Chapter 18: The Knight, the Mage, and the Caveman

As Sanson took a short nap, Kay kept watch, though the knight didn't appear to be moving anytime soon. His strategy was simple: the two of them would rest while their opposition tired themself out. 

Twilight soon turned to night, as the minutes ticked by. The area was surprisingly quiet. As a matter of fact, he hadn't seen a single animal since approaching the stone structure. Perhaps, the man-made object inspired fear in them. Or maybe it was some charm the god had used, Kay wasn't sure. 

Either way, he didn't have much of anything to watch. At the very least, the moonlight did provide a particular flair to the final setting of the first trial. A lone guard defending a tower from two intruders? That image hyped him up to trounce the knight in their upcoming confrontation.

A short while later, a familiar screech reverberated in his ears. 

"I thought adding a time limit would speed things up, not slow it down." the god sighed. 

"There is presently one hour left until the trial is over. That's it. You'll get no dramatic countdown. No sudden death. Just enter the damn tower, alright?"

The message roused Sanson. 

"How are you feeling?" asked Kay.

"I have a bit more mana ready. But still don't count on more than one big spell," said the mage.

With that knowledge, Kay told Sanson the plan. They were now ready to begin. 

....

Sanson showed himself, standing before the man guarding the entrance. With a fair distance of around ten meters from the swordsman, he called out. 

"Kindly move, would you?" said the mage.

"You finally show yourself," said the knight with a crazed smile. He drew his sword from the earth, thrusting it forward as though about to engage in an horrible duel.

Sanson, in turn, readied his staff. However, the two remained stationary, neither willing to make the first move. 

"Why don't you try your magic on me?" said the knight.

"Why don't you come closer? Your sword is hardly a threat far away." countered the mage.

It was clear that the knight wouldn't move easily. After all, he had spent nearly a full day anxiously waiting for someone to step within reach of his blade. 

"True. But standing here is my best strategy. As we speak, valuable seconds pass. I can quite easily clear the trial whenever I please. If you wish to enter, you'll have to make the first move." 

"Don't tempt me," said the old man.

At the tip of his staff, a great mass of mana started to condense. Sweat trickled down Sanson's face, as he concentrated all his remaining power on a single spell.

The mana began to change colors. A maniacal grin crept onto his face, regaining the same zealous energy he'd displayed previously. His staff was tinged blue, green, brown, and then red. 

Swaying, the knight began preparing to dodge. Still, he showed no signs of leaving the entryway, intent on defending the spot until his last breath. He eyed the magics produced by the wizard, waiting to see what attack the spell would bring. 

Red light seemed to dye the tower, replacing the subtle silver glow of the moon with a vermillion aura. Temperature rising, the knight sobered from his sleepy stupor. The unnatural forces encompassing the plain seemed to invoke a sense of life and death in him.

"Everything this spell touches is destined for ruin! Face it at your own peril!" shouted the mage.

The knight began hesitantly glancing left and right. Although it surely pained him to abandon his vigil of the entrance, the spell's increasing magnitude was making him consider it. 

Sparks of fire had begun to engulf the red-tipped staff, the flames feeding on the scarlet energy the mage provided. They steadily grew in size. 

Pupils dilated and beads of sweat streaming down, a flash of realization appeared on the knight's face. Perhaps, he had witnessed the aftermath of the spell. Maybe he had seen blackened trees in the jungle, the surroundings wrought with destruction. Escape seemed more likely than it had before.

A ball of flames, similar in size to a massive pick-up truck now stabilized, its target already dictated. With a motion like a man pumping a shotgun, the wizard screamed as he unleashed his completed spell, a shimmer of stars reflected in his eyes.

"Explosion!" 

The almighty incinerator launched like a light basketball pass, slow enough to perceive but only for a few moments. Slow though it was, it mercilessly burned everything it's path. Barren though the plains were, the small and short grasses that populated it served as nothing more than fuel. Nearby clumps caught the infectious disease that was the fire. 

It progressed steadily towards the tower. In another instant, it would cross it's path. 

During that snapshot in time, the knight's calm facade shattered, revealing a look of absolute terror. He threw his sword to the left, and dove after it, hoping to narrowly avoid the blast's impact on the tower.

However, the magical attack never hit the stone structure. Instead, it veered off course to the right, clipping the side of the tower which remained mostly unharmed. In the distance, the tiny sun collided with a tree resulting in a mushroom cloud, deletion of the arbor, and yet another forest fire. 

The crouched knight hurriedly retrieved his weapon, and breathed a sigh of relief. His gaze then befall the wizard, who had fallen to the ground, passed out after casting his magnum opus spell. 

Small fires continued passing between the grass, engulfing the once peaceful scenery into a hellish landscape, but the mage showed no signs of movement. That spell had truly cost him all his energy, down to the last drop. 

The same was not true for the knight. He began to work himself into a standing position, eager to end the wizard's life before he could pull any more magical tricks. 

Then, he heard, or rather failed to hear the steps resonating behind him. Kay, enchanted by the magic of the silence spell, approached the rising man undetected. In his hands, he held nature's greatest bounty, a fifty pound rock the size of a soccer ball. 

Holding it over his head like the world's last caveman, Kay plunged his weapon of choice downwards towards the knight's unprotected skull. The trained swordsman crumpled to the ground like, well, a bunch of rocks. 

When he'd made contact with the deer, a sickening feeling had overcome Kay. That same feeling didn't apply now. The deer wasn't even a predator; it was just an animal that he had killed for food. 

Having defeated the murderous knight, there was only one feeling for him: pride in his first victory.