Gregory immediately went to Wentzle and began channeling his healing touch spell.
He wasn't confident it was going to help. He didn't think the man was breathing, and he didn't stop healing to check for a pulse. Wentzle had two large puncture wounds in his neck, and he was laying in a pool of his own blood, so things didn't look great.
Elizabeth was just sobbing.
"Try to put pressure on the wound!" Gregory yelled at her.
His forceful tone seemed to break through her anguish, and she put her hands to his neck to try to keep his blood where it belonged.
"What happened!?" Constable General McKenzie said as he rushed into the room. "Oh no."
He stuck his head back out into the hallway.
"GLORIA! Get in here! We need healing!"
Gregory heard footsteps in the corridor pick up speed, coming closer.
"I'm trying to heal him, but I'm not sure if it's doing anything!"
Gloria arrived and scanned the fallen man with her eyes. Then she gently pushed Gregory away.
"It's going to be alright."
She had Elizabeth back up, and then she drew out a quick ritual circle, surrounding Wentzle.
"Healing ritual reinforcement, Restore Life!"
A powerful healing magic flooded Wentzle's body, and Gregory sighed in relief as he saw Wentzle take a breath of his own. The man's wounds slowly drew closed and his breathing evened out after a few seconds of hyperventilation.
"He's going to be okay," Gloria said, "he was on the brink of death, but you got to him just in time to keep him alive, Gregory. I don't have any resurrection magic, but since there was a shred of life left, my ritual reinforced 'Restore Life' was able to save him. We shouldn't move him or disrupt the ritual circle for at least an hour."
"Good work you two. Quick thinking, Gregory! You should be proud! Elizabeth, can you tell us what happened?"
Elizabeth was still shaking, and Gloria stepped up and put a comforting arm around her. The physical contact calmed her, and she started to talk.
"Wentzle and I were just figuring out one of the clues. We took a long time trying to figure out our first clue, and then this one led us to this room. We were just trying to count all the spheres…"
Gregory looked around at all the spheres and resisted the urge to start counting them himself.
"All of a sudden, everything went black. It was like I was frozen in my own body. I couldn't move or act. When the blackness faded, Wentzle was still standing in front of me, but he…he was bleeding. He fell onto me–" she choked back a sob.
"Shhh, it's ok," Gloria said, fully hugging the other woman and rubbing her back in a comforting way.
"I couldn't do anything!" she cried into Gloria's shoulder. "He just fell onto me, and I was covered in blood. I just screamed and stared at him…I…I didn't even try to save him."
"What was the blackness you mentioned?" McKenzie asked.
Gloria gave him a look, as if to say "not now," but Gregory answered before Elizabeth had a chance to respond.
"Cooper and I got caught in whatever it was too. We were just down a few rooms. My vision went black, and I couldn't move my body. We could only think, and when things returned to normal, it felt like more time passed than should have. It was really odd."
"It sounds like some sort of powerful magic. Perhaps we should involve your companion. Can you two run down to the great hall and inform Lady Rhodes? Then retrieve your companion and meet us back up here," McKenzie said.
"We can!"
"Good, send anyone you find back to the great hall. We don't know what happened here yet, but we need to keep everyone here until we can figure out what happened. Maybe I should have one of you run for some constables…"
"We can just have Olivander portal some in, sir!"
"Ah, very good. Go, quickly now!"
They took off out of the room and down the stairs towards the great hall. It wasn't a long run, and they didn't encounter any other guests on their way.
When they arrived in the hall, still at a run and panting, it was empty except for Leviana, who was looking through some paperwork. When she saw Gregory and Cooper run in, she stored her documents into a personal storage space that looked like a small cupboard floating above her shoulder.
"You get Olivander, I'll talk to Leviana," Gregory said.
Cooper wordlessly split off, running towards the kitchens.
"Gregory! Back so soon? I'm not going to give you any more free hints."
"No, it's not that. Something happened, and Wentzle was seriously injured. Gloria was able to heal him, but it looks like someone tried to kill him."
A look of confusion crossed Leviana's face. "Why would anyone try to kill Wentzle?"
"I don't know, we should head upstairs though. I think Constable General McKenzie wants to lock down the manor."
"Yes, of course. We'll go at once. I assume Cooper went to grab Olivander?"
"Yes, he should—"
Gregory cut off as Cooper entered the room alone.
"I can't get into the kitchen, there is a strange message, come see!"
Gregory and Leviana both hurried down the side corridor.
Gregory recognized the barrier he had seen before, but it was a little different now.
"Touch it."
He reached out a hand and did so.
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Personal Trial Boundary
* A personal trial is in effect beyond this boundary.
* Entering this space will subject you to the same personal trial.
* Current Trial Recommended Level: 375 - 425 (Standardized)
* You do not meet the recommended level requirements to enter this space, you will be rejected.
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"Okay, I guess we're not grabbing Olivander," Gregory said.
