One should never underestimate a northlander.
That nugget of wisdom was forever ingrained into Fifteen’s mind the instant she laid eyes on the ‘hot cave’ that the lads had ‘dug out.’ It was impossible to tell how large the original cavern was because the one that replaced it could only be described as enormous, massive, gigantic, colossal, and other big-sounding words. The scale of it utterly shattered her expectations. One could easily recreate the northlanders’ mansion-like lodge inside and still have enough room left over to erect an entire bloody neighborhood around it, and that much was clear just from standing at its entrance. It really was unbelievable that mere manual labor could excavate this much stone out of a mountain cliff.
And by ‘unbelievable’ Fifteen meant that she literally did not believe this was done by hand, and so she started grasping at straws to make sense of this.
“Do any earth mages live nearby?”
It would still be a monumental task even with a wizard’s help, but at least it would be plausible.
“Nope,” Ogg answered instantly.
“You’re the only sparkle-fingers that’s come up here in a long time,” Brog added.
“Who was the last one?” she questioned.
“Dunno. We never met him. Some rock-knower that Mog called over to see the hot cave, check if it was worth digging it up. Left without saying hello, or trying my soup!” the man frowned.
“Oh, I remember that!” his friend chimed in. “Thog was moaning all week ‘cuz the sparkle-fingers kept using some really big words that he didn’t know.”
“Nobody did,” Brog’s scowl deepened. “Except maybe Mog.”
“Can you remember anything of what he told you?”
It was a long shot, but Fifteen lost nothing by asking.
“Only that none of it sounded like a ‘no,’ so we started digging as soon as he left.”
No surprises there, but at least someone around here had the common decency to have the area surveyed. She therefore held out hope that these people had a better reason to shift so much stone in so little–
“Wait, how long ago was this?”
The two big lads looked at each other, then started scratching their heads and counting on their fingers. The amount of time they took somewhat worried Fifteen, so she braced herself for a ridiculous answer. It was a good thing she did.
“About twenty winters.”
“Give or take a few.”
“I see,” she took it well. “And when did you stop digging?”
“When the smokey boys showed up.”
“A few weeks ago?”
“Somewhere there, yeah.”
Fifteen nodded firmly. That time frame would explain a lot. Whoever they asked to survey the site probably had no idea a place of power dwelled here since these lads had yet to dig it out. To keep at it for two solid decades, she imagined there was more to their perseverance than just ‘smashing rocks was fun.’ No, it would be more accurate to say she hoped that was the case, otherwise her faith in humanity would take a drastic nosedive. Either way, she figured she’d leave digging up the past for after the job at hand was done, and on that note she had a small concern.
“Last question – why did you make the cave so tall?”
“We didn’t mean to,” Ogg grumbled.
“The roof kept falling and we kept clearing it,” Brog added.
In other words, they got caved-in so much that the walls and ceiling eventually settled on this odd concave shape as the most naturally stable one. That would also explain the complete and total lack of support structures, which was what prompted her question. She had to commend the northlanders’ commitment and resilience, but their common sense and general knowledge left much to be desired. In any event, if the cavern had exhausted all of its cave-ins, then there probably wasn’t much reason to worry about it. With that concern tenuously put to rest, Fifteen decided it was time to go into ‘work mode.’
First, she left the heavy bag with her travel supplies, camping gear, and other luggage under a giant, dented bucket that happened to be lying around. She then checked her equipment. Coated robes were intact and without any rips or holes. Well, not new ones anyway. The eight staves in her back-sling were held just tight enough to not fall out from excessive movement, yet had enough slack to be drawn with a twist and a yank. Her belt was fully loaded with six emergency elixirs – one dose of concentrated ashplume extract, one vial of sponge-foam, one sand sugar mixing kit, one Wake-Me-Up potion, and two salves to alleviate burns and bleeding. Last but not least, her trusty field knife, because no self-respecting adventurer would be caught dead without a backup blade. It was a good thing she bought one made of top-notch steel, otherwise might have bent or warped from all that heat she channeled through it earlier.
This gear was usually enough to get her through most situations, but there was one small problem with the cave that her usual equipment couldn’t handle – the darkness. Ogg and Brog grabbed some oil lanterns from a nearby junk pile and that was probably enough for them, but Fifteen didn’t have the spare hand to carry one into battle. Dangling one from her belt wasn’t an option either since that was a self-immolation waiting to happen. Not that she needed the bulky lamp, anyway. Preparedness was a wizard’s best weapon, and Fifteen had come well-armed indeed. The issue of illumination could easily be resolved if she revealed one of her only two magic items, and she saw no reason to hide it from those two.
