The Tower of Emnu

“Watch out!” Merlin shouted and Beresix and Morris dove out of the way as the rock slammed into the tight space, breaking off into smaller pieces, sending rock shrapnel down the canyon. Merlin ducked and conjured a weak force shjeld that sent the rocky projectiles bouncing off it with soft pings. With crunching, grinding and grumbling the rock came to a stop, blocking them in. A cloud of dust billowed out and made them all cough.

Merlin blinked through the dust, and was about to call out for a status update when a shadow fell over him. He looked up and was just able to see the sole of a leather boot crash through his force shield, before said boot hit him in the chest and drove the air out of his lungs.

He fell hard and hit his head on the stony floor, but Merlin was a seasoned veteran by now and he flung 3 of his throwing knives at his attacker with Push even though his vision was swimming.

Only one of the daggers actually hit its mark and it cut and stuck into the arm of the man, standing above him. Merlin reversed directions with his daggers and noticed that the dagger in the mans arm was stuck, cut off from his control. Luckily that did not apply to the other two daggers who homed in on Aaron's back.

Aaron kicked Merlin in the face for his troubles and the mage’s head snapped to the side, the mages daggers falling to the floor as the spell fizzled out, but before he could finish him off pain bloomed in Aaron's thigh and he screamed.

A dagger had stuck him in the right leg and he heard more than that he felt another coming for his left side. Aaron twisted and battered away the dagger with his left fist and then smashed his elbow behind him. A woman staggered back, her nose bloody and Aaron stared down at the dagger still stuck in his thigh. It hurt like hell, but he could not focus on that right now. He had to kill at least one of them.

A warcry broke out of the dust and a man clad in chainmail brought a long metal staff down on Aaron’s head. Aaron stepped to the side and punched the man in the face. He drew one of his daggers and stabbed him in the gut with the sharp blade, piercing the chainmail easily.

He was just about to stab him again, when he felt something coming from above. He felt it in the same way he had felt the group coming. He did not know what it was but it felt...bad and he ducked around the man with the metal staff and stabbed him again for good measure.

Merlin blinked and groaned as he got up and was just able to see Melia tumble out of the dust, bumping into the nearby wall, her nose bloody as she went down hard.

Another scream broke the chaotic melee and this time Merlin identified it as Khatrak’s voice. Damn it, the cultivator was already on him. Quickly he conjured his force lasso, made it big and wide and strong before he brought it down on the man closest to him grappling with Khatrak. The man looked up and then dodged around Khatrak to Merlin’s complete surprise and continued to stab their Healer.

Merlin shouted and threw more of his throwing knives, made them home around the healer, but before he could turn them around and make them pierce the cultivator, the man grabbed Khatrak and jumped in the air.

Merlins daggers missed spectacularly and both men vanished upwards like they were carried by an invisible thread. A gurgled scream filled the air, as they vanished and then there was only the calls from Beresix and Morris curses.

Atris stepped next to Merlin, his shield raised above him and then Morris broke through the settling dust, his bow drawn.

“Where is he? What happened?” he asked.

“Stack up on me!” Merlin bellowed and unstopped a healing potion, knelt down next to Melia and made her sip it, while she groaned. Her nose was clearly broken and as it snapped back into place she cursed and shivered.

“The Cultivator took Khatrak.” Melia said hoarsely and rubbed her tender nose.

“And he took my dagger.”

Aaron groaned and liberally applied healing potion to his wounds, before finishing the bottle with the deep red liquid. It tasted terrible, it was bitter, sour and had a strange strawberry note that made the potion absolutely unpalatable. Who puts strawberry on top of something sour and bitter? He gagged a bit, but the healing was worth it.

He first slowly pulled out the dagger out of his thigh, stopping the flood of blood with the potion and his own regeneration. This dagger had bit deep into his flesh and had even scored his bone while severing his artery.

He would have died to that wound three times as a normal human, but with healing potions and his natural regeneration he could just shrug it off. It was absurd to him and Aaron had to chuckle to himself as he removed the throwing daggers in his arm and shoulder.

