Chapter 4: Chapter 3 (Ancient History and Advanced Magicks)

There were many advantages to being a graduate of the College in Milagre and a member of the Mages Guild, especially when you had earned the rank of Master. Most principal of them, of course, was free, unquestioned use of the College’s runic circles used for teleportation. Highly trained and expert runists had carved these circles in specific positions around the world to give access to the hotspots of civilization, and each one of them joined with the circles found deep underground on the College property. Competent students of the Travel school were on hand at all hours to facilitate travel to or from the circle. Robert could make a circle on his own, of course, but it was an expensive spell, and he’d rather avoid the extraneous effort if he could.

When he arrived outside the room that held the teleportation circles, he gave a polite but firm knock. At once, the door siphoned off a bit of his mana to make sure that he was allowed in without question. After about half a second’s delay, he heard a soft click, and the door swung open of its own volition, revealing the small but well-decorated room. It was almost entirely open, save for a cubby on the far end that held the circle, and the desk that blocked access to it. As per usual, there was a tired-looking mage in a red robe seated behind the desk.

“Oh!” he exclaimed, glancing up and then shooting to a standing position. “Sorry, I wasn’t expecting anyone. How are you, Master…”

He trailed off, not recognizing Robert in sight. Robert waved the man’s awkwardness away. He might like the fact that he was a Master of Knowledge, but he didn’t want to step on the formalities that someone of the rank got. The deference got old very quickly, and he suspected it wouldn’t be long before he found it outright annoying. “Robert Samson. I just need a quick trip to the Summoning Circle.”

At once, the wizard’s face sank a few inches. The usual look of a student who was realizing they couldn’t comply with an order given by a superior. “Ah, my apologies, Master Samson. We do not have a circle to that specific location.”

“Oh, I’m aware,” Robert replied quickly. “But we do have one in the settlement about an hour’s walk away.”

The Adept’s face brightened as he remembered it. “Yes, we do! Would you like to be sent there, sir?”

“Yes, please,” Robert said, remaining courteous. “I’ll also be contacting for you a trip back, but I don’t know when.”

“That won’t be an issue, sir,” the Adept said confidently. “As I’m sure you know, there is always an attendant within this room to receive any such requests. For your convenience, please attune to our messaging stone.”

He gestured to the large sphere that sat on one corner of his desk. Robert did so, lightly brushing his fingers across its smooth surface. He remembered the feel of the mana within the stone and quickly recorded the details in his notebook. “Ready when you are, Adept-”

Now it was his turn to pause awkwardly, as he realized that he hadn’t learned the student’s name. But he wasn’t kept waiting long as the man, only two or three years younger than him, straightened up and puffed his chest out. “Moran, sir. Jeremiah Moran.”

“Adept Moran, then,” he said with a nod, knowing he’d likely forget the name within an hour. He stepped around the desk and into the circle. “Ready when you are.”

Adept Moran went to work at once, casting the teleportation spell. Robert was interested, but not surprised, to notice that he used an incantation to achieve the desired result. There was, after all, no need to rush when it came to teleporting someone from within the College. All that mattered was the accuracy of the spell, and this Adept did it perfectly, with no stutters, hesitations, or misspeaking. A faint blue light built in the air around him, and, just before it became too much to bear comfortably, he was thrust forward into the darkness. Well, sideways.

Not such a perfect spell, after all, he thought, as he appeared in the corresponding circle. A little too much power had been put into the spell, and he found himself falling sideways out of the circle as soon as he appeared. He was saved from falling over only by the hands of yet another Travel Mage, this one wearing a dark green robe. A Journeyman, Robert thought.

“Thank you,” he told the student, regaining his balance and adjusting his robes. “I’m-”

He’d intended to introduce himself, but it seemed there was no need. The attendant spoke at once, cutting him off. “We’ve been expecting you, Master Samson. I’m aware of what’s happening at the Summoning Stones and the undercroft that has been discovered.”

“Oh,” Robert said, more than a little surprised. “Is there anything I need from you or this outpost before I rush over?”

“Not at all, sir,” the attendant said crisply. In spite of being a lower rank than the Adept at the college, he seemed far more confident. “I merely wanted to wish you luck, Master Samson.”

“Right then,” Robert said, retrieving his notebook once more. He was focused properly now, too focused to feel awkward at the near-reverence shown by this student. “I should push off right away, then.”

And he did exactly that. As soon as he’d stepped outside the building that housed the teleportation circle, the notebook flicked to the page that held the instructions for the flying spell. In his typical speed, he’d cast it, and felt the winds swirl to life around him, strong enough to lift him from the ground. In a matter of seconds, he was airborne, hovering over the small settlement. Several people in the streets noticed him and pointed, letting out sounds of surprise at the flying figure. Robert paid them no mind, as he was checking his map. “West-Southwest. Here I go.”

