Illusory Empire: A Magic School Progression Fantasy, page 25
He’d been meditating when the hole had appeared.
“Ummm…” Zale said, face darkening in embarrassment. “I think that was the void of Space.”
“You opened a portal to space?” Kole asked, confused.
It was known that beyond the bounds of the atmosphere created by Waas, the goddess of air, there was nothing, just endless emptiness until one reached the stars or other planets created by the gods in their artistic spree that was the creation of the universe. But what Kole was struggling to connect was how that tied into Zale’s abilities.
“No. Not vacuum of outer space. The void of Space,” Zale said, putting heavy emphasis on the first letter of “void” and “Space”. “The complete nullification of Space in a region. I think I created an opening to the void between realms.”
“Whoa,” Kole said. “That could be… useful.”
“Aye,” Rakin echoed. ”If it weren’t so loud.”
He rubbed his ears to emphasize the point.
Zale had a thoughtful look on her face, then said, “Let me try something.”
A bubble of darkness appeared around Zale—not the darkness of the void, but the plain darkness of a complete and utter lack of light. Kole noted that the range of Zale’s aura ability had extended and now formed a bubble two feet all around her, creating a strange egg-shaped blob. Then the darkness lessened, and instead of black nothingness, Kole could faintly see Zale and her surroundings through the black haze.
It was as if there were a portal in front of him, opening to a part of the world cast in twilight.
“Weird,” Doug said, poking his hand into the bubble and watching as it became cast in shadow.
“I thought I could do something like this,” Zale explained. “But I hadn’t gotten around to trying. I’m only partially blocking the light. I’m going to try the Space Void again.”
The bubble of darkness vanished, and the portal into the void reappeared in the air. The appearance was heralded with the roar of wind once more, but after only a second, it quietened until it stopped entirely.
“I turned it down to like… thirty percent,” Zale explained, brow furrowed in concentration.
“What does ‘thirty percent of the void of Space’ mean?” Kole asked.
“Good question,” Rakin said, and then he threw a rock at the circle.
The rock went through one end and vanished, not coming out the other. Only then, watching Rakin throw the rock at the side of the void, did Kole realize that the black circle in front of him wasn’t a circular portal, but a perfect sphere.
“It doesn’t look thirty percent,” Kole observed. “It’s just as dark as before.”
Rakin threw another rock, this one smaller and his toss gentler. The pebble arced toward the sphere and hit, losing all its forward momentum before falling to the ground directly below it.
“It needs force ta break through,” Rakin said. “It’s like a membrane er something.”
“Aye,” Kole agreed, but without passing up the opportunity to mock Rakin for his uncharacteristic input on the magical topic.
Their experimentation, being in the middle of the green, had drawn a lot of attention.
“Maybe we should go somewhere else to keep experimenting,” Kole suggested.
“Good idea,” Zale agreed, and they made their way through the gathered crowd back to the Dahn and their home within.
Chapter 39
Ice Armor
To stop the beast, Rettew created even more beasts, hoping they would be the key to capturing it peaceably. The griffin, hippogriff, chimera, sphinx, and many more beasts were created in his endless chase.
—Wicket, Temin. Wicket’s Guide to the Pantheon, 1st ed.
On Friday of the week of the group’s collective breakthroughs with the Font of Space, Kole and two illusory copies of himself stood facing Gray down for a duel in WIZ 205.
This was Kole’s second duel of the day, as he had to catch up after missing a week. The first had been against a student training to be an artillery wizard. His defenses had been poor, and his casting speed slow, and Kole had taken him out by charging him and hitting him with a Thunderwave. The surprise of the frontal attack had slowed his casting even further. Kole was certain he’d have lost to whatever spell the other boy had if he’d gotten to finish it. But he hadn’t, and Kole had won.
