'Yep. That's a barrier, alright.' Davi rubbed his chin and stared out at the mana that formed into a solid wall. 'How did I not notice this earlier?'
After finishing his conversation with the blacksmith, Davi made his way out of the town. He was in a hurry since the sun would soon set, but he wanted to check on the barrier that he had been told about.
Like monsters, dungeons could come in all sorts of different forms. The one that was currently plaguing Daisy was one of the strongest ones he had seen, so strong, in fact, it had taken the mana that was in the air and caused it to become solid, but only on one side, allowing for people to get in but for no one to get out. This solid mana was also the reason it was freezing cold, since it was constantly lowering the temperature and trapping the cold in, not letting it escape.
The barrier in question formed a large dome and was half a mile outside of the city gates. It was impossible to see since mana was clear when not invoking a spell, but Davi could feel it. Whenever he held his hand out, it felt like he was touching glass. It went up past the many buildings, and it was impossible to know how tall it truly was.
Besides Daisy, part of the forest around the town was also trapped in the barrier, and most of the animals, like deer or birds, had long frozen to death. The closer someone got to the barrier, the colder it would get, which was why Olivia had been affected so badly when they were walking down the path. The two of them must have stepped through the barrier without even noticing it, and once they got into the town, the cold had lessened a bit, which was why Olivia had stopped complaining about it.
Davi pulled his fist back, and he punched out as hard as he could, slamming it into the invisible barrier. The air shimmered a bit, and he winced. "Ow." The wall stayed up, not even dented or cracked. "The only way to take this thing down is to kill the alpha. What a pain…" Davi struck the wall again just to be sure, but it was the same result.
He considered busting out some of his guns or bombs, but he was running out of the good stuff since the last few dungeons he had entered lacked anything worth taking.
"Looks like we're doing this the hard way." Davi glanced up and watched as the sun began to dip more and more. The orange was almost entirely gone now, and night was rapidly approaching. 'It all ends tonight. I was late showing up, and I can't do anything for the people I failed to save, but I can at least attempt to avenge them.'
Davi left and headed back for Daisy. The streets were entirely empty now, and all the houses were boarded up with wooden barriers or scrap metal. A few people even rolled their dead cars out in front of their buildings and used mana to place them over the door.
Olivia had described Daisy as a ghost town when she first stepped foot into the place, and Davi had to agree with her. The town had this strange atmosphere. One that he didn't like.
Soon enough, he made his way to the tower that resided at the edge of the city. Strange twisting lines formed runic-looking shapes that ran along the stone and moved across it. They never stayed in one place for very long and kept turning and swirling, forming words in a language long forgotten. The heavy stone doors opened on their own as he approached.
He had been in a tower a couple of times, but he usually avoided them since they always felt off.
The outside of the tower was as tall as a skyscraper and was perfectly round in shape, going up to the clouds above. It lacked windows or damage despite how old it was, and it wasn't that thick. The inside of the tower was like stepping into another world, almost like a dungeon. It was much larger than it should have been and was extremely wide.
As Davi stepped through, he found himself standing in a large square room that was about as big as a football field. It magically fit inside the tower, and there were dozens of stone pillars scattered through the room that went all the way up to where the roof was. Along the walls were different archways that also led to their own room that defied logic and physics. Each room had a specific purpose, although in modern times, all of the rooms had been repurposed as classrooms. Carved into the stone above each area were words that told what classes would be held.
Math, history, and language were the most common, but there were also classes like economics, alchemy, enchanting, wand-crafting, sword fighting, study of magical beasts, and dungeon crawling.
As Davi stepped through the one listed as Dungeon Crawling, he felt himself suddenly jerk, and the next thing he knew, he was standing on the air. He wasn't flying; that was something he couldn't do, no matter how much he'd love to do so. Instead, the air itself had grown solid and supported him. Beneath him was a large forest, with bright green grass and twisting trees. He also spotted Olivia down below.
The white-haired girl was low to the ground, inching herself forward through a bush. On the other side was a small group of hunched-over goblins who hadn't noticed Olivia.
Without warning, Olivia jumped out of the bushes and let out a loud cry, then cast a spell. "Row Blood Knife!" A crimson red dagger gushed to life at the tip of her wand, and she rammed the blade through the throat of one of the goblins, the monster totally caught off guard by her sneak attack. Before the second one could even think of reacting, she lunged at it again and stabbed up with her knife, getting it in the gut.
Since she always got exhausted and dizzy from casting spells, she was trying to create a solid object that she could fight with instead of sending out multiple spells back-to-back.
Her knife was finally crafted, and Davi could tell Olivia was quite skilled and clearly knew a lot of spells, but her form was sloppy. The goblin she stabbed in the gut was still alive and slammed its club into the side of Olivia's head, throwing her to the ground, while the third one lunged at her.
"Too weak." Davi turned when he heard the voice and saw that he wasn't alone. Standing in the air next to him was Garon. The leader of the town guard stared down at the forest and shook his head. "I knew it would be like this when I saw that she had blood magic. You don't want to fight goblins up close. Just blast them with a spell and be done with them. She can't, though, can she? Because she needs to conserve her strength." Garon looked up and met Davi's eyes. "I take it she is your squire?"