Perhaps in eagerness for his first requested contract, he put more power into propelling himself forward than he’d intended. He was knocked a little off course by the air pressure around him, but corrected quickly, and carried on. The distance between the settlement and the Summoning Stones might have taken an hour for someone to cross on foot, but for a flying mage, the time required was reduced to just under ten minutes. He had just enough time to decide which spells he’d cast before entering when he saw the Summoning Stones coming into view.

He could tell at once, as he came down to land, what kind of magic trap had been activated. It had not only awoken the arcane sentries, it had also created a large barrier, perhaps a hundred feet in every direction, that prevented travel in or out. Even magic couldn’t let the acolytes or the spectators escape. The spectators in question noticed his approach and ran around the edge of the barrier as he landed.

“This site’s dangerous!” The most senior among them said at once. “You need to stay clear. Please, if you can, get a message to the College-”

Robert cut him off at once, knowing time was of the essence. “I was sent by the College. I’m here to rescue the Acolytes. Master Robert Samson, of Knowledge.”

The leader of the group looked relieved as Robert cut him off, but his expression quickly turned to one of exasperation. “Knowledge? This is clearly an issue for a Master of Transmutation! Was there no one else available?”

Robert frowned at the man but otherwise chose to ignore the slight, knowing that the man’s nerves were stretched. To his point of view, he believed himself trapped, with arcane enemies that might attack him at any moment. Might as well remove that first obstacle, he thought. Rolling up his sleeves, he reached out to touch the barrier, getting a feel for the mana.

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“Careful!” The senior man said at once, his face alarmed. “It’ll shock you!”

But he fell silent, amazed, as Robert wasn’t injured. He grinned at the senior. “I do know what I’m doing, thank you. I’ve studied plenty of old mortal magicks.”

It was a simple mana barrier, he thought. Strong for sure, but it had been weakened considerably by the passage of time. Mana barriers were, as the name suggested, simply formed out of the mage’s mana. If you attacked it, eventually you’d cause enough damage to break through it. But he didn’t feel like burning the energy, and in any event, modern magic had created a way to siphon mana off. He’d learned how to do so in one of Archmage Bragg’s classes, and it was a rune he kept on his right arm at all times.

The senior continued to watch silently as he could feel the activation of Robert’s rune, then let out a shout of surprise as the barrier simply vanished. The force of it dispelling knocked Robert back a step or two, but he recovered quickly, and gave a slight shiver at the excess mana he’d gained. He gave the senior a reassuring grin. “You’re good to leave now. Head to the settlement for now. I don’t want you all near here for the time being.”

Everyone but the leader obeyed at once, rushing across where the barrier used to be. They unconsciously hesitated right at the point, as if expecting to be rebuffed again, but went through without difficulty. Once they realized that they were properly free, they ran as fast as their legs could carry them toward the settlement an hour away. The leader looked at Robert, not moving an inch. It wasn’t clear if his expression was worried or suspicious.

“You sure you’re going to be enough on your own, young man?” He asked, his eyes flicking down to the sword at Robert’s waist. “You might be a Master, but there are some real nasty things down there in that crypt.”

“I’ll be fine,” Robert replied confidently. He didn’t draw his sword, but he did fashion a longsword-shaped blade out of his mana. Odds were that any physical weapon would have no effect on whatever creatures had been awoken below. “Go to the settlement. I’ll send the Acolytes after you soon.”

The man didn’t argue further and took off at a fast shuffle, the quickest he could move with his age. Robert turned his attention back to the small hole in the ground that led to the undercroft. He was glad the man hadn’t chosen to try and hang about any longer. As soon as the barrier had vanished, he’d noticed the mana under his feet becoming more… chaotic. Not the sort of chaos that some eclectic mages used in modern times, but true chaos, the feel of mana being consumed by a tireless, hungry force.

He wasted no time in dropping into the undercroft, knowing that the Acolytes were in more danger than before. As he fell, he pushed as much mana as he could throughout his body, hoping that the stronger source of magic would attract the creatures, preventing them from considering the Acolytes as fuel for their hunger. He could tell as soon as he landed that he’d had the right idea. What he hadn’t considered, however, was just how powerful raw chaos could be when it wasn’t channeled.

Four shapeless, sinister masses of mana were arranged around the walls of the undercroft’s entrance, and their attention was focused entirely on the new entity that had landed among them. There was no discernable shape between them as of yet. Perhaps the mages who had cast these spells hadn’t bothered to give their mana attributes beyond turning chaotic as a last resort. In any event, the rules on chaotic mana were clear. As a mage, if you had the ability, you were to purge it as soon as you could.

