Chapter 12

Nathan and Ariel decided to take a look around to see what Keith was really up to. They hadn't found that much on the upper levels so they were now in the basement looking around.

There wasn't much to see near the front of his large mansion, but to find out that he was a high level mage and not the novice he claimed brought questions that Nathan needed to know before he could leave this place.

They continued to look around and they eventually found an iron door that closed off a large section of the house, but it wasn't locked.

It must have been left unlocked in all the confusion when Ariel was on her rampage.

As they opened the door cautiously to make sure they weren't walking into an ambush, they slowly went inside to see what was there.

But as they began to look around, they were horrified at what they found.

They could see mummified creatures, bottles on tables and walls, tubes running to experiments. It seemed to be decorated in early mad scientist.

In the back corner was a large cage that no longer contained anything in it.

"Nathan, what is all this?" asked Ariel with wide eyes as she looked around. She was at a loss for what all this was around her.

"This is a lot of forbidden experiments. It seems that Keith has been into a lot of things that he shouldn't have been into," said Nathan

"But Nathan this is a lot of things. I'd guess half of the house is taken up with this room," said Ariel as she continued to look around.

"I'd venture to guess that Keith is older than he looks and this is just the start of what he's up to," said Nathan.

But before Ariel can answer there is laughter from the doorway.

"I see you're both none the worse for wear. I was going to ask how you got out, but I believe the bloody arms on your wife would explain that question. You weren't kidding when you said that not many could stand up to her when she got angry were you?" asked Keith grinning suddenly from the doorway.

Ariel jumped and turned, but Nathan slowly turned as he still took in the room, like he expected Keith to be there.

"So how old are you really Keith?" asked Nathan casually as he slowly turned around.

Once there he noted Keith's wide grin and Keith noticed the bored look Nathan was giving him. All though it irritated him he refused to let this bumpkin know that.

"Why would you ask that question? I'm what you see," said Keith still smiling.

"No, somehow I don't think so. The town we were in said that the stone was a guarded secret, yet you not only knew about it, you have a picture of yourself holding it. Then there is the fact that you sent your men, mages, to steal it. You were the mage who created it and didn't realize what you did, did you?" asked Nathan

As Nathan threw out his questions, Keith felt his smile starting to slip.

"You're a little smarter than you should be aren't you barbarian? So you figured it out didn't you? Yes I created it. But once I realized what it was I knew that it would take seasons for it to charge. So I left it there because it was worthless to me. I never thought they would use it as they did. But once they did, and they charged it for me, I could no longer leave it in their hands," said Keith with an evil smile on his face.

"But you sold it to them. I bet all your wealth started from what you did," said Ariel slowly.

Strangely she knew she should be angry right now, but it was as if that was some kind of foreign emotion to her now. The best she could muster was disappointment.

"So what? How was it my fault that they were that stupid to let me take advantage of them? How was it my fault they didn't make sure it did what it was supposed to before they purchased it?" asked Keith nastily.

As Keith spoke he had closed the door, locking it magically behind him, then started to pace in a wide half circle around the room.

"No, but they kept what you sold them and found a use for it. Once they accepted your price and paid you, you lost the say in how they use it," said Nathan as he watched Keith walk around.

Keith thought he had them trapped, but Both Nathan and Ariel realized what he was doing as he did it. There would be no surprises by him by doing this.

"So what! So what if they found a use for it! So what if they want to keep it, so what! I have a better use for it and I'll just take it and use it for what I want it for," said Keith nastily.

His normally attractive face was turned ugly by his sneering and condescending nature.

"Keith you would wipe out families and homes to steal back what you gave them?" asked Ariel.

She was starting to slowly get mad, but it was still in the ember stage and was taking its sweet time to work her up to it.

"So what? I've already lived over 100 seasons as your husband pointed out! It's not like I care! They wouldn't outlive me anyway and their lives would be gone in the blink of an eye to me," said Keith with just a touch of mania in his voice.

"But if you do this you'll have to move away, someone will know what you did," said Ariel.

"AND!" said Keith with a sneer. "So what again? With the power I'll have I'll make everyone obey me. I'll carve out a kingdom and I'll eventually rule the world. The world will learn to fear me like no other," Keith said right before he started his maniacal laughter.

Nathan realized that Keith was more unbalanced than what he thought.

"But, you're right. I'll have to move. I'll have to hide for a bit. Normally I wouldn't have to, but your woman over there made sure that I had no base to operate from any longer. She slaughtered my men. And I just can't let that go without showing how I feel about it," said Keith to Nathan.

Suddenly Keith whipped out a gem and said a few phrases to it and suddenly Ariel jerked forward in halting steps.

"NATHAN! NATHAN HELP ME! SOMEHING IS WRONG!" screamed Ariel as she slowly started forward.

"What are you doing?" asked Nathan alarmed.

"Well since she took my men from me I thought I'd get back something in compensation from her. I believe a few seasons on her back should make us even," said Keith with a nasty smile.

As Nathan started forward to deal with Keith, he noticed that Keith seemed to be concentrating more on the gem than he was at first. He then also noticed that Ariel was slowing down in her steps forward.

"What is going on? You should be moving quicker over to me not slower," said Keith in confusion.

But the real problem for him was that Ariel was finally starting to get angry again!

As she was walking it was pissing her off that Keith took control of her body, and the jeers of his men about how he was going to force her to submit to her rape started to ring in her ears.

Keith was looking her in the eyes when he noticed that they flashed on and off red for a split second.

