Darkness and Hellfire

Chapter 51 I Was About To Run Out Of Mana.

Isaac helped Lenna to her feet. “How much does that armor weigh?” He asked. She had almost tipped him over while he was helping her stand.

“You shouldn’t ask a woman her weight.” Lenna replied.

Isaac rolled his eyes. “You know that’s not what I meant. You flew like ten feet from your own fireball. How?”

“I jumped.” Lenna replied.

Isaac thought for a moment. “Yeah that makes sense. Rolling with a punch but with an explosion. That totally works the same.” He was only being slightly sarcastic. In theory it would slightly help the blast to not hit her as hard but instead throw her farther.

Lenna shook her head at his antics. “You should find a sword.” She told him.

Isaac nodded. “Hold on.” He surrounded them both in an orb of shadows to obscure any watchful eyes. He then poured some death mana into and over her for a moment. When it felt like his mana had taken a noticeable hit he stopped and then let the shadows fade.

Lenna rolled her shoulders. “Thanks.”

“Now you can come help me find a sword. Preferably long and light.” Isaac told her.

“Like a rapier? Don’t you slash a lot? You’ll break it.” She replied and the two of them headed off to find a training sword.

A few minutes later they returned. Isaac had settled on a hand and a half thrusting sword. It was too heavy to be called a rapier as it had a thicker blade and a longer hilt. It was also too thin and light to be called a conventional longsword. It had a squared cross guard with no embellishments. The blade was about three and a half feet long and the hilt another six inches. The cross guard and pommel each added an inch to the overall length of the sword.

Isaac took a few practice swings and stabs with it before nodding in acceptance of his new weapon. The weight was perfect and it solved his main problems with both the longsword and his shortsword. It was both light enough to one hand and long enough to hit without getting hit back.

He was standing a few feet away from Edward and Alice. Lenna was standing right beside him and he turned to look her in the eye. “You were going to teach me right?” He asked her.

“Yes.” She replied. “First I will tell you why Edward turned the tables on me so fast.”

“Alright.” Isaac said and walked a few feet away from her and then squared off against her.

She rolled her shoulders and neck then continued her lecture. “There are three types of power. Skill, might, and magic. As a paladin I am balanced between all three. That means that any rogue worth the name should be better than me. Any barbarian, stronger. Any wizard, more mana and larger spells.”

“So you can’t be great at all of them?” Isaac asked and took a slow swing at her. She parried it and countered with her own slow stab.

“No. The gods limit us.” She replied. Isaac transitioned into a parry himself and then into a slash.

Edward chimed in from his seat in the sand. “It’s more nuanced than that.” He shook his head. “Why don’t you know this anyway?” Lenna parried Isaac’s slash and moved to slash him back.

“Amnesia.” Isaac replied. It was a comfortable lie that actually made sense. Just claiming to be a noble wouldn’t get him out of asking a question like that. He and Lenna exchanged parries and slashes or stabs again. “So what are these limits?” Lenna upped the tempo.

“Sure…” Edward replied to Isaac’s first statement. He didn’t fully believe Isaac but was willing to let it go for now. “Imagine you have six points. You have three options like your paladin over there said. Each class has those points allocated differently. I, as a warrior, specifically one who focused solely on the blade, have mine split between physical power and skill. Probably more towards the skill.”

“Our physical power was similar. As long as I used my magic anyway.” Lenna interjected to keep the conversation on target while she continued to help Isaac get used to his sword.

“Once I got serious, I stopped trying to meet her on her terms and abused my superior skill and speed. Fighting an opponent that is both faster and more skilled is a death sentence.” Edward continued.

“His level advantage was the greatest problem. My magic would have been enough.” Lenna explained.

“I’m level seventeen. You are level ten. If I lost I wouldn’t be able to call myself the Guild Master.” Edward retorted.

“So Lenna has her six points split evenly between all three but she used her magic to up her physical power to match or even exceed yours?” Isaac asked.

“Yeah.” Edward replied. “Some classes are super lopsided. Paladins, some rangers, some magical warriors, all are pretty balanced. Magical rogues and most rangers are an even split between skill and magic but tend to be more towards the skill end. Mages… like you, tend to just have everything into magic. The scary ones anyway. I can fight a spellblade. Dodge a few spells and power through their magical tricks or out skill their buff spells and it’s a win.” He shook his head defeatedly. “Can’t do anything against Time Stop, or forced teleportation to another plane. Flight is just unfair. How am I supposed to parry a fireball?” He threw his hands up in defeat.

“I believe you are all in.” Lenna told Isaac.

“My class puts all my points into magic is what you are saying?” Isaac asked.