Damn but that hurt. He really had to stop getting injured all the time. Once again he had severely underestimated this group. He had guessed they were higher level or something from that arrow that had almost killed him, but these guys were something else. The Mage had been totally unfazed at being manhandled and had aimed at his weak spots instantly. Had targeted his eyes and throat. Luckily Aaron had been able to turn to the side and block the projectiles with his arm. He also had used some sort of spell that was invisible and had felt like death to him. He did not want to have a fair fight against that guy. And then that woman. If she had targeted his throat he might have actually been dead. But instead she went for a two pronged attack that he had been able to foil. He had not heard her or sensed her until it had been almost to late. He had instinctively fallen into one of the stances of the rejuvenating fist kata and had defended and attacked smoothly at the same time. He had hoped to take down two or three of them at the least, but for now he would be happy with the armored man with the staff.

Aaron closed his eyes and listened, sensed for them and what they were doing underneath him in the canyon. He felt the mage and his spells buzz in his brain as the man layered them above him. Aaron cursed under his breath. There went his attack from above. He also had trouble sensing the woman, the two warriors were easy to feel and so was the Archer. Another member of this team he did not want to be shot at from. He tried to feel for the woman when he suddenly felt mana build up behind him. He opened his eyes, turned around and his eyes widened as the man he had just killed threw himself at Aaron, his left hand holding a star of light that burned and sizzled through the air with iridescent white light.

Aaron rolled back and evaded the swipe at his eyes only thanks to his wind steps that were still active and let him slide backwards in one smooth movement. The man snarled in front of him and jabbed at Aaron with his hand wreathed in deadly light, but he was no warrior. There was no skill in his technique and Aaron turned to the side, let the hand and the searing light pass him by, before he grabbed the mans arm and broke it by cracking his knee into the mans elbow.

The man screamed in pain and the star fizzled out like it had never been. Aaron stared still shocked at the man. He had stabbed him more than 10 times on the way up the canyon and then had discarded him when he had stopped breathing. What in the hell was this guy?

Aaron had been so proud of himself, he had not hesitated at all this time, had thought he was over his weird mercy streak. That he had gutted that fool and that Aaron was still capable of sound judgment. After all these guys had attacked him, tried to kill him and they were all dangerous.

He watched the man on the ground and cleaned the dagger he had been stuck with while not letting the man out of his sight. The dagger was too sharp to be normal and he studied the long silvery piece of metal that reminded him vaguely of a double sided combat knife akin to a stiletto, just broader and very sharp on both edges.

He frowned at the dagger and then it clicked. It felt so familiar to him because he had used a dagger similar to this in the Hall of Illusions. He guessed the dagger was enchanted and instead of setting things on fire, this one was sharp and deadly instead. Maybe some sort of piercing enchantment?

The man holding his arm stared up at Aaron studying the blade and then stopped holding his arm in pain. A shimmer of golden light soared through his arm and with an audible snap it righted itself from the ugly break it had in it before and his flesh fused together.

“Huh, you are a healer. That is a neat piece of magic you have there.”

The man stayed quiet and swallowed, looking around. Probably for a way to escape.

“Still you don’t really feel like a mage, your pal down there is a literal storm cloud in my senses, you on the other hand feel more like...Ahhh. You are no mage, you are a Vessel who uses some sort of magic. Fascinating.”

Aaron looked down at the man and studied him intently. On one hand he wanted to kill him, if only to prove to himself that he could, prove that he was still the ice cold killer he had always been. On the other hand killing your now only hostage would not be wise. He had some real leverage here and he did not think he could take this group in a fight unless he somehow isolated them from each other. Which was possible, but hard without taking an arrow in the back or getting hit by whatever invisible spell that mage was trying to tangle him with.

If he was unlucky then it was some sort of Crowd Control and he would be unable to dispel it, dooming him with one hit.

