Ivory slowly opened her eyes, revealing the sight of a much familiar surrounding. Though she knew she had been here before, she could not quite grasp her mind around where she was. 

 

Ivory stood up within a room. The walls were filled with scarlet silk and a shiny black trim. Above her head was a beautiful chandelier made of a deep blue and purple crystal. Surrounding her were several pedestals, each with a glass container on top and each one containing an object within.

 

“Gizli…where have you sent me?” Ivory questioned. “I know this place…wait…this is…”

 

Suddenly a dark portal appeared from behind Ivory. She slowly turned to the sight of a dark figure arising from it. Ivory readied her rapier and tome, preparing to strike at whatever dares to show itself.

 

As soon as the figure began to reveal itself to her, Ivory’s eyes brightened with shock. “Khanjii…”

 

“Ivory!” Khanjii gleefully replied.

 

“Khanjii, what have you done?” Ivory asked. “Where have you taken me?”

 

“Ivory no remember?” Khanjii questioned. 

 

Ivory looked around the room again, observing its Victorian design. A single door led out of the room and it was elegantly handcrafted. Upon closer examination, Ivory noticed several depictions carved onto the dark brown wood. A mural showing a great battle taking place between what appeared to be vampires and humans.

 

Ivory gulped as she turned back around. “Oh no…”

 

“Khanjii take you back home,” Khanjii said to her. “Khanjii see you play with big bad lizard and lose game with silly witch lady.”

 

“What?!” Ivory suddenly rose her hands to cover her mouth. “We gotta be quiet or else they'll hear us.”

 

“Who hear us, Ivory?” Khanjii asked. “Only me and you here.”

 

“Do you not even have the slightest idea where you've taken us?!” Ivory snapped. “This is Mazael's Fortress and we're deep in the heart of his vault…”

 

“Khanjii bring you here to take something to beat up silly witch lady with.” Khanjii hovered over to one of the pedestals.

 

“Don't you dare touch anything here!” Ivory scolded him. “If they catch us here then they'll…”

 

“What about this one?” Khanjii examined a very bland looking mask.

 

The mask appeared to be made from petrified wood and had holes carved out for eyes and a mouth. It was a rather dreadful looking thing and was terrifying to gaze upon. 

 

“Even if I were crazy enough to steal from this vault, it definitely wouldn't be that horrid creation!” Ivory responded.

 

Khanjii hovered over to another display. “Oooh what about this one?!”

 

“Khanjii stop it! You're being ridiculous,” Ivory rebuked him. “Is this what you do? You break into vaults like a thief and steal from others? Is this how you obtained this tome?”

 

“Khanjii no thief.” He lifted the glass from the pedestal, revealing a shiny rapier within. “Khanjii only borrow.”

 

“This isn't yours, Khanjii,” Ivory responded. “This stuff doesn't belong to either of us, it's the property of the castle owner, Mazael.”

 

“Khanjii think you will like this one.” Khanjii reached out his arms, showing the blade to Ivory.

 

The rapier appeared as if it were made of a fine steel with a handle fashioned from a silver marble. Tiny blue gemstones were fashioned along the hilt. 

 

“Do you have any idea what they will do to us if they find us here?” Ivory shook her head as he pushed it closer to her. 

 

“Ivory no want shiny toy?” Khanjii’s eyes turned to reveal a sorrowful expression.

 

“It doesn't belong to you, Khanjii!” Ivory insisted. “We can't just take it…”

 

“Ivory want to beat silly witch lady, yes?” Khanjii held the blade back out and offered it once again. “Ivory use this then Ivory beat silly lady at her game. Khanjii knows because Khanjii is master of games.”

 

“I do want to beat Gizli but I can't just take something that isn't mine to take,” Ivory explained. “It's not right, Khanjii.”

 

“Silly toys just sit here all day,” Khanjii detailed. “No one ever play with toys they just forget about them. Toys want to be played with. Ivory take toy and no one ever know it go missing.”

 

“I don't know…” Ivory peered at the blade, admiring its gorgeous design.

 

“Here!” Khanjii pushed the blade into her hand. “Feel toy and play!”

 

Ivory gripped the handle and felt the power of it illuminating within her hand. Something about this rapier was special.

 

Suddenly, they could hear footsteps from down the hall approaching. Ivory quickly turned around with both shock and fear. 

 

“Oh no!” Ivory whispered. “Khanjii they're coming!”

 

Khanjii quickly grabbed Ivory's old rapier from her waist and placed it onto the pedestal. He placed the glass back over it and then waved his staff around. Just as the door began to open, Khanjii and Ivory faded into the shadows.

 

Several figures burst into the room. Ivory could see them as she was still present. However, they could not see her. Ivory and Khanjii were both invisible to the eye, both of them hiding within the shadow of a corner.

 

The other individuals within the room were all adorned in the same outfit, except for one. Most of them wore black leather armor with red trim. Their heads and faces were covered with matching leather helms. Each of them wielded black spears and round shields. However, the individual that appeared different was dressed in a Victorian suit. His skin, along with the others, was pale and their teeth bore two pairs of large fangs. There was no doubting it, these were vampires.

