My fingers flexed again, and my body moved around the room. There was so awkwardness at first, but soon, it was moving as smoothly as if I myself were in control. It then moved to a wall, clutched its fist, and slamd it into the wall, causing a large crack to form where he’d hit it.
"I can work with this. Now let’s see." My finger snapped, but nothing happened. My arms began moving while Rubrus whispered in draconic, but still there was nothing. Finally, he clapped his hands together and separated them, and an axe I had stored popped into his hand. He flicked his hand up, and it disappeared. Then he traced so arcane runes into the air, and my body took on a shimring quality.
"Huh, so I can’t perform external magics, but those that affect or summon from your void can be utilized. I’ll miss my fireballs, but this is certainly better than being dead." He looked around. "You really let the place go, didn’t you? Or, wait a mont."
I felt him probe within, but I resisted.
"Interesting. I can’t view your thoughts and mories directly. You must have developed so control. I guess I’ll have to let you speak."
I felt the probing stop and tested speaking. "Please go back to being dead."
Rubrus laughed. "I don’t think I will." He started walking through the dungeon, checking the state of traps and kicking corpses out of the way as he walked.
"How are you doing this? How’d you take control?"
"Well, I had a bit of a trap etched into my body and soul. It wasn’t actually ant for you, but happy accidents."
"Who was it ant for?"
"Oh, an ancestor of mine. I didn’t really feel like being a puppet."
"You an Aurum?"
He stopped in his tracks. "How do you know that na?"
I would’ve smiled then if I could. I had leverage. "I’ll tell you if you answer a few questions of mine."
"Hmmm, you seem to have evolved quite a bit. My own genius is coming back to bite . Classic wizard problem; you see it all the ti."
I felt the probing sensation again, but this ti, it wasn’t focused on my mind, but instead my body and void.
"Wow, you may have advanced a lot socially, but I’m distinctly unimpressed with what you’ve discovered about yourself."
I felt sothing inside click, and I felt a portion of the void within reveal itself. It was filled with steel bars, fine food and drink, clothing, jewelry, even furniture.
Rubrus snapped, and a goblet of wine disappeared from my void and manifested in his hands. "Hmm, your taste is slightly different from mine. This is a bit more bitter than I recall."
"What did you do?"
"This is the part of you I was using to store my things. I had it behind an extra layer of protection. Did you think the things I summoned ca from nothing?"
"I did."
"That is possible, but exhausting. Using you was much simpler."
"Is that what I’m ant to be? Storage?"
"How about this. I’ll provide you with an answer, then you provide with one. Deal?"
I mulled it over. It wasn’t like I had much choice. "Deal."
"You are mainly ant as storage, yes. Don’t worry, though, I never ant for you to strictly exist as a walking closet. You can store anything. Objects, mories, enchantnts, souls. So things are harder for you to store than others and you more eat than store them, but it amounts to the sa thing in your case. You’re a unique creation. You’re also ant to protect what you store."
"Why was I created?"
"Tut tut, it’s my turn, rember? How do you know of Aurum?"
"I’ve read about him."
"I sense that’s only a partial truth. What book would tell you enough to recognize that Aurum is my ancestor? Please, the whole truth, and I’ll allow another question."
As we spoke, I could feel Rubrus taking inventory even as he began removing corpses and trash from the dungeon.
"I have fought several children of Aurum. Killed two." I could feel the smile Rubrus couldn’t make when I ntioned I’d killed them.
"Glad to know my creation can handle his. It feels nice to be able to compete with a god. Still, things are on the move, how unfortunate. I’ll have to make a real effort to secure this place." He gestured to his chest, and I felt the few scrapes on my armor from the goblins’ seal themselves, though this ti, I could see that the tal my repairs used was coming from the steel bars that were stored within . That was interesting.
"Why did you create ?"
"To use as storage. What a waste of a question."
"It wouldn’t be wasted if you answered it truly and fully as I did yours."
"Fine, I have one more question I want to ask, so I’ll clarify. I created you to store part of myself, to shield from my father’s influence."
"Is that why your eyes were no longer gold? And why’d you use to slay those adventurers?"
"I’ll give you those for free. Yes, it was, and no tool should serve only one purpose. I intended to be here for a long ti. Using you for entertainnt was simply a good way to pass the ti. Now for my final question. What have you been doing since I’ve been dead?"
"Adventuring."
"Really? Adventuring?" I could feel his contempt. "You could’ve beco incredibly powerful with the abilities I imbued you with, and you’ve used it adventuring?"
"Absolutely."
"I find that incredibly disappointing. That’s enough from you. I have work to do."
I felt my ability to speak shut off. I watched him work for a few monts. He wrapped up cleaning out the corpses and was starting repair work on the traps. I could tell he was annoyed at having to do things manually, which I took marginal comfort in, but my overall feeling was one of frustration. The only thing I could think to do was attempt to probe him in the sa way he’d probed .
