Magnar coughed, wheezing for several seconds between hacking spats, breaking the quiet moment. His breaths rattled with each exhale, a stark reminder of the battle's toll on him.
"Are you well?" Master Beswick gingerly asked, his brow furrowed with concern.
"Yeah," Magnar croaked, interrupting his reply with another bout of coughing, "Just pristine. You know, the pit of fire looks less intimidating in the daylight." He tried to chuckle, but it turned into a strained cough.
"You still need to fix it," I said, my voice coltish and full of youthful eagerness. I gestured with my hands as if packing dirt into a jar, "Gonna need a pretty powerful and wise aether magician to produce that much dirt to simmer the magma within. I wish we knew someone like that."
"Wretch. You know me!" Magnar retorted, his voice regaining some of its strength. He turned sharply, slapping his palms together vertically. "Allow me to educate you on my capabilities."
Purple lightning arced between his fingers, forming into two intricate mandalas. The ground trembled in response. Grains of earth began to fall from the air above the hole, heralding a large tube of ground that stretched past the clouds, manifesting above the hole like an impossible cork for an equally impossible bottle.
The stopper slid down into the depths, its descent slow and deliberate. After several minutes, lava began to squeeze out through the gap between the size of the crevasse and the width of the plug.
"Uhhhh, Magnar," I called out, my voice tinged with concern.
"QUIET!" Magnar snapped, his focus unwavering.
"Magnar!" I repeated, a bit more urgently.
"I said, QUIET!" he barked, irritation clear in his tone.
I tapped Master on the shoulder and pointed to the glowing rock leaking from the ground, oozing its way toward us. He was equally as nonchalant about the problem.
"Hey, Allrquin," I tried again, more insistently.
"QUIET!" Magnar shouted, his eyes closed in concentration.
"You've made a volcano!" I exclaimed, unable to hide my alarm.
"Of course I have! It'll cool and hold the plug in like glue! Now, QUIET!" Magnar's voice carried the weight of his authority and irritation.
More and more molten earth spread from the ring around the pillar. The grass and trees had already disintegrated from the heat of the spells that ended the giants, leaving nothing to catch fire from the spreading lava.
The patch for the world finally fell flush with the rest of the ground, sending a splash of molten rock out from the sides. The glowing lava crept closer, a menacing tide of heat and destruction.
Magnar opened his eyes and stitched his fingers together in an unnatural fashion, a spell for energy spreading before him.
"Micah, you seem smart. Look closely," he instructed, his voice calm but intense. The circle twisted and inverted, the nodes and modules reversed.
"That is impossible," I muttered, my eyes wide with astonishment.
"Impossible is why I am the best magician alive," Magnar said quietly before he threw the spell towards the crawling heat.
The rock quickly cooled, the heat flowing into the circle. It was as if the element had been reversed, the lava solidifying into stone as the heat was absorbed.
"Reverse elements exist," I murmured to myself, trying to understand the phenomenon. "No, not element... not reverse. Mirrored aspects? Invaginated ones?"
Magnar's spell worked perfectly, the lava cooling rapidly and solidifying into a sturdy barrier. The patch was now a seamless part of the landscape, the danger averted. Magnar wiped his brow, a look of satisfaction on his face.
"Well done," Master said, clapping Magnar on the shoulder. "You've outdone yourself."
Magnar nodded, his breathing still labored but a smile playing on his lips. "Let's get back to the Mage Tower," he said, his voice steadier. "We need to ensure Ulysses and Pascal are safe."
"We should return to the tower," Magnar said, breaking the silence. "Your friends are still imprisoned, but Beswick will be able to fix that with a word."
Master nodded, his eyes thoughtful. "Agreed. Micah, are you ready?"
I took a deep breath, feeling the exhaustion of race, battle, craft, and fear against my chest. "I'm ready."
Magnar stepped forward, his hands weaving intricate patterns in the air. A platform began to manifest, its surface glowing with a soft, otherworldly light. I stepped onto the solid mana and it shattered beneath my foot.
"What did you expect?" Magnar haughtily asked.
I gave him the eyes of a man tired of being condescended too before remove my greaves and holding them.
"No, I am not risking you dropping or loosing your balance while we fly faster than the wind over trees, boulders, and A CITY! Take that infernal suit off while I am transporting us!"
TaKe tHat InFErnAl SuIT oFf wHiLe....
I stripped my armor and stored it with the rest of my possessions, internally repeating Magnar's words with each motion.
He encapsulated us and flew towards Uncle's prison.
The travel was smooth, the magic carrying us quickly across the rolling hills. Minutes later, we found ourselves standing before the familiar confines of Caer Elara.
Inside, the spire was still extraordinary. The interior still impossibly vast, somehow it felt slightly smaller than before- flapping books, familiars skirting about, and mages of all creeds moving with purpose. The sheer intensity of the place was almost overwhelming.
The air inside was thick with the scent of old parchment and the faint hum of magical energy. The towering shelves of books and ancient artifacts created a labyrinthine maze that stretched out before us.
The gryphons caged above squawked when the recognized me, their fight against the magic bars renewed.
The guards at the lobby recognized me, moving for his restraints. "You're the escapee!"
Master, stepped between us. "Escapee? He is my Squire, and by definition, out-ranks you. Stand aside warden."
"OH! Grandwarden Beswick... Allrquin Munthe... I-I" He prostrated himself on the floor with his hands above his head, "Please, punish me."
"Come," Master said, leading the way. "We need to find Ulysses and Pascal."
We left my former captors as Master led us down the series of winding stairs, the atmosphere grew more suffocating with every turn. The stones surround us vibrated as they welcomed their creator.
We navigated downward, the sound of our footsteps echoing off the stone walls. All the Caers were a place of great power and knowledge, their existence the manifestation of contemporary magic enhancing the ancient artifacts that produced the storage magic. As we moved deeper into the tower, the ambient magic grew stronger, resonating with the power of the men walking with me.
At last, we reached the detention wing. The guards averted my gaze when they notice I was verily related the Grandwarden. The heavy iron doors, inscribed with wards and runes, loomed before us. Magnar approached the doors, his hands moving in precise motions as he channeled his magic into the locks. With a final flourish, the doors creaked open, revealing a waned Ulysses and Pascal inside their cells.
"Uncle! Pascal!" I called out, rushing forward.
Ulysses looked up, his face pressing into a relieved smile, despite the obvious physical torment to do so, "Dear boy, you're safe!"
Pascal, though weak, managed a nod. "It's good to see you two alive."
"Aye, good to see you too my friends."
Magnar disabled the enchants, immediately Uncle and Pascal perked up slightly.
"Let them touch your crystal."
"But you have a whole series of them."
"Had. I had a whole series. Atomized when I pulled every drop of magic from them, even the magic giving them their form."
I tossed my Aurorian to Uncle who held it for several seconds and passed it to Pascal. They regained all of their lost mana, but still would need a proper bed, lavish meal, and adequate water to return to optimal health.
"Micah. One season. I will break you down and construct a proper warrior by autumn. Then, a festival to announce my Squire. And to give you a new lapel!" Master proudly declared, a mischievous glint sprouting when he mentioned the lost lapel.
I sprouted an awkward smile as Master walked past me, patting my back while he bellowed a hearty chuckle at my reaction.