chapter 14

The telepathic bond ended as abruptly as it had started. Andries got to his feet and immediately ordered the mutants to be ready. Soon after, he felt mages casting spells just outside the room. The spells were aimed at the door and unleashed, but the protection spells of Aretuza held strong. The mages on the other side, undeterred, began gathering energy for more spells.

Andries reached out with his mind to the other side. He couldn't sense the area outside, but he could feel the people. Gently, he touched their minds, so lightly that they barely noticed. He searched for a weak-willed one and finally found one.

Entering the mind of the weak-willed person, he realized it was a non-mage elf. There were other elves around, Scoia'tael, about ten in total. Four more were sorcerers, three female and one male.

The sorcerers focused their spells on the door and released them. The spells clashed against the door, but the ancient protection spells of the academy held firm, though the protection spells were getting weaker. Andries realized these protection spells had been activated after his arrival since he didn't remember feeling them when he arrived.

He had to act quickly. Andries withdrew his mind and cast a spell to amplify his mental power, then reached out again to the elf. He implanted a suggestion, an intrusive thought, the beauty of one of the sorceress's neck and how it would look even better with a blade in it.

Andries expected to need more persuasion, but the elf's hatred for humans took over. Already holding his blade, the elf slashed the sorceress's neck. The last thing the elf remembered before another sorcerer incinerated him was Andries's laugh as he pulled his mental power out.

"Drop your weapons!" a voice commanded.

"They betrayed us." an elf spoke in Elder Speech.

"Kill them now!" another elf shouted in Elder Speech, followed by a scream of pain.

Andries sensed spells being cast and a fierce battle ensuing on the other side. The sounds of the fight continued for a while before falling silent.

Andries ordered Blightborn and Wyrmblood to stand in front of him as he approached the door. Blightborn drew his twin swords and Wyrmblood readied his claws and tail.

Opening the door, Andries was greeted by the sight of burned and mutilated elf bodies. Among the dead sorcerers, one sorceress remained alive, albeit severely injured with an arrow in her shoulder, a slash across her face and a sword embedded in her stomach.

Desperation filled her eyes as she pointed a trembling hand at Andries and cast a weak lightning bolt. Andries raised his left hand, activating a rune carved into his bone. A wave of energy emanated from him, nullifying the lightning bolt.

With swift precision, Blightborn moved forward and severed the sorceress's arm at the elbow. Her scream was cut short as Wyrmblood pinned her to the wall, covering her mouth with a clawed hand. Blightborn then severed her other arm.

Andries approached, using the blood around him to draw a sigil on her forehead. The sorceress's eyes widened in terror. Andries smiled, not menacingly, but with genuine curiosity, as if finding something fascinating.

"I have a simple question, why are you after me?" Andries asked but didn't wait for the sorceress to answer.

He cast a spell and used his mental power, both amplified by the blood sigil on the sorceress's forehead. Andries reached into the sorceress's mind, pulling information out. Though near death, her will was still much stronger than that of normal people.

Whenever Andries felt the sorceress trying to push his mind out, he gently pressed the blade still embedded in her stomach or the arrow in her shoulder. Each action weakened her will, allowing Andries to continue.

Her eyes began to roll back and she shook violently. Suddenly, her head exploded, showering the four mutants with blood, brain matter and bone fragments. The information drain had been too aggressive for her to handle.

Andries learned the reason for the attack, Vilgefortz had sent them. He discovered that Vilgefortz worked for Nilfgaard and they wanted to ensure the leader of the mutant army was dead. Andries laughed at the realization that people feared him over a lie.

He also learned that the Nilfgaard supporters had been arrested but were released by Tissaia, who wanted to maintain the neutrality of the place. This was a grave mistake, as the Nilfgaard supporters had started attacking everyone. It turned out they were preparing for an assault all along. What puzzled Andries was why he wasn't called at the start.

Andries moved to the other sorcerers and opened their skulls, then started to eat their brains. A sorcerer's brain was different from that of mundane people, containing energy. Consuming these brains, Andries felt his psionic power increase, raising his limits.

"Protect me." Andries ordered the mutants. "Anyone who tries to attack me must die, but don't take unnecessary risks."

"Okay." Mathies said, and the others nodded in agreement.

"Thanks, buddy." Andries said, patting Mathies's hand.

