AEONS: THE GODS ARE DAMNED

Chapter 19

He woke early, he was dressing up when the guards bust in.
“You should have the decency of knocking” he said as he buttoned up his shirt. They didn’t gag him this time nor did they cover his head.
He followed them out of the castle, as they walked into the woods they appeared at the clearing; Chase looks back to see that they teleported from the castle. “So that was how they get here swiftly”, he thought.
Ralnor stood with his hand on his sword as he flashed a smile; “Seems like you have gotten the hang of things”
“I am quite adaptive, am human”
Ralnor smiled again, “Aeons are adaptive as well, shall we?”
Chase nodded and went to pick his own training word – a wooden sword; as he turned back towards Ralnor, he blocked Ralnor’s unexpected attack and they locked together.
“As I said, Adaptive” he pushes Ralnor back with the sword lock and it is released.
“You might actually be good at this” Ralnor said as he pointed the sword to him, “But prove to me that you can be the best at it”
Chase nods his head to the side slightly and attacks; both swords clashes in a spark. Ralnor showed surprise.
“Magic, fighting wise?” he moved fast and knocked Chase to the side; Chase lands on the snow and rolls with the force, which pushes him back to his feet effectively.
“I did a silent spell; this wooden sword is just as sharp as a metal sword”
“Always a step ahead just like your father”
“Am not my father” he launches at Ralnor who just step sided the attack. With a smile they both locked swords again.
*
He walked through the halls towards the library; he was planning to pick books on boundary spells and astral projection. As he turned to enter the library, he walked into someone; books fell across the floor. He and the figure bent to pick it up almost at the same time;
“Am so so sorry”, the female voice said
“It’s ok”, Chase said as he picked helped her pick the books
“No it’s not, am clumsy”
“I ran into…you” his voice drooled as he lifted his head to face the figure; it was Hycis
She smiled, “No need to play the gentleman, Lord Chase”
“Just Chase, I kinda hate the Lord thing”, he picked another book and read the cover, “Laws of Transmutation, Advanced level”, and he gives her the book.
“I have been practicing”
“Transmutation for an advanced class sounds pretty much like a master’s degree to me” She smiled, “Well; I have to go now, see you around” he said as he walked into the library.
*
He looks around the library, by the time he walked the aisles several times the librarian came to his aid.
“I would say you are lost if this was a maze” the voice said behind Chase and he turned to the woman, she smiled, “May I be of help, Lord Chase”
“Huh, I prefer Chase, the lord part…um, makes me uncomfortable”
With a smile she said, “You will get to it”
“I don’t think I will”
“What do you need?”
"A book on Vitality, Boundary spells and astral projection”
“Is that not a bit above your level?” the librarian asked
“Nothing is above my level, well at least not if there is always a beginners class”, the librarian nodded
“Follow me” she took him to a different section and pulled out a tome from a shelf, the cover read, ‘Boundary spells and Anti-Apparition Logic’, after few more stops the librarian was able to get him all the books he wanted, with a smile he thanked her and scurried out with books on apparition, astral projection, boundary spells and potions.
*
He spent most of the day poring over the books, especially on boundary spells; by the end of day he has covered the entire tome and his room was now either littered with papers or runic symbols as he enforced his room with a new security system.
By dusk Eschallus came by to drop his meal, in a word Chase didn’t leave the room for the day. After Eschallus left, Chase placed a spell on his door to prevent anyone from entering the room or even leaving. That night, Chase slept soundly.
Before day break the guards came to his room again, only to find it impossible to enter his room, no form of teleportation spell could bypass the spell and no one could enter by physical means either.
Chase woke up just as the sun peeked at the horizon; he found Ralnor at his bedside with an angry look.
“I hope you had a very good night sleep”
Chase gulped…
*
With a push, Chase landed on the snow at the guards training ground as Ralnor picked a sword.
“You missed today’s training, perhaps because you think you are good enough or because you think it doesn’t matter”, He throws the sword to Chase and it lands in the snow. A bulky guard came into the ring; he looked like someone who spent his entire life in the gym.
“You mission is to survive this duel alive, no holding back…” Ralnor said, “at all!” Ralnor shouted as he stepped out of the ring.
A bell was rung and the guard dashed at Chase; Chase quickly picked the sword, the guard swung the sword with a right shoulder attack; he barely stopped the guard’s sword as it almost cut his head off.
Guards stood outside the dueling ring, they cheered as the duo fought although Chase was on the defensive; the guard wasn’t giving him the chance to even pull his own attack.
The guard struck in an attempt to knock the sword out of Chase’s hand; the swords clashed and the force of the hit pushed Chase’s arm to the right, he stumbles and the guard took the advantage to kick Chase backwards. Chase fell in the snow and the guard raised his sword to strike. Chase rolled out of the way and lands on his feet. The guards cheered, Ralnor watched his every move with eagle eyes.
Chase raised the sword and said a silent spell; he waits for the guard to attack, and the man dashed for him, Chase sidestepped the attack and tripped the man. Cheers went wild.
The man rose and swung his sword in an arc; Chase moved swiftly, and slashed the man’s torso and also blocks the attack. The man was surprised, he dropped the sword and Chase kicks him back. The man lands on his back, writing in the snow. Blood flows freely, turning the snow from pure white to crimson red.
Guards swarmed into the ring and carried the injured man to the healers. Ralnor enters the ring with his own sword. He twirled the sword and struck; Chase blocked it, they locked; Ralnor twirls both swords with his own force and Chase’s sword fell from his grip and landed on the snow. Ralnor points the tip of his sword at Chase’s neck.
“You lose”
“I did win the first round”
“No one remembers the soldiers that die half way through the war; they only remember the soldiers that finish the war and come home carrying their shield or on it. You still have lots to learn, the next time you miss a class; I will send you to the Kelpas myself”
With that, he left the ring, leaving Chase standing like a moron.