AQUILEQUIA has assimilated the MAGIC cluster, increasing her level to 7.
Without anything to fight or evade, the dragon was doing a rather good job of increasing her level. It would be a while before she got to a point to rival Aurun, but every bit helped. Besides, it wasn’t like Dallion was hurrying.
Beneath the ground, rocks hardened, destroying the hidden golems one at a time. The constructs were sturdy enough to withstand any standard attack, but with enough illusion spells, anything could be changed.
“So,” Dallion turned to Alien, “where are you from?”
The old mage stared at him, confusion flickering through the pain and fear.
“Back on Earth, I mean.”
Only now did he realize that otherworlders hardly ever asked that question. Even now, he did it more as a means to pass time than out of any real interest. Given the number of such interactions he himself had held so far, the only conclusion was that the Moons discouraged the conversation in some fashion.
“Centennial,” the archmage spat out. “Centennial, Colorado.”
“Know nothing about it.”
“You won’t gain anything by torturing me. The emperor is a lot stronger than you’ll ever be.”
“That’s debatable. Though, interesting that you haven’t made a Moon vow. I thought that was the way things went.”
“Moon vows limit people. Didn’t my old teacher tell you that?” A smile formed on Alien’s face. “Even in this world, you can’t have everything. It’s either skill or loyalty.”
“Don’t know about loyalty, but you definitely don’t have the skills. I guess that’s why they put you in charge of the circle.”
“I improved the rockets!” the man shouted. “They were nothing before. Firecrackers that carried spells.”
“History begs to differ.”
“You think that the addict came up with the idea?” Clearly, the archbishop wasn’t viewed in high regard among anyone in Jeremy’s camp. “He stole that from me! He’s been alive for millennia and all he could do was the crap you’re using now.”
“Sure, he stole your idea centuries before—”
Dallion stopped. Strangely enough, it was possible. What was more, it was well within Simon’s means. The ability to see into the future made time irrelevant. True, the echoes were distorted and there was never a guarantee that things would end up as they were originally planned, but if he had focused on the emperor’s design, it was possible for him to have recreated an event centuries before it had happened. No wonder he was constantly on the lookout for Moonstones.
“I can help you too,” Alien pleaded. “Just don’t kill me and let me go.”
So much for loyalty, Dallion thought.
“I can give you something you need.”
Surprisingly, truth resonated within the man’s words.
“You aren’t afraid of what the emperor would do to you?”
“There are four powers in the world. Making you stronger will also weaken the other two opposing him.”
The logic was sound, though Dallion strongly suspected that Alien was begging for his life in a calculated way. No doubt what he was offering was of marginal significance at best, so the emperor didn’t care.
“Moonstones!” the mage said, noticing Dallion’s hesitation. “I’ll give you Moonstones.”
That definitely got Dallion’s attention. Standing up, he floated up to Alien.
“You’ve felt the power they contain. With them you could restore your legs, you’d be able to understand spells no one else can.”
“If that’s true, why haven’t you used them yourself? You could have defeated me easily.”
There was no answer.
“I’m tired of your lies.” Dallion turned around.
“I’m not lying! They’re in this very room, but without my help, you’ll only destroy them. That way, no one will have them.”
So, that was the game: Alien’s freedom in exchange for a power boost, if he could be believed, of course. Dallion weighed the options. He’d be a fool to refuse at this stage of the war, although it still bothered him that anyone would offer this much for no reason. The archmage had to be terrified about his life, and convinced that Dallion would take it.
Adzorg, what do you think? Dallion asked in his realm.
I’d say it’s possible, but that doesn’t make it true, the old mage replied. It’s easy to lock something within a domain and make it break should it be entered in a way it’s not supposed to be. The practice is terribly risky, though. In most cases, the realm is destroyed for no apparent reason whatsoever.
Do you think I should take the chance?
It’s difficult to say. Knowing him, I’d pass. I gave him a rather good education on constructing prison items, after all.
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The normal thing was to refuse. At the same time, every trap could be sprung without enough power. If Dallion couldn’t deal with this, could he be expected to win in a one-to-one against Jeremy, or anyone else for that matter?
“Alright,” he said. “I vow to let you go unharmed, provided you tell me how to obtain the gems in a way that I won’t end up dead, imprisoned, or harmed.” He turned around again. “Can you vow to that?”
There was a suspiciously long moment of silence.
“Yes,” Alien said at last.
“Good.” The room released the archmage. “So, where are they?”
“I need a Vermillion ring. Give me that and I’ll show you.”
That wasn’t in the initial bargain. Dallion could think of a dozen ways how that could be used to harm him. He had seen it happen to a member of the Shimmering Circle not too long ago.
“You’ve vowed not to harm me, remember?” Dallion removed the Vermillion ring hanging on his neck. “Mind control is harming.”
“Just give it here.” The other hissed through gritted teeth, though didn’t dare snatch it from Dallion’s hand outright.
“Here.” Dallion tossed it at him.