Blightborn sheathed his swords and drew his bow. Wyrmblood and Mathies stood close to Andries as he moved. It didn't take long before they encountered more elves killing people.

Blightborn shot two arrows, killing two elves before they could spot the group. Mathies roared and rushed forward, slamming into an elf with bone-crushing force. He immediately punched another elf with enough force to crush her skull.

Wyrmblood stayed near Andries, hissing and growling while keeping an eye on anyone who approached. Andries cast a lightning bolt at one of the elves, the spell striking true and cooking the elf in his armor.

One of the elves dodged Mathies and ran forward, wielding two blades. Wyrmblood stepped forward and shot his long trident tail forward, piercing the elf's leg and dropping him to the ground. Wyrmblood then leapt onto the elf's back, digging his claws in and ripping out the elf's spine.

The hall fell silent for a moment, save for the crackle of residual magic and the soft thuds of bodies hitting the floor. Andries and his mutants stood ready, started to move again as if nothing happened.

The group moved cautiously towards the entrance. Soon, they encountered an area where mages were locked in fierce combat. Andries and his group paused, observing the chaos to discern who was friend or foe. Spells of air, water and earth flew through the air, tearing at each other. These weren't the most powerful mages, but the scene was chaotic nonetheless.

As the number of combatants dwindled, Andries stepped forward. The remaining three mages noticed him and two of them immediately turned to attack. One sent a lightning bolt, and the other an ice spear. Andries raised his hands, activating the runes carved into his bones. Waves of energy intercepted the incoming spells. Without hesitation, Andries cast a fire spell, launching a flaming skull towards the two attackers.

The runes in Andries' bones significantly reduced the casting time between his protection spell and his attack spell. The sorcerers were caught off guard as the flaming skull screamed toward them. One managed to conjure a shield of energy in time, but the other was not so fortunate. The skull exploded, engulfing the defenseless sorcerer in flames.

As the shielded sorcerer prepared to retaliate, the third sorcerer, who had not attacked Andries, launched an earth spike that pierced the shielded sorcerer's neck. The third sorcerer then approached Andries.

This newcomer looked to be in his thirties. His hair and eyebrows were singed, but his blue eyes stood out, the only clean part of his face.

"You, you're the child sorcerer." the man said.

"Yes." Andries replied simply.

"What is happening here? Everyone is attacking everyone. Harmful spells aren't supposed to work in this place, but they are now."

"Well, you better get ready to use all the harmful spells you know." Andries said, beginning to move.

"Wait, can I stick with you guys?" the man asked.

"If you stay in front of me, then sure." Andries said. "I really don't want to use you as a meat shield, I just don't trust you at my back."

"Sure, I get it. I'm Albert, by the way." the man said.

"I'm Andries." Andries replied, and they started to move.

Albert took the lead, with Wyrmblood close to Andries, Blightborn covering the rear and Mathies at the front. They entered the courtyard, which was almost littered with the corpses of Scoia'tael and mages alike.

A group of seven Nilfgaardian mages spotted Andries and immediately began casting spells towards him. Albert quickly cast a protective barrier around the group.

Blightborn seized the opportunity to shoot an arrow, piercing a mage's neck. Mathies leaped towards the mage group, prompting two of the mages to aim their spells at him.

Andries cast a lightning bolt but split it into two before releasing it. The two weaker bolts struck the mages targeting Mathies, injuring them severely but not killing them. Mathies landed on their heads, finishing them off.

Mathies continued his assault, punching two more mages and causing severe damage to their skulls. The last two mages tried to retreat, but Albert sent rock spikes at them. Though they managed to block the attack, Andries followed up with an earth spike of his own, impaling one of the mages. Blightborn finished off the last one with an arrow to the eye.

Suddenly, Andries felt a massive shift in energy, one that Andries had never felt before. The group rushed towards the source and saw Vilgefortz walking towards a tower. On the ground near the tower, Andries saw Geralt, badly injured. The red-haired woman, Triss, emerged from hiding and weakly tried to pull Geralt away from the tower.

"That guy looks almost dead." Andries said, glancing at the fallen witcher. "But he is a witcher, he is probably going to be fine."

"Was that the witcher?" Albert asked, eyes wide with shock.

"Yes, his name was Geralt." Andries answered.

