“I can’t believe you killed the prince,” Emilia said.

Hump cringed at her words. “I prefer to keep it quiet. And as I said, I’m not convinced he’s dead.”

“Still, it’s hard to believe. And he’s a necromancer! I’ve met Prince Kassius. I looked up to him as an accomplished practitioner.” She shook her head, letting out a breath. “How did people not know?”

“He had me fooled,” Hump said. “Charismatic, he cared about the villagers trapped in the dungeon, and he called out the Chosen there when they hesitated. I was ready to work for him. It was a bit of a let-down when he tried to make me kill Celaine.”

“I wasn’t too pleased by that part either,” Celaine said.

“Bud always knew something was off though,” Hump said. “He never liked him.”

“He stayed at our estate about a month before the events at Bledsbury,” Bud said. “His intent seemed to be to gain my father’s support, and he had some rather blasphemous opinions. Not to mention he was a manipulative bastard.”

Dylan chuckled. “Those are harsh words for you, Bud. You must have really disliked him.”

“What do you make of everything?” Celaine asked Emilia.

“It’s a lot to take in.” Emilia stared at Hump. “Are you not concerned about the risk in telling me all this? If even a little of what you’ve told me got out, you would be imprisoned, and the name of anyone associated with you tarnished.”

Hump met her eyes, not looking away. “Of course, I’m nervous! But it’s better you hear it from me than discover it for yourself. Besides, we wouldn’t be much of a party if we were constantly sneaking around each other’s backs. All I can say is that I didn’t choose what has happened to me—it was the consequence of desperate situations. I’d like to think you know me well enough to judge my character now, and that it’s enough.”

“And if it’s not?” Emilia asked. “I can just leave?”

“I only ask that you give me a few days to leave the city and be on my way. You’ll never hear from me again.”

It was a risk, Hump knew that, but he’d made his decision to trust her. If worse came to worst, he supposed he could go with Celaine to her homeland a little early and try his luck there.

She took a painfully long few moments to think about it, and then nodded. “I trust you. You have the support of three Chosen I respect, and that counts for a lot.” She turned to Celaine, smiling. “Even if one is a dragon-blooded heretic.”

Celaine laughed. “I like that. It has a certain flair to it. Sounds intimidating.”

“So, you’re in?” Bud asked.

Emilia nodded. “I’m in.”

Dylan cheered, and Hump let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

“Thank you for telling me,” Emilia said. “When we discussed your soul damage before, I suspected it was bad, but this… It sounds like you’ve had a rough few months.”

“It’s certainly been more exciting than I’m used to,” Hump said. “After speaking with Countess Daston, I’m under the impression it won’t get any easier from here. Which is the other thing I wanted to speak with you all about. Her blessings as a Chosen of Imira give her limited foresight—according to her, the pivotal moment in this conflict is approaching, and I have a role to play.”

He went into more detail about how her blessing worked, and how little use it actually was to them. The questions she’d asked him at the end of it, and the reasons he might be connected to the warlocks. Prince Kassius, the riftwalker in Bledsbury Dungeon, his own soul and spellbook.

“If that thing you saw in Bledsbury was real, then Kassius is probably still out there,” Celaine said.

“It could be a serious problem if he returns,” Bud said. “People think he died a hero.”

“Countess Daston is informed,” Hump said. “I’m sure she’ll handle it how she sees best. I’m more worried about us. When I described what I saw, she looked afraid. Whatever a riftwalker is, they’re incredibly dangerous.”

“We could run,” Celaine said.

“We can’t do that,” Bud said. “There are thousands upon thousands of people here that need help. I couldn’t live with myself if I left them to suffer.”

“Countess Daston didn’t seem to think it would matter,” Hump said. “I asked her what would happen if I ran. She pretty much told me that it makes no difference. Whatever is destined to happen will happen. The path has already been decided. I don’t believe it. There’s a choice to be made here, and I’m not sure what to do.”

“We stay and do what we can,” Bud said.

“I agree with Bud on this,” Dylan said. “This is a foretelling from Imira—leaving may be the most dangerous thing we can do. We should speak to my master before deciding anything anyway. She’s been in Sheercliff the longest and knows the situation best.”

Hump sighed. “I already spoke to her. Only briefly, but she intends to stay. She also told me to keep my head down. I got the impression that tensions are high amongst the faction leaders, especially after that general from Duke Malar arrived. Abraxus is giving her trouble too, Dylan. You should probably speak with her when you find a moment.”

“Gods, it’s so unfair,” Dylan growled. “His suspicion is unfounded. All over some petty grudge from their time at the academy.”

