Tales of magic: grimoire of transmogrification

  Chapter 35

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  Arc 2 - "The hunter and the beast"

  Chapter 19- "Ferocious roar."

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  Let out the raging storm from your heart.

  Release the gushing stream of your emotions.

  Only by doing so, would you find some measure of quiet bliss after all you have endured.

  ~An unamed poem written by the Philospher, but forgotten a long time ago.

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  1st May, 1886.

  Necromanticus territory (currently in flames),

  Outskirts of the Screaming woods,

  Pridon.

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  4:47

  "William Sharpside." He spat.

  The scorching heat was nearly unbearable. Both of them were covered in either sweat or grime or both. But from the look on their faces, it didn't bother them in the slightest.

  "You're late. I've been waiting here for more than a minute." William smiled warmly. His eyes remained hostile, but somehow he managed to look happy.

  Jordan furiously held on to the pistol in his belt, his eyes never leaving William.

  "We haven't spoken for a while, friend. I heard you were in trouble yesterday. You could have come to me, I would've given you exactly what you needed." He tossed his bag to his feet. Then, he proceeded to open it up. While whistling a happy tune he casually

  brought out a blade. Jordan didn't hesitate to point a gun at him.

  "That's not a toy." William said, suddenly serious. He tossed the sword to the side, and retrieved a glass bottle and two glass cups from within the leather bag. The bag was wide open and all the items inside were clearly visible. Most of them were weapons, but one of them was particularly special.

  "What is that?" Jordan growled. His eyes widening for just a moment.

  "Wine. You see, a battle like ours is too boring, if it begins the moment we meet. You have so much bottled up anger and hatred for me-which I believe is quite justified- but that is the more reason you should loosen up and take a swig."

  "I'm seventeen."

  "I know." William managed a smile, again, while he poured two glasses of wine.

  "Why?" Jordan's voice was suddenly soft. As though he was hurt, somehow.

  "You haven't pulled the trigger yet, why?"

  Jordan's finger twitched, inching dangerously close to the trigger. However, William didn't flinch. He held a glass, himself, and handed Jordan one. When the teenager didn't take it, he gently dropped it on the floor in front of him. He then proceeded to casually sit on the floor and take a sip of his wine.

  The flames lit up the area, and so even if it was five in the morning, Jordan could see William clearly. And so could he.

  Jordan studied William for a moment, keeping the gun trained on him. The young Mage held on to the gun even tighter.

  "It's not poisoned. I don't enjoy drinking alone, I don't believe anyone does."

  Jordan picked up the glass and stared at it.

  "I haven't...drank wine before."

  "Ah... Straightlaced, I see. Good. Boys your age are usually rebelling, trying new things and..." William sighed.

  "That's not the point of this conversation. Don't worry, boy. Drink it up, it's not strong stuff. Also, you've done far worse things that you wouldn't want your parents to know. After all, you did plan on killing me today, didn't you?"

  "I still do. I don't just understand what you're doing right now."

  "Having a friendly chat with my enemy."

  "Why?"

  "Because it's fun and refreshing."

  "Why try to have fun now?"

  "Life's too short not to enjoy.... I see it in your face, boy. In the way you look at me. You're not enjoying one bit of this, are you?"

  Jordan's expression managed to get even worse. As though he was even more infuriated.

  William took in a mouthful of ale and savoured the taste before swallowing it. After a moment he stared at Jordan.

  "Could you at least open your mouth and say what's bothering you? I mean, It won't hurt for me to at least understand why you want to die so badly."

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  The younger mage was taken aback.

  "..."

  "The words flow easier when you've had something! Trust me on this one!" William's upbeat words echoed across this area of the woods.

  "What the heck are you doing?! I'm trying to kill you. I have a gun pointed at your head. You should be.."

  "I should be shaking in fear? Or screaming in terror? Pleading for mercy? Is that what you expect, fairytale villain? Sorry but I don't do that."

  The man took yet another swig of his drink, grinning satisfactorily afterwards. His eyes were starting to look red.

  "No. I expect you to fight back. Try to kill me."

  "But if I do that you'll die. Are you suicidal or what?"

  "But you want to kill me too, right?"

  "Jordan Middesworth, make up your mind; do you want to live, or do you want to die?"

  Jordan pulled the trigger. A loud bang resulted. His hand shook slightly and trepidation went down his head.

  The wind still blew the way it did a second ago.

  The flames were exactly the same too, Jordan wondered why he thought they would be any different.

  "Not so easy, now isn't it?"

  "I just shot you.."

  "Wow, and you're the one falling apart." William smirked and then broke into an awkward laugh. Blood flowed freely out of his wound. His white shirt was stained red.

  Hunter casually got up, picking up the sword.

  "I guess this might mean I won't finish my wine."

  "Just f*cking die already."

  "Then kill me.. or are you too afraid? For all your drama, at this moment, when I'm right in front of you, you lose your fire? You're a disappointment, through and through. Jordan."

  Jordan's hand didn't stop shaking.

  "I see it now. When you stop being fixated the idea of the 'evil thing that killed your sister' you suddenly realise that I'm human. Not some monster. But an actual human being. Now you see that, you suddenly don't want to kill me."

  "No I do."

  "No you don't. You still have rounds in there. Shoot me, won't you? You can't bring yourself to kill a man with a family, can you?"

  "I... don't know what you mean."

  "The picture, in the bag. A little family painting. Made only 15 years ago."

  Jordan lowered the gun reluctantly.

  "Did you show me on purpose?"

  "No. But I 'felt' it when you suddenly reacted to it."

