First Tale : Odin's Trust
Chapter VII
"Tales of Glast Heim have long since been passed from one person to another, but we must understand the true history of Glast Heim to understand the recent events and the reasons for their occurrence. It was a long time ago that Odin, Chief deity of the Gods of Rune Midgard, entrusted a great artifact, the one we know as the Jewel of the Damned, to mortals of our world. The Jewel was given for safe keeping to a great Crusader, who had distinguished himself in battle and in sword play many an year ago. The Crusader sealed off the Jewel, with the help of his comrades, and in time he too forgot about the trust that was placed in him. He forgot about Odin's Trust!"
- The words of Ghenravin as noted in the Journals Of Ghenravin, The Wanderer
"What in the name of Odin is going on here?", Hijo Ramurao asked, slowly rising to his feet as the two cloaked figures came forward.
"I am very surprised to see you here as well, master Hijo.", said Joshua Hirahim Heimus, throwing back the hood that had concealed his face.
"Joshua!", was all that the sword master could say in his amazement.
"Yes, indeed! Quite interesting isn't it? We are all gathered here right now and as we speak more bloodthirsty adventurers are catching up to us. Quite interesting is the situation that we are in. Very interesting indeed!", the taller stranger said, staring at Hijo through the hood that still concealed his face.
The sword master glanced at the stranger and then looked back at Joshua, noting the excitement in the acolyte's eyes and the occasional fear that cast a shadow over his face.
"Who are you?", Hijo asked, turning to the stranger, who had yet not removed his hood.
Joshua tried to reply, but the stranger simply motioned for him to be silent. He gazed at the sword master and said,
"There is little that you will find interesting about me. I am a mere wizard and the only reason I am here is because your student, or shall I say ex-student, Joshua invited me."
"Do you have a name or would you prefer to keep it secret as well?", Hijo asked, his sword arm still grasping the hilt of the katana blade.
Wizards were a dangerous folk and Hijo had fought a lot of them in his days as a Crusader. Every wizard had an extremely potent arsenal of spells and any one of them was usually more than enough to take care of the odd irritation. As such, they were quite difficult to kill, but one look at this wizard was more than enough for Hijo Ramurao to realize that he had to be on his guard at all times. His expert eye for minute details had spotted the wizard's twitching left hand early on. It was quite obvious that this wizard was also a student of the School of Sorcery. Twitching hands were a trademark of sorcerers and that usually meant that the sorcerer could cast his spell much faster than normal magic users. Such practitioners of the arcane arts channeled magic energy into their fingers at constant intervals, unlike regular magic users who stored their magic energy in their body and channeled it only when necessary. Sorcerers could cast most spells at least twice as fast as normal wizards and some of them could cast spells five times as fast! The advantage lied in their ability to cast spells fast and that usually meant an opponent had little time to react. Even if he managed to dodge one spell, the second volley would be close behind and would reach him easily before the opponent had any time to react. However, sorcerers also ended up having a distinct disadvantage. Since they kept their magic power in constant movement, and due to the low storing capacity of the hands, sorcerers could hold only half as much magic power as normal wizards! Their spells were powerful, of course, and one or two blasts were sufficient to take care of the odd foe, but prolonged battles tended to reduce their magic power to almost nothing and at such times, any opponent could take advantage.
There were powerful sorcerers, on the other hand, who could train themselves to store a lot of energy, but the wizard in front of Hijo Ramurao was clearly not of that type. His hands twitched repeatedly and Hijo took careful note of it. His eyes followed the slightest movement of every finger. His muscles tightened as he waited for the inevitable blast of magic power that would surge towards him. In the confines of the sewers, there wasn't much room to dodge at all and the possibility of survival was minimal. Maybe, just maybe, he could dodge a single blast, but he would have to take the wizard's head off as well. Dodging another spell was simply out of the question, especially with the narrow room available. Hijo felt his aging bones ache as his body realized the danger that it faced. Hijo thought about switching back to the old ways. Surely, they could give him tremendous advantage against any foe, but he had decided to stay away from them a long time ago. The power of those ways was too much for the sword master to handle and he had no intention of going beserk, especially not with a sorcerer standing right in front of him, ready to cast a spell and fry him to pieces.
"No, master Hijo, I shall not keep my name secret. It is not of much importance anyway. I am known as David J'Ragon Heimus, a simple wizard with simple means and simple intentions!", the wizard replied.
"I see. Well met David J'Ragon Heimus. But I must ask you what you are doing down here with my former student. It is quite strange to find two people wandering in the midst of this terrible stench and peril.", Hijo said, still waiting for that sudden blast of magic.
This time, it was Joshua who replied, "We came here looking for you, master Hijo. I went straight to David's home after I left the dojo and I asked him to help us out. The book I showed you earlier clearly pointed to the sewers of Glast Heim and I half expected to find you down here. You always were the curious type."
Hijo smiled, "I see. And now that we are here, Joshua, what are we to do next?"
The sword master did not mention the Crusader's seal that blocked the entrance to the unexplored levels of the sewers. His instincts were screaming at him, warning him about the wizard David, who accompanied Joshua. Unfortunately, David seemed to know about the seal already.
"Come come, master Hijo, why not open the seal and do some old fashioned exploration, hmm?", said the wizard, pointing towards the Crusader's seal.
"I already tried to open the seal, but I failed.", Hijo lied, hoping the two would give up and leave him alone.
"Tut tut!", David sighed, "Crusaders…and only crusaders may open a Crusader's seal, master Hijo. You and I are well aware of this, as is Joshua who was kind enough to bring me here. Now, why don't you open the seal before uninvited guests catch up to us and the whole situation becomes…how shall we put it…slightly unpleasant?"
Hijo clasped his sword hilt tightly and prepared to swing it. His instincts about the wizard had been right after all.
