Chapter 3: Again and Again

Chapter 3: Again and Again

Chapter 3

Again and Again

On your feet, maggot!

On your feet, maggot!

On your feet, maggot!

On your feet, maggot!

On your feet, maggot!Updated from novelbIn.(c)om

On your feet

On your

How many times has it been already? Ten, Sylas calculated quickly. He died ten times altogether. Some deaths were far more gnarly than the others, though it was hard to say that any one was painless. He died to a ghoul six times total, twice on the tower, and four times whilst trying to run around the castle and scout out the situation. He died once to a blinding explosion, once to, embarrassingly, slipping on the wet stone and keeling over the towers railing, falling headfirst onto the ground before the ghouls even invaded, and twice to just random debris hitting him in the head.

In the process of dying more times than humans have evolved to, hed learned a few extra things from the rowdy guard that woke him up each time. The mans name was Tebek and he was one of the four Guard Captains of the castle, in charge with the southwest watchtower and its surrounding region, precisely the one that Sylas was tasked with guarding.

Tebek, luckily, was both a loudmouth as well as a chatterbox, and Sylas only had to poke slightly for the man to burst. Ghoul attacks, according to him, weren't anything extraordinaryespecially in these parts. Further up north, beyond the borders of the communal 'Human Kingdoms', lay a wretched wasteland bordering a sea that was home to all sorts and manner of beasts and creatures, all more inhumane than the last. Ghouls were merely one type of them but were also the type to most frequently cross into the 'Human Kingdoms', partly because they were just brainless zombies moving on instinct and partly because they were one of the weakest creatures along the peninsula's shores.

In fact, according to Tebek, things will likely even get worse as the winter months approach. Their current castle, promptly named Castle Ethwar, was one of the six major northern outposts in charge of both spotting and delaying the invasion. It was a thankless role and, as such, the Noble in charge was sent here as punishmentwhich was the case with the one before him.

What confused and even angered Sylas was that even though the Noble did have sons none of them were in the castle. The likeliest target of his quest was gone and he was, once again, shooting in the dark. For all he knew, it could be virtually anyone.

For a Recruit, Tebek spoke again. You seem awfully chirpy.

Just excited to start my watch, Sylas replied absentmindedly.

is that so? Be careful out there, then.

Will do!

This time! Sylas swore that hed be more careful and finally unveil the source of that bright light. On their way over to the watchtower, Tebek was surprisingly silent, though it was in part because Sylas didnt ask anything. The Captain merely warned him once again to be careful before setting off, leaving Sylas to his own devices.

He sat down and leaned against the stone, though didn't dare close his eyes. Too many traumas and nightmares haunted him, to the point that it was like a Russian roulette whenever he closed his eyesexcept each chamber had a bullet with a specific, traumatizing memory. He held onto what he used to call fake sanity back in his youth; it was merely just a bubbly world made entirely of denial, but, for better or worse, it was effective. It held him stitched together, but, eventually, hell fall asleep, he knew.

And once his mind was out of his control, those snakes and those demons would crawl out like worms and devour him. But that was the future Sylas' problem. The present one's was to figure out what caused that bright light and, in extension, what exactly breached the wallsbecause it certainly wasn't the Ghouls, no matter how terrifying they may be.

The deep night descended once again. With each passing hour, Sylas heartbeat quickened ever so slightly until it was beating like a drum upon the first sighting. He braced himself yet again, descending the ladder immediately, not taking any chances. He glanced at the bell and pondered ringing it, but there was no point. Whether he rang it or not, the castle would fallat least as things currently stood. If he could identify what caused the breach, he might be able to do something. In the worst-case scenario, he could play a role of a prophet, dying over and over again until he'd gathered enough information to convince everyone. That, however, was the last resort.

Stillness soon overwhelmed him as he braced himself against the wall. The only sounds he could hear were those of his heart and the distant, faint, yet all-the-same terrifying snarls of the Ghouls. Almost by instinct, he knew when the bang would comeand so he grabbed onto the tiny openings in the wall, holding with all his might as the tower shook. The moment the quaking subsided, he raced over to the ladder and ran up its steps toward the top.

Inching toward the railing of the watchtower, he was ready to look all around but there was no needthere, above the major breach where the Ghouls would always pour, he saw it. It was beyond brief, and it wasnt all that surprising that nobody spotted it in all of his runsit was a rapidly-fading circle full of straight lines drawn in patterns. It was hued in milky-white with traces of silver sheen. Despite seeing it, however that meant nothing to Sylas. It was a circle and even if he could ascertain that it was some kind of a magic circle, what of it? Nothing. Just as helplessness cradled his body, a window yet again appeared in front of him. It confused him momentarily as he was yet to die, after all.

You have grasped a clue.

Deciphering

The clue: Combustive Magic Circle is a Tier-1 Magic Circle. It requires 6 talismans to be placed in a specific pattern beforehand. It is as strong as Inscriptions on those talismans.

Were Ghouls capable of doing magic? No, forget thatwere those brainless mutts capable of even saying magic? No! Definitely not! Which could only mean one thing

The Magic Circle was placed, Sylas mumbled in both shock and confusion. By somebody on the inside?