A Regnum Tale: Exiles

[Immune]

Hey guys, sorry I haven't written in quite awhile. School and junk, you know? Anyways, I'm gonna try and pick this up again. I might be a little rusty, so forgive me if it's not as good as previous chapters, haha Enjoy!
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Fire and Ice

Ahno stared at the necromancer standing before him with a forboding look in his eyes. There was no doubt about it, this was unmistakably one of the forsworn which Nadia had warned him about. He looked at his companions again, Iris still quaking on the ground and Remus still paralyzed standing up. Ahno put a dangerous tone in his voice as he asked,

“What have you done to them?” he clenched his fists and was resisting the urge to lash out at the mage before him, in hopes that he might actually get an answer. To his surprise, his hopes were not dashed for once. The warlock smiled contemptibley again as he replied.

“Who, me? Why, nothing at all! It seems that I've simply… scared them out of their wits.” The mage snickered as he always seemed to whenever he thought he was clever. Ahno had guessed this already, a spell which induces nightmarish fear. The necromancer tilted his head to the side in contemplation and looked at Ahno. He frowned and continued, “Though you, my friend, seem as composed as ever. Why is that, I wonder?” For a minute he examined the staff which Ahno held, paying attention to the runes engraved along its length in particular. An expression of understanding gradually came across his face.

“Ah, so you’ve finally met dear Nadia, have you?” Ahno narrowed his eyes and thrust his staff toward the warlock threateningly.
“How do you know about that?” In asking this, Ahno realized that the amulet of knowledge didn’t grant instant and unlimited answers. Its true power must be much more subtle, he decided. The necromancer answered snidely,
“Oh-ho, so you don’t know everything now do you, my wise friend? I’m afraid I can’t tell you that much!” He threw his head back and laughed curtly.
'I'm really getting tired of this guy already.'

Ahno waited for the arrogant one to calm down again. After he was finished with his mocking laughter, the necromancer lowered his head again and spoke.
“But come now, let’s be civilized here. You and I both know what I want, and I’m sure you’d like to avoid a conflict between us as much as I would. So why don’t you just let me take those off your hands…” He gestured at the bag concealing the two gems, which Remus had dropped. “…and I’ll be on my way. No fuss, no muss. How about it?” He smiled menacingly. Of course Ahno wouldn’t agree to these terms, but Ahno had figured long ago that excessive talking was all a part of how this guy worked. He planned on making the most of that; wordplay was something he found himself to be quite good at.

“A generous offer, but I’m afraid I must respectfully decline. Perhaps, if you made it worth my while, however…” Ahno's expression remained nonchalant. Though it was clear that he was acting, it seemed to thrill the necromancer that someone finally accepted his subtle challenge to outwit him in a seemingly harmless conversation.
“A haggler, are we? Very well then, name your price for those lovely stones you carry.” This is basically exactly what Ahno was hoping he would say.
“Unfortunately I cannot name a price, until you name yourself. Anonymity does not sit well with me, I’m afraid.”

’He’s just as clever as expected…’ Though the conversation had been short thus far, he could already tell that Ahno was just as witty as he was. He wasn’t about to let an opportunity pass him by to test his own wits against such an opponent. He continued the exchange, though he decided that it would have to end soon.

“You put a price on your price? How absurd…”
“Perhaps you do not want the stones after all, then.” Ahno interjected.
“No need to be hasty…” ’Enough of this. If it’s a name he wants, it’s a name he will get.’ “...you may call me… Cyrus.” His voice became spectral and resonated when he said his name. Suddenly the necromancer’s ice blue eyes flashed and the ground began to tremble.

Ahno was caught off balance and stumbled backwards. To his good fortune, this removed him from the path of a large cluster of icy stalagmites which erupted from the ground where he had just been standing. Before he could do anything, Cyrus was hurling giant icicles at him like frozen javelins. Ahno dodged two of these before he fortified his barrier and began mounting his own attack.

With a flick of his staff, a large, transparent wall of energy appeared between himself and Cyrus. As the necromancer started trying to break through this, Ahno prepared for his next move. He began concentrating engery into the ground, and soon the surrounding snow and ice was swirling around Ahno. Five mounds rapidly grew in front of him, and could soon took on the the recognizable forms of a pack of wolves, made from the ice itself. Their white and light-blue figures moved as any real wolf would, their deep blue and black eyes focused on nothing but Cyrus.

The barrier finally shattered, which sounded like nothing more than the wind rustling the leafs of a tree. The pack of wolves instantly sprinted forward and toward the single enemy. Cyrus was unimpressed, to say the least. A sweep of his staff produced a wall of flames between him and the beasts. The wolf furthest in front, closest to the flames, began melting instantly and howled in pain. The others backed away, unsure of how to attack now.

The necromancer grinned and continued to take the offensive. He now began launching fireballs toward Ahno and the wolves, who were still backing up. Ahno used this to his advantage, using barriers to stop and contain the energy of each fireball. He then compressed each barrier to the size of a marble, creating extremely volatile explosive spheres. After four of these, Cyrus decided he'd have to try something else. Before he could attack again, however, Ahno threw the four energy bombs at the warlock without warning.

Cyrus had not realized that his attacks were not only stopped, but intercepted as well. The orbs flew through the wall of flame and exploded violently in midair. The force was strong enough to throw Cyrus several feet, causing him to drop his staff and hit the ground hard on his back.

With his concentration broken, the protective wall of flames dissipated. The wolves which had been watching and waiting patiently, saw their chance and charged, snarling and growling as they got closer to their target. Ahno put various protective wards on the wolves as they ran, making them even more dangerous.

Cyrus stumbled to his feet and saw the four ice wolves sprinting at him full speed. His ability to fight was significantly reduced without his staff. He outstretched an arm and attempted to stop them with a stream of fire, but the flame glided around them. A thermal shield was one of Ahno's protections. They were too close to stop now, and they would rip him to pieces if he just stood there. With no other choice, Cyrus retreated without his prize.

Ahno watched as the wolves were about to jump on the necromancer. The necromancer whispered, with some effort and audible to no one other than himself,
"Your time will come." Cyrus waved his hand in an arc, and was suddenly gone.
'Just like in the swamp.' Ahno grunted in frustration, and let the wolves disintegrate back into plain snow and ice. This was the second time he'd let Cyrus escape when he almost had him.
Somehow though, he knew they would meet again.