No, he wanted this group to fuck off and leave him alone. But that was easier said than done. Aaron thought for a moment and then smirked. The man on the ground flinched back, his hands both starting to glow, but Aaron kicked him in the chin and the glow vanished.

“None of that, little healer. I have decided not to kill you, so be a good boy and don’t make any trouble.”

He bowed down and grabbed the hem of the man’s chainmail and dragged it up over his torso exposing bloody clothes from where he had stabbed him earlier so many times. The man struggled, but that ceased once Aaron hit him over the head another time. Aaron dragged the chainmail over the man’s head and pulled it behind his back, the arms still stuck in the heavy chain sleeves. With a twist he bound the man a bit like a straight jacket would. But it was much less secure and ad hoc, but it would have to do.

“Up you go.” He said and dragged the man to his feet, holding him with one hand clasped around the mans arms and with the other he drew the sharp enchanted dagger and slid the metal underneath the mans chin.

The healer ceased struggling and breathed very shallow breaths, while he started to sweat and stink of fear.

“Ah, so you can’t heal yourself fast enough when I cut down your throat. Good to know, or maybe sharp blades make you nervous. Either way, just let me talk, stay nice and still and you will be just fine.”

Holding the man as hostage this way Aaron slowly pushed him towards the edge of the canyon.

“Listen up down there.” Aaron shouted.

“I have your little healer as my hostage and I will bring him to the edge of the canyon so we can talk. Please don’t shoot us, or send up any fancy spells. I’ll cut his head off if you do anything stupid.”

Aaron waited for a response, but it was silent down there for a long few moments. Aaron honed his senses, felt the mana around him, felt it like wind on his skin and then he felt the dangerous feeling of shaped mana underneath him.

“Keep your spells away.” Aaron repeated again and after a short pause there was finally an answer.

“What do you want?”

“Will you behave and let me step up to the edge so I can prove to you that your little healer is still alive?”

“Yes.” the answer was terse and unfriendly, but oh well that would have to do. Aaron slowly pushed the healer forward until he stood a step away from the cliffs edge and Aaron could look down over his shoulder. He used the man as shield as much as he wanted to show that he still lived.

“There, see he is still breathing and sweating. Now lets get to business.”

“What do you want?” the man repeated his question.

“I want to be left alone, I want to have some measure of peace, but I doubt you can give me that. Considering your actions.”

“We are not your enemies.”

“No? Well that arrow to the back certainly felt like it came from an enemy.”

“It does not have to be this way, Cultivator.” Aaron ignored that. It actually had to be this way. There was no way they would be friends in the short term and this was not really how you made friends. Taking hostage tended to be a bad start.

“Maybe in a few years we might not be enemies, maybe we will even be friends, sit in a tavern and laugh about today. But that is not today and we both know that. So tell me, why are you hunting me? From how you fight and how powerful you and your gear is I assume you have been to Ambition. Why come down here at all?”

“We came down here to escort a Crafter up to Ambition. Hunting you was just… a side hustle.”

“I see, now let me ask you a question. How much are you getting paid for your troubles? Is it worth losing not only your healer, but also a very nice enchanted dagger?”

“Bastard give me back my dagger!” a female voice echoed out of the canyon and Aaron chuckled.

“Nope, consider it payment for almost killing me and yet failing to do so.”

There were some hushed whispers down at the canyon, before the man answered again.

“What does it matter what we are paid. Lets get to the point, what do you want?”

“Oh it matters, you see I have some experience with contract murder and how an employer pays you is a good measure of how much he trusts and values you. You get everything up front? Then you know money is not an issue and they want your loyalty first and want to give you the best chance to be successful. But that requires trust, much more common is half up front, half after finishing the job. But if they don’t trust you and see you only as a pawn to be discarded they will promise you only a good chunk of money after delivering. Your deaths are cheaper that way and if they don’t feel like paying afterwards usually there is nothing you can do.” Aaron chuckled to himself at the long silence that followed that little speech.

“It sounds like your employer chose the latter option. Tell me who is it? The fat man, the mayor? Or someone else.”