 

Khanjii leaned over while placing a hand on Ivory's shoulder. He raised one of his long and creepy fingers to his mouth in order to gesture for her to remain silent. 

 

The figures moseyed around the room, searching for signs of intruders.

 

“There were voices coming from this room!” One of the vampires said. “I swear it, master.”

 

“Are you certain of this?” The finely dressed figure asked.

 

“I am, master Mazael,” the individual answered back.

 

Mazael grinned as he peered around the room. He approached the spot where Khanjii and Ivory were hiding and began gazing at them. The other individuals were steadily looking around to inspect the surroundings further.

 

“Well, well, well.” Mazael stared intensely towards Ivory.

 

The adventurer began to shiver with fear as it appeared to her as if Mazael's eyes were locking onto hers. A dozen different thoughts began to race through her mind as she held the shiny new rapier in her hands. 

 

“What is it, master?” One of the vampires asked.

 

“It would appear that you are mistaken,” Mazael answered. “There is no one here and if there ever was someone within this room then they are gone now. Search the castle.”

 

“Aye, master!” They all responded in unison before departing.

 

Mazael kept his gaze locked upon the corner of the room where Ivory and Khanjii remained hidden. A shivering feeling crept down Ivory’s spine as her eyes continued to peer back into his. 

 

The pale vampire turned around and began pacing back towards the door. Mazael walked right past the pedestal that Khanjii had replaced the contents of. Luckily for Ivory, he didn't appear to notice.

 

Mazael reached out his claws-like hands and slowly began to open the door. As he made his way through the threshold, he turned back to whisper the words, “Use it wisely…”

 

A piercing sense of anxiety swept over Ivory. Her mind began to race with thoughts. Was he speaking to her? She wondered to herself. 

 

However, it remained a mystery as Mazael closed the door behind him. After he did, Khanjii quickly broke his concentration on the spell and the two of them were revealed yet again.

 

“Quick, Khanjii,” Ivory whispered. “Get us out of here now…”

 

“Okay, okay.” Khanjii lifted his staff and began to wave it in the air. 

 

A black pool began to form beneath Ivory and Khanjii. As per usual, it pulled them down into it. Slowly and surely, the room around began to fade away as they slipped into the dark void. 

 

“Goodbye, Mazael,” Ivory whispered. “I'll return it back someday…”

 

Ivory had reemerged back at the same place she was before. The dry cracked land surrounded her with rocky formation sprouting from the earth. Several dead trees were stretched out amongst the area with crows and vultures gathering amongst them. 

 

Ivory looked around her and saw Khanjii nowhere in sight. “Damn, he must have left already.”

 

Ivory peered down at her new blade. She began to inspect the design of it again. Though it had plenty of notable features, nothing about it seemed special. Ivory retrieved her tome and began flipping through its pages while it hovered in the air before her. 

 

“I wonder if this has any information on you.” Ivory's eyes lit up as the pages of the book stopped upon an image representing that of the blade she carried. “That's it! It's called Mazael's Needle…”

 

Ivory began reading further along into the pages. Swiftly, her eyes scoured the tome in order to absorb as much information as she could. Once she had reached the end of the description, Ivory's face brightened with intrigue. 

 

“Mazael’s fortress holds a great deal of treasure, with this being among the most valuable of them all,” Ivory read aloud. “Fan still recalls the day when a brave Mazael stepped forth and challenged the very forces of the celestials themselves. Standing alone, he swore to protect the people of his land from their persecution. Wearied and broken upon the battlefield, Mazael vowed to fight to his very last breath. Moved by this act of sacrifice, Fan crafted a blade capable of siphoning the mana from its wielder's target. Upon completion, it was gifted to Mazael who used it to repel the celestials. This act of generosity saved Mazael from perishing upon the war torn fields of Darta Bessomar and is why it remains the most precious of all of Mazael's treasures.”

 

Ivory closed the pages of the tome and gazed upon the blade yet again. The very bane of spellcasters exists within this weapon. With it, Ivory could use it to defeat Gizli.

 

“Khanjii…it's like you knew exactly what I needed…” Ivory held the blade close to her heart. “I don't know where you are but thank you…”

 

Ivory turned towards Gizli’s region of Qeshor, towards the east, and began her trek back towards it. Ivory's destination was her master's hut, where she would once again challenge the Occultist to a battle. However, the adventurer understood that this time, losing meant the loss of her soul.

 

Ivory began sprinting towards her goal. She reached into her bag and retrieved two small glass bottles, each containing liquids. One container held a blue substance while the other was red. 

 

“One health potion and one mana potion,” Ivory said. “Both of these should get me back into fighting shape. I'll be ready this time, Gizli…”

 

Ivory lifted the caps off the bottles and began chugging them both at the same time. A sense of refreshment swept over her. She felt rejuvenated as her mana and health regenerated. Her gaze turned towards the sky above. The rain from earlier had stopped and the sky began to darken as the sun lowered beyond the horizon. 

 

While Ivory had been beaten before, she remained hopeful for her second attempt. The adventurer was determined to defy both her master and the Great Basilisk, a feat that no one has ever dared to pull off. Though death was assured for her, Ivory continued in her stride, ready to face Gizli in a duel to the death.