Chapter 97 - The Fire Mage (Part 1)

  As we reached the end of the area, we entered a barricade.

  "Should I use magic to take it down?" I asked Sifu, already preparing my hand.

  "Go ahead, if there’s anything behind it, we’ll ha," he replied, assuming a bat stance.

  I focused my mana into my hand and released a strong gust of wind, blowing the barricade away.

  "No!" a desperate voice cried out. "Please! Mercy!"

  Sifu and I exged gnces, immediately o, and we moved into the room, which looked like it had been used as a dining area. I kept my sword pointed ahead, while Sifu was ready to strike, his palms raised, likely with his Aura activated.

  "Please! Don’t hurt me!" the voice pleaded again.

  roached cautiously and found a soldier sitting on the ground, visibly injured. I discreetly pointed a fi him, ready to unleash a paralyzing bolt of lightning if he made any sudden moves.

  "Speak!" Sifu aernly.

  "Please! I need help," the soldier begged, clutg his stomach where a nasty wound bled.

  "Tell us everything, and we’ll help you, but don’t even think about deceiving us. You know the crime you itted on this nd and the punishment that awaits. If you reveal your motives and the leader of the gang, you’ll be spared from the death penalty," Sifu said firmly.

  The soldier quickly nodded, fear evident on his face.

  "Just get me out of here! Before she es back," he said, his voice trembling.

  "’She’?" I asked, fused.

  The soldier looked at me, then at the door we had ehrough.

  He robably trying to recile the sight of an 11-year-old holding a sword to his neck.

  "What happened here?" Sifu tihe interrogation.

  "She came out of nowhere! She did this to us; you have to get me out of here," he pleaded, his desperation clear.

  "What do you mean 'she'?" I pressed.

  "A peared here. She arrived st night and did what you saw. She went on a rampage, killing everyone, burning them, mutiting them," he expined, his voice shaky.

  "What does this woman look like?" Sifu asked.

  "Terrifying! Absolutely terrifying! That woman isn’t normal," the soldier answered, still trembling.

  I exged a look with Sifu.

  "Sounds like these guys were double-crossed," I murmured.

  Sifu nodded in agreement.

  "Why did you it that crime? Who ordered the atta the vilge’s crops? We want to know everything about yang," Sifu tinued questioning.

  "We were hired," the soldier revealed, his voice wavering.

  "Hired?" I asked, surprised.

  Someone hired these guys to do that? Why would anyone do that?

  "Let me guess, it was through the 'underworld'? Some pce where criminals and meraries anize?" Sifu asked, already anticipating the answer.

  The man nodded.

  "This person hired us and provided all this equipment. We were supposed to burain crops and then we’d get more money depending on how many fields we destroyed," he expined, his voice weak.

  My mind started rag. Whoever was behind this wasn’t just aiming to cause physical damage.

  This was an atta the very ey of the region.

  As soon as the soldier mentiohe offer of moo destroy crops, I saw fury wash over Sifu. He grabbed the soldier by the neck, his expression severe.

  “You’re kidding me? You were going to make money by destroying the livelihoods of families? Do you have any idea how much that would hurt those people? I doubt you would have stopped at just that one vilge,” Sifu’s voice dripped with anger.

  The soldier swallowed hard, visibly terrified, and Sifu pushed him away with a shove.

  “Probably a corrupt noble,” Sifu said, turning to me.

  “A noble? Why would they do something like this?” I asked, fused.

  “I don’t know. It could be someone from outside the duchy or a dispute between loobles. I’ll have to check which baron has authority over those nds and see if he’s had any flicts with anyone,” he replied, deep in thought.

  I stepped back a bit, eyeing the injured soldier.

  “What do we do?” I asked again, trying to uand our move.

  “He’s a valuable source of information. We’ll take him back safely and make sure he’s really told us everything…” Sifu chuckled at the word ‘make sure,’ and I kly what he meant.

  I guess I’ll be seeing the castle maids extrag information from this guy in the worst possible ways.

  “We’re going to tie you up and hand you over,” Sifu told the soldier, who was now visibly panig.

  “Just get me out of here and treat me... I don’t want to die,” he pleaded, clutg his stomach wound.

  Sifu approached him.

  “What kind of mage are you?” he asked.

  “I’m not a mage,” the soldier replied, scared.

  Sifu shot me a gnce, and I stepped closer to the soldier, pg my hand over his wound.

  “Damn it! I’m injured!” he yelled, but I cut him off.

  “Shut up,” I said, fog. Without the warm sensation of mana flowing into a Gem, it was clear he wasn’t a mage.

  “He’s really not a mage, so just tying him up will do,” I firmed.

  “ you walk?” Sifu asked.

  The soldier shook his head, fear clearly written on his face.

  Great... we'll have to carry him...

  We had to help the injured soldier stand. Sifu supported him over his shoulders while I stayed behind them, ready to fire a lightning bolt if necessary. Though Sifu was incredibly skilled, I kept a close eye on the soldier’s every movement, making sure we stripped him of any ons he might have.

  “Good thing there’s that other horse. I’ll take him to where we left ours. you catch up to us through the forest?” Sifu asked, as he fiying up the soldier who was now lying on the ground.

  “Of course,” I replied fidently.

  We were getting ready to head toward the horse when the sound of approag hooves reached us.

  ‘Clip-clop’ — the sounds grew louder.

  We turo see two men on horseback speeding dowrail. They spotted us, clearly startled, and then exged a gnce.

  “Report! Quickly!” one of them shouted before they both turned and began to flee in panic.

  “Nathan!” Sifu shouted, wasting no time.

  I aimed my hands and unleashed a burst of air in their dire, knog them off their horses.

  “Mages! Damn mages!” one of them yelled as he scrambled to his feet. The other tried to make a run for the forest.

  "We 't let them get away," Sifu ordered, already sprinting after one of them. Without hesitation, I chased after the other.

  "And what about me, damn it!? I'm defenseless here!" the tied-up soldier yelled from the ground, but we pletely ignored him.

  "Try not to kill him!" Sifu shouted as he disappeared iher dire.

  I ran with everything I had, determio catch the fleeing soldier before he could escape and warhers.

  "You too, old man," I muttered, pushing myself harder as I chased after the soldier. I cursed my short legs, realizing he was gaining distance. If he were a mage, he would have already unched an attack, but it seemed the only thing he had on his side was desperation.

  The gap between us was widening, and frustration built up inside me. My 11-year-old legs just weren't up to the challenge.

  "I'm going to have to use it," I murmured to myself.

  I trated my mana, letting it flow through my entire body. Sparks began to dance ay skin, fog mainly on my legs. Then, I summohe Wind element, eling it behind me, creating a force that pushed me forward.

  "Thunder Impulse," I whispered as the spell activated.

  My body shot forward with ued force, the world around me being a blur of colors and shapes as I closed the distaween me and the fleeing soldier in mere seds. The trees fshed by in the blink of an eye, and soon I was almost upon him.

  Feeling the ground nearly vanish beh my feet, I pushed myself even faster, electricity surging around me like a lightning bolt ready to strike its target. I knew I had to capture him quickly, before he had any ce to escape and alert others.