Hello Nairaland. I'll be posting book one of my series here.

It belongs to the Afro-jujuism genre, borrowing heavily from Chinese Wuxia-xianxia stories.

Enjoy!

This cover is a temporary one.

All Rights Reserved.

No Part Of This Piece Of Fiction Is Allowed To Be Used, Posted, Duplicated, Plagiarized Or Copied Without Permission From The Writer.

All Parts Of This Book Is Purely Fictional And Do Not Depict Any Real Life Character, Place or Event.

All Comments And Critiques Are Welcome.

Chapter One

In Oloye Oyelekan’s residence, in one of the buildings in the servants’ quarters, cries could be heard as one of the women was in the throes of childbirth. If it were any other servant, the commotion surrounding such child birth would not amount to much but as she was pregnant for Oloye Oyelekan himself, the other servants milled round her.
Oloye Oyelekan was a member of the Oba's cabinet in the kingdom of Ayelatu. He was an influential man, one whose words could shake the heavens and earth in his kingdom. As one of the most powerful experts of his generation, with a power level of Great Warlock, he was respected even in the neighbouring kingdoms. A man of great clout, with only the Great General, Prime Minister and His Majesty, the Oba above him in terms of ranking.

In one of the more luxuriant buildings, Madam Ayo’s face was unsightly as she cradled her new born son.

‘That LovePeddler isn’t dead yet?’ she asked.

‘No, madam,’ a hooded man standing before her replied. ‘We perfectly timed her demise to be during the childbirth, and then no one would be able to suspect anything.’

‘Make sure you do not fail me,’ the woman replied.

Madam Ayo was the second but only living wife of the Oloye. The Oloye had married her after the death of his first wife who had left a son behind. She herself had only given birth to a son. She had thought that her children would only have to contend with the son of her deceased Iyale but now, because of her husband’s adultery, they would have another competitor. There was no mother who didn’t want the best for her child; therefore she decided she would remove as much as she could, her children’s obstacles on the way to success.

Back in the slightly decrepit building, the lady servant had been labouring for close to three days with nothing to show for it. It was obviously a very difficult labour. In the world of magic-building, childbirths were easy; labour and pain were almost non-existent once the mother had taken the requisite herbs and potions. She mustered all the strength in her to ask one of the nearby midwives if the Oloye was without and was replied in the negative. She could feel the strength ebbing slowly from her body and knew she wouldn’t be able to make it. All she could do was try to persevere and bring her son to life. She knew that the Oloye’s absence meant that he was unwilling to recognize the child. She knew that her son may not be able to stand up to his siblings as he would be despised and discriminated against. She only hoped he would be given the opportunity to at least prove himself, even if he were to remain a servant. Knowing all this she gritted her teeth and pushed again, with all her strength.

Time passed by swiftly, one hour, two hours, three hours, twelve hours, she was only holding on through sheer strength of will. As a Warlock Apprentice, in the late sublevel, she was more than twice as powerful as someone who had never practiced magic building. However, she was finding it hard to retain her grasp on reality. She knew she had to do something or both she and her child would die. Willing all the spiritual energy of her body to protect her child, she made a last ditch effort to eject the child forcefully. She circulated the energy through the magic pathways in her body, directing it to form a layer of protection, something like a shield, which could also cushion the effect of being forcefully ejected. With a loud roar, she forced the child out, and then looked over at the child which had been caught by one of the midwives. Gazing at her son with complex emotions in her eyes, she sighed as she spoke her last words:

‘His name is Akinlabi.’

This story has pique my interest!Please fire on,Boss!

PresidentJosh20:
This story has pique my interest!Please fire on,Boss!

Thanks. I'll update tomorrow.

Chapter Two

After the storm and rain which raged all night, the sky was clear and though there were puddles everywhere both men and beasts had started their daily businesses. A pair of eyes peered through the branches of an ìrókò tree that grew by the base of a hill.

A route meandered through the trees and snaked all the way up the hill on which four figures could be seen running downhill. One in the lead, three giving hot chase. The squirrel took one last glance at the four of them before scuttling away, uninterested.

‘What did I do to you bullies?’ Akinlabi screamed as he hit his leg on a stone and fell, face first, into a puddle.

This made his three pursuers catch up to him.

‘You shouldn’t have offended the second young master’, one of them replied with a sneer on his face.

‘You think you are someone important, you are nothing but trash,’ another chipped in.

The third looked down at Akinlabi with a condescending look. It was obvious he didn’t count him as anything important. It was as if he was the very dregs of humanity.

This was Okikiola, the son of Madam Ayo. He had just become a Warlock Apprentice and was now able to manipulate spiritual energy. This made him one of the most talented children of his generation. Many could only sense and absorb spiritual energy at ten years of age but at ten he had started manipulating it already. The average child could only start manipulating spiritual energy by eleven years and thereby becoming a Warlock Apprentice.

Most people would feel one year isn’t much, but it meant he was one year ahead of his peers. In the world of magic building, the faster you rose through the ranks, the more opportunities you would be able to have access to, the more the gap between you and those behind you grow.

‘I did nothing to offend the young master,’ Akinlabi replied. ‘I was about to complete my quota of firewood for the day. Why should I have to cut firewood for you people also? We are all servants.’

‘Because the young master said so,‘ Femi, one of the two servants following Okikiola replied.

