5 - Atop a Lonely Tower

            The cold air blew through Amy’s face as she sat atop a lone stone tower while the sun sets in front of her. It was an old scout tower from the days of old; now cold and abandoned after being long dated. She had her legs hanging off the ledge as she studied an old book with writings very similar to the one Desmion had.  She had spent the entire afternoon reading, she was definitely not in the mood to join the festival down below. Now that she was at the final chapters of her book, she closed it�"it would seem that she had grown tired of reading as well.

She took a peek at the setting sun and frowned. ‘Now, I’m bored... Nova is quite the slow detective isn’t she? Maybe I should give her a slight push…’, she mumbles to herself. ‘Just… a little push. Des won’t be too mad, right?’. She giggled to herself as she imagined such a scenario.

 Pretty soon, she was again lost in her thoughts and fantasies now resorting to watching the people down below for entertainment. She frowned as nothing exciting was currently happening nor did it seem like there was anything that would.

What a snooze

No robbery to watch nor any jackasses to spectate�"it was unnaturally calm for such a crowded and non-sober city. Even the merry men who had sung day and night could barely be heard. As she browsed for some event to transpire, something from the distance down below caught her attention that briefly made her smile; she felt a bit giddy but also a bit nervous.

She continued to scout for entertainment but in the end was utterly disappointed. Now both bored and tired, she looks up the sky to see there are twice as many stars tonight then recalled the sights she had just a night prior. Then, it hit her as she finally realizes what was happening. ‘I must stand corrected then: this is quite the interesting set of circumstances’

            After another minute of dillydallying a set of footsteps came from the rickety stairs below. She did not expect a visitor at this hour or any other hour in fact.

            ‘I do not accept visits this late, please come again first thing in the morrow’, she yells out to her visitors but there was no response other than the footsteps that ominously faded.

And just when I was about to leave…

            In the end, she sat against the wall; pouting with arms crossed. She had already considered climbing down the tower but a blue string of energy went through the concrete floor and tied around her ankle. She hid the book she had in a small crevice in the walls. She lazily turns towards the stairs to greet whatever rascal she might see.

            It was a woman that came: dressed in a long patched-up robe while wearing a large pointed hat. Her pale white skin contrasted with her dark garb while silver jewelry adorned every single one of her fingers. Both of them eyed each other up, but Amy was the first to break their contest; she had already seen everything that she wanted to.

            ‘You must be wondering what this is all about.’, the woman says as she approached, observing any ounce of movement that would be let out. ‘But perhaps you have foreseen this already? You are the Prophet of Angels after all’, the woman uttered.

            There was a short pause as Amy stared at the magus with a patronizing look. ‘I absolutely abhor being called that as that title is nothing more than a basket of air’, Amy was quite dissatisfied about the title, recalling every mishap it bore fruit to with a slight shiver of disgust.

            ‘What you say does not matter. Your name is quite popular among the undergrounds’, she laughs as she was even more amused as she looks much closer to the so-called prophet. She seemed as fragile as a princess atop a lonely tower yet she merely acted as a bored theatre audience.

‘I wonder what you see in your fortunes right now?’, the woman asks slyly as electricity slowly wrapped around her hands.

Amy could immediately feel a weak static rubbing against her entire body and immediately threw out a small marble at the woman but it was instantly caught and thrown outside the tower. There it gave a strong blinding flash that persisted for a couple of seconds before dissipating.

‘You are as exactly as I expected; talentless.’, the magus scuffs then with a quick hand gesture, Amy falls to the ground unconscious without even a squeal.

‘It’s the same girl Desmion told us. Handle the package with care’, she told her partner who came up as well.

The three of them soon went down the tower and through the dark alleys�"with Amy unconscious on the shoulders of another magus�"towards their hideout. As suspicious as they might seem, the female magus had a continuous arc of lightning circling her. There would be constant stares coming from back the alley peasants that lived there but there was no medal of honor for rag wearing heroes.

‘Stop right there!’, a girl half-gasping for air shouts from the far side of the alley. ‘Please drop my acquaintance to the floor and I will leave with her!’

The girl of course was Nova. She was in the streets listening to any hearsays and gossips about the upper echelon of the city when she saw a powerful flash of light come from an old stone tower. Incidentally enough, she also caught a glimpse of Amy beside a magus she had previously conversed with. Many heads turned towards the sky and the tower as well, but the whole ordeal quickly became an afterthought to crowd much to Nova’s surprise, but she had no time to pry further.

‘We’ll gladly hand her over, Marin. Just hand us three-hundred-million units and we’ll be well on our way.’, the woman responded to Nova addressing her using the fake name she had given from a previous exchange.

Nova panics internally as she realizes how reckless she is. The two are definitely suspicious of her already and there was no way in hell she could even dream of having even a tenth of the sum asked.

‘As if I had that much!’, she responds in a panic while trying to keep face before the two magi turned their heels on her. In the end, Nova came up with another plan entirely, one that was a lot more straightforward, but nonetheless also a scramble.

Looking around her surroundings for a few seconds while staring at the back at the two fleeting magi. She fires a salvo of roadside debris to her opponents then instantly rushes for cover. As soon as she did, the nearby peasants fled, not wanting to get hit in the crossfire as it was quite obvious as to what would happen next.

‘I didn’t say we’re finished yet!’, she shouts out in provocation as she shuffles through her satchel.

Her opponents of course were completely unfazed by her attacks. The only possible danger her attack posed was the few rusted nails that was caught up in her blast but even those were effortlessly defended.  The man carrying Amy mercilessly dropped her to the ground with a thud as he too prepared to fight.