Now he was facing Gray, who’d not been idle himself the last week. Gray stood across from him, his rapier in hand and a layer of jagged plates of ice covering his body. He’d learned the spell Ice Armor, likely through sorcery, as it had been on his list of longer-term spells to learn. Kole couldn’t see what would have compelled the other boy to waste a week learning a second defensive spell when he already had one.
“Go!” Underbrook announced.
Gray shot an Ice Bolt at Kole, just as Kole sent a Radiant Bolt back. The two copies of Kole joined him, and three golden bolts of light passed a single one of ice. Kole brought his shield bracer up, activating the rune just in time for the barrier to intercept the Ice Bolt and shatter it on impact with a sound of breaking glass.
Instead of blocking Kole’s illusion-mixed attack, Gray had jumped as soon as he’d finished sending his own. With the aid of his magical enhancement, Gray flew ten feet up, well out of the path of the three bolts, and vanished.
While Kole hadn’t been expecting the jump, he’d expected the Blink. He spun around, looking for Gray, to see him lunging at him from behind.
Kole and his two copies brought their hands up in unison as the real Kole crafted the construct for Thunderwave and sent it into the Arcane Realm. Gray’s rapier passed through the illusory palm of one of the Koles, causing it to vanish, and Thunderwave manifested an instant later.
Exposed by the lunge, Gray was thrown back by the concussive wave of sound, and he flew back ten feet, landing on his rear. Gray’s armor shattered entirely under the attack, and the fragments exploded out towards Kole.
“Argh!” Kole shouted as the freezing shards peppered his body.
Some passed through his second copy, disrupting it enough to banish it.
Kole and Gray both had to recover from that trade of blows. Gray jumped to his feet and recast Ice Armor. A mist formed around him, rapidly coalescing into the shards that covered his body. Kole took the opportunity to cast Mirror Image again while rubbing at his face, trying to banish the icy sting.
They both exchanged bolt attacks once more, only this time, Gray cast a Shield of his own to block, copying Kole. Both Shields absorbed the attacks, but Gray had begun running at Kole the instant his attack had left him. Kole sent another blast at Gray as he charged, but the martial wizard ducked under them, sliding on the floor which had suddenly been coated with ice.
That was kind of cool, Kole had to acknowledge, even in the middle of a fight.
Gray regained his footing two paces from Kole, and it was too late for Kole to cast anything else before he got close. He brought his quarterstaff in front of him, and met Gray’s attacks, going on the defensive.
Kole wasn’t particularly skilled with the weapon, but of late he’d focused primarily on using it to defend. His shield bracer was great, but if he was creating the intent for that, he couldn’t be constructing a spell.
While his staff was less effective as a defense, using it allowed him to fight with a spell waiting in his mind, one ready to go off once the opening came.
Kole deflected a few attacks, Gray quickly dismantling the illusory copies with a sweep of his rapier, confident that his armor would deter Kole from inflicting another attack so close. He expected Kole to fall back, but Kole had a secret he was suddenly very glad he hadn’t shared with Gray.
When Gray lunged at him, he narrowly deflected the attack with his staff. Instead of retreating some distance for another Thunderwave as Gray expected, Kole stepped forward, dropping his quarterstaff and bringing both hands up in front of him, creating a triangle with them, framing Gray’s face.
Somatic aspect complete, Kole sent the spell out into the Arcane Realm toward the Font of Mind, and he felt the power rush through him and leave him just as fast.
The effect was immediate. Gray recoiled, falling to the ground clutching his head in pain.
Then Gray suddenly stopped writhing, and the pain in Kole’s own face vanished, as whatever magic the Dahn used to simulate the pain of battle vanished.
“Kole is the winner!” Professor Underbrook declared.
Kole extended a hand to help Gray up, and the other boy took it.
“When did you learn that?” Gray cried, more impressed than angry.
“Monday,” Kole said, getting a laugh.
“Fine, don’t tell me,” Gray said, and they headed to their seats to make way for the next group.
Kole decided something in that moment.
