Fear Not The Elf Who Knows 10,000 Spells - Chapter 19

I flew as fast as I could across the storm of spells.

I swerved and dodged fireballs exploding, giving off heat and light so bright, even miles away, I still felt the phantom heat.

Barrel rolled and avoided a slow moving ball of lightning that appeared out of nowhere, exploded into a giant tesla ball grabbing and electrocuting anyone caught in its radius.

"Trenn! There's too many of them!" Schroff shouted flying on a broom like in Harry Potter next to me. For some reason his voice and words reminded me of the younglings about to be killed in Revenge of the Sith.

Something seemed off about that. Did Schroff know how to fly? A memory of us flying over the mountain with fish came to mind. Oh, yeah, right.

"Just try to hold on so we can get away!" I shouted over the wind and a tornado stood in the background, growing bigger and closer.

"We have to save them!" Schroff said, half turning back, as I saw the villagers from Ackerheim blow in freefall in the wind. Some were unable to control their trajectory, and others were able to fly on their own as expected.

"Later! We can come back later!" I tried to call out.

The tornado suddenly moved in rapid speed. It grew larger as it got closer and closer too fast for normal wind construct.

The air grew colder, harsher. I expected the air swirls to be sharp as razors.

I shouted for Schroff as he was devoured by the wind, and as it passed me by, I was flung around, feeling the freezing bite of the cold air, yet it didn't hurt beyond that.

I tried to control myself, my flight path. I called on flying magic, trying to save myself. No, I'll be fine. I tried to reach out to Schroff. He looked so small so far away as he was dragged to the smaller tornado within the colossal one that took us into itself.

Except this smaller tornado sudden turned black, as if the wind itself was becoming dark. Somehow without smoke or smog, just shadows as wind.

And from the smaller tornado emerged the shadowy figure, the being within the Death Tunnel. The Ancient Einsam extended its arm to grab and Schroff.

"SCHROFF!" I shouted. Fear emblazed in my heart as I tried to fly away.

With its free hand the Ancient Einsam extended its arm, hand open and fingers extended out like a spider's web. The strings far too thin but too numerous, making it seem like a bigger hand. Even one grabbing me would be the end.

As the strings making up the shadowy hand grew closer, they turned into translucent worms, trying to devour me in it's mouth that looked like a tunnel with jagged long, sharp rocks as teeth.

I needed to fly back, to kill it!

I grabbed my enchanted sword's sheath, placing it at my side like a katana. It weighed nothing.

With my other hand, I grabbed the hilt, focused my mana and drew my blade.

"Reelseiden!" I shouted.

Nothing happened. The wind didn't even move.

I sheathed the sword and tried to quick draw it again and again.

I barely saw wind scythe form. It was like trying to make a lake's water ripple by waving your hand at the surface.

The shadowy hand of worm strings drew near.

I gathered what I could of my mana, the heat inside me that burned in my veins. I focused it this time, condensed it and concentrated it.

Willing everything of this strike to cut the monster. Cut this world.

"REELSEIDEN!" I roared.

My eyes fluttered. It was so cold. The wind was harsh. When did I fly—

When did I get here? Where is here—

WAKE UP! WAKE UP! WAKEUP!

===x===

My eyes fluttered open, as if fighting against a heavy mental weight.

I was falling.

And just like that, they spanned open to the waking world, even if I blinked a few times, not fully focused yet.

I was falling. Adrenaline shot through my nerves, electricity firing them up, heat was in my blood veins, as my brain clear, on fire and sleepy all at once. Thankfully the last bit was being erased away by the shit danger of the situation.

"Luftstieg!" I shouted, casting the Flight Magic without pausing. Yet the momentum was too much. I couldn't push against all the force pulling me down.

Fuck, the flight spell isn't gravity magic. I suspected that, yet that moment cemented it.

I could feel the force slamming me toward the ground. Fighting against it was herculean.

"I need... bleed momentum. Need to bleed momentum!" I called out. Shouting just to hear my voice and be sure I'm awake.

A memory struck into my mind like a lightning bolt. Of someone on a mountain cliff sliding themselves down on a carpet and flying by using the drag force. I think that's what it's called to glide on the wind.

No. Focus.

I using the flying spell to orient myself to face the ground head first. Easy so far. With mana detection I knew I was fourteen and a bit kilometers away from the ground. Thank fuck I didn't wake up later than this. Maybe.

