The trip was close to its end by noon, and the men could already see the outline of a city over the trees. From afar, all they could see was the top of towers and the tip of what seemed like a castle keep.
Once the group was close to the treeline, Aberon ordered everyone to disembark the carriage.
"We walk the rest of the way." He ordered.
"What about the carriage?" Astaroth asked curiously.
"It stays here until we return." Aberon stated, walking away in the capital's direction.
After the men all disembarked, they caught up with Aberon and walked towards the city.
Half of the way there were plains and fields of crops, then the other half transitioned into small houses and huts, most likely the farmers' houses.
They walked on the beaten dirt path that led to the walls encasing the main part of the capital. The immense stone walls were so long, they disappeared into the distance on each side.
They spanned fifty meters high and, from the looks Astaroth could glean from the open gate, they seemed to be about ten to fifteen meters thick.
These walls would make most siege weapons irrelevant by their apparent solidity.
There was a small line formed in front of the city gates, with soldiers checking identities at the front. Some soldiers were also moving up and down the line, making sure no one suspicious made it to the front.
Aberon walked into line, followed by the rest of his allies. They waited and walked the pace of the queue until it was their turn at the gate.
"Welcome to Tel'narel. Identification and reason of visit." A soldier with a stern face said, looking at Aberon.
Aberon glanced at him with a side-eye.
"You know who I am, soldier. These men are with me. Let us through." He replied as flatly as a rug.
"Identification and reason of visit." He repeated, clearly annoyed.
"Call your captain, soldier. I don't have time to deal with your incompetence." Aberon sneered.
The soldier instantly became furious, drawing his sword. He brought it close to Aberon's throat.
"Say it again. I dare you." The soldier growled.
When the man pulled his weapon, Chris, Aj'axx, I'dril, Korin, and Astaroth all pulled out their weapons at the same time.
Aberon only lifted his hand, signaling them to stay put.
"Let me ask you something, soldier. Do you know who I am?" Aberon asked the man, his gaze becoming intense.
Astaroth, with his perfect mana sense, could feel and see the mana around Aberon become deathly still. He gulped.
"Oh, I know who you are, traitor. And I don't care." The soldier replied with a menacing smile.
"Oh? You do? Then why aren't you calling reinforcements then?" Aberon asked, his face distorting into a smile that would freeze over hell.
The soldier shivered slightly at the sight of it, but he quickly steeled himself again.
ραпdα Йᴏνêl(сòm) "I don't need reinforcements to deal with an old codger like you!" The soldier barked, spit flying as he did.
While all this back and forth was happening, the soldiers that were going up and down the line were now all at the front. They were surrounding Astaroth and the rest of his group.
Another man in armor walked out of the gates. His armor was shinier and bulkier than the rest of the men.
"What's happening here?!" He yelled, dissatisfied at the interruption from whatever he was doing before.
"Are you perhaps the captain?" Aberon asked, turning his head slightly, to look at the man.
"What is it to you?" The man asked with a disdainful smirk.
"I will assume that means yes. Then I ask you, captain. How many?" Aberon said, his face still in a cold, evil grin.
'Huh? How many what?' The guard captain asked, his face turning into a frown.
"How many men are you willing to lose?" Aberon replied, snapping his fingers.
The man in front of him then started screaming in horror.
"Snakes! Snakes everywhere! Help me! HELP ME!!!" He yelled, clawing at his own face, tearing it to shreds.
The other soldiers watched on in horror as their companion scratched his face off and tore the skin off his own neck. The captain was the first to snap back to reality.
"KILL THEM! KILL THEM ALL!" He screamed, unsheathing his sword too, and dashing at Aberon.
Astaroth and the rest of the party were about to react when they heard Aberon's voice over the commotion.
"Don't you move! I will handle this!" He shouted, waving his hands around in the air.
The following events would haunt Astaroth for a long time, reminding them to never provoke Aberon, lest they wish to die.
The first thing that happened was the captain flying away. It was like an invisible hand had grabbed him and thrown him into the city wall.
Once he hit the wall, he stuck there, as the surrounding stone slowly started wrapping around him. Horror gripped his heart, and he started screaming like a little girl.
The next thing was a semi-transparent barrier forming around Astaroth and the rest, taking the shape of a dome. Astaroth had tried pushing out of the dome, but it was quite sturdy.
Following suit right after, the rest of the guards finally reacted to the situation. Seeing the barrier around their previous quarry, they swapped targets and charged at Aberon.
Aberon sneered at their fake bravado, before waving his hand before him, like he was sliding it across a flat surface. A wall of fire then manifested in front of the charging men, standing ten feet tall.
Aberon did a wrapping motion with his hands, causing the fire wall to wrap around the soldiers. Next, he twirled his finger in a spinning motion.
The fire wall soon followed suit, spinning faster and faster, before rising into a blazing tornado.
The men in the middle of it started feeling the heat rise as their bodies started sweating. The more time passed, the hotter it became, until their skin finally started blistering.
They screamed in pain from the center of the tornado, but Aberon did not relent.
"This is your call, captain." Aberon said, turning to look at the man stuck to the wall.
The surrounding stone was still encasing him at a slow pace, to a point much of his limbs were already one with the wall.
"Please, let me go!" The captain bawled, his face a snotty mess.
"Then answer my question! How many? How many men are you willing to sacrifice for this stupid show of dominance?!" Aberon said as he exploded in anger.
"I don't care! Just let me go!" The captain cried.
By now, the stone crawling over him had covered half of his chest. It would not take long before the rest was covered, and it moved on to his head.
"Please!" The man pleaded.
"ENOUGH!" Boomed a voice from the top of the ramparts.
Immediately after, a torrent of snow and hail washed over the tornado of flames, extinguishing it. Down from the ramparts, flew a man in a white mage robe.
His hair was blue and his skin pale as a dead person's. He landed on the ground softly, mere meters away from Aberon, sneering at him.
"You still cause trouble here, even after years of being pushed away. How dare you, Aberon?!" The man shouted.
"Pleasure to see you too, Gelum'vire. Long time no see." Aberon replied, his devilish grin still plastered on his face.
"Court Mage! Save us! Please!" The captain shouted.
As he finished his plea, an icicle pierced his throat, making him choke on his own blood as the life faded away from his eyes.
"Don't you dare speak to me, COWARD!" The court mage bellowed, lowering his hand.
"Still a monster in human clothing, I see." Aberon snickered.
"Enough! You could have just walked in the city, but you caused a scene!" The mage said, waving his arms around.
"The king will not be happy about this!" He added.
Aberon scoffed.
"And yet, I didn't kill a single one of them. Then you arrive and a soldier dies." He said, putting his hands into his sleeves, acting all innocent.
"What about this man? Huh?!" Gelum'vire asked, pointing at the man with his face and throat ripped off.
"Him? He did that to himself. I have nothing to do with it." Aberon lied, smiling innocently.
"You!" The court mage fumed.
"Hmph! Just head to the palace. The king will see you in a few hours." The mage harrumphed, flying off over the wall.
Aberon smiled even wider, happy to have pissed off the young mage. He then turned around and waved the barrier surrounding his friends away.
"Come. We can go in now." Aberon said, turning around and walking off.
Astaroth looked at the damage around him and couldn't believe it.
"Just who is he?" He muttered.
"Best you don't know, for now." Chris answered, winking at him.
The group then walked behind Aberon into the city, heading straight for the enormous castle in the distance.
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