Mage academy 4 a litrpg.., p.24
Mage Academy 4: A LitRPG Magic Academy Light Novel, page 24
Danny gritted his teeth. "I didn't even think about charting any of that."
"I'm really sorry. I should have thought to mention it." Radiance sat down in one of his chairs.
"It's alright. I'll figure it out." Danny shrugged with a sigh. "So what are you up to? Anything particularly interesting?"
"Depends on how you define it, but no, not really," Radiance said. "I'm just killing some time until I meet with my master later this evening. I don't know, I thought I'd stop in and say hello. Things are awfully tense around here, and I just… It has me on edge."
"You can say that again," Danny muttered. "The Corp is charging a bunch of mages with crimes they didn't commit. I haven't heard anyone talking about you, but they also might just be scared to talk in front of me."
"Yeah, it's the last one." Radiance winced. "You… You ought to come here."
Danny climbed to his feet and followed Radiance out into the hall.
Across the way, Radiance's door hung slightly open.
Danny frowned, but she pushed it open to reveal an absolute mess.
The whole thing had been ransacked; the intricate ice decorations on the wall had been melted with blasts of fire (which had subsequently scorched the walls), the bed had been completely pulled apart, and more.
It was just a complete disaster.
"They left a note that they'd continue to do it if I didn't turn myself in." Radiance sighed. "It said that they don't want mages to start winding up dead, and while they don't necessarily condemn striking back against the Corp, it's not shedding a good light on the mages right now anyway."
She balled her little hands into fists. "It just makes me so mad! I don't even know how they managed to get into my room anyway. They must have stolen a key from the office, or something. I don't know, I just-"
Danny nodded but suddenly caught a glimpse of something - or someone - moving through the hall off to his right.
A moment later, a little bird shot through the air, fluttered right past his head, then vanished off down the hall.
It was too quick for him to determine a particular type of bird, but he knew it was a bird.
Danny frowned as Radiance's jaw dropped.
"What was that?" Radiance asked as she stepped out into the hall and glanced left and right. "Was that an actual bird? Where did it come from?"
"I might have an idea," Danny said. "Ahh… You'd like to get out of the Academy for a bit, wouldn't you? Come with me, I think I might have something to distract you."
After securing their doors, Danny turned and followed the bird, knowing it wouldn't do much but feeling a sense of effort nonetheless.
He caught glimpses of the creature ahead, darting through halls and down stairwells, always avoiding people.
It was leading them somewhere, and Danny had a good idea where they would end up.
In a short time, they arrived at a little room deep in the abandoned wing, where a delicious aroma wafted from the cracked door.
Radiance frowned, but Danny pulled the door open and gestured for her to step through.
Inside, a wooden crate served as a makeshift table in the middle of the room.
A teapot sat in the center, with three places set up around it.
Another crate on the side of the room held an assortment of pastries.
Radiance glanced at Danny, curiosity piqued. "What exactly is this?" she asked.
Danny shrugged as he looked around. "Beats me."
"Really? You sounded like you knew what was happening," Radiance scowled at him.
"He knew who was calling him," a deep voice rumbled through the air as Nicodemus slowly stepped into the room from the sewer. "He didn't know what I had planned exactly."
"And you knew you'd be setting the table for three?" Danny raised an eyebrow.
"Well, in all due fairness, you two took a long time getting down here. I had plenty of time to prepare, and I always believe that a person should come ready for tea at any time."
Nicodemus pushed up several smaller crates and motioned for them to sit. "Please, take a seat."
Radiance looked at the two of them curiously then slowly sat down.
Soon, Nicodemus had served them a few pastries and poured three steaming cups of tea.
He then sat down across from Danny and nodded at Radiance.
"My apologies, I know this is strange, but I've just spent the last two weeks… Maybe three, I'm honestly not sure. I've spent a great deal of time wandering through the northern wastes, trying to stay alive in the middle of some of the worst snowstorms that I personally have ever experienced."
Nicodemus sighed. "I've been looking forward to tea ever since I got stuck in a snowdrift on the second day out, and as I have news, I just thought it would be nice to share it with Danny. And then, of course, you were there."
Radiance nodded slowly. "And you are…"
"Right." Nicodemus held out his hand which Radiance shook tepidly. "Nicodemus."
Radiance's face turned rather white, which was impressive given her already pale countenance. "The…"
"Yes, yes." Nicodemus sighed and waved his hand around. "The summoner who went crazy and tried to burn down the Imperial City. Also, Danny's grandfather."
As Radiance glanced back and forth between the two of them, her gaze narrowed. "Actually, that explains a lot."
"I'm glad you're pleased." Danny crossed his arms then turned to Nicodemus. "So what's going on? You still haven't told me anything, and a lot has happened since you left."
"Indeed." Nicodemus nodded. "I got the details from your father. The Black Flags, I remember them well enough. Even at the time, I wondered if they might have been a front for the… For our mutual enemies, but I was never able to prove it, and none of the other mages would take me seriously when I brought it up."
"Who are your mutual enemies?" Radiance asked.
"The Emperor's personal secret army," Nicodemus answered. "You've either heard of them, or you haven't. If you know who we're talking about, don't say another word."
