A Sorcerer’s Journey

Lafite was greeted by an enthusiastic boy student, who gestured her to sit by him as he said courtly:

“Oh, Lafite, you are here. We’ve all been waiting for you! Come and have a seat.”

That boy was Aaron, the Fireball Caster of the “Five Spell Casters”.

Aaron was in a big sorcerer-like loose gown. He had a charming appearance with a gentle smile and profound eyes.

However, Lafite didn’t even throw a glance at him. Instead, she said in sarcasm, “Are we acquainted?” as she sat on his opposite and settled herself causally.

“You are such a hostile little b*tch! Just as the rumours had it.” The tenderness on the Fireball Caster’s face changed into a cold sneer, like a burning fire that had suddenly been extinguished.

“You are dead meat now!” Lafite cursed as she cut her way to Aaron and was about to slap him on his face, but Glenn came up and stopped her.

Glenn then stared at Aaron:

“So, you are the Fireball Caster, huh? Something you should keep in mind: everybody alive here is not dumb. Why don’t you just throw away that hypocrisy of yours and get down to real business?” Glenn warned as he was playing with the sharp dagger in his hand.

“Who gives a sh*t to what you think!” Aaron snorted back and then turned silent.

“That’s my boy!” Chris flossed his teeth with his sword, and his burly chest could be seen through the gaps in his ragged shirt.

“Hah-hah, I’ve heard of Lafite’s two strong men. You must be Chris and Glenn.” A dignitary-looking student with delicate dressing grinned at Glenn and Chris.

That gentleman-looking student was Alastair, the Sword Caster, another member of the Five Spell Casters. Alastair had obtained his title because he could generate from nowhere a golden sword when engaged in a fight. Moreover, he had two shining rings made of sapphire and amethyst on his fingers, from which Glenn concluded that Alastair was far from being simple.

Glenn had been reputed as being sharp-witted and cruel, and six students had died under his dagger over the last month.

A month ago, Glenn was suffering from the prospect that he had to kill to survive on this ship, but now, he had become a hardened “criminal” and would kill without mercy.

“Alastair, state your reasons for calling us here.” A raspy sound came from a girl, who was rather cute-looking, but was actually the cruelest. Glenn had once seen her killing a group of students in seconds by string-pulling a white puppet. Yes, she was the Puppet Caster, Beatrix.

The last member of the Five Spell Casters was sitting near to Beatrix. He looked very gloomy and did not utter a single word. It was so unfortunate that he had lost one of his arms in the fights with the leviathans. Nevertheless, his fighting skills were so fantastic that Lafite had assumed that he might be the only one among the Five Spell Casters who could conjure up real sorcery without using magical tools. Within Lafite’s knowledge, he could use his mental strength to hypnotize his rival, who would then follow his order for a short period of time. That was why he was called the Mind Caster.

Now, the Five Spell Casters, who were the most revered on the ship, excluding sorcerer Nilmar, and possibly Kyrie, Bionna, Sam and the boatswain, had gathered up for something.

Out of the blue, Alastair burst into laughter in an annoying way, but it had attracted everyone’s attention .

“Well, although we have been respected as the Five Spell Casters, but you do know when compared to real sorcerers, we are absolutely nothing. And without the magical tools, we wouldn’t have survived for so long…” Alastair shook his head.

“Alastair, stop staying the obvious and get to the point!” The Puppet Caster ran out of patience and cut in.

“Well, then. I will make it very brief. Tonight, we’ve gathered for a better future – a better future for the rest of the journey and a better future in the Black Isotta School of Sorcerers!” Alastair suddenly looked intense.

“Think about what we all have been through, and how many of us had lost their lives on this vessel, and I’m afraid that our fate would not be improved much in that damn school than it is now!” Alastair talked agitatedly while looking around at the other Casters.

The rest of the Casters gulped and even Glenn was kind of uneasy at this prediction: “Yeah, God knows what is gonna happen in that bloody school!”

Alastair waited a moment before he added something:

“So, I’d suggest that we create a league, a league made up from us and the other students on the ship. We get united to survive this sh*t and when we make it to the school, we act to help each other!”

It seemed that everybody had thought it was a good idea judging from their sanguine faces!

“That is indeed a good suggestion…But how? Five students still have to be killed each day, and how could we possibly rely on each other for survival?!” Lafite doubted.

Aaron was watching Lafite as she was speaking. It seemed that his grudges against Lafite because of her bitter sarcasm had gone. He stared at her in admiration, believing that she was definitely gorgeous.

“At least we can kill the ones that don’t belong to us first, like the knights!” Alastair said wickedly. “And that could at least win us some time.”

“To kill the knights?” Lafite could scarcely believe her ears.

“Yeah, The knights! There are 17 of them. Their death would allow us to spend the next three days safe and sound…So what do you say?”

“And we Five Spell Casters will be the co-founders of the league.” Alastair bombarded the rest Casters without a second passed.

A moment later came the sounds of the others.

“I’m in!”

“So am I.”

“So am I.”

“Count me in!”

All of the Five Spell Casters had agreed to form a league.

The next day, after the routine head count and weird-as-usual invigoration, Sorcerer Nilmar returned to his tent with Kyrie, Bionna, Sam, and the boatswain.

The atmosphere on the deck suddenly went intense because everyone had to live at the cost of the others’ lives. At the time, daggers had been drawn, swords unsheathed and machetes brandished. The remaining survivors had gotten ready for a routine fatal fight.

They surely had deserved the title of “seasoned” because they had been through at least 30 bloody battles.

“Listen, people!” Alastair’s sudden exclamation had drawn everyone’ attention.

Flanked by the other Casters, he cried:

“We five Casters have decided to establish the Death Sail League! Together we will fight our common foe. Everyone here, if you wanna join us, then join us, and when we reach the Black Isotta School of Sorcerers, we will only accept recommended students.”

The already embattled students were stirred up.