Devlin was riding behind Lucian as they followed the telltale traces of mana deeper into the forest. Due to the natural interference of the forest, the traces were more obvious. Not to mention eerie green light was hard to miss.
Lucian and Devlin had almost stopped to watch as another spell circle covered the sky, but as reluctant as Devlin had been, they continued to follow the mana to its source.
When they stopped, they found three mages protecting a cloaked man sitting on a stone platform. The man wasn't alone on the platform, a dozen dead bodies drained of blood looked up lifelessly, eyes wide as they stared at the sky with eternal grievances. The overflowing blood filling carved inscriptions on the platform. Devlin only swept his eyes around once, no doubt the sacrificial platform was how they had activated the spell.
The sight was horrific, sending chills down Devlin's spine as he finally looked at the cloaked figure, his eyes glowing green. The man was unbothered by the blood soaking his clothes, grinning maliciously at them.
Lucian stared, uncomprehending for just a moment as he realized where he knew the man from.
... Jaxon's uncle, who they had believed to have been killed during the purge three years ago, was in the middle of the platform with a faltering eerie green spell circle showing through the blood.
Lucian didn't hesitate to draw his sword and decapitate the first of the three mages. Devlin also fired two bolts of lightning at the other two without a word. Stopping the spell was first, he could get answers later.
When Lucian tried to cut Winston Darning down the faltering circle reflected his sword. Devlin followed up by blasting the barrier with lightning to no avail. The eerie green shield hadn't even faltered, blood still dripping down the platform.
Devlin really didn't want to hear this bastard's voice, but he needed a to find a way to break the barrier. If only his spells weren't less than a third of their usual power, he could just flip the platform over and see if that disturbed the spell.
"Tell us how to stop the dragon, and you might live to see dawn traitor." Devlin sneered using his mana sight to trace the edges of the spell. Blasted half dead corpse had created an egg shape shield that extended at least twenty feet down. It would take more than three fourth tier crystals to prepare an earth manipulation spell strong enough to lift the platform.
Devlin also couldn't keep his gaze from shifting to the bodies, even dead, the mana in their blood was being syphoned for the barrier... they had to have all been very promising mage candidates. Devlin shifted his gaze to glare at Winston, the bastard sneered, cackling with delight.
Winston smirked even as blood dripped down his lips and nose, "I might not live to see dawn, but unless the dragon dies you can't touch me." Winston taunted staring at Lucian with bloodshot eyes as he sat in the circle. Yes he was dying, the spell taking the lifeblood of the twelve, and his own soul as sacrifice. Better to die saving the empire, rather than act like these petulant children who didn't even know what was going on.
Yes, today he would die, but the empire would endure for at least another twenty years. That would be more than enough time to find a solution. Winston turned a sneer on Lucian, "You ignorant child, killing your kin, massacring heroes, pray they forgive your sins! We will be watching!" Winston roared as he coughed up more blood, so long as Serafin died, there was hope.
"You should be dead, what is the meaning of this?" Lucian demanded gripping his sword as he stood over the gaunt form that looked less alive than the corpses surrounding him. His bloodshot eyes were nearly popping out of his head. Long gone was the robust man who took delight in slapping him and Jaxon as children. Winston had lost so much weight even his teeth could be seen through his cheeks as he wheezed.
"Haha, someone has to save the empire, if you and those abominations can't, I will. I only pity sister-in-law, wasting her life raising those ungrateful beasts, turning on their kin, choosing you. May they live to regret it." Winston mocked as more blood dribbled down his chin. He might not be able to kill Lucian and offer up his heart, but they couldn't stop the land dragon. Even if he died, the dragon would just be free of his command to wreak havoc until there was enough... then she would rise up, as the savior the empire needed.
Devlin glared down at Winston, "I think you should regret more, you won't last another half hour." Devlin started to turn to Lucian, they would have to help Ashton delay the land dragon... maybe the black clad figures could trap it or knock it out.
So long as they could buy time, they could find a solution and then organize a party to kill it here in the forest. If it made its way to the capital... there was no telling how much damage it would do before they killed it.
Lucian gripped his sword, staring down at one of the tormentors that had given him the resolve to kill them all. Winston may not have been the worst, but he took great delight in locking them in the duchy's underground prison and leaving them there for days... Lucian would see this man dead, this time he would personally separate Winston's head from his body.
