Dexter

After accidentally recruiting Bruga to the expedition, I made my way towards Garahk. I was starting to feel guilty about going to her every time I needed something. So, I resigned to asking her where to take my inquiries so that I wasn't bugging her every couple of days. I turned down the hallway and arrived at the large wooden door that led to her study. I raised my knuckles to rap sharply on the door when it was suddenly pulled open and Garahk stepped out. I blinked in surprise and flinched as I took a step back. Garahk did the same as she realized I was standing there. “Jesus, this place likes people running into each other.”

Garahk composed herself and grinned as she shrugged, walking past me to start moving down the hall. I started following her as she indirectly addressed me. “The Institute has a way of such things. Am I correct in assuming you have come with another creation?”

I shook my head but quickly realized she couldn't directly see me. “No, I'm actually here about the artifacts in the mountain north of here. I need to find some mages that might be able to help me out. I also want to know where to make inquiries like these so that I'm not bugging you all the time.”

Garahk let out a short laugh as she turned the corner and continued along the hall. “I do not terribly mind, but if it will ease your conscience I will tell you of the inquiry desk. It is downstairs to the left of the entrance hall. Any inquiries you might have will be best answered there. I know a great deal of what goes on in my Institute, but even I am unaware of some matters.”

I nodded as I followed her through the study and towards the stairs. “That's reasonable. There are two hundred and fifty people here; it would be difficult to keep track of everyone and everything they do, especially when there are so many other places to go.” Garahk nodded as she walked down the stairs and towards the entrance hall. “I'll drop in later then, once I get back from the mountain. Since this pertains to two particular individuals, the desk will likely be more helpful than you can be.”

Garahk turned to me as she stopped at the bottom of the stairs. “You do not want to observe the fruits of your labor?” She asked.

I tilted my head as I stared at her curiously. “I only gave you the means for crystal growth the other day. I can't imagine how you already have another batch ready.”

Garahk grinned as she turned and gestured for me to follow her. I complied as she began explaining. “Magic is a fascinating art. Some discoveries come out of research and study, others by mere accidents. One such accident revealed entire realms beyond ours. A brief connection between realms is also what brought you here. However, there are more realms than yours and mine, many more.”

I hurried a bit to start walking beside her and looked at her to ask the obvious question. “You mean dimensions, right? Places that are inaccessible to each other even if you traveled an infinite. . . endless distance in either of them.”

Garahk didn't reply for a second as she seemed to consider my question. She then nodded as she turned and traveled through a doorway and I fell back to walking behind her. “I suppose the more informed realms each have their own term for it, but yes, there are many realms in existence. Some of these realms vary slightly, others greatly. One detail that may vary between realms is the rate at which time passes. A month in one realm is merely an hour in another. This difference has proven to be useful to those that know how to exploit it. For instance, with our ability to create miniature realms in our local realm, we can create a small area where the passage of time is much greater than the present passage.”

I nodded along as I tried to piece together what she was implying. “So . . . You've managed to make, what I can only guess to be, a pocket dimension where the temporal flow is a lot faster than the local space-time?”

Garahk paused as we started walking down the stairs towards the dungeon. “I am unfamiliar with those words, but if you speak so confidently of your words then I can only assume that is how you would describe this procedure. If that were the case, then yes it is a difference in ‘temporal flow'. I have co-opted your method and created a way to ‘grow' more crystals from the materials you provided. I am just going to collect the first batch of these crystals.” I nodded as I continued to follow her into the dungeon, the air turning damp and moist as we walked. “Mildew must thrive down here. Then again, they have plenty of magic to repair any damage, though maybe not for the other effects. I'll need to ask Amelia about that.” We emerged into the dungeon and I followed her as she wound her way through, past cauldron and shelves, jars and tables of ingredients galore, some glowing slightly while others letting off a faint smoke. Eventually, she arrived at a closed door and reached into her shawl. I could hear incoherent muttering through the rough wood as Garahk pulled something out and turned to me. “Do not interfere with the ritual once you enter. Especially do not touch the field. Living creatures are not able to make the journey between the realms as of this moment. The consequences of violating the boundaries are severe.”

