Teaser Shorts

Welcome to Teaser Shorts! Where we tease upcoming manuscripts with litte tidbits of story. These are not supposed to be parts of the manuscript itself, but they aren't long enough to constitute a manuscript of themselves.

Into Raging Fire – Short I

The gates of Geidrich Castle opened, revealing Wiz Ardon and Felecity behind them. Wiz looked outside with a neutral expression. Did he really want to be out there? More than a year now, he'd been shut inside his castle, studying magic with a cat and phantoms of the past as his only company. But mostly the cat. It wasn't like he hadn't gone physically outside before, but this time stepping out the gates signified so much more.

For a year now, he'd d dived in the deep waters of the advanced magical arts with a single purpose. To utilise his skills in the fight against the dark forces that plagued the Crux System. But going out there, perhaps not to come back for a long time, he'd have to interact with other people again. His loneliness so far had been so convenient. He'd liked the silence. Now he'd have to listen to the utterances of the silly people that made up the majority of the world's population. He'd have to pretend to care.

“They will be insufferable”.

Felecity looked up at him, disapproving of his sentiments.

“Oh don't be like that. Only you deserve me well-behaved. You and her. But her I can't see”.

Felecity remained unamused.

“The Nexus Force. I have to return to them, now. I've been away for too long. At least, they're half-decent. But still I'd rather not have to speak with people...”.

Felecity blinked questioningly.

“Theramiere? Yes, I said I need to find him. But I've had one year to think about this. And I know my priorities. I hate his guts, but it's not urgent. As long as he doesn't make any new moves... but I don't have anything else he can take from me. She can take care of herself, I'm sure. If he wants to move against me, let him come. I'm ready for him. It won't be like the last time I met him. It won't be like when he fought Geidrich. I was a naïve apprentice then... And it won't be like when he came to Burkborrow. I'm expecting him now. I won't let him hurt people anymore”.

Wiz couldn't read Felecity's expression this time.

“Well, Felecity. Be a dear and look after this dusty old place while I'm gone. This wizard has to go now. Make sure it doesn't fall to pieces and don't let any adventurers raid it... Well, now. I've got to go. The outside world. One could say it was in flames last time I was there. Well, into the fire I go”.

He stepped out.

Into Raging Fire – Short II

"You could stand to keep this place cleaner, man", Wiz Ardon frowned examining the dusty, untidy room. Stacks of dirty dishes, scattered scribbled pages and books with worn out covers, a big spill mark over the carpet and a rusty cracked cauldron decorated the place.

The other man, previously occupied in cooking something in an unclean pot, jumped in surprise and turned to look at him with a startled expression, which slowly turned to a kind of cautious anger. He had graying blonde hair and his face gave the impression of someone who was trying to hold onto their younger look, but age was beginning to show anyway. His blue eyes had something dead about them. He looked cleaner than the room, but he'd let himself go as well as his living quarters. He was worse off than Wiz had imagined.

"Who are you? What are you doing in my home?" the man spoke in a vexed, somewhat threatening demeanour. "I will have you know I'm a powerful dark wizard, so you'd better be going!"

"And as you must have noticed from my appearance", Wiz replied impatiently pointed to his hat, "I'm a mage, too. Maybe you should be more worried about how easily I managed to break in, Erwin".

"Don't call me that, you brat! I'm the Maze Builder! I'll show you!" wrath was ignited in the man's eyes, as he charged Wiz pushing him onto a stack of dishes.

A knife materialised in the man's hand, with which he then tried to stab Wiz. The enchanter, however, placed his hand before the knife stopping it a few centimetres away from his palm. With the other arm, he pushed on the man's head, forcing him to his knees. There he stayed stunned; all fight had left him. He only raised his head to look at Wiz with a sad expression.

"You're not the wizard you used to be, Erwin, and there are plenty Rogues in the Nexus Tower that'd be much happier to get their heads clοbbered by me; so why don't you cooperate and stay put to finish this off nice and quick?"

"What do you want?"

"The Disciples of Morgusor, name ring a bell?" Wiz paused for a moment, giving the other time to reply, but Erwin did not speak. "The nine greatest dark witches and wizards of the last centuries; recruited by Morgusor upon his return to do his bidding; fought by the Council of the Enchanters. I wonder. Are you aware that someone's hunting them, killing them one after another? The Curse Bringer is gone. The Plague Master. The Brute. I just found the Soul Collector dead yesterday. That just leaves two of the remaining Disciples. The Demon Caller, who I think will take some more effort to be found. And the other is of course... the Maze Builder".

"What are you talking about? Who's killing everyone?" Wiz could see the fear in the sorcerer's eyes.

"That's what I want to know, too. What do you know about the one true apprentice of Morgusor? A man with yellow eyes. The one who killed Geidrich".

"What? That brat? Couldn't have been him. Curse Bringer sent him away, along with his whole village".

"Curse Bringer is dead, though. He became ill and his curse was undone. The Apprentice of Morgusor returned. And he had his revenge".

"Impossible! He's just a kid. That brat could never had defeated Bringer".

"He's no kid anymore! It's been years, get it? He's grown and now threatens to kill you all. Kill us all. Now, what do you know that could help us all survive".

"Morgusor found him when he was just a baby and trained him to be a wizard. I only met him a couple of times, I don't really know much about him. I heard he was the one to defeat Morgusor in the end, though" the Maze Builder explained. "He didn't have yellow eyes, though. I'd remember that" he added after a moment's thought.

"You said that the Curse Bringer sent him away. He did the same to me. And the Witch of Kingston, too. If the Curse Bringer wanted to avoid the new Enchanter whose coming he'd foreseen, then... which one of us is that?"

"What do you mean? Bringer just cursed Theramiere. I don't know about you or any Witch. I don't even know who you are".

"Then, why? Why did the curse affect us all?!"
"I don't know!"
"Crux! You're useless! I will be going then"

Wiz turned around to leave, but halfway to the doorway, the Maze Builder started talking again, "Wait! I remember you now. You're that other brat. Geidrich's apprentice!"

"What of it?"

"Your lot ruined us. It was your stupid master and his friends who reduced me to this state! All because of you. YOU!"

A dozen of daggers or so flew his way, but they were all deflected by an invisible barrier.

"I suggest", Wiz said with a dangerously calm voice. "That you hide as best you can. If he finds you, there's not much you can do".

Then, he was gone.

Wiz Ardon, the Peculiar Enchanter (talk)***---***Wiz Ardon, the Peculiar Enchanter (talk)

The man watched Wiz Ardon walk out of the tower where the Maze Builder lived and consequently disapparate away.

"Playin' Hide and Seek, Wiz? Finally looking for me after all these years? But no need to be impatient now. We are going to meet again soon enough. Properly, this time. So, don't worry; our time will come. Your time. As for now..."

A blink of the eye and he was inside the tower.

"Hello, Erwin!"