The Stone of Elsira

by Scott Kennedy

  “Muriel and I came here together.”

  Zupher got up and dashed towards Muriel and gave her a big hug of relief.

  “It's so good to see you. I passed my admission test as well!”

  Muriel's reply was abruptly interrupted by Xenos.

  “You'll have plenty of time to talk about your little adventure later. Now let’s go to the Archmage.”

  Xenos's tone was cold and coercive.

  Zupher headed back to the lounge.

  “What’s up with Xenos, is this just how he generally is as a person?”

  Earl replied.

  “Xenos joined the society ten years ago. He didn't provide much of a background on his origin. Typically, the Arcane Society requires such information, but his claim that he had nothing left in his life but an iron will and his unusually powerful summoning abilities, gained him the favour of the Archmage. He pretty much joined the society, already being adept in Summoning. He knows how to summon certain powerful entities that are unknown to anyone else in the society. He also had a natural talent in Illusion Magic, which he cultivated rapidly over the next three years. He became one of the Archmage’s favourite mages and soon began his training to reach a level of adeptness in Illusion and Environmental Sorcery. There is a rumour that he received direct training from the Archmage himself in Environmental Sorcery, because it only took him another two years to reach a level of adeptness in it. He applied to become a Master Mage and replaced Elsje's position after she left five years ago. He has been a Master Mage ever since.

  He was a very laid-back and familiar guy before he became a Master Mage. No one really disliked him. Nowadays though, he doesn't talk to us much outside of training and missions, and often has rude moments like what we just witnessed.”

  “His relationship with the Archmage doesn't seem to have been compromised though,” Bellona said.

  “So long as we have one another's vigilance, he shan’t have any power over us,” Racer said, firmly.

  Muriel returned to the foyer and approached the rest of the mages in the lounge.

  “Earl, I believe this is yours.”

  Muriel handed Earl's enchanted ring back to him. Earl received it with a warm smile.

  “Thank you so much dear. I thought this ring would be lost forever. This is highly appreciated.”

  “Muriel shook Earl's hand and introduced herself to him and the rest of the mages in the lounge. She then headed over to Zupher and sat next to him.

  “Who is that guy over there by the art section?” Muriel asked.

  “That's Falion, he is typically elusive and solitary. He really gets deep into concentration when he works on his art,” Najla replied, her gaze fixated on Muriel.

  “How did your admission task go?” Zupher asked, feeling a lot less tense with Muriel back at his side.

  “It was riveting. Not at all what I had expected...”

  “Tell us more!” Dahlia said, with a face full of excitement.

  “My task was to retrieve Earl's enchanted ring from a band of necromancers who had fled into an old abandoned fort in the woodlands. The fort itself wasn't as large as I had expected and it took me quite a while to locate it. I eventually found it, and it had multiple marks of damage and erosion. It seemed to be rather archaic in appearance with regards to its general design, and the exterior colour of the fort had assumed the brown tint of its environment. There was not a specific entrance to the fort in particular, but there were multiple cracks and openings throughout, so I climbed up to the top of the fort and searched for an opening to jump through. As I reached the central roof of the fort, I could hear voices directly below me. I assumed without a doubt that it was the necromancers and I knelt close by an opening to listen in. They appeared to be heavily invested in the conversation they were having. There were three of them in total and one of them seemed to be adamant that he knew where to find a stone of unsullied magical power. The others didn't believe him at all until he said that he had heard a rumour that a denizen of Adlok had set voyage in the northern sea and discovered a small island. The island apparently contained the site of an ancient temple, which the necromancer believed to hold this stone. The explorer said that he tried to enter the temple but was literally unable to. He couldn't figure out why and eventually fled to the Western lands. He somehow made it alive back to the Lakeside village near Grimlok and spread the word.

  The rumour did a good job at convincing the other necromancers.

