Supreme Magus

ʼThatʼs what I do.ʼ Lith lied through his brain cells while he opened a backchannel with Solus. ʼWhat voices is he talking about? More importantly, are you okay?ʼ

ʼMy guess is that the Void usually takes care of them for you but it doesnʼt give a damn about Vladdy. Donʼt worry about me, Iʼm peachy. The Void likes me so Iʼm not hearing anything but the thoughts of you two guys.

ʼNow please be quiet. I must study our surroundings, relay your thoughts to Vladion, and make sure that my voice sounds like yours.ʼ She replied.

p The mind link allowed the two men to coordinate their movements and so they started their advance toward the Golden Griffon. Vladion had them take a roundabout route, passing through all landmarks that could hide them even for just a few seconds.ReadNovelFull.me

Blindside wasnʼt invisibility and people on active patrol would soon notice that there was something wrong with their perception. If the group remained in the open for too long and a guard focused on them, the bloodline ability would fail to hide them.

By getting out of sight, Vladion resetted Blidsideʼs effectiveness, and the guards immediately forgot about the itch on the back of their skull. At the same time, Kalla used the Eyes of Menadion to study the protective arrays of the lost academy and how not to trigger them.

ʼWe are lucky that Thrudʼs soldiers are solely on the lookout for an invading army or we wouldʼve already failed our mission.ʼ Vladion said once they reached the unmanned main gate of the external walls. ʼFrom so close, an Awakened with Life Vision would spot us anyway.ʼ

ʼItʼs not a matter of luck.ʼ Lith inwardly shook his head to not break Vladionʼs neck. ʼThe Kingdomʼs attack left a skeleton crew and even if it didnʼt, without the cloaking rings weʼd be discovered in a matter of seconds and enslaved in hours.

ʼThere is simply no need for guards because Thrud canʼt plan for a weakness sheʼs not aware of. Speaking of weaknesses and unawareness are we sure that the Golden Griffon lacks the mana draining array of the six great academies?

ʼOtherwise weʼll be dead as soon as we cast a spell.ʼ As an alumnus and an ex-assistant Professor of the White Griffon, Lith knew that the uniform students and staff wore also worked as a security badge.

Anyone without one inside the academy would be perceived as an enemy and their mana sucked dry to death or captured according to the Headmasterʼs wishes.

ʼPositive.ʼ Kalla handed Lith and Vladion the Eyes. ʼIʼm making the arrays of the White Griffon overlap with those of the Golden Griffon to spot any modification to the original blueprint that Thrud might have made.

ʼAs you can see, the mana draining array is supposed to replace the Unwavering Loyalty.ʼ

ʼIt makes sense.ʼ Vladion replied. ʼThe academies wouldnʼt employ Forbidden Magic and if not for the betrayal of the Undead Courts of the past, the two arrays would be just as flawless. I wish I could make something like that for Lightkeep.ʼ

He returned the Eyes to Kalla and moved inside the Gardens of Madness, finding them empty. None of their senses, be they regular or mystical, could find any trace of more guards or magical beasts.

ʼFuck me sideways!ʼ Yet the surprises were far from over.

Mana sense perceived that many flowers, trees, and even fruits surrounding the invading party had already developed a mana flow of their own and were turning into natural treasures at an unnatural speed.

ʼHow is this possible? Even a mana geyser isnʼt enough to achieve so much in such a little time. Back during our last visit, this was a regular garden.ʼ Lith wanted to add that not even the towerʼs Greenhouse was so effective, but Vladion was still part of the link.

ʼThis forest is Awakened just like the one surrounding the White Griffon, Scourge.ʼ Kalla replied after sniffing the air. ʼProbably you missed it before because the security arrays cut the academy from most of the power of the geyser.

ʼYou have no idea how quickly natural resources form there. If not for everyone taking a piece of it, in a year youʼd have enough to fill a treasure room.ʼ

ʼHow?ʼ Lith refused to believe that any academy could outshine Menadionʼs tower.

ʼMy guess is that the prolonged exposure to the world energy made every tree, flower, and blade of grass partially enchanted.ʼ Solus replied. ʼJust like a mage can pass down their talent for magic so do the plants.

ʼOur Greenhouse has formed only recently and its flora is comprised of regular plants, instead. The only magical plants are those we entrusted Raaz and they are creating more, but he started with one of each whereas this is a damn forest.ʼ

ʼIt never rains, it pours, huh?ʼ Lith clicked his tongue in disappointment.

ʼYouʼll have the right to make comparisons once the tower accumulates a millenniumʼs worth of world energy as well or at least goes back to its full power, jackass.ʼ The tower was a part of her so Solus took the offense personally.

ʼNo academy has a crystal mine or a source of enchanted metal, yet I donʼt hear you belittling the Golden Griffon for that.ʼ

ʼIʼm sorry, Solus.ʼ Lith avoided shifting the blame on his draconic side, knowing that she wouldnʼt buy it and get even angrier.

ʼYou better be.ʼ She telepathically pouted, looking more adorable than menacing. ʼNow letʼs go and donʼt even think about taking souvenirs. This forest is still part of the academy and even if the rings keep Hystar from feeling our presence, he may still be able to perceive a change in his inventory like I can.ʼ

ʼThanks, Solus. You are the best.ʼ Lith had already been eyeing the most promising natural treasures, but her warning snapped him out of it.

He was greedy, not stupid.

The Gardens of Madness were now well-tended and extended far beyond what Lith could remember. Being incapable of flight to not get spotted and due to the thickness of the forest, it would take an intruder days just to get out of it.

If they didnʼt have a map, of course.

ʼLetʼs see.ʼ Kalla took out the parchment from one of her pockets and unrolled it.

Now that they were inside, the blank surface of the scroll had become covered in black lines that outlined the area of the Gardens around them and pointed at its exits. A red dot marked with ”You are here” made it easy for them to find their way around.

ʼThis is amazing!ʼ She and Vladion thought in unison.

ʼThis is awful!ʼ Lith begged to differ. ʼThe position of the guards is not marked and the only named rooms are those immediately adjacent to the forest. Even worse, thereʼs no way to browse through the different floors on the map and find the power core.ʼ

ʼWhat did you expect?ʼ Kalla sneered at him. ʼIt would take a sentient artifact or at least something with a power core to do that. The Undead Courts did an incredible job considering the magical knowledge of their time.

ʼThis is an old ass relic, not a modern artifact.ʼ

😉