an open valley, which leaves north..."

"The mountains," Xyra whispered, her eyes widening as she stared at the map.

"Exactly." Magnus traced a line from Millmore directly to the jagged peaks to the north. He looked up at Christian. "You said a blizzard has been raging there for ages. Do you know exactly how long?"

"I don't," Christian admitted. "I've never been up there. But even before the blizzard started, it was common knowledge that no one ever returned from those peaks."

"Because they're killed before they can cross."

Magnus looked incredibly smug, and both Xyra and Christian wished he would stop dragging out the suspense. He clearly had the answers, and they wanted him to spit them out.

"So," Christian prompted, "what's the conclusion?"

"It’s simple," Magnus pressed his finger firmly onto the mountain range. "This is where we need to go. This is the headquarters. It explains the endless blizzard — it's likely artificial, powered by their stolen magic." His voice softened, a shadow of anger crossing his face. So many sorcerers had died in that place, likely some he had known personally. The League never kept captive sorcerers alive for long, fearing they might recover their strength and tear the place down. Anyone dragged up those mountains never came back. And who traveled those heights the most? Sorcerers. It all fit perfectly.

"So that's your destination?" Christian asked quietly.

"If Mr. Nixon is there, then yes. He has one of the talismans, and he needs to be stopped. He’s been creating hybrids and unleashing them on anything he views as a threat. He even attacked the Andagon Valley in person."

"He attacked the Andagon Valley?!" Christian gasped. No one in their right mind provoked the dragons; they were far too powerful to anger. If Nixon had faced them and survived, he would have been terrifyingly strong... and completely unhinged. "But isn't that a violation of the treaty? Humans, demons, and dragons all agreed to a truce. How could he be so reckless?"

"Because he knew he would win," Magnus spat, clenching his jaw as he remembered the devastation of the valley. "He wiped out nearly all of them. The entire place was left in ruins."

"Unbelievable..." The weight of the news was too much for the young mayor. He sank back into his chair, burying his face in his hands. "What on earth are we up against?"

"Don't worry," Magnus said reassuringly, rolling up the map and putting it back in the drawer. "Once I get the talisman, I'll finish him. Without Nixon, the League would fall apart, and sorcerers would finally be free. The bounties will be cleared."

"Even Albus's?"

Magnus offered a faint smile. He had momentarily forgotten that Christian didn't know his true identity. It was better that way; his name brought nothing but trouble, and he didn't want to put these people in danger.

"I hope so," Magnus replied, turning toward the door with Xyra close behind him.

They barely made it into the hallway before a frantic servant came sprinting around the corner, pushing past them and bursting into the office. Through the open door, Magnus and Xyra heard every word.

"Sir! It's terrible!" the servant panted.

"What's happened?" Christian demanded, his voice instantly snapping into his authoritative, mayoral tone.

"Monsters! There are demons just outside the town walls!"

Magnus and Xyra exchanged a grim look. It felt like a curse; everywhere they went, violence followed. But these weren't likely standard demons — most ordinary demons were smart enough to avoid attacking a fortified town. It had to be the hybrids. They were reckless, vicious, and strong enough to overpower most hunters. Stepping back into the office, Magnus's expression was grim. Christian looked at him, immediately understanding.

"You're going to handle this?" the mayor asked.

Magnus nodded.

"Then go. And come back in one piece."

Without another word, Magnus and Xyra took off down the corridor. They navigated the castle's hallways in a sprint, tearing down the stairs and across the main lobby. Bustling through the heavy front doors, they hit the streets. The festival was over, so the streets weren't packed, but they still had to weave through panicked crowds of citizens fleeing in the opposite direction.

A dull explosion rumbled in the distance, sending a fresh wave of panic through the streets. People scrambled for cover, making it harder for Magnus and Xyra to push forward. They were the only two running toward the danger. As they neared the town gates, the crowds thinned out until the streets were entirely deserted. The monster was still lingering near the entrance, and since there hadn't been another blast, they hoped they had caught it before it could do real damage.

When they rounded the final corner, they stopped short. Standing by the gates was the hybrid. It had a vaguely human shape, but its skin was a sickly, pale green. Most of its body was encased in a suit of light-blue armor that covered its torso completely, with sparse plating protecting its limbs.

"What is that armor made of?" Xyra muttered.

Magnus didn't answer. He was already chanting a spell, releasing a bolt of lightning to test the creature's defenses. Many hybrid demons were highly resistant to magic, and he needed to know what they were dealing with.

The lightning struck the creature dead-on, but did absolutely nothing. The hybrid simply sneered, its wide, vicious grin sending a chill down Xyra's spine.

"Magic's out," Magnus muttered, drawing his sword. He leveled the blade at the monster, but it didn't flinch. Instead, it took a slow, menacing step forward.

Magnus lunged, swinging his sword with enough force to cut the creature in two. But the moment his blade struck the blue armor, it jarred violently, repelled by the hard surface. The hybrid lashed out with a clawed hand, forcing Magnus to leap back toward Xyra. He looked down at his weapon and swore under his breath. The edge of his sword was completely bent.

"He said this could cut through anything, even dragon scales," Magnus growled, sheathing the useless weapon. "Why didn't it even scratch that thing?"

"Because look at it," Xyra said, drawing her own weapon. The pale blue blade of her khukuri caught the light, gleaming like an opal. She pointed it at the monster, and Magnus's eyes widened as he finally made the connection.

The hybrid's armor wasn't steel, or even dragon scale. It was forged from the exact same material as Xyra's Khukuri Blade — the strongest substance in the world, surpassed only by the Lazufeer talismans themselves. Magic was useless, and standard weapons were completely ineffective. Before they could plan, the hybrid lunged, claws flashing. They leaped in opposite directions, leaving the beast in the center. It glanced back and forth, trying to decide which of them to tear apart first, before finally locking its sights on Magnus.

Magnus dodged its wild swings with practiced grace, pivoting away and darting back to Xyra's side to regroup.

"Magnus," she whispered quickly. "My khukuri can cut through that armor."

"Are you sure?"

"Well, a dragon-scale sword can cut dragon scales, right? It should be the same concept." She raised her blade, leveling her stance. "I can do this. I just need one clean opening."