"Indeed not. I've never seen a personal trial. I wonder how one came into being here," Leviana mused. "Either way, no one in the manor is nearly high enough level to go in there and get him."
"Should Cooper and I run for some constables? The constable general was going to send us, but I suggested Olivander would just portal in assistance directly."
"That might be best, let's move. If there is someone dangerous moving about, I don't want you two to go without an escort. I'll join you until you leave the manor."
Together they ran out of the great hall. They passed the stairs leading up and then through the hallway with displays of art and artifacts.
When they arrived at the entry doors, Gregory pulled one open. Instead of finding fresh evening air, they discovered that they were trapped.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
"Another barrier?" he said, reaching out to touch it.
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Dungeon Zone Boundary
* The magic in the area is being used by a personal trial. If the personal trial is failed, this area will be converted into a temporary dungeon.
* Crossing the Dungeon Zone Boundary is extremely dangerous, and will cause extreme damage to non-spiritual entities.
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"This seems bad? This is bad right?" Gregory said.
Leviana reached out her own hand, and her eyes went wide.
"Very bad. This will be causing a panic in the city. And if Olivander fails his personal trial, it's unlikely any of us would survive the dungeon creation process."
"How likely do you think that is? Out of curiosity?" Gregory said, failing to keep the high pitched panic from his voice.
"Olivander is the single most capable adventurer I have ever met. He was, for many years, the most powerful magician on the continent. I have no doubts in him."
* * *
Olivander chased down another rat. They were extremely fast, and must have been part hedgehog, because they had finger length spines that they would occasionally shoot at him as he tried to get back the kitchen supplies.
He was constantly doing something. Chasing down a rat hedgehog that stole supplies, beating back waves of enemy forces, crafting more golem crafting constructs.
He discovered he didn't need to chase down all the rats at once, and just hunted another when his pantry started looking baren.
He finally cornered another one. With a flaming sword, he struck at the beast. Cornered, it couldn't dodge as well as the others. It fell after a few blows, and Olivander pulled more spines out of his body. He had dropped all of his wards, they weren't worth the mana expenditure in here. Not when his mana had completely stopped refilling due to the continuous draw of the crafting constructs.
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Current progress:
* Active Golems: 104 (14/min)
* Destroyed Golems: 11
* Soldiers Fed: 244/2000
* Gods Fed: 0/1 (0%)
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His progress was finally starting to pick up, but it meant that more golems were being destroyed.
Health: 722/1090
Stamina: 610/1490
Mana: 401/1280
His health didn't matter, he could heal himself, and his stamina was fine. The only reason it was under half was because he had just been using his other swordsman skill – "Flowing Blade".
His mana was the real issue. He didn't have time to meditate to increase his regen. As a Magus, he could draw on power from his grimoire through his Eye of Madness, but there were good reasons not to do that in a combat situation. Never mind any mana imbalance issues.
Yes, this was definitely an endurance trial.
He decided to burn through a chunk of his remaining mana, wiping all the current soldiers from the hall.
His grimoire flipped to a page near the back. He didn't like using demonic magic, and he risked the ire of the god, but from Olivander's current perspective, he was an obstacle. Besides, he needed to buy a little time before fully committing to his new plan.
This time when he drew out the ritual in the air, it glowed an angry red. He chanted the incantation for this spell in its original demonic tongue. It came out as a growl more than words.
"Boloagas mel terinu, Rogamalnu Hemevous!"
The spell, Fires of Damnation, was in ways the opposite of the "Frozen Fields" spell he had used earlier. It was short lived and covered the hall in hellfire. The soldiers burned, and he even caught a couple of the missing rats in the inferno. None survived the raging flames, but as he expected, a glowing barrier had snapped in place, protecting the feast table from the flames.
Olivander wasted no time, portaling back to the supply room, where the construction golems had started using an unexpected strategy. Instead of each assembling their own golem, they had formed an assembly line. It seemed like their output was the same, but it gave him an opportunity.
Instead of crafting two more golems, as he had intended, he began conjuring equipment.
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Conjure Large Items
* Spell
* Cost: Varies
* You can conjure objects larger than yourself, up to a maximum of three times your size. Complicated items may not be fully functional unless you have an explicit understanding of how to construct the item.
* You can compose the item piecemeal using "Construct Small Items" if fine detail is needed, or create the entire item at once.
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Conjure Small Items
* Spell
* Cost Varies
* You can conjure objects smaller than yourself. Items can be completely functional, but you must have a rough understanding of how the object works, and a rough understanding of how to create the item with magic
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He conjured conveyor belts that would be driven by a small amount of mana. They were simple enough that he could make them in an instant. He created mechanical arms that could grab the next available item for the golems. These he needed to construct with smaller parts, but once he had a fully functional model, he could duplicate it more quickly.
Olivander moved as quickly as he could, using some artifice to attach a magical mechanical arm to each golem.
"WONDERFUL!" Barranch's voice boomed through the hall. "A splendid improvement on an existing design! Perhaps we should give the feast golems a similar improvement?"