He imagined that Alien would go to one of the items shrouded with illusion magic and do something. There was no way it could be hidden within the building itself. Since Dallion had destroyed the illusion spells in the realm of the archmage’s complex, things had ceased to be as glamorous as before. Gone was the giant room of opulent statues, finely crafted wall furniture, and chandeliers of light. And while there weren’t cracks anywhere, Dallion wouldn’t have rented such a place unless he was given no choice.
Unexpectedly, the archmage slid on the ring, then turned his hand palm up. A rough crimson gem emerged.
“You?” Dallion’s eyes widened for a fraction of a second.
“I told you it’s within the room.” The other said. “If you had killed me, they would have been destroyed.”
“You’re Jeremy’s piggybank. That’s why you were never worried he might kill you.”
“There are worse things than death, as you well know.” A second red gem emerged. “But no, that’s not the reason. And as for your earlier question—I made a vow never to use any of them unless specifically ordered by the emperor.”
“Always the loophole.”
“It was a necessity.” A cyan gem joined the other two. “You actually think you can win, don’t you?” He glanced at Dallion.
“I’ve done well so far.”
“Jeremy isn’t like anyone else. In some ways, he’s like you, if you had a few more centuries of experience. In all historical scrolls, the archbishop was said to be the strongest of them all. Well, it wouldn’t be described that way. Simon never liked the spotlight.” A white gem emerged. “How did the saying go? There are many strong countries out there, but only the Order controls the world.” Alien let out a cough. “It used to be like that. The moment someone steps out of line, the Order and half the world would fall onto him like a ton of bricks. Simon had copyettes in all the right places, so he was, in effect, pulling everyone’s strings. However, there was one fatal weakness.”
“What does he do if there are no countries left,” Dallion said.
“Precisely. He was so confident in his prophecies and his copyettes that he never thought that the situation could spiral out of control. The emperor was the one who spotted the weakness and slowly exploited it without anyone noticing. You and others like you were nothing but bright distractions in the global game of chess.”
A total of eight Moonstones had amassed in Alien’s hand, most of them red.
“Your task was to keep him from getting Moonstones,” Dallion noted.
“One of them.” Alien walked up to Dallion, offering the stones.
Rarely had Dallion seen so much power in one spot. They were a lot smaller than the dragon heart, but size didn’t always matter when it came to power. With just half of them, Aquilequia could level up to forty, maybe more. As Alien had suggested, Dallion could use one to restore his legs in seconds, not to mention boost his spell power for up to an hour. At the right moment, that could change the result of a battle, maybe even the entire war.
“The Azures should have gone after you.” Dallion resisted the temptation and merely placed them in his own domain.
“They too were a distraction that went out of hand.” Alien slid off the Vermillion ring. “Just like you. The deal is done. Now, I can leave.”
“Go ahead.” Dallion took his ring. “Remember, can’t harm me.”
“Do I look like someone who could fight Moon candidates?” The archmage let out a bitter laugh. “I’d wish you good luck, but I would be lying.” He cast a flight spell, then flew out of the window.
Feeling somewhat generous, Dallion expanded the size of the opening, allowing the man to leave more comfortably.
I must say, I didn’t expect that, Adzorg said. I always felt potential coming from him, but was annoyed that he never chose to meet it. Now, I know why.
AQUILEQUIA has assimilated the MAGIC cluster, increasing her level to 8.
“Do you think he had them in him back when he was your apprentice?”
Who knows? It’s possible. For all we know, it's possible that he never was a mage to begin with. With enough energy flowing within his realm, he might have been able to borrow the magic trait even without using the Moonstones themselves.
“Have there been such cases?”
No, but there haven’t been cases like Diroh, either. There’s no telling what might happen if something divine is placed within a person’s realm.
Dallion himself was a product of divine magic. He didn’t have the magic trait upon awakening. It was only thanks to the phoenix gem that he had become what he was. More than once, it had been mentioned that his magic threads were different from everyone else’s due to precisely that. Having to spend his entire life with more and more Moonstones within his realm and be forbidden to use them must have been beyond terrifying.
I know it sounds bad, but it’s a logical course of action, Adzorg said. As long as there’s enough protection to prevent invasions and foreign echoes, it’s the perfect place. No one could peek into the personal realm of others.
Such a mage’s thing to say, Dallion thought. The old mage probably didn’t even see how wrong it was, merely commenting on efficiency and a swell found exception.
“I’m glad I never awakened a mage,” Dallion muttered.
AQUILEQUIA has assimilated the MAGIC cluster, increasing her level to 9.
There are a few valuable items you could take from here, if you want, Adzorg suggested.
“I think I’ve taken enough.”
The walls of the building detached floor by floor, falling to the ground where they were instantly swallowed up. The roof moved to the side, revealing a clear blue sky before it, too, was gone. In less than a minute, all that was left was Dallion, standing on an empty field.
REALM INVASION
ARCHDUCHESS PRISCORD has invaded ACADEMY.
“Here you are,” Dallion said, summoning both his blades. “You’re right on time.”