Kai squinted up at the Archine Tower.
When he saw it yesterday, Kai couldn't help but look fixedly at the structure of the tower. Today, there was little to no difference; the only thing was that the tower was extremely close to him. The details he saw through [Hawk eyes] were now an arm's distance away.
The runes that were etched to the surface garnered his attention immediately. The lines and arcane symbols on the tower clearly protected it from magical attacks and provided a sheen of physical defences, but he had to examine it closely to know what type of spells might be able to break it.
It was far from the best work, but it was still done intricately, making him respect the Mage who had etched the runes.
He noticed the material itself shimmered faintly, giving out a glow. He wanted to extend his arm and know how the material felt against his skin, but shadows of two figures came from behind.
He slowly turned around to see two relaxed faces.
It was amusing. The entire time they had been around him, they maintained facades of normalcy, but now there were smiles on their faces. Klan, who'd always looked as if he was born with a permanent scowl on his face, looked as good as a Mage who had discovered the way to harness the power of the moon.
"Lord Arzan." Jacks bowed, his voice dripping with (forced) politeness. "We are ready to proceed."
Kai nodded at that. His eyes fell somewhere else when he noticed how the courtyard before the tower was unusually crowded.
He was too focused on the tower to notice it before.
Carriages like he saw while on his way to the capital were there— different designs lined the periphery. He doubted all of them belonged to nobles which meant they were of Mages.
Was this a usual occurrence? Or was something else afoot? Are there always so many Mages in the tower?
Klan looked in Killian's direction before clearing his throat.
"Knight Killian needs to stay here," he said.
"We'll go in with you," Jacks was quick to follow up.
Kai nodded to Killian who immediately understood.
"I'll be by the carriage."
"Yes, this might take a while. Jacks, why don't you suggest a nearby tavern for Killian? He enjoys a good stew."
Jacks looked flustered as he nodded. "There are a few good taverns in…" he pointed out the nearby taverns, gesturing at the faraway streets and which way he would have to go.
The Mage looked like it was below him to give directions to a tavern, but he handled it well before turning towards Kai.
"Excellent. Then shall we begin?" He gestured towards the towering entrance.
Without another word, Kai stepped through the imposing archway, the cool stone walls enveloping him in a sense of hushed reverence.
The interior of the ground floor was a vast, circular chamber, its spaciousness emphasised by the high ceilings that seemed to disappear into the shadows above.
Polished marble tiles gleamed underfoot, reflecting the soft luminescence emanating from strategically placed magical crystals. Plush armchairs and ornately carved tables were arranged in conversation nooks around the perimeter.
Quite a nice place in terms of ambience. It's probably just to give a show of wealth and prosperity to anyone stepping through, but it's not bad.
His keen eyes scanned the room, taking in every detail before they fixed on the walls.
Commanding statues stood there.
"See those statues?" Klan asked in a low voice. "That's Merlin Mydran himself in the front, first Tower Master. He was one of the few Maguses in our history and had been known to take on a serpentine hydra by himself in a bottle." His eyes glimmered as he pointed at the statue of a man with dead eyes and a long beard. "That book he's got? It's known as one of the foundational books in understanding magic that he wrote and is treated as one of the rarest and strongest spell books all over the world."
Jacks chimed in with a curt nod towards the woman beside Mydran. "Elara Nightsong," he said, his voice laced with awe. "They say she could summon a storm with a flick of her wrist. See that orb in her hand? Pure elemental magic, bottled up for eternity."
He tried to think if had heard of them, but they were another two names that had been forgotten by even history books.
Their eyes swept over the remaining figures. "The others," Jacks continued, "aren't as well known among the commoners, but their deeds are whispered in hushed tones throughout the tower's halls. Each one a legend, a master of their craft and all of them had been associated with our tower at some point."
Klan let out a low whistle. "Imagine the power they wielded. Makes your stomach churn, doesn't it?"
Kai didn't say anything but continued to look around.
Scattered around the place were displays that hinted at different things. Enchanted globes spun on pedestals, swirling with small-in-size objects. Glass vials, filled with shimmering liquids of different colours, sat in one place. The shelves themselves garnered his attention.