‘Since you refused, the young master said you should be punished,‘ Kunle the second servant said as he raised his leg and brought it down with a stomp on Akinlabi’s face.

The two servants kept beating him and agonized cries soon rang out from the hill.

Akinlabi dragged his bruised body back to his home in the servants' quarters. As he neared his abode, Olawumi who took care of him since his birth sighted him from afar and rushed forward to meet him.

‘My child, what happened?’ she asked with concern in her eyes.

‘It was the young master,’ he replied wincing in pain. ‘He ordered Femi and Kunle to gang up on me while fetching wood.’

‘I'm so sorry, oko mi,’ she said as she ushered him in. ‘Come take some medicine and rest.’

As they entered the dimly lit room, Wumi guided Akinlabi to the bed and then left to brew some herbs for him. She worried constantly for Akinlabi. It was no secret in Oloye Oyelekan's household that the Oloye himself was his father. It also was no secret that the Oloye, in a drunken stupor, had pounced on Fumilayo, Akinlabi's mother, and had carnal knowledge of her.

The Oloye had been thoroughly ashamed by his act and ignored the woman, wanting nothing to do with her pregnancy. Madam Ayo had been enraged but as she could do nothing to the Oloye, she made Fumilayo's life a living hell. She also suggested to the Oloye that they abort the baby but the Oloye refused to do anything concerning it.

Considering that the Oloye had refused to terminate the pregnancy, she could not do anything openly but assigned strenuous tasks to Fumilayo hoping that the stress would result in a miscarriage. When this didn't work, she instructed the head of the Oloye's guard to kill her. Of course, Fumilayo used the last vestiges of her strength to protect her child.

Olawumi had been Fumi's friend before her death. She had taken care of Akinlabi just as she would her own child. This had earned her the ire of Madam Ayo and things had not been easy for her. She, however, no longer cared as she had come to view Akinlabi as her own child. Things would have been better if the Oloye even acknowledged his existence but it seemed like that was just wishful thinking. In fact, Madam Ayo had decreed that he was to neither call the Oloye his father nor call Okikiola and his sister, Kikelomo, his siblings.

Wumi quickly selected some herbs she already had at home and brewed them. This wasn't the first time Akinlabi would come home with a swollen face. He had been bullied by his elder brother for long and even by the servants who wanted to be in the good graces of both the Madam and the second young master.

Okikiola was a prodigy; he became a Warlock Apprentice at age nine and was fast approaching the middle sublevel of this stage. Once he got to the late stage, he would be eligible for admission in the Warlock Academy in Ayelatu kingdom.

The academy was a place where both the talented children and those from affluent homes but with average talent learnt more about their abilities. Oloye Oyelekan’s first son, Ayomide, had been admitted three years earlier but was coming home soon for the holidays.

Ayomide was also very talented, albeit not as much as his brother. He had joined the academy at eleven years. He had become an Initiate Warlock at the age of twelve and was happy his father would be proud of him.

‘How do you feel now, Akin?’ Wumi asked with concern on her face as she peered at him lying on the bed.

‘I’m better now, mama’, Akin replied as he sat up.

‘Just try to endure it for now. Once Okiki leaves for the Academy, he will not be able to disturb you any longer.’

‘I wish I could also go to the Academy,’ Akin mumbled.

‘Don’t be downhearted, my son, as long as you work hard, you will achieve all your dreams, delayed though they might be.’

‘Thank you, mama.’

Wumi looked at her boy with love and thought about how unfair life was. Some people’s life was set out for them even before they were born such that even if they were wastrels, they had no choice but to succeed. Others had to fight and claw their way up the ladder. In fact, they might become casualties in other people’s battles and would fall by the wayside through no fault of their own.

‘Madam Ayo sent a message earlier. She said since you refused to deliver your quota for today, you have to deliver double for a week’.

‘I understand Mama.’

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michael123pelemo:
Loving it, can’t wait for an update

Glad to have you here. I'll be updating tomorrow.

CHAPTER THREE

Oloye Oyelekan was with the other chiefs, the Prime Minister and the Oba for an urgent meeting. The relationship between Ayelatu and the neighbouring Oyedepo Kingdom was in danger as the heir apparent of Oyedepo was missing and rumours had it that bandits from the kingdom of Ayelatu were responsible. Oba Oyedepo the Sixth had demanded that Ayelatu kingdom provide an explanation concerning this.

The Oyedepo kingdom was bordering the northern part of Ayelatu. It was slightly more powerful than Ayelatu since the kingdom had twelve commanders as opposed to the ten of Ayelatu with each in command of a thousand men. Ayelatu could not afford a battle with Oyedepo presently and its leaders gathered to find a solution to the problem.

‘What do you mean?’ Babarinsa thundered, his face a shade of red that would make tomato proud. ‘We are not subservient to Oyedepo.’

‘I never said we are.’ Gbolahan replied. ‘All I said was that we should show our sincerity and offer our aid in locating their lost prince. Oyedepo Kingdom is known for its powerful Calvary. While it is not as powerful as the border nations, it still isn't a kingdom ours can face for the time being.’ He said with a wry smile.

‘Oloye Gbolahan is right.’ Oyelekan said. ‘It would be fool-hardy to provoke them and ...

Pardon me Oloye Oyelekan but I have to ask,’ Balogun Kukoyi said, his voice drawling. ‘Do you really have such little confidence in your nation?’

‘You know that's not what I meant.’