Radiance nodded, and, once more, grew even more pale.
By that point, Danny was fairly certain that the purest snow would look black in comparison with her skin.
"Anyway, from what your father said, that theory is looking more and more likely. I can also, as a side note, tell you a bit about the Red Fangs," Nicodemus continued. "Back in the day, they were very small and very secretive group of ex-mages. They modeled their little group after vampires, thus… Red Fangs. I knew of their existence from my summoning, they were somewhat infatuated with me, and wanted me to actually turn them into monsters, but I always refused. They tried to kill me, once. Back when I knew of them, they were based out of a sewer drain near the center of town, I can give you the exact point. Now…"
Nicodemus clapped his hands. "None of that is why I went north and spent the last month freezing all my fingers and toes off."
"Correct," Danny confirmed. "What did you find?"
"Something you said made me wonder how much of Obadiah's humanity might have been left after he was transformed," Nicodemus said. "It's entirely possible that he went to the trial chamber trying to protect Margot. Or, perhaps, more of the students. Again, he had lost a lot of his reason, so he couldn't just walk up through the door, but… Perhaps he was drawn there because of his new form, or for some other reason. Subsequently, he's often shown up when our enemies were involved. Specifically, he attacked you when you were in their custody. What if he wasn't attacking you at all, but was trying to save you. Deriving from there, what if he had only been killing people that he knew to be part of their ranks."
Danny frowned. "An interesting theory, but hard to prove."
"Hard to prove, yes, unless…" Nicodemus folded his hands. "We know they came north after you, and he followed. He didn't attack the crowning ceremony, he only approached it, probably checking for threats. Now, on his way back to the city, if he was learning to sense their magic, and if he truly was looking to exact vengeance, then he couldn't possibly have missed a small outpost that they maintain in that general area. It took me awhile to locate, but… When I did, my suspicions were confirmed."
"He attacked it?" Danny asked.
"What outpost?" Radiance demanded. "Is it a danger to my family?"
Nicodemus answered the second question first. "It's no danger to your family as long as your brother keeps his membership card valid. Now, as far as the details, it's not large, and it's located underground in a glacier somewhat north and west of the Silver Estate. The glacier itself is quite beautiful."
Nicodemus shrugged. "Anyway, once I managed to find it again, I went inside, and only found one survivor. The others were killed by a beast that they described as a black spider. Immune to any and all magic and weapons, it used an ice magic too powerful for their shields and wards to keep at bay. The lone survivor was just trying to clean up the mess, I really felt quite bad for him."
Danny nodded slowly. "So then…"
Pieces began to click in his head. "That's what Barbara meant. She knew that he was after them, that's why she wants to kill Radiance. As far as she knows, Obadiah is completely mindless, and singularly focused on killing all of them. If she takes out Radiance, he'll be unable to bond with anyone else, he'll fade away, and everything goes back to normal."
"On the flip side, if he does bond with Radiance, he'll emerge as a very powerful force to be reckoned with, likely one capable of dealing a great deal of damage to the D- To them."
Nicodemus just barely caught himself in time. "In any case, it's not a scenario that they want to see."
Radiance glanced back and forth between the two of them. "So you two think I'm safe."
"I do," Nicodemus confirmed. "I think Obadiah has lost much of his humanity, but not all of it. I truly believe that he wants to protect you, though probably more so he wants to protect Margot and the whole realm. Your bond with him was probably nothing more than an accident, all things considered."
Radiance shook her head. "So… what's next? Do you know where he is, now?"
"I can feel his presence here in the Imperial City again," Nicodemus answered. "I can't tell you anything more than that. He was in the Imperial City for quite some time without lashing out, which tells me that he doesn't know enough to do more than that."
"So, what do we do?" Danny asked, pressing. "You didn't really answer Radiance."
"No, I didn't." Nicodemus bit his lip and sighed. "Personally, I don't foresee that he'll make it out of this alive. For the time being, he's been able to survive by killing our enemies, but if he no longer knows where to go to do that, he's going to become hungry very quickly. If he holds enough of his reason, he'll allow himself to fade away, but I don't know that he'll be able to do that. I suspect it's only a matter of time before he strikes again. Likely he'll target gang members first, but that's a very slippery slope that the best of us on the best of days would struggle to walk. That said, my larger concern is if he does grow desperate enough, or loses his mind enough, that he goes after Radiance."
Radiance nodded. "So then… You're saying that it's just a matter of time?"
"That's my guess, yes," Nicodemus said. "In which case, we have two options. We either try to kill him, which I suspect is what he would want, or we try to save him."
"I know what Professor Thornwood would do," Danny scowled then slowly nodded. "Then that's what we have to do. We just have to find a way to save him."
"Just to prove your professor wrong?" Nicodemus raised an eyebrow.
"Something like that," Danny confirmed, determined to find a solution.
"In that case, the first thing you need to do is figure out what exactly the Red Fang did to him. See if you can find his body, or something," Nicodemus said. "Let's bring him home, safe."
