Arcane Advent: The Mage, The Girl, & The Ruined City
By R.Kain
********
Copyright © 2012 R.Kain
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
The characters and events portrayed in the book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons—living or dead—is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
Warning: This ebook contains content that is considered unsuitable for those under the age of 16, due to graphic violence and adult language that may offend some readers.
Table Of Contents
Preface
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Epilogue
Endnote
In even the darkest of times, light exists eternally.
Even though it may flicker and waver, it will never burn out.
Entrust to me your grudge and sorrow.
And I swear, under the crimson moon, for a better tomorrow.
Prologue
So it came to this, the lone man thought to himself, standing among the remains of the asphalt jungle. With the wind on his back—a feat that took much more effort than most people could imagine—he looked up at the cracked dome and crimson moon that covered the sky.
The wind’s howl sounded like a cry from the city, mourning the loss of its citizens. The scent that rode on the air was foul, originating from the blood scattered all over the city. If the smell could reach beyond the translucent barrier that surrounded it, a great number of people would vomit in disgust.
A sigh escaped his lips. The ruined city truly looked as though Mother Nature had unleashed its wrath upon it—and if that were the case, it probably would’ve been more acceptable. But sadly, a catastrophe such as this was beyond nature. Only a creature with ambition or cruelty would unleash hell onto the unsuspecting populace.
In the end, the number of people still alive underneath the crimson moon could be counted on one hand.
Moving along the empty road, the lone man lamented the fact that his city had been violated and destroyed. His reverie only lasted a moment, until a howl resounded throughout the air. There was no more time for regrets after that—the enemy had come.
A black blur tore across the landscape and rushed forward at an inhuman speed. Navigating through the rough and debris-laden terrain, it prepared to lunge itself at the cloaked man. Low snarls crept from it’s throat.
The man’s body shifted his body into a fighting stance. A black Japanese sword was drawn with the right hand, with cracks and chips decorating the steel. His left forearm was held defensively, at a right angle.
The blurred silhouette closed the gap and bared fangs at the man’s throat, intent to tear it out.
Magical energy surged from deep within himself and gathered into the fingerless gloves he wore. They became shrouded in a faint layer of wispy vapor.
“Algis!” He yelled, and light gathered onto his left forearm. It shimmered and took the form of a transparent shield of glass. At roughly a meter in diameter, the defensive spell stood strong with the Algiz rune engraved on the center.
The hostile creature slammed into the shield and was rebuked. Steel flashed in horizontal crescent, and the creature was left in two sections that scattered into dust. Nothing larger than a grain remained when the wind blew.
Yet, the man didn’t drop his glass shield. His grip on the sword tightened, and his leg slid back ever so slightly. The threat hadn’t passed.
Five similar presences were prowling around him. Menacing rumblings echoed in chorus. They stepped lightly on the broken asphalt—the wolves.
With a shoulder height and length of over a meter, they possessed jet black fur that was spattered in scarlet. Crimson eyes matched blood-dyed fangs, leftovers from their unfortunate prey. These were not natural creatures—or even modified ones—but artificial imitations.
These creatures were a false breed of familiars, servants of the one that created them. That person used magick, the act of change through the use of a natural, ambient energy given off by the planet called mana or the refined magical energy. In other words, the enemy was a mage.
The source of the destruction that befell the city was the mage opposing the cloaked man. Who he was, where he came from, and what he wanted—all of it was a mystery. The only thing that mattered was that he was responsible for everything, so he was the enemy to kill.
The wolf pack began their attack—the first intent to tear at the man’s waist, while the second tried to claw at his back.
He spun using his front foot as the pivot point. His cloak billowed as black steel came around and severed the first wolf. The glass shield cracked as it blocked the second wolf, and he forced more magical energy into it until it overloaded and exploded outward with concussive force.
It was wedged into a jagged pipe and crumbled.
Still reeling from the mental backlash of destroying his own spell, he failed to notice as the last three wolves charged at him for a brief moment and narrowly avoided being killed. Diving into a front roll to avoid the creatures, he fought off a slight bout of dizziness and tossed a shining red stone from his pouch.
The stone, which had the Kauno rune engraved on it, landed in front of the wolves. Establishing a magical link between himself and the stone, he pulled a mental trigger. Flames ruptured the stone, and generated a swirling tower of flames that consumed them.
Tired from the short encounter, he struggled between the desire to rest or the need to move forward. With the demonic energy stemming from the skyscraper hotel, he decided to press on. He could rest when he was dead.
The man’s name was Leidolf—or Leid for short. He was a mage that specialized in Runic Arts. And since he started moving, he had one goal left to complete: Make the one responsible for all of this pay.
Chapter 1: The First Hour
July 21st—a quarter until noon.