"Phaitagurd!" I cast the barrier spell, except I made it into a single file sheet, and held onto the top edge.

Then along with flight magic, slowly, slowly, to capture the wind, I angle the barrier away from ninety degreed while riding the barrier like a flying carpet.

The wind hitting me from falling started push against the barrier. My descend slowed. Bit by bit I was gliding down at an angle, as more and more of the momentum died off and more and more I could control my own fall.

"Holy shit, I'm fucking Aladdinning it!" I laughed out from sheer shock.

I kept slowing speed the more the Flight Magic asserted itself on my movement, till somewhere at the twelve kilometer or so mark off the ground, I finally regained control completely.

I was back to flying under my own power, not that of nature.

"Fuck you! Take that gravity!" I cried out, running a hand through my hair, grabbing and pulling at it with my hand. With my other hand I put it in my mouth and bit on it, just to be sure the pain was real. That I was awake and alive.

"Bravo~." I heard Minus talking through our link, and even the sound of clapping.

"Right. You're still there." I sighed and as if with the sound of her voice, the presence of her magic link was suddenly obvious again to my senses. Not like it wasn't there, but I couldn't be arsed to focus on it with everything a minute ago.

"Of course I'm still here, young Trenn. I wouldn't miss your comical adventures for anything." Minus said with a smile in her voice.

"Glad, you're fucking entertained." I said with a huff, uncaring about being polite right now.

Minus giggled back.

With the rush finally dying down, I could somewhat be calm enough to think and plan and not react.

I was still ways away from Ackerheim. I don't know how much.

However, all the stunts I did burned through the mana Minus gave me by about a quarter.

Huh. No wonder my both doesn't feel as heated from the inside. Good. I can think again.

Doing the orbital fly and drop was dumb fucking idea.

But the magnet slingshot wasn't. I should have just done that from the start in a straight line.

Looking at the landmarks around me with the hawkeye sight spell I got the idea that I maybe covered a third of the way to Ackerheim.

"How long was I out?" I asked Minus.

"Not long. Only two or so minutes." Minus replied.

I blinked in surprise at that.

"Oh. Good." Shit. Falling from 40 km to 15 km in about two minutes? Fuck, gravity is bullshit. Or is that terminal velocity?

I shook my head. Same thing, and not isn't the time.

A quick mental review showed, it's been barely fifteen minutes since he left Schwanz. Maybe less. It took him what? Five? Ten minutes to reach 40 km skyward? No, less than ten minutes.

Okay, Magnet Slingshot Spell is better for travel than I thought. I'm pretty sure I broke the sound barrier.

...I can break the sound barrier. Using it with Jilwer, I don't need to worry at all about reaching Ackerheim. I don't need anything fancy, just straight up head there.

I adjusted my flying direction back to east toward the towns on the way to the mountain.

I'll probably have to zigzag once or twice to get Ackerheim right. But if I pass it, that means I've reached it, and could get back to it.

I used Mana Detection: Line Mode once more. I tilted the angle 10 degrees upward, and readied the spell.

Like before I cast the weight lessening spell on myself and the barrier for protection against wind resistance. Then I cast Jilwer as the world slowed around me. Slowed by an order of magnitude more than normal.

Wait. What? Why? By how much? When did the spell improve? Why?

No. Not now! Now's the time to head to Ackerheim. Magic discovery later.

I took a breath and let it out. Right, time to get going. I grabbed my—Minus' mana! I reminded myself.

I grabbed Minus' mana and prepared to cast my spells for another rapid flight toss, when a thought occurred to me.

"I need a name for this." I muttered to myself.

I cast the spell, watched it take shape as a mana point was formed at the end of my mana detection line.

The pull started to take hold. From the magic itself as I studied and read it possibility for names arrived. I grinned and picked from the dumbest ones.

"Schnellwurf." I cast the spell, and was launched forward.

This time I heard the sound barrier break, with the sonic boom around my Defensive Magic.

I yelled and shouted in excitement as I saw the world pass around me in a blur. Even with Jilwer's fastened perception, the world still looked like it moved on fast forward.

I kept the flying spell up. Not to help with flying, but to act as a force against gravity, just pushing down against the pull at bare minimum to keep me at the twelve kilometer height mark.

I think I'm going faster or at least further than I thought without losing momentum.

Awesome!

"WOOOOOOHHOOOOOO!"