  “I jumped through an opening from above and confronted the necromancers. Instead of immediate hostility, which is how I thought they'd react, they chose to take a moment to analyse me. I then told them to kindly hand over Earl's ring or I would have to resort to using force. They all laughed at me and one proceeded to approach me. He seemed utterly convinced that I presented no threat whatsoever and attempted to put a hand on my shoulder and sweet-talk me, but just before that wretched hand touched me, I kicked him in his groin. He let out a pitiful screech, which appeared to have triggered the other necromancers’ hostility, if you will.”

  Najla and Dahlia giggled.

  “One of the necromancers started saying an incantation; the second one stayed put by him and the third one started attacking me with ice-based destruction magic. I ran in an effort to avoid the ice projectiles, but then had to suddenly stop in my tracks to avoid a collapsing pillar – the second necromancer was using telekinesis. I quickly reached into my satchel and grabbed a potion that would increase my speed and reactions. I started gulping it down as quickly as I could. I had to duck down on impulse just as I had finished to avoid a decapitating ice projectile. With my speed now enhanced, I was able to dash towards the third necromancer. Once I was in fighting range, I lashed out my knives at him. He then suddenly displayed impressive athleticism and did a backward flip, avoided my attack and shot a projectile at me. I was caught off guard and it hit me on the shoulder. I screamed in pain and fell to my knees, stunned. My assailant then slowly approached me, laughing.”

  “Your body will make a fine specimen for study,” he said to me, with a malevolent tone.

  The long time he had taken to approach me though, had proven most valuable. While he was drowning in ego and pride, he had failed to notice that I had motioned my hand over my wound and was working a healing spell on myself. He reached me and pointed his finger directly at my heart. A blue icy aura started to radiate from it. He was about to freeze my heart. Just as he shot out freezing energy from his finger, I rolled over to the side, sprang up and lunged my knife directly into his heart. I immediately looked around and located the second necromancer, who didn't seem to bear much emotion after witnessing his friend getting killed. He started throwing pieces of rubble at me with telekinesis. I hid behind the staircase of the fort and pondered on a way to deal with him. I soon came to notice that there was a stone gargoyle directly above him that was barely supported in its position. I aimed directly at its only linkage and threw my knife. He noticed the knife fly above him and expressed a look of amusement, thinking that I was aiming at him. The massive gargoyle statue then fell straight towards him. He only realized at the last second, and was crushed.

  “I looked over to the last necromancer who earlier had started saying an incantation. The whole time I was dealing with the others, he had been building up energy. A light-blue aura radiated around him that extended throughout the floor of the fort. The ground started shaking and the necromancer who I had stabbed earlier, started to twitch. I dashed towards him, but I was thrown back by a shock-wave of energy. My former master, Elsje, had talked about magic repelling forcefields before, and the energy coming out of the last necromancer seemed to have matched the description of what she had told me. I knew that it would be impossible for me, charged with aetheric force to physically approach him, so I threw my second knife with all my might straight at his neck. It hit and his ritual was halted, thankfully. I went to fetch the knife off the corpse of the last necromancer and noticed Earl's ring on his finger.”r />
  “Wow, how amazing. You seem to be just as much of an exciting prospect as Zupher,” Bellona said, nodding her head in awe.

  “We have never had a member who is especially talented in physical combat for quite some time. The Arcane Society may be able to accomplish extraordinary things now,” Earl said.

  Muriel turned over and looked at Zupher. “So how was your task overall?”

  “Not too bad, thank you. I was tasked with infiltrating the Arcane Society with the help of an aura-muffling scroll and the sedation of one of its mages. I didn't encounter many problems. I had a close call with Fae discovering me, but apart from that I had prepared myself well.”

  For the next hour, Zupher and Muriel chatted with the rest of the mages in the lounge and then headed off to rest.

