Warlock of the Magus World – Redux

"Where are the Magi Lords at?!"

"We need their help!" -A few flustered voices sounded.

"Quit that racket-- Damnit! A giant storm sprite!" -One white robe was fast to reach the Hall.

"How could we meet with this thing on this route?! Didn't we clear it before?!" -Complained a bulky white robe.

"Let us first activate the large-scale defense spell formation. If not, these acolytes will surely die!" -The first white robe exclaimed.

Following a quick series of incantations, the walls on the dirigible were enveloped by a layer of milky white light from the inside. All cracks in the airship flashed with a green light, as vines climbed up and firmly blocked any openings.

When the giant storm sprite had vocalized its rage earlier, the acolytes had felt an ice-cold force pressing down on them; choking the air out of their lungs.

'Such boundless and raw malice... This aura would've definitely made me breathless, were I not who I am. This is simply not enough killing intent to reach the apex.' -Leylin was the only one who was still on his two feet, not counting the Magi.

Fortunately for him, no one had noticed his lack of a reaction, since the defense spell formation was activated almost immediately and everyone felt much better once the pressure had been lifted.

[Most of the acolytes in the cafeteria might have died from suffocation moments later, if not for the timely intervention of the white robes!] -Pointed out Aralis.

'As much as I would've loved to witness that scene, it would've been more trouble than what it was worth. But given how the Magi have already made their move, it is only a matter of time before this issue gets resolved.' -Leylin thought calmly.

[You're being awfully serene about this. How can you trust the Magi so?] -Aralis questioned confused.

'As I said, the white robes are here to prevent this kind of circumstances from escalating and killing us all. Taking into account how this creature seems to be guarding its territory and that our dirigible has a charted course to the different academies, it could only mean that the crew has prepared for this type of contingency. That, or we are entirely screwed. If this is to be our end, then there's nothing I can do about it.' -Leylin shrugged.

[Oh...]

"Humans! You must now pay the price of your folly!" -The giant storm sprite howled.

As the sound waves traveled through the defense spell formation, the milky white light vibrated.

"Mighty being of nature! Please appease your fury! We have a letter here!" -A familiar voice rang beside Leylin's ears; it was the dirigible captain.

"This is the letter of agreement that we signed with His Majesty, the Storm King Sprite, which grants us passage through this area!" -Captain Kirkwul said with a voice full of confidence.

Leylin smirked imperceptibly.

"Letter of agreement?" -The giant storm sprite's voice contained suspicion, which he followed up with a furious roar: "Pendra is free! The agreement does not bind me!"

"Keep roaring, lightning of the briny domain! Rage on! Damikan Buthra!" -With the incantation spoken, the thunderstorm outside became ten times more violent than before.

"It is a stray! We've hit the bad-luck jackpot!" -Kirkwul's voice sounded once again, but it did not carry the usual confidence and was infused with exasperation instead.

"Everyone attack together! Hit it with everything you've got!" -Yelled Dorotte.

A lot of brilliant green and red lights flashed continuously outside the window, clashing with the sprite's lightning.

The dirigible deliberately started to evade at speed in order to avoid the most dangerous thunderbolts.

Every acolyte's face turned deadly pale. Even Jayden's. They could only pray for the Magi to exhibit their might and chase that darn giant storm sprite away, otherwise, they would not even be able to escape since they were stuck high up in the sky.

[You were saying?! It's an outright war out there! What do you want me to do, Doctor? Activate the ESP Matrix?] -Aralis expressed concern.

'No use doing that, and you know it. I would only stand in their way if I tried anything. What's left for me to do, is to patiently wait for the result of this battle between arcane heavyweights.'

Just then, there was another rumble, and the dirigible recovered its stability and cruising speed gradually.

"Has it finally left us alone...?" -Jayden asked with somewhat trembling hands.

"It was a mere giant storm sprite that had just recently matured! They are only comparable to half of an elemental Magus at most. With nine of us here, its running away was a self-evident outcome." -Dorotte explained, his demeanor not showing any anxiety, as if he hadn't been fighting a mystical force of nature a minute ago.

When the acolytes heard those words, they all shouted and cheered loudly.

"Wooo! To our great Magi Lords!"

