Chapter 10

A man in his thirties was sitting behind the Templar Captain's desk, he was a man one meter tall and seventy tall, he was thin as a branch, his bearing was stiff and impetuous, his eyes were almond-shaped, his skin pale and his hair tied with a tail, he was dressed in oriental armor, with a katana with the scabbard adorned with bird carvings and golden petals on a black background

-See you Feajin-

- Don't call me "leader" you know my name, that's just a stereotypical name, my name is Hikaru-

-Why you brought me here, Feajin-

-Tsk... you're here on the orders of the new boss, according to the ex-boss's last will, in any case you have to go back to the crow and take your place again, so you have to come back.

- Tsk... goodbye, I won't go back into the crow - he opened the door, a long cut conparve on the door and a metalic sound came from his shoulders,

-We really have to get blue, you know I know your every technique, spell or tactic and besides I'm not in front of you- and the direction of Mahel's voice came behind Hikaru- I'm behind you-

and with a quick but extraordinarily precise movement, he took the Katana from the man's side and pointed it at his opponent's back

-Don't challenge me Hikaku, you already know who's the strongest of us, you know I'd kill you too.

- I see you've started weaving your deceptions again,-

No answer, he heard only the metal noise falling along with that of broken glass

-Tsk, always very quick, chase him- and from the shadow appeared templars

Mahel ran through the alleys of the city, disappearing into the shadows and reappearing without making a noise, in his hand he had his daggers, arrived snapping at the inn, climbed on the wall under his window, introducing himself inside his room, quickly took all his things, equipment, iron ring, and quickly wrote on a note why there was no , then I think if he left Elisabhet in this town he could have questioned her, and he knew well the methods of torture

-Tsk.... but fuck-

He threw a bag containing the payment money, walked out the door silently like a cat, knocked three times at Elisabhet's room, poch seconds later Elisabhet opened with shaggy hair and a defrosted nightgown

-What's Alexan...-

Mahel snapped into the chamber, closing the door behind him,

-Prepare your things, we have to go-

What... why?-

-The Templars, I refused to talk to their boss and then we have to escape, then I have to take you with me otherwise they could go back to me through your mind-

-What, are you serious, wait a minute, you know important people, a merchant with strange magic, a dwarf innkeeper with divine magic, a girl who controls spirits, you have a huge Mana and you fight in no-way manners and also you know in person the head of the Templars, who the hell are you?-

Me? I'm a tramp and I was lucky enough to have some Mana, but now take your stuff I'll put you out of town - and you in nowhere

An hour later Elisabhet was in front of the city door and had been waiting for Alexander for fifteen minutes, and had not yet arrived

-Damn Alexander and he had to wait for me-

"So let's go," said a voice behind her- "I don't have all the time in the world."

Aaaah!.... you talk about the devil-

Mahel was behind her holding the marbles of two horses, one was her horse while the other was a spotted horse of terracotta-like color with biache spots all over her body

"Is this horse for me?-

-Yes and now jump on it, we have to run away the templar capiano has come out of the tower and wants to meet me-

Mahel jumped over the horse and began galloping with a loose bridle, Elisabhet instead worked out the event for a moment - Mhf that he annoyed - and began galloping chasing Mahel into the night.

Three days had passed since they had fled the capital, they had distanced the troops at least ten miles away, Elisabhet was tired, Mehel instead could continue for at least two more days but both Elisabhet and her horse were exhausted, they had not stopped even once

-Alexander I'm tired, my horse is tired even yours is, we have to stop but first of all, what the hell happens, you don't tell it right, you know too many people, you're too skilled you're not who you say you are so now tell me who the fuck you are!-

The outburst was unexpected it was usually quiet, but above all it was really smart, Mahel then began to tell while taking wood to light the fire

-So you want to know who I am, then wait a second for me to light the fire, Mahel lit it smoothly and lit it and sat in front of the mouth looking at the void

I'm not going to tell you everything and I'm going to be pretty vague, I've been telling you something for a long time, so I'm going to talk to you about how I learned how I learned to fight.

-Okay...-

-When I was twelve years old I was "raised" by a group that you will surely have heard of, it was the previous "guild" that protected the kingdom, the "Raven"-

You... Are... Was... in the "Crow"?-

-I was raised to the asassinium, to be a ruthless mercenary, I was trained so well that I was promoted to the head of a group and then I became a member of elite, but then the boss appointed his successor, I hated him, I did not want to become like him, he taught me that the end justifies the means, I gave orders to kidnap orphans to train them and then brainwash him , but I didn't like this part of me, so I tried to leave, but they tried to kill me to prevent it, so because of my rebelion the "Raven" weakened to such an extent that the Templars took our place, denouncing our crimes, so he fled while the King made the "Raven" a group of criminals.

-So you're an elite ex-mmbro of a criminal group, and everyone we met in town, Hedgar, Yonth and that girl named Milin are ex-real members?- Exactly Elisabhet except Yonth he was a spece of "Crow" supplier- Okay I understand..... but now tell me what your real name "Alexander" is?-

-My name. . . . . Tsk and that's fine, but if they catch you, I'il find you and kill you for not being tracked down by the Templars.

-Okay...-

Mahel took a cigarette, lit it on the fire, took a big mouth and said:

-My name is Mahel and I'm a former member of the "Crow."-

-Mmmh.... i understand but now what do you do?-

-I'm an adventurer it's quite obvious and now you sleep tomorrow we will continue to ride north, we will arrive three two days in a city called Dhost is a city mostly of barbarians and ogres so it will be a bit stormy as a city, and now sleep-

Elisabhet lay by the fire still confused by the recent revelations, frightened by the coldness of her tale and tired she fell asleep without making a sound

Mahel instead felt like a burden that finally freed his chest, did not reveal his name for a long time, he did not like to have company on his travels but instead, it is not that he liked his company but left him indifferent.

