19 Masag, 891 ED
Buwan, 24:16
Lake Omnet, Reserves of Zaban
“Any idea how to break in?” I asked, eyeing the now-revealed gate hovering in the air before us. “Then again, it might not actually be locked. If it was hidden, maybe they don’t know how to do that.”
Gogo shook their head firmly. “If they know how to conjure a gate, then they know how to lock it. It makes no sense to have one skill without the other.”
“Fair point. Do you know how to break into these sorts of gates?”
“I was rather hoping you would,” the Beast-kin said, scratching the back of their head and looking thoughtful. “If I could get some of the mage’s essence, I might be able to trick it into thinking it was me, but as it stands…”
Huh. So we’d found where the mage had gone, but had no way of following them. The floating entrance almost mocked us with its silent vibration. “What if we attacked it?”
It seemed the thought hadn’t occurred to Gogo. “Wouldn’t that destroy it and expel everything?”
“Maybe. But more likely it will destroy the enchantment that locks it in place.”
“If there is such an enchantment,” She replied. “So I suppose we should try to figure out if it’s locked first.”
“Well, that’s easy to find out,” I said, stepping forward. I reached out one hand toward the slit. “If I go through, make sure to follow me at once. I don’t want to be alone against potential enemies.”
Gogo drew their spear at once and gave me a reassuring nod. I took a deep breath, then touched the center of the gate. I knew at once that it wasn’t locked, as I felt my field of vision go dark. The magic of the gate pulled me in, and suddenly, I found myself at the beginning of a short hallway that led to a library. Magic rippled around me in all directions. Not surprising since this was essentially a pocket dimension. What was surprising was the magic under my feet that spawned as soon as I arrived.
You have activated a magical trap!
Dexterity Save: 18 (+4) = 22 [Success]
4 damage, No Stun
The trap let out a burst of electricity, but I threw myself aside just in time, diving behind a pile of boxes that were lined up along one side of the hallway. There was a shout of surprise from deeper in the room at once as the trap went off. It had made a great deal of noise. By the sound of it, there were at least three people heading in my direction. Equally as obvious was the fact that they weren’t pleased about being discovered.
“Fan out!” One voice shouted. “We’ve been invaded! Attack anything you see!”
Well, that basically guaranteed that I wasn’t going to move. I tried to shrink back further into the shadows to avoid being seen, hoping that the large pile of boxes and the uncertain light could cover me enough.
Stealth Check: 16 (+2) = 18
No answer as to whether or not it succeeded, then. Of course, if it followed the standard D&D system, my ability to hide would depend on their Perception, and not my Stealth. But I’d rolled fairly high, so I was confident I’d remain unnoticed. Sure enough, when one of the figures passed directly by me, he glanced in my direction but still didn’t spot me.
I could only see the one mage from where I crouched, but I could identify their robe as belonging to the Mage City of Caldera in the Untamed Continent. Whether this was the mage that Gogo had met or not, I couldn’t tell. But I knew for sure that I wasn’t about to reveal myself and risk getting destroyed by a flurry of spells. I was already down four health from that damned trap.
Gogo! I almost cursed aloud with the realization. She’d be following me any second, and she didn’t know that there were three enemies gathered around the entry point, on guard and ready to attack. I had to jump out of my hiding spot if I wanted to protect her. I didn’t consider leaving her to fend for herself for even a moment. A second later, I could feel a flash of magic right where I’d landed before and knew Gogo was appearing. I just hoped that the trap hadn’t activated.
“Fight, Gogo!” I shouted, as soon as I saw her appear. My shout caught the nearest mage by surprise, as did my lunge out of cover. I had my sword drawn before they could locate me. The words ‘Surprise Round’ appeared in front of my eyes, and I slashed at the mage.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.
Attack: 7 (+4) = 11 [Failure]
Initiative Check: 14 (+4) = 18
You have the advantage!
I didn’t bother swinging my sword again, even if I’d surprised the mage. Instead, I snatched the front of their robe and tried to slam them down to the ground with my free hand, acting on instinct and my memory of the martial arts I’d taken as a youth.
Grapple Check: 13 (+4) = 17 [Success]
It was easier than I’d expected. The mage went down like a sack of potatoes. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Gogo duck under a firebolt, then smack the mage that had attacked her with the butt of her spear. No, not her. She was definitely masculine in her attack pattern. So not just in the city, I thought wildly. Either way, the mage stumbled back, stunned by the attack. Gogo turned in place to face off against the second mage, blocking another firebolt with her shield.
The mage I was holding attempted to break free, but my grip was too strong. So instead, he tried to zap me with a bolt of electricity. It struck me in the chest but didn’t have nearly enough power behind it to hurt me. In retaliation, I cast a Ki Strike with the hand that was pinning him down.
Strike: 20 (+4) = 24 [Success]
Critical Hit!
8 Damage
It wasn’t a killing blow, but the mage let out a gasp of shock and pain, and I felt rather than heard several of his ribs break. Gogo darted towards us, thrusting his spear down in a vicious cut. The mage conjured a barrier, and the weapon glanced off at a shallow angle. Then two different bolts of fire struck Gogo from behind, nearly knocking him off his feet. I released my grip on the mage and ducked around Gogo, running toward the closest of the two other opponents, and slashing my weapon.