The Ọba raised a hand. ‘That's enough squabbling among you. Truthfully we are not equal to the Oyedepo Kingdom in strength but we are not pushovers either.

The Ọba surveyed the members of his cabinet, taking in their faces. ‘Oloye Ariyo, the crown commands you to lead a diplomatic mission to Oyedepo.’

Ariyo, crouched before the throne, head bowed. Kábíyèsí, Ìkejì Òrìsà, your will is my command.’

‘You tell them,’ the Ọba continued, ‘that Ayelatu understands their pain and will not spare any effort in helping them to locate their heir However, remind them the incident happened in their land and therefore Ayelatu is not responsible for their loss. Remind them that a war will not necessarily be in their best interest.’

‘Kábíyèsí o,’ Oloye Ariyo answered.


‘If we were powerful enough, such ignominy would never occur,’ Iyalode Arike grumbled.

‘Can you imagine? This happened within their borders and they have the guts to blame us for it.’ Oyelekan also complained.

‘It’s alright. This is the reason we have to increase our strength – so our neighbouring kingdoms will respect us,’ Balogun Kukoyi added.

Oba Adeboyejo looked at the members of his cabinet and sighed. He had tried to strengthen the kingdom since he took the throne. Ayelatu had come a long way since the time of his father. Ayelatu of previous years would never have been able to stand up to Oyedepo and would have remained subservient to them, but now, while they were not as strong as they were, they were not pushovers either.

‘Our children will be coming home soon, this is a good time to check the progress of the younger generation’, Ariyo who always looked at the bright side of things said, steering the conversation away from the depressing topic.

‘Oh yes! I would like to see how well they’ve coached my daughter. That will determine whether I send my son to the academy next year,’ Babarinsa said.

‘What do you mean? Do you think you’d be able to teach him better at home?’ Oyelekan asked. ‘I, myself will be sending my son, Okiki to the academy during the next recruitment process.’

‘What of your bastard boy? What’s his name again?’

‘What about him? He’s in his rightful place, a servant.’ Oyelekan replied.

‘Do you mean his natural talent for magic building is poor,’ the Oba enquired.

‘Oh! I don’t care at all about his talent’, Oyelekan replied.

‘Oye, are you still like this?’ Ariyo interjected.

Oloye Ariyo had numerous children. Aside from being polygamous, Ariyo had many concubines and had over twenty children in all but he tried to be a devoted father.

‘Hmm, I’ll never acknowledge that child. His very existence reminds me of the mistake I made all those years back.’ Oyelekan snorted.

‘This is not a time we can afford to neglect talented individuals’, the Oba stated. ‘Once you get back home, you tell him to practice hard. If he has even a smidgeon of your talent, he should be able to enter the academy with the next batch.’

‘Kábíyèsí…,’ Olóyè Oyelekan protested.

‘Enough! I have spoken,’ the king insisted. ‘In fact, I want you to suspend any servant duties he does for now so he can focus on magic building. The same order goes to the rest of you. If you have any children, who might be talented, you shouldn’t have them drawing water and cutting trees.’

‘Your humble servants accept your order, Your Majesty,’ they all chorused.

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silverlinen:
More and faster updates
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We move

Thanks boss. Due to life outside Nairaland, I'll try to update at least once every three days. I'll be updating tomorrow.

Chapter Four

Adedamola opened his eyes. The past six days had mostly been a blur. He remembered leaving the palace for a secret mission. No one was supposed to know about the mission or that he was even leaving the palace as he had donned a disguise before leaving the palace. The fact that he was captured meant that the palace had a spy and one that was very highly ranked at that.

As the heir apparent of Oyedepo Kingdom, he grew up with the best life had to offer. He literarily only used silver spoons to eat. While he had been sheltered and cared for, he was still trained to fight. He had a personal tutor who watched over him, and was in charge of his magic building.
Members of the royal family rarely attended the Warlock Academy in their respective kingdoms. The Warlock Academy was a transcendental organization. It was in all kingdoms and empires in the Great Expanse but it took no part in the wars of these kingdoms. However, if the kingdoms were destroyed, even if all the buildings were turned to rubble, the Warlock Academy would be left standing. Any power that tried to undermine their sovereignty would bear the brunt of the Warlock Academies the world over.

Adedamola was a Master Warlock, on the verge of breaking through to a Great Warlock. Even among Master Warlocks, he was the cream of the crop. When he had been surrounded by the bandits, he had single-handedly slain over thirty of them before being subdued by a Great Warlock.
Obviously, this Great Warlock was the one who hired the bandits and he was planning to observe from the shadows when it became obvious that the prince would be able to escape the encirclement. He had no choice but to step in and rectify the situation.

Prince Adedamola who had been slaughtering the bandits with ease was quickly subdued once the Great Warlock joined the fray. The difference between a Master Warlock and a Great Warlock wasn’t something quantifiable and though Adedamola was on the verge of breaking through, he still suffered a great disadvantage.

Groggily, Adedamola slowly came to. He found that he was lying on a bed in an otherwise empty room with a small window as source of ventilation. Taking note of his surroundings, he found out that the bed was the only piece of furniture in the room. Seeing that he was alone, he directed his thoughts internally. He found out that his spiritual pathways were sealed in such a way that he was like a mortal with no ability to manipulate the natural energies around him. Other than that, he was fine and his injuries in the previous battle had even been treated.

