Chapter 127 (2/2)

The carriage was about to take a sharp corner where the trees on both sides of the road were very dense. But just as the prison carriage turned, a faint shadow suddenly flashed out of the woods.

The shadowy figure’s speed was as fast as a gust of wind as he circled the prison carriage. In a few seconds, all four Level-2 Warriors escorting the prisoner fell dead on the ground. Shortly afterwards, the black shadow then approached the coachman and before anyone could see how what happened, the coachman fell clutching his throat. As his hands fell away when he hit the ground, one could see that there was a slash across his throat with blood gushing out of it.

Finally, the dark shadow reached Darris’ side. With a few banging and clanging sounds, the carriage door was opened. It was only then that Darris could clearly make out the figure’s appearance – he was clad in a brown leather armor and his face was covered in a mask, revealing only a pair of dark red eyes.

“You’re a Dark Elf!” exclaimed Darris. He instinctively flinched away from the black figure. Humans and Dark Elves were sworn enemies, after all. In fact, the Norton kingdom was now preparing to go to war with the Dark Elf Kingdom of Pralync in the Black Forest.

“Don’t you want to live?” asked the Dark Elf as he stared straight into Darris’ eyes.

“Yes, of course I do!” said Darris as he nodded eagerly.

He’d thought that he was no longer afraid of death. But just as he came closer to the moment when he would be sentenced to death, his will to live had become more and more tenacious. All he wanted now was to be able to live on – he was willing to do anything in exchange for his life, even if it meant betraying his own kind and co-operating with the Dark Elves.

So long as I can live!

“Good!” said the shadowy figure. These type of people who wanted nothing more but to save their own lives had always been his favorite type to work with!

He pulled Darris out of the prison carriage, carried him by the collar and jumped out of the prison carriage. Before he left, he took out a magic scroll, activated it and flung it towards the prison carriage. Then, under a murky green flash of light, the entire carriage crumbled instantaneously into fine white sand.

Then, the figure carried Darris into the dense Girvent forest. He bolted through the forest for half an hour without taking any breaks, showing astonishing endurance.

Finally, they reached a clearing where another figure covered in a large black cloak was standing—the cloak covered most of his face. The wand in his hand indicated his identity as a Magician.

Hearing their quiet arrival, the figure turned around and spoke up in a hoarse voice, “Are you Darris?”

“That’s me,” said Darris as he took a deep breath and tried hard to calm himself down. He believed that these people wouldn’t harm him, otherwise they wouldn’t go through so much trouble to save him.

“Tell me, then, how familiar are you with the interior layout of the East Cove Magic Academy?” asked the cloaked figure.

Darris remained silent for a while. The question meant that these people were trying to attack the academy. It was also almost certain that they were Dark Elves.

“I’ve been staying there for 13 years,” replied Darris, “I could get to anywhere I wanted within the academy gates with my eyes closed.”

“Splendid! Do you want vengeance, then?” asked the Dark Elf again.

“More than anything else!” answered Darris immediately. The image of that proud and arrogant figure in the carriage was now floating in his mind. He remembered how that person was sitting comfortably in a handsome carriage with a pretty young maid by his side, heading towards glory and fame, while looking down on him with eyes that were full of scorn and contempt.

As he recalled the scene, the flame of anger burnt fiercely in Darris’ gut and he felt it so violently that his body trembled.

I’ll have my vengeance! There’s nothing I wouldn’t give to be able to kill that scum with my own bare hands!

“Good,” the figure said, “Your Mana has been locked completely and I can’t reverse that unfortunately, but the Silver Moon Mage Council can. I need you to do me a favor and then, I will give you 1000 gold coins as a reward. You can then bring the coins with you to the Black Forest where you will find someone who will take you to the Silver Moon Mage Council. There, they’ll help you regain your powers and you can then come back and dish out your revenge. So, will you help me?”

“Yes,” Darris agreed without any hesitation at all.

“Excellent,” said the Dark Elf Magician. “So, I need a detailed layout of the defenses inside the East Cove Magic Academy, including the range and scope of the Watching-Eyes, all the rules and passcodes and so on without a single omission. Can you provide that to me?”

“Give me a day’s time,” replied Darris with a bitter smile. As a Level-4 Magician, an acknowledged genius, and the chief disciple of the master Magician Bale, he had been entrusted with great authority in the academy. He knew every single thing that the Dark Elf wanted to know in minute detail!