"Why would Vilgefortz try to kill him?" Albert pressed.

"Because Vilgefortz is the leader of the Nilfgaardian supporters." Andries explained.

"What?! But Vilgefortz fought against Nilfgaard." Albert said, confusion coloring his voice.

"So did the rest of Nilfgaard's supporters." Andries replied. "I have no clue why these idiots thought trusting Nilfgaard was a good idea. I wouldn't trust any king, especially not the one that brainwashes mages and treats them like slaves."

Albert opened his mouth to say more but stopped when they saw an enraged Vilgefortz descending the steps, a large metal staff clutched in his hand.

"It was her, wasn't it?" Andries shouted. "The girl, Ciri. That shift of power was her. You scared her when you hurt Geralt and she teleported away without even knowing she could do it. Of course it was her, why would a Nilfgaardian bitch be here other than her."

Vilgefortz tried to muster a smug smile but was too consumed by anger.

"This is not a good time to make me angry." Vilgefortz warned.

"I think this is the perfect time." Andries shot back. "You are a fucking idiot. I admit, her ability to teleport was a surprise even to me, but what isn't a surprise is what will happen to you. Nilfgaard isn't ready for a war. What you did will weaken the northern kingdoms for sure, but you will be hunted by both Nilfgaard and the north as a traitor and an idiot who almost started a war."

"My plans are more complicated than that, you idiot child." Vilgefortz spat.

"I am an idiot?" Andries laughed. "I still have the support of all mutants who want a place in the world. I am also still a hero. You, on the other hand, are now hunted by everyone."

"Do you think I care about these petty kings?!" Vilgefortz shouted angrily. "That girl, Ciri, is the child of elder blood. She is far more important than any of these weak kings. With her, I will…"

Andries didn't let him finish. He wanted Vilgefortz to get angry and start talking. Anger weakened anyone's mental resolve, and talking was asking to be attacked.

Andries sent a powerful bolt of lightning at Vilgefortz. The bolt hit its mark but didn't do much damage, somehow, Vilgefortz had strengthened his body.

Mathies roared and charged forward as Vilgefortz was getting back to his feet. Mathies reached him and tried to punch, but to Andries's surprise, Vilgefortz brought his staff up and blocked the punch. He was incredibly fast and strong enough to stop Mathies. Mathies unleashed a flurry of punches at Vilgefortz, moving with superhuman speed, but Vilgefortz deflected them all.

Blightborn seized the opportunity and shot two arrows at Vilgefortz. Engrossed in defending against Mathies, Vilgefortz managed to deflect only one, the other pierced his shoulder.

Vilgefortz decided to cut off the head of the snake. He dodged Mathies's attacks and rushed behind him, heading straight for Andries.

Albert stepped in front and sent an earth spike at Vilgefortz. Vilgefortz shattered the earth spike with a quick shield spell, reached Albert and with a powerful swing, broke his neck. When he turned to rush at Andries, he was surprised to find Andries and Wyrmblood gone.

Blightborn shot two arrows at Vilgefortz, who deftly deflected them. This brief distraction allowed a flaming skull to slam down on Vilgefortz's head from above. Though the flames licked at his skin, clothes, and hair, they only caused minor burns.

High above, Wyrmblood had tightly gripped Andries, flying steadily. Their weeks of training had paid off as Wyrmblood could now stay airborne with Andries.

Vilgefortz barely had time to recover before Mathies leapt onto his head, slamming him to the ground. Sensing Vilgefortz's continued vitality, Mathies began to rapidly pummel his fists into Vilgefortz's skull, breaking a few bones. In response, Vilgefortz gathered his energy and released it in a powerful blast, sending Mathies flying. Vilgefortz got back to his feet, only to be shot twice in the stomach with arrows and then struck by a lightning bolt.

Furious, Vilgefortz attempted a powerful fire spell, sending a storm of flames skyward toward Andries. Andries extended his hands, unleashing the energy stored in all of the runes carved on his bones. The flames clashed with the energy, ultimately nullifying each other.

Vilgefortz believed he had neutralized Andries and rushed toward Blightborn. As he reached Blightborn, a lightning bolt struck him, not causing much damage but buying Blightborn enough time to draw one of his swords and stab Vilgefortz in the stomach. Blightborn then delivered an uppercut under Vilgefortz's chin with the strength of a troll, lifting him off his feet and sending him sprawling backward.