“Well, Vivi isn’t backing down,” Hump said.

“I’ll speak with her.”

“My brother mentioned the city is barely holding itself together,” Emilia said. “Countess Daston has done what she can, but General Bennet’s arrival has come with a call to move resources away from the refugee camp and hunting warlocks to focus more on defeating the dungeons.”

Hump scoffed, shaking his head. “Because that’s worked well so far. It’s the same story as always. Most nobles care nothing for the common people and just want to protect their interests. Wasn’t one of the dungeons in a mine?”

“An abandoned mine, yeah,” Dylan said.

“Allegedly abandoned,” Hump said. “I would not put it past some slimy lord to say that to keep the profits to themselves.”

“You’re just getting agitated because we’re stuck here,” Celaine said. “Whatever they’re doing, it’s completely out of our hands. Let’s think about things we can immediately affect.”

Hump rubbed his face and sat back. “Right. So, what do you want to do?”

“The killings can’t go on,” Bud said. “I want to stay in Sheercliff and lend our aid there.”

Hump shrugged. “For them to avoid the attention of so many Chosen, they must be powerful and well hidden.”

“You don’t think they’re coming here through a rift, do you?” Dylan asked. “If this riftwalker is involved, perhaps that’s how they’re avoiding detection.”

Hump scrunched his nose. “I don’t think so. To give you a sense of its power, the only thing I can even compare it to is god pillars. A being like that wouldn’t be ferrying around a few warlocks to commit back-alley murders. And if it was, this is beyond hopeless.”

“Then what do we do?” Bud said.

“Maybe we just keep doing what we’ve been doing,” Celaine said. “Take on quests, train, and keep an eye open for anything odd. If the foretelling is accurate, Hump will stumble upon whatever he’s supposed to do eventually. It’s better that happens here where we’re surrounded by powerful allies than beyond the city.”

Hump crossed his fingers. “Fingers crossed, it’s nothing pointy. I really don’t want to stumble on anything pointy.”

She frowned at him. “That almost sounds like agreement.”

Hump sighed. “More, reluctant acceptance. You’re right though. We have backing here. Vivi obviously, but I feel like we can trust Countess Daston too, along with Marcela.”

“And Eliana,” Dylan said. “My master seems to have become close with her.”

“She seems to be close to that Graham guy too,” Hump said.

“My brother is here too,” Emilia said. “He’s been working closely with the martial guild and temple guard to track down warlocks. If things get bad, we can always go to him.”

“I’d like to say we can count on Arthur too,” Bud said. “Though I’m not sure that’s still the case.”

There was a long pause. Hump could hardly blame Arthur, even if he was a bit of an arse. If someone in his party had died, he would also be furious. Both at the world and the gods. It must be even harder for the Chosen when their gods fail them.

“Give him time,” Hump said. “He lost someone. I’d be more bothered if he took it well. It shows he cares.”

Bud sighed. “Right.”

“Before things take a grim turn,” Dylan said. “What do you say we leave things here for today? We can sleep on it and come up with a plan tomorrow once we’ve all had some time to think. Today is a good day. We have a new member with us and just received a fantastic reward. Show us what Countess Daston gave you, Hump, and then let’s celebrate over a few drinks.”

Bud rubbed his eyes. “Dylan’s right. It’s our first day back. Let’s shelve this discussion for once we’re properly rested.”

Hump forced himself to smile. “That sounds like the first good idea we’ve had tonight.”

“You’re just saying that because you want to show off your new toys,” Celaine said.

“I have been itching to look.”

He opened the box, the hinges smooth and perfect, the inside layered with burgundy velvet. The others leant in closer as he took the ring from inside and put it on the index finger of his left hand.

“This is an Osidium Opal ring.” He flipped his spellbook open to a page of swirling ink, shining with essence. “Take a look at this, Emilia. It’s able to identify items and their abilities.”

She watched the book with more interest than the ring as words took form.

Item Index

Osidium Opal Ring

Artifact | Earth | Silver

Description

A ring embedded with an Osidium Opal, containing a fragment of the earth god’s power. Infuse the sands within with essence. The sands can be called forth to provide light or be manipulated into shapes. The essence contained in the sand can be unleashed in a single explosion of force and sand.

Origin

Sheercliff – A gift from Countess Justine Daston

“Amazing,” Emilia said. “And it’s a silver grade item. I’ve heard of Osidium Opal’s before. I think it’s quite a common gift for Chosen of Osidium that reach the fourth circle.”

“Have you tried it yet?” Bud asked.

“Not yet,” Hump said.

