Mage academy 4 a litrpg.., p.19
Mage Academy 4: A LitRPG Magic Academy Light Novel, page 19
"Hmm." Marcella folded her hands. "What happened?"
"I called it out," Danny answered. "I said Margot's name. It seemed to react. It flinched, and then it didn't attack any more. I had to punch it away, and then it ran off."
"Curious." Marcella tapped the table lightly. "Then I would say that Margot's father likely has at least a little control over his actions. Maybe not a lot of control, but enough to know that he needs to stay away. If he's being drawn to Radiance, and doesn't know why, he probably finds it hard to stay away, but in his more lucid moments, he can manage."
"If all that's true, we just have to outlast him," Danny said.
"That's true, except for the fact that every time the Waking Death kills someone, it raises their internal energy and increases the length of time that they can remain on Earth," Marcella countered. "He's already killed several people. Once again, he probably doesn't know what's happening, for him it's just like eating, but… The only way to outlast him is going to be to get him into a position where he can't kill anyone else to absorb their energy. It's not going to be easy."
"Life isn't easy." Danny stood up. "Thanks, Marcella. You're a life saver." He paused. "Actually, that's not an exaggeration if you're right."
"For starters, I'm always right." Marcella grinned. "Secondly, I really hope it helps. I don't know who you were talking to, but it's always possible that they told you the wrong thing in order to throw you off."
"True. In that case, could you do a little bit of research for me? Try to look through history, at least what you're already researching and such, and see if there's anything else that's similar. If they mentioned the Waking Death to throw me off-track, it just means that there's something else out there that I need to find."
"I'll see what I can do," Marcella said. "Catch you around, Danny!"
Danny waved then slowly left the room. He didn't see Isa, but that wasn't altogether that surprising. It was quite possible that she had just stayed in her own bedroom, so that she could focus more. In any case, the words of Barbara kept bumping around in his head.
Suppose the thing about the Waking Death was true. It sounded right and fit well with what Danny already knew, except for the fact that Barbara had implied many people would die if Radiance were to survive. Why was that? If Marcella was right, and if Margot's father managed to displace Radiance from her body, it wasn't likely to do anything more than kill them both. What was he missing? What crucial piece was he overlooking?
He wracked his brains, searching for answers, but nothing came to light. He desperately needed to find the missing piece, and time was running out. Margot's father was likely to kill more people in his bid to stay alive, and if he and Radiance crossed paths again, it wouldn't end well no matter what.
Danny needed clarity, and he needed it fast. He needed a way to break the mass of Grey down into black and white components. Unfortunately, despite what he had told Barbara and his constant assertions to Professor Thornwood, he didn't have the faintest idea how to do that.
Auto save - [Savefile: Information]
Health: 100%
Mana: 100%
Quest: Write an essay for Professor Thornwood.
Location: Research Wing Hallways
Inventory: Essential Supplies, Basic Armor, Iron Sword, Sword of the Wasp, Aquamarine Sword, Frostbite Sword
Skills: Monster Summoner (Lv. 35), Flame Combat (Lv. 2), Wind Combat (Lv. 5)
Relationships: Friendly with Marcella, Friendly with Janna
Time of Day: 10:54 a.m.
Sword
The rest of that weekend, Danny received no answers. He finished up his essay that evening before a massive storm came sweeping down from the north. With that strike, the last of the temperate fall air left, and the full brunt of winter came roaring in. Thick snows came pouring down across the city over a long and dark night.
Peering out through frosty windows, Danny could see small flickers of flame here and there across the city, but it was sparse at best. Winter had arrived, and it wasn't going anywhere for a long while. Danny didn't mind the snow per se, but it did nothing to curb his mood, which was rapidly worsening as time went on without answers.
As he wandered to class on Monday, his spirits didn't grow any brighter. Clouds hung thick and dark across the sky, bathing the Academy in a dreary shadow. Everyone seemed downcast and only muttered to one another as they passed in the hall. Distantly, the sound of howling wind echoed in the corridors but never was any source of the noise seen. Here and there, someone would make a joke with their friends, and a few scattered laughs would echo, but it would fade away again just as fast as it had come.
