Inferno: A LitRPG Adventure (Elemental Mastery Book 2), page 30
“Why don’t we talk about that later, when Vincent is here?” Zephyr said. “If it’s about the Codex of Ascension, I’m sure he’ll want to hear what you have to say, too.”
“That would be for the best, Zephyr,” Avora agreed, getting to his feet. “Let us proceed, my friends.”
The interrogations of the two captured Slave-Masters unfolded similarly, with equally grim results. Zephyr was prepared this time though, and he’d steeled his resolve. Clenching his jaw, he stepped away from the twisted corpse of the last Fennean mage and turned to Nella, who was holding the Tyrant Compass out to Avora.
“Well? Is it working?” the ranger demanded.
“The Tyrant Compass is functioning as expected,” Avora said, pointing to the threads of sickly green light coruscating across the length of nightsteel within the device. “As you can see, the amount of corrupt ether it has trapped has tripled in volume, and if you focus your mage sight upon the nightsteel, you should be able to sense the ether’s arcane bearing.”
“But it’s not enough,” Zephyr guessed, sweeping his mage sight over the Tyrant Compass. “The trapped ether points somewhere, but too vaguely to be of much use.”
“Don’t be disheartened just yet,” Avora said. “From what I can tell, the Tyrant Compass is on the cusp of yielding what we need to know. All it needs is a little more corrupt ether.”
“Looks like we’ll need to nab ourselves another Slave-Master or two.” Nella sighed and lowered the device. “When should we attack the next plant, Zeph?”
“We’re not going to do that,” Zephyr said, shaking his head. “We barely survived yesterday against surprised and unprepared Slave-Masters and their drones. The next plant we strike at will be fully fortified and ready for us. We won’t win that fight.”
“How is that different from attacking the Eternal Palace when we locate it, then?” Nella asked. “Wouldn’t the Unliving Emperor’s home be far more fortified than a drone plant?”
“It’s not the same. There are nine plants in all, and there is a massive drone army advancing on Blackstone Keep,” Zephyr said. “That’s why we can’t afford to attack a single plant with much more than the strike force we mustered yesterday. But if we know where the Eternal Palace is…”
“Then we can throw everything we have at it and bring the Unliving Emperor down,” Nella said. She frowned at the Tyrant Compass. “But even if we do get this thing to work, how are we getting to the Eternal Palace?”
“We hit the plant closest to the palace with everything and everyone we can bring, which will be a lot more, now that we have Storm Scions who can cast Wind Walk with us,” Zephyr said. “Once we win, we bring in as many reinforcements as possible, then go for the Unliving Emperor.”
“There’s no coming back if we don’t manage to kill the Unliving Emperor,” Nella pointed out, a grin pulling at her lips. “I like that plan. Let’s do it. But we still need to interrogate another Slave-Master, don’t we? If we’re not attacking a plant, where are we going to catch one?”
“On the field of battle, fighting alongside Archmage Brass,” Zephyr replied, clenching his fists resolutely. “Let’s go find Vincent. We should head out right away.”
“I will come with you, my friends,” Avora said. “I wish to go over what I have uncovered from my review of several tomes I retrieved from my manor’s archives last night.”
He went home instead of leaving with Archmage Brass. Zephyr took a deep calming breath as he walked out of the cell. Nella and Avora followed, the latter pausing briefly to instruct several Vigilant Blades waiting outside to dispose of the Slave-Masters’ corpses.
Marie Vensk was waiting for them just beyond Blackstone Keep’s dungeons. She nodded to Zephyr.
“How’d it go?” the vice-captain asked. “Should I start rounding up a strike force against the Eternal Palace?”
“Not quite yet, but soon,” Zephyr promised.
“Good.” Marie gestured over her shoulder down a corridor that would lead to Taphir’s forge. “In case you’re looking for the little one, he and Phoenix Knight Tusu are at the forge. If you still haven’t gotten what you needed, that means you’re probably headed to the frontline. Good luck out there.”
“What will you be doing?” Zephyr asked.
“Organizing the reinforcements converging upon Blackstone Keep and coordinating their delivery to Archmage Brass’s command,” she replied. “A contingent of fifty Frost Guardians just arrived, by the way. Two of them are asking for you by name, Nella.”