"David, how did you know about the Crusader's seal?", asked Joshua, slightly puzzled at the way matters were proceeding.
"I know many things, my friend. The seal yonder is a Crusader's seal and I think all of us know very well that such seals may be opened only by crusaders. It is common knowledge I think.", David said, moving a step backwards.
Joshua relaxed slightly, but Hijo Ramurao was not so easily fooled. The sword master noticed the sudden spark that erupted from David's hand as he moved back and within a fraction of a second, Hijo whipped his sword out and slashed at the wizard's wrist. Unfortunately, David was a lot quicker than he appeared to be and he blocked the blow with a staff that he had kept concealed under his robe.
"Very nicely done, master Hijo. Your reputation is well deserved, in which case you have already understood that I am a sorcerer. I am sure you know that you cannot survive my spells in this environment and you cannot stop me from casting them. The situation is in my favor, don't you think?", David said with a wide grin on his face.
"That is simply a matter of opinion.", Hijo said calmly, "If you do cast your spell and succeed in killing me, then you will have no one to open the seal for you. Did you not say that only a crusader could open the seal? So I believe that the situation is rather evenly balanced."
"Ahh, I believe what we have here is an old fashioned stalemate!", David said, still grinning, "The only problem is…I don't like stalemates!"
Hijo Ramurao dodged hard to the right, hammering himself against the side wall of the sewer, as a bolt of lightning erupted from the wizard's hand and struck against a metal grating, blasting a pipe in two pieces in the process. Joshua leapt out of the way as a piece of metal flew past him. His leap landed him in a puddle of water and did no good for his temper.
"DAVID! WHAT IN THE NAME OF ODIN ARE YOU DOING?", Joshua asked, struggling to his feet.
"I am simply doing what should have been done many years ago, Joshua. The power sealed inside these sewers will allow me to improve my powers tenfold. The Jewel of the Damned will give me the power to be the strongest of all wizards. My sorcery will no longer limit my power and with the Jewel in my possession, I shall be able to defeat all the wizards in the land!", David said as sparks began to erupt from his hands.
"Jewel of the Damned? Have you lost your mind David?", Joshua asked, bewildered by the wizard's sudden declaration of his intentions.
"Yes, Joshua, did your former master not tell you? The Jewel was entrusted to him to be kept safely out of human hands. Is this not true, sword master Hijo Ramurao?", David hissed as another bolt of lightning sprang forth.
Hijo leapt as high as he could, grasping a metal pipe and executing a perfect somersault as the bolt struck the floor, precisely where he had been standing, and shattered the tiles around it. Landing on his feet, Hijo brandished his katana blade, thinking over the wizard's words. Memories flashed in his mind in bits and pieces and he struggled to put them all together. Somehow, David's words rang true, but Hijo could not remember anything of the sort. He could not remember a jewel or anyone entrusting him with anything.
"Have I forgotten something about my past?", Hijo thought as he dodged another lightning bolt, "What is this wizard talking about?"
"So you will not speak, hmm?", David said, juggling a lightning ball, "Very well, I will have to open the seal with your blood then! I never wanted to kill you, but what can I do? Such uncooperative people in the world these days!"
Bolts of lightning sprang forth and hammered into the sewer walls. Hijo Ramurao dodged left and right. Some of the bolts flew past his head and others came close to hitting him. But not all of them missed. The sword master's head struck against the sewer wall and his body collapsed in a heap as a lightning bolt connected with his body. The electric surge sent a violent shock down his spine and Hijo Ramurao shivered as he lay on the floor, still suffering the after effects of the bolt. His hands and feet felt numb and he couldn't move an inch. His body shivered as a few sparks flew around due to the static power of the lightning bolt.
"I did not want to kill you, Hijo Ramurao, but you leave me no choice. I believe a crusader's blood is all that is needed to open the seal. Well, your blood will have to do! Now…FEEL MY WRATH! IMPERIA MORTIS SARDOR…I SUMMON THE POWERS OF THE SKY…FEEL MY WRATH…JUPITER THUNDER!", David J'Ragon Heimus called out as a ball of lightning formed above his head. Lightning currents spewed forth from the ball and covered the wizard's body, forming a sort of force field all around him!
Joshua, seeing David calling forth his powerful death spell, rushed towards him in a surge of anger, "You traitor! I curse the day I called you my friend. I will not allow you to kill my master!"
"Fool. Perish along with your master, if that is your wish!", David hissed as a single lightning current dislodged itself from the force field and hammered into Joshua.
The current surge sent the acolyte flying into the air and his head struck the ceiling of the sewers. His body recoiled under the impact and landed on a broken pipe, instantly impaling him through the chest! Hijo Ramurao watched the blood spew forth from his former student's mouth and he tried his best to move. But the shock from the earlier lightning bolt held him firmly in place and his muscles refused to budge. His sword arm still held the katana blade, but all Hijo Ramurao could do was twitch his wrist and that didn't help him at all. He struggled to speak, but his mouth would not move. His body refused to dance to his will and for Hijo, the fastest sword master in the kingdom of Rune Midgard, that realization struck him harder than any lightning bolt ever had. He felt like his legs and arms had been cut off and as he gazed at the ball of lightning and the wizard that wielded it, the sword master sensed the jaws of death closing around him.
"And so…the life of the great Hijo Ramurao shall be extinguished by my hands and soon, I shall be the most powerful wizard in the entire kingdom!", David shouted in glee.
"Like my master said before, that is a matter of opinion!", a voice said, "GRYPHON GROUND WAVE!"
David J'Ragon Heimus slowly turned his head and gazed at the wall of water that was suddenly surging towards him. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped at the sight and the wizard failed to see sword master Hijo Ramurao smile as the wall of water came crashing down on his head!
