Rise of Tyrus

Whatever Tyrus expected to happen, a beast appearing out of nowhere was not on the top of his list. One minute they were waiting to see what the lizardmen would do, and then came a torrent of mana that wrestled their attention and killing intent as freezing as snow. Shortly after, a monstrous creature landed right in the middle of the battle.

Today was quite the day for strange occurrences.

Despite the alarming ambush, Tyrus ended up locked in a gaze with the creature right in front of him. Besides the living shadows emanating from its body, its appearance genuinely shocked him. Not only was this creature a tiger, but it was also a black tiger. However, as he continued to observe and smell, his uncertainty increased.

Apart from that, what was the reason for the beast appearing from the direction of Sir Geroth and the dark sorcerer’s battle? Unless the dark sorcerer had called upon the creature, there was no apparent reason for it to be here instead of joining its master in battle. It made little sense for it to be distant from him, and the same goes the other way around. He believed that until he caught sight of the shadows and the piercing amber eyes that were staring right back at him. Then, the realization clicked to him.

“That’s the dark sorcerer!”

Igneal turned. “And how do you know that? The sorcerer should be human and not some beast.”

“...That’s because it’s in its Beast Transformation state,” Tyrus explained. “Well, it looks like it, but something seems of about it. I can’t really tell, though...”

The lizardmen charged forward, brandishing their weapons, and came to a sudden halt just a few arms length away from the black tiger. Bone helmet advanced, its face filled with hatred, as it confronted the dark sorcerer. The Shaman stood nearby, watching with vigilant eyes.

“You are the one responsible for this mess!” the bone helmet roared, pointing his spear at the beast. “Spewing curses that harm these lands and sending savages to pluck our ranks! Your presence here is unwelcome, kreth’rn. Only your demise will satisfy nature’s wrath!”

At last, the dark sorcerer faced the lizardman, his eyes growing narrower. “You lot will do just fine. Submit, and be useful to Master Raroan.”

Bone helmet snarled and said, “Men! To me—”

Suddenly, the shadows danced across the dark sorcerer’s body, their flickering movements causing a pulsating sensation. In a sudden burst, each tendril shot forward, swiftly wrapping around the lizardmen’s heads like a constricting snake. A stifled shriek filled the air, and within moments, the lizardmen collapsed to their knees, trembling until their bodies turned rigid. The dark sorcerer let out a chilling chuckle before shifting its focus back to Tyrus, who defiantly raised his sword.

“What did you do to them!?” Tyrus asked. “Did you kill them?”

The dark sorcerer let out a sinister chuckle. “Oh no, their purpose goes beyond that. I must express my gratitude, black tiger, for guiding them to this place. I had assumed they would be preoccupied with eliminating the other Beastfolk, but it seems they considered you a higher priority.”

Igneal confidently stepped forward, his sword at the ready. “Enough with the talking. Let’s fight, dark sorcerer. I should thank you for making things easier for me by presenting yourself before me. By delivering your lifeless body to Emperor Johan, I am certain to gain his favor!”

Tyrus noticed Igneal preparing to rush forward, so he hurried over and stretched out his arm before him.

“And Sir Geroth?” Tyrus said, peering over his shoulder. “Did you... kill him?”

“Johan’s loyal dog? He still lives for the time being. Let’s just say he’s preoccupied with another battle.”

Another battle? Who could he be fighting at a time like this? As far as Tyrus knew, he thought Sir Geroth was fighting a single enemy, that being the dark sorcerer. Perhaps there was more than one sorcerer on the same level as the one before him. If so, then how come he doesn’t feel or see any flashes of mana like previously? Either the enemy was lying or he was missing something...

In his contemplation, Tyrus made the mistake of letting his guard down. Igneal seized the opportunity, unleashing a scorching mote of flames that surged towards the sorcerer. In a daring twist, a shadowy tentacle lunged forward, its inky presence piercing through the fiery onslaught. The crackle of flames and the hiss of the shadow colliding filled the air, while the scent of singed magic lingered.