“Yes.” She affirmed. “That doesn’t mean you can’t get good at swordsmanship.”

“Okay… What does it mean then?” Isaac questioned.

Lenna thought for a moment on how to explain it before Edward cut in. “It means that your level won’t really come into account when you are fighting with a sword. There will be no boost from the universe. The system that governs magic won’t help you like it does her and I. You will be on your own.” Edward told him.

Isaac thought for a moment. “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard. All I have to do is try harder than anybody else and I’ll still beat them is what I am hearing. I’m just not talented.”

Edward contemplated Isaac’s words for a little while. “That’s not entirely right but it gets the point across well enough.” He stood and stretched. “Anyway, let’s get this over with.”

Isaac and Lenna disengaged from each other. Isaac and Edward walked out a few paces so they had room to fight. “You are sure somebody can’t just resurrect him so I can use my instant kill move?” Isaac asked Alice. Her eyes went wide and she shook her head quickly multiple times.

Edward ignored him and asked his questions. “Name, class, and level?”

“Lord Isaac Wexler. Mage. One level under Lenna at all times.” Isaac replied.

“You are one unhelpful bastard.” Edward replied. “Ready when you are.”

Isaac disappeared and walked a few steps farther away. “I have an idea.” Isaac said to himself. He could now think out loud because nothing could hear him. He created a pair of rods, half an inch around and as long as his hand, out of shadows. He threw them at Edward. Once they were a foot away from his hand Edward saw them and easily parried both rods.

“Conjured thrown weapons? That’s a new one.” Edward said and continued scanning the sand for any trace of Isaac.

In his shadow cloak Isaac didn’t even disturb the sand that he walked on. He started running around the side of Edward and threw another dozen rods in quick succession. Edward parried them all with ease. “Well, it’s cool at least.” He said to himself.

“Invisibility is a fourth level spell. That puts you at at least level seven. That’s assuming you haven’t picked up a second class. That would drastically lower your maximum potential. There is a level cap of twenty so keep that in mind.” Edward told him. Unlike Edward and Lenna’s fight this one was more of a teaching moment. Edward was teaching Isaac about the world and he was learning about shadow sorcerers. At least that’s what he thought.

Isaac reappeared fifteen feet away from Edward. He only removed the shadows from in front of his eyes and made a little hole near his mouth so Edward could hear him. “So I need to show you something bigger than going invisible and becoming completely silent at the same time?” Isaac asked.

“If it’s all one spell and not an item making you silent then I could see you being level nine and that being a fifth level spell.” Edward conceded.

“So are we done?” Isaac asked.

Edward smiled and shook his head. “We could be. But I want to see what you can do.” He told him.

Isaac disappeared and took a few steps to the side. He started circling Edward. He reappeared. His voice deepened and got gravely as he started chuckling darkly. He disappeared again. Two seconds later he reappeared and continued. “You wouldn’t survive.” Then he disappeared again. He continued vanishing and reappearing in between each sentence. “I would kill you.” Gone and then back. “In a single touch.” Gone then back. “Turn you into ash.” Again. “All from your shadow.”

Edward’s smile faded as he counted the amount of times Isaac had disappeared. Invisibility wasn’t a toggle spell. It was either on or off. If he really was casting it silently over and over again his mana pool had to be enormous. Edward had fought mages plenty of times but this was getting ridiculous.

Isaac vanished and reappeared again. “Do you think…” Gone and back again. “that there is…” Again. “a shadow sorcerer…” Again. “who could best me?” Isaac asked. This time he stayed visible to wait for Edward’s reply.

“No. Twelve casts of Invisibility is ridiculous. That’s not counting the conjured thrown weapons, whatever you did to heal Lenna after our fight, the display at the Guild Hall, and the ball of shadows.” Edward thought for a moment. “I also haven’t heard you cast a single spell which means you’ve been quiet casting this entire time. That alone is unheard of. The amount of mental drain to do that must be insane.”

“Then…” Isaac made more shadows and spread them thickly across the ground. “Does that mean, that I, can claim the title, of Lord of Darkness itself?”

Edward chuckled darkly to himself. “I doubt anyone that isn’t a demigod could take that title from you.” His face relaxed and his eyes opened wide in realization. “Have you actually cast a spell at all?” He asked.

Isaac just laughed deeply and darkly before disappearing again.

Edward turned to look at Alice who was frozen, wide eyed, she was trembling slightly. “Put whatever he wants on his card. This test is over.” He said.

Isaac reappeared and started breathing hard. “Thank the gods.” He said and put his hands on his knees. “I was about to run out of mana.”