“Me?” Nella frowned in confusion. “Why me?”
“Master Tosa Finne and Master Biri Finne claim they know you personally,” Marie said. “Most of the Frost Guardians will be advancing to the frontline in two hours, the two of them included, so if you’re headed that way too, you can catch up with them then.”
“Tosa and Biri?” A surprised smile fell over Nella’s face. “I haven’t spoken to them in years. Sure, I’ll go find out what they want.”
“Are they your friends, Nella?” Zephyr asked, remembering that the Frost School was located near the Blight Boundary and that the Frost Guardians often worked hand-in-hand with the rangers and the druids that lived there.
“Not really. They’re Druidess Filna’s friends, if anything,” Nella said. “I don’t know them very well, and like I said, the last time I saw them was many years ago. Honestly, I’m not sure why they want to talk to me now.”
“Masters Tosa Finne and Biri Finne are also known as the Glacial Twins,” Avora interjected. “They are highly skilled and extremely powerful Frost Guardians. I’m surprised Archmage Thorn was willing to spare them from their duties at the Blight Boundary and allow them to come to our aid.”
“I’m glad they’re here to help.” Zephyr turned to Marie and gave her an appreciative nod. “Thanks for telling us where Vincent is. We’re going to need your help when we attack the Eternal Palace.”
“I’ll be ready when you are,” the vice-captain replied, before turning on her heel and walking away.
“Alright, let’s go find Vincent, Zeph,” Nella said, tugging at Zephyr’s sleeve. “I’m a bit worried about him.”
Zephyr nodded in response, and with Avora in tow, they hurried to the forge. Sure enough, the jeweler’s apprentice was there with Rina and Taphir. Gabriel was there as well, evidently fully recovered from his injuries. He wore a long coat of scaled plates over his robes, and he gave Zephyr and Nella a thumbs-up as they approached.
“Vincent prepared this for me,” the Phoenix Knight said, pointing to a pair of glyphs across his armor’s torso section. “Greater Ease and Greater Resilience glyphs means that this armor weighs almost nothing, and it fits perfectly over my robes too, thanks to his tailoring. Vincent’s a genius! A genius, I tell you!”
“Thanks, Gabriel. I’m glad you like it,” Vincent said, before turning to Taphir, who was applying a steel file to the visor of what appeared to be a sallet helm. The jeweler’s apprentice pointed to the helm. “Grind down a little more of the crown with a smaller file, Mister Taphir. A size five, I think. Once that’s done, we can call it a day.”
“You got it, Vincent,” the smith said, before setting the file in his hand aside and retrieving another from his toolbelt. Taphir began humming under his breath as he resumed his work.
“Aren’t you supposed to be resting, Vincent?” Nella asked, before turning to Rina. “What’s happening here?”
“Vincent came to see me an hour or so ago, saying he had some glyph inscription ideas and needed my help,” the quartermaster explained. “I was curious, so I handed my work to my assistants and followed him to the forge, where he pretty much did everything. Mister Taphir contributed far more than I did, since he handled all the actual smithing.”
“I wanted you to check my work, Rina,” Vincent said. “And I’m fine, Nella. I got lots of sleep last night, and I woke up with all these ideas, so I had to rush down here and get things done.”
“And he got so much done indeed,” Rina said, pointing to a table upon which Zephyr’s gauntlets sat. “Go take a look, Zephyr. Vincent’s made some really nifty upgrades to your gear.”
Zephyr walked over to the gauntlets, picked them up, and unfurled a codex display.
Illumination & Fury
Enchanted blade gauntlets +12
Greater Inferno Amplification, Greater Tempest Amplification, Impact, Sunder
Blade gauntlets? Sunder? Those are new, Zephyr realized. He put the steely gloves on and immediately noticed the intricately wound bands of spring steel across the gauntlets’ wrists.
“Looks like you found the activation switches, Zeph,” Vincent said, grinning. “Go ahead and trip them.”
“Alright.” Zephyr flexed his wrists. A foot-long blade extended from the back of his Fury Gauntlet with a metallic ring. Three shorter ones sprang from between the knuckles of his Illumination Gauntlet, turning the glove into a claw. He whistled in admiration at the sight. “Wow! This is amazing, Vincent!”
