All but Leisel Wyrd gave Nox a pass from classes.
“Why do the department records not say where you’re going or what dungeons and rifts you’re targeting?” She asked, looking over the request form.
“Because we’re senior students,” Nox answered. “All of us have met the requirements to take up to two weeks off during term time for delves as long as we bring back evidence of our time away. We’re not officially required to share anything more.”
“But signing the form is up to the course director’s discretion.” Leisel maintained a gentle smile as she spoke. It failed to veil the cold behind her eyes or her irritation. “If you don’t give me an accurate estimate of how long you’ll be gone and when you’ll be back, I can’t tell whether you’ll miss too much valuable material and risk failing the class.”
“I’m fine with failing if that’s what it takes. The department has approved my retaking the exams for Finesse Shaping and Live Spell Weaving, fulfilling my qualification requirements for Wizard.” Nox tapped the form on the table. “I’ve confirmed my return date, and it puts my absence well below the two-week mark.”
“Why must you be this difficult, Sir Ratra?” Leisel Wyrd sighed, sitting back in her office chair. “I’m on your side and want you to flourish.”
“No. You want me to become a cult hunter working for you. So you’d like to control my movements or at least pull your little strings to lure me in.” Nox’s eyes narrowed. He didn’t care if his words and tone came across as aggressive. “What’s next? Are you going to threaten Joey Greengrasse’s academic status to strong-arm me?”
“What? Of course not! He’s well ahead of you as far as Manipulation is concerned, and he has almost met the requirements to complete the stealth and espionage course, too.” The professor’s eyes narrowed. “Why must you be this hostile with me, Sir Ratra?”
“You used Mind Magic on me and tried to get intimate,” Nox replied matter-of-factly. “Do you think you just get a free pass for that because you’re a beautiful woman? I don’t appreciate anyone messing around with my head, and it will take a lot more than expensive relics and research funding offers to win me over.”
“For Ygg’s sake, Nox. It was playful banter. Kris never said you were such a bore. I want to be a friend and mentor—”
“I have enough of those, Professor Wyrd. Thank you very much. Tell me, is it standard university practice to use Mind Magic on a student, get naked, and then seduce them? Even as a joke? I’m not sure if such things have happened in the City of Ygg enough to coin laws, but they’re certainly punishable crimes in the Trade Empire and Imperium.” Nox kept his tone calm and polite. When the woman didn’t respond, he tapped the form between them. “Now, are you going to sign the form, or am I going to have to drop Intermediate Manipulation and find a course taught by Professor Dwight?”
“That won’t be necessary.”
Leisel Wyrd signed the form. Nox submitted it to the department’s administration office and ensured Joey told her nothing while completing his paperwork. Apparently, the professor wasn’t as pushy with the warlock as she was with Nox.
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The Greywing was by far the swiftest vessel Nox had ever ridden. He hadn’t stepped on board for close to two decades. Most claim everything seems bigger, greater, and faster to children. The vessel felt narrower and shorter. However, it seemed significantly faster than he recalled.
Crowded airspace above and around the City of Ygg meant the voyage started slow. Then, it slowly picked up speed as it reached the point where Terrastalia had first made groundfall just under a year ago. Before long, the countryside was blurring by.
Because of its lightweight and sleek design, the Greywing enjoyed the ability to ascend and speed swiftly through regions deemed otherwise dangerous. They flew through Cloudhunter territory without worry. Nox stood on the deck, sniping the giant jellyfish.
Thus far, Nox had only tested and used four of his new weapon’s forms. The launcher gauntlet acted as a decent shield while giving him short and mid-range attacks. He had decent control over their power, but the more powerful version hurt his arm and shoulder. In one instance, the jolt dislocated the joint.
The short and longbow versions were self-explanatory. He only used the latter at the start of combat or when picking off enemies in the backline. It had power and range but took time to draw and steady. Unlike the old Ratra's Bow, it demanded decent draw strength, too. Nox considered adding a strength enhancement brew to his cocktail until his arm, back, and hip muscles caught up. Meanwhile, the short bow lacked range and power but allowed swift aiming and maneuverability.
Finally, there were the mana knives and daggers. They had several functions besides the explosive shatterings, and Nox was far from mastering them. The manual said they could pair with another manifestation that Sapna named mana tethers. He imagined fighting techniques similar to Brianna’s, but he had a lot of practice ahead of him before achieving the same. For the time being, he used them to pin foes or, in the rare scenario, when they had armor to penetrate.
The mana tethers in their base form were no more than sturdy rope made of mana. He could use them as whips or for binding.
The versatility and utility gained from combining the many manifestations were a perfect display of Sapna's genius. Activating the four bars on Nox's forearm provided different results in different sequences or arrangements. So, Nox used the voyage to figure some of them out.
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The short bow and gauntlet combined into something that resembled a hand crossbow. It let Nox fire two projectiles simultaneously. He shaped bolts out of lightning essence and fired them at an exceptionally large cloudhunter. It wasn't just a bigger sky jellyfish with longer tentacles. It also had a powerful leathery hide that his other projectiles failed to penetrate. His bolts glowed golden-blue as they flew. Lightning arced between the pair, creating a mesh of energy. The projectiles didn't just pierce the beast but set off something within, and it exploded in a mass of fire, translucent hide, and electricity.