“Woah!” He exclaimed, ducking just in time to avoid a lance of the chaotic mana that was thrust at his head. He dove to the side as one of the masses lunged for him, landing exactly where he’d stood a split second before. At once, he could tell what their target was. “Oh, you want the mana in my runes. Sorry, but I won’t let you take that.”

Another thrust from one of them, which he patiently sidestepped. The runes along his eyes were glowing a vibrant blue as he activated them, and time seemed to slow all around him. No, not that time had slowed, he reminded himself, he was just able to take in a great deal more information now than before. He was able to take note of everything as it happened, so it all seemed slower. He dispelled the blade of mana he’d been holding and conjured one of Ki, knowing it was the best option. As the closest of the masses tried to jump on him again, he slashed the blade downward, slicing cleanly through the chaotic mana and diverting it to either side. One-half of it simply vanished, disconnected from the core, leaving its true body half as strong.

“Glad I remembered that,” he muttered. Then he had to jump back to avoid another splash. The chaos got dangerously close to touching him, but he weathered the near-miss without panicking and sent a blast of his Ki down at the clump of mana. With such a widespread and not much distance to travel, he practically evaporated the mass of chaotic mana. Only a small gem remained, which clattered to the ground.

Robert pushed off of the wall, his boots giving him a little extra momentum to avoid yet another attack, then darted back in and unleashed a barrage of slashes. He wasn’t anywhere near the best swordsman he’d seen, but he was fairly competent, and his ability to take in information faster than the average fighter let him have more finely-honed reactions. His manifested weapon shredded the second mass, already at half strength, into a fine mist. Yet another small gem clattered to the ground, the only remains.

He was forced to conjure a barrier as the third chaotic mass dove at him. It stopped the creature’s progress but devoured the mana barrier in an instant. So that was why the barrier above was nothing but mana, he thought. It was designed to power these fake Enari in the event that they were required to defend against invaders. Shame those old mages couldn’t have possibly imagined how far the study of magicks would go. With two quick blasts of Ki, he destroyed the third mass. He jumped up to avoid the fourth, and finished it in one clean shot with a final blast of Ki, and landed in a soft roll before popping back to his feet.

All at once, the undercroft around him came into sharp focus as he could feel his runes fading back to their normally inactive state. Fine stone carvings depicting the lives of those early mortal mages, and, as he’d suspected, not a single indicator of divine influence. Mages not attached to Gitna, that first mortal settlement that would later become known as Milagre. It was the closest sort of magical site they’d ever found in the country. A truly ground-breaking discovery.

He dispelled his weapon and began casting his mana around the space. He couldn’t see the Acolytes that were mentioned, but he could detect them nearby. One of the four massive pillars in the corners caught his attention, notifying him that it wasn’t a physical construction. With a quick incantation, he undid the spell, and the four Acolytes tumbled out onto the hard ground on their hands and knees, gasping.

“Are you alright?” He asked, hurrying over. They seemed incredibly exhausted. “You’re not injured, are you? Did the chaos touch you?”

“No,” the one closest to him finally replied. “But that trap was not meant to keep one living. It was sapping away at our life essences.”

Robert felt his eyebrows shoot up, more curious than frightened. They’d survived unscathed, after all, so the danger had passed. He peered at the markings on the inside of the trap. It was an actual line of runes. As far as he’d known, no early mortal mages had used runes in their magic. Mana at that time was still a new construct to deal with, and there weren’t even many children born with it naturally. It was too chaotic to be refined into something as delicate as runes.

“Whoever designed this was a genius of his time,” one of the Acolytes said, clearly thinking along similar lines as Robert. He pushed himself to his knees and peered around. “The ability to make runes, turning mana back into chaos, it’s all highly advanced for the time.”

“That is interesting,” Robert replied, scratching his head. His scalp always became itchy after using the runes engraved there. So far, he’d not been able to find a solution to that problem. “I’m interested to see what else there is, but I’m ordered to clear out any remaining traps first.”

“I’m not sure there will be any,” an Acolyte said. “But feel free to search yourself, Master Samson.”

Robert nodded, already scanning for traps before he’d finished speaking. He realized that he did, in fact, recognize the Acolytes here. They all worked in the library of Arcana, where he’d spent hours of his time either studying for classes or honing his natural abilities. They were more than familiar with his face. “Get back to the surface for now, just to be safe. Take some time to recover and rest. I’ll need your help recording everything we find in a few hours.”

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