As Vilgefortz landed and opened his eyes, he saw another flaming skull flying toward him. Andries laughed as the skull struck Vilgefortz in the face, burning most of his skin and one eye.

Vilgefortz slammed his staff into the ground and rose just in time for Mathies to land where his head was. Mathies immediately deliver another punch to his face, sending him to the ground once more. He managed to get back up and engaged in close combat with Mathies.

Sensing Vilgefortz's rage and pain, Andries launched a telepathic attack while allowing the runes on his bones to recharge. Vilgefortz's will was formidable, like an iron wall, but the relentless assault had created cracks, enabling Andries to penetrate his defenses with a mental shout.

"Fight back, you pathetic insect." Andries shouted in Vilgefortz's mind.

Enraged, Vilgefortz channeled his energy and shot a powerful lightning bolt into Mathies's stomach. Mathies felt the searing pain, but his regenerative abilities would heal the damage in time, leaving him mostly angered.

Vilgefortz, now too battered to cast complex spells, resorted to weaker attacks. Though still more potent than most, they were insufficient against his relentless opponents.

As the group fought Vilgefortz, the remaining mages rushed outside to witness the self-proclaimed leader of the mutant army and his three mutants battling Vilgefortz, now known as a traitor. They watched as the strongest mage they knew was beaten by brute force and well-placed spells. Though they wanted to help, the mages decided against joining the fight after witnessing the massive firestorm dispelled by Andries, fearing the potential harm.

Vilgefortz clashed with Mathies, deflecting Blightborn's arrows. He managed to land a hit behind Mathies's knee, bringing him down. Dropping his staff, Vilgefortz grabbed Mathies's head with both hands and started covering it with flames. Mathies, resistant to fire due to his mutations like enhanced resilience, stone skin and regeneration. He retaliated by grabbing Vilgefortz's head and applying pressure. The flames grew hotter, slowly burning Mathies's face, but Vilgefortz's skull was in worse shape. Panicking, Vilgefortz stopped the spell and started to weakly punched Mathies.

In Vilgefortz's final moments, Andries sent another mental attack, shouting, "You are dying," in his mind just to mock him. Vilgefortz finally gave up and Mathies's hands met with a sickening crunch, completely crushing Vilgefortz's head.

With Vilgefortz dead, Andries ordered Wyrmblood to land near the body. Andries rushed to the corpse, using telekinesis to pull the brain matter toward his mouth. The brain matter and blood levitated, forming a whirlpool as they entered his mouth.

As he consumed the brain, Andries felt an unprecedented surge of power. Vilgefortz was the most powerful mage he had ever consumed, expanding Andries's mental abilities to a point that felt almost cured, yet the limit remained.

Suddenly, Andries was overwhelmed by a rush of memories, not from Vilgefortz but from a group of victims. Vilgefortz had forcefully impregnated girls with power in their blood and experimented on their children, draining power from some of them. Andries felt the familiar pain of those children, reminding him of his own past in the lab. Before he was fully conscious, he had felt the pain of other test subjects, he himself didn't understand pain but understood that pain was something the others didn't want. He had tried to alleviate their pain using his mental powers, in doing so, he created his own psionic limit, leading to self-loathing and apathy towards others suffering.

Returning to reality, Andries saw his three mutants gathered around him. Touching his face, he realized blood had come from his eyes.

"Don't worry, I'm fine." Andries said, pushing away the feelings.

"Go, sleep?" Mathies asked, his voice filled with concern.

"No, don't worry buddy." Andries replied, patting his friend's shoulder. "It was just a little pain. We still have a lot to do. I want the remaining elves that attacked to be in my lab."

Mathies nodded, still concerned but trusting Andries. They walked over to Vilgefortz's staff. The weapon was crafted from fine metal, with well-made leather wrapped around its middle. Holding it, Andries felt the potential for channeling magic and recognized its value as both a melee weapon and a catalyst for his spell. He slung the staff over his shoulder and the group made their way back to the academy.

As they walked, the mages cleared a path for them, recognizing the strength of Andries's group. They regarded Andries as one of the greatest mages, unaware of his trickery rather thinking it was raw power that counter Vilgefortz's firestorm.