Here and there, from the small squared-shaped windows-like structures, light streamed in; making the entire floor seem magical.
They moved forward to one of the hallways.
"How old is this tower?" he inquired.
Klan cleared his throat. "The Archine Tower stands as an epitome of magical knowledge for over three hundred years, Lord Arzan," he explained. "Commissioned by a former king, of course, its construction was a monumental undertaking, requiring the combined talents of the most skilled Mages and artisans of the age. The place almost brought me to my knees when I first visited. It was that beautiful… But it's now common since I have been here for years now."
Kai noticed how both of them were relaxed around here. The way they talked to the way they walked in the front— it all screamed that they felt safe. By the way they talked about the tower, they had a lot of respect for it and it was genuine.
It was clear that their lives have revolved around here. However, he could only regard them as greenhorns, not even proper Mages which simply meant that the training of Mages in this era was vastly different from what he knew of.
As they moved deeper into the tower, Kai noticed different groups of Mages walking past them or clustered around in groups of four and five, looking both nervous and excited as they whispered to each other.
A few of them glanced at Kai, but their eyes didn't stay on him for long.
He noticed a pattern to their robes; different groups wore different colours— a matter of rank, maybe. Most of them wore white robes while there were a good number of crimson ones like the ones Klan and Jacks wore.
He saw one green-robed Mage momentarily before they crossed another hallway. He guessed that the white was for novices, crimson for apprentices and green for adepts. None of the Mages till the apprentice rank seemed to be taught how to shield their mana from leaking out and it was easy for him to gauge their strengths.
Even the adept he had seen passing by was barely able to do it. Though, he was better than others.
He knew a few towers had that system to identify Mages, but even then, the number of Mages around the tower alarmed him. He thought back to the carriages and decided to ask.
"Is there an event of some sort taking place today?"
Klan, with a hint of pride in his voice, replied, "Indeed, Lord Arzan. Today marks the annual day of the Arcane Ascensus— the tower's prestigious advancement trials."
Hence, explains all the adrenaline rush in the air.
Jacks continued, "The Arcane Ascensus or just Ascensus happens every year; is a rigorous series of tests. All Mages could take part and they undergo trials in all aspects of knowledge— theory, practical application, and even a deep understanding of magical creatures. It is a comprehensive evaluation, quite hard if you ask me, designed to identify those with the potential to excel in their magical pursuits. Circles are important, yes. But these tests are mainly to evaluate the overall understanding of a Mage and if you do well in it, you can rise in ranks the ones doing the best in the exams had their names plastered all around the tower and the top adepts and savants ask them to be their disciple."
A spark of understanding flickered in Kai's eyes.
No wonder these Mages seemed so eager to push through with this investigation. They'd spoken of wanting to improve their ranks, and with the Ascensus taking place today, any delay due to him would throw their meticulously planned schedules into disarray.
He was a thorn in their side, a necessary inconvenience to be dealt with before they could focus on their advancement.
Their conversation flowed for a few more moments as he asked for a few more details on the Ascensus. Fortunately, both the Mages seemed eager to tell him about how great the tower was and helped fill the gaps in his understanding of how it functioned.
Finally, they reached a dead end, a circular platform that seemed to hover slightly above the ground.
"The ascension lift," Jacks announced, gesturing towards the platform.
Kai stepped closer, looking over the lift.
A faint hum resonated through the air, and he could feel a subtle shift in the air pressure— a telltale sign of wind magic manipulation. Most likely, an artificial air current was being channelled to create a rising platform. It was a clever, but not particularly elegant solution.
The platform wobbled slightly, hinting at the constant input of mana needed to maintain the enchantment.
"Marvellous engineering, isn't it?" Klan beamed, clearly proud of the tower's innovation. "Developed by the esteemed Magus Veridia herself, in collaboration with a renowned enchantment expert."
Kai offered a polite nod, his mind already conjuring a far simpler and more efficient design.
