Amelia

I descended the stairs from the study as I returned from my mana manipulation class. This session was about mana as it pertained to the moon. My mind replayed his lecture as I made careful note of how the phases interacted with certain spells. “Who knew the moon could be used as a power source. Then again, it does fall in line with the energy output to earth during the respective phases. Of course, there's always been mysticism about the moon. I mean a werewolf only every appears during the full moon. . . . I hope we won't have to worry about werewolves.” I looked up as I finally reached the bottom of the stars and spotted Dexter leaning against a wall, one arm gripping the opposing strap of his backpack while the other positioned his hand to cover his mouth. I grinned slightly as I approached. “Ready to head back?” I asked. Dexter didn't take notice of my words, nor my presence. Instead, he just slowly panted, staring at the floor as he did so. I bent slightly to look him in the eyes. Still, he didn't notice me. His eyes were dilated and unfocused. A unicorn could have walked past, and he probably wouldn't have noticed. “Wait, are those also a thing? I need to find a bestiary for this world.” I waved my hand in front of Dexter's face as I spoke again. “Dexter!” I said a little loudly. Dexter finally blinked and focused on my face and I repeated my earlier question. “Are you ready to go?”

Dexter nodded as he rubbed his face, still seemingly dazed. “Yeah, let's go.” He agreed, straightening and walking past me and towards the door. I turned and followed him as I noticed his clenched fist trembling slightly. I decided to wait a bit before asking the obvious question. “I know how he reacted last time I tried to pry in unwanted. I'll ask him when he cools down a bit.” I returned to replaying the lecture as we joined the guards waiting for us out front and started making our way back to the barn.

It wasn't until late into the night that I finally decided to question him about his thoughts. We were studying our respective subjects, me reviewing Spell constructing while Dexter meticulously studied up on Healing magic. I looked up again as we entered our third hour of non-stop studying. Dexter was slowly rubbing his head as he read the book in front of him. I fiddled with my fingers a bit as I considered how to phrase the question. Finally, I broke the silence permeating the barn and directly asked him. “How was your Restoration class today?”

Dexter looked up at me and blinked in surprise. He was silent for a minute as he seemed to ponder the question. “It was okay.” He replied calmly, turning back to his book. “Nothing worthwhile happened. I did, however, overhear something about spellstones in an abandoned city in the mountain north of here. It might be worth it to check it out at some point.”

I stared at him as he became silent again and I was left with the unanswered question. “Nothing?” I asked skeptically. “There's nothing you want to talk about?”

Dexter closed his eyes and let out a sigh as he dropped his head. “I'm fine.” He insisted. “There's nothing we need to talk about. I just need to move forward; to get better.”

I gave half a thought to push him for an answer but decided against it. “Alright.” I finally admitted. “We don't have to talk. I just wanted to make sure you're not trying to hide something major from me like last time. You ended up requiring Garahks help to fix it.”

Dexter was silent for a minute then let out a sigh as he looked at an empty corner of the barn. After another minute of staring, he finally relented and answered. “It's not as major as what happened then,” he finally admitted. “I just encountered a sore point that got pressed. Groups are searching the mountain to find the ‘Archive' as they call it. One of the groups returned and required some heavy healing techniques. Apparently, magma worms are a thing and one of them . . bit a guy. I just . . . I made a mistake and caused someone to be hurt. He was an asshole, but even if he wasn't, the outcome would have been the same. I hesitated and took too much time to cast the right spell. If he were someone I cared about I would have failed them and . . .” Dexter let out another sigh as he turned a page. “I don't want what happened during the battle to happen again. If something can be avoided, I should . . . need to be able to avoid it. When it comes to lives, I don't want to leave anything up to chance. I need to get this exactly right. Otherwise, I'm going to make another mistake with permanent consequences. . . I don't know if I can stand the kind of consequences these kinds of mistakes create.”

I nodded as I allowed the silence to hang in the air for a minute. Dexter let out another sigh before I finally spoke. “I'm glad you were willing to share,” I said, being as encouraging as I could. “It can't have been easy, but I'm glad you did.” Dexter trailed his finger down the page and let out a sigh. “Just know that I'm here for you, whenever you need to talk.” Dexter was silent for a minute then nodded slowly. I stifled a grin as I turned back to my book and continued reading. We sat there as the night progressed and we each learned more about our respective subjects.