When Danny arrived in Combat Mathematics, the dreary day only added to his sense of dread. He had completed all his homework and thought he had a decent grasp on the material, but as Professor Goldstone delved into calculating the probability of different attacks, his mind spun, and he quickly fell behind. It didn't help that more than two-thirds of the class seemed to be in the same boat. By the time the lesson ended and he stumbled out into the hall, he felt as though he hadn't learned a thing.
"Why do I need to know that a troll has a thirty percent chance of picking up a rock and throwing it at me?" a student grumbled as he walked past. "As warriors, aren't we supposed to be trained for anything?"
"I can't disagree with that," Danny muttered to himself as he started the long walk up to Professor Thornwood's spire.
"With what?" Radiance asked as she ran up to him.
She seemed flushed and out of breath as Danny glanced over at her.
"Combat Mathematics not making any sense," Danny said. "What's up with you?"
Radiance shrugged. "Just a bit of the Academy not making any sense. I'm already missing my home. Makes me want to just give all of this up and go back."
"Well, if you did that, you'd never become a high-ranked mage, which from what I saw, would pretty much seal the deal as far as making you obsolete and ensuring that your uncle takes back control of the family line," Danny said. "Am I wrong?"
"No," Radiance admitted. "I wish you were, but… no. There's no official rule that a patron or matron has to be a mage, but it's also understood that they have to graduate from the Academy with as many honors as possible."
Danny chuckled then nodded to her. "So what's going on? Lay it on me."
"I don't know." Radiance shook her head. "There are already rumors that something happened while we were back there. Everyone knows that the Crawler didn't attack anyone while we were gone, and news arrived of some sort of an attack upon the Silver Estate. People are saying that it was me, and, of course…"
"Now that you're back, they're starting to get antsy," Danny finished.
"Exactly," Radiance confirmed. "I don't really know what to say in my defense. It wasn't me doesn't convince anyone of anything, but I don't have any solid evidence that it wasn't me. Rumors don't abide by a burden of proof, you know."
"Very true." Danny sighed. "Well, if there's anything I can do, just let me know."
Radiance nodded, though she looked downcast. Danny felt sorry for her, but he didn't know properly what he could do.
All through Professor Thornwood's class, Danny kept his mind turned to the problem at hand. A single thought popped into his head, but… He wasn't sure whether it was a good one or not, only that there was a chance that it might help clear Radiance's name. Once class was over, he said goodbye to her, turned in the essay for his time on the trip, and slipped down through the Academy and out into the city. There, he trudged through the bitter cold, bracing against the howling winds and slogging through the snow. Very few people were out and about, mostly people going to buy food, otherwise, everyone was more than content to stay inside. Danny winced in sympathy for them, and drew his cloak a bit tighter around himself.
When he arrived at the Precinct, he quickly strode up to the door and pulled it open. Inside, it was far warmer, though the moment he entered, half a dozen guards turned his way and placed their hands on their swords. Most of them relaxed upon recognizing him, though a few of them didn't bother to show the courtesy. As Danny approached the Captain's desk, Janna strode out of the hallway that led to the jail cells, chatting with one of her aides.
"Make sure to listen closely to anything he says. The moment he implicates himself, I want him thrown in the most secure cell we have. I have exactly three days to prove his guilt before the Commander makes me let him out onto the street again, and I want to make sure we put that time to good use."
She paused and turned back around, still not noticing Danny. "Oh, and one more thing. I looked over the report on the Storm Burglar. If I had to make a guess, he'll hit again tonight when the next wave of the storm moves through, and he'll probably hit the Ash district. Put plainclothes guards out there, and have them keep a close eye on things."
"Yes, ma'am." The aide started writing on a pad of paper as Janna turned around, noticed Danny, smiled, then sat down at her desk.