‘Who’s out there?’ he called.

The door opened and a young lady walked in.

‘You are awake, my lord. I am Seye and I’m here to attend to your needs. You have been out for seven days, how do you feel?’

Neglecting her question, he asked one of his own, ‘Where am I?’

‘You are now in Pópóọlá Kingdom, as a guest. Forgive our actions but you wouldn’t have come gently had we requested. However, I can assure you that we mean no harm.’

Damola observed the lady before him. Since his spiritual pathways were sealed, he had no way to access her strength. However, he knew that there was no way he could escape even if his pathways were not sealed. He began organizing his thoughts, thinking about what reason someone in Pópóọlá Kingdom would have abducted him, and what options he had.

Pópóọlá Kingdom was one of the most wealthy kingdoms in the entirety of the Great Expanse. As one of the kingdoms bordering the Rocky Lands, it monopolized trade between the kingdoms of the Great Expanse and the war faring tribes of the Rocky Lands. The Rocky Lands were devoid of spiritual energy. Those in the Rocky Lands had to rely on spirit stones mined from the Spirit Hills and Mountains to practice their magic-building.

Seeing that Damola was quiet, Seye took the initiative to ask him if he were hungry. This reminded Damola that he had taken nothing for the past seven days and his stomach growled.

‘I’m coming, my lord,’ she said as she headed out the door.

‘Wait! Do you know why I’ve been taken?’ he stopped her.

‘It’s not something a servant like me can know, my lord,’ she replied and excused herself.

I am terribly sorry for the delay. Double Update Coming Up!

Chapter Five

Ayomide was elated. He was third in ranking the academy carried out for those in his power level. The only people above him were the daughter of the Balogun Kukoyi and the son of Oloye Babarinsa, Omolewa and Olamide respectively. It was no easy feat to defeat the most talented people in his generation hence he was looking forward to the proud look on his father’s face.

On his way home, he kept thinking about the state of his family. He knew his stepmother didn’t like him and that was just being generous – his stepmother detested him - just that there was nothing she could do about it. He loved his siblings and was actually looking forward to seeing his little sister, Kikelomo.

His feelings towards his bastard brother however were complex; after all, they shared blood. However, his father had warned him to neglect him. He didn’t have any quarrels with him and in fact, he would actually love to get to know him but he had been instructed otherwise.


Oloye Oyelekan was livid. The Ọba had no right to interfere in his personal affairs, none at all.

‘Calm down, Oyelekan,’ Oloye Gbolahan consoled. He had followed Oyelekan home from the palace to retrieve a magical treasure the latter had borrowed earlier.

‘You know, I’ve neglected that boy since he was born.’ Oloye Oyelekan complained as he took a swig from the gourd of sprite-wine he had in hand. ‘I had felt extremely guilty for forcing his mother. It was the anniversary of the date Iya Ayomide died you know. I was terribly drunk and had gorged on fireseng earlier in the day in preparation of summoning one of the ladies of the night.’

Oloye Gbolahan could only try to look interested as he listened to a story he had heard over a hundred times.

Oyelekan did not show whether he noticed or not as he continued pouring out his woes to his friend.

‘I didn't know what I did till I woke the next morning to myself pants down and the woman crying in a corner of her room. I was planning to release her from a life of servitude once she put to bed. I even wanted to give her enough money for her child and herself to be independent. Little did I know that that little devil would kill his mother on arriving earth.’

Oloye Gbolahan could only smile and shake his head. He did not see what all the fuss was about. So he impregnated a maid? A lot of the chiefs had done that and even worse. He could only suppress his thoughts and attempt to console his friend.

‘If it bothered you so much, why didn’t you kill the boy?’ This was a question that had plagued Oloye Gbolahan for a while now.

‘That’s the problem, isn’t it? No matter how much I loathe the boy, I just couldn’t bring myself to kill my own flesh and blood. I loathe myself for feeling this way, I loathe the boy for making me feel this way. I wish he would just die and spare us all some pain’, Oyelekan complained as he took another swig from his gourd.

Now, he was forced to acknowledge the child by exempting him from all work and encourage him to practice his magic-building. He even had to send the wretch to the institute with his hard earned money. All this was enough to infuriate him greatly.

‘My Lord, the young master is back’, the head of his households' servants came in and reported.

Hearing this, he gathered his thoughts and went out to welcome the source of his joy. While he had three legitimate children, his first born was his favourite. He loved the boy’s mother dearly before her death and the boy’s existence was the only thing that made life worth living.

‘I’m back, Baba’, Ayomide said as he prostrated flat on his belly greeting his father.

‘Welcome, my boy’, the Oloye replied gesturing, ‘stand up, stand up! Hey come hug your dad.’

Ayo stood up and wrapped his father in an embrace as his father tousled his hair.

‘At the rate you are growing, you’ll soon be stronger than your old man’, Oloye Gbolahun joked.

‘Hahaha’, Oloye Oyelekan laughed, ‘isn’t that what we all want?’

‘You are right. Let me take my leave so you can spend time with your son. My own children should have arrived also, let me go see them. Oloye Gbolahan said as he bade them goodbye.

Chapter Six

‘He is ready for you now my lord', Seye said as she came in.

‘It's been three days, you still haven't told me who “he” is’, Adedamola said as he got to his feet.