Back at the academy, the protective spells had vanished, allowing Andries to locate a storage area filled with powerful crystals and a megascope. He selected a few crystals, taking only what he needed, including one connected to Ether and one to negative energy. The latter was the only negative energy crystal in the storage area.

Andries used the megascope to teleport the near-dead people to his lab, stopping once he had gathered enough. He then returned the megascope to the storage area, keeping the two chosen crystals with him.

As they were leaving, they encountered Tissaia, pacing angrily. Andries approached her with a smile.

"Hi, Tissaia. Good to see you are all right." Andries said.

"Andries! Thank the gods you are all right." Tissaia exclaimed. "What happened? I heard you killed Vilgefortz, is that true?"

"It is, I killed the guy." Andries confirmed.

"How did you manage that?" Tissaia asked, incredulous. "Even I feared meeting him in battle, but you managed to kill him. How is that possible?"

"Brute force and well-timed attacks." Andries explained. He recounted the events of the battle, omitting the memories from the lab. Tissaia was both proud of Andries and horrified at how Vilgefortz had gained his powers.

"I can't believe this." Tissaia said, shaking her head. "Please keep that information to yourself. We don't want more sorcerers getting ideas about gaining power the same way."

"Don't worry, my lips are sealed." Andries assured her.

"And please don't try that yourself." Tissaia implored.

"I would never do that." Andries replied. "I might be evil, but even I have lines I won't cross. People like Vilgefortz make people like me look pretty nice in comparison. Besides, I have easier ways to make myself stronger."

"Good, thank you." Tissaia said, visibly relieved.

"By the way, can I borrow those two?" Andries asked, pointing at the crystals Mathies was holding. "I promise to return them as soon as I can, but I need them for something."

"You can keep them, you deserve them." Tissaia said. "Truth be told, I don't think this place will ever be the same. The school might be disbanded after this."

"What? Why?!" Andries exclaimed. "If you're afraid of political backlash, then screw them. You're more powerful. If it's about the spells that are gone, I will help fix the place. You have the materials, and I have the knowledge. Together, we will make Aretuza better than it was."

"I don't know." Tissaia said with a weak smile. "The northern supporters violated the truce and I had to act. In doing so, I caused more problems."

"So what?" Andries said. "They were dickheads and you had to act. Instead of giving up, come back stronger and show them not to mess with you again."

Tissaia stood straight when she heard Andries, a smile breaking through her stern demeanor. She reached out and ruffled Andries's hair affectionately.

"You're right." Tissaia said. "I have to overcome this. I will make this place better than it was. I accept your help, but you will enter the academy with me and avoid the girls, they don't need distractions."

"Yes ma'am." Andries replied. "Now, when do you want the crystals back? I promise I can finish working with them as soon as I can."

"I want the Ether crystal back in two weeks." Tissaia said. "The other one... no one is going to ever use that except for you. You can keep it."

"Thank you, Tissaia." Andries said gratefully.

"Thank you, Tissaia." Mathies echoed.

"You should leave." Tissaia instructed. "After the events of tonight, people will seek you out, but I want you to avoid meeting them. As a future king, people have to get used to needing time to meet you."

"You believe I can become a king?" Andries asked, surprised.

"After what you did to Vilgefortz, people wouldn't doubt it." Tissaia said. "That means you can expect people trying to seek you out, to gain favors, and to kill you. So be careful."

"I will." Andries promised.

"Now go get some rest." Tissaia urged.

"Okay, goodbye Tissaia." Andries said, starting to leave.

Andries and his group returned to the mansion on foot. Soldiers of the Northern armies were stationed outside the island, having heard some information about the night's events. They opened the way for Andries and the mutants to pass.

Once home, Andries first checked on Felix. He had used the connection to his toe to contact the golems and feed Felix, so he was fine. Then, Andries headed to the lab where he began working on the wounded people. Two had already died, and the rest were in bad shape. Andries stabilized them and used the crystals to turn them into half-undead creatures. Out of the fifteen elves, only seven survived the process, and out of the ten sorcerers, only one survived.

Andries no longer had a problem with limitations in his psionic or magical abilities. His psionic limit had expanded immensely and after working on around twelve people, he felt the pain which he fixed by consuming the brain of a dead person. As for magic, he used the crystals to aid him.

