I leaned my head back to let the blanket of Light Magic fall on me. As it did, I noticed something was different. I looked at my friend who had noticed it as well. Something about her magic was lacking.
Taking a step back into a defensive stance, the woman responded, “You’re unharmed, so why do you look disappointed?”
I held out my hand to stop Travis before he said something. “May I show you?” I replied. “I am going to cast the same spell.”
The woman eased her stance, but Leeman placed himself between us. “On me,” he said.
I was sure to make no quick movements and let them see the mana build before I cast. As it landed on him, I saw a small quiver in his neck. He hadn’t been expecting the jolt as his stamina was healed as well.
“Undefiled…” The man spoke aloud but to no one in particular.
“What?!” Amilia replied with her harshest tone yet. “But he’s a heathen.”
Being taller than the man, I was able to see the woman standing behind him. “May I?” I said, motioning that I was willing to cast it upon her.
She stepped around him, and he let her. She gave me a sharp nod.
So I cast it upon her as well.
Amilia didn’t flinch as Leeman did, but the corners of her mouth turned down in a thoughtful frown. “You are a Blue Mage, yes?”
“I am,” I replied.
“And a Virtuous Light Mage? An Undefiled?”
“I’m not exactly sure what that means, but I am a natural Light Mage. It’s what I’m talented in.”
She studied me for several seconds before responding. “You’ve never come in contact with a Light Magic Vein, or a Grandmaster Light Mage?”
“Not that I know of. The same goes for my Blue Magic. When my talents were unlocked, that’s what I ended up with.”
“Unlocked?”
“If I may suggest, let’s sit down,” Shamash said, joining us. “It seems that we have much to discuss.”
Amilia and Leeman were too caught up in their current dilemma to bother with testing Shamash. His disguise and ability to mask his true power had them completely fooled.
“Your elder is right,” Amilia replied. “We have many questions, and I’ll answer yours the best that I can.”
Chapter 24 – Stop Sign
“You knew we were coming?” I said, sitting across from the two humans from the Illuminated Cathedral. Shamash was on my left and Travis was on my right. The stone table and matching chairs had been raised out of the earth by the lich. They wouldn’t be comfortable in the long term, but they had decent back support, so they were better than expected out in the middle of nowhere.
Amilia leaned forward, placing her forearms against the table as if getting ready to dig into a meal. Her eyes were as blue as the sky and glowed with their own subtle light. “We felt a battle rich in Light Magic, so we came to investigate. There’s a Metal Vein in the region so we frequent the area enough to know which way you were likely heading if you continued in this direction.”
I viewed her mana density again only to confirm something. Her mana was denser than mine but still resembled a dense fog. “That’s where we’re headed actually.”
Glancing at Shamash, he nodded his wrinkly old man face that I should proceed. Turning to Travis, I placed my hand on his armor-plated shoulder. “We were hoping to use the vein so that my friend here could unlock his First School of Magic.”
With Mana Sight at full strength, I caught Leeman’s disgust and Amilia cringing. They both did their best to hide it, but their micro-expressions were drawn out with my ability to view time in slow motion.
Leeman had removed his helmet to reveal blonde hair almost as long as Amilia’s, also drawn back into a ponytail. His eyes were brown though, not blue. For all their similar features, I didn’t believe them to be related. He had a square face with narrow eyes, while hers was long with wide eyes full of life.
Instead of waiting for them to broach the subject, I cut to the chase. “Months ago, twenty of us were taken from our home on the surface world and brought here. That was when our talents were unlocked. We’ve been doing our best to survive ever since. We have heard that humans in the Underworld limit themselves to Light Magic. I admit to not understanding your history, religion, or anything about you really. I’d be grateful if you could enlighten us.”
Amilia nudged Leeman’s arm with her elbow. Both of their armors were so thick, it looked as if they were suited up in gothic mechs with their little heads poking out the top. “I’d like to ask your forgiveness if we’ve come off as judgmental. There is only One who judges and knows the heart. You have heard correctly. Most humans, at least those associated with the Illuminated Cathedral, only willingly wield Light Magic.”
“Most?” Travis interrupted. “So some don’t?”
“Some don’t,” Leeman said without looking up from the table. He looked like something was weighing on his thoughts. “Some are heretics, and some heathen. We believe that all things are moral in nature, including magic. They don’t.”
Instead of correcting what Leeman said, Amilia was watching me intently. It felt as if she was expecting me to confess to something.
I went ahead and responded. Leeman wasn’t exactly encouraging, but Amilia seemed genuine enough. “So far, I think our group has viewed magic as a tool. We didn’t know it was possible to unlock other magics, so when we had ours unlocked we used what we were naturally given.”
“Not naturally,” Leeman said. “What exactly did this to you?”
“The succubi,” Shamash said, speaking for the first time.
Amilia’s mouth dropped open and Leeman just froze in his seat.
“That’s—regrettable.” Leeman still stared at the table, but his eyes had widened.
“To answer your questions,” Amilia began, changing the subject.