===x===

Minus, The Witch POV:

Minus smiled as she watched Trenn repeat this insane travel method, under more control circumstances now.

How utterly surprising. To think he'd invent something to allow him to cross the distance, and do so, so quickly?

She didn't understand why he travelled upward first thought? Maybe the fever heat of her foreign mana was getting to him?

Truthfully, Trenn's use of magic, his instinct for it was almost... she knew he was human. And she was sure anyone who heard this comparison would have been insulted, but she meant it with her sincerest intend as a compliment.

Trenn's instinct toward magic was reminiscent to that of a demon.

Demons instinctively understood and commanded magic on a level, all sapient races have yet to unravel and understand. Flight Magic for example is still a mystery even to this day. It was just simply studied enough to be replicated for use of sapient races, but the inner details still elude humans to this day.

It was the same for this human boy. The way he approached and used magic was instinctively on a level she's never seen before. Watching that creativity come to life, due to sheer desire and necessity was a fascinating thing to watch.

Hmm, he should be able to make to that town in a few minutes based on his speed, and corrections he kept making to his flight path. I'd say... 10 minutes at most?

Minus out of curiosity turned her sight toward the town of Ackerheim, using her mana detection to extended far till it reached the town, and with Sight-Through Mana, she looked through it till she found's young Trenn's mentor.

Minus paused for a moment, surprised at this... well not surprised. This outcome was predictable as something likely in human conflict.

Now she wondered how young Trenn will react to this new dilemma.

How interesting.

===x===

I reached Ackerheim with over an hour, maybe even over an hour and a half to spare.

Pretty sure I might have passed over the invading army, but I was going too fast for them to react.

I almost passed by Ackerheim, but the closer I got, the easier it became to correct my trajectory, as the landmark became more and more familiar. Even more so when I could feel people with my mana detection.

Reaching town, I immediately searched for Schroff's mana signature, and flew over to him. The town's guard are gonna be pissed and run over to find me, after reporting me to the town's mayor, but I really didn't care right now.

Schroff was thankfully in our inn room, so he wasn't hard to find. I'm surprised that he stayed put but was thankful to it.

Yet something was odd. As I entered the building the climbed up the stairs to our room, I found an odd scene.

There were too many people there at the room's door.

There were owners of the inn. Mr. Gerwin, and his daughters, Lina and Mira. The girls were the first to notice me, and move first aside to let me walk in.

"Trenn..." Lina said with a sad tone. For a moment, my heart dropped as I expected the worst, but that doesn't make sense. I can sense Schroff in the room up ahead, and from his mana I know he's alive.

Although, looking closer...

"Seriously, kid, where have you been? Although, it's probably a good thing you weren't around." Mira facepalmed, grumbling to herself, sounding like her father.

"Hey, kid! Heard you went off to Schwanz. Did you make it there and back? No, that doesn't make sense. It's good that you turned around and came back though." A guy in this thirties spoke up, with a quick hurry in his tone, but it's normal for him. I'm not sure what his name was. Something with a 'K'. He was basically town's news spreader, or gossip monger. "It's old Schroff, Trenn. It's bad, it's pretty bad kid."

Basically a busybody, the town's fool. There's always that one annoying person in each town, and he's Ackerheim's.

"Kaspar, shut your damn useless mouth!" Said Mr. Gerwin through gritted teeth, shutting Kaspar—Right! His name was Kaspar. I don't think I'll remember it—down. Mr. Gerwin looked at me with more sympathetic eyes, before he sighed. He came over and took me by the shoulders, gently guiding me into the room. "Come on, Trenn. Just... brace yourself."

And like that I prepared for the worst. He's in a vegetable state isn't he?

I entered the room to see a guard already there, making me blink a few times.

"Hey, what's a kid doing here?" Asked the gruff guard, scowling about everything.

"Leave him be. He's Schroff's apprentice, he should be here." Mr. Gerwin said back with a frown.

The guard just crossed his arms and looked at the only window in the room.

"Alarich, how bad is it?" Mr. Gerwin asked the town's herbalist, who ran the the local apothecary. He let go of me as he saw Schroff, looking discomforted by seeing the old hunter in his condition. No matter his attitude, Schroff was someone a lot of people knew and depended on, and thus someone a lot of people cared about, even if he didn't notice or seemingly care.

I couldn't focus on anyone talking once I saw Schroff for myself.