  Chapter 12

  First Training

  Zupher awoke in his quarters feeling reborn. The person he was back in Adlok had now diminished and he had now started a new chapter in his life. Zupher got dressed into his new robes. They were navy-blue and bore the sigil of the Arcane Society on the back. He went to the foyer and found the rest of the mages eating by the dining table.

  “Up early at the Arcane Society, aren't we?” Zupher said while taking his seat.

  “Certainly. As soon as the sun tips the horizon and the first few rays of light pierce the darkness, we are up.” A woman who Zupher had not seen the previous day said, eyeing him with her green eyes.

  “My name is Freya, Master Mage of the Arcane Society. Xenos told me that you are an especially talented apprentice.”

  Zupher smiled that Freya, who had short light-brown hair and was dressed in a white and silver robe.

  “Thanks milady. I cannot wait to start learning more and cultivate my skills.”

  “Well lucky for you, training will commence straight after breakfast.”

  Freya smiled at Zupher and continued to eat her breakfast.

  Muriel soon came up to the dining table and sat next to Zupher.

  “Oh my, I hate being the last one to get up.”

  Muriel quickly gathered some food unto her plate and started eating.

  “Yesterday was just a hell of a day; that admission task really drained me.”

  Zupher patted Muriel on the back.

  “You did well. You deserved to sleep in. No one has protested because we all know how difficult your admission task was.”

  Zupher's words brought alleviation to Muriel.

  “Muriel, how pleasant to meet you. My name is Freya, Master Mage of the Arcane Society. It brought me great joy once I heard that a new Herbal Alchemy and Healing mage was admitted. The fact that your skill is rather decent, is further good news. We have been lacking a skilled mage in that department since Elsje left the Society.”

  “Thank you, madam. I was actually very close to Elsje before coming here. She taught me all I know.”

  “Dahlia is struggling with her duties to heal and make potions. We know that she has it in her, but no one has been able to train her properly since Elsje left, so your presence here is highly appreciated.” Muriel nodded in respect to Freya.

  A few moments later Xenos came up to the dining table.

  “All right mages, it is time to start training. Can everyone please finish up their breakfast and head towards their respective training hall.”

  Just after Xenos finished speaking, Oriel approached the dining table with his gaze dead focused on Zupher and took a seat directly opposite him. He didn't dish out any food. He just stared with ire at Zupher. Oriel's presence had caused the entire table to become silent.

  “You!” Oriel called out in outrage. Zupher remained silent.

  Oriel stood up, and frowned at Zupher with tears forming in his eyes. He then lifted up three plates using his telekinesis ability and flung them towards Zupher.

  Zupher reacted on raw impulse and dived to his left onto Muriel's lap to avoid the attack.

  He stayed low until Muriel tapped him on the shoulder, signalling him to get up.

  Xenos had put a pacifying spell on Oriel.

  “I'll deal with Oriel in the general practice hall. The rest of you are to begin your training now.”

  The mages of the Arcane Society got up and headed to the northern section of the sanctuary where all the training rooms were.

  “I suppose you'll be with Dahlia, hey. Lucky for you, you're pretty much an adept mage already!”

  Zupher hugged Muriel and then walked over towards Racer.

  “Come lad, let’s head over to the Illusion room, the coolest room in the sanctuary,” Racer said, with a mischievous grin on his face.

  Once they entered the room, Zupher was unimpressed.

  “Is this it, really? There is nothing in here, it is just a room with dark-blue walls.”

  “Illusion is ever changing, depending on the situation at hand. The dark realms of the subconscious assume different forms in different people. Dark-blue is an archetypal colour to the subconscious. The dark-blue walls are also symbolic to the malleable waters of the psyche. So as you know, in order for an Illusion spell to be successful, the caster needs to firstly have a strong will and aura to power the spell. Secondly, the caster needs to identify a vulnerability in his victim and exploit it, be that either a mental or physical vulnerability. It’s often the case that you will be unsure of your victim’s mental vulnerability. You will thus have to telepathically enter your victim’s psyche to find out. From the time you enter your opponent’s psyche to the time you re-emerge, only seconds will have passed in real time. Weak-minded victims or victims with little to no aura will have poor defences, such as an animal or a person that isn't trained in magic. In this instance, you won't need a vulnerability to make the spell work. You will definitely, however, encounter adversaries with stronger minds and auras that will prove a lot more challenging to breach mentally. If you struggle to breach an adversary’s psyche and/or identify his vulnerability, it will be best to inflict physical damage unto him. The higher you manage to physically damage your adversary, the weaker his mental defences will become, making him more susceptible to psychic attack.”

