Chapter 20 ERASED FROM EXISTENCE
He began to head over for the sword as the others began to walk over as well. When he reached the enchanted blade, he reached out to grab it. He apparently wasn't able to hear as Xyra shouted for him not to. The second his hand touched the hilt, a harsh shock was sent through his body. He jumped back, nursing his now burned hand.
"I tried to warn you," Xyra said as she reached him, grabbing the sword and putting it back in its sheath. "This is a Khukuri blade, meaning it doesn't react well with magic. A sorcerer can't even touch it without getting hurt." She almost laughed when she saw the look on Magnus's face. It was something between a pout and a glare that he was shooting her as he rubbed his sore hand.
"You coulda tried harder to warn me," he mumbled, a white light coming from his other hand. Slowly the burn began to heal, leaving no evidence of it ever being on his hand.
"Magnus," began Darren. "That spell…why do you know something like that?"
"I studied all sorts of magic, including dark. I don't know a lot of it, but I do know some."
"Yeah, all the destructive ones," remarked Gareth. "We were always in a hurry to learn the powerful spells." Magnus gave a nervous laugh, a smile on his face.
"They're more effective," he defended. "Especially when fighting something like a dragon."
"Yeah, well, now that it's over, what now?" asked Xyra.
"Good question," mumbled Magnus as he looked around a bit. The arena was still vacant except for them. However, everyone would probably come back soon to see what had happened. The Umbra Mortis had probably drawn some attention, and people were too curious not to come and investigate. "We'll wait."
"Wait?"
"Someone will come eventually." He sat down, stretching his legs out a bit. "Besides, I'm not leaving until I get my talisman."
Since none of them were in the mood to argue right now, they all just sat down and relaxed for a bit. If Magnus wasn't going to leave, they really couldn't either. He was the one with the money and the proof that they had rooms at the inn. Even if they wanted to, there was no way they could go back yet.
Magnus began chatting a bit with Gareth, talking about the talismans. The old man had wanted to know how many he had collected, so they were having an in-depth conversation about it. Xyra was keeping herself busy by cleaning off her sword. Darren had really made a mess of it, but then again, she had asked him to use it. She was the one at fault, so she wasn't about to complain.
Darren sighed a bit and began looking around the arena. It looked just like it had before the dragon had shown up. Everything was still intact. They hadn't destroyed anything, and thanks to Umbra Mortis, it was as if the dragon had never even been there. Most would probably be in shock when they came back only to find that there was no longer a dragon. Magnus would have some explaining to do.
"Hey!" called a voice from the stadium entrance. They all looked over to see a crowd of people, including some of the arena soldiers and the announcer. The remaining four sorcerers were among the group as well. "Is it over?"
"Yeah," answered Magnus as he stood up. "The dragon's gone."
Everyone began walking in, going a bit slowly. Most began looking around, trying to find a sign of the dragon. However, there was nothing. It was just gone. Not even a drop of blood had been spared from the Umbra Mortis.
"Where'd it go?" asked one of the soldiers. "There's nothing left."
"How's that possible?" asked a crowd member.
"That spell," began one of the four sorcerers. "Was that an Umbra Mortis?"
"Sure was," Magnus responded, a bright smile on his face. The people amongst the crowd who knew what that was now were staring at him in shock. For a sorcerer as young as Magnus to know something like that was truly remarkable. Not many sorcerers could cast that destructive spell without having some difficulty. He had controlled it perfectly, and even with using that much energy, he still looked ready to continue the tournament. However, it is officially over now.
"That was incredible!" stated the announcer, his voice still as loud. He walked up to Magnus and grabbed his hand, shaking it. "Very impressive."
"Um…thanks," Magnus responded as the man rigorously shook his hand.
"I think we know who this year's tournament winner is," he said as he looked at one of his soldiers. The man quickly reached into a bag at his side, withdrawing an item that looked like a crucifix. It was silver with very few gems on it, very much the opposite of the Lazufeer talisman Magnus had shown them.
Everyone's eyes followed the talisman as the soldier handed it to the announcer, who in turn handed it to Magnus. The young sorcerer was a bit in awe at first, his fingers gliding over the silver metal and the bright white stone in the middle. A smile spread across his lips. It's really mine. Just seven more to go.
"Thanks," he said brightly, tucking the talisman away in a safe place in his cloak. He kept a smile on his face, but it soon fell when he laid his eyes on Gareth again. He glared a bit in annoyance. "I thought you said there weren't any nearby. Why didn't you tell me there was one in the tournament?"
"Slipped my mind," he answered.
"Any others I should know about?"
"None I can think of. Like I said, try the north. There should be at least one up there."
"Okay." He stretched his arms up over his head and yawned a bit. "I'm kinda tired…"
"You slept all day," stated Xyra. "How can you be tired?" Magnus’s only response was a smile as he began to make his way through the gathering crowd. They were all watching him in praise as he left, followed by his three friends. They had all had a long day, and all of them were in dire need of sleep. After all, knowing Magnus, he would want to set out right away in the morning, and both Darren and Xyra had every intention of following him.
"Going to leave tomorrow," said Magnus, "so make sure you're ready."
"Okay," both Xyra and Darren said. Magnus stopped for a moment and glanced back, his eyes landing on the fellow hunter.
"You're coming too?" he asked curiously.
"Of course. This little adventure was fun, so I think I'll stick around for a while. It's not like I have anything better to do."
Magnus smirked a bit, not letting his friends see. He couldn't help but be a little happy about that. These people had the potential to actually be friends. He had been without a companion for so long that he had forgotten how fun it could be to be around people.
"What about you, Gareth?" asked Magnus. "Up for a little adventure?"
"Not with you," the old man remarked gruffly. "You'd get me killed."
"Yeah, maybe," he laughed, not denying that fact at all.
The four of them walked along quietly, all watching the night sky. It is really late now. The tournament and the fight with the dragon had consumed a lot of time. However, it had all been worth it. Magnus withdrew his newest talisman, a smile gracing his face as he saw it. Hopefully the others will be this easy to get. I really should hurry up and find them all. His smile fell a bit, his hand clenching around the talisman. Soon I'll be able to end this all. Just you wait, Raheem. You won't get the best of me.