My face fell at the thought and I nodded grimly as she relayed her warning. “Don't touch anything. Got it.” I affirmed. Garahk nodded as she turned back to the door and inserted a key. She twisted the handle hard to unlock the door and then pushed it open. I followed her and entered a scene that was . . . difficult to describe. I could see three orcs kneeling around a circle of iron staves, green flames sprouting from the top of each staff. They each wore a modified version of the mage's shawl, leather sash crossing their torso from shoulder to hip. Their hands here pressed to the floor as they chanted in unison, but that wasn't the strangest part. An uneven white hemisphere occupied the center of the circle, reaching up to my shoulders as its surface moved and rippled. It seemed to vibrate in unison with the voices, growing and dying with each enunciation. I turned to the orcs as I noticed their voices sounded rough and hoarse as if they had been at this for a while. Garahk moved to circle the hemisphere and seemed to peer at something out of sight. I followed her and saw a fourth orc, kneeling opposite one of the others and chanting with them.

I turned to look at the hemisphere again as Garahk gestured about the room. “Dexter, meet four of the Magistrates at my Institution. They are four of the most skilled mages currently residing here. There are very few that outmatch them in all of Gashur.” I nodded as I focused my attention on the hemisphere and watched it ripple. “You may release the spell now. I believe enough time has passed.” The orcs nodded and let out a sigh as they removed their hands from the floor. The hemisphere remained as it rippled from where the orcs had knelt. I was tempted to reach out and touch the surface but forcibly decided against it, no point in tempting fate. The orcs stood and circled the staves to converge at a table on one side of the room, picking up goblets and drinking deeply from them. The hemisphere continued to ripple as it started making strange wet sounds, like that of rushing water. After a minute, the hemisphere started to change, growing clearer as the fire atop the staves started fading. Eventually, I could make out objects within the circle, black blotches in an otherwise pale landscape.

Garahk's voice interrupted my thought as she gestured at each of the present Magistrates. “First, we have Gruul, he has a particular aptitude for ritual magic.” The orc on the far left raised his goblet slightly in my direction. He seemed unusually average when it came to the orcs, save for the bright green eyes staring out from sunken sockets. They gave him a certain exhausted look that I doubt would have gone away with a good night's sleep. His shawl was a dark red color and his sash seemed to carry an assortment of strange ingredients in jars, much like what you'd see for a bandolier, but with a pestle and mortar strapped to the bottom. He carried a certain air that was a strange mixture of contempt and intrigue, mostly directed towards me.

Garahk then gestured to the next orc. “This is Shagar, her skills lie with transformations.” Shagar grinned wide and waved sweetly to me. To say that she looked beautiful would have been an understatement. Her face was without faults and seemed to be an exotic mix of sharp and smooth. Even the tusks protruding from her mouth seemed to accentuate, rather than diminish, her appearance. Her shawl, though as thick as the others, did little to hide the obvious curves beneath it. The deep blue color seemed to magnify rather than hide her figure. Even the sash across her chest, which had a series of blocky symbols etched into it, seemed to make her exemplify the idea of beauty. “Aphrodite can eat her heart out with this one.”

Garahk gestured at the next orc and I forced my attention away from Shagar's sultry smile. “He is Auhgan, nature mage extraordinaire.” Auhgan nodded in my direction as he tapped his fist to his chest. He seemed the most normal amongst them. His features were a bit bulkier than the rest, but beyond that, the dark hair and brown eyes were indicative of a stereotypical orc. His sash was the only barren one, merely a length of leather wrapped around his torso that partially covered his green shawl.

Garahk then gestured at the final orc. “Last among us is Homraz, one with a particular propensity towards the cerebral arts.” Homraz grinned timidly and waved towards me. Her features were far more realistic than Shagar's. Her hazel eyes gave a stark contrast to her dark silvery hair. She wore a purple shawl similar to Garahk's, though without the ram's head on her shoulder. Her sash carried scrolls of various sizes and colors, strapped in much the same way as Gruul's ingredients were arranged. However, unlike Gruul, Homraz carried an air of nervousness that you wouldn't expect from someone as skilled as she was supposed to be.