Suddenly they heard the piercing, yet beautiful cry. As if the gods themselves demanded attention, all of them looked up. A bird of flame shot down, and a moment later a charred hole appeared in Winston's chest, right beside his still beating heart.
Winston stared down at his chest, blood oozing from his mouth... how... had the land dragon been killed? So easily? How? It was too soon... Serafin was still alive... his lady... the true light bringer... how could he fail her?
Winston felt like time was passing in slow motion as he collapsed, he could still think, so the dragon wasn't dead. Not yet, but the spell. He had to hold on, his lady would find a way. She had saved them, told them the truth... without them, without him completing his mission the empire could not endure... My lady... I won't fail... I can't fail, not here.
Winston watched as the spell circle truly binding him to the dragon shattered... no... it had already been broken... when? How had he not known? The burning in his chest felt as if someone had stuck a banding iron in his chest, but he had to focus. Winston followed his spell, the dragon was still alive!
"For you..." my lady... Winston used the last of his will to send one last command to the earth dragon, kill Serafin. Through the dragon's eyes he could see the group, he could d-
Lucian leapt forward and with a swing of his blade, Winston's head was sent flying. The body hadn't even had time to fully fall among the corpses. Just as Lucian intended to ensure the bastard was dead, his body jerked. Blood gushing out of the neck was normal... but this was not.
The body had already been skeletal, but now... the skin was drying out, turning brown, and green gems flowed out of the body... greedily absorbing the blood on the platform.
"Don't move Majesty! As soon as the crystals come into contact with anything alive they've enter the body! If we leave it, they'll absorb the mana in the blood then go dormant." Devlin roared as Lucian started to step forward. A gem reacted flying toward Lucian. Devlin cast a fireball, sending it back into the pool of blood.
Lucian grimaced as the fireball was absorbed, but the gem had been pushed back. "That's not a Smyrnaean gem..." Lucian stated as they watched all the blood dry up rapidly, in just a few heartbeats all the bodies were little more than mummies.
The only difference was Winston was fully dressed, face down, well... on his stomach without a head. The rest of the corpses were all faced up, but their features were like dried bark, not even the eyes remained. Still, there was a... relaxing of their posture... as if they had seen Winston's death and were avenged.
Devlin was silent, the corpses... looked almost relieved? It had to be him projecting his relief onto the dead... still he glanced from where they had seen the bird, to his emperor. Devlin didn't want to see the bodies anymore... even if they were at peace.
Lucian and Devlin shared a look... Lucian flicked his blade, so the blood was removed before he put his sword away. "Could you have killed that dragon?" Lucian didn't want to waste time here, they were dead. Answers could be found without haste but answers he would have.
Devlin snorted in disbelief, "Your majesty... I would have been swatted like a fly. Was Ashton... really stabbing it in the eye?" He asked recalling the scene... stabbing a dragon... in the eye... Devlin ripped the cloak off one of the three mages who had been outside the platform and cast a simple retrieval spell so the gems floated into the makeshift sac. Best to inspect these away from the corpses.
Lucian stared as Devlin finished, then gave another snort of disbelief. The snort caused Devlin to cough... then Devlin burst into uncontrollable laughter. Lucian hesitated as Devlin sat on the bloody ground as he wheezed. While the gems had absorbed the blood on the platform... the bloody earth remained wet.
"Your majesty... I could barely carry you and fly... my attack spells were reduced to a third their usual power. The idea that Ashton had nearly a dozen mages who could simultaneously protect almost three dozen people, use fourth and fifth tier spells, and keep a teenager who was recklessly stabbing a giant nation destroying creature in the eye? Not twenty of me could do such a feat." Devlin admitted leaning back as he looked into the now cloudless sky, the sun seemed so bright today. He could not even destroy these pitiful gems in this cursed forest.
Lucian gripped his blade, "He was already covered in blood..." Which meant Ashton had repeatedly been close enough to not only draw blood, if Ashton had been hit even once... you couldn't heal the dead. Ashton had to be confident in his retainers to risk getting that close...
Devlin kept staring up, "We may have made a mistake bringing him to the capital... or it may have been the smartest decision we've ever made. Shall we go back your majesty?" This could be a turning point, if they could gain his trust... who would fuck with a country where a dozen people could take down a lord class dragon? Not to mention... if they found out who made these mana absorbers that would be one step closer to finding the rebels.
Lucian looked toward the steam rising in the distance... mayhap... he was starting to regret bringing Ashton to the capital without knowing more.