"Danny! What can I do for you?" She frowned as she started to write out a letter. "I'm terribly sorry, I have quite a bit of work to get done right now. Is it urgent?"
"Not urgent, no," Danny said. "Actually, I was just going to offer my help. I don't know if I can be of help, but Radiance is apparently coming under some fire for the way things have gone down. I figured I would see if there was anyone killed by the storm last night. If there was, I might be able to help determine if they were actually killed by the cold, or by… Well…"
Janna paused then slowly put down her pen and nodded. "That's not a bad idea, actually." She bit her lip. "Come with me."
She rose and motioned for Danny to follow. He came along, and she quickly led him into a side hallway and down a flight of stairs. Soon, they came to a locked door, and Janna produced a large key.
"This is the morgue," she explained. "We don't keep bodies here long, but sometimes we have an interest in examining them before they're buried."
Danny nodded as she swung the door open. They stepped through and saw half a dozen bodies lying on gurneys in a long line. His jaw dropped as Janna swung the door shut behind them.
"These are all the casualties from last night," she said in a soft, respectful voice. "Our doctor came in to examine them. We have witnesses who say that those two on the end were drunk, so we think they probably just got lost, and froze in the streets, where they were found this morning. Those two…" She pointed at the next two in line. "Both show injuries that we think may have been the actual cause of death, or at the least, prevented them from getting to shelter. The older man has a bruise across his skull, probably a blow from a bottle, and the younger one seems to have been stabbed. Finally, these two…" She pointed at the last ones in line. "They were both found in stables, where they probably took refuge and still froze."
"So, you don't suspect any of them as being killed by the Crawler?" Danny asked.
"The reason they're all here right now is because we want to see if any of them thaw out. The soldier the Crawler killed first was still frozen at least three days after his death, and the people the thing killed at the tavern remained frozen for a good five days. It sounds morbid, but… That's just what we have to do sometimes."
Danny slowly raised his hand. "May I?"
Janna nodded and gestured at them. "Go for it."
Danny stepped up and slowly held his hands out over them. As his senses expanded, he did his best to feel out each body. Unfortunately, he found he couldn't feel them at all.
No, that wasn't quite it. He found that they were merely voids. They were empty shells, without a soul, without energy. There was no magic firing around inside of them. They were just… there.
He frowned then focused on each body once more, trying to get a feel for something. Anything. He swept over each one, again and again, then shook his head and turned away.
"Near as I can tell, they're all clean. I mean, I can't guarantee that, but I can sorta sense when the thing is or was around. These all feel like they were just… Like what you think happened, happened."
"And that was my supposition, too," Janna admitted. "I really don't think the Crawler did this. Honestly, I don't really even think that the Crawler is still in the city. There's a lot of speculation that it went north, following you and Radiance, and I do think that's possible, though of course there's no reason to assume that it wouldn't come back."
She paused. "That said… I don't know. I just have this feeling. I can't sense monsters the same way that you can, but I'm a wind mage. People will comment about the winds feeling strange, or say things about ill winds, and I can confirm that those are real things. Right now, the wind feels normal. That's the first it's felt like that ever since… Since I got put here, really."
"Hmm." Danny stroked his chin. "That's interesting."
"Indeed," Janna said. "Well, I'm going to let these poor souls keep sitting here. The ground is frozen, so we can't dig them proper graves anyway, and I'll start working on finding the next of kin. If they wind up now thawing, then I'll know you were wrong." She smiled and clapped him on the shoulder, and they left and slowly walked back up to the main level once again.
As Danny headed toward the door, she held up a hand, and smiled. "Thanks for coming in, even if it didn't help. I still appreciate it, and if you ever feel like you have something else to throw at me, I'd like to hear it."
"I promise." Danny smiled.
With that, he went back out into the streets once more, but he didn't return to the Academy.
Instead, he turned and made his way across the city, wandering this way and that until he arrived at the house where he had grown up. Inside, he could just make out a few flickers of light, the only indication that anyone was home. A smile came over his face, and he walked up and knocked on the door. After a long pause, Nicodemus slowly peered out.