He’d just beaten Gray in a duel, and he felt the same pride he imagined he would have felt if he’d ever beaten Zale or Rakin in a spar—not that that would ever happen without Kole using his magic. A part of him had expected to feel like gloating after he’d proved Gray wrong so directly to his face. But he’d not felt that way at all. He’d mostly just felt concern that he’d hurt Gray in the end.
Gray was not Corbyn, he knew that. Zale had always told him Harold and Gray were good guys, but he’d never really believed it. On being publicly defeated by someone he’d publicly declared an incapable wizard, though, Gray wasn’t angry or prideful. He’d just accepted it and asked Kole how he’d done it.
The reservations Kole had about telling Gray the truth were suddenly gone—and he’d been rather eager to share his breakthroughs with someone who would truly appreciate it while not also assigning him work to do with said ability.
“No, it really was Monday,” Kole said.
“Explain,” Gray demanded as they headed to the back of the class.
And Kole did, explaining the details of his spellbook, and most of the uses he’d found for it.
By the time the duels were over, Gray was staring at Kole slack-jawed.
“That is so unfair,” he said, but then he smiled, and they headed out of class together.
“Kole.” Professor Underbrook caught his attention on the way out. “Let’s talk.”
Chapter 40
Peabody
Eventually, the fear and terror the hydra instilled into the world was directed at the crazy man that kept following it, sowing even more chaos in its wake. This renown awakened the divine blood within his veins, and he ascended to demigodhood as the god of passion, half-baked plans, and animal husbandry.
—Wicket, Temin. Wicket’s Guide to the Pantheon, 1st ed.
“Professor Lonin asked me to consider taking you on as an apprentice,” Professor Underbrook said.
When he didn’t say anything after that, Kole asked, “And what did you tell him?”
“I told him I’d consider it,” Underbrook said. “I’ll be honest with you. I don’t like to have apprentices. It’s a lot of responsibility, and you may have noticed that’s not really my style.”
Kole definitely had noticed but didn’t say as much.
“But I do like you,” Underbrook said. “I think you’ll make a great battle wizard—now that you got past your whole ‘can’t actually do magic’ thing. It would be a shame if you had to join Lonin’s eggheads because you couldn’t find a mentor you could trust.”
“So that means you’ll do it?” Kole asked, not quite sure where his teacher was going with this.
“It means…” Underbrook was drawing it out. “I asked Professor Lonin to keep searching for a mentor for you and that I would mentor you until he did.”
With those words, a massive weight was lifted from Kole’s shoulders. To say it was a weight he didn’t know he was carrying would be a gross misrepresentation. He’d been very aware of that weight. Always in the back of his very active mind had rested this task, but he’d known he lacked the means to accomplish it.
And now he had an answer.
“Thank you!” Kole said, having to lower the volume of a shout of gratitude.
“I’m not committing to taking you on as my formal wizard apprentice, mind you,” Underbrook said, holding his hands up. “That’s a much larger commitment. It’s typical, but not required, and it’s separate from the mentorship requirement for the adventuring program. I’ve asked Lonin to continue to search for a mentor for you. I can help you learn how to fight, but I’ve no interest in delving into traditional wizardry, and you may have gotten past your current roadblock, but eventually you’re going to need some expert aid.”
“That’s fine!” Kole said, none of his gratitude lost. “I’ll cross that bridge when I get there.”
Underbrook smiled now, glad not to have crushed all Kole’s hopes.
“I too often leave my problems for Future Underbrook to handle,” he said. “He is, after all, much wiser and more experienced than me.”
Underbrook, in his capacity as Kole’s mentor, assigned him some reading to get done by the end of the semester and told him that they’d start working together more once summer break began.
“I’ll coordinate with Tigereye,” he said. “We’ll take you and Miss Wood on a few trips through the summer.”
Kole had been so ecstatic, he hadn’t even thought about the implications that Tigereye, Zale’s mentor, and Underbrook seemed to be friends and would likely mentor their students together.
Underbrook saw Kole’s joy increase and smiled more himself.