The process wasn't finished yet, but the eight survivors were now stable enough not to die, but dead enough that they only thought about Andries. He left them for now, planning to finish the job later.

Andries used the Ether crystal for mind effects and the necromantic crystal for the necromantic runes. When he was done, he stored his things and went to sleep.

The next two weeks passed in a blur. Word of what happened had spread like wildfire. In one night, mutants became more loved by people, and mages lost some fame but were still respected.

Envoys of nobles and kings came to Andries's mansion, but each time, Tissaia sent them back. She always told them that Andries was busy rebuilding the damage done to Aretuza.

During those days, Andries went to Aretuza and worked with Tissaia on his devices. With her help, they created a golem-like mind that would accept orders and remember them. This golem mind was connected to multiple devices that were designed to protect the academy, create illusions, and spy on people.

Connecting the golem mind to magical sources made it significantly smarter, which both fascinated and scared Andries and Tissaia. By the end of the first week, they had managed to get the school back to full function.

Andries worked tirelessly at the academy from morning until noon, dedicating the rest of his day and night to his lab. He ensured he got six hours of sleep each night to maintain his sharpness and focus.

The half-undead were now ready, with the most fascinating among them being a mage-turned-undead, whom Andries named Umbra. Unlike the others, Umbra retained some intelligence and could speak single words like "yes" or "understood." Umbra also possessed interesting abilities linked to his magical mind.

Umbra's abilities included telekinesis, pyrokinesis, and a touch of aerokinesis, functioning more like psionics than traditional magic. He could connect to the minds of other half-undead and relay Andries's orders. Although not exceptionally smart, Umbra was capable enough to execute commands precisely. Andries carved runes into Umbra's mind, facilitating easy communication.

Using ingredients to weaken the mutagen from trolls and wyverns, Andries administered a diluted version to the new half-undead. This process enhanced their physical capabilities without making them as strong as Blightborn or Wyrmblood. For Umbra, Andries used chort mutagen, carefully managing the transformation with spells and potions. Despite coming close to death, Umbra emerged stronger, faster, and with improved healing abilities. His eyes glowed green when he used his psionic powers and now had a better connection to those psionic powers. As for the eight, elves, one died when mutating, leaving only seven left.

In that week, Andries got a few visits from Lyetta. She was alive and fine. She wanted to help Andries with the devices but Tissaia didn't allow it, saying that Andries should not give his knowledge to anyone.

By the second week, the academy had returned to normal operations. Andries took this opportunity to purchase blank masks for his seven new mutants and a mask of a screaming ghost for Umbra. They then offered their services to the city, as instructed by Tissaia. With the formidable mutants aiding the city watch, order was restored swiftly.

Tissaia also hired an instructor for Andries after they completed the academy repairs. The instructor was highly skilled and imparted valuable knowledge to Andries over the course of the week.

As word of Andries's mutants spread, many mutants and self-proclaimed mutants began arriving in the city. Eager to be accepted, they joined the city watch or offered their services to help around the city. The populace gradually grew more accepting of mutants, recognizing their value as citizens. Those mutants who committed crimes faced harsh punishment from a group calling themselves the Council of Mutants, who administered brutal justice by skinning the offenders alive.

The Council of Mutants sought multiple meetings with Andries, but Tissaia consistently denied these requests, wanting to ensure everything was in order first. She maintained contact with the council, overseeing the integration and acceptance of mutants within the city.

On the start of the third week, Tissaia visited Andries early in the morning. Much to her annoyance, Andries answered the door himself as soon as he learned it was her.

"Good morning, Tissaia," Andries greeted her with a smile.

"Good morning, Andries," Tissaia replied, her tone a mix of impatience and concern. "I hope everything is in order because we are going to meet the Council of Mutants today. You better be ready for your new subjects."

Andries straightened up, the weight of the upcoming meeting settling on him. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

Tissaia nodded, her expression softening slightly. "Good. The Council has been eager to meet you. They see you as a potential leader, and it's important to establish your authority and vision from the outset."

Andries took a deep breath, gathering his thoughts. "I understand. I'll make sure to present myself accordingly."

"Remember." Tissaia continued, "they are looking for someone who can lead with strength and wisdom. Show them that you are capable of both."

Andries nodded, a determined look in his eyes. "I won't let you down, Tissaia."

Together, they made their way to the meeting place.