The sun was just beginning to set behind the city of Milagre when Samuel and Shigeru reached the city gates and began their trek down the path leading away from the city. Grimr had decided to catch up to them later, having some business to do within the city. Samuel had asked him what the business could be, and why he wanted to take care of it alone, but the Ancient had ignored these questions, whisking away into the evening without so much as a farewell.
There was something beautiful about the grassy parklands surrounding Milagre at night, Samuel thought. As the pair of them walked along the path, the slowly rising moon bathed the scene in an ethereal white light. It was a mystical setting that belied the mundane nature of the lands around the city. Still, Samuel thought, you couldn’t help but be entranced by it. Of course, on his last pass through the city gates, he had been in a carriage unconscious and had missed the view the land offered.
Samuel knew, from his time in the city, that the land had been purposefully groomed for several miles. What had once been a rugged terrain was now smooth, rolling low hills, upon which trees were dotted in a seemingly random fashion. While this arrangement provided many semi-secluded picnic areas for couples to enjoy a nice meal, it also prevented any sizable force from approaching unseen. It was the perfect mix of luxury and security.
“I’m sure this landscape takes a while to get used to,” Samuel said in an aside to Shigeru. When the swordsman raised one eyebrow in an unspoken question, he elaborated. “I assume the landscape is much different from your home in Nihon-Ja?”
Shigeru took a few seconds to think that over. He glanced once at the flat, uninterrupted landscape around him, and nodded slightly. “It is indeed a different place. It has its own beauty, but I must admit, I miss the sight of the mountains.”
“Are there many mountains in Nihon-Ja?” Samuel asked. He knew very little of Shigeru’s homeland.
Shigeru nodded once again. “Yes. There are many mountains. I was born at the foot of the largest, Mount Kodan.”
“Mount Kodan?” Samuel said, making a mental note to record the name later. “What does that mean in Nihon-Jan?”
“It is the name of an ancient earth spirit. Legend has it that Kodan was once the God of the Earth, but was defeated and laid to rest under the mountain. It is said that each year, on the remembrance of his death, the mountain trembles to remind the world of his life.”
“Remembrance?” Samuel said, tilting his head. The word was familiar, but he sensed that in this context, the meaning was different.
“It is the day on which things are remembered,” Shigeru said, then turned to Samuel, looking confused. “Do you not have these days in Gorteau? They happen on the same day every year.”
“Ah.” Samuel said simply, understanding. “We do have those, but we call them anniversaries. Or in the case of the living, we have name days, celebrating the day you were born.”
“We also celebrate name days,” Shigeru said. “I remember my name days as a child. They were quite fun.”
Samuel studied him for several long seconds without saying anything. He knew enough about Shigeru’s past to know that he was born into a high-ranking noble family. Such a childhood would likely have been luxurious and peaceful.
“My name days were always simple,” Samuel said. “My mother would cook my favorite meal, and recite my favorite stories. Then again, that was most days, so they never really stood out.”
Shigeru nodded for the third time but didn’t say much else. He was looking around more often now, turning on the spot as they walked, a slight frown on his face. His eyes were narrowed as if against a blinding light, though the night was getting quite dark. The nearest source of light was the torches held by the city guard at the gate, and they were nearly five hundred feet away.
“What’s the matter?” Samuel asked him hesitantly, suddenly not wanting to break his concentration.
He didn’t have to wait long for his answer. His own senses, heightened by Shigeru so obviously being on the lookout for something, alerted him to something strange to his left and slightly behind. Turning suddenly to look that direction, he became aware of the flood of mana just as it hit him. It had tremendous force behind it, enough to knock him and Shigeru apart, and send the warrior flying as Samuel was pinned to the ground.
Grunting with pain and surprise, Samuel desperately tried to pull his own mana to life and form a shield against the onslaught of hostile mana, but to no avail. There was too much being directed at him, and he couldn’t shove it off. It bombarded his senses, and he felt as though his body were on fire. He could feel his strength leaving him, and knew that if he couldn’t break free, he wouldn’t last another minute.