“I noticed you struggling to cut the Slave-Master out of the behemoth yesterday,” Vincent explained. “Lethal Swiftness isn’t really suitable for such work, and like I said, Ponderous Inevitability simply isn’t up to the task against our enemies anymore, so I took it apart and used it to touch up your gauntlets. They should allow you to maul drones apart much more easily.”
“They definitely will,” Zephyr agreed, looking down at his new equipment in awe. “You got this done in an hour?”
“Mister Taphir’s an excellent smith, and Rina kept me on track.” Vincent gave Rina a side-hug, much to her delight.
“Oh, no. I can’t claim any credit. I handled the simple stuff, mostly melting things down and then beating them back into shape. All the ingenuity and intricacy came from Vincent.” Taphir chuckled, put down his file, and held up the helm he’d been working on for Vincent to inspect. “What do you think? With the Greater Ease glyph, this thing can’t weigh much more than a tenth of a pound. Do you want me to grind its edges down a bit more?”
“No, I think this should be good enough. Thanks, Mister Taphir.” Vincent took the helm and beckoned to Nella. “This is for you. It should make your Eyebite spells much stronger and give them greater reach too.”
The ranger eagerly put the helm upon her brow and unfurled a codex display.
Vengeful Glare Visor
Enchanted helm +12
Greater Ease, Greater Inferno Amplification, Greater Tempest Amplification, Greater Eyebite Facilitation
“It doesn’t obscure my vision at all,” Nella announced. “And it barely weighs anything.”
Tentacles of fire and lightning swarmed from the ranger’s visor, and a broad smile spread across her face.
“My Eyebite spells feel much smoother too,” the ranger said. “Thanks, Vincent!”
“You’re very welcome!” Vincent beamed.
“Vincent, are you alright?” Zephyr asked, more than a little concerned at Vincent’s seemingly buoyant mood and demeanor. He took off his gauntlets and placed them within his mage band. “Last night, you were…”
“I’m fine, Zeph,” Vincent replied, nodding resolutely. “I really am. I thought a lot about what happened at the plant last night, and I realized I tried my best. I helped everyone I could, and if there’s anybody to blame for the deaths of our friends and allies, it’s the Unliving Emperor. So let’s go get him.”
“Ha!” Gabriel slapped Vincent heartily across the back. “Now that’s what I like to hear! Well said, Vincent!”
“Show them what you made for yourself, Vincey. It’s one of your most interesting items yet,” Rina prompted. Vincent chuckled weakly and scratched the back of his head.
“Alright, here.” He retrieved a pair of slim metal rods from his mage band, held one of them in each hand, and summoned his Storm and Flame hammers over the rods. A codex display appeared by his side.
Ether Conduits
Enchanted Wands + 12
Omnispell Amplification, Greater Omnispell Amplification, Omnispell Facilitation, Greater Omnispell Facilitation
“Omnispell glyphs!” Avora exclaimed, his eyes widening in shock. “Such glyphs have never been inscribed since the days of Azaria Hastur, the Glyph Master and boon companion of Caruthas himself! Vincent, my friend, this is a monumental achievement!”
“I was thinking about those Radiant magic spells you cast, your Excellency,” Vincent said. “And I figured that Radiant magic depends on balancing all three Elemental ethers in perfect harmony. I don’t know any Frost magic yet, but I know enough Tempest magic and Inferno magic to see what’s missing. Still, I wasn’t able to quite fill in the gaps enough and awaken a Frost Aspect, so I decided to focus on something else. Well, one thing led to another, and I inscribed one Omnispell glyph, then another.”
“What does an Omnispellglyph do?” Nella asked, poking at the metal rod ensconced in Vincent’s Flame Hammer.
“Omnispell glyphs augment all kinds of magic,” Avora explained, his voice hoarse in the aftermath of his uncharacteristic outburst. “Though they’re at their greatest effectiveness when used with primal Elemental magic. A minor Omnispell glyph is at least ten times more potent than even a Greater glyph of any other kind.”
“I haven’t been able to inscribe these on anything more complex than plain rods,” Vincent said. “But I’m sure I’ll be able to figure out how, given enough time. For now, these should make my spells much faster and stronger.”
