Chapter 26

“Compendium: The School of Conjuration” Wil read the title aloud, caressing the leather cover with his thumb as he held it in his good hand.

Sitting cross-legged on the grass, Wil cradled the valuable tome in his lap, flipping through the pages, searching the volume.

The book contained spells, incantations, matrices, and material requirements for every Conjuration spell he had ever heard of, and quite a few that he had never seen before.

Conjuration was a major subject in the Illyrian Imperial Academy, with an entire library dedicated to its study. But this book condensed the information into simple ‘must knows’ of casting.

From cantrips to Tier 3, Wil reviewed the magic within. Most of the spells he already knew, but Tier 3 was still relatively new to him, he hadn’t had a chance to learn much, aside from ‘Tidal Wave’ and ‘Thunder Step’.

This book was already valuable for this tier’s inclusion, but it was the spells beyond them that peaked Wil’s interest. It had cost him most of the fortune he had gained in Aachen to purchase the two spells he already had, the book before him contained an additional five!

When he tried to turn the page, leaving Tier 3 to the section marked ‘Tier 4’, the pages wouldn’t open. Some force of magic sealed the spells within from his view.

Sighing Wil, shut the book, knowing what the block placed on the book was. Higher Tier spells could be dangerous for those of low rank to even view. It could cause damage, even insanity, depending on the disparity of ranks between the reader and the Tier of magic they were trying to learn.

Evidently, this book had a safeguard put on it, only opening once his mana reached the required rank.

“Still…this makes it worth all my troubles.” Wil said, grinning widely as he placed the book within his bag of holding. He would face a hundred Fat Men for a gift like this.

The opportunity to learn new magic, to grow stronger, without being beholden to anyone. He preferred it this way, an even exchange between him and the Azure Lord, his assistance in return for material rewards.

“Annabelle is rubbing off on me, I think.” Wil muttered, slowly getting back onto his feet. His bones creaked and snapped as he stretched the stiffness from them. Turning, he walked slowly down the path, channeling his mana briefly to signal to his companion that he was ready for a pickup.

Wil would review the Tier 3 spells contained within while traveling to their next destination. The third and final source of corruption was far off in the distance, he could barely sense it at all unless he concentrated. It would likely take the Owl days to reach it, and Wil would be prepared for when he did.

The Clockwork Owl swooped down from above, resting easily on the grass as Wil slowly climbed on its back, the owl enlarging to accommodate him.

Settling in, Wil pulled out the book again, reviewing the spells within as the Owl took to the sky once more, its mana preventing the wind and motion from disturbing its reading passenger.

The scenery below changed every few minutes as they flew, far overhead. Plains to arctic wasteland, to desert oasis. The day passed quickly for Wil who was buried in his book the entire time. When the sun finally set and the spinning coin that was the moon of the inner real was rising, the Owl settled in a forest clearing for the night.

Wil had learned several additional Tier 3 spells from his productive day, including:

Sleet Storm, which would cover a small area in stinging sleet and icy rain. An excellent spell to control a battlefield, it made the terrain difficult to stand on, while also obscuring the view of those within.

Stinking cloud, a spell that creates a vile and foul-smelling cloud of yellow gas. Practicing that particular spell on the Owl had caused even the metallic bird to look at him with menace, despite the high speeds with which they traveled. Even hours later, the smell of rotten eggs lingered. Coughing and retching, he decided to be very careful when using it in the future.

He finished with learning three different summoning spells.

Summon Fey, for bringing a fey into their realm, a small fairy like creature. The book warned that the fey could be tricksome and deceitful and that caution must be exercised when dealing with them.

Summon Lesser Demon, brought forth 2 small imps from one of the planes of hell. Foul and pure evil, the compendium recommended not engaging with them at all, simply to summon them and point out an opponent for them to fight.

Summon Shadow spawn, summoned a manifestation of the caster’s deep seated, negative emotions, whether fury, despair, or fear. The summon changed depending on the emotions used of the spell. Fury would bring a combative shadow, while despair slowed and confused its foes. Fear would terrify and hunt from the shadows.