Finally, with a supreme effort, Samuel managed to force his own mana between his body and the spell launched from the shadows. He shoved it off of him, and a bright white flash of energy, seemingly launched from Shigeru’s position, collided with the mana, shattering it into innumerable pieces that dissolved into the night air.
Rolling away and clambering to his feet, Samuel looked to where Shigeru had landed. The swordsman held one hand outstretched, and the air around his arm was still faintly pulsing white. Shigeru didn’t look injured and was getting to his feet, looking faintly winded.
Just barely audible, Samuel heard a voice mutter some arcane words. The next spell that flew towards him gave off no light or sound, but Samuel sensed it by the massive amount of mana the spell contained. Just as it launched at him, he threw up another barrier of his own mana. The shield managed to block the attack, but the force of it was so extreme that it shattered the thin mana barrier, and Samuel felt another chunk of his energy exhausted.
Panting heavily now after warding off the two different attacks, Samuel glared into the night air in the direction of the attacks. “Who’s there?”
There was nothing but silence for a few seconds, then another round of low muttering. Samuel quickly conjured and threw a bolt of his own mana, forming into fire, in the direction of the gathering mana he could sense. The muttering turned into a loud curse as whoever it was jumped out of the way of the attack. Samuel followed the first bolt of fire with three more, following the sound of the enemy mage as they were forced to dodge. The last bolt was deflected with a quick word, and the light thrown off the shattering spell revealed the man’s face.
It was Lucian Peran, Archmage of Knowledge. Suddenly rejuvenated by anger, Samuel flooded his body with mana and threw his hands forward, channeling raw lightning in Peran’s direction. The Archmage shouted a spell in response, holding up one hand and redirecting the bolt back at Samuel. Unprepared for this counter-attack, Samuel’s own attack came back with nearly double the force and punched through his hasty mana barrier, striking him in the chest.
Samuel flew back and landed on the hard ground once again, vaguely aware of Shigeru charging towards Peran. He heard the shriing of Shigeru’s sword being drawn, then an explosive grunt as he was struck and sent flying back once more. Catlike, he landed on his feet, using one hand on the grass to force himself to stop sliding. Then he was up and charging again, releasing another of those white bolts at Peran as he advanced.
Doing his best to gather more mana in his hands, Samuel tried a trick that had helped once before. Much like Grimr had when facing the bandits months ago, though it felt like years, he pulled a large chunk of mana to his right hand and forced out a powerful arc of bright lightning. The bolt flew over Shigeru and Lucian’s head, then shattered into a dozen smaller tines, each arcing back inwards towards Lucian.
“ENOUGH!” Lucian bellowed, making a sweeping motion with one hand, knocking Shigeru away and evaporating the tines of electricity in an instant. Then Samuel felt pressure closing in on himself, and he desperately threw up another, final barrier of mana to protect himself.
Just barely visible now that Lucian wasn’t trying to hide the light of his spellcasting, Samuel saw the older man’s eyes blazing with hatred. He somehow knew, without having to ask, why the Archmage was here. Having failed in his own attempt to find Arcana, he assumed that was what Samuel was setting out to attempt the same, and was now trying his best to stop him.
Another flash of light, this time with another spoken incantation, and Shigeru was pinned against the ground much as Samuel had been. There appeared to be extra pressure on his arms and legs, stopping him from swinging his weapon or unleashing another of those white bolts to free himself. His sword had been knocked from his grip and had landed on the ground by his rucksack and the long thin parcel Samuel had noticed before.
Samuel tried his best to keep his protective barrier up, but he could feel the pressure of Lucian’s spell putting too much strain upon his last hope. Finally, with a loud bang, the barrier shattered, and Lucian’s spell closed around his body, suffocating his mana’s flow, and beginning to once more drain him of energy. He could feel his mana leaking out of his body, and though he tried his best to fight the spell off, he could feel his body going limp and his vision fading.