“Well done, Vincent,” Zephyr congratulated the jeweler’s apprentice again. “We’ll fare much better against the drones and the Slave-Masters with our new armaments.”
“Should we head over to the citadel courtyard now?” Nella asked. “Judging from what Marie said, the next wave of reinforcements and supplies will be disembarking soon. We should join up with them if we’re going to help Archmage Brass.”
“Let’s go,” Vincent agreed. Dismissing his Elemental Hammers, he returned his wands to his mage band and gave Rina a brief hug.
“I’ll be back in a bit,” he promised.
“You’d better!” Rina flicked his nose playfully.
“A moment, my friends. Now that all three of you are here, let me swiftly summarize the results of my research to you,” Avora said, unfurling a codex display map of the Fennean Empire. The map had the plants marked out. Six of them were accessible to the trio via Wind Walk. The other three weren’t, their locations revealed by a Slave-Master’s utterances rather than a physical visit from Zephyr, Vincent, or Nella. The Grand Sage pointed at one of the inaccessible locations. It was situated between two others that the trio could reach with Wind Walk.
Before Zephyr could ask Avora to explain further, the Grand Sage closed his eyes and began a long and complicated chant.
“It’s a Radiant magic spell!” Vincent cried. “And it’s not Forbearance or Unveil Falsification!”
Did Avora just learn it recently? Was that what he was researching? Zephyr thought.
Avora’s chant rose in pitch and volume, before suddenly terminating, leaving the forge awash in sudden silence. The location on the codex display he’d been pointing to pulsed with cobalt light. The Grand Sage turned to the trio, his features sagging with fatigue.
“I can now travel there with Wind Walk, even though I have never visited that place in person before,” he announced.
“Did you achieve that with a Radiant magic spell?” Vincent asked.
“I did.” Avora nodded, his breath coming in harsh, shallow gasps. The Grand Sage blinked, unfurling another codex display.
Tempestuous Extrapolation (initiate)
Radiant Aspect: Sage
Renders a previously unvisited location accessible to Wind Walk (Tempest magic), location must be within twenty miles of two previously visited places
But Avora has never been to those plants! Zephyr realized, cold sweat suddenly beading upon his temples. Only we have! So how can he…
“Zephyr, remember how I was able to transfer my geographical knowledge of Blackstone Keep and Betrayer’s Bay to you through our respective codices?” the Grand Sage asked, preempting Zephyr’s doubts. “That’s how I borrowed your geographical knowledge of those two plants within Fennea. I suppose I should have asked for permission before accessing such information, but we are pressed for time, and I felt that demonstrating my spell was the best way to explain how it works.”
“I… I see.” Zephyr replied, more than a little disturbed by the fact that Avora could simply access the trio’s memories through his Codex of Elucidation. Offering and imparting knowledge was one thing—gleaning it without permission was another.
“This means that if we find out where the Eternal Palace is, we can have his Excellency cast Tempestuous Extrapolation to make it reachable with Wind Walk!” Vincent cried jubilantly.
“That’s good news, I suppose,” Nella said, sharing an uneasy sidelong glance with Zephyr. The ranger didn’t seem any more pleased than Zephyr was at Avora’s ability to access their thoughts. “Attacking the Eternal Palace will be much easier this way.”
“It will.” Zephyr sighed. “We’d better get going. If we’re there early, maybe we can see if there are any supplies we can help transport to Archmage Brass too.”
Chapter 35
Lux was among those designated to ferry reinforcements and supplies to Archmage Brass’s forces. She greeted Zephyr with a quick hug as the trio arrived at the courtyard just outside the inner citadel.
“We’re just about ready to go,” she said, nodding at the Vigilant Blades and Phoenix Knights assembled before the citadel. Zephyr noticed a few dozen mages clad in the gray, blue-trimmed robes of the Frost Guardians. Nella had gone off to greet two of them: a tall, slender man with long white hair and a woman with startlingly similar but ostensibly feminine bodily proportions. Both Frost Guardians had pale, delicate facial features, sweeping brows, and bright blue eyes.
Those must be the Glacial Twins, Zephyr realized, as the Frost Guardians nodded politely to Nella, before speaking to her in soft, muted tones. The ranger waved Vincent and Gabriel over, took a look at Zephyr, smiled, and returned her attention to the Glacial Twins. Zephyr chuckled appreciatively as he turned back to Lux and pressed his lips against her hands, making her giggle in delight.
