I was trapped on this journey. After seeing that horrible scene, I could only continue here. I had barely reached the ground with my comrades when suddenly the powerful Whitecap mages stood before me. None of them showed any trace of the waste that had remained. Whitecaps were a mockery of the cruelty with which they executed their own... that we wanted to "eliminate"! But it was to subdue, not to kill. It did not seem that their resources were important. To me, they were—very much so! Training a mage to the point where not only their knowledge but their skills were above level seven was something that took decades. And these bastards, without consideration, were eliminating so many, and on top of that, without saying anything. They only looked at me. They did not look like assassins. I only distinguished them because they were a bit more reserved than the typical saints who were now dead in that cavern. I had to communicate with the leaders soon.
Something blocked my magic. After escaping that cavern by a hair, these men looked at me seriously. I asked about the two missing—what else could I do? My voice did not tremble at least. But the lie they told—that they were staying to review the dwarven runes and get the king's magic working—enraged me. Redcaps were belligerent. We attacked each other to determine our abilities. Even on more than one occasion, a couple of broken bones or skull contusions kept mages from their activities for weeks. But that was how we were. We never attacked from behind. We could be damned until we accepted a duel, but our honor did not allow us to do something as stupid as attacking someone who did not know they were being attacked. Among monsters, I agreed—but what was the use of eliminating an opponent if you did not know if they were a good mage, if they invoked quickly? At least see their face of humiliation when they fell and could not get up. But that was an execution—nothing honorable.
I emitted constantly. We still could not leave, not without them knowing what was happening in the city. For the moment, they accepted my proposal, but the deception about provisions and poor physical condition must not last more than a day. Yet every time I emitted the communication words, they were blocked—as if something returned them. I only emitted and waited, but my response was my question—a little slow, distorted. Something bad was definitely happening here. I communicated to my general by night. He must leave in the morning with the most powerful defensive and offensive magics. I would return, but meanwhile, they must continue with the original plan. When I returned, he and his people must be ready to open fire on the remaining Whitecaps. They were not people we should have near, even if it represented a risk to our future mission. I had to teleport. I hoped with the magical mass I would transfer, any magic they tried would be torn apart. My aura concentrated like a flame of great intensity. At that moment, I pronounced the rune I had left charged, adding the destination: Bloody Coin. At that moment, I felt the transfer.
My head spun. Normally, the transfer was given in a tunnel of fire, where the blazing crests ensured no one tried to intercept me. But now I had not even... How long was I unconscious? I tried to get up and noticed the bindings. They were magical. It would take me a little time to decipher the runes holding them together. I invoked a little light to see where I was. I recognized the place. Even without the flame I emitted, I could guess by the persistent aroma in the air that we were inside the dead king's cave. The smell of burnt flesh and putrefaction filled the air.
"Did His Majesty, the Redcap leader of Bloody Coin, sleep well?" The voice dripped with pride. When I raised my eyes, the Whitecap secretary's son awaited me.
"It was fortunate to see you leave. We did not want you to go anywhere else—not with the arrival of our leader."
I kept guessing the runes of my bindings. Nothing difficult, as I suspected. Only there were many—dozens of runes where three or four could do a very good job. Now I would eliminate them by force, but I feared I did not have much time. But I would succeed! He was an egomaniac. I knew because he could have killed me, but he did not. His multiple little mages were not here to destroy shields. It was time to show him what the powers of a good-level Redcap mage were for. I asked if he expected to eliminate me for the perverse pleasure of a destroyed ego, subjugated to a being of a race different from human, and on top of that, he thought he would be powerful. The kick was a mockery—I saw it coming from afar. Besides, unlike the Whitecaps, we had physical training. I would not let him know, but his blow was just foolishness. It hurt, yes, but it left me sprawled so he would not see when the primary seals broke.
"But, great Redcap, what are you talking about?" The son of a bitch kept talking. I had less than ten more to break. "Don't you understand that here we only pay homage to our true master? It is important that he rise. Humanity, after all, has been trying to establish itself, and no one pays attention to us. We are only those who provide magic—almost as if we were the baskets where people keep their eggs. They treat us with minimal care, and in return, we must give them everything. I will not let this continue! Our master knows death is the only solution to so many magical races! Once they are eliminated, finally, humans will rise as a unique race."
Two more, bastard. Two more. Keep talking about the madman's dreams. Soon you will see what my rune will do to you.
"You don't have to believe me. Just look at the power in the hands of the one who will use it for the true benefit of humans—not the garbage that nests in our cities. These fools were killed because they did not see the greatness. Look at them—they are here, alive and kicking."
A sweat ran down my back. The two poor bastards who had died were before me. The one without a head still showed an expression of agony. The one who had died with his face exploded gathered his skull fragments like a macabre puzzle. From his hollow eyes, black light emanated. It was so horrifying I just realized the runes no longer held the rope. It was once again an inert piece of organic matter. Now rivalries did not matter. The only thing that mattered was that the drooling imbecile, the lackey, would eat something I had prepared for the Whitecaps. Good, I told him as I crouched with my hands still behind my back. The ruin of magical creatures with the only price of surrendering to some dark god? I preferred to try my luck, and you will die for suggesting such stupidity!
The rune had no name. It was composed of a block of fire magic that exploded against his shield. Inside that rune, another ice magic waited to show an ugly face of temperature near freezing. This magic could be inverted, but a good decapitation would serve. Halfway through the jump, he brought out his shield, but it was garbage compared to the two he had killed before. There, he ordered the two bodies to stop me. They could not do this to me! But it was too late. I had to accelerate. I had to eliminate this pathetic one with dreams of greatness. The first impact was sublime. The flames threw his shield into nothingness. I could see an incipient flicker of fear—no one had assisted him, but his shield had protected him. Fool. At that moment, a very cold ice blade struck him from my fist. As it pierced his throat, his whole face began to freeze. There he remained with a stupid expression.
"There you have it! The Redcaps rule. Now I can go and denounce this dangerous sect. At least they are a minority..."
"You would be surprised."
The voice was cavernous. From the ceiling, an enormous mass of magic began to descend. It was the largest amount I had ever seen or felt—blue and black, but gradually becoming mostly black. What the hell happened here?
"Do not doubt it, little human. Death is not a minority. You are the ones at a disadvantage. That idiot who served me only hungered for power. I hunger for the silence brought by the death of all and everything that exists. Now, do me a favor and die."
The coherent beam of pure, corrupt magic shot out. I used my shield. I tried to flee. But the damned thing pierced through me without mercy. I felt it destroying all my protections, felt my organs freezing. I could even see them in the new hole in my chest. I felt my consciousness fading. What a horrible way to die, condemning your race.
"Do not be pessimistic, dear mage. Your species and the rest were condemned from the moment the stupid elf princess came to these lands. I will still take a little time to work my magic. But meanwhile, guard this cavern. It seems the famous iridescent cape was only in name. You will protect your new master and king until we can march to our new destination. Do you understand me? Former member of the Redcaps, servant of King Lich, Lord of the Dead."
"Yes, my lord."