The next day went by a lot faster than normal. I think Dexter was anxious to get to Garahk's study and make sure she was set up for Quartz production. He also invited Gremach to the barn for some brainstorming sessions. I hesitated when he mentioned going up to the mountain. We stopped in the hallways as Dexter quickly explained his reasoning. “I want to help you guys as much as possible. That means if you're looking for something, I'm going to help search for it.”

Gremach shook his head as he gestured northward. “Students have spent years searching the tunnels. Some have even begun to doubt the existence of the Archive. I don't see how you will be able to locate it.”

I stepped in front of Dexter as I voiced my objections. “You mentioned Magma worms to me last night. From what you told me it seems like experienced mages can barely handle them. How can we hope to if we can't even stand up to ones that only have basic knowledge?”

Dexter let out a sigh as he rubbed his head and stared off. “I'll have to figure it out.” He admitted. “They're going in groups, so I can probably make a group of my own.” He then continued to stare off for a minute then turned to Gremach.

Gremach immediately threw his hands up and took a few steps back. “No. Before you ask, I refuse. I am not going to go into the mountain city to find a place that might have long since rotten beneath the earth.”

Dexter let out a sharp sigh and gestured towards Gremach. “If it means finding artifacts and knowledge the Institute has yet to uncover, don't you think it'll be worth it? Besides, you won't be the only one I invite. I know of a few others that could be interested in the mountain.”

Gremach shook his head insistently. “I do not care how many you invite. I do not wish to enter the mountain. There is no glory in finding used artifacts.”

Dexter paused then rubbed his lip as he stared off. “What if there was?” He asked as he turned back. Gremach hesitated but didn't answer. “There's plenty of glory in finding something that was lost. Hell, we have an entire profession devoted to finding lost artifacts. One of the most famous expeditions was to a tomb of a long-dead Pharaoh. Despite how long ago the expedition was, he's still one of the most well-known individuals to date. Besides, the tomb of King Tut is paltry compared to what this is supposed to be.” Gremach rubbed his head as he seemed to think. “You could be known as the person that helped find the lost Archive and the spellstones of Doomach.” Dexter continued.

Gremach was silent for another minute before he closed his eyes and clenched his teeth. Finally, he relaxed and looked up at Dexter. “I shall join you, but you two will need to better equip yourselves for such an expedition. Others or not, the worms that reside in the mountain are dangerous.” I watched Dexter nod then glance at me.

I faltered as I realized he was waiting for me to agree with him. I almost shook my head in response but sighed reluctantly as I repeated an earlier qualm. “I'm with Gremach on this one. Going into a mountain on a whim seems dangerous.”

Dexter shook his head as he gestured insistently. “It's not on a whim if we prepare for it. Besides, I'm wasn't about to go in without learning a few new spells anyway. I already memorized the spell I was supposed to use on the guy. I'm also trying to learn that Impact spell we saw a while ago. It might be useful against those magma worms.”

I let out a sigh as I started to stare off and give the idea some thought. “IF we adequately prepare for the mountain we shouldn't have a problem. Unfortunately, we have no idea what we'd be facing and what we need to find the Archive. There could be more than . . . whatever Magma worms are. Although, we might have the leisure of prep time. Dexter could be thinking about taking a week to prepare. There's are also the merchants to consider. He might not be willing to make the journey with the merchants in the city. Though it might be better to make a round trip while they're here. We'll know where they are and won't run the risk of bumping into them while we're out. If he's planned all that out, there's just the matter of finding the archive.” I turned back to him as I finally formed a question. “How soon are you thinking about going?”

Dexter paused and began rubbing his lip as he pondered. “About a week from now. The merchants will still be in the city, so we won't run the risk of running into them on the way over. That'll also give me some time to gather a group and prepare them for the mountain.” He then turned and pointed at Gremach. “We'll also spend that time making a spell that'll help us track down the archive. If we can narrow down where to search, we'll have an easier time finding it.”

Gremach paused then nodded as he glanced behind him. “We shall have to discuss such a spell tonight. For the moment, I have a class to attend. I shall meet you at your abode around sunset. … I bid the two of you, good day.”

Dexter and I nodded as Dexter waved at Gremach's now retreating form. He then turned to me as he thoughtfully rubbed his lower lip. “I'll need to find Yotul and Borba. They might be useful against the worms. We should probably find Brokil too. Even if he doesn't want to come he might be able to recommend some people interested in the mountain. Same for Yotul and Borba.”