“That would be for the best, Zephyr,” Avora agreed, getting to his feet. “Let us proceed, my friends.”
The interrogations of the two captured Slave-Masters unfolded similarly, with equally grim results. Zephyr was prepared this time though, and he’d steeled his resolve. Clenching his jaw, he stepped away from the twisted corpse of the last Fennean mage and turned to Nella, who was holding the Tyrant Compass out to Avora.
“Well? Is it working?” the ranger demanded.
“The Tyrant Compass is functioning as expected,” Avora said, pointing to the threads of sickly green light coruscating across the length of nightsteel within the device. “As you can see, the amount of corrupt ether it has trapped has tripled in volume, and if you focus your mage sight upon the nightsteel, you should be able to sense the ether’s arcane bearing.”
“But it’s not enough,” Zephyr guessed, sweeping his mage sight over the Tyrant Compass. “The trapped ether points somewhere, but too vaguely to be of much use.”
“Don’t be disheartened just yet,” Avora said. “From what I can tell, the Tyrant Compass is on the cusp of yielding what we need to know. All it needs is a little more corrupt ether.”
“Looks like we’ll need to nab ourselves another Slave-Master or two.” Nella sighed and lowered the device. “When should we attack the next plant, Zeph?”
“We’re not going to do that,” Zephyr said, shaking his head. “We barely survived yesterday against surprised and unprepared Slave-Masters and their drones. The next plant we strike at will be fully fortified and ready for us. We won’t win that fight.”
“How is that different from attacking the Eternal Palace when we locate it, then?” Nella asked. “Wouldn’t the Unliving Emperor’s home be far more fortified than a drone plant?”
“It’s not the same. There are nine plants in all, and there is a massive drone army advancing on Blackstone Keep,” Zephyr said. “That’s why we can’t afford to attack a single plant with much more than the strike force we mustered yesterday. But if we know where the Eternal Palace is…”
“Then we can throw everything we have at it and bring the Unliving Emperor down,” Nella said. She frowned at the Tyrant Compass. “But even if we do get this thing to work, how are we getting to the Eternal Palace?”
“We hit the plant closest to the palace with everything and everyone we can bring, which will be a lot more, now that we have Storm Scions who can cast Wind Walk with us,” Zephyr said. “Once we win, we bring in as many reinforcements as possible, then go for the Unliving Emperor.”
“There’s no coming back if we don’t manage to kill the Unliving Emperor,” Nella pointed out, a grin pulling at her lips. “I like that plan. Let’s do it. But we still need to interrogate another Slave-Master, don’t we? If we’re not attacking a plant, where are we going to catch one?”
“On the field of battle, fighting alongside Archmage Brass,” Zephyr replied, clenching his fists resolutely. “Let’s go find Vincent. We should head out right away.”
“I will come with you, my friends,” Avora said. “I wish to go over what I have uncovered from my review of several tomes I retrieved from my manor’s archives last night.”
He went home instead of leaving with Archmage Brass. Zephyr took a deep calming breath as he walked out of the cell. Nella and Avora followed, the latter pausing briefly to instruct several Vigilant Blades waiting outside to dispose of the Slave-Masters’ corpses.
Marie Vensk was waiting for them just beyond Blackstone Keep’s dungeons. She nodded to Zephyr.
“How’d it go?” the vice-captain asked. “Should I start rounding up a strike force against the Eternal Palace?”
“Not quite yet, but soon,” Zephyr promised.
“Good.” Marie gestured over her shoulder down a corridor that would lead to Taphir’s forge. “In case you’re looking for the little one, he and Phoenix Knight Tusu are at the forge. If you still haven’t gotten what you needed, that means you’re probably headed to the frontline. Good luck out there.”
“What will you be doing?” Zephyr asked.
“Organizing the reinforcements converging upon Blackstone Keep and coordinating their delivery to Archmage Brass’s command,” she replied. “A contingent of fifty Frost Guardians just arrived, by the way. Two of them are asking for you by name, Nella.”
“Me?” Nella frowned in confusion. “Why me?”
