It was a frustrating time for us. We’d reaped the rewards of rapid advancement which are common to starting out in any field. Now we were hitting that part of the learning curve where high effort is required to make even the slightest progress. None of us have a high tolerance for slow incremental improvement.
Addie thought she had a solution to our doldrums. All she needed was to find the door to the Dungeon.
Week 7
I discovered that these training rooms have a second story viewing gallery. I guess so instructors can look down and watch all of their students at once. I've been coming here regularly to watch the boy train.
His name is Nix. He comes here every day. Sometimes he does balance training. Sometimes he trains with the short staff. Every day he takes a beating. Yet he always comes back. He always keeps trying. Every day he gets better. Every day his instructor makes things harder.
Nix inspires me.
I find I'm sleeping better now. I often find myself thinking about Nix as I fall asleep. Something about knowing that Nix will be down there working hard when I wake up in the morning helps me set my worries aside.
Tara and Jane serve us a hot breakfast right on time. Those two are living wonders. I will miss them after we make our escape from the Palace. Maybe I can talk Rio into marrying both of them and bringing them with us? Nah. He'd never let himself get tied down to just two women.
Just for fun, we have our meeting this morning in the Library of the Aedificium. Even though we're all sitting together in the flesh anyway. Except Penny. She's in the Palace library. Awesome how she can join us now from someplace else. This is OP. I've been saying that a lot lately. I'm starting to feel guilty for not playing fair in the game of life.
I was passing by the common room of The Haunting when I heard Nix and Rio talking. They were having one of their stupid guy discussions. Something about what the best pre-millenium pop/rock love song is. I stick my head in and listen for a minute.
Rio is adamant about Love You to Death. While Nix is going on and on about a song with the strange title of Wichita Lineman. Weirdos. Time to mess with their heads.
"You're both wrong," I say.
Their faces turn toward me with skeptical belligerence, but I forge ahead. "The best love song of that era was Sweet's Love Is Like Ox-"
"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH"
"LALALALALALALALALALALALALALALA..."
They both clamp their hands down over their ears and run out of the room screaming. I give an evil smirk (I know it's an evil smirk because I practice it in front of the mirror every morning).
My work here is done.
There has to be a way to find the door to the Dungeon. I’ve mapped every part of the Palace now. The building changes itself around regularly but all the changes are done within limits. For example, the main corridors always stay the same size and shape and never move. The rooms along the corridors may change in number or size, but the area they enclose will stay the same.
Most changes are cosmetic. Doors and windows move around. The artwork changes themes. The paint changes color. Things like that.
But I’ve found nuthin’ that looks like a Dungeon entrance. Nor have I found many spaces which would hide a Dungeon entrance. Those places that look likely I’ve been keepin’ an eye on.
So what was I talkin’ about? Oh yeah. I’m in the library looking for books about Scan magic. I’m getting good about seeking and finding but mostly it works with things that aren’t hidden. Just lost, misplaced, or misfiled. That sort of magic doesn’t work particularly well on things that are unknown or purposefully hidden.
Scan magic should help with that. Should show us everything in a given area even if it doesn’t wanna be found.
Penny is helping me, of course. But we’ve already read through the obvious passages. Now we’re reduced to looking for clues hidden in texts about other things.
Wish I had some Scan magic to find clues about Scan magic. A scan scan? Dancing the scan-scan? Maybe not.
I can't find Nix. I've been searching for him for hours. I went to his room but it was deserted. Nothing left. Not in his room or the rooms of his friends.
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
I can't find his maids. I check the library. I'm getting anxious. None of the broken ones are coming to the main hall to eat any more. What's going on?
And I don't even know why I'm looking for him. I just enjoyed reading to him and I miss that. He told me once that I smell nice. Nobody ever told me something like that before.
I’m on my way back from a healing session at the clinic when a soldier comes around a corner and stumbles into me. I think it’s that Commander Travess who’s training all the Heroes and Saints. I reach out a hand to steady him and notice something strange.
He’s really out of it, his eyes unfocused and his posture a weak slouch. That’s important but what I really see is that his Spirit energy isn’t flowing right. Like there’s something constricting it. Which represents a perfect opportunity for me.