  "You..were so little. And.."

  "And I was smiling. I'm not smiling anymore; at least not as much as I did before. I still have a brother who might shed a tear if I disappear one day. But that doesn't change what I did to Lisa, does it?"

  "..It doesn't. And I will still kill you. But for you to be so confident..I bet I'd be walking into a trap; you've got magic powers after all I can't be sure you don't have a way out of it."

  "That's not true, boy."

  "Fine. I think cutting you up is far better. That way, I'll see you suffer, before you die." He unsheathed the rapier.

  "Bold move there, teacher's pet. You really believe you're capable of that kind of violence. That level of brutality? Come on, you could've just used the damn gun." William held the greatsword with both hands.

  Their conflict finally descended to violence.

  Jordan swung his sword in William's general direction. There was no grace in his style. Each swing was overdone; always wide enough to have an obvious opening, and slow enough to make the work of avoiding it even easier. His opponent dodged his slashes as though he was simply having a leisurely stroll- his movements were fluid and precise, to the point that in a moment it was completely obvious who was stronger.

  The fight continued, with Jordan completely incapable of landing a single strike.

  "Jordan, do you know that Lisa had the exact same problem as you?"

  Quill flinched for a second, and William took the opportunity to send him flying with a kick to the chest.

  "She didn't want to fight back. Just like you, the idea of hurting someone wasn't something she was okay with."

  Jordan got up and muttered something that was indecipherable. Rushing forward with rage, he swung his sword ferociously. He put in all his strength into every attack, but missed every time.

  "So she made it easier for me. Sorry. That wasn't what I meant. You see, she made it more fun."

  Veins popped on Quill's forehead and he stood still for a second.

  However, this time Jordan dodged William's kick and managed to slice through the sole of his shoe and leave a mark on his foot.

  "How do you like that?"

  "It feels... mediocre. I mean, you can't really get any worse than shooting me in the chest, right?" Hunter carefully dropped his left foot on the floor, staining the burnt grass crimson.

  Jordan rushed forward, pointing the blade at William's chest. The hunter easily sidestepped that attack and finally moved his sword to slash Jordan's sword arm. However, before the attack could reach it's target, the young man's free hand was dipped into his pocket, and the cloak around him wrapped itself around his sword arm. The blade struck the cloak as though it was striking metal.

  "Interesting. You rewrote the structure of the cloth you were wearing, increasing it's toughness. Making it more rigid. That thing wrapped around your arm isn't a piece of cloth anymore...

  Fascinating spell you've got there. And you casted it instantly."

  William smiled and sheathed his blade.

  "You're not fighting... you're not taking me seriously.."

  "Why would I? You're a kid. I originally wanted to test if you had it in you. If you had what it took to be a Mage. You don't."

  "What don't I have?"

  "You're not heartless, Jordan... you can't kill someone who is defenceless. You hesitate. And most of all, you don't have a mission."

  "A what?"

  "You don't have a plan. You have a general feel of where you want to be....but you don't have any idea on how to get there. You're just flailing around helplessly in the dark, hoping that if you put in enough blind effort, and react to issues when they pop up, you'll achieve your dreams in the end."

  Jordan frowned. Soon, tears welled up in his eyes. The defiant look still remained as the tears streamed down his cheeks.

  "So what? What's wrong with not wanting to kill people for my own benefit? What's wrong with being a human being?"

  "Nothing is. But remember, Mages aren't human. Or rather, we aren't fully human anymore. Fate is cruel. So is the demon. But that's common knowledge, isn't it?"

  Jordan tossed his sword to the ground.

  "I don't have what it takes to kill you. You've been holding back the entire time...am I right?"

  "Yes I have. Your tricks were quite amusing, I must add. But alas you won't win no matter how hard you try."

  "Are you f*cking immortal?"

  "No. Let's just say I'm like a cockroach." William grinned.

  "Whenever you've grown enough to give me a real challenge, you know where to find me. I won't leave Weidson." He said just before drinking the last drop of his wine and tossing the glass to the floor.

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  "My name is Iadis, and I come bearing news from the lord of blood, flesh and bone. Lord Vlad Sinclair has crossed the bounds of the spirit realm and arrived here."

  "Through the dimensional barrier?"

  "No. He was summoned into the alpha material realm. This one."

  "...Good information. But, where he goes isn't my business."

  "Indeed it isn't, great lord of beasts. However, we will require your services soon."

  "My services?"

  "Your strength would be put to good use under his command. Of course, you would be paying back the debt you owe to former lord Dracula."

  "I don't wish to do this. I just want to rest. It's almost daybreak."

  "I'm sorry, but you must come with me."

  A pitiful tiefling, commanding a being of my caliber...

  How far have I fallen?

  "It's alright. I will leave my domain and follow you. But first, I will give a message to the beasts serving under me."

  Almost immediately after completing that sentence, his jaws opened up. He took a very deep breath, sucking in a lot of air. Then he let it out. A deafening roar erupted from his maw. All the trees shook and several fell. The earth itself trembled.

  The roar caused several people who heard it to lose their sense of hearing. The sound of the roar travelled far and wide, across the dimensions, reaching the people of Weidson and Rimus.

  The roar caused the even the clouds to part.

  "This...this wasn't expected." The demonoid butler frowned. His ears were bleeding, but regenerating at an abnormal rate.

  "Harbinger of the vampires, you must understand what this message means..." Lycan grinned. The gigantic black wolf was still relaxed, his golden eyes staring straight at the tiefling.

  "You told them all... to go mad."

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