“Red hair and fire magic... You’re a Lockhart, aren’t you?”

Igneal smirked. “It’s only sensible that my family’s reputation is known even among Beastfolk. Now you’ll die knowing a Lockhart ended your miserable life.”

Right when Igneal was about to unleash more of his magic, the dark sorcerer’s eyes narrowed into slits. Although he maintained a piercing glare towards them, it was as if his attention was elsewhere, as if he were gazing past them. Instead of staying put, he launched himself backwards, landing gracefully on a boulder that was close by.

“Tch. He finished faster than I thought.” The sorcerer glanced at Tyrus. “Though our second meeting is short-lived once again, it was surprising to see you here again, black tiger. But know this: should a third arise, you will not live. Then again, it seems highly unlikely when Lethos bares its fangs to you.”

Tyrus raised an eyebrow, but before he could say anything, a breeze blew in and the beast slipped away into the shadows. Afterwards, the lizardmen who were still kneeling gradually stood up, one by one. Tyrus had hoped that with the sorcerer gone, the lizardmen would go back to normal. However, that idea quickly changed when the shadows receded from their faces, revealing pupils as dark as the night.

In unison, they growled and pointed their spears and axes toward Tyrus and Igneal. Bone helmet shouted a sort of war-cry and bounded forward first, and its men followed. The Shaman stayed behind and began chanting, their staff twirling and glowing a light as green as a spring leaf.

Tyrus cursed and readied his blade. So that was how the sorcerer controlled the Beastfolk! He used his magic and entraps the head of the victims, slowly taking hold of their wills until they submitted and did their masters’ bidding.

No wonder only Shadow Bolt was shown in the book of incantations. If a sorcerer with such a terrifying affinity were to be evil, they could do many immoral acts. He assumed that magic, particularly the dark element, had the most dangerous yet influential spells. Just what else was it capable of accomplishing?

Tyrus snapped out of his stupor when the Shaman blasted a green beam in his direction, which he rolled away from. Following the attack, two others leaped into the air and rained attacks down on him and Igneal. Tyrus dashed out of the way and barely missed them while Igneal stabbed their chests once they landed.

“They’re being controlled right now! We can’t just kill them.”

Igneal brows furrowed. “As if I’ll allow myself to be attacked. Taking the life of rubbish is no issue, but you have a problem with lizardmen?”

At the end of his sentence, the leader closed the gap and aimed his spear at Igneal’s heart. He sidestepped the attack and swung. Unfortunately, one of its men blocked the attack with the shaft of their spear, while another came up and lunged for a clean shot at Igneal’s head.

Tyrus gasped and quickly blocked the attack with a grimace. Blocking an attack from a lizardmen without augmentation was like pushing a thick log! He had been fighting these things with augmentation, but to think there was this much of a strength gap between them!

Tyrus glanced up and noticed more of the lizardmen had caught up; he counted at least thirty, including the leader and the Shaman. Fighting them all at once was a fool’s errand, especially when he wasn’t at full strength. Even worse was figuring out a way to snap them out of their hypnotic trance.

Slaying beasts who had no control of their actions, especially when they were on the cusp of reaching an understanding did not sit well with Tyrus. They were not like regular beasts, incapable of conversation, only acting upon their instincts. Rather, they were intelligent beings capable of thought and reason, much like humans or Beastfolk. Killing them was the same as executing a person for no credible reason.

Igneal appeared by his side and sliced the arms of the lizardmen Tyrus was struggling against. It howled as its limbs plopped to the ground while Igneal kicked the beast away. He then grabbed Tyrus by the collar and shoved him away.

Suddenly, flames ignited at the top of Igneal’s sword. In one clean motion, he swiped it across the ground in a straight line. There was no clear intention for such an action until a split second later, a wall of flames arose and blocked the advancing lizardmen, singeing the tips of their feet. The air quivered from the chorus of screeches that followed. A handful of the lizardmen backed away from the flames, reluctant to approach.