I tilted my head as I looked at him. “Who?” I asked.

Dexter gestured down the hall as he explained. “Two orcs that helped me when I had that division problem. They were also the ones that showed me where to find Garahk's study. I think they'll be willing to help us search the mountain. It's just a matter of finding them.”

I nodded as I glanced towards where Gremach had gone. “Well, if you plan on going to the mountain, you'll want to try and read up on what the city used to be. That might give you a hint at where to start looking.”

Dexter nodded as he continued to think. “That might help, but that's likely what the others have thought about. Anything they already know about the city isn't going to lead us to the archive. No, it'll be better if we make our own observations of the place. That's where the spell comes in. I just need to figure out the right way to frame and build it.”

I shrugged as I started walking down the hall. Dexter looked up and followed close behind as I started making my way towards the dungeons. “In any case, we have classes to attend. I'll keep an eye out for Brokil and fill him in on the details if I see him.”

I glanced back in time to see Dexter nod and adjust the straps on his backpack. “I'll go up and ask Garahk about Yotul and Borba once my defense class is done. We'll meet back at the entrance hall once I get everything straightened out.”

I nodded as we continued walking to our respective class. “Sounds like a plan.” I agreed.

Dexter

I panted slightly as the defensive magic class had finally wrapped up. I'd pushed myself a little harder to properly learn and cast the barriers, staying on my toes when it came to the sparring session. I wanted to say I also faired much better against my sparring partner, but I could still tell he was holding back his full capabilities for his own sake. I also found myself preoccupied with figuring out a spell for spelunking through a mountain. By the end, I had a long series of ideas for something that could work. “Some kind of tunneling spell would be the most direct route, but that runs the risk of collapse and fucking up the archive. I could beef up the Illuminate spell and have a long-range torch, but that's probably been thought of before. Hell, that's probably the first thing most students make before going to the mountain. Besides, visibility is a good way to travel through a cave, but it's not going to help me find the archive. Oh, you know what I could do? Make a beacon pair and have it used as a back and forth in case only one of us can traverse an obstacle. Whether or not I'll have time to make those is another question.” I looked up as I let out a sigh. The sun was beaming through the warped panes of glass. It gave the courtyard a cool heat that I was still unfamiliar with. I let out another sigh as I looked down and watched the others exit through the courtyard door. “I'll figure it out. I just need some more info to go on. Maybe reading up on the city isn't such a bad idea.” My thoughts were interrupted as Bruga appeared beside me. “You appear distracted. Is something occupying your thoughts?”

I paused then nodded as I glanced at the door again. “The weapon thing just isn’t panning out like I had hoped, at least not yet. There are too many variables to consider and too much time between me and him to come up with a viable counter. I'm thinking about helping you guys find some of the artifacts you're looking for. Finding those spellstones of Doomach might be on my radar at the moment. If you don't know how to make them, I can probably help you in that regard as well. If not, then at least I helped you find them.”

Bruga suddenly smiled as she heard my explanation. “That sounds as if you seek an adventure. Perhaps you plan on bringing others along on such an expedition?”

I let out a small laugh as I heard her question. “You don't even know where I plan to go. How do you know you'll want to join me?”

Bruga smiled and shrugged in response. “Is that not part of the fun? Besides, observing you in action may yet alleviate my misgivings of you..”

I hesitated at her sudden interest as I considered her mindset. Surely this hadn’t come out of nowhere. “Still, it could be dangerous. I've seen what the place can do to people. It isn't pretty.”

Bruga shrugged as she reached into her shawl and seemed to palm something. “I am confident it will be worth the risk. Any chance to find a lost artifact is a chance worth taking.” She assured me.

I gave her a skeptical look as I considered her words. “Why the sudden change?” I asked. “You’re not about to trust me after you tried to threaten me, are you?”

Bruga shrugged as she pulled her hand from her bag. “Observing your progress in my class has piqued my interest. Your sudden interest in the mountain has thusly made me interested in your mindset.” She suddenly gave me a wry smile as her words once again stuck out to me. “In any case, would you really turn away someone willing to journey with you to the mountain? I don’t imagine a great number of people would wish to align themselves with the outsider.”

