With the first ray of morning light, the Ward surrounding our parents’ house and workshop produced a ringing, bell-like sound, notifying everyone within that a group of visitors were standing at the entrance gate, demanding entry.
Georgi made the gate with Delta and me at the end of last summer from Moonwood roots reinforced with his magic. The gate stood between a fence formed from massive stones we brought into position from the woods with the [Gravity] spell I had acquired from the crashed Basq glider.
“Early visitors, hrrmmm?” I asked as I sent an Infoscope to determine who they were.
“Damn,” I growled when I saw who it was, emerging into the hallway.
“What?” Delta and Kliss looked at me, as they came out from their shared bedroom.
“Looks like we’re not the only party that decided to move their schedule ahead,” I said, rubbing sleep out of my eyes. “Giovashi’s minions are here.”
“The barmaids?” Delta yawned. “I thought that they were level twenty and couldn’t see through our wards!”
“I guess they either finally figured things out, or decided that this morning was the most optimal time to strike,” I shrugged.
“How many enemies are there?” Kliss asked, her body tensing up.
“Twenty seven females wearing spell-proof spidersilk robes with heavy ironmail armour plates beneath,” I said. “Aged 17 to 27. Magenta is at the front, currently probing our Ward with a very dangerous-looking black iron staff.”
“Eh?” Delta inquired. “Is it Empire-made magitek, like the Overseer's armacus?”
“Obviously not,” I said. “Wait… I remember this staff! It was in Klint’s memories. It’s a divine staff of Ishira, used to attack him a thousand years ago! The rest of them have Ishira’s charisma-magnifying iron collars and arcane iron blades covered in blood runes. Hrmm."
“Is this… worse than Giovashi herself showing up?” Kliss asked, red-orange, dragon fingernails digging into the door frame.
“It’s not exactly what I expected,” I said. “I can easily handle a single archmage, but there are twenty seven of them here. A lot of the older women in the back are around LV 40... with artefacts stacking them to go level 80 and 90.”
“Eeesh,” Delta yelped. "That sounds bad."
“They aren't even from Skyisle–we don't have this many barmaids. Either they came via a concealed skyship or they were gated into the catacombs from elsewhere. If all of them start firing spells at the same time, or use [Truth] to interrogate one of us or our parents, my Infoscopes won’t be able to disassemble them all.”
Our trio rushed downstairs into the living room, where we almost collided with Georgi and Cassandra. I could see the gathered lilac-robed Ishira priestesses through the circular windows at the front of our house.
Gold eyes were painted on their forehead, magnifying their power of [Foresight]. If we started firing spells at them, they could likely dodge them with incredible ease. Delta bit her lip as she peered through the stained glass window at the priestesses.
“Georgi Alan Skyisle! I order you to lower your Ward, in the name of our All-Seeing Goddess!” Magenta’s voice echoed across the garden and the cottage, magnified by the root-like, black iron staff in her hands. The tip of the staff was covered in violet, glowing, lily-shaped gemstones. The artifact boosted the power of a LV 20 teenager to level 100!
Magenta’s cultist hood was off and her short, violet hair was fluttering in the wind. My Infoscopes spotted several Vows to Ishira hovering over her shoulder looking like bloated, lopsided, gold mushrooms. The rest of the local barmaids from the Fox & Fiddle stood beside her. Giovashi was using the local teens as a meat shield and had likely deduced with a [Foresight] skill that I could not simply obliterate them with magic.
There was immense power in the voice of the teenage barmaid now, filled with incredible Charisma thanks to the staff she held. I watched as the [Charisma] spell went right through our ward and struck Georgi. His eyes glazed over and he walked to the Ward-control gemstone embedded in the doorframe of the front door.
Just as his hand reached the gem, I sent one of my Infoscopes through the floorboards, activating the Alanian Astral Engine buried there.
The barrier-Ward-shield surrounding the house thickened as necromage power, gathered for a thousand years within an ancient obelisk, poured into it.
The LV 20 ward became deactivated by Georgi, but the Level 200 Ward, one designed a thousand years ago and repaired by me manifested into existence right behind it.
"Hrm," Magenta pursed her lips as the Ward flickered off and on again.
Delta stuck her tongue out at the cultists.
“Georgi Alan Skyisle! Lower your ward and let us in!” Magenta repeated. The [Charisma] magic in her words became greatly dulled, reduced to almost nothing by the newly activated Ward.
“Why?” Georgi uttered, as his mind emerged out of the Charisma-caused stupor.