"Ooof! I thought we would fall to the ocean and be smashed into minced meat!"

"Haha! Look at that coward; he actually peed in his pants!" -The acolytes all mocked an unlucky acolyte and vented the fear that they had locked in their hearts for that instant.

The sounds of the other Magi discussing the occurred event could be heard from the hallway that led to the upper decks. It obviously did not take a lot of effort for them, which eased the minds of the acolytes even further.

Leylin's eyes now investigated the aftermath of that battle.

When the giant storm sprite discoursed earlier, Jayden had already released the vines binding Kaliweir, and right now it seemed like he had escaped. However, even as Jayden's face was still rather pale, he stood his ground and maintained the pose of a victor.

'It is regrettable how this affair ended in this manner.' -Though Leylin with a hint of bitterness.

[What affair? Are you talking about the conflict between Macho and Edgy?]

'Yes... I was hoping to see a good display of unmeasured brutality, but it seems today it was not meant to be. Oh well, at least you recorded and analyzed everything about the usage and capabilities of Jayden's so-called magic artifact. I want the full report when I get to my cabin. I'll study it in-depth overnight.'

[Certainly, Doctor.]

Because of the interruption from the giant storm sprite, the fight between Jayden and Kaliweir remained unsettled as it drew its curtains. From then on, Kaliweir tried his best to avoid being in close proximity to Jayden for longer than 5 minutes.

It resembled like he was afraid of his opponent's magic artifact.

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The time slowly passed, and unknowingly, the dirigible had finally reached that enormous continent Beirut had spoken of.

In addition to the incident with the giant storm sprite, the dirigible had several encounters with other flying creatures. This led Leylin to realize that not only was the Death Sea difficult to navigate through, but the skies were likewise perilous.

Fortunately, Captain Kirkwul's letter of agreement had been effective in front of the subsequent large creatures, and no more conflicts were started with them.

During this period, the dirigible touched down on the solid ground manifold occasions and dropped several Professors and acolytes off to their respective academies. As the airship became more vacant, things also got even more lethargic and tedious for every student, minus one.

Until one day, the vessel made its final stop for the journey.

[Doctor, we're here.] -Aralis sounded out in enthusiasm.

The dirigible landed a second later after she announced it to her Master, and the whole interior shuddered.

"Attention to all acolytes of the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy. We have arrived at the Abyssal Bone Moor. Please collect your belongings and leave the dirigible in an orderly fashion and obey your Professor's instructions." -The captain's voice rang through the cabin megaphones.

'Most wonderful.' -Leylin packed his belongings and quickly left the tiny space where he had taken provisional residence during the past month.

"Jayden, Kaliweir; please take attendance." -Dorotte ordered, as he firmly held a black staff with a large green jewel embedded in its tip.

"Alright." -Jayden and Kaliweir nodded their heads and started accounting for the attendance.

Leylin glanced at Kaliweir. Ever since the incident in the dining hall, this youth had turned much quieter and often holed himself in his own room. Looking at his face now, he seemed to be gloomier than before.

On the contrary, Jayden was extremely lively, and according to some rumors, he had already been officially accepted by Dorotte as an apprentice.

Apprentices were distinct from other conventional acolytes, as their status was much higher. They could even obtain a lot of advanced knowledge from their professor without having to pay for it.

'People will have their sights on those two for quite some time. Sufficient for me to adapt to the academy, learn the basics, and scheme for my next move. The pieces are falling together neatly, and I would not have it any other way.' -Leylin nodded in satisfaction.

About a dozen or so people walked out of the dirigible labeled with the numbers '455'.

"So this is our academy? It seems to be a little desolate..." -Beirut pointed out, with disappointment explicit in his tone.

Leylin looked at the surroundings, and it did seem rather dismal. There were a few small dirt roads with obvious traces of others using it before.

A wooden sign divided the middle of a crossroad, and it was riddled with several rot holes. Many directions were written on it in black letters, telling of the various locations.

[The land of shadows and death - Abyssal Bone Moor... I have a feeling that these guys are positively obsessed with making it all look like a haunted house.] -The A.I. said.