“I knew you liked her,” he said. “Donglefore owes me five silver.”
“What?!” Kole asked, suddenly horrified. He didn’t even deny the first statement. “You bet on the students?”
“Gods yes,” Underbrook said. “It’s the only way I can survive all this teenage drama. I’ll tell you this, though, no one thought Doug’s stunt with the carrot would work. Archdruid Cecily really cleaned up on that bet.”
Kole didn’t know what was most shocking about that: the fact that the professors bet on their dating lives, that they knew such minor details as Doug’s attempt to woo Mouse with a purple carrot, or that anybody—even an Archdruid—thought the carrot would work.
“Don’t tell anyone,” Underbrook said. “This is strictly under the bounds of the mentor-mentee code of secrecy.”
“Is that a thing?” Kole asked.
“It is now,” Underbrook said. “I really shouldn’t have let that slip.”
Kole smiled, thinking of a way in that moment to get a dig back at his new mentor.
“Sure thing, Peabody.”
Underbrook’s face became serious, and Kole knew in that moment he’d never seen the whimsical professor so free of mirth as he was seeing then. Even in battle, Underbrook always tried to add levity to the situation; he spent a portion of the last PREVENT class lecturing about the importance of it.
“I don’t know where you learned that name, but the mentor-mentee bond of secrecy is now totally a thing, and if you spread that knowledge, you’ll have to pray to the gods Lonin finds you a mentor, because while I wouldn’t harm a student, I can fail you and drop you as my mentee.”
“Got it,” Kole said. He’d expected a response, but nothing like that. He added, “I haven’t told anyone. I swear. Lonin let it slip, but I don’t think anyone else knows.”
“Good,” Underbrook said, suddenly back to his jovial self. The conversation then took a swift turn. “Oh, by the way, a situation came up. I need you to swear on this truth orb.”
Chapter 41
Connections
Little is known about his personal life, but his neighbors from the town that first exiled him recalled he’d often say, “When things get out of hand, make more hands.”
—Wicket, Temin. Wicket’s Guide to the Pantheon, 1st ed.
“What?” Kole asked, thrown by the sudden change in topic and the request itself.
Professor Underbrook had a truth orb in his hand. “Some noble fop accused you of stealing a family heirloom or whatever,” he said, holding it out to Kole. “They used some political connections to get this brought up before the school administration—likely because their case wouldn’t hold up in a legal court. They’re hoping they can get the school to do their dirty work for them.”
“Does that normally work?” Kole asked.
He remembered Corbyn’s threat to go to the Chancellor. It had been hilarious at the time, but he hadn’t really expected the boy to have actual political connections.
“Sometimes,” Underbrook said with a shrug. “Every bureaucracy is susceptible to bribes. Lonin wouldn’t be swayed by one, and the Chancellor is… well, the Chancellor, so who knows what she’d do.”
“Should I be worried?” Kole asked, taking the orb.
“That depends,” Underbrook said. “Did you steal a locket from this Oldhill family?”
“No,” Kole said, infusing his Will into the orb so it became active, turning it foggy inside.
The fog remained gray.
“I’m going to need more details,” Professor Underbrook said, twirling his finger in a “keep going” gesture.
Kole figured that if he could tell anyone about his mother’s ensouled amulet, it would be his new mentor. It would likely come up anyways during their future training.
“His family sponsored me when my parents went missing so that when they were declared dead, they’d be able to take all my family assets to cover the debt,” Kole said, the orb remaining gray. “Corbyn admitted as much the other day. What they wanted was my family’s ensouled artifact amulet, which I did take, but both Zale and her uncle confirmed it was still Bonded to my mother, meaning not only can they not claim it as theirs, but my mother is still alive, so her assets can’t be seized to pay debts I accrued.”
“Okay,” Underbrook said, taking the orb back.
“That’s it?”
“Yeah. The school will stand behind you. I don’t know if you are aware of this or not, but you sort of have some connections in this place.”
