Spell Battle (Part 2) — As Promised, the Second Update

The spellcasters Sylvanas had killed lay in a row before Shane, every one of them slain in a single blow, grins of savagery still frozen on their faces.

He absorbed their energy. A warm current flowed into him, and his mind expanded and expanded, blossoming again and again. The memories contained within were absorbed as well. The dragonhawk Dulles had been drained of strength by them day and night, while watching them every moment, dreaming of revenge.

The four spellcasters were clearly no ordinary priests.

"They should be members of Malakas's personal priesthood." Shane noticed that their staffs were all of the same design, each tipped with a spell-storage crystal. He said to the ranger beside him, "Collect them."

"Yes, sir." The ranger delivered the staffs to the quartermaster.

His mind was alive with energy. This time, he had absorbed more than all his previous gains combined, and it was purer as well. A sense of fullness flooded Shane's senses, though he was still just short of advancing.

"Eye of Truth, I remember you said that when I was capable of defeating Malakas, you would remind me again." Shane recalled this matter.

"Yes. When the user is capable of defeating the Malakas troll spellcaster, this device will notify the user."

"What is that judgment based on?"

"Based on epic records, memory fragments, and total energy."

"If you include the combat intelligence from today, what are my chances of defeating Malakas?" Shane asked.

"The chance of victory is below thirty percent. Direct combat is not recommended for the user."

To others, Shane's conversation with the Eye of Truth looked like silent contemplation. At that moment, Halduron Brightwing reported that the wounded had been settled, and the supplies and troops had been reorganized. More than thirty rangers had fallen forever upon this land. Shane ordered one group to remain behind and care for the wounded, while the rest caught up with the scouts ahead and stayed on the trolls' tail.

Following the trolls' tracks, the force pushed deeper in the direction of Zul'Aman. To avoid an ambush, the scouts spread out over a wide area.

"Mage, the trolls are not far ahead, and Lady Sylvanas is still unharmed." The foremost scout reported to Shane. The two forces were very close now.

After rounding a hill, they could see the troll force with the naked eye. Sylvanas was trapped within a hex bubble, but had not been mistreated otherwise.

Should we charge them now and test our luck? Shane wondered. Then he sensed a violent surge of foul hex energy. Even the earth beneath his feet was affected! Thin wisps of white vapor rose from the soil, forming a dense fog. Within less than a quarter hour, it would become so thick that they could see only a few meters ahead.

"A massive-scale Transformation spell! A hex?" Shane had read about such spells in books. Some could alter the natural weather, with Quel'Thalas beneath the Sunwell's radiance as the prime example—its weather was eternally fair.

"That was how the trolls secretly surrounded us in the fog. By the time it cleared, they had crept to within a hundred meters of us." Lor'themar spoke properly to Shane for once. He had been pulled from a pile of corpses and was badly wounded, yet he still insisted on coming along. "For Lady Sylvanas's sake, I can only endure speaking with you."

Shane had no time to bother with him. The trolls wanted to shake off their pursuit in the fog. "Can the Eye of Truth lock onto the trolls?"

"It can."

Dots of light representing the trolls flickered in his mind. Shane led the force after them, relying on the Eye of Truth's guidance through the thick fog. As time passed, the light grew dimmer and dimmer. By the time the fog dispersed, stars blanketed the sky. Thinking they had shaken Shane off, the trolls boldly lit torches in the open wilderness.

The night was the best cover. The rangers moved silently, arriving at a settlement one after the other with the trolls. The pyramid altar from the dragonhawk's memory fragments stood between two mountains, and Sylvanas was taken inside as well.

"Halduron Brightwing, Lor'themar..." Shane called over the two ranger leaders.

"Here."

"We attack immediately. Once we break through the trolls' defenses, ignore everything else and charge straight for the pyramid."

"Yes, sir." "Understood."

The trolls never expected to be attacked. The rangers had advanced to within a few dozen meters before they noticed anything wrong, but by then it was too late. A Pyroblast blew apart the gate, and a charge shattered their defenses. Shane and the rangers poured through the breach, racing along the trolls' streets toward the pyramid. Along the way, they fired enchanted arrows into the houses on both sides, setting them ablaze and spreading chaos.

"You still dare come here!" Malakas stood halfway up the pyramid, casting a spell—and he was actually speaking Elvish. Green light descended, contaminating the foot of the pyramid with hex magic. Once he finished casting, he turned and entered the altar.

"Taigo, get through." Shane layered three Arcane Barriers over himself and charged up the pyramid steps, ignoring the damage. With two leaps, Taigo reached the altar entrance.

"Eye of Truth, scan the inside of the altar."

"Understood. Scanning. Three living beings: Malakas, troll spellcaster; Sylvanas, elf; Dulles, animal spirit. Four dead priests."

The entrance was very narrow. Shane left Taigo behind, replenished his Arcane Barrier, and entered. Passing through the corridor, he reached the heart of the pyramid: a blood altar. Four enormous pillars at the corners supported the structure, with a brazier in the center. Sylvanas lay on the sacrificial platform, while the dragonhawk was trapped within the divine altar.

The four troll priests were dead. Judging from their postures, they had slit their own throats. Their blood flowed toward the divine altar, which emitted an eerie red glow. The dragonhawk's flesh and blood were being stripped away, falling into the altar and gathering into a ball of blood.

"You were waiting for me?" Shane's gaze finally settled on Malakas. There was mad intelligence in the troll's eyes.

"Yes. I knew spells could not stop you. If time had not been so short, you would have died on the battlefield today." The troll's voice was hoarse and low. "I have devoted myself to reviving my people, learning every kind of knowledge, even the language of my enemies. Everything had gone according to my expectations, but this final raid was an accident. Still, since you have come to my altar, you must be prepared to become a sacrifice. Die."

Counterspell. Shane acted first, sending chaotic arcane energy surging forward to disrupt all spellcasting. Arcane magic worked slightly faster than hex magic. Malakas swayed, and his spell failed.

Taking advantage of the moment when his enemy suffered magical backlash, Shane cast Blink and appeared behind Malakas. He scooped up Sylvanas without turning around and headed toward the pillar behind the troll.

"Warning! Lethal spell incoming." The Eye of Truth sounded the alarm.

The brazier cast the shadow of a black orb against the wall as it flew toward them from behind. Ice Barrier. An ice coffin instantly froze them both. The Zra orb struck the ice wall, burning away a small patch but causing no damage. Shane quickly dispelled the spell and moved behind the pillar.

"We're safe for now. Sylvanas, are you all right?" Shane fed her a red potion. The female elf recovered somewhat. Shane laid her on the ground and said softly, "Wait here. It'll be over soon."

The Eye of Truth judged Shane's odds of victory to be low, but not nonexistent—especially since it had not accounted for attrition. And Shane's long-trained control and metamagic techniques were his strongest weapons.

He stepped out from behind the pillar. A black orb flew straight at him, and Shane evaded it with his second Blink. Three sets of orbs hovered above his head, then flew toward the troll without the slightest gesture.

Bang! Bang! Bang! The ping-pong-ball-sized orbs all struck their target, but the green light around the troll saved his life.

"You cast two massive-scale spells today. Now that you face me, how great are your chances?" As Shane spoke, three more sets of orbs appeared above his head. He took several steps and stopped. "Do you think you can kill me because your casting level is higher? Or because of that half tooth of yours? I have devoted myself to improving my spellcasting techniques and never once slackened, not even when I was at zero-ring. What about you?"