“Master Tosa Finne and Master Biri Finne claim they know you personally,” Marie said. “Most of the Frost Guardians will be advancing to the frontline in two hours, the two of them included, so if you’re headed that way too, you can catch up with them then.”
“Tosa and Biri?” A surprised smile fell over Nella’s face. “I haven’t spoken to them in years. Sure, I’ll go find out what they want.”
“Are they your friends, Nella?” Zephyr asked, remembering that the Frost School was located near the Blight Boundary and that the Frost Guardians often worked hand-in-hand with the rangers and the druids that lived there.
“Not really. They’re Druidess Filna’s friends, if anything,” Nella said. “I don’t know them very well, and like I said, the last time I saw them was many years ago. Honestly, I’m not sure why they want to talk to me now.”
“Masters Tosa Finne and Biri Finne are also known as the Glacial Twins,” Avora interjected. “They are highly skilled and extremely powerful Frost Guardians. I’m surprised Archmage Thorn was willing to spare them from their duties at the Blight Boundary and allow them to come to our aid.”
“I’m glad they’re here to help.” Zephyr turned to Marie and gave her an appreciative nod. “Thanks for telling us where Vincent is. We’re going to need your help when we attack the Eternal Palace.”
“I’ll be ready when you are,” the vice-captain replied, before turning on her heel and walking away.
“Alright, let’s go find Vincent, Zeph,” Nella said, tugging at Zephyr’s sleeve. “I’m a bit worried about him.”
Zephyr nodded in response, and with Avora in tow, they hurried to the forge. Sure enough, the jeweler’s apprentice was there with Rina and Taphir. Gabriel was there as well, evidently fully recovered from his injuries. He wore a long coat of scaled plates over his robes, and he gave Zephyr and Nella a thumbs-up as they approached.
“Vincent prepared this for me,” the Phoenix Knight said, pointing to a pair of glyphs across his armor’s torso section. “Greater Ease and Greater Resilience glyphs means that this armor weighs almost nothing, and it fits perfectly over my robes too, thanks to his tailoring. Vincent’s a genius! A genius, I tell you!”
“Thanks, Gabriel. I’m glad you like it,” Vincent said, before turning to Taphir, who was applying a steel file to the visor of what appeared to be a sallet helm. The jeweler’s apprentice pointed to the helm. “Grind down a little more of the crown with a smaller file, Mister Taphir. A size five, I think. Once that’s done, we can call it a day.”
“You got it, Vincent,” the smith said, before setting the file in his hand aside and retrieving another from his toolbelt. Taphir began humming under his breath as he resumed his work.
“Aren’t you supposed to be resting, Vincent?” Nella asked, before turning to Rina. “What’s happening here?”
“Vincent came to see me an hour or so ago, saying he had some glyph inscription ideas and needed my help,” the quartermaster explained. “I was curious, so I handed my work to my assistants and followed him to the forge, where he pretty much did everything. Mister Taphir contributed far more than I did, since he handled all the actual smithing.”
“I wanted you to check my work, Rina,” Vincent said. “And I’m fine, Nella. I got lots of sleep last night, and I woke up with all these ideas, so I had to rush down here and get things done.”
“And he got so much done indeed,” Rina said, pointing to a table upon which Zephyr’s gauntlets sat. “Go take a look, Zephyr. Vincent’s made some really nifty upgrades to your gear.”
Zephyr walked over to the gauntlets, picked them up, and unfurled a codex display.
Illumination & Fury
Enchanted blade gauntlets +12
Greater Inferno Amplification, Greater Tempest Amplification, Impact, Sunder
Blade gauntlets? Sunder? Those are new, Zephyr realized. He put the steely gloves on and immediately noticed the intricately wound bands of spring steel across the gauntlets’ wrists.
“Looks like you found the activation switches, Zeph,” Vincent said, grinning. “Go ahead and trip them.”
“Alright.” Zephyr flexed his wrists. A foot-long blade extended from the back of his Fury Gauntlet with a metallic ring. Three shorter ones sprang from between the knuckles of his Illumination Gauntlet, turning the glove into a claw. He whistled in admiration at the sight. “Wow! This is amazing, Vincent!”
