Walking into a camp of powerful mages carrying stolen property was not a comfortable feeling. The fact that the property belonged to the strongest of the mages, a man who could evaporate me with a flick of his fingers, that made it even worse. I could practically feel my heartbeat pounding against my ribs, and I almost believed that everyone within fifty yards could hear it. Still, I took a deep breath, hiding my fear, and took a step forward. The next step should have been easier. Alas, it was not.
“Don’t worry,” Gogo said, her tone reassuring. “He’ll know that you weren’t the one that took it.”
“I’m not worried about that,” I replied out of the corner of my eye. “His rage might just burn me at close range.”
Gogo said nothing, but the corner of her mouth twitched, making it clear that she’d found that hilarious. “Why thank you for enjoying my misery.”
“All in company,” she said sagely, yawning pointedly. “I make up for my shortcomings with my abundant charm.”
Now it was my turn to hide a smirk. Too bad I was too scared to make the effort. Nonetheless, Gogo’s casual jabs at my tension did help relieve a bit of my apprehension. She was more alert to social cues than she let on, and I felt grateful that, instead of distancing herself from the man carrying such a dangerous item as she could, she chose to stick beside me and offer her support. In her own way, of course.
“Thank you,” I said again, this time genuinely. “It means a lot.”
She gave no sign that she understood what I was talking about. I didn’t expect one. The banter between us, brief as it was, allowed the time to pass more smoothly. Before we knew it, we were standing in front of the Alpha Mage’s hut. To call it a hut seemed disingenuous. Sure, it was only a single story tall, and roofed with thick thatch like most of the buildings in the camp, but the amount of magical power layered into its construction exerted an aura of terrifying power. A dozen cannonballs could have smashed into the structure and not left a single dent.
“Alpha Mage,” I said, raising my voice. It quavered with my fear, and I mentally kicked myself. I cleared my throat and tried again, putting a little more force into my words. “Alpha Mage, I have retrieved your stolen map.”
There was movement from within the hut at once, and Zerial Thunderborn appeared at the entrance, looking pale. I would have called his expression scared if the thought wasn’t so opposed to the image I had of the man. He reached out at once to snatch the rolled parchment from my hand and unfurled it. He peered down at its surface for a moment, frowning, then waved a hand over it, casting some spell. Finally, a little color returned to his face, and he seemed relieved.
“Good, good,” he muttered. Then he raised his eyes to burn into mine. I almost backed off a pace, but held my ground, trying not to show my fear. “Tell me, and be true. Were you the one who marked my map?”
“No,” I said at once. I refrained from adding ‘sir’, but only by sheer will. The Wild Mages didn’t believe in such methods of address. “It was marked when we found it in the Calderan Mage’s pocket dimension.”
“And you have not glanced past the illusion that rests upon it?”
That question took me by surprise. I’d never considered that such a thing had been in place. There certainly hadn’t been any signs that I could see. “No. Even if I knew there was one to look past, I’d have no idea how. Nor would I be interested.”
A wry smirk formed on Thunderborn’s face. “Don’t try to fool me. I can see that you have an inquisitive mind. You want to know even now.”
Which was the truth, but I wouldn’t say so. In fact, I had an inkling of what the secret was. There was only one thing that the Alpha Mage would want to protect with such vehemence. So instead, I shrugged. “Not once I knew it was yours, at least.”
“That is the truth,” he replied, still staring at me intently. Not judging, just measuring. Extracting something. “Nonetheless, there must be a reward for this.”
I raised my hands at once. “I don’t need a reward. I took it from the Calderans because I thought it was something that could prove useful to me. I didn’t know it was yours until Miel informed me.”
“Then we won’t consider it a reward,” he said smoothly, changing tack at once. “We’ll call it a trade. You’ve done a service for me, even if unintentionally. Now I see fit to settle the debt.”
From a pouch on his belt, he retrieved a different scroll. It looked old but radiated just enough faint mana to hint that it was magical. “You have recovered a relic of great importance to my family. In return, I will offer you the chance to learn one of our family’s skills. Read this, and return it to me. That goes for your friend, as well.”
Hesitantly, I took the scroll from his hand and unfurled it. As I’d expected, it was magical. It was an inscribed spell. Tilting it so that Gogo could read as well, I scanned what was recorded on the parchment. Almost at once, words flashed across my field of vision, letting me know I’d learned a new spell.
Rushing Tempest(K): Channel the natural forces around you, conjuring a brief but powerful storm to aid you in combat. Each enemy in sight within thirty feet of you takes 10d8 thunder damage and must succeed on a Strength saving throw, or be pushed back twenty feet.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
As a bonus action, you may activate this spell again at no cost within two turns to summon the brunt of the storm again, targeting a single enemy. They take 5d8 thunder damage and must succeed on a Strength saving throw or be pushed back 20 feet.
That was a powerful spell, I thought to myself. A sixth tier, costing six Ki. Granted, it was epically powerful for the cost. But definitely not something that I could cast just yet. It would sit there for quite a while until I gained enough magical prowess to manage it.
Beside me, Gogo let out a low whistle and leaned back, her eyes wide. I rerolled the scroll and handed it back to Zerial, my mind spinning. I hadn’t even hoped to learn a spell that powerful so early on. “Thank you, Alpha.”
Zerial nodded in his own turn and pocketed the spell. “I doubt I need to stress that you have just learned a very exclusive magic. While I will not go so far as to prohibit you from teaching it to another, I will say that you should weigh the responsibility heavily.”