I waved to each of them and glanced back at the hemisphere as I noticed it turning clear now. The green flames were almost completely out, and the field was almost clear. Within I could see four black cauldrons sitting upon enchanted stoves and topped with a medieval clamping device. This circle was noticeably different than the one Garahk had used on me. Instead of dirt taking up the floor, it was more cobblestone, laid out in a radial pattern from the center of the circle. As I watched, the hemisphere finally faded and disappeared with a soft pop. As soon as the barrier vanished, Garahk stepped into the circle and approached one of the cauldrons. She adjusted something on the stove and caused a soft click to emanate from the device. She then gestured briefly and caused a stream of frost to spray out from her palm, creating steam that would rise into the air before disappearing into nothingness. She waved the stream over the cauldron for a few minutes until the frost started to accumulate on the body. She then stood and undid the clamp, unwinding a handle at the top that raised the wooden bar off the lid, and caused the cauldron to let out a stale hisss. She then removed the clamp, lifted the lid, and pulled out a baseball-sized piece of quartz, remarkably clearer than the one I'd first presented to her, attached to a piece of nickel wire. The other mages stepped into the circle and marveled at the crystal. “Fascinating.” Gruul croaked hoarsely. He turned to me and pointed at the stone. “Is it true that you outsiders create crystals like these on a consistent basis?”

I nodded as I gestured with my hands. “Yeah, on a much larger scale though. The ones we make are about this big. It takes half a year to grow, but it's balanced out by how much we make at once. We'd probably use your entire supply of quartz for a single batch.”

Shagar nodded as she leaned over and peered into the cauldron. “I would imagine.” She rasped. Despite the damage her vocal cords had obviously sustained, her voice still managed to carry the sultry elegance she was likely used to producing. “We used a substantial amount of crystals. Yet, only produced so large a stone.” I nodded as I walked into the circle and glanced into the cauldron. A few pebbles of quartz remained, as well as particles that seemed to float freely in the mild acid. Stone impurities that hadn’t been noticed before.

I turned to look at the finished crystal as I mentally compared it to the first batch. “Clear quartz is a little denser than natural quartz, a byproduct of the faults present in natural quartz. That one is probably even better than the first one I gave Garahk.

Garahk nodded as she pulled the nickel wire out of the crystal and examined the nearly clear rock. “Only slightly, but it is still an improvement over the first.”

I felt a tap on my shoulder and I turned to see Homraz's smiling face. “Thank you.” She muttered roughly. “This discovery will certainly further the Institute and our research.”

I grinned and let out a short laugh as I turned back to the cauldrons. “This is certainly a step in the right direction,” I confirmed. I tilted my head as I realized the inconsistency with the number of slices I'd given Garahk and the number of cauldrons currently present. I turned to her as I asked the obvious question. “What's with the fourth cauldron? I only gave you three slices.”

Garahk nodded as she handed the crystal to Auhgan and moved over to another cauldron. “I experimented with this method on my own and have taken the liberty of creating a copy of your entry of quartz crystals. I did not realize so many crystals are merely a variant of this quartz.” She began repeating the same process as before, turning off the stove and cooling off the cauldron with her spell.

I tilted my head as I watched her. “You had it copied while we were busy at the Institute?” I asked curiously. Garahk let out an affirmative mmhm as she finished the process and began undoing the clamp upon the cauldron. I watched her lift the lid and revealed another gem suspended by a nickel wire, this one a clear purple color. It was also the size of a baseball and quite a bit larger than the crystal currently on Garahk's staff. I grinned slightly as I leaned over to marvel at the new stone. “You repeated the process with Amethysts,” I remarked, amazed. “I wasn’t sure you really could do that.”

Garahk let out another grunt as she yanked the wire from the gemstone and examined it carefully. “Not to the quality I was anticipating, but it is still an improvement.”