He had been under captivity for about ten days now, three since he came to but he still had no idea who his captor was. Of course, he had his suspicions because of where he was but he could not be certain as the Great Warlock who had attacked him had concealed his features. Also, the fight had been over quickly so he hadn't been able to decipher any clues.

‘My Lord, tales of your genius is widespread in the land. Don't tell me you haven't been able to figure anything out despite the subtle clues I've been giving you’, she replied with a smirk.

‘Just lead me to him.’ Adedamola replied, having no interest in playing whatever game it was that she and by extension, his captors, wanted.

As they emerged from the room, Damola started taking note of his surroundings. This was the first time he had been out of his room since he arrived at Popoola Kingdom. He committed everything to memory because he might need to take escape anytime. He noticed the two stone-faced guards at the door that immediately followed them. Both were at the Initiate Warlock level, however he was not deceived. He knew that if anything happened, the Great Warlock from before would be notified immediately as well as many Master Warlocks as they could gather.

As they moved on, he took note of the landscape, the positioning of the buildings, the formations laid out; he took note of every minute detail and didn't gloss over anything. Magic builders were blessed with wonderful memory. They could commit things to memory and recall them easily. All it took was one sweeping glance and he immediately committed the layout to memory.

‘My Lord, is everything alright?’ Seye asked as she saw him whipping his head about.

‘It's nothing. I was just admiring the residence. Its architecture, buildings' structures and plan is top notch’.
‘Oh! Yes it is’, she answered with a knowing smile.

His actions were expected and it would be surprising if he didn't take this opportunity to get an idea of the layout of the residence.

‘We are here’, Seye said as they approached a large courtyard. ‘I'll see you when you are done’, she said as she stood to the side.

Damola calmed his mind as the two guards in front of the gate opened it. Stepping in, he saw two hooded men, standing in by a pool in a large courtyard. They were engrossed in a discussion and they spoke backing him. One of the men was built like the one who had attacked and subdued him. While he looked dangerous and emanated a ferocious aura, the other man emanated no aura at all. In fact, if not because he could see him, he would not know the man was standing before him.

Magic builders were very sensitive to their surroundings. They also leaked some of the spiritual energy they had absorbed while practising. The fact that the man before him didn't seem to leak any energy meant that he had a great amount of control over his usage of spiritual energy. Also, the man filled him with a very great sense of danger as if he could simply lift a finger to destroy him.

Standing there, Damola refused to announce his presence. He knew that they had sensed him the moment he entered but acted like he was absent. Adedamola had been in a lot of political meetings that he knew the power in allowing others speak first so he schooled his features to appear bored. Taking in his surroundings, he noticed a stone bench and sauntered over, crossed his legs and yawned. He sat, taking in every information he could about his captors - their stance, comportment and mannerism. The person who captured him was a subject of the other man. He stroked his jaw - interesting.

After a while, another young man walked in. Adedamola surmised he would be about his age. He seemed happy because he was smiling about something. Adedamola assessed him - he looked like he should know a bit about fighting. He was of average height, slightly muscular and moved lightly on his feet.

‘Omo Ọba Adedamola, sorry for keeping you waiting’, the seemingly more dangerous man said as he turned around and removed his hood. ‘I'm Balogun Akinola’, he said with a smile. ‘I have invited you here today because I have heard of your battle prowess. You truly look like a dragon among men.'

‘I'm sure you didn't kidnap me for this’, Adedamola replied. ‘What do you want?’

His reply didn't fluster the older man at all. Instead, he smiled more brightly as he stroked his beard and replied, ‘This young man here’, gesturing to the man who had arrived, ‘is my son, Ogunfemi. He heard that you were visiting and would like to exchange pointers with you’.

‘I'm not interested in being a source of entertainment’, Damola replied, his temper and voice rising. ‘For what reason exactly was I brought here?’

‘Don't be impulsive. Alright, let me make you a deal: if you defeat my son, I'll tell you all need to know.’

‘Hmmph, if I defeat your son, you'll release me and let me return.’

‘Hahaha, nice try’, Balogun Akinola answered. ‘May we begin?’ He said as he unsealed Damola's spiritual pathways.

After ten days, Damola felt like parched ground that had just been watered. He rapidly absorbed spiritual energy and circulated it around his pathways. After he had done this, the opponents walked onto a battle platform that had been erected for the sake of sparring. This platform had runes that created a barrier and made certain that the shockwaves of the battle were contained on the platform.

‘I look forward to your instructions', Ogunfemi said as he looked over grinning. Damola didn't know if Femi looked down on him and smiled because he already knew the outcome of the battle. However, Damola's brain went into overdrive. He couldn't allow them know the full extent of his battle prowess. He had to hide it in case he needed to run, however, he couldn't let them know he was holding back also, not forgetting that he wanted to bash that smiling pretty boy's face.

‘Begin,’ Balogun Akinola said and Damola dashed forward with a punch carrying seventy percent of his full strength. He made it seem he was going all out as he sped forward. Ogunfemi's smile did not leave his face as he sidestepped and parried the blow before yielding one of his. Adedamola brushed it away and his leg shot forward almost crushing Ogunfemi's nose before the latter jumped backward, the foot missing his face by a hairsbreadth. The smile disappeared from Ogunfemi's face and he leapt forward, his palm balled into a fist that Adedamola was too slow to dodge. It connected with his face and Damola slammed back into the stage's barrier which rippled slightly.

