Kill The Blood Mage

The guards came rushing, all eager to kill the blood mage where he stood. Soul looked at them, his blood mask swirling around like it had a life of its own.

He took a small step toward them, and they began their assault. One attacked from behind, another came in front of him with a shield and a longsword. A bowman from far away nocked an arrow.

Soul didn't do anything as his attackers got close to him. He simply waited, gave them a chance to turn back and keep on living. But they didn't take it.

'Guess I have to defend myself.'

Without so much as a twitch, he opened a rift, and uncanny figures with bizarre facial structures showed themselves within the Void. Stepping into the mortal realm, they rushed toward the guards, brandishing swords in their hands. More uncanny beings continued to pour forth from the Void. Their numbers quickly swelled to at least sixty, outnumbering the twenty guards.

"Stop!" Esvor yelled. "Everyone calm down! We don't need to fight!"

"Kill the blood mage!" a guard shouted while battling one of the figures. "They don't stop coming! We are outnumbered!"

As the guard spoke, more figures kept appearing. Their numbers quickly grew to over a hundred and continued to rise. Yuki and Tamiko exchanged fearful glances, while Gale stepped protectively in front of his daughters.

"Idiots! Drop your swords before any of you get killed!" Esvor's voice rang out across the street. "Drop them! Now!"

"Are you crazy?" a bowman retorted. "We'd be defenseless!"

"Do as I say!"

"No! Stand your ground, soldiers! We will kill them!"

The uncanny figures soon numbered well over two hundred. Although the guards managed to kill only thirty, the figures kept coming. They weren't particularly strong, but their sheer numbers compensated for their lack of weapon training. The relentless tide was overwhelming.

"Stop!" Esvor shouted, turning to face Soul. "They aren't listening!"

"I can see that. That's why I'm defending myself," Soul replied.

"By killing them?"

"It's me or them. I'm just doing what I have to do. If they attack me, I'll attack back. Simple," Soul said with a lifeless tone. "I'd stay back if I were you."

"Just – hey. Stop, okay? You don't need to do this."

"Give me one reason."

"There's no reason!" Tamiko joined in, her voice angry. "If you stop attacking them, we can reason with them!"

"Hmm…"

"Come on!" Yuki added. "Just stop!"

The figures halted, their eyes locked on Soul in unison.

"Then reason with them. I'm giving you all two minutes."

Esvor walked toward the guards, his sword still sheathed and hood pulled up.

"Stop attacking the blood mage. He helped take down the dragon," Esvor explained. "He doesn't deserve this."

"The dragon flew away! I saw it with my own eyes," a guard yelled. "Are you siding with the blood mage?"

"No, I'm not! The dragon told us her egg was stolen. She wants it back. And we have to find that damned egg by tomorrow. Or all of Redhaven will fall – the beast will come back!"

"Right. You talked to a dragon," the bowman chuckled nervously. "And I'm Hero-God Take."

"Okay, then. Be my guest. Attack the blood magic user if you have the guts!" Esvor exclaimed, stepping aside to point at Soul.

"If –" a heavily armored guard stepped forward. "If he wants to leave in peace... then he may."

"Finally! Someone willing to use their brain! Okay… Are you the captain of these guards?" Esvor asked.

"District captain," he replied. "You heard me. The blood mage can go."

"Will I be followed?" Soul asked the captain. "Or be ambushed after leaving the city?"

"No. You have my word."

"Hmm… thanks." Soul said as he started moving. "I'll head to the northern exit. If I sense I'm being followed… you'll wish the dragon had killed you right here and now."

He slowly walked past the guards, his head tilted down. As he left the scene, the figures re-entered the rift one by one. The citizens watching from indoors sighed in relief. Yuki and Tamiko wiped the sweat from their foreheads, while Esvor and Gale watched Soul with nervous eyes.

"I didn't think he would be able to do that," Esvor admitted. "But I'm glad he stopped the dragon."

"So… he won't be helping us find this egg?" Yuki asked. "Where do we even start? We don't have much time."

"Gale, tell the guards to block off the entrances after the blood mage leaves. We can't afford our thief to escape the town," Esvor instructed. "Yuki and Tamiko, take care of that elf girl."

"Okay," Tamiko replied.

"Sure," Yuki agreed.

"Taking over the city will have to wait, it seems," Esvor muttered to himself. "Finding a dragon egg… how hard can it be?"

Soul found a tree and leaned against it. Crossing his arms, he gazed at the blue, cloudless sky. The moon's glow illuminated the nearby river, its light reflecting in Soul's lifeless eyes, giving the illusion of some spark, some life, behind them.

He sat, watching the river between the two tall trees and their branches. Without a breeze to sway the trees, it felt lonely and eerily quiet.

"When will I stop finding you in the forest, watching the sky or doing weird things?" Liana asked, sitting next to him. "What's up?"

"I'm okay," he replied, still watching the scenery. "You?"

"Meh. I'm okay."

"I can sense blood. Basically smell it," he explained. "But I can never smell you."

"Maybe I'm not real. This woman you see is all in your head."

"Now that would be something." He lay on his back. "I met another blood mage."

"Oh?"

"She had silver hair, just like mine." He began to explain. "Her name's Hope. She was being forced to work for some bandits – or the kingdom's private army. Hard to tell."

"Where's she now?"

"Gone. I don't know."

"Mm… let's be careful around her."

"Hey –" Soul said while gazing at the sky. "I wish you two had never met me."

"Where did that come from?" Liana cocked an eyebrow.

"Isn't it obvious? Blood mages are bad news."

"Mm…" Liana shook her head. "I'm glad I met you."

"Really?" Soul asked.

"Yes."

"Hmm…. Thanks."