I tilted my head again as I continued to grin at the stone. I could now see a radial wave of alternating color expanding out from an epicenter. “Yeah, impurities are impurities. They're never going to be perfect.”

Garahk paused then nodded as she compared the stone to the one on top of her staff. “Still, this will prove most useful to me. I shall have to see just which gemstones are capable of being grown using this method.”

I nodded as I glanced at my watch. 4:34 “Anyway, I better get to the Inquiries desk before it closes. It was nice meeting you all.” I waved in their general direction as I turned and started making my way out the door. I could hear them make their farewells as I walked through and started making my way towards the Inquiry Desk. “Interesting magic, pocket dimensions, and time dilation. I'll have to do some research of my own. For now, I just need to know where to find Yotul and Borba.” I quickly found the stairs and started making my way back up. “I just hope the Inquiries desk is easy to find.”

As it turned out, there wasn't much need to worry about finding the desk. It sat clear in the center of the room that housed it, surrounded by shelves of books and scrolls as well as other desks, tables, and chairs. I looked around as I realized it looked similar to the library, except for the massive desk in the middle of the room. The desk itself was one of those all-around desks, with rounded edges at each of its four corners. At the very center of the desk sat a circular shelf of drawers, much like the ones you'd see holding a library index, only this one was massive. It stretched up towards the ceiling and even had a ladder leaning against it. I approached the desk and drew the attention of one of four orcs currently sitting behind it. His boredom turned to intrigue as he leaned on the desk to speak to me. “Greetings, how may I assist you today?”

I let out a sigh as I glanced up at the massive index shelf, watching one of the other orcs open and rifle through one of the drawers. “I need to know where I can find two mages. I need their help on an upcoming trip.”

The orc nodded as he donned a pair of spectacles and turned to look up at the index shelf. “I believe we will be able to tell you where you may find them at certain times. What are their names?”

I watched him walk a short way along the shelf as I replied. “Yotul and Borba. I think they'll be with each other most of the time. They look like two people that don't do much apart.”

The orc nodded as he pulled at a drawer and began combing through the papers within. “I believe their schedules will give you insight into their location. I shall be but a moment.”

I nodded as I gestured towards him. “Take your time. I'm not in any rush.” The orc nodded as he thumbed through the drawer and finally pulled out a bit of parchment.

He let out an intrigued grunt as he read it. “When do you plan on taking this expedition?” He asked curiously.

I shrugged. “In a week or so. I plan to look for those spellstones everyone has been talking about. They sound pretty useful. Though it's probably going to be a trip and a half just to get up to the mountain. Then we might end up spending a week there just trying to figure out how to get in and navigate around the city.”

The orc raised his eyebrow and stepped forward to address me more directly. “Then you may not be able to add them to your expedition. They have registered a leave of absence to travel to that very mountain. It would appear they are already searching for the spellstones.”

I blinked in surprise as I registered what he said. “Shit. That puts a damper on my plans then. I'm gonna have to think of someone else to bring.”

The orc shrugged as he turned and replaced the paper into the drawer. “The only action I can recommend is to post a request around the Institute. I'm sure someone will be willing to accompany you.” I shrugged as I rubbed my chin thoughtfully. “That might be an option. On the other hand, I'll never know the people that come with me if I do it that way. I don't know Yotul and Borba very well either, but at least I know their attitude towards me. Then again, I can't be picky with who I take given how dangerous the city is supposed to be. Though, I prefer picking who comes with me rather than the other way around. To be fair I recruited Bruga. I can always manage with one less person. Besides, combat might not be overtly necessary if I end up making that spell. I just hope I can find a way to detect heavy metals through the stone.”

I nodded as I finally looked back up at the orc. “I'll think about it. Thanks for the help.” The orc waved towards me and removed his glasses as I turned and started walking back out the door. “For now, I can meet Gremach out front and start discussing the spell. Hopefully, Amelia was able to find Brokil on her own.”

Amelia

Salthu followed me around the Institute as I tried to find Brokil. His satchel was loaded with a small stack of books he brought from the library. He followed close behind as we walked through the downstairs rooms. “I wish I could be of more assistance to you in finding him. Unfortunately, I have not heard of that mage before.”

