Chapter 14 - Malice Conjuror
The ball of screeching miasma exploded as soon as it touched the stone floor, spreading outward like parasitic vines. Liesel outran them, closing the distance between herself and the Malice Conjurer. Unfortunately, it was not like a Shadow Stalker, which tried to engage in close combat.
It simply turned into a shadow and floated away from Liesel, conjuring another orb to throw at the badly matched warder.
Liesel looked at Yehia. "Trap it in your ward!" Liesel pushed Materiality into her bracelet and shot the Impact Rune at the malicious shadow.
It moved away, and Yehia's ward managed to catch it. The impact rune, however, phased through it and struck the ward instead. It was not enough to break it. The demon pressed its palm against the ward. In an instant, it shattered into hundreds of pieces, which were then lit on black fire by the conjuror, and it shot them at Liesel.
Yehia's ward manifested in front of Liesel, protecting her from most of the name. Liesel immediately rushed at the Malice Conjuror.
The demon shifted its focus to the warder, creepily floating away from Liesel's strike like a leaf in the wind, shooting another tiny ball at her, which bloomed from the ground, and it didn't seem like something she could let Yehia protect against. Liesel had to run to the side.
There was a bowl-shaped crater in the ground when the orb vanished.
The Conjurer had stopped moving to create a spell circle over its head. Enforcing her legs, Liesel dashed towards it. A cold mist fell out from the spell circle. Liesle lunged inside it as her Materiality sense didn't sense any danger from the mist yet. It was just an awful lot of energy. Leaping at the demon, she charged her sword and slashed its face. The demon floated back, out of the mist. The tip of her sword caught the mask beneath its eyes, and Liesel drew some blood out of it. Far from enough to mean anything.
And the next moment, the demon was again too far from her to do anything.
The mist from the spell circle curled into a tiny orb, burgeoning with power over the conjuror's outstretched arm. The demon shot it in Yehia's direction, who was standing in front of the two injured fighters.
It must have analyzed the barrier's formation.
Swallowing, Liesel pushed all the energy into the tip of her sword and flung it at the orb. The tip stabbed the orb in the middle of the ceremonial hall. The energy trapped inside exploded in a wave of raw Materiality.
Liesel's entire body was paralyzed by the onslaught of energy. Her eyes sought her sword as it bounced on the floor, on the opposite side of her.
The demon growled as it bled from the cut section of the face. Then it spat blood. Liesel took out a dagger, angling it in front of the Impact Rune. It stabbed the mask, too, but that only knocked the demon back. It quickly recovered and pulled out the dagger. With a wave of its hand, it fixed its mask, though the gnash by her sword wasn't repaired.
Is it really only a third-rank demon?
Liesel decided she was better off having her sword than trying anything else. She stepped back and circled toward it, keeping the demon in her sight. The demon didn't chase after her. Perhaps it was being cautious, but that would also imply a level beyond the basal savagery that it shouldn't be capable of.
Something was really, really off about this demon. The power was one factor, but the fact that it seemed wiser than it should be—that was a cause for concern.
The demon again conjured a circle of mist.
When Liesel tried to channel Materiality this time, her soul veins tensed, burning and blaring. Still, her control had not completely collapsed. She didn't want to overstretch her capacity. This was still the beginning of the expedition.
[Materiality: 34/51]
Her Materiality Orbs were waning, though. She had brought three from when she left the base this time, and now two were already empty. As for the third, Liesel took it out of her pocket and held it in her hand. It would have a hundred, and she'd burn through that in a minute.
Liesel picked up her sword as she glanced at Yehia, who nodded in understanding. Enforcing her feet, Liesel dashed toward the demon again as it gathered the mist into a tiny explosive orb.
It didn't throw it at them immediately; instead, it flew away. Yehia's barrier manifested behind the demon. The Malice Conjuror sprouted another claw and shattered the ward with it. That moment of distraction was enough for Liesel to catch up to it and slash her sword across its back, cutting it in two.
It screeched.
"Catch it!" Liesel shouted as she stabbed the mist orb with her Materiality-infused dagger. A translucent barrier manifested around the demon just as the energy inside it exploded into a horror of chaos. Unfortunately, that was not enough for Liesel to get out of the radius of impact. And Yehia would have to protect the two around her.