She stuck her hands in her hood and removed the necklace she usually wore under her robes. It appeared to be a thumb-sized crystal vial that dangled from a simple silver chain, its contents a milky elixir. She firmly grasped the accessory in one hand and gave it twenty vigorous shakes. When she next opened her fingers, the vial glowed with such intensity that it made the lads’ lanterns look like candles on their last legs. This was something she had no issue dangling from her waist since it took a lot of effort to break even a low-grade enchanted item, and this one was of a deceptively high quality. Its official name was Wandering Starlight and it was a gift she received from her mentors at the Order of Ash in recognition of their Two Hundred and Fifteenth Acolyte’s academic excellence. It was a rare and valuable item that she received alongside the ominous title of Torch-Bearer of Destruction, so she didn’t feel comfortable flaunting in public.
With her shining treasure affixed to her belt – it might blind her if she wore it around her neck – the sorceress was finally ready to delve into the deep. The group entered the cavern and descended along the wide downward slope. Bahm walked about fifteen paces in front and the large lads followed behind at twice that distance. The saber-tooth didn’t really need or want any equipment or elixirs, preferring to rely on his natural senses and abilities. However, those would prove insufficient against this opponent. The beast’s attacks were entirely physical, so his claws and fangs would just go straight through the steam elementals without doing anything but burn his paws and face. Thankfully, Fifteen had a spell to help with that, and Bahm wasn’t so proud as to refuse it. That said, it was something of an experiment with an uncertain outcome. The spell in question wasn’t one intended to be used on a living creature, but wizards and familiar alike had this strange sensation it would work out. The bond they shared was largely subconscious, so it was wise to trust gut feelings that were mutual.
The group proceeded deeper and deeper for a long while. Fifteen wasn’t keeping track of the exact time since her attention was better spent scanning the surroundings for traps or ambushes. Elementals weren’t all that smart, but they weren’t idiots, either. Sure enough, they had taken some precautions after the northlanders’ initial attempt to retake the cave. The ground and walls had a bunch of magical traps in them – pressurized air pockets that would pop with a loud ‘bang’ when triggered. Though technically an explosion, they didn’t seem powerful enough to cause any harm besides ringing ears. Most likely they were intended as alarms and might have worked if not for Wandering Starlight. The vial’s serene white glow painted the otherwise invisible traps in an impossible-to-miss rainbow pattern.
Though, even if they were able to avoid alerting the enemy ahead of time, stealth wasn’t an option. Fifteen was never all that good at sneaking around even before she got that brass-and-steel leg, not to mention the miniature sun dangling from her waist would give away her position well ahead of time in this total darkness. As such, she and Bahm proceeded forward with the expectation that the enemy would make the first move. They knew they were almost at the cavern’s deepest part when the air started to turn warm and humid. Fifteen nodded as if to say ‘It’s time,’ and her partner returned the gesture along with a feeling of ‘Let’s do this.’
“Ogg, Brog, I’ll be casting some spells. Don’t be startled.”
The onlookers nodded furiously, their excitement clear. They watched with anticipation as the sparkle-fingers kneeled and the big kitty walked over to sit in front of her. The woman held her left hand out palm-up, as if waiting to receive something. The saber-tooth then extended its right paw and placed it on top. From the ignorant duo’s point of view, it was the classic ‘shake hands’ trick in action, and they couldn’t help but politely applaud this display of friendship and trust.
Fifteen shot them a brief sideways glance, but decided not to voice the obvious question of what the hell they were clapping for. She ignored them and concentrated on her magic. Her heart quivered in both anticipation and apprehension, but she calmed those emotions as best she could. No, wait. Perhaps adhering to her teachings was a bad idea in this case. A wavering heart could disrupt the arcane formulas and mental exercises that went into invoking a spell, causing it to weaken, fail, or even backfire. Pyromancers were especially susceptible to such emotional influence, but in this particular instance Fifteen had a hunch that instability could be a boon. She intended to use an orthodox spell in an unorthodox manner, which was a textbook recipe for failure. If it was going to blow up in her face anyway, then why not mix things up a bit and embrace those feelings of uncertainty instead of shutting them out. It was just a hunch, but that only made her more willing to try it.
The bond she shared with her familiar was a subconscious, instinctual thing, after all.
“Ignum fortis perpeta unis.”
In an instant, the staff in her right hand shattered with a loud snap as a fiery, golden glow flowed from her left palm and into Bahm’s body. This was the first form of fire magic – the ability to spontaneously combust flammable materials. Using it on a living creature would usually have very little effect other than burn off some hair, even with the two metamagics she mixed in to empower the spell. However, Bahm wasn’t just any creature. He was the familiar she shared her blood-bond with, and that crimson liquid was something Fifteen could indeed ignite. And, in a manner, she was successful in setting the saber-tooth’s insides ablaze, just not in the literal sense.