Attack: 16 (+4) = 20 [Success]
7 Damage
The mage reeled back, attempting to hit me with a close-range electric attack, but I was ready and jumped aside just in time. Another bolt of fire flew at me, but missed by several inches. Behind me, Gogo gave another thrust of his spear, finishing off the first mage. Reassured, I rushed forward, slashing at the same mage once again. My sword hit, biting deep into his body, and he went limp.
“Damn you!” The last surviving mage snarled, conjuring a portal and jumping through. “You’ll pay for interfering with Caldera!”
I tried to rush after him, but in an instant, he was gone. I turned in all directions quickly, trying to find another opponent, but it was silent in the room. Still, it took me a few seconds to relax. Finally, I let out a long sigh and sheathed the sword, turning to Gogo.
“Are you badly injured?” I asked him, moving forward at once. “You can wound me if you need to heal.”
“No need,” Gogo said, baring his teeth in a triumphant grin. Mana was already coursing over his body, healing the wounds he’d sustained. “Turns out he was quite adept at healing.”
“Nice,” I grinned back. In my worry, I’d forgotten about Gogo’s unique ability. Then the grin faded as the reality of the moment caught up to me. “Damn. I hadn’t planned on attacking them.”
Gogo merely shrugged. “They attacked first. I could sense the trap that hit you as soon as I came in. It was self-defense. But why would they bother making this hidden space?”
I gestured in the direction of the library. “I bet we’d find out if we searched a bit.”
“Good thinking. But let’s not take too long. I wouldn’t be surprised if he came back with reinforcements soon.”
“Good point. Let’s make it quick then.”
We split up, first searching the two mages we’d taken down. The one that I’d grappled had an interesting find, a notebook with spells written down. That would prove to be useful. I tucked it into the pouch at my belt for now, along with the three gold, four silver, and thirteen copper pieces he carried. Gogo fished out a handful of coins and a gem from the pocket of the other, and we started scouring the library for anything we could find.
Investigation Check: 6 (+2) = 8
Nothing of note catches your eye.
Well, that was disappointing. I did a full circle of the large room but found nothing apart from a large table. It bore two maps, one of Zaban, and one of Lake Omnet in greater detail. The second map showed all the paths the mages had taken in trying to explore the lake. It was mostly written in a language I didn’t understand but looked Russian in nature. No, I corrected myself. Attosian.
“I think we should take this,” I said to Gogo as they came closer. “I’m sure we could find some use out of it.”
“I think you’re right,” they said, but their expression said clearly that they didn’t care either way. Right, I thought. Maps weren’t exciting. Still, I rolled the map up carefully, tucking it into my bag. That left another thick book to be grabbed. A History of the Magical Lakes of Zaban, the title read. Written by Michael Inaro. Not a name I was familiar with. I took the book as well, then slung my backpack over my shoulders.
“Don’t think we can learn anything else,” I said quickly. “But we don’t really have time to check any further.”
“Will this prove of any use?” Gogo asked, showing me a tightly furled scroll. It was sealed with wax and looked as though it hadn’t been broken. I frowned at it, already wondering what it was.
“Take it with us. I’ll read through it later.”
Gogo tucked it into their belt, shrugging indifferently. “Alright, let’s get out of here.”
Leaving was just as easy as entering. We went to the point at which we’d appeared, finding a mark on the floor. As soon as we touched it, we were pulled out of the pocket dimension and found ourselves back on the shore of Lake Omnet. After the dim lighting of that library, the outside light was particularly bright. Blinking rapidly to let my eyes adjust, I led the way back to the Wild Mages camp, keeping my eyes out for any Calderan mages that might try to attack us. But nobody showed themselves until we reached the northern gate.
To my surprise, Miel was loitering by the entrance, and he hurried forward as we came into view, looking concerned. “Are you two alright? I was worried you wouldn’t return!”
“Why?” I asked, coming to a stop so we could talk. “What’s wrong?”
“The Alpha Mage is furious,” Miel replied, looking grim. “He says that someone stole one of his maps of Lake Omnet. He’s looking all over the camp for it.”
Gogo and I shared a quick look. “I wonder if that’s the map we found.”
“You’d better go in at once and see him,” Miel said. “Apparently it’s a magical artifact that his father gave him.”
“He wasn’t missing anything else, was he?” I asked quickly. “Because we can go back to that library and find more if so.”
Miel shook his head, already leading me back toward the camp’s entrance. “I don’t think so. At least, he didn’t mention anything. I’m guessing you found that with the Calderans? I don’t fancy their chances if they make the mistake of coming back to the camp.”
That was a relief, I thought. I was still worried about the mage finding us and attacking because I was sure that he’d remembered my face. But it seemed that we’d be safe in the camp for a while at least. I broke into a light jog again, heading toward the center where I knew Zerial Thunderborn’s home was located, the map clutched in my hand. Maybe doing him this favor would help me in the long run.