Liesel looked behind her. For a moment, her ears were ringing, and she saw the black flames creeping toward her. She infused Materiality into her skin, pulling as much of it from the orb as she could, and that would still not be enough to resist the damage.
A ward boxed around her. She watched from the epicenter as the explosion kept going for seconds that stretched into minutes in her mind.
And then it was gone.
The demon's body was incinerated thoroughly. Not even a wisp of its presence remained. But the Materiality Orb survived. It fell to the ground, bouncing twice, and then rolled, hitting the shoe of Kurvam Vera. He picked it up and tossed it into the warder's direction. Despite his grin, his body was battered and burned in some places.
Liesel climbed back to her feet.
[Materiality +19
Materiality: 20/51]
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At least, in the eyes of the Archive, it would be recorded as her victory. This time, she was barely injured, but that was only because of the warder.
"Thanks," she said in his direction.
He nodded. He also seemed to have protected the trio.
Yehia was, for the most part, still conscious, but the other two had passed out either from the burns or the bleeding. Liesel could see the remnants of the Shadow Stalkers as well. It was a planned ambush. Wise demons were a headache that Liesel didn't want to imagine.
Kurvam nudged one with his foot. "Oye! Wake up, lazy bastard."
The warrior groaned.
Yehia created a barrier to keep the captain from hurting the passed-out man.
"Stay back!"
Kurvam grinned at her. "Did you say something?" He raised his foot and shattered the simple barrier with ease. Fortunately, the warder's barrier manifested just in time to stop him from killing the injured man.
Liesel picked up her sword
"What's your deal?" the leader glared at Verka.
"It's only the first day. We cannot lose two of our teammates."
"And what are these weaklings going to contribute? They'd only leech off the spoils. You are useful, and I'd prefer to keep it that way."
"It was a bad matchup. How were we supposed to deal with a Conjurer without any mage or warder for support?!" Yehia's fingers clenched on the spear's staff.
Liesel approached Verka and took the dark orb from his hand. Then she turned to the team leader, addressing him in an impassive voice.
"Why don't you focus on your spoils instead of trying to leech off your teammates' victory?"
"I am the leader of the expedition. Don't know how it works in the capital, but here the leader alone is responsible for all the earnings, and only I get to decide who gets what," he grinned, but didn't approach her. At the very least, he understood he was better off at a distance.
"You either claim all the responsibility and entitlement of a leader or none of it. That means every injury, no matter how minor, on all of our bodies is your failure, and every unforeseen outcome is your fault alone. So you alone are guilty of their condition. And as a leader, you should apologize for not making the right calls. To them, and to me," Liesel approached him. "And promise that you will be better next time. If you can't, you are nothing more than a mercenary. And you need to be whipped for stepping out of that line."
He smirked. "Are you going to whip me?"
"The only reason I have not disposed of you is that I cannot care enough about this expedition. But if your only role is to be a hindrance at every step of the way, to act like a spoiled brat, then I would be forced to change my mind."
"Yes. You don't care because you are a true mercenary," he chuckled, turning away. "So, like a paid whore, shut the fuck up. Let the people with stakes speak."
Liesel was somewhat perplexed by him. Why would anyone make him a leader? And she also felt somewhat blessed to have had the competent captain for her previous team, now that she knew what else she could've been faced with.
Kurvam pressed his foot onto the ward protecting the injured man.
Liesel pointed her sword at him. "Don't force my hand."
The warder had already created a barrier between them.
Kurvam twirled back on his heel, bashing his finger against the translucent barrier. "Why are you acting like you are some benevolent saint who can't stand anyone's suffering? You won't even blink twice before killing anyone."
Liesel looked at Verka. "Can your wards carry them back to the base? Or should I call the mages?"
"I can do it."
"Then we should hurry. Losing two members while setting up a safe space would kill the morale of the whole team."
Kurvam Vera snarled, smashing his sword into the wall. He dashed away, and his speed was almost worrying. Almost. She could kill him if it proved to be necessary. Unfortunately, that seemed like the direction they were headed.
"Thank you," Yehia said.
Liesel nodded. She looked at Verka, who was already lifting the two men on his ward. "I assume you know something that we should know."
