Leyline Magus 3: An Isekai Progression Fantasy (Hero of Mirras), page 1
Leyline Magus 3
An Isekai Progression Fantasy
Hero of Mirras
Book 3
Isaac Keyes
Marcus Sloss
Copyright © 2024 by Royal Guard Publishing LLC
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Author’s Note
Check This Out!
Chapter One
Verra and I sat on the edge of a sheer cliff and watched the sun rise.
Grand Castle Torkeshta – or rather, its ruins – sat below us. Yesterday we’d been in there, chasing Zhendar the Druzha master, in the hopes of ending his evil plans once and for all.
We’d failed.
I had learned something, though. “So,” I asked Verra, “did you hear the conversation I had with Zhendar before you joined the battle?”
She shook her head. “I couldn’t hear from where I was. I can’t imagine it was anything good, though, was it? Did he call us all filth or something? Drone on about Druzha superiority?”
“Ah, no, actually. He didn’t. He did call us all filth or something like that. But he said the Druzha were no better.”
She tilted her head at me. “Uh, what? Then…?”
“Yeah. I suspected what their ultimate goal was, and he confirmed it.”
Verra stared at me, saying nothing.
“They want to kill everyone.”
“Everyone…?”
“Everywhere. Including themselves and the rest of the Druzha.”
“They…,” she leaned in close and whispered, “fucking what?”
“They want to kill everyone on Mirras. Maybe all life? That part was unclear. He said what they were doing would kill everyone, but the planet would eventually heal itself. He didn’t mention how long that would take though.”
She sat back and took a long breath. “Okay. That’s… I mean… fuck. That’s even worse than I thought it would be. And I thought it would be terrible.”
“Yeah.”
“We gotta stop ‘em!”
I patted her on the back and flashed her a smile. “Really? You think so?”
She snorted and batted my hand away. “Yeah, Danic. I do think that. But first of all, let’s go see how the others are doing.”
We each stepped inside our armor, leycin made by Bel for us, and headed back.
Bel and her friend sat outside our large, metal palanquin, a millipede-looking thing that was both our transport and a roving pleasure barge.
Bel’s friend was Jiyan, a Saldani woman I’d battled, beaten, and saved. She had been imprisoned by the Druzha and used as a living Conduit for defiled ley. I’d be asking a lot of questions about that soon.
I stood and looked her over. Channels for ley existed inside her like they did inside of everyone, but no natural ley coursed through her body. Nothing but defilement roiled inside her. Still, she lived and looked no worse for it.
For now.
The two looked up when Verra and I approached.
Jiyan, who’d swapped her tattered rags for a long, dark dress, favored me with a wan smile. “Danic. Before you say anything, let me apologize for trying to kill you.” Her black feline ears dropped and her tail coiled around one of her ankles.
During our fight, there had been moments where my victory seemed unlikely.
“Don’t worry about it. It’s not the first time I’ve been mistaken for a Lord. And on that note, please don’t refer to me as one. People keep trying to.”
Her smile widened. “Of course. It will be exceedingly easy to keep that word off my tongue, let me assure you.” She sighed. “Lady Belmora has given me an abridged accounting of your adventures so far. If I had not fought you myself and exerted my full strength, I would struggle to believe that you slew the Lords at Dareen.”
“Oh, we fucked ‘em up good,” Verra said, pounding a fist into her armored chest.
Jiyan nodded. “Yes. I also heard a little about the wonders Lady Belmora has crafted for you.”
“Jiyan,” Bel said with a suffering smile. “I told you that you could just call me Bel. We’re friends.”
“And I told you that I shan’t be addressing someone of your station thusly, even if personally requested. It would… feel uncomfortable.”
Bel shrugged. “As you wish.”
“Jiyan,” I said, “are you up to telling us your story soon?”
Her head dropped, and for a moment she said nothing. “Yes, I am.”
Bel leaned in and rested a hand on her shoulder. “If you’re not up for it….”
“No, no. I would like to. It might be painful but ultimately it's for the best.” She looked up into Bel’s eyes and gave her a genuine smile. “I did not think I would live through the horror, let alone find an old friend at the end of it. Perhaps new friends as well.”
It felt appropriate to listen to her story by a fire, so I went to work on a firepit. I used ley to easily create a depression in the earth, raising some ground to serve as seats. Verra and I wandered off to gather firewood, even though it was scarce amidst the rocky terrain.
Once we had enough wood, a tiny fireball got things going quickly. We shucked our armor and sat down.
I wanted to start the discussion with smaller things, so I asked Jiyan about her dress.
“Lady Belmora found it for me inside your palanquin.”
“It was stuffed in the back of a closet,” Bel said. “Must have been missed when it got cleaned before we took it over in Dareen.”