Auto save - [Savefile: Information]
Health: 100%
Mana: 100%
Quest: Investigate the Red Fang
Location: Academy, Uncharted Location
Inventory: Essential Supplies, Basic Armor, Iron Sword, Sword of the Wasp, Aquamarine Sword, Frostbite Sword
Skills: Monster Summoner (Lv. 37), Flame Combat (Lv. 2), Wind Combat (Lv. 5)
Relationships: Friendly with Radiance, Family Bond with Nicodemus
Time of Day: 4:28 p.m.
Beneath
Danny and Radiance didn't stay with Nicodemus much longer.
Though Danny wanted to remain, Radiance needed to meet with her Ice Master, and he had other tasks to attend to.
Reluctantly, they bade each other farewell and returned to the main body of the Academy.
After snagging an early dinner, Danny slipped out into the darkening sky as another storm blew in.
A chilly wind swept through the streets, making him shiver and pull his cloak tighter.
Glancing over his shoulder, he noticed someone else leaving the Academy, cloaked and quickly vanishing into the crowd.
Curious about their identity and feeling an inexplicable sense of distrust, he considered following them but dismissed the idea after a few moments.
Soon, he approached the Precinct and knocked on the door.
It was locked but opened from the inside after a few moments.
One of the guards nodded curtly, the scowl on their face indicating that a mage wasn't particularly welcome.
Undeterred, he made his way to Captain Janna's office, noticing a candle burning through the frosted window.
Before he could knock, she looked up and waved her hand, using a wind spell to turn the knob and open the door, allowing him to step inside.
"Bit bold for you to use your magic, what with all the tension, isn't it?" Danny asked, sitting down across from her.
"Perhaps," Janna murmured, writing as fast as she could across a sheet of parchment. "At the moment, though, I am involved in the middle of half a dozen different problems, none of which I particularly enjoy at the moment. I can only assume you're here to add another one to the list."
"Actually, I've come to take one off," Danny said. "I met someone who knows where the Red Fangs are based out of. Or, at least, where they were based out of."
Janna sat up straight, and her eyes narrowed. "You're sure about that?"
"Very…" Danny confirmed.
"This person is a reliable source?"
Danny nodded. "I'd trust him just as my own grandfather."
Janna frowned. "That's odd, because across my channels, I still can't find a single mention of the Red Fangs anywhere. No mention of them, no interactions with them, nothing that would tell me that this person you interviewed was doing anything but pulling your leg."
Danny folded his hands. "Apparently they're a group of ex-mages. In years past, they modeled themselves after vampires. Very secretive, very reclusive, and very deadly."
"Where was it?" Janna asked.
"A sewer, near the main square." Danny quickly related what Nicodemus had told to him. "There's a larger grate in an alleyway about a block off the main square. It's pretty secluded, and it sounds like they used some sort of spell to make it harder for people to enter the alley. You get confused when you look at it, that sort of thing. Most people just walk past without every noticing it at all."
"Interesting…" Janna paused a moment. "And he believed that they might actually have the capability to hold an Ascended Mage?"
"He said that if anyone could, it would be them," Danny said. "I think it's worth checking out."
Janna climbed to her feet and grabbed a mug sitting on the edge of her desk.
She took a sip of a black liquid, winced, then chugged the whole thing.
"It's called coffee." She blinked a few times. "The stuff takes terrible, but it keeps you awake. Come on. Let's go."
"Right now?" Danny asked.
"Yes, it gets me away from this desk," Janna confirmed. "And if you're right, and they really are this reclusive, I don't want to risk them scattering. If we have a chance to pin them down, we're going right now."
"Alright, then." Danny nodded, and gritted his teeth. "I'm right behind you."
A moment later, he and Janna were out in the cold.
The wind continued to howl about them, and seemed to grow fiercer with each passing moment.
Several of the street lamps had blown out, leaving the area shrouded in darkness.
Danny often stumbled on the cobblestones, and even Janna didn't seem entirely sure-footed.
She was able to keep a bubble of wind around herself, shielding her body from the worst of the weather, but Danny could tell that it wasn't perfect.
In any event, almost no one else was out and about, and the few people who did dare venture out among the howling winds were cloaked, and had their arms wrapped tightly around themselves.
It was a harsh night, not one that Danny would have wished upon his worst enemies.
Well… Deepcorp were roundly terrible. Maybe he would have wished it upon them.
At that time of night, with no traffic, it didn't take Danny and Janna long to reach the Town Square.
Danny didn't go there often, as it was more or less a massive marketplace catering to the wealthy and those visiting the city.
There was a particularly large well at the exact center, though it wasn't really used anymore, and countless booths scattered around the exterior.
All of those were closed down, now, though a few homeless people could be seen sheltering behind some of them.
Janna quickly took Danny to the road that Nicodemus had mentioned, and they started to look.
Quickly, they made their way down the road, away from the square, but… It didn't take long for them to get three blocks out without seeing a single thing.
"Danny, I just don't think it's here." Janna sighed and turned around. "Maybe it's on a different street."
"Or maybe we just need to look harder." Danny scowled and walked back up the road, turning his head left and right.
Suddenly, he stumbled, and sighed. Maybe Janna was right. Maybe…