“...Sky’s Breath.”

Mana swelled within Igneal, and with a sweeping motion of his hand, a gust of wind flew toward the line of fire. The flames swallowed the wind with a hiss and grew in height and length with renewed vigor in a matter of seconds. Lizardmen who already had the idea of walking around the flames or even jumping over it were too late as their bodies were lit aflame. The ones that hopped over screamed and toppled to the ground headfirst, rolling as they clawed at their blazing skin. Igneal took that as his chance to rush over and lodge his sword in their heads, silencing their screams while the others tried their hand at walking around the magic.

Igneal stepped back, admiring his work. “That should hold them off for a bit. If you’re done gawking, we should run for the bridge. Now.”

After his words, a faint chant filled Tyrus ears, one that only his heightened senses could pick up on. As if being yanked by some outside force, his attention was drawn to the ground trembling. Thorny vines sprouted from the ground under their feet, snaking around their ankles. Luckily, Igneal and Tyrus were quick to cut and burn away the Shaman’s magic—or blessing, as it called it. Once they were free, they both turned and ran for the bridge.

“You used an element other than fire,” Tyrus remarked as they neared the bridge.

Igneal snorted. “Why do you sound so surprised? If there is a spell that allows my fire to grow stronger, why not use it? We are only limited by our imagination, as my father would say.”

“Right...”

They stopped talking when they arrived at the bridge, still as unstable as ever. Quickly, they stepped over the charred bodies and stopped before the first plank. Igneal took the lead and stood on top of the plank, leaping over to the next one while Tyrus looked over his shoulder. The lizardmen had already gotten past the flames and were charging straight for them. Bone helmet, as always, took the lead while the Shaman was mumbling more incantations. Instead of summoning more vines, it released a barrage of green beams that hurtled toward them.

Fortunately, Tyrus saw it coming and avoided it by taking the bridge. The structure squeaked and groaned under their combined weight as it swung even more ferociously. He held onto the ropes for dear life, hoping the planks below him would hold out. Igneal was in front and seemed unbothered as he leaped over to the next one, no problem.

Just why does every bridge have to be in poor condition, Tyrus mused as he traversed the bridge. Might as well not have one if they’re all gonna be like this. It created the illusion that they were walkable if you had the agility, yet breaks when someone makes it halfway. Almost like the structures were playing tricks out of boredom from being abandoned.

The Shaman’s attacks came again, forcing Tyrus to move forward. One of the beams clipped his shoulder and burned his shirt and skin. He hissed, but the burn was only minor and did not affect his movement. He continued leaping across the gaps, catching up to Igneal in no time. They weren’t far from reaching the other end, but the lizardmen were hot on their tail.

Bone helmet was the first to reach the scene. Without hesitation, it set foot on the swaying bridge and pursued its prey. The condition of the bridge didn’t concern it; its sole focus was on capturing its target. It was determined not to let its quarry escape, even if the bridge gave way under the weight of three individuals.

Regarding the other lizardmen, they chose not to use the bridge and instead dove into the water, each one entering with the precision and speed of arrows released from a bow. Their streamlined bodies effortlessly cut through the air before disappearing beneath the surface, causing hardly a ripple. The Shaman, however, defied all expectations. Rather than submerging itself, it gracefully stepped over the water, its foot not sinking at all. With a raise of its staff, a burst of green light shot forth, narrowly missing Tyrus’s foot as it pierced through the bridge.

A pit formed in Tyrus’s stomach, causing a wave of unease to wash over him. The scene before him was chaotic; the leader of the lizardmen was approaching rapidly on the bridge, the soldiers swam faster than they ran, and the Shaman was releasing blessing after blessing. One of those blessings almost tore a hole through his chest, but he managed to block one with the midsection of his sword. Yet blocking it almost sent him tumbling over the ledge.