I gestured towards him dismissively as I peered into one of the adjoining rooms. “Don't worry about it. I'd probably be doing this either way. There's just no telling where someone will be all the time.”

Salthu nodded as I moved on from the room and walked to one of the corner studies. “In any case, I thank you again. Most would not even consider traveling to the mountain city with one such as me. I-”

I waved towards him again, silencing him. “You put yourself down too much. You still know magic. You still know about the city. Hell, you've probably been at this so long you'd be able to take Dexter and me on at the same time. There's also the fact that magic is a knowledge-based practice. Innate skill just tells you how fast you take in new knowledge. It doesn't dictate how good you will be at using that knowledge.”

Salthu grinned slightly as he looked around. “I suppose you have a point. Still, most mages learn of the city on their own and my knowledge is considered unnecessary.” I nodded as I turned and continued to move through the rooms. So far, I hadn't seen Brokil and I was starting to think he wasn't here right now. “He might not even want to travel to the mountain. Or, for all I know, he could be up at the mountain already, helping some other groups find the Archive.” I let out another sigh as I approached the door to the courtyard. “I doubt he'd be there, but there's no harm in checking.”

I reached out to open the door but stopped as I heard my name called from back down the hall. “Amelia!” I turned as I immediately recognized the voice and saw Brokil's figure, beaming and waving in my direction, a door just closing behind him. He approached me and Salthu as he continued to smile wide. “What a coincidence running into you. I was just returning from the library. I believe it is possible for a spell such as yours to be created. It will only take some time.”

I grinned and nodded as Brokil stopped in front of us. “That would be fantastic, Brokil,” I said happily. “I was actually looking for you too. Dexter wants your help with something new. Can you come over to the barn tonight?”

Brokil's happy expression suddenly turned to intrigue as he tilted his head. “What adventure is he thinking of partaking in this time?” I grinned slightly as I began explaining Dexter's decision. Brokil's intrigue gradually turned into apprehension as I spoke. “And he wants me to accompany him on this endeavor?” Brokil asked once I was finished.

I nodded as I gestured at Salthu. “I just recruited someone with intimate knowledge of the place. I think he's in it for the glory of finding such a sought-after location. I know Dexter wanted you because of your all-around knowledge of magic. If we encounter a magical obstacle you might be the best one to overcome it.” Brokil rubbed his chin thoughtfully as I finished my explanation.

He was silent for a minute before finally speaking. “I am apprehensive of making the journey. It will remove me from my studies and I have no care for glory. I prefer to be remembered by my contributions, not a temporary air of glory.”

I thought about his words for a minute then shrugged. “There's always the artifacts to consider,” I replied thoughtfully. Brokil faltered as he heard my retort. I stifled a grin as I continued my explanation. “The Institute might not know how they work but getting them would contribute to understanding them. With what I hear about the archive, it might hold a great number of artifacts to experiment on.” I took half a step forward as I tried to make my next words extremely enticing. “Just think of all the discoveries you can make with those artifacts and an outsider helping you understand them. There'd be entire books about that. The Field Note of Brokil, Mage Extraordinaire Doesn't that sound enticing?” Brokil paused again as I finished speaking. He seemed to heavily consider the idea as we stood in the corridor.

Finally, he let out a sigh and looked at me. “I shall accompany you. However, I do not wish to be there as the sole combatant. You and Dexter will have to acquire more battle-worthy spells.”

I nodded as I gestured back down the hallway. “We already made that arrangement with someone else. Come, you can meet him out front. Dexter is likely waiting for us there.” Brokil nodded as he and Salthu followed me back to the entrance hall. “This has been a rather productive day so far. Plans, recruitments, new spells, just about everything you could need for a single day of work. We're not even finished with today.” I glance at Brokil as we drew closer to the front door. “You'll have to tell us about the spell once we get to the barn. I'm sure Dexter is eager to hear the kind of power you were able to squeeze out of Levitate.”