A loud roar, much like one would expect from the most majestic of lions, shattered the silence of the night. Samuel’s eyes opened, and he drew in one long, shuddering breath. Something had happened to force Peran’s spell off of him. Looking to where the Archmage was standing, Samuel saw another figure, much shorter than Peran, grappling with the mage. As Samuel watched, the smaller figure struck out with a foot, kicking the Archmage’s feet out from under him. He was knocked flat, and all at once, the spell that had been placed upon Samuel was lifted.
Scrambling to his feet, Samuel summoned the last bits of mana he could to create a floating ball of light that he directed towards his mysterious savior. The orb shined brightly as it revealed the Archmage being thrown to the ground. It was Grimr who had come to their aid. The ancient was in his human form, and he had one hand clamped down on Peran’s arm, pinning him to the ground with ease.
“I thought you might pull some underhanded trick like this.” Grimr hissed. Even in his more normal human form, his teeth were bared, and they looked abnormally sharp. His eyes blazed with anger as he stared down at his prey, and he drew the dagger he held with his free hand.
Lucian said nothing, glaring at Samuel with open hostility as he approached. A slight shuffling noise signaled Shigeru’s approach as well, his sword in hand and ready for an attack. As the two of them reached the Ancient and the Archmage, Grimr looked up, nodding silently in greeting.
“So this is why you broke away for a little while?” Samuel asked, rubbing his shoulder. It was very tender at the moment from where it had been slammed into the ground.
Grimr nodded. “That is part of it. I also went to seek out Sean Astori. He has asked me to tell you that he requests you to attempt the college once more when you return.”
Samuel gave no response to the shared message, instead focusing his attention on the prone and restrained older man before him. That same flare of anger rose up within him again, but he forced it down. Taking a deep breath, he crouched down to address the Archmage. “Why would you go so far as to attack me?”
Lucian looked away from his face slightly and maintained his silence. Letting out a slight sigh, Samuel glanced back to Grimr, noticing that the Ancient hadn’t relaxed his grip in the slightest. It seemed to be causing Peran a great deal of pain, but Grimr didn’t care in the slightest.
“What can we do to make sure he doesn’t come after us?” Samuel asked Grimr, heartily tired of all the trouble he’d found in Milagre.
“That is easily done,” Grimr said. “Astori has also told me that he is under inspection from the High Magus of the College. He seems convinced the High Magus will side with you in the matter, and it will not bode well for Lucian. He cannot lose his title, of course, but he will most likely be given less authority over the daily operations of the college.”
The High Magus, Samuel knew, was a special individual within the Mage’s College. Just as the Archmages were honored and respected within the College, the High Magus was revered throughout the Mage’s Guild as a whole. They were those select people who stood at the top of both organizations and were in charge of each area. They were also the ones to whom all complaints were brought, and they resolved all issues. There was only one High Magus at a time, and their word was final within the Mage’s Guild.
Samuel frowned. “And that will be enough to ensure that he stops harassing me?”
“It is one of the most effective ways to ensure that he leaves you be,” Grimr said with a nod. “Short of killing him, that is.”
It was a mark of how angry Samuel still was at Peran that he didn’t immediately reject the idea of killing him. He still knew it was wrong and was sure that he’d regret it later, but he wasn’t used to being this angry. Never before had he been attacked so ruthlessly. Even with the bandits and the other students that challenged him, he’d never felt so sure that he would die.
“I’m not sure.” He said slowly. Why didn’t those guards do anything though? The spells should have been visible even from this distance.”
Grimr looked at him evenly, telling Samuel, by a single expression, to regain control of himself. Samuel noticed the expression and took several deep breaths to calm his racing pulse. He could feel his heart slowing down, and the rage he felt receded slightly. It was still present, but it no longer felt as if it was drowning out his reason. He noticed, with mild interest, that his mana had started to flow more smoothly now that his mind was settling down.
“The guards couldn’t have noticed what was going on here,” Grimr explained. Sure, we can see them, but the darkness is more potent when you’re standing next to a torch. Bright lights ruin your ability to see in the darkness. Also, magic is dampened in the area, so it’s less visible.”