"Danny? You're getting awfully casual about coming out here."
Danny shrugged. "So, sue me. Let me in."
The old man sighed and stepped back. Danny quickly slipped inside. Nicodemus swung the door shut again behind him, though not before glancing out at their surroundings. No one seemed to have noticed, though Danny frankly assumed that the neighbors had to know that something was up. If they didn't after all this time, they were blind.
"What's going on?" Nicodemus asked as Danny flopped onto one of the couches.
He sat down across from Danny, a frown creasing his wrinkled face.
"I don't know," Danny said with a sigh. "Something odd, though not necessarily something bad. The Crawler. It followed Radiance, Isa, and I up to the Silver Estate."
"Yes." Nicodemus sounded thoughtful. "I felt it leave."
"Have you felt it come back?" Danny asked. "Last night would have been the perfect time to strike again, but from what I can tell, no one in the city was harmed, and Janna is pretty convinced that it isn't here."
Nicodemus slowly shook his head. "At the moment, no, I haven't felt it return." He raised an eyebrow. "Now, I'll admit that I haven't exactly been sweeping for it, but you're right, that is curious." He folded his hands and leaned forward. "I get the feeling that you know something you're not telling me."
Danny did his best to explain the situation and what he had learned from Marcella. When he finished, Nicodemus didn't say anything for a long time.
"Do you think we're being led down the wrong trail?" Danny asked to break the silence.
Nicodemus shook his head. "On the contrary. Actually, I think for the first time since this mess started, we may actually be onto something. There are still some holes, but…" He slowly rose to his feet. "I may have a theory, if all of what you just told me is the truth."
"What's your theory?" Danny jumped to his feet.
"I can't say yet." Nicodemus quickly walked upstairs and vanished.
Danny raised an eyebrow as he heard some things crashing about, and after a few minutes, Nicodemus came back down. He had a small pack slung onto his back and nodded out at the door. "I'll be back in a week. Maybe two. If I'm not back in a month, assume I'm dead for real this time."
"What's going on?" Danny demanded. "You're not making any sense."
"I know that, Danny, but you have to trust me," Nicodemus answered. "As I said, I'll be back. I may know where the Crawler went, though the only way to know for sure is to go there."
"You what?" Danny exclaimed. "How could you possibly-"
"Please, Danny. Just trust me." Nicodemus flashed a small smile at him. "If I'm right, you'll hear about it. If I'm wrong, then you won't, and it won't matter. I'll be back as soon as I can."
With that, he stepped out the front door, tossing Danny the key to the house as he did so. Danny ran to follow, but by the time he got to the front porch, Nicodemus was already gone. Danny glanced back and forth, desperately peering up and down the street, but… There was nothing there. No one to be seen. He thought he heard the crunch of snow coming from just a few houses down, but that could have just been the wind. Danny sighed deeply, then shrugged and started back toward the Academy.
He hadn't received any answers, but hopefully, Nicodemus might. Until his grandfather returned, there was nothing he could do but wait…
Wait and stay vigilant just in case Nicodemus was wrong.
Auto save - [Savefile: Information]
Health: 100%
Mana: 100%
Quest: Look out for trouble.
Location: Ninety-Seventh Street, Imperial City
Inventory: Essential Supplies, Basic Armor, Iron Sword, Sword of the Wasp, Aquamarine Sword, Frostbite Sword
Skills: Monster Summoner (Lv. 35), Flame Combat (Lv. 2), Wind Combat (Lv. 5)
Relationships: Friendly with Janna, Friendly with Radiance, Family Bond with Nicodemus
Time of Day: 4:57 p.m.
What Then
The next week passed slowly, each day feeling longer than the last. Danny spent nearly every waking moment glancing toward the door, hoping for a message from Nicodemus or perhaps a visit from his father, a messenger, or even a bird signaling his next clue. Nothing appeared, and he felt a twinge of disappointment each evening as he went to bed without answers, but tried to remain patient.