Jiyan sat barefoot, which she didn’t seem to mind. “It’s a servant’s dress, but still infinitely better than the ‘clothes’ I wore before.” She looked down and chuckled. “There was a time when I would have balked at wearing this, but such idiotic notions have been beaten out of me.”
No one responded to that.
She held all our eyes in turn. “So, you would like to hear my story, yes? Where should I begin?”
Bel squeezed her hand. “Perhaps I can start with the part I know?”
Jiyan nodded.
“Well, when I worked in the Capital – before all the Druzha business – Jiyan and I met while I was working for House Saldas.”
“So, like, you’re royalty or some shit?” Verra asked Jiyan, interrupting Bel’s story.
Nonplussed, Jiyan locked eyes with her before breaking into a breathy laugh. “I believe ‘or some shit’ is a better descriptor. House Saldas, despite being the ruling House, has rather dramatic echelons of power. The King hails from it, but so do people like me: a minor noble with a title and estate, but little else.”
“Sounds like enough to me,” Verra muttered.
If Jiyan took offense, she didn’t show it. “My immediate family assumed many of the responsibilities and expectations of greater nobility… but none of the power or influence. And thus our days were spent grasping for more. Always taunted by the promise of attaining greater heights, but mired in constant struggle.”
Bel groaned. “Sounds alarmingly like Yezar. Politics and social climbing. But as I was saying,” she added with a pointed look at Verra, whose cheeks reddened a bit, “Jiyan and I met somewhat randomly while I was employed by House Saldas. We became friends for some time, but politics tore us apart, eventually. We kept in touch by letter, until… we didn’t.” She side-eyed Jiyan. “Up until a little while ago, I thought you tired of writing to me. It happens.”
Jiyan shook her head. “I did not. However, I became swept up in the greater nobility’s plans, and the demands placed on me left little time or thought for anything else. I’m ashamed to say that I just… let you go, as I did many things.”
“Was this during the early alliance with the Druzha?” I asked.
“Yes, although I didn’t know that at the time. My so-called betters assigned me tasks without explanation and with the assumption that I would complete them quickly and quietly. I had no idea what I did, but it furthered my family’s station, or so I was told.”
Verra grumbled. “You were made into lackeys.”
“Correct. It was all about political maneuvering, resource acquisition, and assassinations. Though I didn’t perform those myself.”
Verra and I recoiled.
Bel did not.
<
“Wow,” Verra muttered, “and I thought my own little village’s stupid politics were bad.”
I rubbed her back. “I can’t say Earth’s ‘elite’ are much different. Not that I have any firsthand experience.”
Jiyan sighed. “I did what was expected of me, confident that my own neck would be safe. It is my greatest shame. Not the things I did, but my own naivety.” In a flat tone, she added, “They came for me, of course.”
“Was this before or after the humans started being summoned?”
“A little after. The first few Lords had emerged by then.”
“So,” I said, leaning forward, “I’ve gotta ask. Did everyone just accept humans? New people, never seen before in all of history, and everyone just rolled with it?”
Verra chuckled. “Didn’t the Dolorei do just that?”
“Well… I suppose they did.”
“I’ve no idea how your world is, Danic,” Jiyan said, “but Mirras isn’t fully explored. If you go back in living memory, many people thought the Y’zendi were nothing but fantasy. Honestly, some still do. But to answer your question, yes, humans caused quite a stir. However, the humans that appeared were all arrogant and supremely powerful. After a few incidents, we all learned to do as they commanded and not to question them. Not only did they have magical might, the power of the Crown stood behind them. Questions were asked, but answers were not forthcoming.”
“But I was telling my own story. The masters came for me. I do not know what criteria they used to judge me, but I was deemed to be....” She trailed off, unable to say the words.
“A Conduit,” Bel finished.
“Yes.”
“I assume,” I said, “that you mean one of the original Conduits? The half-living people suspended in that awful ritual?”
“I never actually witnessed those horrors firsthand, but you’re correct.”
Bel, Verra, and I all shivered at the thought.
“Be glad you didn’t,” Bel said. “They were nothing short of abominable.”
“So I understand now,” Jiyan said with downcast eyes. “Something changed, however, and my imprisonment in the Capital ended. I had been cloistered in a tower, in fine rooms that were merely a gilded cell. Still, I longed for them when the Druzha brought me here.”
“How long ago was this?” I asked.
The firelight danced on Jiyan’s face as she thought. “Weeks? A month or more? Once I descended underground, time lost all meaning. I either had too much sleep or not enough between the… experiments.”
Bel’s eyes widened. I knew she wanted to ask. Hell, I did too. We wanted to know exactly what happened to her, although Bel’s interests were more academic than mine. But I wasn’t going to be so callous as to actually give voice to the question. After a moment, it seemed Bel wasn’t either.
“Lords came,” Jiyan said, unaware of our reactions, “who were promised even more power than they already had.” Her eyes flicked up to mine. “Promised power enough to rival that of the ‘Lost Lordling.’”