Tyrus stopped and swept his gaze around, waiting for the rocking to stop. They couldn’t run forever, that much he knew. It was only a matter of time before the lizardmen caught up to them. They needed something to slow them down, or at the very least, give them a chance to catch their breath and figure out what to do.

His eyes landed on the rope suspending the bridge, and an idea popped into his head. He turned and noticed Igneal was just a jump away from making it across. Turning back, Tyrus saw bone helmet was two jumps from reaching him.

“No time to think about it!” Tyrus grumbled. He raised his sword over one of the ropes and swung down, severing the fibers. The bridge immediately veered, and Tyrus clung onto the remaining rope. Bone helmet roared from the sudden shift, yet that was cut short when its body slammed into the opposite side of the bridge and bounced off the ledge. Its tail flopped around as the rest of its body splashed into the river.

Tyrus took a deep breath and climbed as high as he could with one arm. Storing his sword back into the ring, he used both his arms to swing and climb the rope, moving as fast as his body allowed. Igneal had already made it across and was standing on the ledge, waiting for Tyrus.

“Cutting an entire bridge just to shake off one lizardmen?” Igneal scoffed. “You could’ve just fought the leader and beat him quickly.”

“We couldn’t afford to waste our time dealing with him,” Tyrus grunted as he neared the rocky terrain. “And besides, I can’t kill a beast who isn’t in control of its actions!”

“You can’t kill them, or you won’t kill them? You’ll get yourself killed if you keep that same mindset.”

Tyrus scowled once he reached the end and pulled himself up. As soon as he was on stable ground, a green flash of light collided into the rocks, sending bits and pieces flying. Tyrus covered his eyes and rolled away before one of them punctured his eyes. He stood up to his feet and confronted the waters with a grim expression. The lizardmen looked like a school of fish swimming through the waves, except their forms were bulkier and had a lot more limbs. Their tails and claws sliced the water effortlessly. Tyrus assumed they would reach the shore in a few moments.

Igneal joined him and pointed at the water. “Use your lightning to target a large area in the water.”

Tyrus frowned. “What? Why? They’ll see it coming and dodge.”

“Just do what I say. Aren’t you curious about what’ll happen?”

Knowing arguing was useless, Tyrus sighed and focused his mind and willed the lightning element to come out. Arcs of blue light lit up across his palm. He aimed his hand at the shimmering waters and unleashed just enough energy to cover a wide area and save himself a bit of mana.

As his spell made contact with the water, a crackling sound filled the air, accompanied by sparks dancing in all directions. The water surrounding the bolt shimmered and rippled like a wave, spreading outwards. With each expanding arc, the movements of the lizardmen grew unsteady. Suddenly, their bodies froze, seized by uncontrollable convulsions. Their agonized shrieks echoed through the air as they thrashed and lashed their tails, their movements sluggish and devoid of control. Gradually, their struggles slowed, coming to a complete halt, and one by one, their bodies sank into the dark abyss. Only the Shaman remained, positioned just beyond the reach of the spell’s range.

Igneal smirked. “See? You’re using your affinity half-heartedly. With you by my side, I can help you grow further.”

Tyrus stared at the water, stunned. He didn’t even try to target the lizardmen in the back, only the few upfront, yet the element traveled across the water easily and hit them as well. If he used it for longer, would it have been able to reach the Shaman and damaged it as well? Just what else was his affinity capable of?

I’ll figure that out later, Tyrus thought. Now wasn’t the time to be dazed, but to push forward. He only used his magic intending to stun, not kill, so it was only a matter of time until the lizardmen recovered.

Until then, they’d have to group up with Sir Geroth and figure out what to do next. With an overseer nearby, he’d know what to do and tell them what was going on. As tired as Tyrus was, curiosity and anger overwhelmed his fatigue.

He needed answers. Now.