“It was Aurix who gave us this mission and while this is a very interesting tidbit you just delivered to us you still have not told us what you want.”

“Its easy, I want to release your healer to you and I want to walk away unharmed and compensated for my troubles.”

“I don’t think this is how it will end up…” Merlin started, but Aaron interrupted him.

“Its simple, I want you to crush the rock that blocks you in and then put down your weapons and all of the manastones and beast cores you have on you in the tunnel straight in front of you. Then you go back out of these hills like you came from and you will get your healer back at the edge of the canyon.”

There was silence once again and then the Mage called out once more.

“If we leave our weapons and walk away what prevents you from murdering us? This deal does not seem fair to us.”

“Well, true, but I actually don’t care about your melee weapons, hell I can even live with you keeping your little throwing knives. But the bow has to go. I am not getting shot while retrieving my loot.”

The hushed whispers came again and Aaron frowned when they went silent again. What were they stalling for? He remembered them sending up a signal in the air and maybe that would be enough reason. There was a good chance a dozen or maybe 3 dozen angry vessels and mages were coming for him right this second. But somehow he doubted this was the reason why…

He paused and drew back behind the healer and closed his eyes. Aaron focused intently on the mana around him and then he felt it. Someone was actually climbing the rock wall to his right.

“Tell your Rogue or whatever class she is to stop climbing up the wall and go back down or I will start sending body parts raining down into the canyon. Starting with the healers ears.” Aaron said and put as much ice and venom into his words, while he shifted the dagger to lay right in front of the mans ear.

Khatrak gasped, opened his mouth but did not say anything.

Someone cursed down in the canyon and then Aaron heard a resigned sigh.

“Fine, we will do as you say. Get back here Melia.”

Aaron followed the group with all of his senses as they gathered in front of the half broken boulder and then cleared it by literally smashing it to bits with the shields of the two warriors. Then the group filtered out of the death trap carefully, wary of another ambush probably. The mage left behind the layered spells. Aaron could still sense them like an itch in the back of his brain. He pushed the healer towards the other edge of the canyon and he looked down towards the group.

“Leave behind your mana stones and beast cores please.”

The group did so, slowly and with obvious displeasure. Their leader dropped big pouch in the middle of the narrow canyon looking like he had swallowed a whole lemon and the others followed after a bit of hesitated and threw their leather wallets in the middle as well. Aaron peeked over the edge and spotted the Mage trying to hide a pouch on his belt.

“Throw in the pouch Mage, come now, no trying to be sneaky.” Merlin cursed audibly and threw the pouch in the middle with a disgusted look on his face.

“Good, now the bow please.”

The Archer protested, argued with the mage, but it was too quiet for Aaron to hear more than “Morris” and “another bow”. Aaron gave them time, he had not much else he could do, his focus too much on keeping his hostage secure and his senses sharp enough so he would not be surprised by anything these people did. Finally the Archer cursed and threw his bow on top of the pile of leather pouches.

“The Quiver of arrows too please, then you can all go, nice and easy.”

The Archer, Morris flipped Aaron the bird and threw his quiver on top of the pile as well, while the mage tried to console him. The two warriors were warily studying their respective directions down the canyons, but unlike before they kept very close to the rest of the team. Melia had appeared in the middle of the group and glowered at Aaron, sending daggers with her eyes up to him.

“Alright, we are going.” The mage said and they carefully and slowly went back to the intersection, now half blocked by rubble and leftover splinters from the boulder they had smashed. They went right and then filtered through the canyon while all the way Aaron followed them visibly with his hostage.

When they had reached more or less the spot where Aaron had been shot before, they paused and stared up at Aaron and their healer.

“Well ladies and gentlemen, it has not been a pleasure. I would suggest you fuck off, but I can’t control you. But let me promise you this: If you come back into my backyard I will slaughter you.” With that said Aaron removed his knife from the healer’s throat and then kicked him in the back, sending him tumbling down the cliff. It wasn’t high enough that he would die, but a few broken bones were a distinct possibility.