Not wanting to take any chances, Keith quickly reached in his pocket, took out another gem, said a few phrases into it and pointed his hand at Ariel.

The lighting jumped from his hand to strike her in the chest.

Ariel twitched hard, but started for him again slowly reaching for her swords. Her eyes were starting to become red, and they became even redder as she advanced.

This sight really unnerved Keith, and he for a second time said his phrase, and this time he held the lighting as a heavy sustained burst.

Ariel at first seemed to resist this too, but then she screamed out in shock and pain as she was thrown backwards a couple feet where she then twitched a couple time, but was now unconscious on the floor beside Nathan, close to his feet.

As Nathan looked down in shock at his wife he realized that her magic resistance must only protect her while she is in a full blown rage.

He cursed himself for relying on his faulty information about her magical resistance skill to keep her safe from a magical attack. Keith's attack must have gotten in before she truly was protected from it. He should have known that there was a lag to it!

"I see now how she killed my men. Something told me if I didn't put her down fast that I would share their fate. What is she?" asked Keith as he stared at her.

He was suddenly rethinking his plan to keep her as a concubine. It passed through his mind that short of keeping her drugged up all the time he wouldn't be able to contain her.

But maybe there might be a way to keep her drugged and active with spells. He needed to research that.

"She is my wife, and that is all you need to know," said Nathan as his temper rose.

Now he was pissed.

He had been trying to contain his anger, but now he was angry both at himself for his slowness to act and at Keith for his attack on his wife.

As Nathan spoke he drew his sword and slowly switched it to his right hand.

"Oooooo, what are you planning to do, kill me with that sword? I doubt you'll be able to get me before I lay you out like I did your wife. Then I'll have you both to play with till I get bored," said Keith again with a nasty smile.

"You're primarily an enchanter aren't you? You deal heavy in blue magic and you use re-castable spells on flawless gem's because they won't leak your power, like you did when you created that towns gem stone don't you?" asked Nathan slowly as he looked at Keith

As he looked at him passively, he could see the power lines of a blue spell that surrounded his body and ran into his heart.

Keith had tied a glamour spell into his own life force and that is what made him appear so young when he should have appeared older! It's also how he could keep the spell going while he was unconscious or sleeping.

Suddenly Nathan had an intense desire to see Keith's true form.

"You know, for a fool you seem awfully well informed. Maybe too well informed. Who sent you here? What do they want? Why the interest in me?" asked Keith.

Keith still wasn't nervous but he was growing irritated. Who was stupid enough to send a spy to screw with him.

"I met you by chance, but I get the impression that I was supposed to meet you," said Nathan slowly.

Keith was starting to get bothered by the fact that Nathan didn't seem to be too worried about facing a mage.

Warriors normally didn't give mages time to prepare for a battle against them, and it seemed strange that this Warrior was giving him all the time he needed to concentrate to build up a lot of power for his spell to kill him easily.

Keith wasn't sure if he should be nervous or happy at the fool's lack of concern for his own well being. But as they spoke he concentrated on making his next shot very powerful.

And even if it didn't kill him, it would addle his brain enough that he could only be used for simple task around the manor. Well if he lived that is. And if he survived he would be a fool in every sense of the word once Keith was done with him.

"Well it doesn't matter your true reason. I'll soon have your woman over there as my personal plaything. All that is now left is to get rid of you," said Keith as he realized that Nathan didn't really answer his question.

As he spoke the gem that contained lighting seemed to start to glow very brightly in his hand. He was finished concentrating on charging up the power of the spell. This would be an extremely powerful shot.

"Let me ask you this before you attack. Remember when we talked and you trapped me in that room? You said you were going to get that stone so you would have more power than the rumored Battlemage. Remember how you said that you were going to kill him and claim his position as the most powerful?" asked Nathan casually.

"What's it to you? Oh that's it, isn't it? Let me guess he heard of me and he sent you to take care of me because he was worried I was a threat? He thought you and that piece of fluff over there was enough to do me in? HAAAAAAAAAAAAA!! Die cursing him you FOOL!" screamed Keith as he fired off the shot.

It was so bright it was painful to look at or face.

But as the shot quickly reached Nathan, he casually cancelled out the spell with a wave if his hand.

And as he did, Keith noticed that his hand was glowing lightly blue.

"Waaa, waaa, what was that? How can you do that, did that fake give you a ward to use as well?" asked Keith in wide eyed shock. "What type of charm was that? Where are you hiding it?!"

"You know, you never did learn my whole name did you?" asked Nathan quietly, while acting as if Keith hadn't asked his own questions.

And as he spoke to Keith he was now making it look as if he was examining his sword. Like he was suddenly interested in checking the length and straightness of the blade, while he held the end of it up, pointed in Keith's direction, as he looked down the edge of the blade with one eye, and while he was using both hands to hold it up.

"What are you talking about you fool?! What are you doing?!" yelled Keith.

He was now worried about what other protection ward spells he might be carrying or wearing. Without knowing what he was warded against, it would be hard to kill him.

"You know, my wife is my single biggest reason for living," said Nathan still softly while once again holding the dark blade in his right hand.

And as he did, he swung it down sharply at the floor making it give off a short humming noise before it stopped. That really unnerved Keith.

"I will tell you something that no one else around here knows. I once killed almost every member of a slavers guild I could get my hands on after they took her from me once I found that they sold her to another man against her will," said Nathan still softly.

His soft tone and the way he said it made Keith's neck hair stand on end as he continued to watch Nathan