Then a mischievous light entered his eye, and he added, “And certainly make sure it’s worth your while.”
I nodded my understanding at once. “I’m honored.”
Zerial looked past Gogo and me to address the other people that had gathered, at least three dozen. “If the Calderans that stole this map should return to the camp, you will make every effort to capture them and bring them to me. All Calderans will have to prove their honesty and trustworthiness before being allowed access to the camp again.”
There was a loud chorus of assent from everyone, and the crowd departed. Thunderborn looked back to me and Gogo. “Thank you again for retrieving this map. If you need any assistance or help to learn something, I believe you’ll find that the Wild Mages will be more than willing to help you.”
Gogo and I both inclined our heads in a bow, and he turned on his heel, disappearing back into his hut. We glanced at each other then. I could tell that Gogo, like me, didn’t know where to go or what to do next. After such a momentous and disconcerting event, nothing we could think of would match up. Thankfully, we were saved the responsibility of thinking of something as Miel reappeared out of the dispersing crowd, grinning broadly at both of us.
“You find yourself in good standing suddenly,” he pointed out as if we hadn’t noticed. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen outsiders gain Thunderborn’s favor so quickly.”
“Have you ever, err, gotten the chance to learn this spell?” I asked him. “I’m sorry if that sounds insincere or rude.”
Miel waved a hand in dismissal. “Nothing of the sort, lad. But yes, I do know it. A tempest has come in quite handy many times. Alas, I’m not as proficient with physical magicks as I’d like.”
“I’m sure you’re better than I am,” I grumbled. “I already know I won’t be able to use that spell for a while.”
“Then you’d better hope you don’t forget it,” Miel replied with a booming laugh. “He’s not fond of those who come back and ask to learn the spell again.”
I laughed as well, and so did Gogo. “I don’t think there’s a chance of that. I have a pretty good memory.”
“And I believe you. But for now, let’s forget about magicks and our own shortcomings. You two deserve some fine food and drink for your efforts. Come and join our fire. We can’t promise fine food, but I make an excellent steak.”
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After a hearty meal that was indeed fine food, Gogo and I retired a fair distance away from the others to relax after a long day. The impromptu feast had gone on for hours, and it was already Temple Day. But the thought of visiting a shrine or paying tribute to a deity could wait until sleep. But even before that, I drew Gogo’s attention to the spellbook that I’d taken from one of the fallen mages.
“Ah, yes, I remember you’d grabbed that,” she said. “Are there any good spells in there?”
“I haven’t had the chance to check,” I said, opening the thin book. To tell the truth, it was more of a pamphlet, just a dozen pages or so. “But I figure now is as good a time as any.”
I offered the book over, and she took it, flipping through the pages with a raised eyebrow. “Sadly, I already know most of these, and the ones I don’t know don’t particularly interest me. Still, it couldn’t hurt to memorize this last one.”
She turned it to show me, and, as before, words flashed across my eyes.
Locate Object (M,A): Peer into the ethereal plane, seeking an object with which you are already familiar. For the rest of the day, you will be constantly aware of its location and distance from you.
A second-tier spell, costing two Mana or Aura. Very useful. I marveled quietly at how fast the system recorded the spell. It seemed I just had to glance at a spell’s inscription to learn it, and I would never forget it again. In addition to that spell, more appeared when I flipped through the rest of the book, all appearing before my eyes.
-First Tier Spells Learned-
Healing Word (M,K,A): Channel your energy into a wound within touch range, healing (1d4+1) damage.
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Firebolt (M): Strike an opponent with a small ball of flame, dealing (1d6) fire damage. Any unequipped and non-magical items struck will be ignited.
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Arcane Weapon (M): You channel arcane energy into one simple or martial weapon you’re holding, and choose one damage type: acid, cold, fire, lightning, poison, or thunder. Until the spell ends, you deal an extra 1d6 damage of the chosen type to any target you hit with the weapon. If the weapon isn’t magical, it becomes a magic weapon for 1 hour.
As a bonus action, you can change the damage type, choosing from the options above.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, you can maintain your concentration on the spell for up to 8 hours.
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-Second Tier Spell Learned-
Locate Object (M,A): Peer into the ethereal plane, seeking an object you are already familiar with. For the rest of the day, you will constantly be aware of its location and distance from you.
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-Third Tier Spell Learned-
Counterspell (M): You attempt to interrupt a creature in the process of casting a spell. If the creature is casting a spell of 3rd level or lower, its spell fails and has no effect. If it is casting a spell of 4th level or higher, make an ability check using your spellcasting ability. The DC equals 10 + the spell’s level. On a success, the creature’s spell fails and has no effect.
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-Fourth Tier Spell Learned-
Scry (M,A): Connect to a place or person with which you are familiar. You may see your target and its immediate surroundings for up to 1 minute.
“Damn, that’s a lot of spells,” I muttered. “Some pretty good ones too. Especially Arcane Weapon. That’s the first spell you’re taught as a spellblade in the College of Milagre.”
“Oh, you’ve been to Milagre?” Gogo asked, looking impressed. “My, you are well-traveled. I hope you want to return soon because that’s my next goal.”
“Whenever you want,” I agreed at once. “It’d be nice to see it again.”
“Not yet, perhaps. There are still a few things I wish to learn from Zaban. Perhaps in a week or so.”
“Sounds good to me.”