“I noticed you struggling to cut the Slave-Master out of the behemoth yesterday,” Vincent explained. “Lethal Swiftness isn’t really suitable for such work, and like I said, Ponderous Inevitability simply isn’t up to the task against our enemies anymore, so I took it apart and used it to touch up your gauntlets. They should allow you to maul drones apart much more easily.”
“They definitely will,” Zephyr agreed, looking down at his new equipment in awe. “You got this done in an hour?”
“Mister Taphir’s an excellent smith, and Rina kept me on track.” Vincent gave Rina a side-hug, much to her delight.
“Oh, no. I can’t claim any credit. I handled the simple stuff, mostly melting things down and then beating them back into shape. All the ingenuity and intricacy came from Vincent.” Taphir chuckled, put down his file, and held up the helm he’d been working on for Vincent to inspect. “What do you think? With the Greater Ease glyph, this thing can’t weigh much more than a tenth of a pound. Do you want me to grind its edges down a bit more?”
“No, I think this should be good enough. Thanks, Mister Taphir.” Vincent took the helm and beckoned to Nella. “This is for you. It should make your Eyebite spells much stronger and give them greater reach too.”
The ranger eagerly put the helm upon her brow and unfurled a codex display.
Vengeful Glare Visor
Enchanted helm +12
Greater Ease, Greater Inferno Amplification, Greater Tempest Amplification, Greater Eyebite Facilitation
“It doesn’t obscure my vision at all,” Nella announced. “And it barely weighs anything.”
Tentacles of fire and lightning swarmed from the ranger’s visor, and a broad smile spread across her face.
“My Eyebite spells feel much smoother too,” the ranger said. “Thanks, Vincent!”
“You’re very welcome!” Vincent beamed.
“Vincent, are you alright?” Zephyr asked, more than a little concerned at Vincent’s seemingly buoyant mood and demeanor. He took off his gauntlets and placed them within his mage band. “Last night, you were…”
“I’m fine, Zeph,” Vincent replied, nodding resolutely. “I really am. I thought a lot about what happened at the plant last night, and I realized I tried my best. I helped everyone I could, and if there’s anybody to blame for the deaths of our friends and allies, it’s the Unliving Emperor. So let’s go get him.”
“Ha!” Gabriel slapped Vincent heartily across the back. “Now that’s what I like to hear! Well said, Vincent!”
“Show them what you made for yourself, Vincey. It’s one of your most interesting items yet,” Rina prompted. Vincent chuckled weakly and scratched the back of his head.
“Alright, here.” He retrieved a pair of slim metal rods from his mage band, held one of them in each hand, and summoned his Storm and Flame hammers over the rods. A codex display appeared by his side.
Ether Conduits
Enchanted Wands + 12
Omnispell Amplification, Greater Omnispell Amplification, Omnispell Facilitation, Greater Omnispell Facilitation
“Omnispell glyphs!” Avora exclaimed, his eyes widening in shock. “Such glyphs have never been inscribed since the days of Azaria Hastur, the Glyph Master and boon companion of Caruthas himself! Vincent, my friend, this is a monumental achievement!”
“I was thinking about those Radiant magic spells you cast, your Excellency,” Vincent said. “And I figured that Radiant magic depends on balancing all three Elemental ethers in perfect harmony. I don’t know any Frost magic yet, but I know enough Tempest magic and Inferno magic to see what’s missing. Still, I wasn’t able to quite fill in the gaps enough and awaken a Frost Aspect, so I decided to focus on something else. Well, one thing led to another, and I inscribed one Omnispell glyph, then another.”
“What does an Omnispellglyph do?” Nella asked, poking at the metal rod ensconced in Vincent’s Flame Hammer.
“Omnispell glyphs augment all kinds of magic,” Avora explained, his voice hoarse in the aftermath of his uncharacteristic outburst. “Though they’re at their greatest effectiveness when used with primal Elemental magic. A minor Omnispell glyph is at least ten times more potent than even a Greater glyph of any other kind.”
“I haven’t been able to inscribe these on anything more complex than plain rods,” Vincent said. “But I’m sure I’ll be able to figure out how, given enough time. For now, these should make my spells much faster and stronger.”
“Well done, Vincent,” Zephyr congratulated the jeweler’s apprentice again. “We’ll fare much better against the drones and the Slave-Masters with our new armaments.”