“Dampened?” Samuel queried. He’d never heard of such a thing. “What does that mean exactly?”
“It is a slow process,” Grimr said casually. “You can enchant an area so that magic is harder to notice. These two things combined made sure that Peran had plenty of time and opportunity to put you down without anyone noticing.”
“Interesting.” Samuel couldn’t think of anything else to say. Despite the obvious effort Peran had put in to kill him, the young mage couldn’t help his curiosity at discovering this new type of magic. Finally, he decided to drop the issue and move on.
“Well then,” he said, drawing Peran’s attention. “I suppose you’d better release him then. If we’re not killing him, he’d best get back to the College.”
Grimr looked at him for a long moment, studying the young man’s body language. There was still quite a bit of anger there. He could tell that Samuel was inexperienced when it came to controlling his own emotions, and weighed the risk that he might attack Peran once the Archmage was released. Deciding to give him the benefit of the doubt, he nodded and released his grip on the old man.
Peran scrambled to his feet at once but kept his eyes down. He stared in silence as Samuel and Shigeru picked their packs back up and resumed their trek down the road. Glancing over his shoulder, Samuel could see Grimr following close behind them, and could just make out Peran, returning through the city gates, making his way back to the college.
“Thank you for saving us, Grimr,” Samuel said as the Ancient drew even with them. “I was sure that I was going to die there.”
Grimr rolled his shoulders in a shrug. “I couldn’t very well let you be killed by a jealous failure. You have too much potential, if you’re ever to realize it, you must start by meeting Arcana.”
Samuel couldn’t help but be touched by Grimr’s show of faith. It wasn’t all that surprising after all the Ancient had taught him, but it was still a step further than he’d expected. He could understand Lucian Peran’s motivation in attacking him. The man had spent his own youth tracking down the fallen god with no success. It was logical that he’d try to stop Samuel from succeeding where he’d failed.
“Well, I appreciate it all the same,” Samuel said, shaking his head slightly. “But first I have to find him, and that’s something that nobody else has ever achieved.”
“One person does know where Arcana hides,” Grimr said simply, keeping pace with the two figures easily. “And I intend to show you the way.”
Samuel stopped in his tracks, surprised. It was some seconds before the other two realized that he’d halted, and glanced back to where he stood, eyes wide. Suddenly, Samuel realized what must have happened, and his brain reeled as he tried to grasp the enormity of the suggestion.
“You didn’t show Peran where he was,” Samuel said slowly, still putting the pieces together. “That was because Arcana wished to stay hidden. Did you… I mean, have you spoken to Arcana?”
Grimr said nothing but simply continued to stare at Samuel, his violet eyes shining in the darkness. Then, slowly, a grin spread across his face. The sharp teeth were still a bit unsettling, but there was unmistakable humor, and even dry amusement, to the expression.
“I knew I liked you for a reason, young Samuel.” the Ancient said. “You catch on much quicker than most mortal men. Yes, it is true. Arcana reached out to me last night. Not only did he alert me to Peran’s treachery, but he also requested that I act as a guide.”
“What about your own personal goal?” Samuel queried. “I thought it was important for you to find and kill Neratas, after all.”
Grimr nodded. “It is of the utmost importance. The sooner I achieve that, the sooner balance can be restored. But the two goals can both be accomplished on this trip.”
Grimr turned and continued walking, Shigeru only delaying a second in following. Samuel quickened his pace to catch up, still thrown by this revelation. He hadn’t expected to be able to find Arcana so easily. Then, as what Grimr had said finally sunk in, he felt the realization crash over him with the weight of a thousand falling bricks.
There was a reason that the fallen god of knowledge could only reach him so clearly when he’d traveled, unconscious, through the thick forest between Harlest and the rest of Gorteau. He’d been able to accomplish this feat because Samuel had been close enough that, even in his weakened state, his mind could be touched.
Arcana was in the Dagorra Forest.
