*Danny, we are reaching the point where we can’t control it anymore. It’s over five times the mana you can normally store. You ready to do this?*
Danny yelled out, “Druids halt! Stand by in case I require more.”
The guards behind the chairs raised their shields and crouched down. The druids quickly followed their example, ducking down low.
The last of the druids’ mana was sucked into the sphere orbiting not far from Danny’s position.
*Doesn’t this bring back memories, Danny? A giant mass of mana and half-baked ideas.*
*No way to turn back out now. Do it!*
At Danny’s command, Cranny sent a giant river of mana out from the sphere and forced it into the barrier. The dim light from the enchantment exploded into a mini star, yet the barrier still held.
Cranny called out in a strained voice, *Danny, you too!*
A second torrent of mana shot out of the sphere, doubling the amount. Danny wanted to say the light had gotten brighter, but even with his aspect, his vision had already already filled the chamber with a blinding whiteness. As he felt the sphere quickly shrink, Danny began to worry, as they were almost out of mana. He could always pull from his own reserves, but then, there was a high pitched sound coming from the barrier.
The barrier exploded, and so did the rest of the mana Danny had collected. The guards’ shields rang as the remains of the barrier and chairs crashed into them. At the same time, the explosion centered on Danny’s mana sphere exploded outward, knocking everyone away from its epicenter.
While the druids flew to the sides and back, the guards fell forward onto their shields. Since he had been floating off the ground, Danny had the singular experience of flying up at an angle and into the ceiling where he was forced tightly against it.
Danny already knew from experimenting that touching obstinite didn’t affect an ascendant’s mana inside his body, but he was now able to confirm a theory he’d had, that obstinite cancelled the mana in an Ascendant Aspect form. The draw wasn’t instantaneous, as mana flowed between the crystals throughout his body to the point of contact. Between the blast and striking the ceiling, Danny didn’t get a chance to move away in time.
The druids and guards groaned and stood as they took stock of their injuries.
Elder Cardinal stood up, stretching, his back popped audibly, “This right here is why I became the librarian.”
“Are you by chance looking to hire a new assistant?” asked Elder Frost, who stood up with a groan. She had managed to get thrown a good distance near the entrance to the vault.
Elder Breeze made it onto his feet and quickly looked around in panic, calling out, “Danny! Where are you?”
The entire room started panic, before Danny, who had now returned to normal, fell unceremoniously onto Elder Cardinal.
CHAPTER 22
If it weren’t for the red walls and ceiling, Danny could swear the staircase leading down into the darkness below was right out of a horror movie. He paused to reconsider his first impression; the overwhelming red definitely gave the whole setting a sort of macabre flair.
“Danny, are you sure you are alright? Let me cast a little healing magic on you just in case,” worried Elder Frost.
Danny turned to the grandmotherly elf, “I’m fine, Elder. I am more concerned about Elder Cardinal. I broke his arm and a few ribs… Do the elves have a formal way of making an apology to someone else you accidentally landed on?”
Elder Frost made a scoffing sound, “Don’t you worry about him. That old rickety bookshelf will outlive us all. He was only in pain for a few moments before you healed him. He was just glad to have helped protect you from breaking your neck. Once he recovers from the healing, they won’t be able to keep him away from this project.”
Danny smirked at her attempt to humor him before turning back to consider the darkness below.
“We are about ready to send a few guards down there. This time they will be tying a rope around their waists so we don’t have to wait until you can get over there to help them,” explained Elder Breeze, before walking away to ensure the preparations were ready.
Danny shook his head, “I already sent some mana down there, and it was drained away by something.”
“I went as far as I could and didn’t find anything,” countered Elder Frost in surprise. “How far can you reach with your mana?”
Danny activated his Mana Aspect and, realizing his bare feet were still touching the floor, jumped quickly into the air.
“I will go check it out myself,” Danny called behind him as he began to float down.
A hand wrapped around his ankle in a vice-like grip. Jerking back, Danny found Elder Frost still standing on the other side of the threshold, stopping him from continuing on.
The elder tried to soften her action with a sympathetic smile, “Danny, I know you can do this, but we need to send someone else down there first. We have already put you into harm's way enough times today as it is.”
Cranny interrupted, speaking as quickly as he could, *Danny, I was going to wait until you were further down to tell you. I figured out how the doors work.*
*Are you talking about the barriers?*
*Yes, but they are doors, or meant to act like doors. I finished analyzing their patterns, and there was an inherent flaw in the pattern of runes that could be exploited to cause them to easily collapse.*
Danny was upset, *Why didn’t you tell me about this possibility earlier? Half the people in that room got injured, and they could have easily died had things gone slightly different.*
*Danny, I didn’t think I would find anything and just had someone working on it in the background. The reason I am telling you now is that I can reactivate the doors if you give me the word.*
*The doors were destroyed into little pieces.*
*Just trust me. I think this was meant to only be a deterrent for non-ascendants.*
Danny focused back on Elder Frost, politely saying, “Please, let me go.”
Two guards appeared before him, blocking his path.