Brokil nodded as he continued walking behind me. “I, myself, am still surprised at the results. If I were to attempt this spell, even for a moment, it would drain my mana pool for the day. It is truly a spell worthy of a mage.”

I could feel Salthu's eyes on me as we walked. “You are already creating spells for higher mages?” He asked. I could hear the tinge of hurt in his voice.

I shook my head as we rounded another corner. “It was just something that came to mind when I read about the spell. Since we have the discount, we might as well use it. We'll come up with more efficient spells as we go, something everyone can use that's just as powerful as the other spells at a lower price. This just generates as much power as possible out of that discount. The next step is to make spells squeeze the power out of a single point.” I glanced back in time to see Brokil grin and glance at Salthu as he considered the idea.

I turned back as we entered the entrance hall and Brokil spoke up. “Eloquently worded.” He remarked. “This modification does take heavy advantage of your ability in order to bring a greater effect to the world. Though I am sure you outsiders will be able to create similarly powerful spells for those without the discount.”

I shrugged as I stopped in front of the door and turned to them. “We might, we might not. It all depends on how the magic works and how we can exploit it. For now, we're just trying to find those spellstones.”

Brokil nodded as he gestured towards the door. “Then let us not dally. We had better hear of Dexter's plan before we move out.” I nodded as I turned and pushed open the door, spitting us back out into the world. I immediately saw Dexter and Gremach standing on the path between the porch and the gate. They seemed in the middle of a mildly interesting discussion when they turned towards us as they noticed the now open door. Dexter's face went from displaying a serious expression to one of familiarity.

He pointed towards Salthu as we walked towards them. “I remember you, Sal . . . Salt . . . Salthu! You're Salthu, right?”

I glanced back and saw Salthu grin and nod. “I am flattered that you remember me. Most would find it unnecessary to even register my name.”

Dexter gestured dismissively. “Well, I doubt they're very good people then. That actually sounds very rude to do. Anyway, what brings you here.”

I stepped forward before Salthu could reply and gestured towards myself. “I decided to bring him along. He seemed enthusiastic about finding the Archive. So, I thought he might help navigate around.”

Dexter nodded as he heard my explanation. “Smart choice. We can always use more enthusiasm. Alright Salthu, Welcome to the team.”

I grinned as I glanced back at Salthu. I saw he was ginning as well and I turned back as I realized two people were absent from Dexter's present party. “What about the other two you wanted to bring. Yotul and Borba, you called them?”

Dexter nodded as he rubbed the back of his head. “As it turns out, they're already out at the mountains. They're part of another team already. That's not a big deal though; we'll just head there without them.”

I nodded as I glanced around at the group before me. “That's a bit unfortunate. It means we only have five people. That's not too bad; they say too many cooks spoil the broth. We'll figure it out once we get to the barn. Dexter should be able to organize a plan.” I grinned as I turned to Dexter. “I'm sure we'll be able to do it. The five of us shouldn't have much of a problem, especially not when you make the spell you've been talking about.”

Dexter suddenly pointed directly at me. “About that. I almost forgot to tell you about this, but we have a sixth team member that isn't currently among us. Don't worry though, I'll inform her about the situation next time I see her.”

I let out a jokingly exasperated sigh as I let my eyes roll slightly. “Alright, with the six of us, we should be able to find the archive.” I looked up as I suddenly heard a soft rumble. “For now, I suggest we head to the barn so that we can talk strategy. It'll do us no good if these books get wet.”

Dexter nodded as he gestured for everyone to follow. “Let's go then. We can talk about the plan when we beat the rain there.” I and the other mages nodded as he followed Dexter to meet the guards at the front gate, joining them as the rain started falling on the horizon.

