Andrew Rowe - Sufficiently Advanced Magic

“Ooh, nice.” Vera picked up the largest crystal, the one that had been left behind by the statue, and shoved it into a pouch at her side. “May as well grab a few of these.”

“I don’t think we have that much time.” I still knelt and snatched a single crystal from the remains of a barghensi as I crossed the room. It was on my way, but I wasn’t willing to deviate from the safe path to collect any others. The monsters might have been dead, but I still was worried about triggering a harder to see trap.

Vera shrugged. “Suit yourself, kid.” She walked to the door. The crystal on it was clear, and she touched it with her free hand. The door opened, displaying a round room with a single pillar at the center. A stone one this time, not another ice pillar. A shame — in spite of being doused with freezing water, I could have lived with more pillars that had treasure inside them.

There were a few more obvious trap tiles on the floor and one particularly foreboding iron chain leading to something on the opposite side of the pillar.

I could see a large wooden door on the opposite side. “Looks like this is it.”

I recognized the double doors; they were the same design as the ones I had used to enter the tower. An exit.

I allowed myself to take a breath of relief as I inched toward the door.

“Looks like you’re struggling there. Hand the kid back to me, yeah?”

I nodded gratefully, arriving next to Vera and handing the unconscious boy back into her arms.

I was sufficiently distracted with that motion that I just barely noticed when she pointed the dueling cane at my chest.

“Don’t move.”

My eyes narrowed.

I strongly considered trying to grab the cane from her hand. My vest could probably take one more shot, and people had a tendency to miss charging targets at short range.

But I’d never seen Vera miss.

I opened my hands and stretched them out to my sides, a gesture of surrender. “Why?”

“It’s nothing personal. I don’t know you, kid. But I’ve gotta make sure my friend here is safe.”

Vera paused, grimacing. “I’m taking this way out. You can find your own way.” Vera made a gesture with her head toward the door where we had entered the room. It was still there. “Maybe you can explain things to the visage.”

I gave her a look that was heavy with skepticism. “That sounds real plausible.”

“Sorry. Hate to do this, but I will fire if you follow me. This is bigger than you know.”

I shrugged. “Do what you’ve got to do.”

She nodded. “Don’t take this exit, even after I leave. I hope, for your sake, that we never meet again, Corin.”

Not likely.

When I get out of here, you’re going toward the top of my “figure this resh out” list.

Vera inched her way out of the room, the kid still slung over one shoulder, the dueling cane always pointing at me.

I considered rushing her right up until the point where she reached the pillar in the center of the next room and the door slammed shut.

Resh.

Only one thing to do now.

I looted the room.

Five more small crystals from the remaining destroyed monsters. They weren’t much, but they probably had some value. I picked the sheathed sword back up too. Rusted or not, it was better than nothing. Unfortunately, the sheath wasn’t built with a loop to attach to a belt, so I had to carry it by hand for the moment.

If Vera knew that the way she’d gone was an exit, can I just wait a bit longer and follow her?

I knew that different exits led to different locations — was she going to be lying in wait for me out there? Did she have contacts outside the tower that would cover her retreat?

The latter was slightly more likely, but I didn’t think either of them was going to happen.

I still didn’t take the exit, though.

I had unfinished business.

I found a clear spot near the exit door and unslung my backpack, finding the book.

As I flipped open the pages, the room trembled . I dropped the book as the floor beneath me shifted, but I managed to maintain my footing.

After a few more seconds, the shaking stopped, and I picked up the book. Fortunately, nothing had fallen from the ceiling, but I could see cracks in the walls.

Was that an earthquake?

No, ordinary earthquakes don’t happen here.

That was something moving — something big.

…can the god serpent move outside of that room?

I felt a momentary surge of terror, clenching my hands into fists as I pictured the god beast smashing through one of the nearby walls. But quivering wasn’t going to get me anywhere.

And it certainly wasn’t going to get Tristan the help he needed.

I took a deep breath, unclenched my fists, and picked up the book.

I wasn’t done here.

I found the last line I had written, and I found the reply.

I will try. It is not my way, but I will try.

I frowned, uncertain, and lifted the quill to the page. I noted the distinct lack of a description for this room. Was the entity still watching me?

Are you there?

Seconds passed. No reply.

I lifted my head from the book, frowning, to find that I was no longer alone.

A hooded robe floated in front of me, with a pattern of white stars sewn into the blue cloth. The sleeves were outstretched, giving the impression of arms within, but there were no arms. No face was visible within the hood; just empty air.

“You have made things very difficult for me, Corin.”

I wasn’t sure if the voice was coming from within the cloak or inside my head. It seemed to come from everywhere at once.

But I was pretty sure I knew who I was talking to.

“Sorry about that.” I put the book and quill away. “Mysterious book entity, I take it?”

“In a manner of speaking. This is not my true form, merely a manifestation of convenience. There is no time for deeper discussion. Come.”

I stood, ready to draw the sword, but holding it downward in a non-threatening position.

The hooded figure moved to a wall toward the middle of the room. I followed, avoiding the traps on the floor.

“Press here.”

I searched the wall, finding a small tile that stood out from the rest of the stone. A switch.

Of course, most of the switches in the room triggered traps.

I really didn’t like this.

I pressed the switch.

I heard a click , followed by a grinding noise. A door-sized section of the wall slid into the floor.

I nodded to the hooded figure. “Thanks.”

“Do not thank me. This favor will cost us both.”

Well, that was ominous.

The room ahead was circular, similar to the one with the pillar. Instead of a pillar at the center, however, it had a basin filled with clear blue. There were exit doors on the opposite side of the room.

“Enter the room.”

I stepped in, glancing around cautiously. The robes floated in beside me.

“This is a Room of Attunement.”

I felt my heart pound in my chest.

“Drink from the water to be anointed and complete your test.”

I didn’t hesitate. This was one of my two goals for entering the tower, and I had already made as much progress as I could have hoped for on finding Tristan.

Maybe this would give me the strength to do more.

I laid my sword down next to the basin and dipped my hands into the water. It was cool, almost freezing, as I brought it to my lips and drank.

My mind went blank.

I saw only blackness at first, but I felt no panic, only calm.

A woman manifested slowly in front of me. She glowed with a soft blue light. It was a cold light, colder than the water that flowed within me now, and it chilled me to my core.