He infused it with a little essence and the sand within glowed brighter, shining like a sea of stars. He continued to fill it with essence, willing it into the ring until he felt it reaching its limit.

“That feels like a similar amount of essence to Fire Beam,” Hump said. “Probably best I save the explosive function for when we’re next in the training grounds. As for the sands…”

He willed the sands out from the stone, envisioning them flowing out and filling the air. They moved easily, forming a cloud of glittering dust above the ring, illuminating the room in bronze light. He imagined a circle, and the sand moved, forming vague lines before collapsing back into a cloud. Hump frowned. It seemed forming images would take some practice.

With a thought, he withdrew the sand.

“It’s pretty,” Celaine said. “It’s not exactly the most functional item. You’ve got other light spells, and a single use explosion might be helpful in a pinch but it’s not quite what I expected.”

Hump stared at the ring on his finger, beaming in delight. “I like it! It wasn’t her main gift though.” Hump took the book out of the box. “She also gave me this. A spell tree for the Tier 6 spell, Rivers of Lava.”

“What’s a spell tree?” Bud asked.

“Powerful spells are often created by combining and improving on techniques of earlier spells,” Hump said. “For example, it’s much easier to create a Tier 2 spell such as Fire Blast by building on Essence Blast and infusing it with fire essence. Tier 6 spells are exponentially more complex than that, so are often based on a foundation of lower tier spells. This one is the result of five spells that lead to Rivers of Lava.”

“And that’s exceptional?” Bud asked.

“It’s priceless,” Emilia said. “Storm Sword is my family’s prized technique, and it is also Tier 6. This kind of thing is usually so closely guarded… well, only a person like Countess Daston has them to give away. Lava magic is an interesting choice, Hump.”

“Earth and fire are my best affinities, and my master was a control-focused wizard. It seemed like a natural fit.”

He opened the book and started to read through the spells. Beside him, his spellbook turned to the next page for each one, recording the formations, notes, and spell details as described in the book, replicating everything perfectly.

“Melt Stone and Control Lava are fairly straight forward,” Hump said. “The former allows me to superheat stone, turning it to liquid, while the latter seems to combine Transform Earth and Control Fire. I don’t think either will give me too much difficulty to learn. Molten Shower on the other hand is the first one that sounds extremely interesting.”

Spellbook

Molten Shower

Evocation | Battle Magic | Tier 3 | Range: Short

Description: Unleash a spray of molten stone. Leave a trail of molten stone wherever it touches.

“I think terrifying is a better word,” Dylan said. “Gods, that would hurt.”

Hump nodded. “I’m going to need to find an appropriate place to practice this. I can see it going very wrong.”

Still, the spell didn’t look too complicated. Being a combination of earth and fire inflated the tier of the spell—the techniques actually involved weren’t too bad. At a glance, it seemed easier to memorise than the formation for Burning Wisps, and he wouldn’t need the same level of intent as he did to create actual constructs.

Lava Coils seemed like an entirely different case. Not only did it appear incredibly complicated, it seemed like the kind of spell that could easily backfire.

Spellbook

Lava Coils

Evocation | Battle Magic | Tier 4 | Range: Medium

Description: Form ribbons of molten stone that lash out like whips.

“I’m noticing a trend here,” Celaine said. “These are spells to accidentally burn buildings down.”

Hump laughed, excitement growing in him. “They’d have been very useful in Stonebark Forest. I wouldn’t trust myself with this one yet though. White Flame was the first Tier 4 spell I used, and it drained me dry and pushed me to my limits. This is more complex than that. I’d be better off learning Molten Stone that I discovered in Bledsbury Dungeon rather than this right now.”

“And then what?” Celaine asked. “Magma Pit and Rivers of Lava don’t sound any less devastating.”

“No, they certainly do not,” Hump said.

Spellbook

Magma Pit

Evocation | Battle Magic | Tier 5 | Range: Medium

Description: Unleash a burst of essence to melt a patch of stone, forming a pit of molten rock.

Spellbook

Rivers of Lava

Evocation | Battle Magic | Tier 6 | Range: Medium

Description: Call upon the lava of the earth, raising pools of lava that form rivers at your will.

Hump stared at the two formations, one on each page of the Book of Infinite Pages. Their complexity was astounding. Hump had never seen a formation so complex, and even at a glance it was clear to him that it was so far beyond his current capabilities that he didn’t even know where to start. Memorisation was impossible. He could probably copy the formation given enough time, but there was no way he could infuse the runes and channels with the intent necessary to actually activate either of the spells.

At least, not now. One day, he would succeed. With enough practice and time, this power would eventually be his, and he would be a Rank 5 wizard. There was little more he could ask for than that.