I reached out, finding walls of will holding back, but I kept at it. I tried to be subtle, to look for any small break I could find. Eventually, I found one.
* * *
The lightning bolt bounced off my shield and into the wall behind . I stifled a yawn, lifted my hand, and sealed the opposing magus’ body in rock. He scread and struggled, but it was a useless gesture. I approached him and placed my hand on his face. He was a paltry al, and as I removed my hand from the husk that remained of him, I was disappointed to find nothing new. I sighed, wiped my hand clean on my robe, and started descending down the wizard’s tower.
Well done.
Thank you.
Aurum always approved when I took sothing I wanted, but this ti, I felt unsatisfied. I hadn’t had a good al in a hundred years. I’d eaten my way through all of the great wizards in Caedun, Sylfen, the Eastlands, and even the northern tribes—what a cold, miserable decade that had been.
I stepped over a few collapsed columns and shattered golems. The gains had been steadily declining over the years. The wizards seed to be weaker than those I’d begun with, and there were also fewer to eat. It had taken the better part of five years to find this one, and it had been worthless.
I was the problem. I’d figured it out after the last two I’d eaten in Sylfen. I’d eaten too many, and now, there were none left to teach new students who would then beco wizards capable of teaching. I’d glutted myself, and now my favorite al was extinct.
I leaned against a tree that had been bisected by a wind-cutting spell I’d thrown. I needed a new plan. Sothing more sustainable than what I’d done so far. I considered trying to further things myself, but imdiately found that idea incredibly off-putting. I was a grand wizard, and the descendant of a god. I was more comfortable with taking than creating myself.
* * *
I found myself back outside of Rubrus’s mories. I looked to see what he’d been up to. I couldn’t tell how much ti had passed, but the dungeon seed to be repaired, and a few goblins tied together at the waist were scrubbing the floors clean. Rubrus was carving runes into a nearby wall. Draconic for nil and friction. I felt him send a fraction of his will toward the rune, and the nearest goblin slipped and fell, bringing his fellow prisoners down with him.
"Seems like I found another avenue for magic. More prep than I’d prefer, though."
He didn’t seem to have noticed I’d been gone. I noticed he’d made several changes to my form, ones I hadn’t realized would be possible. He’d shaped the top of my helt into a crown, added claws to my gauntlets, and teeth to my faceplate. I didn’t much care for the changes, though I had to admit they were intimidating, and the clawed gauntlets would certainly have their uses.
I watched him for a little longer before deciding to look for another break. This ti, it proved easier. There actually seed to be a number of hairline cracks all throughout the wall he was using to protect his essence. I couldn’t tell if they were new, or if I had simply gotten better at finding them. I went to the nearest one and slipped my awareness through.
* * *
This year's crop was looking promising, I thought as I walked through the university’s grounds toward my tower. There were several students with innate gifts and a few hard workers I was confident would turn themselves into sothing worth consuming.
I nodded and smiled at the students as I passed, doing my best to be genial. It was easier for if they liked rather than feared . I’d found that they tended to work better this way, and they were more willing to share their progress with , as well.
My idea had been brilliant. I’d eaten all of the mages of value, so now it fell onto to cultivate a crop of my own. I built a tower in a desert, played the role of the powerful, wise wizard, and waited for those with the drive to get to to begin appearing. I’d had to protect them from the occasional naga or lizardman incursion, but that hadn’t been too difficult, especially since I’d trained the first few sand shapers.
The city that had grown around was a nice bonus. I could find good food, drink, or company with relative ease, and I liked the eclectic nature of the people that had gathered. Exiles and refugees tended to be a particularly interesting group.
I made my way into the tower and sealed the doors. I had a eting with a new scholar who I was certain was dying to et . After a quick climb up the stairs, I entered the room to find a young woman seated in a chair in front of my desk. I made my way gradually around, to my desk, trying to keep a dignified bearing despite the excitent I felt.
"Scholar Luda, correct?"
"Yes, ser," she said through her orcish teeth.
"First of all, I wanted to congratulate you on becoming a scholar."
"Thank you." She gave a wide smile, which I returned.
"I’d also heard sothing very interesting about you. A special magical ability of yours?"
"It’s not too special. Technically, it’s co about in the Deadeye clan many tis." Her voice turned bitter at the ntion of Deadeye.
"Describe it to ."
"Well, if I focus, I can determine soone’s intentions toward ."
I widened my smile, stood up from my desk, and sat on the edge of it closer to her.
"Try it on ."
She smiled and obliged. I felt a peculiar energy flow through her. Her eyes widened.
Before she could move, I grabbed her head on both sides and consud her. Aside from the new ability, I also tasted a few subtle variations to shielding spells, a welco garnish. I activated my new ability.
Well done.
At Aurum’s words, the ability activated. I collapsed to my knees. The intentions I felt from him were the sa as those Luda had felt from .
Reviews
All reviews (0)