Adedamola spat out a glob of blood from his mouth and smiled. It's been a while he fought with someone in his power level that gave him a tough time. He looked to his opponent who was now prowling like a wolf about to pounce. Ogunfemi pounced and Adedamola swept away the blow he extended and delivered a kick right on his belly. Ogunfemi fell back flat against the floor of the sparing stage and immediately flipped up.

‘You are good,’ Ogunfemi drawled as he quickly took up a defensive position, ‘I would expect nothing less from Oyedepo's heir apparent. However,’ he said as lunged again, ‘you are not good enough.’

Adedamola found it difficult to fend off the flurry of blows and kicks from Ogunfemi. He was already fighting with eighty-five percent his full strength but some blows still found him over and over. Soon, he was pushed to the barrier of the stage. He was going to lose, he knew it - that is if he did not use a battle skill. Adedamola directed the spiritual energy in his body to converge and release a devastating blow.

‘Low Tier Battle Skill, Claw of the Tiger.' Adedamola became feral as he pounced on Ogunfemi who was driven back. Missing a particular vicious backhand, Ogunfemi barked in pain as Adedamola followed up with a blow to the guts that knocked the wind out of him. He fell as Damola brought his face down to his knee.

Ogunfemi was immediately up as Adedamola backed away, letting both of them catch their breaths. Suddenly, Ogunfemi rushed at Adedamola bellowing: ‘Low Tier Battle Skill, Wildebeest Stampade’. Ogunfemi grabbed Adedamola and brought him down with a sickening crunch. Pain shot through Adedamola as he struggled to get up but Ogunfemi quickly pinned him down and pointed a fist to his face.

‘You lost,’ Ogunfemi spat as he stood and extended his hand to Adedamola. Adedamola debated continuing the fight but he finally gave up and accepted the outstretched hand. He was exhausted and even suspected that Ogunfemi was also holding back. He didn't want to find out if it were true.


The sound of clapping slightly startled Adedamola as he looked at the Balogun.
‘Well that is a fight you don't come across every day.

Adedamola hobbled down the steps that led to the stage and went to the Balogun, staring him down as he asked, ‘I don't suppose you will give me answers now, will you?’

‘Normally, I would not but as since it is so important that it cannot be delayed any longer. Your country, mine and a lot of others are in danger. The tribes of the Rocky Lands are marshalling their forces to invade the Great Expanse.’

‘What?’ Adedamola started. ‘How do you know this?’

Ogunfemi came up to them, face grave.
The Balogun only spared a look at his son before turning to Adedamola. ‘Rest well, Ọmọ Ọba Adedamola, we will discuss later.

Not waiting for a reply, he left, his robe, billowing in the wind.

Pls let me know what you feel. Should I continue or scrap it?

Please continue
What a lovely African story
I love culture

slimsophiediva:


Please continue
What a lovely African story
I love culture

Thanks. The story will have a tie-in to the Yoruba story of creation. Many popular Yoruba gods will also be showing up.

Stick around.

enamored1:
Pls let me know what you feel. Should I continue or scrap it?

The story is beginning to sound like one of those Chinese stories with all that energy and warlock.

NoChill:


The story is beginning to sound like one of those Chinese stories with all that energy and warlock.

You are right. I did say it borrows heavily from Chinese Wuxia-xianxia stories. However, the story itself follows traditional yoruba culture and tradition. It is only the magic system I am borrowing from these stories.

It's a merge of two worlds.

enamored1:
Thanks. The story will have a tie-in to the Yoruba story of creation. Many popular Yoruba gods will also be showing up.

Stick around.

I'm glued already

CHAPTER SEVEN


As Ayomide approached the servants' quarters, he wondered what made his father have a change of heart. He was pleasantly surprised when his father had called the head of his household servants earlier that morning and instructed him to go meet his bastard son and instruct him to focus on magic-building. As from that moment, he was to stop performing all servant functions, practice well and make certain that he gained admission to the Warlock Academy during the next recruitment exercise or he would not be allowed into the Olóyè's household anymore. Ayomide had waylaid the servant and had persuaded the man to allow him deliver the message.

On getting to Akinlabi's residence, he met Wumi who had just finished preparing lunch for the Olóyè's household. The female servants rotated the meal preparation among themselves and made it five people per group. Greeting her, he asked of Akinlabi's whereabouts which made her nervous.

‘Is there a problem, Young Master?’ She asked as she knelt in greeting.

‘No there isn't. Where is he?’

‘He has gone to fetch wood for the day. Shall I send a message to him to come see you?’

Ayomide thought a while. He decided to go see him while working. ‘There's no need for that. Where can I see him?’

‘He should be at the hill just south of the residence’, Wumi replied.

Ayomide thanked her as he turned and started heading towards the hill.

‘Young Master’, Wumi called after him. ‘He's a good boy, I hope he isn't in some kind of trouble?’

Without looking back, Ayomide replied, ‘No he isn't’.


Akinlabi was cornered once more. Femi and Kunle had ganged up against him and he was now backing a tree, having nowhere to run to.

‘What do you guys want again?’

‘Your existence just disgusts us’, Kunle said.

‘Yes. Looking at you, especially those marks on your face makes me want to puke,’ Femi added. ‘Why don't you die and save us all some pain?’

‘You guys are taking things too far.’ Akinlabi replied trying to figure a way out of the situation. ‘We all have the servant marks on our faces. What makes you any better?’