“We are the Hand of All-Seeing Goddess Ishira,” Magenta declared as she must have heard his reply. “The wooden wands you are manufacturing for the Guilds and children of Skyisle are to be confiscated and destroyed, for they are cursed tools…”
I readjusted the house Ward to block all sound. Magenta’s voice cut off mid-sentence.
“Cursed?” Georgi repeated. “What?”
My third Infoscope was already directing the bandaged-covered ant-mech down the stairwell. Under my instructions, the ant-mech quickly donned the usual white, wooden armour and silver goggles belonging to Archmage Delta.
“Don’t listen to these poor, misguided girls,” I said through the ant-mech with the voice of Archmage Kerenski. “They’ve been bound by the dark magic of renegade Giovashi, deceived with Charisma spells.”
“Vladislav?" Georgi turned to the ant-mech. "What should we do?”
“They came to destroy your workshop,” I said. “The very workshop that’s been improving the lives of everyone in Skyisle. I won’t let them. Georgi, Cassandra – you must hide below the house at once, as you are only level twenty and will be easily affected by the Charisma spells cast by the cultists.”
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“What about our children?” Cassandra demanded, looking at Delta and me.
“Destiny and Dante are our apprentices, trained personally by us for over a year now! They will aid us in the defence of your home,” I said through the bee-speaker.
“But…” Mom began.
“They are of age and know exactly how to assist us. You do not. Take the tunnel beneath the house to the catacombs and hide there next to the Ward obelisk,” I ordered. “Stay there until ordered otherwise.”
“There’s a tunnel and an entire obelisk beneath our house?” Cassandra blinked.
“There is a network of ancient tunnels beneath Skyisle built by the Alanian empire,” I said. “Go now. The secret door to the catacombs will now become visible to you in the basement, inside the cold storage room.”
My parents looked lost, refusing to budge. Magenta was yelling more demands from the outside, but they weren’t reaching us anymore.
“Go mom,” I added from my teenage mouth. “You’re only going to get in the way – you’re an agromancer, not an Archmage trained in defence tactics of Oz.”
“They will not be hurt. It will be a good experience for them,” I added as Archmage Kerenski.
“Come on, love, let's go see this obelisk,” Georgi grabbed Cassandra by her elbow and pulled her into the basement. I watched through my 4th Infoscope as they reached the secret door and departed into the catacombs.
Mesmy leapt through the back window of the cottage and rushed up my back to curl around my neck, gray, fluffy tail twitching, ready to defend her master. The Mesmerbane fox was hunting mice in our backyard this morning.
“What should I…?” Kliss asked, emerald-citrine eyes filled with worry.
“Just hold our hands,” I said.
“That’s it?” she inquired.
“Yep,” I nodded. “Your dragonheart stabilises our souls and will also keep my sister from rushing into battle. Stay close to me so that Mesmy's power defends us from Charisma orders.”
“What? I wasn’t gonna rush into…” Delta huffed.
“You were,” I interrupted her. “I know you.”
“Charisma doesn’t work on Astral Phantoms,” Delta snarled. “Lemme nip at their Vows!”
“I will not,” I shook my hands. “They have high-level, Phantom-repelling lanterns. If you get struck by a pulse from one of those, you might get knocked out and drift into the deep Astral.”
“But,” Delta whined. “I can…”
“Stay put and hold Kliss’ hand, damn it, this is an order!” I growled. “I’m going to do something that I haven’t done before - steal your intelligence.”
“What?” Kliss asked.
“Delta and I are bound by some kind of a divine thread from birth,” I said. “I reinforced it with my own Tether and connected it even more. I can use it to pull her stats into mine, to increase my [Intelligence] stat!”
“Got it,” the dragon-girl said and stepped to my sister. Kliss didn’t simply grab Delta’s hand. She pulled my twin into a firm embrace, holding onto Delta’s body. Delta struggled for a few seconds and then relaxed and closed her eyes, accepting the dragonheart generated warmth.
Wielding the ant-mech with one of my Infoscopes, I quickly grabbed the offered hand of my dragon-apprentice and marched Aunt Delta out of the front door, to parlay with the cultists.
Our trio sat down on the living room couch, as the ant-mech closed the door behind itself and approached the lilac-robed women standing at the path leading to our house between massive, mossy boulders.
“Who are you?” Magenta demanded when she spotted the ant-mech through the decorative gate. “Where is Georgi?!”