Elder Breeze’s head appeared over Elder Frost’s shoulder, asking, “Danny, please listen to Frost. We really cannot afford to lose you right now.”
Danny considered a few different ways he could get out of this, but they would all involve burning down bridges he would have to cross when he climbed back up the stairs.
Feeding his leftover mana into Elder Frost, he released his Mana Aspect. Elder Frost let out a pent up breath, as she let go of his ankle so that he wouldn’t collapse on the stairs.
”Thank you for understanding, Danny,” Elder Breeze stated with audible relief.
Danny walked back into the chamber, “Sure, I am just ready for this to be over with, and I know your guards won’t make it very far down those stairs.”
Elder Breeze, gestured to some chairs that had been brought in for their comfort, “Please, just let us try, and you can rest while you wait. We missed breakfast, so lunch will be brought down soon.”
Danny sat down with the elders and watched exactly what he had expected unfold while eating the delicious palace food. Collapsing not far down the stairway, the poor guard was dragged back up the stairs for a few yards, before the guard could be safely retrieved. Even with the magical healing, Danny doubted the unconscious guard would appreciate that when they woke up.
Elder Breeze looked down forlornly into the darkness and stairs, stating, “Looks like this is where we will stop for now. I doubt we have enough mana to go any further, and I fear we have wasted enough as it is. Do you know how much it would require to take out another one of those…mana thieves, Danny?”
“I used the mana I absorbed from the first barrier to knock out the second. It is far more mana than the total amount I have gathered from the tree since I have been here.”
Elder Breeze’s eyes widened in disbelief before walking over to collapse in one of the chairs.
Elder Frost asked, “Back to the guessing game then?”
&
nbsp; Elder Breeze just nodded silently, then looked around before stating, “I say we break for the day and start our ‘games’ again tomorrow. What do you all say?”
Frost and Danny quickly agreed, and they left the chamber to rest for the remainder of the day.
Danny noticed as he was leaving that they had a druid cover up the tunnel he had created, and four guards were stationed at the storage room’s entrance.
***
Princess Willow stood waiting in the hallway outside the storage room as Danny was leaving. She smiled brightly upon seeing him.
Walking over, he greeted her lamely, “Hey.”
The Princess frowned, “It didn’t go well?”
Danny looked away and thought, *Cranny, I understand why they are protecting me, but this is only slowing things down.*
Cranny, sympathetic, said, *I know.*
*Did they send Willow down here to keep me distracted and away from what they see as a danger?*
Cranny seemed unsure, *Could be…*
*So, how do we get back in there and not ruin our relationship with the elves?*
*Sorry, I got nothing, Danny.*
Danny returned to the moment, realizing the Princess was still waiting on a response, a look of deep concern etched on her beautiful face. Then, he had an idea.
With a small smile on his face, Danny whispered conspiratorially, “We are going to be married in a few weeks right?”
The Princess’s smile made a return appearance, as she matched his whisper, “Yes, I am so excited.”
“Well, you mentioned you were disappointed you were not my first kiss.”
Willow’s smile stayed where it was, but her eyes turned suspicious real quick, “Yes…”
Danny looked subtly toward the guards around him, “How do we ditch them and have some time to ourselves? You know, just you and me. I always feel like we have an audience every time I am with you.”
He knew this was a long shot. The princess looked conflicted, but she surprisingly seemed to genuinely consider what he was asking. He was about to laugh it all off as a poor attempt to embarrass her, when she surprised him.
“Where did you want to go?” she asked.
Danny almost didn’t respond but recovered, saying, “Uhhh, how about in one of these storage rooms? Deep down inside the palace. They probably couldn’t find a safer place to leave us alone.”
The suspicious look in Willow’s eyes returned with a vengeance. With a look that questioned his sanity, Willow asked, “You want to spend time alone…in one of the storage rooms?”
*Danny, this is not going to work, and you are looking like a complete weirdo. You know the guards can hear everything,” Cranny complained.
Danny ignored them both and reached out to take Willow’s hand, saying sadly, “You know what? I am tired. I think I will just go lay in my room. It was a long night and nothing to show for it.”
“Captain,” Princess Willow barked, while frowning at Danny.
One of the princess’s guards stepped forward, “Yes, Your Highness.”
“My fiance and I wish to discuss something private and will be down this hallway. There are no other exits, so please stay here and ensure we are not disturbed.”
The guard saluted her, and the rest of our guards moved to follow her orders.
With Danny’s hand still in hers, the princess led him past the guards and down the hallway she had previously indicated. Turning into a storage room, he noted it was on the opposite side of the hallway from the one he wanted to get back to. He had no doubt she suspected what his true intentions were.
Willow stopped only after walking a few steps into the room. It was filled with furniture, but it was all stacked up like it would collapse on them with a single tug in the wrong direction.
Turning around, the princess smiled thinly, “Alright Danny, you have me all to yourself. What’s this really all about?”
Cranny called out, *I’m ready on my end. You are cleared for launch!*
Danny confirmed the guards had remained where they were told to and leaned forward, pressing his lips to Willow’s.