It was on this sunny Friday that the twenty-one year old college student’s battle began, and his life changed once again since he moved to the city three years ago. His major was in programming, which he hoped to focus on programming videogames—it goes without saying that plan was shot to hell. He was the standard loner archetype and hated crowds.
Leidolf had completely separated from his family after a certain incident, and he saw no reason to build short friendships with anyone in his curriculum. There was one particular classmate, who was very persistent in trying to befriend him. She moved about eight months ago and he didn’t really know what happened to her.
However, no matter how separated from others he was, Leidolf would have never wished for what was about to come.
The usual birds outside the window of his two-story home were chirping rather loudly that day, and after pulling an all-nighter he was exhausted. With classes on hold for a few days, he burned himself out on trivial things without considering the ramifications. Leidolf silently considered blasting the birds, but he wouldn’t be able to stand himself if he did.
When the chirping suddenly stopped and the sound of flapping of wings made it clear the birds decided to leave quickly, it should have been the first clue. In his half-sleep state he didn’t consider why the birds, which tormented him daily, flew away terrifie
d. It was only seconds later that an abnormal pressure began to fill the atmosphere.
For Leidolf, whose body had been tempered to handle magick, it felt as though insects were crawling around on his skin. Minutes later, and the crawling turned into a sinking sensation that left him drowning in darkness. Gasping for air, he awoke with a tight feeling pounding his chest.
He wasn’t the only one under the pressure, as the sound of crashing vehicles and screams of terror came from all around the city.
Something powerful is coming, he thought. Magical energy from his reserves flowed through channels inside his body to counteract the pressure being exerted on him. But a stream couldn’t stand against a sea.
As soon as the clock struck Noon, the atmosphere became too heavy for him to maintain his consciousness, and he lost all awareness barring the overwhelming negativity that surged out into the world—which turned blood red. With his final dredge of willpower, he recited a pledge: “My castle stands strong against all outside forces. Let nothing enter against my wishes.”
Light ran across the walls of the building, in a circuit pattern. Runescripts etched themselves in repetitive statements, and sealed the domain in a snap. The entire house became isolated from the outside.
Leidolf could not hear the sounds of the terrified people being brutally killed, as a barrier went up around the city. The sun was replaced by a crimson moon, and fierce creatures appeared from the inside of a towering skyscraper hotel. They scattered throughout the land and air.
The earth shook when a large humanoid creature emerged from it and rampaged. Tornadoes sprang up out of nowhere, tearing through the buildings and carrying anything not nailed down, with a large silhouette inside the main twister. Flames erupted and swallowed structures and people alike, chasing them down with zeal.
The blood of the innocent spilled across the city, and their souls were consumed by the creatures that killed them. The key figure behind this robbed them of the right to pass into the afterlife. It was a merciless hell, which the countless souls could only pray for a savior.
******
Leidolf wobbled onto his feet after forty-five minutes had passed, and he looked out the window to see the destruction that had befallen the city. Unable to accept the devastation, he shook his head and left his room. Dread filled his heart as he rushed down the stairs and opened the door, which had a bloody handprint on it.
Some poor soul had tried to get help and was killed while he was unconscious.
Leidolf’s pangs of guilt vanished when he sensed something prowling the area. Closing the door, he knew he had two options: Stay safe within the wards on his house or search for answers and survivors.
He wasn’t a hero. He had no delusions about saving others while putting himself at risk. Self-preservation was every creature’s primary concern.
But sitting around here won’t answer any questions, Leidolf told himself quietly.
Opening his living room closet, he pulled open a false wall he built—with the help of internet instructions. Inside were his armaments: Fingerless black gloves, a pouch containing several well-polished stones with runes on them, a bracelet, a sword, and a cloak.
The gloves were Taufrs—talismans that were used as a focus for his spells. They were primarily for Gandr, which were external projection spells, and were thusly called Projection gloves. They had two separate spells sealed in them, one-offs that could be used in a pinch.
His cloak was midnight black, with a cowl attached. It was more than just a fashion statement. On the inside lining of the cloak were several runescripts for protection—heat, cold, physical impacts, and magical attacks to say the least.
The black sword was a katana—a Japanese sword with a curved blade. He had often practiced with a bokken, the wooden variant, so he was comfortable with using it. The blade had two Tyr runes engraved on it.
The stones were called runestones. Each held a magical charge and link with Leidolf, since he used his blood to consecrate them for over nine months. There were more, but due to circumstance—such as an incident involving a classmate and an old building fire that no one could pin on him—he had less than a dozen left.
The bracelet was another taufr that had the Uruz rune engrave on it. It gave him enhanced strength, healing, and speed, simply by forcing his body to its limit and beyond. Not that it wasn’t risky, to say the least.
Armed and ready to go, he abandoned the safety of his home and ventured forward to unravel the mystery of the crimson moon hanging in the sky.