"Now pay heed, students! Although our academy's acolytes do a scheduled cleansing, some wild beasts have persisted and are running about in the dark. There is also a number of polluted evil presences roaming in this area. Hence, if one of you were to stray off, I think we would be able to pay respects to your deceased body soon afterward!" -Dorotte snickered, and the acolytes' faces changed.

"Hehe... Follow me, children!" -Dorotte stretched his body leisurely, and his white bones creaked and crunched as if they were going to fall apart at any moment.

They trailed behind Dorotte closely, fearing they could lose sight of him if they walked even a little slower. In this case, Leylin did not dare repeat his escapade he had performed on the dirigible. Although he was not scared per se, he still could not risk being attacked by one of those beasts.

'In this unknown land where danger lurks at every step, allied Magi are my only insurance when going out. For now... Eventually, I shall unobstructedly explore this region and take anything of value for myself.' -Considered the Farlier heir.

The group gradually traversed across the Abyssal Bone Moor.

"What is that?" -Beirut walked in the middle of the group, and suddenly something black flashed in front of him. It seemed to be a blue creature with a horn.

'Aralis, scan.' -Ordered Leylin, not feeling pressured at all.

[I sadly don't know exactly what it is, but I can tell you it is far more dangerous than the plains direwolves you fought. As a C-Class hazard, I'm detecting average stats of 5.] -The assistant dutifully relayed the information.

"Any Knight would die if they provoked one of those! Stay away from it!" -Kaliwei grabbed the redhead's arm and pulled him back to the group. Beirut hurriedly composed himself, saying his thanks.

"It seems like our little acolyte has understood the dangers of not following my instructions!" -The green flames in Dorotte's sockets flickered as he said indifferently.

The group progressed ahead, and very soon the barren earth lessened and more forestry could be seen around them.

Very soon, they entered a black-colored forest, populated by dead trees and the dreadful cries of monsters.

He did not know if it was an illusion, but Leylin felt as if the sun in the sky had dimmed after entering the forest, and there was a layer of white mist in the surroundings giving off a chilly feeling.

[Warning, Doctor! There's a C-Class threat closing in your position fast!] -Prevented the A.I.

Leylin immediately crouched and dodged with a precise roll.

A piercing bird sound rang.

A black raven with red eyes swooped down and passed by Leylin's position, its sharp claws missing his face by a centimeter.

A ball of greenish liquid struck at the raven immediately thereafter, and the raven cawed as it fell onto the ground. A white smoke arose, giving off a corroding effect.

One of the female acolytes who was close to Leylin had remained rooted to the ground in shock and suddenly began crying mutely.

Barely seconds later, the raven on the ground had disappeared without a corpse. There was only a huge impression left in the corroded earth.

'Nice job, Aralis.'

[Why did that girl even cry? It was you who was in danger!] -The A.I. said, irritated.

'Maybe she was afraid my brain might splatter all over her delicate gown.' -Leylin replied in irony.

"It seems like these red-eyed ravens increased in numbers yet again. I think I will need to distribute more missions after we return, and let the acolytes cleanse this area..." -Dorotte rubbed his skeletal chin.

"What are you all looking at? Let's go!" -Dorotte's voice sounded at the front, as the crying female acolyte rubbed her eyes as she walked forth.

The acolytes had been frightened by the raven's attack. Nonetheless, they continued to walk onward and deeper still into the forest.

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After another hour of journeying, the group ultimately arrived at the heart of the Abyssal Bone Forest. Once there, a massive graveyard sat there waiting for them to lay their eyes upon.

Leylin inspected the spacious area in front of him with a raised brow.

This graveyard was extremely huge and was marbled in black and white, somehow pulling off a luxurious aspect in spite of what it was.

Although, it seemed to have been forsaken for some time. Many of the graves had weeds growing on them, and some even had small plants on top.

Occasionally, unseen ravens cawed on top of them, giving off a terrifying vibe.

"Welcome to your new home of shadow and death - Abyssal Bone Forest! May you look forward to your next 5 years, hehehe..." -Dorotte snickered.

'Professor Bones looks to be taking joy in these youths' unfortunate plight of having their expectations crushed by the freezing wall of reality. Were I a skeletal Magus, I suppose I would share the same interests.'

[Doctor. You already take pleasure in watching other people have their dreams crushed. You're literally smiling right now.]