Kenneth Shumaker, A.K.A: Rusty Knight
Morgus
Episode 005, Black Sword Pangolin
September 8, 2017
Our serial series is set in Kenneth Shumaker’s medieval fantasy realm of Quantos. We find the Apprentice Mage Morgus is out from the Mage’s University and on his one-year walk-about before he returns for his journeyman certification test on Autumn 50 of Pine, during the reign of King Regeanus III in the royal city of Mount Oryn’s South State district. Our intrepid hero, with a checkered past, is an attractive thirty-three-year-old human Jalnoric male with a bold personality and is determined to survive his walk-about year at any cost, even if it means snuggling in and working with nobility.
Autumn 75 Unicorn
Past gods-set, Morgus sets down his quill, stretching and then rubbing his eyes. Looking down at his tome, he counts the pages he filled in his completion of the scribing of ‘continual light’. Five – five neatly packed note filled pages with diagrams, calculations, and notes. Satisfied that he has the complete spell scribed into the tome, Morgus paces between his two rooms for twenty minutes. Then, he sits and begins memorizing a castable version of the spell.
After he finishes memorizing the incantation, Morgus chuckles to himself. Walking down the four flights of stairs and entering the front waiting room, he chooses the stone carved fixture of artwork representing a pangolin’s armour and focuses on the creature, casting the spell so that the illumination will be on the pangolin’s casing. Morgus gestures and utters, ‘York’. Suddenly, he is greeted with an orange-red light that is almost as bright as Imvor’s light just before gods-set.
Morgus cheers loudly. “Blessed be Stonewire!”
He hears running footsteps almost immediately and coming into the room are two armed men, bearing black longswords. They shield their eyes as Morgus tries to recall if he has seen these people before. Realising that he hasn’t met Baron Hessan’s guards, Morgus steps back, saying, “Good men of Baron Hessan, I am Mage Morgus, the estate mage. You can sheath your deadly black swords as the pangolin will now and forever illuminate this room with Imvor’s setting light.”
A thirty-six-year-old Toymal in studded-leather armour responds, “I haven’t seen you around before. When did you start?”
Morgus, feeling a little trapped without his quarterstaff, nervously answers, “Autumn 68.”
The accompanying Elfmal sheathes his longsword, uttering, “Yes, Baron Hessan mentioned he hired an aide who is his estate’s magus. Morgus, I’m Sergeant Elmar. How long is that infernal light going to shine?”
The first guard sheathes his longsword as well, saying, “Mage Morgus, I’m Private Barran, the third guard on duty is Private Tussal; he’s up on the second floor right now.”
Morgus views the orange-red pangolin and ponders it, nearly blinding himself. Facing the two guards, he shrugs and responds to Elmar. “I don’t know. I cast the first spell in my room around four days ago, and it’s still shining as bright as when I cast it.”
A fifty-five-year-old Jalmal, also in studded-leather armour rushes into the room with his longsword drawn. Stopping as he sees Elmar and Tussel relatively relaxed, he views Morgus. The guard sheaths his sword, asking, “Who are you?”
Getting tired with introductions, Morgus only says, “The estate magus, Morgus.”
Extending his arm, the man genially says, “I’m Tussel.”
The two clasp arms, and then Morgus clasps with Elmar and Barran, affirming his place on the estate with the guards.
Morgus, relieved that the new spell works when memorized from his tome, returns to his room and goes to sleep for the night, satisfied with life.
Autumn 79 Unicorn
It is 4:45 am as Tussel wakes Morgus. Feeling the coldness of the freezing night air, Morgus crawls out of bed quickly as Tussel loudly whispers, “Mage, there are four walking-dead wandering the grounds. We have no priest or cleric to put them to rest. Can you deal with them?”
Realising that this is his job now. Morgus pulls on his new Busia Imvor-orange suede leggings and royal-blue velvet tunic. Then, pulling on his old knee-high soil-brown leather boots, Morgus retrieves his quarterstaff and turns to Tussel, saying, “Show me, and we’ll deal with them.”
In a rush, the two men nearly run down the broad central staircase to the ground floor, to find the other two guards holed up in the waiting room with four walking-dead pacing outside the room.
Morgus stops as he recognises the creatures. They are the highly intelligent, mean, vile death-dealing wights – a hunting pack seeking to gain recruits – killing recruits by draining their lives, thus converting the unlucky.
The manor really needs a cleric or priest with holy items to deal with these, but something comes to Morgus’ mind. Recalling that these creatures fear or hate bright light, that is why they haven’t gone into the waiting room. Understanding that, Elmar must have realized this, too.
Before the creatures realize Tussel and Morgus have arrived, Morgus casts his one memorized ‘continual light’ spells directly into the eyes of the closest wight, hoping that this will drive the lot of them out the open front door.
Three, including the lit one, flee as quickly as possible out the front door into the darkness of night. But one wight remains and searches for the source of casting, angry with the intrusion with the attack by a mage.
Quickly, Morgus calls out, “York” for a second time, trying to cast a ‘continual light’ into its eyes, as the creature rushes him. The spell hangs in mid-air behind it as the creature reaches for Morgus. Then, the light vanishes.
Tussel intercedes between the walking-dead and Morgus, as Morgus shouts out, “York” for a third time, this time he’s freecasting, making the required gestures and casting the spell upon the creature’s nose.
This ends the fight for the wight, sending it fleeing after its comrades, and thus, saving Hessan’s estate from a hunting pack of walking-dead wights.
Morgus sighs with deep relief as the three guards congratulate him.
Morgus counts his castings, wondering about the exhaustion he is feeling, and if he could have cast another ‘continual light’ … or any spell? Would the people of Hessan have been at the mercy of the wight if his last incantation had failed to send the creature packing?
Allowing the good wishes to follow, Morgus ponders the usefulness of their three black swords and the ability of the four of them to protect against the future wight invasions?
By: Kenneth Shumaker
To be continued in episode 006, ‘Green Dragon Shield’ …
Morgus helps set up a chapel in the manor then decides to find an old friend in the neighborhood. Discovering the friend has died, Morgus makes a new friend.
©2017 by Kenneth Shumaker with Inevitable Unicorn Press
www.inupress.ca inupress@inupress.ca
We would like to acknowledge the following for their contributions:
The episode authors are Kenneth Shumaker.
Our episode editor is Donna Shumaker.
The graphics and headers are by Kenneth Shumaker.
The episode distribution, marketing, production, promotions, and publishing is by Inevitable Unicorn Press, known as InUPress.
Join Kenneth Shumaker at InUPress in his Dragoman Bloodgrue collection anthologies, ‘Dragoman Bloodgrue, Volume I: Fare Where?’
Lovely episode once again Kenneth!
Thank you Andrew, much appreciated.