The princess’s body froze up in shock at first, and Danny sensed she was about to pull away from him. But to his surprise, she started kissing him back. It was then Danny’s turn for a shock when Willow’s tongue entered the fray.
*Danny.*
*Uhh, you there Danny…*
*Danny, I’m done!*
Pulling away, Danny saw that the princess’s eyes had been closed, and she now opened them. Willow’s large blue-green eyes seemed to study Danny as she smiled.
Cranny whined loudly, *It’s not fair. I missed most of that, and now she is going to be pissed.*
As if cued in by some slip in the expression on his face, the smile gradually fell from Willow’s lips.
Danny tried for a preemptive strike with an award-winning smile and flattery, asking,”You in for a little stroll, my princess?”
Willow turned her suspicious eyes toward the door, well, where the door used to be. The bark making up the wall now smoothly continued across where the doorway used to be.
“Danny, what are you doing?” demanded Willow as she returned her focus back to him.
Danny’s face had an expression as if to say, “Who me?”
Willow’s eyes narrowed dangerously as she shifted a foot backwards in an subtle fighting stance.
Extending his hand and bowing low the princess, Danny formally asked,”Would Your Highness do me the honor of allowing me to escort you to the Archdruid Wisteria’s vaul…”
Willow’s mood changed in an instant as she pushed him backwards excitedly,”Yes, yes yes. Now stop all that bowing nonsense. Let’s go!”
***
Willow practically dragged Danny out of the opposite end of the newly created tunnel.
“All these flowers are very romantic, Danny, nice touch,” the princess complimented as they reached the entrance to the obstinite chamber.
Danny was wondering about that as well. Almost every surface of the new tunnel had a large sacred flower growing from it.
Cranny mumbled defensively, *While you were playing vacuum cleaner with the princess’s face, I was having a difficult time focusing on making the new tunnel.*
Danny slowed down, bringing the princess up short due to their joined hands, *Wow Cranny, and you inadvertently created flowers huh? That is so precio….*
*Shut up!*
*Maybe you should open your own shop… I know! Carnations by Cranny,* Danny suggested in a sickeningly sweet and overly excited voice.
Danny felt a small amount of mana escape him, and the ground bulged slightly, causing him to lose his grip on the princess’s hand and land flat on his face.
The princess stifled a laugh, before rushing to help him,”Are you alright, Danny? Maybe you should hold my hand tighter. I forget how human you can be sometimes.”
Danny let some of his anger at Cranny show in the glare he leveled at Willow.
The princess visibly wilted,”My apologies, Danny; it was just a joke.”
Danny stood up and shook his head, “No, don’t apologies. My pride was just hurt.”
Entering the vault for the first time, Willow looked around as if she would find the archdruid hiding in one of the corners,”Wow, it’s so… red.”
*Cranny, can you close this barrier…I mean door, again?*
*Yep, hang on.*
The scattered pieces of iron on the floor flew up, merging together in the opening. Danny came close to getting struck in the head by one piece which had somehow made it to the far side of the room.
Once the whole thing was in place, the enchantment flowed like it had before. The barrier from the inside was concave, but other than that, not much was different.
“Why did you do that?” cautiously asked Willow.
Danny smiled, reassuringly,”Because I don’t want the elders or guards stopping me from looking at what’s down there.”
The princess looked confus
ed, “What makes you think they will do that?”
Danny shrugged, “Because that’s what I would do if I was in their place.”
The princess paused and looked offended,”Then, what makes you think I won’t stop you?”
Danny smiled happily at her,”You could have before, but you didn’t.” Then Danny studied her curiously,”Why didn’t you?”
The princess looked away, mumbling,”My mother wouldn’t let me.”
Danny leaned around her so that he could see her face, “Let you what, Willow?”
Sighing, Willow explained,”My mother said it was too dangerous, and I barely was able to get her to bring me with her when she visited earlier.”
“That…must be frustrating,” Danny said sympathetically.
Willow didn’t respond and looked down the newly exposed stairway and into the darkness below,asking, “You sure it’s safe?”
“It will be in a second,” Danny reassured her as he jumped into the air, activating Mana Aspect.
Danny began floating down the stairway, which was easily large enough for him to do so. He deactivated a total of three small enchanted plates, set high into the ceiling, before reaching the bottom.
The darkness had posed no problem for him, but Willow had to cast her own light to see by.
Danny, not seeing any further threats, pushed the remaining small amount of the mana still in his aspect into the princess. If she noticed, she didn’t visibly react. Though when faced with what was now before them, it was understandable why she could be distracted.
“My mother and I spent all evening excitedly trying to guess what was down here,” the princess quietly admitted.
“The elders and I couldn’t decide which was more likely. A workshop, a treasure trove, or the archdruid herself,” Danny said around his obviously disappointed frown.
Danny cast a few more lights around the new chamber, but his frown only deepened. The added light didn’t improve things.
Danny ran a hand through his hair as he looked around uncomfortably,”Everything is so purple and…”
Arcane Transmogrification Page 19