The ember of power deep within Bahm suddenly flared up like a roaring blaze. It was as if the sorceress just dumped an entire bucket of lighter fluid onto it, and the saber-tooth wasn’t sure how to deal with this overwhelming heat. It stomped around in place, growling and hissing as its blackened scars sizzled even brighter than when it faced off against Azyra. Any pain the creature felt was overshadowed by the mad thumping of his heart. Strength and energy surged from within once more, and it made the saber-tooth restless like never before. He felt he just might burst if he didn’t find an outlet for this pressure, and Fifteen sensed his urgency. A silent agreement was instantly reached. The wizard drew another staff from her sling and followed her familiar as it charged forth into the unknown.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
The enormous tunnel’s deepest reaches were nowhere near as spacious as its gaping entrance, but still quite wide. It was a vaguely dome-shaped cavity with a width of forty to fifty meters and about fifteen meters at its tallest point. The surprisingly flat floor was flooded with hot water that was universally ankle-deep except for a much deeper pool opposite the entrance. That was where the actual spring was, as evidenced by the non-stop bubbling as more and more streamed into the shallow reservoir, only to spread out and seep through various cracks in the floor and wall. The air above this pool was as hot as a sauna and filled with steam that stank of sulfur and obscured vision. One would think this was the perfect environment for the gaseous elementals to hide in, and they might’ve done so if they knew they were about to get visitors. However, since their traps were easily avoided, it was far too late for them to start blending in by the time they noticed the lights approaching rapidly from the only way in and out of the spring.
“HRAAAAAARHHH!”
The saber-tooth’s full-volume roar echoed throughout the enclosed space as it dashed down the sloped tunnel. Fifteen followed close behind, trusting in her robes’ durability as she slid along the gravelly ramp on her rump. The entire cavern was instantly dyed white as the radiance of her Wandering Starlight was reflected off the steam in the air and the water on the ground. The illumination instantly revealed all twenty six of her targets, though they appeared as little more than shapeless shadows in the thick mist. Most were as large as humans, but five among them were twice as big, wide, and dark. This proved sufficient for Bahm. His paws splashed loudly against the carpet of water as he charged straight at the closest target and pounced on it.
Or rather, through it.
Unfortunately, while not a complete failure, it appeared as though Fifteen’s experimental spell didn’t produce the desired results. If it had, Bahm would’ve been able to tackle and maul the incorporeal creature to death instead of just briefly distorting its shape as he passed through. Not only did he fail to inflict any damage, but got a full-body steam bath for his trouble. The foreign heat was intense and the pain made him stumble and fall flat onto the flooded floor. Not the best position to be in. Worse still, four of the scorching shades surrounded him, clearly intent on air-frying the feline. Fortunately for the hot-headed familiar, his partner was prepared for this turn of events and knew just what to do.
“Ignum dionis.”
Standing at the edge of the pool, Fifteen launched a fist-sized lump of fire that left a blazing trail as it flew through the air. She used only the basic invocation, so it came out quickly. Naturally, it was also rather lacking in power, which was evident by how her bargain bin staff didn’t instantly snap from the feedback. Her aim also seemed to be way off as the projectile was poised to fly over the swarm of elementals, but that was in fact her intended trajectory. She didn’t need the first spell to hit, only to serve as a delivery method for her secondary incantation.
“Ignum expulso fortis trionis.”
The simple bolt of fire exploded into an absolutely massive conflagration that instantly enveloped the rear half of the chamber. The shockwave was so intense that it instantly blew apart the veil of steam, forcing most of it to flood out of the only available opening along with the deafening boom that accompanied it. The entire cavern shook and rumbled, causing countless loose rocks to fall from the ceiling and splash onto the flooded ground. When the flames dispersed, the results were telling. Sixteen elementals – thirteen lessers and three of the big ones – were just gone. The force of the blast pushed the others away to the edges of the underground arena, including the ones about to gang up on Bahm. The saber-tooth was fine, by the way. He was on the edge of the explosion and had laid flat on his belly as his bond informed him of the wizard’s intent, so he was unharmed aside from being momentarily dazed and deafened.