He recalled the Sorcerer's Tower having multiple lifts and different platforms. They were powered by runes etched onto a central shaft with gears smoothly engaging and disengaging to propel it upwards— even a rudimentary application of this concept, fueled by a mana stone, could create a lift operable by anyone, not just mages.
Or maybe… His mind went on and on thinking about more designs for a lift. A few who would need magical engineers and the ones he could make himself.
As the platform lurched upwards, carrying them to the seventh floor, he again felt the difference between the Mages of this era and him.
It wasn't bad per se, but as magic had been limited to only nobility and other wealthy and connected individuals, society hadn't developed using magic for a wide number of tasks and the innovation had happened at a snail's pace.
However, he guessed it's how things developed over centuries.
The seventh floor was a distinct disparity to the lower level.
The hallway they entered was quiet, the only sounds of their footsteps echoing on the polished stone floor.
The air here felt stagnant, devoid of the vibrant hum of magic that had permeated the rest of the tower. Finally, they reached a large, wood-panelled room. Inside, rows of cushioned chairs stood arranged in a semi-circle, facing a vacant pedestal at the head of the room.
"Please, Lord Arzan," Jacks gestured towards a seat in the front row. "Have a seat and make yourself comfortable. The interrogators shouldn't take long. They are usually busy, but should be on their way here."
"How long will they take?"
"Probably a few minutes."
With that information in mind, Kai surveyed the room, his face a neutral mask, but he didn't forget to show a bit of nervousness in it.
He felt an unsettling gaze on him once he had entered the seventh floor, but he didn't mention it, compiling with the Mages and taking a seat.
Jacks scurried around, returning with a steaming cup of tea and a plate piled high with pastries. "Capital delicacy, Lord Arzan," he announced, his voice laced with a forced cheer. "Do try them. A true taste of the city."
Kai eyed the refreshments for a beat longer than necessary, taking in the unfamiliar pastries and the swirling steam rising from the teacup.
A subtle grimace appeared on his lips, quickly masked by a polite nod. "Thank you," he said, accepting the plate.
Kai eyed the tea and pastries with suspicion. Despite their inviting aroma, a faint discordant note warred with his senses. He'd anticipated this, a sour twist in his gut confirming his doubts. Nevertheless, he raised the cup to his lips, the sweet liquid coating his tongue. It wasn't unpleasant, but a subtle edge lingered, a metallic tang that he easily recognised.
It wasn't poison per se, but it was used in quite a few paralysing agents.
He forced himself to swallow, the warmth spreading through him.
A prickling sensation began at his fingertips, crawling its way up his arms, a foreign energy attempting to burrow into his mind.
But he sat calmly as he waited and soon, the energy was met with resistance.
A countervailing force, cool and familiar, surged within him, pushing back the unwelcome intrusion. If he wasn't being spied upon, he would have a smirk on his face.
The potion of Blursage was working, and as expected, the Tower Mages tried to force a truth potion on him. In a way, things have progressed better than he had expected since a truth potion was one of the easiest to dispel.
If it was a mind-scrying spell, he would be in a lot more trouble and would have to show off a bit of his strength to pull out of it, but mind magic was hard and mysterious, so he had crossed it out from the possibility.
He had still prepared for it, but as he expected, they had gone for a much more common method.
As he sat and waited for the truth potion to dispel completely, a soft click echoed through the room as the heavy oak doors creaked open.
Kai's mind was still foggy, and he knew it might only last for less than a minute before he gained his clarity again. Still, he pushed past it to focus on his "interrogators".
Three figures entered, their strides measured and their expressions unreadable. He didn't focus on the two on the sides as his gaze locked on the Mage in the middle.
She hadn't bothered to mask her magic. Maybe as a show of strength, but as she entered, a jolt of energy passed by him, telling him all about her.
Her wrinkly hands and face showed her age, but he knew a tremendous power was hidden in her core. Her black hair was tied up in braids and she walked with authority.
Kai's eyes momentarily moved towards her necklace and he realised that the interrogation might just be harder than he had expected.
After all, the woman wasn't an adept or a savant.
She was Magus Veridia; Master of the Archine Tower.
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