“Arad, do you remember what I hate the most?”

“Yes, master, it is the flying buzzing things.”

“No! well, I guess I did say that, but I also despise when people are late.”

You can never trust yellow robes to do anything right nowadays. I do not remember myself being so incompetent when I wore yellow robes back in the day. Such a marvelous work, by yours truly, should be treated with respect, lucky for Cletus that this golem yet lacks the ability to understand disrespect, for now.

From the large door barges a young man in yellow robes, he breathes heavily, he probably ran when he realized he was being late. “I’m very sorry Master Childe, I overslept. I had to skip breakfast, but I’m here now.” He quite rudely interrupts the air of the room and thinks he can just move right into busyness? “Hello Arad, how are you?”

“Good morning, assistant Cletus, I am well.” The golem answers him, probably making the young man forget how late he really is.

“What do we have for him today, Master Childe?"

How impudent “Did you not prepare the calculations for today? we were going to check how to create a liver for him, before he becomes a complete pile of talking dirt.” His eyes open wide, he seems surprised and I know why.

“I… umm… I left it… in my quarters.”

“Then go fetch them.”

“The thing is… I wasn’t quite done with them.”

I sigh with disappointment “You were not only late but not ready either. Do you ever intend of getting your blue robes? And you stupid golem, stop moving all about!” I move to yell at Arad midway because of his constant head swaying between me and Cletus, it’s getting me dizzy.

“I am just following the conversation. You are mad at Cletus for being late, and for not doing the calculations for the liver for me.” He repeats the content of the conversation and when he does, it seems all the more apparent that Cletus is feeling down about it. Looking downwards and sneaking into the corner.

“Yes, he was truly disrespectful for me and my time. We will have to give him more menial tasks to pay for it.” I tell Arad but raise my voice so that Cletus can hear. “Now, Cletus, show me where you got to with the calculations and I will help you from there.” I have to be strict with him but some leeway must be given for him to show any progress, I hope he will understand how it offends others when he gives less effort than the minimal requirement.

“There, this will affect the middle parts of the structure and the proper resonance we require is…”

“Its close to the resonance of an amethyst but it should probably be an aquamarine, right?”

“No, no, you were right the first time, amethyst is the closest, your thinking of washing when its actually more akin to detox. You remember how to use the structure well. The amethyst should be up on the shelf there.” I point him to the gemstone shelf where the amethyst lies.

Honestly, I was disinterested in helping him but it seems that when he is given the will he finds a way. I was even a little impressed by how well he deals with the structure, although he leans a bit too much on gut in the wrong moments. In the future, he might just make som-“its empty.”

“What? empty? but I was sure there were more! Are you sure you checked well?”

“Master, last week you took out the last amethyst shard for a dream related ritual. You said you would get more but forgot.” Arad foils my poise with his golem memory. uhhh I should have gotten more, but… its too late now. What can I do? right now, I need… but it will be such a hassle. Arad is such a marvelous specimen, leaving him now after I nearly figured the secret dwarven techniques…

“Should I ask the headmaster now?” Cletus wants to help, but it will all be for nought, I cannot wait for a shipment, the liver needs to be replaced soon otherwise Arad will degrade to a mud pile. “We will procure an amethyst ourselves! grab your things Cletus, today is a field day.”

The staff I have is a magnificent four-focus staff, I should know, I made it myself. Cletus, as a yellow pants will stand behind, he only needs to observe and carry the satchel. Even with my magnificent staff and my powerful abilities it is quite difficult to properly locate something of the type of amethyst because of its relation to night and several other properties, unlike other things that normally conform to the four elements mostly.

“May you please explain to me what you are doing, master?”

“Trying to focus.” I forgot, he sees this as a learning experience. I did too when I suggested it, but now it’s more of a bother.

“Yes, Cletus. You see, I am trying to locate the amethyst by feeling a vibration similar to what I am channeling but because my staff lacks some properties to be perfectly aligned with amethyst I need to add by channeling the rest myself.” He looks at me with awe showing he understood the explanation I gave, but probably thinks of it a great task rather than a bothering and tiresome task. “Amazing, even for a blue robed mage like yourself.” he tells me, I can even hear under his breath “I wonder if I’ll be that talented when I get my blue robes.” I’m sure he’ll get there, it isn’t too hard when you get the hang of it and know what to do.

half a day later and we find ourselves at an entrance to a cave, looks like a small cave that bears will use but it has a deep reach, I can feel the coveted stone somewhere below. “Cletus, the light.” He looks at me and blanks.

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“Should I just light it with my wand?”

“With what? fire magic? what if this place contains some strange gas? even my magical robes probably wont survive, let alone your yellow ones. bring the safestone, I’ll let you channel it if you so desire.”

the safestone stayed white for a while, after a small gap and a large drop we find ourselves in a large cavity, I could still feel the amethyst, it seems weird. the amount I felt was not small but not large enough to be this deep and in such a large cave. stalagmites and stalactites were all around and an underground puddle of a pond, it must go even deeper but I feel the amethyst in front, not below.

The horrible stench, and a terrible sight too. “Master, if the safestone turns red… what does that mean?” Cletus turns to me in hesitation. “The safestone is still white, it is the walls that reddened all of a sudden.” The walls got narrower and it seems a little too much like decor rather than natural formation of rocks.

“Cletus, stay on your guard… it seems we have encountered a strange mages underground lair.”

“A lair? this deep? this is crazy… why? what should we do? turn back?” Too many questions, Cletus. I cannot answer everything. I feel a strange sensation, too close, we wandered too far. “we are too far gone to turn back now.”

