I contemplated using Winter’s Grasp. But the area of effect was unnecessarily large. It would increase the risk of setting off an alarm. Instead I decided on Ice Coffin. It was a 5th circle spell that would freeze a single target. It was powerful enough that I hoped it would break through any defensive items they wore. Being a sorceress I could modify the spell and target both by using a higher spell slot.
I unleashed my magic on the unsuspecting guards. I could see the ice forming on their skin. They looked at their hands with surprised faces. They tried opening their mouths, presumably to shout something, but they were too slow. The spell had already frozen them solid. In the course of 3 seconds they were encased in a 10 cm layer of ice.
I listened intently but heard no alarm. Of course that did not mean much. Guards could have been alerted silently. “It looks like that worked but keep alert.” I cautioned.
“We should check that side door.” Lucy suggested. “Lilastheria can open it quietly and you can freeze anyone who is in there.”
I nodded. Lilastheria carefully moved to the door and opened it. It was not locked. I snuck inside. There was a small room with a few cabinets and two doors. One led to a bathroom and the other one to a small chamber with a bed inside. Somebody was sleeping on it. That made me hesitate. The problem with freezing a person was it would be impossible to inspect their gear. If he carried a key for the door we would not be able to get to it under the ice. The person was sleeping in full uniform, there were no clothes lying around to loot.
In the end, I decided to go for the Ice Coffin spell again. There was no reason to risk anything else yet. After he was turned into a nice popsicle we were free to search the area. I looked at my paws. Ok, maybe I would not do a lot of searching.
“Lilastheria, you are the only one with hands currently. Look through the cabinets for anything useful to infiltrate the lab.”
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“Yes mistress.”
I walked back outside to inspect the metal door. There were a lot of runes on it. While I did see a keyhole there was clearly magic involved in securing the entrance. On further examination I discovered that the key had a double purpose. It would open the physical lock and disable the magical wards at the same time. If I could remove, or disable the magic we should be able to simply pick the lock. Devour Magic was designed to target a person, could I target a door with it? It worked against magical constructs, so why not a door?
While I contemplated this Lilastheria emerged from the cabin. “There was nothing of interest, mistress. Only some snacks for the guards.”
“Ok then, I will try to disable the magic on the door. If it works as planned Lilastheria can pick the lock and we can sneak inside. My spell should get rid of the locking magic and all other defences and alarms.” I explained.
Lilastheria and Lucy watched as I completed the spell. Thankfully I had a lot of spell slots so I would be fine if we had to fight later. Black smoke appeared around the door and I saw the runes being consumed. They did not just lose their magic, the runes just dissolved entirely. Lilastheria looked a bit shocked at the display.
“You can open the door now.” I told her.
“Yes, mistress. Um, what was that if I may ask?”
“Devour Magic, it’s a 9th circle spell.”
Lilastheria just nodded and went to work on the door. While I watched her, a simple question came to mind: “So, why are you naked? Is that a succubus thing?” Maybe I should have asked that sooner but I was used to naked, or almost naked, succubi in video games. It was also fascinating, and somewhat scary, how quickly I had adapted to my female body. With all this time spent around Lucy it did not feel strange anymore to be in the presence of a naked female. I even started to think of myself as being a woman. But it was probably the wrong time for some self-reflection.
“Most summoners prefer it that way. While I am capable in a fight most people don’t call me for that. I also presumed you enjoyed the sight.” She explained.
Thankfully I was not able to blush in my panther form. She was not wrong though. She did have a nice body. And I liked the tail. Although Lucy’s fluffy tail was better. I shook my head. This was not the time for such thoughts!
“Um you can wear clothes if you want. Or armour. I presume you have a magical storage on you somewhere.” I said.
Lucy was staring intently on the floor. I had a feeling she was also embarrassed. Lilastheria smirked at us. Then she was covered in black leather armour. She continued picking the lock and soon we heard a click. “It’s open mistresses.”