“Should we head over to the citadel courtyard now?” Nella asked. “Judging from what Marie said, the next wave of reinforcements and supplies will be disembarking soon. We should join up with them if we’re going to help Archmage Brass.”
“Let’s go,” Vincent agreed. Dismissing his Elemental Hammers, he returned his wands to his mage band and gave Rina a brief hug.
“I’ll be back in a bit,” he promised.
“You’d better!” Rina flicked his nose playfully.
“A moment, my friends. Now that all three of you are here, let me swiftly summarize the results of my research to you,” Avora said, unfurling a codex display map of the Fennean Empire. The map had the plants marked out. Six of them were accessible to the trio via Wind Walk. The other three weren’t, their locations revealed by a Slave-Master’s utterances rather than a physical visit from Zephyr, Vincent, or Nella. The Grand Sage pointed at one of the inaccessible locations. It was situated between two others that the trio could reach with Wind Walk.
Before Zephyr could ask Avora to explain further, the Grand Sage closed his eyes and began a long and complicated chant.
“It’s a Radiant magic spell!” Vincent cried. “And it’s not Forbearance or Unveil Falsification!”
Did Avora just learn it recently? Was that what he was researching? Zephyr thought.
Avora’s chant rose in pitch and volume, before suddenly terminating, leaving the forge awash in sudden silence. The location on the codex display he’d been pointing to pulsed with cobalt light. The Grand Sage turned to the trio, his features sagging with fatigue.
“I can now travel there with Wind Walk, even though I have never visited that place in person before,” he announced.
“Did you achieve that with a Radiant magic spell?” Vincent asked.
“I did.” Avora nodded, his breath coming in harsh, shallow gasps. The Grand Sage blinked, unfurling another codex display.
Tempestuous Extrapolation (initiate)
Radiant Aspect: Sage
Renders a previously unvisited location accessible to Wind Walk (Tempest magic), location must be within twenty miles of two previously visited places
But Avora has never been to those plants! Zephyr realized, cold sweat suddenly beading upon his temples. Only we have! So how can he…
“Zephyr, remember how I was able to transfer my geographical knowledge of Blackstone Keep and Betrayer’s Bay to you through our respective codices?” the Grand Sage asked, preempting Zephyr’s doubts. “That’s how I borrowed your geographical knowledge of those two plants within Fennea. I suppose I should have asked for permission before accessing such information, but we are pressed for time, and I felt that demonstrating my spell was the best way to explain how it works.”
“I… I see.” Zephyr replied, more than a little disturbed by the fact that Avora could simply access the trio’s memories through his Codex of Elucidation. Offering and imparting knowledge was one thing—gleaning it without permission was another.
“This means that if we find out where the Eternal Palace is, we can have his Excellency cast Tempestuous Extrapolation to make it reachable with Wind Walk!” Vincent cried jubilantly.
“That’s good news, I suppose,” Nella said, sharing an uneasy sidelong glance with Zephyr. The ranger didn’t seem any more pleased than Zephyr was at Avora’s ability to access their thoughts. “Attacking the Eternal Palace will be much easier this way.”
“It will.” Zephyr sighed. “We’d better get going. If we’re there early, maybe we can see if there are any supplies we can help transport to Archmage Brass too.”
Chapter 35
Lux was among those designated to ferry reinforcements and supplies to Archmage Brass’s forces. She greeted Zephyr with a quick hug as the trio arrived at the courtyard just outside the inner citadel.
“We’re just about ready to go,” she said, nodding at the Vigilant Blades and Phoenix Knights assembled before the citadel. Zephyr noticed a few dozen mages clad in the gray, blue-trimmed robes of the Frost Guardians. Nella had gone off to greet two of them: a tall, slender man with long white hair and a woman with startlingly similar but ostensibly feminine bodily proportions. Both Frost Guardians had pale, delicate facial features, sweeping brows, and bright blue eyes.
Those must be the Glacial Twins, Zephyr realized, as the Frost Guardians nodded politely to Nella, before speaking to her in soft, muted tones. The ranger waved Vincent and Gabriel over, took a look at Zephyr, smiled, and returned her attention to the Glacial Twins. Zephyr chuckled appreciatively as he turned back to Lux and pressed his lips against her hands, making her giggle in delight.