His face was pale, yet he was sweating while asleep. There was bandaged around his torso, yet I could see green lines, not fully spreading like veins under his skin, going around his chest, arms and neck.

"Green‑vein fever." The doctor, well, town equivalent said with a sigh of resignation. "I'm... sorry, I..." As he turned, he only now noticed me. "Trenn, my boy, I'm sorry you..." He began as he placed a hand on my shoulder, trying to be comforting. "I'm afraid, Schroff is gonna be with us for long. We should let him rest."

I looked at the guard who was looking back at me scowling, yet it wasn't irritation directed at me, but the situation. The people around me were all sorrowful and mournful and weren't explaining anything.

"What is it?" I finally spoke. "What happened? What's the cause? Is there a cure? If there isn't, why?" Whatever kindness could be found in my voice was long gone. Something cold snapped into my tone, making everyone be set on edge.

Even the guard looked at me surprised, like he was seeing someone he never thought was dangerous, suddenly appear so.

"It... It's poison—"

"I gathered that." I replied, cutting him off, as I almost snapped. "I don't need platitudes, I need answers."

"Boy, they're trying to be nice about your old man dying." The guard finally lost his patience

"Kolmar!" Mr. Gerwin shouted at the man.

"If the kid is his apprentice then he's in just as much danger." Kolmar the guard said back, no longer holding pleasantries. "He was attacked by an assassin. One of the damn Coalition rogues snuck into town and did the deed to any magic using fellas. That means, you're also in danger kid, and need to get out of here."

You know what? I liked this asshole. He got to the point.

"Thanks." I nodded to the guard, who looked at me strange at my reaction. "So he was poisoned." I addressed the herbalist. "You called it Green-vein fever. What is it? What's the problem with its cure?"

Alarich looked at me conflicted for a moment, before sighing and finally explain.

"The poison is called Verdant Bane. There is this plant that grows in damp caves called Frost-ivy. The milky sap of that vine is the main ingredient of that poison. A simple scratch of that vine can kill a person in a matter of hours, without them ever knowing why." Alarich sighed. "It starts with low fever, numb extremities, then..."

Schroff groaned. He let out a cough, making me almost think he was choking.

He blinked a few times as he took deep breaths, like he was drowning before.

Schroff looked around to see everyone before his eyes landed on me.

"You didn't get yourself killed. Good." He said, he like wasn't dying right now.

"Löwenjunges and everyone else managed to take care of things at Schwanz." I said quickly, looking at Kolmar and speaking directly at him to get his attention. "I rush over to here when I learned at the army attacking Schwanz left for here 13 days ago. They had left a small company of a hundred at Schwanz, but those are done with."

"Wait, what?!" Kolmar shouted as other cried out in surprise.

"The army coming here, from what the Elves Shields at Schwanz could gather are five hundred strong. Three hundred and fifty, a mix of Warriors, Archers and Lancer, and a hundred and fifty Mages."

"Oh Goddess..." One of the girls muttered.

"Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit!" Kaspar shouted as he ran out. Likely to shout out what he heard to anyone willing to listen.

"You sure about that kid. This isn't the time to—" The guard began.

"Yes. I am." I said with all the will of someone done with everyone's shit. "I flew over them on the way here. We have an hour before they reach us from the west gate. Maybe a little bit more."

The guard looking from me to the sword on my back. A realization came to him. The realization that he wasn't looking at a kid, but someone bloodied. And that likely explained why I seemed off to him. He nodded at me once, before turning Schroff.

"You heard your boy." Kolmar said.

"If he said it, it's true. Kid isn't a prankster." Schroff grunted. Kolmar held the old man's gaze, and nodded.

"Take care you old bastard." Kolmar said, about to head out.

"Ha! As if I need your luck, you little shit—GUH!" Schroff cried out. He suddenly started twitching, and his muscles contracted out of control. One hand held his chest, as if trying to grab his own heart. The other was stretched, frozen stiff.

He was wide eyed in pain, as his back arching like he was possessed. Schroff looked like he wanted to scream in pain, but his throat was locked up.

The girls screamed. I moved to try and grab him. Hold him so he doesn't hurt himself.

"No one touch him!" Alarich shouted, stopping me and Kolmar in our tracks. "Just wait and it will pass. Schorff, breathe. I know this is difficult but try and breathe. Focus on that."