 ‘I’ll take care of it. Guard the prophet.’, the woman ordered him as he replied with a dissatisfied grunt. With a sigh the magus takes out a small slip of paper from inside her robes and instantly shoots herself through the air landing on the roof of the houses; choosing to strike from above rather than to have a direct confrontation.

On the other hand, Nova had already finished the first part of her plan. Among the debris she threw out to call their attention was a couple of treant seeds. She could easily deal with the one guarding Amy as they stood where she had thrown them but with the threat of death ever looming from the rooftops she could not yet pull the trigger just yet.

‘I have to somehow stall her for a while’, Nova whispers to herself as a bolt of lightning was sent at her. She curved the stone wall beside her to block it and fired a blast of air back to try and knock the magus off but her even with her weak flight the magus was able to stay on top.

The bolts of lightning travelled at a speed she impossible to react to, but she could predict them by sensing the energy being drawn by the magus and the simple hand gestures she did. Nova also knew to keep her distance; she her opponent could shock her even through her walls if they were close enough.

The next few minutes would be nothing more than clichéd exchanges between the two. Where the magus would attack while Nova would defend. Nova had the advantage in terms of speed by a mile, she even limited herself as to not discourage her opponent from giving chase. She knew her opponent’s weaknesses and strength beforehand; the outcome of their bout was already decided.

‘How dare scum like you challenge me when all you do is run!’, the magus now growing tired of their exchange. She had heard of the Magus Marin being pronounced as a walking bestiary and was initially wary of being ambushed by any beast hidden in the slums.

With another bolt of hers’ blocked she finally decided there was no beast or chimera to worry about for it should have already appeared by now. So she takes a gamble. She drops to the ground without a hassle or trouble. Her gamble was spot on for reasons she could not have guessed, but now with a false sense of security, she prepares to end their bout at this very moment as lightning sparked out her entire body as she charged at Nova.

Unfortunately for her, she had played directly into Nova’s hand. Plant life suddenly appears at where the lightning magus stands causing her to trip. She was quick to regain her footing but it did not matter as more and more roots grew. She tries to shake everything off with an enormous blast of electricity from her body. Her defense worked for a moment but after she grew tired there was nothing else holding she could offer. It took less than a dozen seconds for her entire body to be overwhelmed. She soon became silent and the buzzing of electricity faded along with her screams.

Nova takes a deep breath and lets herself fall back to a wall. Though she wasn’t as exhausted as she was with the fight against the wyvern, this fatigue was not from physical exhaustion.

‘We made it.’ She takes a quick peek at Amy’s side and sees the other magus suffering the same fate as the one right next to her. She sees Amy still unconscious with her white dress now dirty after being dropped like a sack.

‘Please be careful next time’, Nova says as if Amy could hear her. She stares blankly at her for a few moments before finally walking towards Amy to come and fetch her. ‘I have something to talk about later, if that’s ok with you’

She casts a weak levitation spell at Amy to make it easier to carry her, but their similar heights still made it awkward. There would also be the problem of the constant stares they would get when they get out of the back alleys. They would arouse a lot of suspicion and might even be questioned, but before they could get that far, a blue string wraps around Nova’s neck taking her by surprise.

 ‘Didn’t think twice ‘bout me did ya?’, the other magus says while ripping of vines with his left hand and holding Nova with his right. He pulls the string hard causing Nova to tumble.

 There was a blue aura that wrapped around his body which soon faded. It seems to have served as a partial armor from the botanic death hold, though he was not without injury.

            The string wrapped around Nova’s neck tight. She could quickly feel her consciousness flickering; she could not muster the strength to cast even the most basic of spells. She would try and try again to cast an arcane bolt but failing every single time.

In her demise she can only watch as the magus carries Amy away from her. Her face twisted as the more she fought the impulse to rest the stronger it became. She tries to shout but there was sound nor was there anyone to hear her screams.

            Tears slowly came out as she became more desperate then it vanished�"not her consciousness but the string around neck. Blood dripped down from remnants of the strangle but now she could breath. Quite unsure of what had happened she doesn’t fail to seize the opening. She prepares a spell but before she could act there was a gargled scream. The magus instantly threw Amy off his shoulders but she was unconscious no more.

            The man fell down not too long after with a pool of blood coming from his head. There was a large rusted nail impaling through his throat with blood coming from his nose and mouth. His body still twitched and moved but he would not last long.

Nova closes her eyes as she relaxes herself to lie down. The initial shock of mortality left her cold and shaking.

            ‘We must stay here for long.’, Amy says as she sits behind her. ‘Sit up.’, Amy ordered but there was a soft apologetic tone behind it.

            Nova followed with no complaints and felt a cold ointment being applied around her neck. ‘Is that the same on you used on me before?’, the smell of a warm winter flower crept up her nose. Her quivering slowly stopped as well.

            ‘It is. I can give you more later if you’d like’, Amy responds with a weak tone. After she finishes the application Nova tries to stand up but was held down by Amy with an embrace. She gives up on moving and indulges in this strangely familiar warmth.

            ‘I’m sorry’, Amy whispers as she leans down on Nova’s shoulders.

Her sorrowful tone felt strange to Nova. She had felt as if a promise long forgotten had just been fulfilled. ‘It’s ok. Whatever it is, I forgive you’, Nova whispers back and quickly noticed Amy tightening her embrace before shortly letting go. 

Author's Note

Took a while... Hahahaha. The first arc has officially started with this chapter.