Aaron did not care what happened to the man, he had other things to do and these first 30 seconds would determine how cleanly he would get away. He turned around and leapt along the length of the plateau, speeding over the edge of the canyon then he somersaulted and landed slowly next to the pile of money pouches and the bow and arrows.

He grabbed for the bow first and felt a tingle go through his hand and pulled it away in an instant, dropping the bow. A spell tore through where his hand had been, snapped around the bow and then dragged it with it with tremendous speed. Aaron’s heart was hammering in his chest and he was sure now. The spells the mage specialized in were some sort of invisible force that would grab and constrict something. The bow had already sped around the edge of the canyon and Aaron quickly grabbed the quiver and the money pouches, throwing them into his backpack. He dreaded the seconds it would take, but he was done quickly and once he had gathered up the last pouch he jumped back up the cliff. He heard big steps behind him, but he was over the cliffs edge in an instant and ran away over the plateaus.

He left this part of the hills behind him, sped up and danced amongst the rocks and cracks, flew over them with all his speed. Only after 10 minutes of rapid flight he slowed down, breathing hard.

That group was way too dangerous and he could consider himself lucky to have snagged anything from them. He had no doubt it would be almost impossible to defeat them. Individually they had been weaker than him, but if they had time to set up they would bring him down quickly. If he ever got caught by one of the mages spells he would probably die instantly. They would just carve him up like an animal. The damage their weapons or skills had done was insane now that he thought about it. Both the archer and the rogue had hurt more than he could have ever guessed and he did not even know how fierce those huge guys in their plate armor would have been. But from the ease which they turned a boulder to dust it would have hurt. A lot.

No there was no way he would have beaten that group in a fair fight, but either way he was not planning on playing fair.

Aaron leaned against the cool rock surface of the small crevise he hid in and waited till his breath had evened out. Only when he heard and felt nothing in the vicinity he turned his attention to his loot. He opened the pouches one after another, finding a mixed bag, some were just filled with rations, another looked like a bloody woman’s purse with only makeup and a few shards as well as a hand mirror. No doubt that was the female rogue’s contribution to his funds. Still not totally useless. He guessed he could find some use for a nail file and the mirror would be useful if he decided to shave. But he still had to chuckle to himself at his haul. Some of them had gotten him good.

But he did not come away with nothing. The pouch the mage had kept at his belt and had tried to hide was the real jackpot. It contained a bunch of glowing mana stones and 2 of those were not glowing in the pretty light blue but in a deep ocean blue shifting towards purple. He fished one of the manastones out of the bag and studied it.

It felt like the manastone was filled to the brim with so much mana that it threatened to spill out at any moment.“Huh, a higher ranking manastone or something?” Aaron guessed and stored his haul in his backpack.

All in all he got away with around 20 manastones, the duo of high ranking ones, a small pouch filled with beast cores and a whole lot of shards. He had without a doubt just doubled or tripled his wealth. Which meant he could speed up his cultivation process a lot in the coming days.

Aaron looked up as he saw glittering fireworks explode in the sky. Crimson red explosions that hung in the air for a few seconds. But he realized quickly that this wasn’t for entertainment, but to coordinate groups of Aspirants that were hunting him. There were many and the horizon lit up with the lights. They build a half circle with the wall to Aaron’s back. A cold shiver ran down Aaron’s spine. They were trying to surround him, now that they had found his location.

If they were smart they would siege him down and let him starve in the hills. He wasn’t sure if his weakness, his hunger was already common knowledge or if they thought they could force him to come out or something. Fact was if they finished their encirclement and did it right, he might be stuck here. Fighting his way out was a distinct possibility but only if that group he had just robbed was not in the mix. If that mage caught him, he was dead. If the archer hit him in a bad moment, he was dead. Hell even if the rogue got the drop on him and decided to go for his throat he was most likely dead. The only one who he could actually kill in an ambush where they were on the ambushing side was the healer and there was no way that was going to happen.

No, Aaron had to make a plan. But first it was time to go home and take stock of what he had to work with.