Dexter

I bit my thumb thoughtfully as we sat around a newly cleared table. We listened carefully as Salthu summarized the pertinent knowledge of the mountain city. Including its name, Vedug, layout, and chronological history. The city was as old as Adympia itself. It's just that Adympia was the one that managed to survive the tests of time. In any case, the Archive was specifically a vault style location in the city that supposedly housed all the unused artifacts and magical items in the city. It even doubled as a black box for the city's knowledge, holding a copy of every book the city had ever produced. Amelia was the first to notice that it acted much like the Repository at the Institute. Salthu nodded in response. “That is because it is a Repository equivalent. Only we have several copies of books in the vault and several other sites where we store more copies, in case something was to ever happen.”

I nodded as I pointed towards him. “Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Smart.”

Amelia leaned onto the table slightly as she looked at me. “Not what that expression means.”

I shrugged as I gestured towards Salthu. “Still, it's always best to keep backups. You never know what could happen.”

Amelia nodded reluctantly as she glanced around at the others. “Anyway, what was the idea you had, about the spell?”

I nodded reluctantly as I rubbed my head. “Talking with Gremach makes me less confident about my idea, but still, it can't hurt to pitch it. Even if the idea is bad, it might sow some discourse towards a real spell.” I let out a sigh and swallowed before speaking. “Alright, here's my idea. There's a device we humans use to detect far off objects using sounds; the sounds bounce off heavy density things and allow us to tell if something is there. Anyway, the plan is to make a spell that uses a combination of mana and sound to find heavy metal structures in the depths of the earth. The Archive is likely, as Salthu put it, a vault style structure. This means they'll use heavy metals to build it, something that can be easily distinguished from the lower density stone around it. The best way to narrow down where to look may be to make a spell that can tell us if such underground structures exist in the given area. This is, of course, assuming it's possible to build such a spell.” I paused as I glanced around at the orcs. They were staring off thoughtfully as Brokil rubbed his Goatee. “Am I making sense to you guys?” I asked curiously.

Amelia was the first to lean forward and speak. “I thought sounds didn't travel well through the earth. Wouldn't that make detecting heavier metals using sound extremely difficult?”

I nodded as I gestured dismissively. “That's why I'm planning to use mana as well. If the sound doesn't travel well, then the mana will have to carry the information. The sound will just be to verify the fact that it is metal. Metal tends to have a reverb, no matter how much grounded dampening one has.”

Amelia nodded thoughtfully, but before she could reply Gremach spoke up. “Such a spell would be difficult to design. If it were easy, then someone would have thought of it and found the Archive already. It may take several days of work to complete a first iteration of the spell, let alone refine it to a usable point.”

Brokil nodded and contributed to the conversation. “Such a spell sounds quite powerful. It took me months to create a modification for Levitate. This would need to be built without another spell to base it on.”

I nodded as I gestured around the table. “That's why I'm having a team of mages working on this. If each of you contributes we should have it ready before we head out next weekend.”

Salthu quickly spoke of his objections. “Do you not think that traveling so soon would be detrimental? What if we cannot complete the spell in time?”

I shrugged as I jabbed a thumb towards the door. “Then we refine it on the road. How long does it usually take to travel out to the mountain anyway?”

Salthu paused then shrugged. “It depends on the mode of transport. A physical journey can take two to three days. If we were to use a series of teleport spells we could arrive in a day or so.”

I nodded as I rubbed my lower lip thoughtfully. “Alright, we can manage that. We'll just grind through the next week and head out after class next Fri-Freeday. Salthu, you might want to draw up some maps before then, in case any of us get separated in there. Gremach, you'll need to focus on building the spell. Amelia and I will help you with the theory for the spell and make it easier to build. Brokil, you'll help us out too. We'll also take a break every now and then to learn some combat spells, something with a particular edge to Magma Worms and whatever else might be down there. They each nodded as I finished delegating tasks. I then tapped on the table and pulled out one of my binders to grab some new paper. “Alright, we have a plan. Now then; let's start designing.”

The others nodded again as we started the arduous process of making what was probably the first sonar spell in existence. “I just hope a two-dimensional detection principle can be translated into a three-dimensional spell. Otherwise, we’d just know the general direction of each of the underground structures.” I shook my head as I banished the thought. “That can be designed in. I just have to get the basic structure up first. Complexity can come when we get that working. For now, just teach them about sonar.”