His fingers clenched around the lance as he approached the fake Master. What if he was the real one, after all? Adrian was in over his head with this turn of events.

Both of the mages before him were more powerful than he was. Was he really going to be the one to kill one of them? What for? Where did he even get the idea? The real Tower Master could do it himself, if that was the kind of justice and punishment he wanted. “I just came here in search of help,” he said finally. He kept his grip on the lance, though it felt heavier than before.

“What sort of help?” asked the Tower Master. The one strapped to the chair fidgeted in his seat.

“I need… I need information about an artifact.” Adrian was still wondering how to discover which one of them was real. The Tower Master was said to be an unpleasant persona, so that was unhelpful.

The Tower Master seemed interested. “I can certainly help. If I don’t know of it myself, there are plenty of books here to serve us.”

“It’s supposedly called Pausosis’ Codex,” said Adrian. The Tower Master’s face flinched the slightest. “There are rumours going around about it, that it has been discovered in some ruin or other. That many have died looking for it.” The Tower Master nodded. “There’s a posting to retrieve it, and I’ve been meaning to go with a friend, Jurgi. He’s stealthy enough, and a good lockpick. I figured I might need his skills, and he’s eager for the adventure.”

“You’re too inexperienced for the Codex,” spoke the Master with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Like these many before you that you’ve mentioned, you will die if you try to take it. Or do you think yourself better?” A slight smile passed across his lips. “I don’t doubt that there are ingenious traps surrounding it.” There was poorly hidden reverence in his voice. Or was it pride? Perhaps both.

“Do you know who might’ve put those traps there?” asked Adrian.

The incredulity on the Master’s face told Adrian that he thought it was obvious. “Well, Pausosis himself. The Codex hasn’t been seen since his time.”

“Do you know, then, where this Codex is?”

The Tower Master raised an eyebrow and clasped his hands behind his back. “I’ve already told you, you don’t stand a chance.”

“But you can’t stop me from doing what I want to do with my life,” said Adrian. He readjusted his grip on the lance.

The Master scoffed. “I cannot.” He glanced at the tied up impostor. “In any case, I do not know where the Codex might be. Pausosis was not a man open about his work. I’m certain you can ask around like the dead before you have. They might have been on the right track. Where did they die?”

“All of them died in a different location.” And those locations were not close.

The Master spun around and moved about the tower, running his hand over the books in silence, as if looking for something. Adrian followed him with his eyes, but also spared glances towards the tied up man. The impostor shook his head. Adrian frowned. The impostor then kept nodding his head towards the Tower Master’s desk, covered in scattered materials, full, open, and empty vials, and many scrolls and books strewn across the surface. Adrian approached the desk, looking over it, but not reaching to touch any of the items there.

There was a letter in the middle of the desk, on top of everything, but the only thing that looked out of place. It was written by the Tower Master to a man called Evan Pethey, another mage. It called him a failed mage for his apprenticeship under Pausosis and requested he not contact the Tower Master again. It had not yet been signed or, obviously, sent.

Adrian turned towards the Tower Master, who was still looking through the shelves. One might have thought that he’d know what he was looking for, and where it might be. “Pethey?”

“What?” replied the Tower Master as he combed through the books, then froze in place, hand hovering in front of the bookshelf, slowly lowering. “Are you looking through my things?”

“Just caught my eye, it’s really out there in the open,” said Adrian.

The Tower Master scoffed. “That is an old acquaintance of mine,” he said. “None of your business.”

“I’ve heard the name, though.”

The Tower Master frowned at him. “You’ve heard the name? How?”

Adrian shrugged his shoulders, rearranging his fingers on the lance again. “Jurgi and I did some research before we came here, and the name was mentioned a lot in connection to Pausosis. Ahh, he is his failed apprentice, yeah?”

“Failed?” said the Master. His frown deepened. “That is just a lie. He was Pausosis’ most accomplished apprentice, and that is not a simple achievement. He is a great mage.”

Adrian lifted the lance and nodded towards the desk. “The Tower Master seems to disagree.”

The Master… No, Evan Pethey grimaced. “Does he?” He eyed the lance, and then his hands moved before Adrian could. A shield appeared, hiding the impostor from Adrian’s eyes. He approached it, prodding it with the lance, but nothing happened. He cast the spells he knew, but nothing seemed to have the slightest effect. Adrian turned towards the tied up Tower Master, helped remove his restraints.

The shield disappeared, showing the space behind it now empty. The real Tower Master rose from the chair and marched over to the shelf, quick in finding the shelf Pethey stole books from. He cursed and looked over the other books.

“Pethey is a bastard. He is looking for ways to use Pausosis’ Codex, and he wanted my help,” growled the Tower Master as he inspected the shelf. “And the protections, traps rather… they are his. He is powerful, as much as he is a failure of the mage order. I won’t stop you, I cannot stop you, as you’ve said, so I suggest you and your friend find more people for your little adventure. And take the twin lance.” He spun and nodded towards the lance now lying at Adrian’s feet, next to it’s identical counterpart. “Contact me if you need help. Off with you now.” He turned back to the shelf, waved his hand, and did not even look at Adrian as the young mage grabbed the weapon and hurried outside to meet Jurgi.