Combining the gauntlet with a dagger created a punching weapon capable of shooting a blade. Adding a tether to mix let him retract it. Nox foresaw several utility uses for the combination. Nox launched a blade up the vessel's mast. Since it only relied on sails when at lower altitudes, he didn’t worry about damaging the expensive arcane fabric. The tether wrapped around the top yard. Retracting it helped him swiftly climb to the crow's nest, and he continued to snipe the cloud hunters from above.
By the end of the first day, Greywing passed several towns and villages and the lone city-state that sat between Ygg and the Oakheart lands. On the second evening, they saw Annabelle’s ancestral home from afar. The palatial manor looked more like a castle than a mansion. A small town bordered it to the south. While vast woodlands spread to the north. Its grounds were almost as big as Woodson University's campus. When the third morning came, they were still flying over Oakheart territory. Giant vineyards and cattle farms dotted the land.
Because of the ship’s narrow deck, the party didn’t get a lot of room to train. So, they dedicated themselves to other endeavors. Alexander had brought a set of stone and wood spheres to practice his new druid granted Shaping and Manipulation. He proved better with the former than the latter. His abilities also extended to sunlight, leaving Nox feeling moderately jealous. Trinary star systems didn’t exist, but it felt as if Alexander now had one. Nox didn’t like the idea of him temporarily leaving the party, but he was confident that he would be the biggest threat of the four when he returned.
Caitlin and Joey spent most of their time in their private cabin. Nox had granted the couple one of the two on board. When the two weren’t making an embarrassing amount of noise during their amorous activities, they dedicated themselves to developing their magic. Caitlin had water conjuration and Shaping as her newest tool. She practiced making a variety of weapons and shields out of them with various densities, cutting powers, and other strange creations. After only one-and-a-half years as a warlock, Joey was nowhere near mastering Djinn Fire—especially its ability to transform into solid, permanent constructs.
Meanwhile, Nox and Aria used the opportunity to get caught up with their individual dissertations, essays, and similar papers. He held off on spell weaving since it felt like he had hit a roadblock. The stay at the Oakheart mansion following the delve would hopefully help him find inspiration, runes, and techniques to overcome the challenges.
Despite everything he had on his table, Nox found a few hours every morning and evening for Brianna. The pair found themselves in a mutually beneficial exchange. He taught her his mana zone technique to better manipulate her aura and assisted with spell weaving so she could do more than just rely on her tattoos. Meanwhile, she helped him improve his martial skills.
Brianna’s tribe taught fighting forms as dances. As a result, the training sessions were uncomfortably intimate for Nox. However, they helped improve his footwork and better control a weapon on a tether. She excelled at small weapons since they combined well with the Fenrir’s Chains spell she inherited from her ancestors. Nox didn’t foresee using the techniques as much, but they would prove invaluable if he were ever to face foes who refused to let him use ranged magic.
On the fourth day of their voyage, the Greywing reached the mountainous city-state of Drachenberg. The peak’s many points made it look like a horned serpent’s open maw. Ten gold bought the Greywing to dock for the night and also bought them supplies for the rest of the voyage. The small hold meant they couldn't carry a lot of food.
After escorting Aria to the city's best inn, Nox spent time in the taverns and the local delver's organizations. His adept delver's license and the Woodson University emblem got him the information he needed. Four parties—two groups of locals and a pair of mercenary bands—had already set off to deal with the local rifts. Flying to either anomaly would be a waste of time unless they all died. The floating dungeon slowly ambling eastwards was their only option. The local diviners had no information regarding it besides the high-adept rank. Lack of funds and limited resources meant no one had targeted it yet.
Nox brought the information to the party.
“An unknown floating dungeon?” Caitlin raised an eyebrow. “If it's flying eastwards, there is a possibility it flew over the western continent and the ocean. It could've fallen any time in the past half a century and none of us would've known.”
“That explains why no one has dealt with it yet,” Joey stated. “I suppose we should check it out before the dungeon crosses into Imperium territory. They'll either destroy it, trap it, or befriend it. We need to do something first.”
“But we know nothing about it,” Caitlin stated, forever the party's voice of caution. “Just because it's of adept rank doesn't mean we can deal with it. I'd suggest we check out the rifts.” She leaned over the table and tapped the map between them, indicating the further of the two anomalies. “The Greywing might help us beat the locals here. We can beat it and feign ignorance if someone confronts us.”
“What if they get there first?” Alexander asked, eyes narrowing as he stared at his sister.
“Then we wait until—”
“No.”
“Visiting the dungeon doesn't mean destroying it or going all the way to the dungeon lord,” Nox said, intersecting before the siblings got into an argument. “Advanced Dungeon Combat’s passing requirements demand we only defeat a boss. An adept dungeon should have multiple. How about we go in, take one out, gather information, and retreat?”
“I'd like to test my skills in a dungeon without a chaperoning professor,” Brianna stated, “But I understand that I don't get a vote.”
Caitlin glanced at her party members and then sighed. “Fine. We all know things aren't that simple or won't go the way we plan, but let's do it. I also want to test my chops in a really adept dungeon. I'm just concerned about our only Journeyman.”
“Your Journeyman druid,” Alexander said, despite Brianna being an outsider. “My Grove gives me more mana and power than you, Kitty.”
“It's settled then?” Nox asked. “Should I ask the captain to set course for the dungeon?”