Chapter 2: The Second Hour
Walking towards the middle of the city, Leidolf noticed the newly made cracks—more like fissures that uprooted the asphalt and made it uneven. Blood was splattered and splashed across the landscape, and buildings had fallen onto the road as rubble that littered the ground. All together it painted a nightmarish scene.
While Leidolf thought about what created all of this destruction, a screech came from above and drew his attention. A flock of black ravens were hovering over the area—
“Wait, ravens don’t have fangs, blood-shot eyes, and patches of red staining their feathers.” He put together. “Familiars?”
Once they noticed him, they began converging towards Leidolf with lethal intent. The creatures radiated magical energy, and he knew they were a threat. His right hand formed a two-finger gun, while his left eye closed so he could aim with the right
“The will of flames, the mark of strength, my words awaken the mystery that sleeps within you.” He recited a Galdr—a chant—to activate the gloves after leaving them unused for so long. Runes flashed on the gloves proudly, responding to the words that represented Leidolf’s truth. “Awaken!”
The Kauno rune appeared on the back of his gloves. Magical energy was siphoned into the rune and a spark appeared at the end of his extended fingers, which formed the barrel of the gun. The bullet of flames spiraled and Leidolf pulled the trigger in his head. “Cen!”
Leidolf’s hand bucked as the shot took flight. He fired a second, third, and fourth shot. Each shot struck the birds, scattering black feathers that escaped immolation onto the ground. His constant practice ensured that the outcome was acceptable.
He picked up one of the feathers and sensed the concentration of energy that composed it. However, the bonds that formed the feather broke apart nearly instantly. It dissolved into a black, sand-like powder.
Were these the creatures that I sensed earlier? The runic mage wondered, before scanning the broken buildings. There were scorch marks on a few of them, and claw marks on others. No, they aren’t the only things wandering around.
After scouring the rubble as thoroughly as he could for survivors, he didn’t find any bodies—at least, not any whole bodies. There were the occasional appendages, but nothing bigger than a finger or ear. He decided to investigate the dome surrounding the city.
Activating the bracelet, his legs became swift and he took off running at a faster pace than the average human. Leaping up from the ground, he used any high surface he could to reach the edge of the city, eventually landing on a fallen rooftop. Facing him was a transparent barrier, like an unwavering wall.
Leidolf tested its durability by shooting it with his Cen spell numerous times. The barrier didn’t block the shots; it absorbed them, like stones hitting water and creating ripples. He couldn’t break it with brute force…or at least he didn’t want to risk it yet.
This is something bigger than what a normal mage could do. It’s probably being fed from a furnace, like a battery. If that’s the case, then the most effective way to break it would be to destroy the source, he figured, but he still needed to figure out how to accomplish it. It felt as though something was covering the magical furnace from his senses.
This barrier has an isolation function as well. It shifted the awareness of anyone within several miles, to make them think the city didn’t exist. That was the only way all of this could have happened, but what kind of spell had enough power to block an en
tire city?
Before Leidolf could put any further thought into it, he heard growls coming from around him. Creeping softly over the rough landscape, the wolves had arrived. Jet black fur covered in blood made it clear they were hostile.
Reaching back for the hilt of his sword, he drew his blade and pointed it towards them. When a piece of debris fell off the building from the additional weight, both parties began their assault. The wolves charged forward, outnumbering Leidolf four-to-one, they intended to use their superior numbers to make him weak enough to finish off.
Leidolf charged forward as well. He was well adverse to how a wolf behaved during a hunt, being an admirer of wolves himself. With the blade in his right hand, he focused on his left forearm and began the next spell. “Power that lies rooted in the underworld, become my shield. Algis!”
Light swirled in dozens of tinted, sparkling streamers and formed a shimmering glass shield that had the Algiz rune engraved on it. Placing the shield in front to intercept the incoming claws, he met the wolves head on.
The blade descended diagonally, intent to kill one of them and block the rest with shield. The wolves split into two groups to escape the attack. Rotating by using his front foot as a pivot, he fired the Cen spell at one pair of wolves, incinerating one of them while the other dodged.
His back was exposed and the others jumped towards it. Going into a back-somersault, he avoided the pair and swung the sword in mid-air. One received the full force of the blow and was destroyed.
Leidolf fell back and assessed the situation. He killed half of them in mere seconds, but the other two seemed to pick up on the fact that he wasn’t going to go down as easily as the others they’d eaten. The hunters now faced a challenge of epic proportions. In other words, the most prized prey.
Their tongues hung down at the thought of such a meal in comparison to everything else so far. With the increase in bloodlust, Leidolf abandoned the notion of hesitance and charged. Boosting his speed, he left a flaming foot print as he himself became a blur and sliced through the pair with haste.
With the immediate threat taken care of, he fell to his knees. The burst of speed had drunk deeply from his energy reserves due to overshooting the spell power. He needed time to recover some strength.