The Land of Casus

Chapter 5

"Thank you," Thea said in a soft voice. She looked down at the dead Wesan. That was close, way too close.

The wolf disappeared once more. Even though she could not see him, Thea knew he was nearby.

"Thea, Thea are you alright?" Rex came rushing up to her. His sword was in his hand and there was a black blood stain in the centre of his shirt.

"You're bleeding -" Thea began.

Rex shook his head. "It's not mine. I managed to injure the Wesan that was after me before that cowardly guard called it back and they retreated."

"Retreated, why would he do that?"

Rex looked at the dead Wesan behind her. "How did you –"

"We need to find Archimedes."

"I saw him run in that direction as we split up." Rex lifted his sword in a defensive position as they began to walk in the direction he had pointed out.

They found Archimedes lying against a tree with a Wesan lying dead a few meters from him. Only a charcoal-blackened carcass remained. Steam was still rising off the body and the air smelt of burnt flesh. One side of Archimedes' robe had been ripped which had exposed his leg. Thea's eyes widened at the site of his leg. The Wesan had bitten a hole in his thigh, just above the knee.

Archimedes groaned in pain, sweat was dripping down his forehead and he was deathly pale.

"Archimedes!" Thea rushed up to him and kneeled next to him. Her hand reached for his wound but froze mid-air. She did not know how to help him.

She looked at his face, "Is there anything we can do?"

Archimedes squeezed his eyes shut, an expression of agonising pain on his face as he moved to sit up straighter. "Could you please pass me my medicine pouch?"

Rex bent to pick up the satchel which was lying on the ground a bit to the side of Archimedes. He handed it to him. Archimedes rummaged in the satchel and pulled out a vial with a vibrant purple liquid inside. He took off the core, brought the vial to his lips, tilted back his head and drank the liquid.

Thea's eyes widened as the skin around the wound began to knit itself together. It started around the wound's perimeter, the skin closing over the exposed flesh until it met in the centre. Although healed, she could still tell where the wound had been. The newly formed skin is still freshly pink.

Archimedes sighed in relief. "There, much better."

"Thea," Rex asked behind her. "What happened back there?"

Archimedes looked confused, "What do you mean?"

"When I found Thea, the Wesan was dead. Its windpipe crushed."

"You killed a Wesan?" Archimedes looked at her with a bewildered look on his face.

Thea shook her head. "There is something I have to tell you guys. When I first got the tattoo, I saw a green wolf, thing. And it was glowing."

"A what now?" Rex asked

"I know it sounds crazy. I first saw him in the forest when I arrived here and again after we escaped the guards. But he was always in the distance, just looking at me, until tonight. I didn't know he could take on a physical form. But when he did, he killed that Wesan. He saved my life."

"Very interesting," said Archimedes, deep in thought. "Wolf figurine, wolf tattoo, wolf spirit. It must all be connected somehow."

"The wolf did sort of guide me to the village."

"If he has helped you so far and protected you, he must be some sort of guide or guardian?" Archimedes suggested.

"If the bow and the tattoo are connected, and the tattoo and the wolf are connected, would the wolf not be able to take us to Pistis Arcus?" Rex asked.

Archimedes nodded, with a look of approval to Rex. He turned to Thea, "Can you summon him again?"

"I don't exactly summon him, he would normally just... appear."

"At least give it a try."

Thea closed her eyes. Wolf, if you can hear me, show us the way to the bow. Please.

Thea opened her eyes. The wolf was standing just in front of her. She had to lift her head to look at his face. She was not sure if it was her imagination but she could have sworn she saw a look of pride on his face. A moment later he turned and ran in the opposite direction they had come from.

"That way," Thea said as she pointed in the direction he was running.

"That can't be right," said Rex. "That is in the direction of King Nicholas' castle."

The trio began their journey, in the direction of the castle.

"We need to stay on high alert," warned Rex. "The closer we get to the castle, the higher the risk of running into guards."

They had been walking for nearly two days already. Each night, Rex had begun to teach Thea some fighting moves with her dagger.

"One of the biggest components of fighting with a dagger is technique. The simplest way to describe it is to attack in a diagonal line, like this."

Rex swung his dagger from above his head in a diagonal line where the dagger ended with his hand positioned near his hip.

