Dak And Stell/The Travelers Trilogies

1.11 Magmus

I watched the other two skulk away north towards the farmhouse. As they left, I crept up to the edge of the hill again to look at the mess below. The barn had started to catch fire up the sides from the tail of the Magmus. The fire was climbing to the roof at the beginning of the second story.

I concentrated on the Magmus. It seemed to be looking for something and not bothering the people or the dark ones holding them. I knew what it was looking for, me. I look past the massive beast to the river.

The river flowed down from a small rise in the landscape and made a sharp dip where it dropped about three feet. At the bottom of the miniature waterfall, a large tall flat rock sat on the opposite side of the stream. I slid back down the side of the hill to the bottom where I was out of sight. If I was going to do this, I was going to have to craft one more spell, and doing it twice might make me too tired to do what I needed.

I didn't have time for indecision. I gathered in my will and concentrated on the wall I had made the other day on the plains. I used my will to bend the wall into steps. Meso popped in front of me and opened up.

"Copy the spell!" The book thundered in my mind. It had opened to the page with the wall, and I copied the spell down. As I did, the light was fainter this time from the magic. The book made some notes of its own in a language I had never seen.

As the magic pulled from me, it felt... different. The pull wasn't as strong, and it did not seem to drain me as much. I sent a thought to Meso before he could leave.

"Why was it different this time?" I sent to him questioningly.

"You only changed a spell already recorded. It was just a variation on the wall spell you shaped before. I do approve, but Belzenrog is not going to be happy." Meso sent with a warning.

"I do not always need to please the gods. Just keep them on the edge of their seats." I sent with a note of laughter. Then, Meso left without another thought. I crept around the hill to the south to get behind the barn and the Magmus.

As I neared the back of the barn, I could see the flames on the right side of the roof. Soon the entire barn would go up in flames if I did not do something about it. I looked over and seen the Magmus moving to the front of the barn.

The smoke seemed to be masking me, but to make sure I changed my cloak to have the same properties are the smoke. The robe shifted into a wispy grey and black color that seamed to roll across it. Excellent, but I did not have time to admire my handy work, and I took off in a dead run towards the rock on the other side of the river.

As I started to run, I created a powerful Marble Cyclone and held it in my hand. It had to be released a certain way, and I needed to get out of the way, so I did not get sucked into the vortex. Once I was halfway, I heard the Magmus let out a hideous cry that almost cause me to fall.

I looked back over my should see the Magmus turn its long armored body and flaming tail towards me. I turned and ran, clutching the sphere in my hand. It was safe until I was ready to let my will go and release it. Holding the spell was putting a strain on me, but as I was almost to the river. I threw my hand out in front of me and yelled, "stairs!" Glass started to form a staircase up over the river and made another staircase going down behind the rock on the other side.

As I reached the stairs, I started up them holding the sphere tight in my hand. I could hear the massive creatures pounding steps racing towards me as I reached the peak of the glass staircase. Once I got to the other side of the rise, the Magmus started to climb up the stairs. As I started down the other side, I let the sphere out of my hand as I looked back.

Stell and Xalmia had made a mess of the guards. As the sphere dropped down to the stone, I released my will on both the globe and stairs simultaneously. The bridge disappeared, and the Magmus fell to the bank and tried to let out a cry as I fell behind the rock. Then the Marble Cyclone was released.

Now, there was a reason I did not just throw the thing at the rock. I needed to get out of the way, and if I had thrown it at the rock, it would have just sprayed the water into the air. Instead, just before the sphere hit the water, it was released.

When it erupted, the cyclone pushed off the rock reflecting towards the Magmus and the burning barn. As the massive wind spout spun, it pulled the water from the stream, and it shot out of the twister in a torrential downpour. I rolled to the side and seen the Magmus roll toward the house, and the people scattered except for two of the dark ones.

The creature bellowed, but it was far less menacing. It continued the sideways roll twice. Then on its final rotation, it landed on its back on the two dark ones with a sickening crunching and squishing sound. They did not have time to notice the beast till it was too late, Stell bent over and began to retch.

I think some of those dark ones got on Stell and Xalmia. She did not seem to mind, and she kicked the giant squirming reptile.

"Nice shot!" She sent gleefully.

"You guys did well, are the people ok?" I sent to her. Yelling at this point would get me nowhere. The once blazing barn and field were now just hissing and steaming from the downpour created by the cyclone. I walked across the stream, wading through the currently knee-deep water that was slowly rising back up.

"Everyone is alright over here. Stell even is getting his stomach under control." Xalmia sent.

I tried to reach out to Meso. I wanted to try and have a private conversation with him as I walked across the yard from the river.

"What do you want, boy?" Meso sent to me with a no-nonsense tone.

"Tell them to send it back. Bel had his fun. The Magmus does not belong here, and I have put out its fire. It would be a bother to anyone for a long time, and it will die if it stays here." I sent firmly.

There was a long pause as I walked up to my friends, and then it was gone like it was never there. Stell looked over at me with a strange look on his pale face. Xalmia and the people behind her stood wide-eyed in shock.

"I had a talk with our friend about our other friends uninvited guest, and they agreed that he wouldn't do so well here," I said out loud.

"That is a relief." Stell sighed. He was still looking pale. I think that was the first time Stell had ever seen someone killed, which was not a good first time.

"Are you are right, Stell?" I asked him.

"I'll live, that was disgusting. I didn't expect it to happen, so it caught me by surprise." He said, rubbing his stomach.

I looked over to see four men in dark cloaks with there hoods up. Their hands were bound, and they were all tied together. None of them seemed to be making any noise.

"Why are they all being so quiet?" I asked Xalmia.

"I'm not sure." She said.

The two of us walked over to the group of them, and they made no motion.

"What are your names?" I asked.

Nothing.

"Wake up, you cowards!" Xalmia shouted at them.

Still no sounds or movements from any of them, so I moved forward and lifted the cloak of one. The man's head hung down, but from a first glance, they had similar features as Xalmia's people but ashen skin. I reached forward and touched the man's face, and it was cold to the touch.

" I think they're dead," I said as I moved forward to touch the man's neck to feel for a pulse. He was dead alright, and after we checked the others, it was the same for all. All, but one had stab marks in his back. The one that had no wound in his back held the knife drove into his stomach, hidden under the man's robe and hands.

The game just changed.