The Last Mage (Under Revision)

Chapter Five (Revised)

Sidestepping the wolf's attack, Cedric brought his sword down with all his might, slicing straight through the beast's abdomen and killing it instantly. Wiping the blood off his weapon, Cedric sheathed it and took a moment to catch his breath. It seemed that a simple task like making it to the wizard's lair was a challenge in and of itself. That was the fifth monster Hion and himself had run into, and by far the easiest to dispatch. He wanted to take a break and rest, but in the distance he could see the outline of what looked like a cave. 

 'That must be the necromancer's lair. There is no point in stopping now.' The boy thought, and made his way back to Hion. The horse was a brave steed, not running away at the sight of a wolf. Cedric kicked him into action, and they once again bolted across the valley, towards what he hoped contained some answers about his past.

 "Whoa, slow down boy, easy." Cedric said as they approached the cavern. Hion slowly but surely came to a stop, letting his  master slide off the saddle to investigate further. There wasn't much to look at from the outside. By all accounts it was a normal cave, with moss hanging down the sides of the rocky entrance, and the sound of bats squeaking from inside. However, it seemed as though someone had made their home inside, as an old wooden door had been constructed in the entryway. When Cedric tried to open it, he found that it was barred from the inside.

 'Well now, that won't do at all.' He thought to himself, before speaking a word and burning the door to ashes. 'That takes care of that. Now to see what awaits me inside.'

Commanding Hion to wait outside for him, Cedric drew his blade and cautiously made his way inside. The air became damp and murky, and the boy soon found himself breathing heavier than normal. The further he went, the darker it became, until eventually he found that he couldn't see at all. With a quick, "Oygeta hi ri," Cedric summoned a ball of light, commanding it to hover above his shoulder. He examined his surroundings as he walked, looking for any signs of danger. Rats scurried around on the floor, and as he watched them go, saw they were making their way towards the numerous corpses, animal and human alike, scattered on the ground. The sight was enough to make Cedric almost lose his lunch, but he took a deep breath and pressed on, determined to find what he came for.

 After a few minutes of walking, he came to a stop. In front of him lay two paths. Looking down the one to his left, he saw movement near the end of the rocky tunnel, with torches lighting the way towards it, making it seem much more inviting. On his right, the other path looked much less pleasing. It was pitch black, with even the orb on his shoulder not being able to shed any light on it. Trails of blood led into the darkness, and Cedric could swear he heard a faint growl on the other side. Instinctively, the boy found himself already moving to the path on his left, feeling much safer walking through that one. However, at the last moment he stopped.

 'What is this energy I feel emanating from the light at the end?' Cedric wondered to himself, feeling goosebumps appear on his skin. 'I didn't notice it until just now, but it almost feels... fake, as though someone constructed it themselves.' Looking around the floor, Cedric picked up a squirming rat, and threw it down the passageway. Almost immediately everything comforting about it vanished, as flames shot up from the ground, and stalactites fell from the ceiling, piercing through the charred corpse. 'So the path was an illusion, meant to lure travelers to their doom. Which means...'

 Without a second thought, Cedric made his way through the other path, walking confidently down it until he came to the end. As it turned out, the darkness was also an illusion, and as he stepped through, it dispersed into nothingness. Now being able to see properly, Cedric looked around and saw he was now in a large, furnished room. Red carpet covered the stone floor, while a bed was tucked away in the corner. Candles lit up the space, while barrels full of what he assumed to be food were sprawled around the room. In front of him stood a robed figure, pondering over an open book laid out on a desk. That must be the wizard Hugo spoke about.