The sorceress was in a similar state. She knew full well that an explosion of that magnitude in such a confined space would rattle her bones and ring in her ears, but there was only so much bracing she could do. As she came back to her senses, she noticed a sharp pain in her right hand. The staff had exploded in such a way that it cut up her palm. These things happened from time to time so she paid it no mind as she reached for the next focus. Meanwhile, the surviving eleven elementals had realized their mistake. They initially assumed that the giant furball that ran in here screaming and reeking of magic was the main threat, so they sent a few sacrificial pawns to test it and kept the bulk of their number towards the back. By the time they realized the human in the back was the main threat it was too late to scatter and most of them were naught but a memory. This was entirely within Fifteen’s expectations. The elementals were just stupid enough to fall for the bait, but not so mindless as for all of them to swarm her familiar. It was a good thing they didn’t, because the sorceress wasn’t keen on blowing up Bahm if she could help it.
That aside, as all combatants recovered from the shell-shock of that one-two air-bomb, the elementals took the initiative. They fanned out as best they could both vertically and horizontally while they closed in on the wizard. Their true forms were clearly visible now that the ambient vapors had been dispersed. They had a semi-humanoid appearance consisting of an enormous torso, a tiny head with two glowing red dots for eyes, and a pair of log arms ending in a few claw-like digits each. The greater elementals also had a secondary pair of limbs that resembled giant bat wings, though those were mostly decorative since the smaller ones were flying just fine without them. Three of their number charged ahead while the remaining eight hung back and prepared ranged attacks. A classic anti-wizard strategy that might have found some success if the vanguard group had more members.
“Ignum fracta expulso dionis.”
Three separate yet simultaneous conflagrations enveloped each of the advancing monsters. Though these fireworks weren’t anywhere near as powerful as that big bang she opened with, they proved sufficient to evaporate the advancing enemies. However, the pawns fulfilled their purpose and bought enough time for the other monsters to unleash their own spells. There was no gum-flapping or stick-waving, just a build up and release of magical energy. Unsurprisingly, the attacks took the shape of concentrated steam blasts that converged on Fifteen from various angles. She probably could have dodged most of them and just been clipped by the rest, but why would she do that?
“Ignum erecta quintis.”
She held a fresh staff in front with both hands as she invoked the most advanced and specialized pyromancy spell at her disposal. When the scorching streams reached her a split second later they disappeared into nothingness just before making contact, like pouring water on an invisible sponge. Naturally, the steam elementals assumed they hit something. They weren’t entirely wrong, though if they actually knew what was going on they’d probably stop. Instead, they maintained their magical assault in the hope that the other side would cave in before they ran out of steam – literally and metaphorically.
It was during this stand-off that Bahm was struggling to come to grips with his own boiling blood. He’d given into those aggressive and violent urges at first, but the steam bath had shocked him into a moment of clarity. Since then he’d been standing still, eyes closed and muscles twitching seemingly at random as the blackened spots of his drenched fur sizzled with steadily-increasing intensity. It didn’t seem as though he was doing much, which was probably why the elementals ignored him. That was good, because he might not have been able to hold back those impulses if he was attacked. He would have surely given into them already if not for the steady flow of mental encouragement.
Fear it.
What used to be a vague feeling of intent was now coming through crisp and clear as a whisper on a quiet evening.
Hate it.
Even Bahm wasn’t sure how he derived anything meaningful from something as alien as words.
Strangle it.
And yet, each time that voice caressed his mind, it brought with it countless glimpses of the many years his two-legged sibling had spent practicing her craft.
Embrace it.
It was a disjointed crash-course only made possible through the miraculous power the gods gifted unto the mortal races – that wonderful, mysterious, terrifying thing called magic.
Release it.
Now given purpose and direction, the energy Bahm borrowed from Fifteen finally took shape. It exploded – as fire magic was known to do – from the same wounds that the human had seared closed when they first bonded. Jets of crimson red spewed out from the previously glowing claw marks only to instantly turn into pitch-black smoke that hung heavily around the saber-tooth. His paws, ears, and the tip of his tail ignited as well, their glow much more vibrant and visible than the rest through the dense smog he now wore like a coat. And then, just in case the steam elementals didn’t notice that eyesore of a transformation, Bahm let loose a roar that made the air shake. It wasn’t anywhere near as loud as Fifteen’s opening statement, but it might get there one day.
For the moment, the flying monsters instantly shifted their attention to the palpable aggression radiating from the smoke-clad saber-tooth. Having broken off their sustained assault on the human, they were now able to clearly see that they had done nothing. In fact, they had done worse than nothing. Fifteen hadn’t just deflected or dispersed their magic, but she had absorbed it into herself – something she could only do because both her blood and these pests were of fey origin. Hints of this could be seen in the dense layer of steam wrapped around her staff. It still wasn’t obvious at a glance exactly what she did, but it was nevertheless clear to everyone watching – Ogg and Brog included – that the smoky boys were utterly outmatched.