Another day and night passed, with Wil reviewing the Compendium while the Clockwork Owl unerringly traveled across the ‘Inner Realm’. Finally, after nearly two days of flying, Wil spotted an object in the distance, the feeling of corruption roiling of it giving no doubt to its identify. Here was the final source of corruption.

High above the ground was a translucent, shimmering Dragon Turtle, a perfect match for the real Azure Lord. This one was made entirely of Mana, giving off a familiar feeling of power and dominance that Wil had felt when they had first met. The mana that made up its form shimmered in the sunlight, while giving off an overpowering smell of Ozone, the mana practically burning the air around the floating figure.

Slowing, the Clockwork Owl cautiously kept its distance as Wil looked at the surroundings, trying to locate the source of the corruption.

The ghostly image of the Dragon Turtle floated above a desert, the sand below forming great dunes, with a haze of heat radiating from its surface. Everything in the ‘Inner World’ had a corresponding counterpart in the real world, but this desert was not something that Wil recognized.

As vast as the Illyrian Empire was, it did not have any deserts. Wil could only assume that this landscape came from elsewhere, possibly Lund.

Not seeing an obvious source of corruption, he closed his eyes, focusing his senses all around him. The Owl, stopped now that its rider was distracted, gently flapped its wings, maintaining its altitude. The Dragon Turtle before them seemed oblivious to their presence, its eyes closed, as if it were asleep.

Focusing his mind, Wil concentrated on feeling his surroundings, looking for the telltale signs of corruption or negative energy. He could sense something, a faint…buzz, like a vibration, but not in the air. It was strange, it seemed to come from both the Dragon Turtle in front of him, but also inside his own body, a vibration that found a counterpart in his own mana.

Opening his eyes, Wil urged the Clockwork Owl closer, wanting to get a better look at the Mana Construct in front of them.

It was identical to its real-world counterpart, every spike on his shell, the dragon scale skin, even the fin on the top of its head, if he didn’t know better, he would swear that the Turtle could come awake at any moment and converse with him.

But it wasn’t real, it was simply an illusion, a copy made of mana. It was vaguely see-through, and, if he squinted in just the right way, he could see the ground through its body.

Shaking his head at the mystery before him, Wil asked the Owl to go even closer, until he was only a few feet away, close enough to reach out and touch the mana before him.

“There’s no doubt about it, this is the ‘Spirit’ of the Azure Lord… But it seems…asleep, or maybe, trapped. With its soul like this, I doubt the real Lord Azure could use even a small amount of its mana.” Wil mumbled to the Owl below him. Its only response was an irritated hoot, evidently it didn’t enjoy a mystery as much as Wil.

Still not finding the source, Wil lifted his hand, already cursing himself for a fool for what he was about to do. Forming a flame above his hand, he waited a moment, before tossing it lightly into the figure before him. The flame, a bright, orange ball of fire, passed through the Dragon Turtle, before falling towards the ground below.

Waiting a moment for something to happen, Wil conjured a small stone into his hand when the Turtle before him didn’t awaken. Tossing the rock, it too, passed through the figure before Wil released the mana, the rock disappearing.

Not seeing any other option, and regretting it already, Wil tentatively reached out with his hand, placing it gently on the hazy Dragon Turtle. Unlike the objects he threw before, Wil’s hand met real flesh.

Gasping in surprise, he was about to pull his hand back when he saw thin, black lines encircling the Dragon Turtle’s soul, wrapping it tightly, binding it in place. He could feel the negative energy emanating from the lines, the same as the Fat Man and Infected Dragon Turtle he had met before.

Pulling his hand away, Wil turned his head to look at his bag, intent on pulling his spell book from it, when he realized he was no longer standing on the Owl. In the moment when his eyes left the Dragon Turtle in front of him, he had been transported elsewhere.