‘Of course, ours were done with razors but yours was carved with a matchete. Don't blame us. If anything, blame yourself for being too weak’, Femi replied, remarking on the three lines that marred either side of Akinlabi's face as they both lunged forward.

The three of them threw punches and kicks, two attacking, one defending. Akinlabi was swiftly beaten back. An observer would notice that he could stand up to one of his assailants on his own, he could probably even overwhelm them on a one-on-one fight. However, it was obvious that the two of them were more than a match for him and he soon started spotting injuries.

‘What's going on here?’

The three combatants looked up to see the First Young Master, pride of the family glaring at them. Immediately, they ceased their brawling and bowed low at the waist.

‘We offer our greetings, Young Master.’

‘I ask again’, Ayomide frowned, his face cold, ‘What is going on here?’
Kunle and Femi glanced at themselves, mutual understanding passing through the friends then Kunle stepped forward.

‘We were just sparing, my lord.’

‘You were sparring and both of you ganged up one another person’, Ayomide didn't believe the lie. ‘Anyway, have any of you seen Akinlabi?’

Akinlabi could not hear anything beyond the wild thumping in his chest. Blood rushed to his ears, face as he stepped forward and both Kunle and Femi yielded a step.

‘I'm Akinlabi, my Lord.’

Both Kunle and Femi, when they heard this, started sneering inwardly. They did not know what business the Young Master had with Akinlabi but now that he was annoyed already - the thought made them lick their lips in anticipation. Now, he was going to die without even having a complete corpse.

Seeing Akinlabi step forward, and noticing his state, Ayomide erupted with anger but his facial features remained calm. Everyone in the clan knew that Akinlabi was the Olóyè’s son. Granted the Olóyè treated him as if he did not exist but he still wasn't someone any random servant could beat up.

‘I'll give you the time it takes to count to five to explain what was going on here’, Ayomide said, his voice sharp as iron scrapping a Flintstone.

‘My Lord, we were really sparring just now’.

Akinlabi knew the kind of person the young master was. He wasn't someone who the likes of him could offend. As for reporting the other two servants, there was no point in doing that. He was the very trash among trash. Who cared if some servants beat him up? In fact, he had learned the hard way not to report any inhumane treatment or Madam Ayo would see to it that he was disciplined. All he hoped for was that he wasn't in any kind of trouble with the young master.

Seeing this, Ayomide's frown deepened. He could not imagine what his brother had been going through in the family. He had glimpsed fear flash across Akinlabi's face, for just a split moment while the other two - well, even with their heads bowed, they seemed smug.

‘Since that is the case, let me join you. I also love a good fight.’

That statement made the three of them whip up their heads even as they quickly lowered it again. Fear clouded their thoughts. They didn't dare fight with Ayomide even if they became a thousand times bolder. They were not only far inferior to him in strength as had not even become Warlock Apprentices and they had heard that he had already attained the Master Warlock Realm in his magic-building. There were two whole realms between them and more importantly, he was the most favourite child of the Olóyè - even if they could defeat him they would not dare.

‘My Lord, we are not worthy’, Femi said trembling as the others nodded, agreeing with him.

‘Are you telling me you refuse to follow my other?’ Ayomide frowned. ‘Raise your heads,’ he commanded.

Slowly, they willed themselves to look at him. Ayomide swept them with his gaze and rested it on Akinlabi.

‘You there’, he pointed, ‘I can see you are injured from the previous spar and in no position to fight. It seems you won’t have the honour of battling me. Stand aside!’ he commanded.

How could Femi and Kunle not understand what was going on? It was obvious he was excluding Akinlabi from the beating they were about to receive and they winced as Akinlabi stepped back.

‘Both of you should not bother giving up. I’m going to fight you whether you like it or not. It is left to you to either defend yourselves or take my beatings.’
‘However’, he continued, ‘if you disobey my order, I’ll make sure you leave the Olóyè's household - in pieces,’ he added with a sinister smile that made their legs go soft.

Few minutes later, Femi and Kunle were whimpering on the ground with lacerations all over their bodies. Akin on the other hand was wide-eyed as he didn’t expect the young master to take vengeance for him. Instantly, his heart became filled with gratitude. No one had ever cared for him except his adoptive mother and he felt that he would remember this singular act. Though he doubted he would ever be in a position where he could help the young master, if that time came, he certainly wouldn’t shy back.

‘Akinlabi’, Ayo said smiling at him, barely winded from the little exercise he just had, ‘follow me.’

Nice story...

update oooo

Following... Great piece u have here Op.

Sliss:
Nice story...

Thanks. It's nice to have you here.

Iizykidoo:
update oooo

I try to update once in three days. I'll be updating tomorrow. Thanks for your interest.

Lakesc:
Following... Great piece u have here Op.

I'm really glad you find it interesting. Please stick around.

Let me know what you guys feel about the characters. What emotions do they elicit? Akinlabi? Ayomide? Olóyè Oyelekan their father? Adedamola? etc.

Enamored
Wey update na
Don't like this oooo....or else i go come flog u for where u dey
Akinlabi...ah day guy no like wahala at all .him just wan steer clear of wahala since nobody send am

Ayomide..The guy get compassion and humility him no like social injustice

I don try abeg
enamored abeg speedy updates like that off covid cases
Thank you

Come and update, so we could give a better comment on the characters... Oloye Oyelekan is claim tough and decisive on the surface but deep within he is broken, his first's wife demise is still taken a toll on him. Akinlabi, is just playing weak for now due to his circumstance. Op, update us to get a complete emotional analysis of the characters....

enamored1:


Thanks. I'll update tomorrow.

