Chapter 34 Revik’s Folly
The ominous presence that Revik had sensed was now before him. He knew that the undying were impervious to some forms of magic. But his arsenal of spells was formidable and he felt confident that his arcane skills were more than a match for this creature despite its boasts.
He had to remain focused on the creature for he did not know the full range of its capabilities. He had to rely on Aisha to keep watch over their surroundings as he dared not allow himself to be distracted by anything.
The undying had revealed where the staff was. But despite knowing its location, they still had to deal with this creature. The binding spell was not permanent. It took much of his concentration simply to keep the creature from breaking it.
But Aisha’s sudden scream broke his concentration. He had to turn and look at what was happening. He could see something had reached up from the ground. It was another undying.
The shielding spell that Aisha had cast was only meant to protect her from ordinary physical attacks. The undying however was anything but ordinary. Thus, the shielding spell was useless against it.
Fool! Revik said to himself. As much as he wanted to blame Aisha, it was he who asked that she come with him knowing full well what dangers they might face.
His binding spell weakened momentarily as his concentration waned. The undying before him was struggling to break free. He now felt trapped in an apparent stalemate. The decaying hand that held Aisha was now beginning to pull her down into the ground. Aisha’s screams echoed across the forest.
Revik had to think quickly.
He began to cast another spell. As he did so, the undying before him shattered the bonds that held it and began to walk towards Revik.
From his hands a bolt of blinding white light shot out into the ground where the second undying lay. The ground exploded and Aisha was flung into the air a few feet away from where she stood. He saw scattered all around what appeared to be pieces of the corpse that was once the creature that held Aisha. Aisha seemed to be unhurt as she was now trying to stand.
But Revik lost track of the first undying. It was now but a few steps away from him. He began chanting the same spell that had destroyed the creature in the ground. Just as the undying before him was about to reach for his neck, Revik’s hands shot out another bolt of blinding white light towards it.
The bolt hit the undying squarely on its chest. The creature was pushed back a few feet but the bolt did not destroy it. Revik looked at the creature in astonishment. He could not believe his magic did nothing to it. This was no ordinary undying, he thought. Revik now understood why the order of Sky Magic was decimated. It had been at the hands of this creature.
The undying regained its momentum and began to march once more towards him. And then it unexpectedly gained speed. Its arm shot out and its fist hit Revik with a tremendous blow. This sent him hurtling through the air. His protective spell crackled as it absorbed the impact of the undying’s attack.
Revik was knocked down. His face hit the dirt. He realized that had it not been for his Crimson Spell of Protective Layers, he would be dead by now. One more blow like that and his protective spell would be gone, he thought. He was still shaken by the undying’s assault. But he had to get up. The undying would reach him in seconds. Fear now gripped him.
Just as he expected the undying to deliver another crushing blow, he was surprised that it did not come. He sat up and saw Aisha had cast her own spell of binding. She appeared to be struggling with all her might to hold the creature.
This gave Revik the chance to get up. He could see that Aisha’s spell would not hold the creature long. A few more seconds and it would break free, he thought.
When he had finally stood up, Revik recalled in his mind the words of a very powerful offensive spell designed to destroy creatures of a mystical nature. This one had to work, he said to himself. But the cost to his health would be dear.
As the undying was slowly breaking free of Aisha’s binding spell, she screamed in agony as she tried to hold on. Revik began to chant the words of the Spell of Dismissal. His hands moved in the air in a mysterious pattern. Lines of blue light began to appear before him forming a symbol of a triangle within a circle. It was the symbol of their order. And with a final gesture of his palm, Revik pushed the symbol forward towards the undying. He then uttered the words, “I cast you out!”
The floating symbol of blue light finally reached the creature and hit its chest.
“Noooooooooooo!” the undying screamed as its face mirrored the agony it felt. The creature began to disintegrate as it exploded in a flash of blue light.
When Revik was convinced that the threat was finally over, he went to Aisha who had collapsed to the ground in apparent exhaustion.
The binding spell took all her strength, Revik thought. He stayed beside her until she seemed to have finally recovered.
“I am sorry my dear Aisha,” Revik said as he gazed at the ground.
“Why teacher?” Aisha asked.
“Because it was my pride that made me bring you here,” Revik said. “I was overconfident that I could protect both myself and you.”
Revik was about to say more but Aisha suddenly gave him a warm embrace.
“We are both alive,” Aisha said still embracing him. “Are you now convinced that you needed to bring me along?”
As Aisha released her embrace, Revik looked at her and saw once more the endearing quality that made him very fond of her.
The sunlight that illuminated the forest began to grow dim. Revik attempted to get a glimpse of the sky through the trees. The sky was cloudy. It was going to rain, he thought.
“Come,” Revik said. “Let us claim the prize that awaits us. The ominous presence I felt when we arrived is now gone. We are safe.”
Aisha nodded. She stood up and followed him as they searched for the stairs that would lead to the tower’s former dungeons.
Aisha followed behind her teacher as they descended the stairs. But unknown to Revik, she still felt the cold upon her ankle where the undying held her. She lifted her pant leg and saw that her skin was seared. The bruise formed the shape of a hand.