With each stair, Merrick felt the nature of the tower around him. It was powerful and arcane. He could feel it at his fingertips and Spell Stealer was begging to cut into the edges so that it could drink on the spellcraft. It was the first time that the relic dagger had ever felt so hungry, but it was also the first time he had been exposed to so much energy.
As Merrick climbed, he passed alcoves containing all manner of magic. One alcove contained rare books, another was filled with gems that were either glowing like the sun or absorbing all light, and another one that he looked into for just a moment contained plants that could only be described as alien.
The closer he got to the top of the tower, the greater the magical pressure that he was feeling grew. The stairs ended at a ladder that went up to a hatch. Each rung of the ladder felt like pushing a boulder up a hill. It took everything Merrick had to get to the top of the ladder and reach up to the hatch.
Once his hand touched the hatch, the world spun around him as purple mist enveloped him. The overwhelming magical pressure vanished as the world . Suddenly, Merrick was standing in a proper Wizard's study. Everything about his surroundings matched every preconceived notion about what a Wizard's lair would look like, except the Wizard himself.
Horace Abernathy stood among spellcraft, alchemical workings, and arcane power dressed like someone's hip grandfather. Instead of the stereotypical robe and oversized hat, Merrick's boss wore a soft tan cardigan over black slacks. He looked like he had wandered from the middle of an IKEA into a magical realm.
Standing next to his boss was Merrick's self-imposed nemesis from Mouseion, Alex Drea. She looked exactly like she did during the battle with Xerxes, the Magically Corporate alternative to Horace Abernathy's Hipster Grandfather Wizard. In one hand, she held an open file folder and it looked as if she had been going over something with Merrick's boss. However, her other hand had summoned a wand into existence.
Horace Abernathy cleared his throat, "No need for violence, I invited him here."
"If I was invited, why did I have to fight my way up?" Merrick questioned his boss.
Horace Abernathy only laughed in response to the question before moving on. "As you were saying, Ms. Drea, your foe has fled deeper into the wilds of Project KLEIO and you are not able to find him yourself due to Mouseion's restrictions."
"That is correct."
"So, even though I am no longer your Master, I recommend letting my assistant take over the hunt."
"Your apprentice is not ready for that kind of."
Before Merrick could say that he was no one's apprentice, his boss spoke up. "Rat is my only apprentice and she will probably be the last one. Merrick is not my apprentice, he is my assistant."
Alex shot back, "That was just a title so that you could use him as a shield at your bookstore. Now that he is awakened, he can no longer be that shield."
Horace Abernathy nodded slowly and seemed to agree for a second. Then he shrugged and said, "That does not mean that he cannot be of use. I am still keeping him on as an assistant. Someone else will become the shop's shield. Merrick's skills make him suited for more delicate work."
"If you take away his skills at playing games, he is barely a passable Mage."
"That is because he is not a Mage. Nor is he a Sorcerer, a Wizard, or a Summoner. Yet, he is able to act as if he is all of the above. Plus, I would not overlook his skill at playing games. After all, your foe has fled into the heart of a world ruled by video game logic."
Merrick had to intervene, "I'm not sure exactly what is going on, but if you're talking about Xerxes, I am going to find him whether Mouseion wants me to or not. I don't need her help for that."
Alex laughed. Horace Abernathy suppressed a laugh of his own before saying, "Oh, that is true. However, regardless of Ms. Drea's inclination, Mouseion would really prefer if you never found him or the truth of their little floating island."
"Why is that?"
"We'll get to that." Horace shut down the question and instead redirected Merrick's attention, "Isn't there something else you wanted to know while you were climbing up here?"
There was something that had been eating away at his thoughts. If everything he had experienced was real, why did no one seem to know about the dangerous game being hosted on the floating island? Dungeons Below was massively popular.
Merrick pointed out something that Alex had said, "You mentioned that I was a shield to the shop. What does that mean?"
Alex answered quicker than a whip crack, "The rules block us from using our powers overtly if someone around us is not a part of our world."
Merrick nodded, "So… when I was just working at the bookstore, no one could magically rob the place because of me?"
Alex nodded.
Horace Abernathy sighed, "It is much more complex than that, but we do not have time to go into the intricacies. Alex's foe is headed for the core and if they're able to reach it before she stops them, the whole project will come crashing down."
Merrick shrugged it off, "Meaning that Mouseion will lose a lot of money."
"No." Alex corrected him, "Meaning that a giant island of metal and wires will fall into the bay and flood the entire City."
"Ah."
"Yes… Ah…" Horace added, "That is why I invited you here. This is important and it seems like you are the only one that can help us because you are-"
Merrick cut him off, "I swear if you say I'm an *irregular*, I am leaving. Too many webnovels and comics use that trope."
Baffled, Merrick's boss shook his head slowly, "No, I was going to say: because you are the Thief."