  Racer started to slowly walk around the room.

  “There are various kinds of Illusion spells that can be cast. There are pacify spells that calm your victim; sedative spells that render your victim unconscious; frenzy spells that cause your victim to ruthlessly attack anything in sight; hallucination spells that confuse your victim and enthralling spells that temporarily make your victim unconditionally follow your every command. All the Illusion spells have one thing in common – making your opponent conform to your will.

  You already know how to perform a sedative spell. How did you learn?”

  “I met Elsje, on my way here. There is a magical tree in the centre of her village called the Aurea Elderwood. She told me that if I were to meditate in the presence of the Aurea Elderwood, it could prove to be a powerful catalyst that would help me unlock dormant subconscious potential. I did the meditation and had a psychic experience of a pacifying and sedative spell.”

  Racer nodded bearing a smile.

  “I've heard of the Aurea Elderwood. I’ve never heard, however, of someone actually enhancing its power.” Racer walked over to Zupher.

  “So today we are going to learn how to conduct an enthralling spell. It is the one of the tougher Illusion spells to master, but will prove to be the most rewarding Illusion spell in terms of experience. I want you to head off into the swamp and find a snake. You'll be able to practise an enthralment for the first time on an animal like a snake and gain the minimal experience needed to conduct the spell further. You must make a snake your thrall and bring it back here to the sanctuary, in the illusion training room. Once you breach the snake’s psyche, you must will it to follow your every command. Throughout the enthralment, you must make sure that enough of your concentration is directed on the snake, because if you fail to concentrate adequately on your thrall, the spell will be broken and you'll have to start al
l over again.”

  Zupher looked at Racer with a mild touch of contempt.

  “Okay, sounds simple enough, but where should I look in particular for a swamp snake.”

  Racer chortled.

  “Look in shallow bodies of water, especially near trees. They rarely leave the water. Here is some snake skin that you can use to clairvoyantly locate a snake through meditation.”

  Racer reached into his pocket and pulled out rolled-up snake skin. He handed it over to Zupher.

  “Off with you now. I'll be in here for the next hour or so. If you don't find me here when you get back, check in my quarters.”

  Zupher exited the sanctuary and walked over to a large pond. It was chilly and raining. He started to search the banks of the pond, but couldn’t see far into the cloudy water. He then sat down on an old fallen tree and held the snake skin that Racer had given him. After meditating for ten minutes on the energy of the snake skin, Zupher could sense a snake in his midst. He walked right up to a snake that was in the outer bank of the pond. Once he was in range of the snake’s aura, he projected his consciousness at it and willed it to follow his every command. The snake immediately slithered up to Zupher and started to follow him back to the sanctuary.

  'Ah that was not too bad; Racer should be impressed at how little time it took me,' Zupher thought.

  While walking back, Zupher stumbled on a small rock. The abruptness of the stumble caught him off guard and his attention shifted from the snake. The snake started to slither away. Zupher quickly ran up to the snake and started the spell again; this time making sure not to let his concentration slip. Zupher re-entered the sanctuary with the snake by his side and found Racer sitting in the Illusion room.

  “So you're back; didn't take you too long,” Racer said with a grin.

  “And I see you brought me a lovely snake; will make a nice pet,” Racer laughed and gave Zupher a pat on the back.

  Chapter 13

  Lord Auberon