“Oh, I had a title I wasn’t even aware of?”
Jiyan graced me with a tiny smile. “More of an epithet.”
“Ah, I see.”
“Mhmm. What they got instead of more power, however….” She curled her lip in disgust.
“We saw in one of the rooms,” Verra murmured. “Butchered isn’t the right word….”
“Dissected,” I said.
We all sat silent for a moment before Jiyan said, “Yes. Taken apart, piece by piece, often while still alive.”
We all recoiled.
“How?” I asked. “Couldn’t they have resisted?”
Jiyan met my eyes. “Other Lords helped.”
“Fuck.”
“Helped murder their brethren, stupidly unaware that it would be their turn next. They were killed beforehand, of course. Stabbed in the back, poisoned, or throats slit. Taken apart, post mortem.”
“So,” I asked, “are all the Lords gone now?”
Jiyan shrugged. “Perhaps. Perhaps not. There are no more here… but some might have gone to the Druzha lands. I overheard that the Capital was abandoned, as that part of the plan ended.”
“So, uh,” Verra said, “why here? Why not do all this shit in Druzha lands and forget the rest of it?”
Jiyan held out a hand, a small tornado of defilement swirling in her palm. “For whatever reason, only Saldani can become Conduits. Even humans cannot. I overheard a few discussions about that.”
Bel gave Jiyan a pained smile. “This might be indelicate, but it seems that whatever experiments the Druzha conducted here, they were successful.” Her glowing, golden eyes gleamed.
The Druzha had clearly pushed the known limits of the defilement and successfully created something that no one else had before: a living Conduit. It was something that might border on the elusive greatness that plagued Bel’s thoughts.
It seemed that this wasn’t lost on Jiyan, who looked back at Bel with a knowing half-smile. “I know what you’re thinking, Lady Belmora. You want to know how, don’t you?”
“I—”
“Of course you do. Why wouldn’t you? And you know what? If I could be sure that the knowledge would never leave your thoughts, I’d tell you. But as it stands, only myself and a few of the Druzha know how it was done.” Her gaze turned to steel. “I mean to kill them and scour this knowledge from the world. I know such a concept might be anathema to you, Lady Belmora, but I will see it done. If there are others like me, I will kill them, even if they are victims too.”
“We’ll help you,” I said without thinking.
Her expression softened. “Thank you for understanding, Danic. I had hoped I wouldn’t have to convince you. Or…,” she looked away, “kill you, should the need arise.”
From anyone else, I’d have thought it an idle threat. From her, it was not. She had the power to keep up with me and had proved it.
Bel sighed. “You’re not the last step in their plans, are you?”
“Hmm?”
“Creating a Saldani Conduit was a triumph — if you’ll excuse the term — but I don’t think they planned to stop there.”
“What do you mean?” Verra asked.
“Creating a Conduit like Jiyan proved it could be done. But she hardly shares their views. As much as they attempted to force your complacency, you’re not the ideal….”
“Tool,” Jiyan said. “You can just say it. It’s the truth.”
“Not the ideal tool, yes. I imagine their ultimate goal is to create a living Druzha Conduit. One of the masters themselves, ideally.”
“Speaking of ultimate goals…,” I said.
Bel nodded. “Jiyan told me. The eradication of everyone on Mirras.”
I chuckled humorlessly. “I’ve read stories and seen shows about doomsday cults, but it never once crossed my mind that this might be their plan. I just naturally assumed they wanted power. To rule everyone, you know?”
Jiyan snorted. “It is a common theme, yes.” She shook her head. “For some unknown reason. The rulers I know are often no happier than anyone else.”
“Speaking of rulers,” Verra said, “the Saldani King was here. Like, just him. No one else.”
“Ah. Others came. High nobles who had thrown their lot in with him and the Druzha.” She spat on the ground. “They were all culled along the way. ‘Useless tools,’ I overheard one master saying. They kept the King, though. I’m not really sure why. He must have died during the cave-in after our battle.”
“Uh, nope.” Verra gave her an awkward smile. “I kinda skewered him. Pretty anticlimactic, really.”
Jiyan shrugged a shoulder, otherwise ambivalent to the news. “Ah. Good, I suppose. It’s largely irrelevant either way, though.”
“So,” I said, slapping my knees, “we need to talk about what happens now.”
“We kill the rest of them,” Verra said.
“Great! Wonderful idea. I love it! Now, onto how we’re going to do that….”
Verra snickered.
Bel spread her hands. “I believe there’s only one viable option.”
We waited for her to go on.
“If Zhendar fled using whatever cobbled-together portal he had, then he could literally be anywhere on Mirras. Longer distances are less likely, but not impossible. Tracking him down in any conventional way would be fruitless at best, I think.”