I paused again as I considered. I knew she was right, but that didn’t detract from the fact that I hated how right she was. She would be an indispensable ally after all. I finally sigh then nodded as I added her to my mental list. “Alright, I need another day or two to find the others, but I'll tell you when we'll meet to discuss the plan.”

Bruga grinned and nodded. “I look forward to it.” She then turned and began striding towards the exit, waving goodbye to me as she did. I waved back as I let out a sigh and reassessed my plan. “Gremach will be able to help make the spell I need. Yotul and Borba will be able to provide offensive support. Brokil might know a bit about the city from his previous master. Hopefully, Bruga will compliment Yotul and Borba with defensive spells. All that leaves is to find the archive and bypass any lock that might be in place.” I glanced at my watch as I finally followed the others out the door and started making my way towards Garahk's study. “For now, get the team together.”

Amelia

I walked into the library once my alchemy class was done. Dexter seemed to prefer making his observations, but there was nothing wrong with looking at what they did know about the city. I walked over to the front counter and addressed the orc sitting behind it. “Do you have any books about that mountain city north of here?”

He nodded as he gestured towards the shelves. “We have some copies of recovered tomes near the back. Look for the section marked Replicate History.” I nodded as I turned and followed his directions towards the back of the library. I found the section he described and started combing the shelves. Hundreds of books stared back, many just replicates of each other, but their titles gave little to no hint at what to look for. “Shit, I probably should have asked what the city's name was. Not to mention, I don't even know what to look for. These are all replicates of books that probably existed back then. Given that none of them knew the city would become abandoned; they could either directly mention the archive, or not go anywhere near it.” I glanced along the shelf as I heard rifling parchment further down the aisle. An orc sat with his back to one of the shelves, reading through a book as a stack of books rested beside him. His short black hair barely scraped the top of his shawl and even from this position, I could tell he was shorter than the others.

He was slowly muttering to himself as he traced his finger down the page. “Month of growth: The Elder Doomach has presented an intriguing new stone, one that may cast spells at the simple expense of mana. This is one of the greatest improvements Doomach has created. Already there are several boxes full of spellstones within the Archive. One can only wonder how many spells can be etched into the crystals.” The orc then let out a low growl as he turned the page. “But where is the Archive? I already know what is in it. I need to know where to find it.”

I took in the sight before me as an idea gradually formed in my head. I grinned slightly as I finally took a few steps forward and addressed the orc. “Reading something interesting?” I asked.

The orc jumped slightly and turned to me, revealing deep brown eyes, as he suddenly became aware of my presence then relaxed. “Ah, it is merely you. I did not see you.”

I nodded as I closed the gap between us and looked down at his book. The text that was displayed appeared to be more damaged than the book would let on, but then I quickly realized that it was deliberately written that way, with spots of green creeping along the edges and even conquering a corner of the page. “Is that about the mountain city?” I asked curiously.

The orc paused as he seemed to consider my question then nodded as he turned back to his book and rubbed his eyes. “Yes, this is a recreation of one of the tomes recovered from the city. I expect you are now looking for the Archive as well?”

I nodded as I crouched beside him and looked at the stack. “A recent decision that I'm still not one hundred percent on board with, but still it's now a priority of mine. Are all of those different books from the city?”

He nodded as he glanced at the stack. “This is only a portion of the full collection recovered. There's still an entire shelf that might give insight into the location of the archive.”

I turned in the direction of his finger as he pointed it towards one of the nearby shelves. A few gaps were visible from where I knelt, likely from the very books this orc had piled around him. I tilted my head as I started to question the legitimacy of that claim. “If there are so many copies, wouldn't someone have read it by now? You have to copy pages by hand. So, why would the information in the books still be unknown.”

The orc shook his head as he reached into his satchel and pulled out two pieces of parchment and an inkwell. “Handmade recreations are the non-magical method of creating more tomes. Typically scribes use this method of books that are beyond our interest. Here, we employ a simpler method.” He turned to me and revealed one of the pages was blank while the other had physical writing on it, likely notes from the classes he was taking. He laid the pages down on the floor in front of himself, with the inkwell in between them. He gestured briefly then laid his hands on the pages, causing the ink to appear on the blank page. Once the ink stopped materializing he showed me the once blank page and revealed it to be an exact copy of the previous page. “We use a larger spell to replicate entire books in a single hour, without learning what is in it.”