“Don’t reveal your location or anything you’d prefer the succubi not to know,” I said before she’d begun. I then explained to her the magic chains that Lilith had bound us with to siphon our excess mana—and other useful things—like listening in.
“Thank you for the warning,” Amilia said as her posture faltered for the first time since we’d met. She seemed to feel for us in our current predicament.
I found Leeman looking up from the table giving me a narrow-eyed stare. When our eyes met, he gave me a thankful nod.
“There are many of us now,” Amilia began again. “But not as many as there once were. It’s taken us a millennium to rebuild in secret. Approximately eleven hundred years ago, the Illuminated Cathedral had reached its pinnacle even as the church on the surface was in constant flux. We had more grandmasters than you could count. So we set about our calling to rid the world of those that defile. The monster races that feed off of the human, dwarf, and elf. We succeeded in bringing many strongholds to ruin, but the vampire, the greatest of the monster races, possess ancient power. Some of them are thousands of years old and dreadful existences. It only took a few of them to wipe us out.”
She was silent. Taking a moment to revere those that died, she soon continued, “During the first few centuries afterwards, we did little more than survive, but not all was lost. Much of our secrets remained with those that escaped, and necessity drove us to change. Today, the church accepts help from those outside its walls. The Illuminated Cathedral isn’t just a building, but the largest human settlement that accepts people who worship differently inside its walls. We don’t agree with the use of other magics, but many of our closest allies view the world differently. The Protestants also view magic as you do, seeing it as a tool, and the Muslims take more of a middle ground. The Jews are split, and the pagans view each element as a spirit and magic veins as temples that exist to worship the god of each. There is much infighting, but there’s one thing we all agree on. We are stronger as a whole.”
“Protestants, Muslims, Jews—so your religions are the same as those from the surface world?” I said, unsure how I felt.
“In
most cases, yes. All humanity originated on the surface, so we share much of the same history. There was a break in our communication with the surface after our fall, but three centuries later we were able to reestablish contact.”
“Why didn’t you escape to the surface when you had the chance?”
She shook her head, staring off momentarily as if reminiscing.
“Communication with the surface is difficult, but any grandmaster is capable of doing it. I’m afraid the mana cost to travel to the surface is much more severe. The more mana you possess, the more mana it takes to send you there. That’s why you’d rarely see monsters appearing on the surface. It would cost an impossible amount for a vampire lord for instance. That’s also why they send their low-level minions to bring their prey back here before feeding on them. It's more cost-effective.”
“What is it?” I said in a gentle tone. There was something about Amilia’s look that made me feel that there was more she wasn’t saying.
She gave me an uncomfortable smile. Leeman placed his gauntlet over hers to offer his support. Then she answered. “At the age of sixteen, everyone that grows up in the Illuminated Cathedral is given the chance to leave to the surface. If they make the choice, they can’t return. It is a chance for freedom from our calling. But to go is to leave your family to continue the fight without you. You’re able to help the church on the surface, and by doing so help the cause, but… There is another drawback. If you leave, once on the surface, your magic slowly becomes weaker until you lose it altogether. It’s the lack of mana there.
“Here,” she said as she glanced around the cavern, “mana is everywhere. Its very presence bolsters our own. As you can imagine, the idea of losing your magic is not something many people willingly agree to. Not only does it help you live a much longer life if you survive, but to lose it is like losing a part of yourself. At least, so it’s taught.”
I cast Time Crawl to give me a few extra moments to take in everything she’d said. I’d hoped to learn much from the conversation, but she was far more open than I’d expected. Not only had we learned that they had communication with the surface, but that they commonly sent people that wanted to go. The drawbacks might be too much for some, but it also might be possible to give the other members of Sanctuary a true chance to return.
As much hope as the information might give, my quest was not yet over, and they’d revealed even more of the enemy I faced. There were vampires that weren’t just as old as Lilith—instead of just a thousand years old, they were thousands. They were the strongest of the monster races and Lilith was sending me to take something that belonged to them. This little quest might be much more deadly than I first suspected. I couldn’t help but wonder why Shamash hadn’t said as much. Or had he been hinting at the truth all along?
Travis didn’t hesitate to ask. “Can you send us back to the surface?”
“Yes. It is possible,” Amilia said with a grin. “But we must have an elder priest examine you first to see if anything can be done about this siphoning spell. It's possible that traveling to the surface will sever the spell by itself. The only problem is, the stronger you get the more mana it will cost, and you’re both already nearing the limit of what we could manage.”
Grabbing my friend’s shoulder, I was about to say something when he bounded to his feet. He was glaring at me.
“What?” I said.
“Don’t even say it!” he replied through gritted teeth. “I’m going with you, you pompous prick. I’m finally becoming strong enough to help protect the others and I’m not going to run away to leave you to take care of everyone on your own.”
For all my Wisdom and Intelligence I was caught off guard. I should have seen this coming. He was right. I was about to tell him that he should go with them.
“Good,” I said, looking up at him.
“Fine then.” He stood there awkwardly for a moment before sitting back down.
“I’m not sure we can let you do that,” Leeman said.