Thanks,sir.More grace and strength to you.

Please do not come for me. I know I promised to post today but I'll do it tomorrow.

E jo, edakun.

enamored1:
Please do not come for me. I know I promised to post today but I'll do it tomorrow.

E jo, edakun.

Will be expecting a double update then, dont fail us o...

CHAPTER EIGHT



‘Again!’ Ayomide snapped as Akinlabi gritted his teeth, his throat parched, sweat trickling down his back as he rallied the spiritual energy in his body to assault the wall he could now glimpse clearly in his mind's eye.

The wall remained unyielding, adamant as Akinlabi threw everything he had at it. The sun had begun its journey home so Akinlabi reckoned that they had probably been at this fruitless endeavor for about three hours. He was feeling increasingly useless as Ayomide frowned at him, face contemplative but he had this one chance - this one chance to make something of himself; to prove: to himself that he was not any inferior to those who grew up with opportunity; to this brother of his that he was worth the effort he expended on him; to prove to his adoptive mother, Wumi, that her continual labour on him was not in vain; to any other person that he was not worthless - he was not going to screw this up so he hammered and pounded at the wall, again and again.

Ayomide had praised his aptitude for magic-building after a quick assessment of his body while delivering the good tidings to him. He had an opportunity to study at the Warlock Academy - it was all he ever dreamed of but he would need to break through to Warlock Apprentice before the next recruitment exercise which was just a month away.

Ayomide had explained the fundamentals of magic-building to him. There were five stages to magic-building, Ayomide had said: Warlock Apprentice, Initiate Warlock, Master Warlock, Great Warlock, and Grand Warlock with three sub-stages: Early, Middle and Late. There had been many stages once, in the long distant past. People had practiced magic-building till they had dropped the shackles of mortality, dropped the binds that tethered them to the earth and had soared in the sky. Some exceedingly talented people had even become gods and had presided over the powers of the world, Ayomide had said with reverence on his face.

Akinlabi, however, was just about to break through to the Warlock Apprentice stage. That should explain the pressure he should have been feeling for a while now, Ayomide had explained, and the only reason he had not done so was because he did not have a guiding hand. If he had just continued absorbing spiritual energy, he would have broken through to Warlock Apprentice eventually but that would have been years and years later. Also, it would be nothing compared to if he took the reins into his own hands.

Akinlabi did not have much time. He grit his teeth and tried again and again, looking for weaknesses in the wall - faults, cracks as Ayomide taught him. It was easier to bring down the wall barring his way, Ayomide had told him,by exploiting the weaker areas around these cracks that were sure to exist. He was surprised then that the wall that appeared before him was smooth, without so much as a dent, no matter how much he hurled himself at it.

It was not working. He debated telling Ayomide that there was probably a mistake. He probably was not ready to breakthrough even as pain, disappointment, and acceptance coursed through him but he took one look at Ayomide's scowling face and wisely shut his mouth.

Suddenly, Ayomide stood and moved to some bushes that were nearby and fished out a wriggling, giggling girl of about six years.

‘Now what are you doing here?’ Ayomide laughed, raising the girl to the sky.

Kikelomo, Madam Ayo's daughter, laughed, her voice like the ringing of little bells, and asked ‘Egbon, how did you know I was there?’

‘Oh! I knew as soon as you arrived, but I waited till you were tired and wanted to come out yourself. He glanced at Akinlabi who had his face scrounged up in an effort to appear serious and sighed. ‘Akinlabi, why don't you come greet your sister.

Akinlabi grateful for the reprieve stood some distance away, ‘Kikelomo, how are you?’

Ayomide placed her down gently as she shifted looked at Akinlabi somewhat shyly. ‘I am fine.’ Then she looked up at Ayomide. ‘Mama says I should not talk to him.’ She said, and thought a bit and added. ‘Why did Mama say I should not talk to him?’

Ayomide smiled and tousled her hair. ‘You are a smart girl, ask your mummy.’

Kikelomo shakes her head. ‘I asked her, she said he will hurt me.’ She looked at Akinlabi, And advanced a step towards him, while holding Ayomide's hand. [b] ‘Will you hurt me?’ She moved closer, tugging Ayomide along with her. ‘My two brothers will protect me, you'll see. They won't let you touch me.’

Ayomide crouched before Kikelomo, face-to-face with her. ‘It's true that I'll protect you.’ He glanced at Akinlabi and saw pain, devastation written across his face and turned back to Kikelomo. ‘But Akinlabi,’ he said pointing at him, ‘will also protect you. He won't allow anyone hurt you. Won't you?’ he asked looking at Akinlabi.

Tears slid down Akinlabi's face as he took a step forward. ‘I'll not let anything happen to you.’ He knelt as he said, ‘I'll not hurt you but protect you if and when I can.’

Ayomide placed a hand on Akinlabi's shoulder. ‘Let's go home. You can continue practicing tomorrow.’ He patted Kikelomo as he said, ‘Egbon has some treats for you if you get home before me.’ Ayomide then left, and made a show of running.

‘Cheater!’ Kikelomo screamed as she barreled down the road home.