"About... him?"
Liesel nodded.
"He's the Chancellor's Son, and in the current line of succession, he's bound to take his place once he retires," Verka said.
"That explains a lot of things," Liesel held back a sigh. "We are basically his babysitters while also being responsible for completing the expedition."
Verak didn't say anything.
"And you are his attendant?" Liesel asked.
"Protector."
Liesel nodded. "How loyal are you to him?"
"Please don't even think about hurting him. Even if we make it back alive, the Chancellor will execute us all."
Liesel's lips twitched. "I wish you had told me that in the meeting hall."
"Are you regretting your actions now?" Yehia asked. She seemed nonchalant about his status.
"Not really. I would've added another zero to my fee. At this moment, I dearly regret my decision to be part of this farce."
"The Fracture on the Tomb of Sirmal, the General of Twenty-Five Realms, is still a threat to our realm."
"Certainly not enough for the city to care about anything more than their overgrown, impatient, inexperienced, tantrum baby," Liesel sighed. She was somewhat upset. Enough that she might actually beat Kurvam to an inch of his life the first moment she got. She didn't hate him for his words as much as his status. "He has everything. Why did he need to be a burden on me?"
Yehia chuckled. "Relax. It will turn out fine. Once the reality of this place settles in, the young master will forget his luxurious life and start acting like an Ascendant. He's got the foundation."
*****
It was late into the night when she heard a knock.
Putting down the book, Liesel answered the door.
Fiya had brought her food. Again, she strolled inside without asking for anyone's permission. She set the plate on the bed.
"You should also get your food. It's on the counter."
Liesel blinked. "You can have your dinner in your room."
"I like your room."
"Do you want to switch?" Liesel offered. She was not feeling confident enough to leave the girl alone with her things.
"I like it because you are here."
"Then why don't you go get my dinner as well?"
Fiya looked at her plate and nodded. Did that thought not occur in the mages mind? Liesel hoped it was just the mage's exhaustion and that she was not stuck with another case of a socially divorced member. In the blink of an eye, Fiya was back with another plate.
Liesel didn't mind having the mage in her room. As things stood, things were going to be rougher, and Fiya seemed like someone who'd need a little support beyond the fights.
"So..." Fiya drawled. "What was it like? Fighting a Shadow Conjurer?"
"I'd rather avoid it. It's the worst match for someone like me," Liesel said. She'd rather face a pair of Shadow Stalkers. "If not for Yehia, I'd not have caught it once. It's not as strong as it is a little bitch who wants to hurl curses from a distance."
Fiya laughed, nodding along. "Yeah, I can see it. You must be slow."
"It was too fast."
Fiya nodded. "Still, Kurvam won by a mile. He killed more than a dozen Shadow Stalkers."
"That's not even comparable to the danger a Conjurer poses."
Fiya frowned. "A Shadow Stalker is twice as likely to kill me compared to a Conjurer."
Liesel smiled. "And you can flip that on its head. Not to mention, with a warder watching his back, it is almost shameful that he only killed twelve."
Liesel herself had only taken out three Shadow Stalkers and a Shadow Conjurer, and that was with Yehia's help.
"And my expertise doesn't lie in killing demons," Liesel said, even though she was somewhat ashamed of how great her failure in the previous job was. "We'd have lost five members today, if not more, without my help."
Fiya blinked. "That's a bit exaggerated, don't you think?"
"It doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things," Liesel shrugged. "But killing demons is the least important part of the expedition. Easy and fun part too, but that is something any group of mercenaries can do. It is the mapping and progress toward the tomb that is our job. Keeping as many of us alive as possible. With each loss, we are exponentially more likely to be completely wiped out."
"Well, you should try to negotiate a peace treaty with Kurvam then. You two are most likely to kill someone in your fight."
"After he loses a limb, it might be a possibility, but for now, he is incapable of understanding anyone's viewpoint except for his own."
Fiya exhaled, nodding somberly. "I wanted to see the Shadow Conjurer's Materiality Orb. Verka says its aura was strange."
Liesel frowned. She picked it up from the window ledge and tossed it into Fiya's hand.
The mage froze. Her red pupils dilated like a frightened kitten's.