Travis and I looked to see him place his sword on the table before us. He was looking right at us.
“I respect the comradery between the two of you, and that you feel that you must protect your friends. Perhaps, in time, we will be able to help you with that. But we can’t just let you go. Coming with us willingly will benefit you as much as allow us to take the necessary precautions.”
With Mana Sight at full power, I was considering every possible option. I responded to his threat. “I went out of my way to warn you that the succubi could hear and see everything that we did. You haven’t revealed the location of your city or anything that might lead us to it. So why force us to come with you?”
“Elorion, it’s not—” Amilia began to say before Leeman stopped her.
He replied, “You’ve seen us. That’s enough.”
“It really is the best thing for all of us,” Amilia pleaded. “There are many people we must protect as well. You have my word that neither of you will be harmed and I’ll do my best to help you once you’ve been examined by a priest.”
“How long will this take?” I replied.
“We have hidden locations set up for this kind of thing. To be honest with you, it will take three to six months for the council to make a decision.”
“Our mission is time-sensitive. One of our members has a communication ability with a limited range. If we don’t fall back into that range within a certain period of time, then they’ll come looking for us. It would be better if you allowed us to return to let them know so that we could inform them. You could travel with us until we were within range for them to get the message.”
“No,” Leeman said. “We would be taking too much of a chance.”
“There’s more. It was the succubi that sent us on this quest. They’ll be aware of any location you send us, and if we delay too long, they may come themselves.”
“And that is another reason we can’t let you go.”
“You will use force if we don’t come willingly?”
Leeman gripped the hilt of his sword that still lay on the table.
And my opportunity to have more of my questions answered had dissolved in a puff of smoke. I really didn’t like this Leeman guy. I turned to Shamash to seek his advice. His skin melted away and the dark robes of a lich were revealed. He still held back much of his dark power, but Leeman and Amilia frozen in their seats. “Use everything,” he said, before leaving his seat. As he floated away no more than a few inches off the ground, he called out to Travis. “Come, pup.”
Travis stood and followed a moment later.
The two Illuminated Cathedral members recovered quickly and came to their feet. They glanced back and forth between me and Shamash. It was obvious they knew what he was.
“I wish you would reconsider,” I said while still sitting in my seat.
Even Amilia followed Leeman in placing her helmet over her head.
I’d cast Creature Observation on him before our conversation had even begun.
Leeman
Level: 12,084
Health Points: 8,218,400
Mana Points: 5,003,000
Attributes
Strength: 10,201
Dexterity: 10,094
Constitution: 20,546
Intelligence: 10,006
Wisdom: 10,003
Of course, he was an even higher level than Amilia was. He had the highest HP I’d ever seen, although only recently was Creature Observation capable of showing the HP of someone of such a high level. What’s more, his physical stats were greater than my own without buffs. Even with them, he’d be difficult to match.
Why had Shamash directed me down this path? Did he actually think I was capable of defeating them? Even if my level was only 2,279, I had the base stats of someone that was level 5,710. With buffs and a greater variety of magic, it evened the playing field quite a bit. After seeing their character sheets, I was pretty sure of what strategy they’d use to fight me though. That was what had me worri
ed. Amilia had built herself up as a caster, and Leeman was more like a tank. He’d been waiting for us when we’d first arrived, and she’d been standing behind him. The good news was that I should be able to handle any offensive spells she cast fairly easily, but she’d mostly stay back to buff and heal him as he fought head-on with his massive sword. This whole thing was so ridiculous.
“Promise me something,” I said before rising from my seat.
“Why would we promise you anything?” Leeman said evenly.
“What is it?” Amilia said despite him.
“If my people come looking, regardless of what happens between us, you’ll take care of them to the best of your ability.”
“Deal!” she replied before Leeman could make a noise.
I had it all planned out in my mind—how I’d distract them the best I could so that Travis could escape to tell the others in Sanctuary. Then I’d surrender myself to them. As much as I believed Amilia was being honest, that still didn’t mean I could fully trust what either of them said. I knew what I had to do.
As I came to my feet, Amilia tried a final time. “Please, Elorion. We could use your rare talent. You could help so many people.”
“But how could you take me with you if I was willing to abandon the people that counted on me?” I replied.
“It’s not like that.”
“Amilia. If the circumstances were different, I’d take you up on your offer in a heartbeat.” I couldn’t help but think of what Lilith might do to them if I agreed. “I don’t have a choice.”
“Are you prepared?” Leeman said.
“Momentarily.”
I hadn’t dropped my Master Mind Buff since we’d first met. It had been active then, so there was no reason to hide it. It was time to show them the rest. I began to channel mana into my muscular and skeletal systems, and my internal organs to join with the concentrated mana that was enlightening my mind. It had been a while since I’d made much use of In the Buff. Now that my base physical stats were near 5,000, it was time to push them to the next level all at once. Then it was just a matter of not dying or accidentally killing one of them. Even though Amilia had promised to take care of the others, if I killed either or both of them, all bets were off.
Underworld - Vampire Gate: A LitRPG Series Page 20