He didn't sleep that night, either because he wasn't sleepy or because he had to take the turn on guard, he took a book out of his bag, it was a book bound in black leather with pages made from too many uses, he opened it and started reading it, it was a book about fourth-level charms, he could throw seventh, the maximum was the tenth-level spells. , but he had to go through it did not throw at him for a long time, and so spent the night reading the book, the memories resurfaced some beautiful and pleasant others terrible

The dawn came, the faint sunlight illuminated Mahel, his warmth entered Mahel's skin, closed the book, had reached the last page, a page that spegated how to summon a magical beast that changed according to the type of summoner, had never tried to summon a magical beast, so before waking Elisabhet tried to summon a magical beast , he sought a clearing away from the camp, found it about fifty meters away, had taken the book with him, put himself in the center of the clearing, drew with a stick a circle with a series of signs inside, ochi converged for a moment, drew on his mana and converged it inside the circle of evocation, the signs lit up, the light converged over the circle , slowly took shape, the beast eventually took the form of a large red-eyed black crow

What the hell? Ah a human.... a human! A human who manages to summon me!- the dismayed crow began to turn around Mahel and began to look him in the eye as if to peer into his soul-mmmmh... now I understand, you're not a normal human, so what do you want from me?-

Me? well I summoned you to make a deal with the beast that had come out of the circle, so tell me what your name is?-

-My name is Muninn, the crow of dark memory, of arcane knowledge not necessarily evil, message of the Gods-

-I was not expecting such a high-level creature, it is an honor to know muninn, my name is Mahel, the faceless assault, scourge from the shadows and I would like to make a pact with you-

- The gods give you Mahel well everyone knows everything, you are taken into account both because of your skills he knows because of your arm and your right eye, the honor is mine, instead for the pact let me decide ... But yes, I'm going to make a deal with you, I like Mahel you're powerful and you have a rare kind of mana pier, so let's get started,-

-Thank you great crow-

Call me Mahel by name, so to start with, get a feather from my side.

Muninn then put himself on Mahel's shoulder, who took a delicate feather of his own, did not want to bother him that crow was really powerful

Trace in the earth another circle but this time instead of plotting runes plant my feather in the ground vertically,-Mahel did, trusted the ucello, Muninn in legends was described as honest and loyal with those he liked-Now put yourself in the center of the circle and wait a few seconds- Mahel did, a light acerated him, right after , he opened his stunned eyes, felt a pressure on the middle finger of his right hand and saw a black iron ring engraved with feather-like patterns, with a gray-black stone set in the ring

So this is our contract, right?-

-That's right that it will last until you die, thanks to the contract with me your life will last much longer, more or less a hundred years, to be precise you can share this power with another person, but it will not have the following benefits that are: increase of Mana, you can have very ancient spell books you can cast tenth-level spells ,and you can have very old weapons-

-Interesting, well now we are tied up true, now let's go I have to wake up a annoying-

Elisabhet woke up, had heard footsteps, unleashed her sword and pointed it at the source of the steps, it was Mahel still felt that name strange, with a large raven with black plumage on his shoulder as night and red-eyed, similar to Mahel's that time

-Tsk... you're awake Elisabhet, start getting ready we have to leave-

Okay, but why that crow?-

-I'm not just a little crow - I'm small

What the hell?! Are you a magical beast, when Mahel summoned you?-

-Mahel mentioned to me a few minutes ago-

- Ah, but they won't understand that you're a magical beast? can't you disappear with a cloud of smoke?-

-That only for creatures of large or colossal size I am small in size-

"So you're weak- Mahel snorted because of the lack of hair on his tongue and how he sensed Mahel's thoughts said

Ah ha ha! I see you don't have hair on your tongue, I like you, but don't be fooled by my size I'm among the creatures of maximum level- What!- I'm Muginn the raven message of the gods, don't forget Elisabhet, I know everything and I see everything, I'm the memory-

- Excuse me, Mr Muginn-

-Just call me Mugin-

Oh! Excuse me Muginn it will be an honor to go with you but now one thing... Mahel how did you evoke it-

Elisabhet was appalled, her eyes were barred and she was sweating

- Tsk... I was lucky-

-I don't think Mahel could have summoned me because you have an interesting mana-

-Tsk... no matter now instead, start preparing you we have a long way to go-

-Yes Mahel-

A few minutes later Elisabhet had cleaned up at the river and had settled everything, they jumped on the croup of muginn horses instead to which the horses did not seem to like, the flight

"Mahel," Muginn said in his mind.

-Tsk.. so you can communicate through the mind of the summoner-

- yes, but tell me where we're going?-

-We're going to Dhost-

Dhost? mmh turbulent but safe city okay let's go-

-I don't like it when someone comes into my mind. so go back to the horse

-I don't like horses, if you allow me to stay here-

-Tsk... what a hassle, do as you want but tell me why you don't like horses-

-Well there was a horse in the realm of the gods had eight legs his name was Sleipnir, he was the favorite of the gods when before it was me and my brother Huginn the favorites of the gods, so now I don't really like it-

-Tsk... that annoyance, does nothing, don't talk until I do it-

-But you still don't know how to do it.

-Then as I'm talking to you-

-Ah right okay let's go-

They galloped to the free city of Dhost, a turbulent city of orcs beers and barbarians with Strange Gods, the adventures or even dis-adventures of our group would have been very interesting.