I nodded as I watched him replace the pages and inkwell in his satchel. “So that means people have been pouring over these books to find out what's in them. I'm guessing you're one of those people?”

The orc nodded again as he flipped the page. “I have been studying these replicas for longer than I care to admit. I now start to doubt that they hold what I am currently looking for. In any case, the city has held many marvelous mysteries. The Archive is only the latest of rooms being searched for. The recent increase in searches has encouraged me to resume studying these tomes in the hope of finding something that might reveal a location worth making a trip to the mountain.”

I let out a hmmm of understanding as I glanced at the pile of books. “How many groups are over at the mountain right now?” I asked, turning to the orc. “There can’t be that many if you haven’t found the archive yet.”

The orc paused again before shrugging. “There is only one that I know is there at the moment, but there could be a dozen others. Even then, the city is quite vast and it would take a week for them to comb through the city proper. All of them will be searching throughout the city for the Archive. There is no telling which places have been thoroughly searched and which have not. Many think it is beyond the magma worm nest near the apex of the city. So far, none have made it past them to verify.”

I nodded as I folded my hands together and pressed my pointer fingers to my lips. “That makes finding the Archive more difficult. If it really is past a nest of those worms, we'd need to brute force past them. If not, then we'd just be wasting time trying to fight through them. The smart thing to do would be to search the other places in the city before checking the nest. Of course, that still means searching the city and if it's as big as Snakhagr it might take weeks to search through just half the buildings.” I turned to the orc as I grinned slightly. “I'm guessing you don't have a group to go with yet?”

The orc looked up at me hesitantly. “I do not. However, I am curious as to how you know of that fact?”

I shrugged as I gestured about. “It's just a bit of reasoning. I'm guessing most groups would read up on the city, but I'm also guessing most others prefer to read up in pairs, especially if there are so many books about the city. So, it's odd to find someone reading up on a city with such a heavy workload all alone. That likely means you're either in a small group or planning something reckless and going to the city by yourself. Since most small groups would likely agree to get a larger one for such a supposedly dangerous expedition, you're most likely planning to go to the city by yourself, likely because of the ‘one group' you know is in the city.”

The orc sat there guiltily as I finished my monologue and waited for him to reply. He drummed his fingers along the page and let out a sigh before nodding and admitting his motivations. “It is because of the group I know of, particularly an individual that has been the bane of my existence since attending the Institute. I find myself extremely motivated to discover the Archive before her, lest she have another victory to dangle over my head. Call it what you will; Spite, anger, vengeance, but I intend to find the Archive before her, even if I have to do it myself.”

I nodded as I glanced at the books before him. All that knowledge, and someone willing to comb through it. “Then today might be your lucky day. You might not have to search the mountains alone. As it so happens, Dexter is looking for the Archive as well. You might just be the kind of person he's looking for.”

The orc faltered as he heard my offer. “Would he truly be approving of my addition? There has not been anyone willing to accommodate me as of yet. They claim my inability in magic would hinder their progress.”

I shrugged as I gestured at the books. “Do you think you'll be able to navigate around the city?” I asked. “Even if you’re not as confident in one aspect, other aspects might prove even more useful.”

The orc paused for only a moment before nodding and tapping the stack next to him. “I had read a few of these tomes several times over. I am confident I would be able to act as a guide should that become necessary.”

I nodded as I extended a hand and offered to help him up. “Then you'll fit in just fine.” The orc hesitated for another minute before taking my hand. I helped him up and gestured at the books left beside him. “Bring those with you if you can. Dexter might want a crash course on the city before heading out.” The orc nodded as he bent to pick up the books. I glanced back and brushed a strand of hair around my ears before asking the obvious question. “So, what's your name?”

The orc grinned as he turned to me. “I suppose I am not well known to you. I am Salthu, lower mage. As one like you might guess, I do not have the same capabilities as some of the other mages in the Institute. However, what I lack in magical ability, I make up for in enthusiasm.”

I nodded as I gestured down the aisle. “Well, whatever your ability, I'm sure you'll be more than helpful. It usually takes more than raw power to find a lost ruin.” The orc nodded as I turned and started leading him out of the library and up towards the entrance hall. “I just narrowed days-worth of book reading into a few hours of lecture time. I wonder if Dexter has had as much luck as I've had.”