Sadly, the god didn't modify the existing golems for Olivander, but it wasn't a bad idea. Too many hands would have diminishing returns, but one extra would probably be worth it.
The trial did change to create a new supply of mechanical arms that could be attached to the golems under construction.
With a few tweaks, he was able to get his construct golems to attach the extra arms.
He looked back out of the storage room and saw a giant mass of soldiers halfway across the hall. They had just torn apart four golems. Fortunately they didn't attack golems actually carrying food to the feast, just ones still in the kitchen or coming back.
"This should have been a trial of concentration. I have a little more going on than I'd like."
He wanted to wait for the assembly line to get going, to make sure there weren't any problems. In the meantime, Olivander scanned the hall for the fallen kitchen supplies, and any rats he missed. He would need those supplies back eventually.
He opened portals under two bags and they fell into his waiting arms. He didn't bother bringing them back to the pantry yet. His assembly line was starting to pump out functional golems, and he portaled himself back to the fight.
He didn't want to spend any mana, but he also needed to fight off these soldiers. He decided to pull up his unwieldy list of available skills. Having five classes meant twenty-five available choices, but he focused on the ones provided by his Elemental Swordsman class.
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Elemental Swordsman Skills available:
* 2 Skill Points
* Infuse Weapon
* One with the Sword
* 3 Skill Points
* Wind Blade
* 5 Skill Points
* Chain of Elements
* 10 Skill Points
* Book of Blades
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You have 24 skill points available
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He had never really focused on his swordsman class, or activated many skills available to it, but he still remembered there were some gems that he could make use of now.
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You have unlocked the Elemental Swordsman Ability - Book of Blades.
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Book of Blades
* Ability
* Cooldown: 1 Hour
* Your grimoire transforms into a sword.
* The sword gains properties from whatever spell your grimoire was opened to when the book transforms.
* Your strikes drain a small amount of mana from enemies, charging the contained spell. Once fully charged, you may cast the spell directly from the blade with no incantation or ritual needed.
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Olivander opened up his grimoire to an old standby, "Flames of Annihilation." The other spell he had just used, "Fires of Damnation" was much more powerful and covered a wider area, but it would take him a long time to store up that much mana in the blade.
He activated the skill, which took no mana or stamina, and his grimoire shifted. The pages folded in on themselves and the chains melted into a length of steel, absorbing the pages and hardening into a sleek and elegant blade. The hilt was made from the purple leather of the book's cover, and the black Eye of Madness was now set into the blade's pommel.
"Oh, I should have unlocked this ages ago. Let's see what this beauty can do."
Olivander charged into the horde.
Each strike from his blade burned flesh down to the bone. The added effects from the spell were substantial. The skill point cost of the ability was certainly justified.
After he downed four soldiers and wounded several more, the blade thrummed in his hands, eager to be used. He activated the spell, pointing the blade at a clump of soldiers. A towering inferno engulfed them, leaving nothing but a slowly fading glowing lump where they had once been.
Olivander let out an uncharacteristic cackle. Then he charged the weakened horde.
He fought and fought, protecting his golems the best he could. He used the "Flames of Annihilation" casts from his sword to help protect returning golems, and eventually he discovered he could portal them back from, but not to, the feast table. He did that as often as he could, but his mana was running on fumes at this point.
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Current progress:
* Active Golems: 325 (26/min)
* Destroyed Golems: 33
* Soldiers Fed: 915/2000
* Gods Fed: 0/1 (0%)
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He was losing more golems, but his golem building constructs were relentless. His real issue was crowd control. The term was especially appropriate now that he was facing huge crowds of soldiers at once.
He almost regretted his Spellblade choice. A slowing effect of some sort would have been nice, but he could only resummon the blade with a new spell once an hour. He unleashed an inferno every time his sword charged up, with the sheer number of combatants arrayed against him, that was every few seconds. Still, the waves were unending. He spared a little mana to heal himself, but the new golem crafting drain was beginning to wear him thin.
Eventually, he was driven back to just outside the kitchens.
Olivander finally started drawing on power through his Eye of Madness. A volcano ward gave him some breathing room — it didn't kill the soldiers, but they did draw back from it. He bought himself a moment, but he didn't know what to do. There were hundreds of soldiers. He didn't have time to draw out a ritual for a bigger spell.
Without a better solution, he dumped the maximum amount of stamina and mana he could into his "Elemental Blades" skill, drawing the mana through his sword's pommel stone. Three hundred stamina, and one hundred and fifty mana drained from him, and the edges of his vision swam with darkness for a moment. He started to hear strange whispers before his mind and vision cleared.
Each increase in power of the skill doubled the output. Forty-eight blades appeared in front of soldiers all over the field.
Mustering his energy, he started attacking. As soldiers fell, his blade began to charge again.
Unexpectedly, the copies of his blade shared the properties of the Spellsword.
Again, he felt a mad cackle rise within him.
Then Olivander unleashed forty-nine towering infernos at once.