“I am Delta Alana Skyisle, the Eldest Archmage of Skyisle and the true Sentinel of Alania!” I announced with an old, scruffy, female voice from the bee-speaker. “I sent Georgi away. What is this gathering of children doing on my doorstep wearing such gaudy robes? Are you here to sell me some flowers, perhaps?”
“Children?! What flowers…?!” Magenta sputtered. “I am a High Priestess of…”
“Do you know who I am, child?” I magnified my own voice across the Ward, drowning out her words. “I am Ishira’s Bishop from the Triumvirate Cathedral of our Goddess in Oz! If you’ve come to pay me respects, you may do so now.”
“Oz?” Magenta sputtered. “Bishop?! What?”
The cultists behind her made noises of mild confusion.
“There is no such thing as Bishop of Ishira,” one of the older women said. “There is no nation called Oz.”
“All of you have clearly been deceived by renegade Giovashi,” I said. “If you intend to harm my family's home, I will obliterate you here and now.”
“Obliterate us?!” Magenta scoffed. “There are twenty seven of us and one of you! We can see all magic before you even say activate the spell! Surrender, allow us entry and we will spare your life, you old crone!”
“Oh? You doubt my credentials?” I added sternly, making the ant-mech smirk dangerously. “Go ahead, little darling–cast an Identify spell at me. I will allow it to pass through the Ward.”
“F-fine,” Magenta pointed the black staff at me. “Identify!”
As my mind accelerated and time slowed, I converged all four of my Infoscopes to disassemble and modify the incoming Identify spell. It took all of my Intelligence plus the Intelligence present in Delta’s soul to identify and tear the spell apart before it struck the ant-mech. The Identify spell fired at us was level 98 and incredibly potent.
I gritted my teeth from the burning migraine as my mind slowed. The Infoscopes finished their job, the false results returned back to Magenta.
“What the shit,” she muttered, eyes wide. “By Ishira's grace! No… surely, this cannot be.”
“What did the spell say?” The women behind her demanded.
“The Iron-staff of Ishira defined her as Delta Alana Skyisle, LV 300 Archmage and Bishop of our Lady Ishira!” Magenta sputtered.
“Impossible!” one of the older women hissed.
"What?" The others cried out in shock.
“Oh?” I laughed through the ant-mech’s lips. “Do you children think that it’s somehow possible to mess with an Identify spell that came from the Staff of Ishira herself?”
“N-no,” Magenta choked. “The Staff cannot be deceived, it is an arcane tool from before the Age of Darkness!”
“Give me that stolen staff,” I said, opening my hand. “Its power is not meant for you, child.”
“W-what? I… I cannot,” Magenta took a step back, pink eyes filled with worry. “We must destroy this workshop and its vile contents!”
“Its contents are of MY design, meant to uplift Skyisle, you fool!” I barked, my voice booming across the open space between us. “Are you blind, child?! Has Skyisle not prospered over the past year? Have you not felt it in your soul? It is now far easier to cast magic in this village, because of my work! I was tasked by our Goddess to heal this blighted land, to drive back the breath of Decay and to heal the Valley of Death!”
“It is true,” one of the younger teens muttered. “It… it feels easier to breathe. My granmom’s cough has lessened.”
“It is vile deception,” one of the women in the back hissed. “It has to be! Giovashi warned us about this! The tools made here are the work of demons and must be…”
“What demons?!” I laughed. “Do you not see the true Voice of Ishira before you? I am Her Bishop and you are but confused kids playing with toys stolen by renegade Giovashi from the catacombs below MY town!”
“Kill her,” one of the robed cultists put a hand onto Magenta’s shoulder. “Use the staff. We will pour our power into you to end this false Bishop!”
The cultists began joining hands. Twenty six pairs of hands reached out to Magenta to magnify her power tenfold. With each added hand, the fractal of power within the staff set to [Destruction] leapt from level 98 to level 120 to level 150, to 190!
I knew that it would be impossible to oppose such high level magic, that if I let them all touch Magenta then the deadly spell from Ishira’s iron staff would punch through the Ward, obliterate the ant-mech and leave burning ruins in place of our dad’s workshop.
Then the cultists would likely burn all of Leemy's saplings that we planted across Skyisle to clean up the air.
According to my Infoscopes and Neurovista, there simply wasn’t enough magic to oppose twenty seven cultists, not enough mana in our trio, not enough power pouring within the Alanian obelisk beneath our house to deflect the [Destruction] spell that I knew was inevitably coming…