"This move is used for slicing your opponent. To stab, you want to come in as if you were punching someone. Once you have made contact with your opponent, twist the blade and use the s***h movement to remove the blade. These movements can be a bit tricky when your opponent is wearing armour. You want to go for the weak points in the armour in this case. This includes the gaps at the elbows, shoulders and groin. There is also a gap between the helmet and the neckpiece, but this weak point is a bit more difficult to get to. So for now, I want you to focus on the elbows, shoulders and groin. Even just wounding your opponent for a few seconds is all you need to get away from him."

Rex and Thea practised these movements a few times.

"For blocking you want to use the basic parry, either with your blade or with your hand where you knock their forearm out of the way. For larger weapons, don't try to parry it. Just dodge."

After about an hour, Thea and Rex took a break.

Sitting down on the ground and taking a sip from her water, Thea asked, "Where did you learn all of this? You seem like an exceptional fighter. What's your history? Is it related to your hatred of the king?"

Rex sat down as well and sighed.

"I don't remember much about my family, I was taken from them when I was a boy. I was trained to be a part of the king's guard. At the time, the king was looking into making a sort of super soldier as an advantage against humans and allowing them to be more durable against magic. Myself and a group of others became his test subjects. We were given a potion that gave us increased speed and strength. The potion did not have as large of an effect as the king had hoped. We are stronger and faster than the average human but we are not able to lift buildings or run faster than the wind. We became the king's elite guards had would have us go on special missions for him. One day, things went array and one of my close companions was killed by the king."

"What did your friend do?"

Rex had picked up a leaf and was breaking it into pieces. He dropped it and said, "We best go find Archimedes, he will probably want to be heading out soon."

He began to walk away.

Thea did not push him for an answer. It was clear that he was avoiding the subject. Whatever happened was still a massive weight on his shoulders. She had not expected that he had been a part of the king's guard. She had always just assumed he had been a mercenary of some kind for most of his life. Watching his back as he walked away, she realized that they were strangers, but a terrible past and a mission to destroy the king gave them common ground. Hopefully, it was enough for the difficulties that lay before them.

On the third day, they built camp earlier than normal. They were tired and needed the rest. Rex had gone to scout the perimeter and find wood while Thea and Archimedes had sat down on a grassy spot near a small lake.

"Could you explain magic to me a bit more?" Thea asked Archimedes.

"I was wondering when you would be asking me that question," Archimedes replied with a grin. "Magic is the most beautiful of anything this world has to offer."

He moved his hand in a half-circular motion, looking at the lake. Before Thea's very eyes, the water started to form the shapes of animals. Deer were hoping on the surface of the water, a rabbit was cleaning its one ear with a paw and a fox was playfully running amongst the deer.

While Thea was watching the site before her in bewilderment, Archimedes explained.

"Magic can heal, it can grow, it can build. It has the potential to help so many people, as long as it is used in the right way. But, as is with everything, it can be tainted with evil as well."

A dragon made of a black-ink-like substance flew towards the animals made of water. The dragon opened up its mouth and crashed into the forest animals, drowning them in its waves of blackness. The black ink disintegrated and the lake became calm once more.

"Can everyone use magic?" Thea asked.

"Not everyone. Only wizards can use magic. However, magic can come in many other forms, such as the bow and your wolf, and sometimes in magical objects and potions."

Thea picked a blade of grass and twirled it between her fingers.

"What if I'm not ready for this?" she asked quietly.

"You do not have to be ready, child. You just have to be willing to try. I know that this burden is heavy. You didn't ask for this. But just know, you are not alone in this. When the time comes that that burden starts to become too heavy, pass it onto me or Rex, and we will help you carry it."

On the fourth day, Thea saw the castle for the first time. It was atop a hill. The sky was no longer a vibrant blue but had turned a husky grey. Multiple towers pointed to the heavens and it had large windows. The castle was made of dark stone so that from this distance, it appeared black. Its presence screamed death and destruction.

Thea took a step back, her breathing increasing, "I can't do this" she breathed.

Rex stepped in front of her. He put his hands on her shoulders. "Just breathe. We don't even know that the bow is IN the castle. It could simply be in a broom cupboard in the underlying village."

Thea gave a small laugh, "You're right." She relaxed her shoulders.

Suddenly she felt very sleepy. She began to feel lightheaded and her vision began to blur. Rex and Archimedes started to feel the same way. Archimedes collapsed to the floor. Rex fell onto one knee, trying to resist the sleeping spell but failed. Thea fell onto her stomach and just before she passed out, a group of royal guards dressed in black armour on horseback came into her line of vision. In the centre was the guard from the tavern. He had smirked and gave a low chuckle. Thea couldn't resist any longer and plunged into darkness.