Schroff pushed through the pain, through gritted teeth, as the muscle spams slowly lessened. Finally he could move both arms, clenching and unclenching his fists.

"You're gonna be alright?" Kolmar asked.

"Go do your fucking job, brat!" Schroff growled. Kolmar hesitantly smirked and walked out.

Mr. Gerwin seeing Schroff awake and... well-ish, took his daughters and left as well, to give us some privacy, giving Schroff a respectful nod on the way out, which the old man returned.

"Alarich..." Schroff sat up. Now the herbalist helped him, me as well. Alarich grabbed Schroff's arms, doing something that looked like a mix between a massage and what a chiropractor would do. "How long do I have left?"

"..." Alarich looked down, focusing on the arms in frustration.

"Alarich!" Schroff grabbed the herbalist's hands. "I'm getting seizures. I know what Green-vein fever is. How. Long?"

"This shit had stages." I growled out.

Alarich looked between me and Schroff, before sighing in surrender.

"Low fever in minutes after being poisoned. Numbness to follow. Muscles seizures in two hours. Fatal paralysis of the diaphragm can cause suffocation within six to eight  hours." Alarich explained. "That is the normal case for Verdant Bane if made from the Frost-ivy in its natural habitat. Given the relative slowness with you, Schroff, you had numbness after an hour. Now seizures six hours in..."

"I have a day." Schroff concluded.

My ears began to ring.

"Tomorrow at sunset." Alarich sighed. "That's the best I can give you."

"Treatment." I said, almost shouted. "Every poison has an antidote."

Alarich shook his head, while Schroff... laid back his head on the pillow.

"There is one." Alarich. "Shineglow Moss, but there are no caves around that hold them. The last batch I had were sold out last week. I'm sorry."

"It's alright, Alarich. Frost-ivy isn't found in the wild. No one expects this." Schroff said.

"I should have—" Alarich began.

"Baaah!" Schroff shouted and waved him off. "Enough with shoulds. Be useful and get me a paper and pen."

Alarich nodded and started looking into his bag.

"Trenn," He turned his head to me. "I'm sorry, I couldn't teach you everything as much as you wanted." He looked ahead with a resigned smile. "Not as good as a keeper of my tribe's teachings as I should have been. Still so much to tell you. Well, I kept some notes in my room, under the wardrobe. Just move the whole thing, or ripe it off if you need to..."

Schroff began to ramble, and all I could focus on was the rage beating in my chest and pumping in my ears.

"Minus." I spoke to the elf mage. "Do you have a solution?"

"This time isn't going to be for free, nor would it come cheap." Minus replied.

"I accept." I replied right away.

"I might have you kill someone for me. Would you be willing to go that far?" She asked.

"If it's not someone I know or care about, then fine."

"I will not aid you directly nor will I solve your problems for you, young Trenn. I can however, provide you a chance."

"Good enough. Anything!"

"Hmm," Minus hummed in amusement. "I can work with that."

I felt something pass through the magical link and find purchase in me, like a hook in my soul.

I made sure not to show any reaction. It wasn't painful anyway, just very uncomfortable.

"Shineglow Moss, like the human potion-maker said, is found in damp caves. And since none are around, they are imported for the most part to this region. However," Minus began to explain. I could feel her smirk. "There is one place in which it should still naturally grow, in the mountains of Froststaub, there should be a tunnel that goes all the way through the mountain. There you will find it."

I remembered then the fluorescent moss found in the Death Tunnel. My eyes widened as I realized what I must do.

"Of course, from what I remember some powerful monster resides in that tunnel. An old Einsam that showed skill past what it's kin could demonstrate. It's age made it wise, so you should be careful against it." Minus said, and the hot and cool, of rage and fear danced in my belly and chest. "Of course, there's still that army coming you must worry about. However, I suppose if you bring the old human here to Hochfeld where I'm staying I could looking after him."

Even though Minus was speaking using the link, so she should sound clear as day, it felt like it was buffered by a wall.

"It's fine." I said, to both Schroff making him pause, and to Minus. "Please don't worry." I smiled at the old man. "I'll take care of everything. I'll be back."

"Eh, boy!" Schroff tried to call out, but I was already outside the door.

I stop thinking about this in complex terms. Things needed to die in order to save my mentor.

An assassin.

An army.

A monster.

Plain and simple. Find them. Kill them. Return before sunset tomorrow. The end.