I already prepared myself for a surprise attack from the front, so the zap that hit my guard did not scare me. Cletus is probably standing speechless behind me, the shadows indicate he at least stumbled when it hit. From the origin location of the flash that zapped my guard a voice of a man echos “Who are you? how did you find this place?”

“We just stumbled upon here looking for amethyst, we will just leave.”

“No” the voice responds “It is a blessing, I can now sacrifice you for her, my lady of the dreams.” with every word he sound more insane. Just as he finished his sentence I send a ball of fiery light up to the roof to light the place. We can now all see each other.

Another shot by him, this time a mana burn, smart. He is clearly no amateur, and he knows how to fight with magic. But I know enough of magic to counter him and outtake him. As my guard collapses I shoot a cube of water at high speed twice at him. He dodges the first but when he sees it is water he doesn’t bother dodging the second, little does he know water like this can hurt like a rock, his shoulder doesn’t look too good now. before he retaliates I charge my guard again and at the ready to counter any spell he shoots with my own, he is out smarted. but then he…

“My queen will help! these will be sacrifices, these will be sacrifices!” he yells and charges a spell. I can’t tell which for some reason. I shoot a fire spell at him but it gets nullified by some guard I am unfamiliar with. Cletus takes some courage and uses his wand to snap a rock at him but it doesn’t help, the rocks momentum is nullified by the field again, it falls and shatters at the odd mages feet who focuses on his hand covered by his red sleeve.

His sleeve is as red as the wall… but mine are not… even though the firelight I made makes things seems red his robes are much redder than mine and Cletus’s. Oh no… “Cletus! blood magic! cover!” I run to hide myself with some decor of the cave further in, a table and a bed, anything might help. Cletus is… he followed me, good, We should not get devided now.

A pressure wave flowes through the cave and knocks me and Cletus down. “Master, what is this magic?”

“My queen will have sacrifices today, I will soon unite with her here.” The mad mages voice draws near.

“The amethyst, he must be day dreaming to meet with her.” I tell Cletus as we both get up. “I will keep him busy, You need to get all the amethyst you can get and run, or destroy it if you must.”

Cletus looks at me but before he can react we recognize the voice of the mad mage is too near. “There you are, Hiding are you? Such fortune for me to stumble upon two human souls.”

I attack but the strange guard disables my magic, all I can do is counter his magic with mine and hope that it won’t pierce through. “Stop, we just want to leave.” While that is true I honestly am just trying to buy Cletus some time to gather all the amethyst he can find, fortunately the mad mage seems to be more interested in me than in the fragile looking apprentice.

Another zap countered with fire and one with rocks and water, I try to turn dirt to mud or heat the floor beneath him but the nullification seems to undo any effect I produce. Even my guard doesn’t seem like it absorbs the entire brunt of his strikes, I can feel as if punches hit me every so often.

“I think that’s all. Now get away!” I can hear, I just noticed my vision is blurred but I can tell Cletus is yelling from behind the mad mage. I see him leap onto the mad mage to release whatever he does with his hands, a small lizard, seems like a corpse, looks rotten but some signs of movement from the decomposing thing as it flings from his hands and hits the ground.

Cletus managed to fling the lizard off the mad mage’s hand but he looks disoriented, he is too close to the mad mages guard, a strange guard like that, who knows what it does to those inside. None of my magic and mana, not even the arcane enchantments on my robes had helped me, and now it seems as though we will end.

What will become of Arad, and my lab, will anyone miss me, what have I been doing so far? I look at myself, and around… I can see my hands, it almost seems surreal. Is this a blue mage? is this all my power and knowledge comes to? my power is not enough, “You will now die.” I can’t even look at him. I can see myself, powerless, tired. The animals in cages on the shelves, bats and bugs. I have an idea, but… it is not me, a decision must be made.

Between letting myself die and helping a new me live, I make a decision. I know what to do. I know just how cruel, how disgusting, how unlike me it is to do this. Magic is majestic, royalty above royalty, mathematics and concoctions, knowledge and mastery. And yet, I now siphon the mana and core itself from this bat.

I feel rejuvenated, I feel alive, stronger than I was before! I bust wind, but different than before, I can feel the essence of the animal I drained in my magic, I’m not even using my staff anymore, and I don’t need it to channel anything. I can do it with the body of the poor little bat. Another gust blows the mad mage away, but I require more to defeat him. I need to kill the bat. The bugs too. with their blood on my sleeves I shoot an unfamiliar magic and the mad mage is clearly no more. I can hear a faint female voice calling out to me, trying to leave him. His queen I presume, stay and rot with him.

“Assistant Cletus, hello. Are you alright?” Arad is right in-front of me and I am sitting on the chair in the office of Master Childe. I can’t remember anything after I knocked the thing out of that mad man’s hand. I think I heard a woman but… too hazy. “Arad, Where is Master Childe?”

“I do not know, Master hasn’t returned with you.”

“What? how did I get here? did you not see?”

“I did not, you were not here, and now you are. I can not remember when you entered.”

This is weird, I try to get up but my legs barely move. I can feel heavy swaying chunks in my pocket. It’s amethyst, all the amethyst I gathered in the cave. And another thing, A note. I read it out loud.

‘Cletus, I will not return. Take good care of my staff, I put it in the satchel. Don’t forget to order supplies before you need them, not when you need them. Take care of Arad and of your studies.

“Cletus, you are sad, you are crying.”

“I am”