I have a new spell - Break - which I want to test out. Break is supposed to cancel the effects of negative Spirit magic. Like mind magic and poison magic. With a deep breath to focus and a few moments of concentration, I cast the spell on the Commander.
After a few moments, the negative effects on his Spirit energy flow disappear. The physical improvements are immediately noticeable as well. “Are you okay, Commander?” I ask.
He seems confused for a moment then answers, “I’m all right. Just got dizzy for a second. Sorry for bumping into you.”
“No problem,” I say. “I’ll just be going then. Have a good day.”
As I walk away, I notice someone watching us. Someone with a very hostile aura. Good thing I’m wearing my super-sexy cloak with concealing hood which doesn’t at all in any way shape or form make me look like a dork.
Searches, queries, pivot tables, charts and graphs. It’s absolutely amazing!
I’m sitting at one of the computer terminals in the Library of the Aedificium. The Librificium? Gotta get a shorter name for it. Through these terminals people can access my Mind Palace. Given a minimum understanding of database searches, everything there is available.
Kind of. There are features to my Mind Palace which only I know about. And which only I should know about. But accessing information and the associations I’ve formed is easy. This system is top notch.
What’s worrying me, though, is that things are showing up there which I didn’t put there. Other people’s observations, memories, and thoughts. I feel like I’m losing control and I don’t like that.
Is it because I feel the need to exercise control to maintain the integrity of the Mind Palace? Or is it because I haven’t yet come to accept the deeper ties that come with Family?
You went to a magic academy? I sign to Penny in shock. I’d been trying to ascertain the existence of any sort of structured magic education but had run into a dead end. Until I asked Penny, which I should have done at the beginning.
Yes, of course. They don’t have them here in Grado but there are several in my home country of Bilbun.
Of course there are. Do they use Sigils there?
Yes. They do. About half the students have them. They’re limiting, though, so students with Sigils only attend for about a year and a half.
How long did you attend?
Four years. Starting when I was fourteen. After I graduated I came here.
Tell me everything! What did you learn? How did they teach you? Was it theory? Was it practical? Did you learn the history of magic? Was there …? Penny grabs my hands to stop me.
I know you have a lot of questions, but I can only answer one at a time. She laughs, Would it help if I gave you a course catalog?
Yes please! Yes! Yes! Yes!
Within minutes, I am deeply absorbed in reading about the classes taught at The Royal Bilbun Academy of Magical Arts. Penny watches me for a while but then gets bored and wanders off. My mind keeps filling up with silly fantasies. Guess I watched too many anime. You thought I was a super-serious girl didn’t you?
Ha! Tricked you!
"Whatcha doin'?" I ask.
"Gaaahhh!" shouts Nix who hadn't realized I snuck up behind him. "What the hell, Kari! Try to make a little noise, wouldya?"
"Sorry, my dude," I say. "I farted but I guess you didn't smell it. I'll try to be more potent next time. Whatcha doin'?"
"Trying to come up with some creature designs I can use in a fight."
"Got any good ones so far?"
"Just this one," he says, pulling a folded paper out of his pocket, setting it on the table and doing his Spirit energy thing.
"It's a little spider." I say.
"Oops. Sorry." He touches it again and it grows.
"Gaaahh!" It's my turn to scream. "What the hell is that?" I shout.
"I told you. It's a spider."
"It's eight feet tall!"
"Cool, huh?"
"Well, I guess it would be good in a fight." I say, trying not to sound nervous as the spider starts eyeing me like I'm lunch.
"Oh, it's not for fighting," he says. "Watch."
Suddenly the spider turns, points its butt at me and shoots me with three thick filaments of webbing. Turning back around, it quickly wraps my body up in a cocoon and hangs me upside down from the ceiling. I don't even have time to scream.
"Hmm. Did my spider fart? I can't smell it because I've become mentally discombobulated. That apology I got for scaring me earlier didn't sound very sincere...."
The spider gives me an experimental poke. Clearly still thinking about lunch. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" I shout. "From the bottom of my heart, I'm soooo ssooorrrryyy!"
He takes up a thinking pose. "I don't think it counts if it's under duress." He thinks for a moment more, then shrinks the spider back down to a piece of folded paper and puts it in his pocket. "I'm getting kind of hungry. I need a snack. See ya later!"
"Tara! Jane! Somebody! Help me!"