Bahm pounced on the closest foe once more, and this time succeeded in touching the intangible bastard. His blazing claws dragged the long-armed torso to the ground and his mighty fangs ripped into its throat. There was an audible crunch like glass breaking as the elemental vanished into a disappointing puff, never to be seen again. Bahm then dodged a steam blast and went for his second victim while Fifteen turned the monsters’ own magic against them, instantly wiping out three of them with a white-hot, beam-like burst of water vapor. Only four elementals remained after that – two small ones and a pair of big ones. The sorceress decided to let Bahm have the leftovers. She’d spent enough staves on this fodder already, and he could use the practice. It really was quite entertaining watching him hunt them down as they tried desperately to flee. Naturally they tried to fly away from the feline predator, only to discover that his already impressive agility was improved even further in that state. The way he ran up the walls only to launch himself off them was impressive, to say the least. Fifteen even had a feeling he could dash across the dome-shaped ceiling with enough practice, but unfortunately he hit his limit before that feat could be achieved.
With his magic spent and the experimental spell wearing off, the saber-tooth collapsed into an exhausted heap at the edge of the ankle-deep pond. He spent almost a full minute trying and failing to catch the last greater elemental. As it turned out, those wings weren’t just decorative and did in fact make it a better flier than its lesser kin. It was able to avoid the bouncing feline long enough to reach the cavern’s central ceiling, which was too far for even Bahm’s juiced-up muscles. One could almost see the relief on its featureless face as it realized it had survived that impromptu round of cat-and-mouse. This was also the best outcome Fifteen could hope for.
“Ignum decantus adcurata quintis!”
In all the excitement, the last survivor failed to notice the wizard had deployed her amplification ritual. As geometric circles of light swirled around her feet and smoke flowed freely from beneath her robes, the amped-up absorption spell seized her target like an invisible hand and then wrung it dry. A barely perceptible yellow glow rapidly flowed out of the creature and into Fifteen through her mouth and nose. The process only took a second, and at the end of it that malevolent mass of magically animated steam had become an utterly harmless spray of ice-cold water. Having successfully absorbed that arcane heat, Fifteen felt a pleasant sense of satisfaction well up in her chest. Her inner fire had found the meal quite agreeable, indeed. With a few days of ‘digestion’ and a bit of luck, she could expect a slight increase in her daily flame-throwing allowance. It probably wouldn’t be noticeable since such things were hard to quantify and it was a relatively low-class monster besides, but every bit helped.
Oh, right. She should probably make sure those two tag-alongs were alright, so she looked over her shoulder. She saw Brog and Ogg peeking out of a rocky outcrop a little ways up the downward-sloped tunnel.
“That was awesome! Loved the big boom!”
“The big kitty was so zippy it made me dizzy!”
“And then you shot back their stupid smoke like ‘psssht!’”
“Oh, oh, and the fancy sticks went pop-pop!”
“I liked the bright colors, too!”
“Can you do that again?!”
They started loudly cheering the instant their eyes met, which didn’t surprise Fifteen at all. She wasn’t saying that just because these giant men were shockingly immature. Fire magic was extremely destructive, but also quite flashy. She got similar reactions from anyone who’d witnessed her work at a safe distance. Then the adrenaline would wear off and they’d realize they just saw a lone woman vaporize a whole bunch of monsters in no time flat and their adoration would give way to fear. She had a hunch these two probably weren’t like that, but figured it was best she take advantage of their excitement while she could.
“Listen, smokey guys are gone, but I have more work to do,” she spoke firmly once they calmed down a little. “Go home, I’ll meet you there when I’m done.”
“What? Why?”
“Can’t we watch?”
“Sorry. Super secret wizard stuff. I’d have to kill you if you see it.”
“Now I really wanna see it!”
“Yeah!”
“No,” she instantly declined. “Now go.”
“Aww…”
“Okay…”
“And remember – don’t peek,” she warned them as they turned around. “Bahm will know if you do.”
The saber-tooth attempted a menacing growl, but it came out as more of a whine since he was too spent to even stand. Either way, the two lummoxes trudged off grumbling and disappointed. Fifteen waited for a few minutes even after their heavy footsteps vanished, but they showed no signs of trying to sneak a peek. She asked Bahm to keep watch just in case so she could focus on her ‘work.’ The saber-tooth knew she was lying about that part, but was also too tired to care. Besides, he somewhat agreed with the woman’s inner thoughts.
A long soak in the hot water would indeed feel much better without those gorillas splashing about.