"Not really?" Davi shrugged.
"She's not?" Garon looked a little surprised and turned to look back at the fight that was going on down below. The two goblins were smashing their clubs down into Olivia, who was unable to use her knife in a way to kill either of them quickly enough. "It's a shame. She's so young and has the same look in her eyes I did when I was her age." The man sadly shook her head. "But blood magic? Look at that dagger. It's so finely crafted, yet it doesn't matter. She can't win."
"Why not?" Davi asked, letting out a soft hum.
"Because everyone knows blood magic is useless."
"Then all she needs to do is make her magic useful." Davi shrugged. "She hasn't quit yet."
"Row Blood Shield!" Along Olivia's left arm, a round shield formed, which she lifted just in time, blocking one of the goblin's clubs.
The monster stumbled back as its weapon bounced back, and it let out a scream, but Olivia cut it off by smashing her shield into its stomach. Spikes bubbled up and formed around the edge of the shield, and it began to rapidly spin like a buzz saw, allowing her to slice straight through, and with only a bit of effort, she split the creature in two. The last goblin was the one she had already stabbed, and it stared at her in horror, but before it could attack or run, she pointed her wand at it, and the knife that was attached to the end of it fired out like a bullet and smashed into the center of the goblin's head, killing it.
Garon looked slightly impressed and let out a low whistle. "Well, I'll be damned." The man said. "She managed to take out some goblins. What's her plan when it comes to the big one, though?"
A tree exploded into a hail of wooden debris as a large ogre let out a roar and stomped forward. Olivia had only used two spells, but the damage she had taken earlier left her body weakened, and she couldn't even use her third spell. She dropped to her knees, let out a sigh, and closed her eyes.
Her eyes instantly snapped open when the monster's club smashed down and rammed into the helmet of a figure clad in black armor.
Davi's armor twitched, and the surface along the metal rippled as if it were made out of a liquid. The kinetic force of the ogre's attack faded away as if it had never existed. "Row Shadow Vault." Davi's claymore blasted into his hand, and he moved forward at a fast speed. The ogre barely had time to process the fact that its right leg was sliced clean off as Davi appeared on the other side of it. "Row Shadow Vault." The shadow beneath Davi expanded and opened, and the monster fell into it, the creature's eyes going wide with horror. It got about halfway, its waist dipping beneath the surface, and then Davi closed his vault.
There was a terrible tearing sound, and the shadow suddenly returned to normal, the ogre's lower half nowhere to be seen. Red poured out of it, and the creature gurgled and died.
Olivia felt a little sick, and her shoes became red and sticky. Her teacher once told her that you shouldn't fight an ogre up close, but the rules never seemed to apply to Davi.
"Are you okay?" Olivia glanced up and found those fiery blue eyes peering her way. She fought back a shudder and nodded. "Good." Davi's armor vanished, and he dropped his sword back in the vault, and she felt herself ease up once she saw his face.
"You saved me again…" Olivia said, sounding a bit bitter.
"Should I not have?"
"Well, you didn't need to. None of this is real." As Olivia spoke, the forest suddenly vanished in a bright flash. Now, instead of being outside, the two of them were in a large stone room that looked similar to the classroom that had been in Lotus, though this one lacked the laughing students. All the injuries she received vanished, as did the blood loss. "That was a simulation."
"How come it still works?" Davi folded his arms and cocked his head to the side. "I thought Magitech doesn't work because we're near a dungeon."
"Allow me to explain." Olivia jumped when she heard the voice, and she saw Garon casually sitting on the desk. The pretty man had a smile on his face and looked amused. "Many of these towers lack Magitech since they come from a thousand years in the past. Magitech is in some parts but not all, since most nobles don't want to mess with them too much for fear of breaking them and not being able to recreate the elven enchantments that allow them to function. This room used illusion magic and the tower's own mana to set up a dream-like state in the people who enter. In the real world, we're all standing in place and not actually moving or casting spells. It just looks like we are. These simulations are used to create mock battles with monsters and other such creatures. There are a lot of different settings, and the one you saw was level one, and the easiest one to pass."
Olivia felt her cheeks heat up a bit, and she looked away. She knew that there were other levels, but those were only available to those who could afford them. Poor kids like her got the basic package. Not like it mattered, though, since she had never been able to beat level one.
"W-what are you doing here?" She asked after some time.
Garon let out a sheepish laugh. "Sorry. I didn't mean to watch. I simply came when I saw the tower was on. I was afraid maybe my daughter was trying to beat her record."
"Her record?" Davi raised an eyebrow, and Garon's smile faded.
The older man stood up and walked to the wall away from the door. He reached out and placed his palm on the stone, and all along the cracks, a glowing blue pulse flickered out. Blue lines started to seep out and twisted, forming into more runes, before they shifted and became words that both Olivia and Davi recognized.
It was a list of names followed by a series of numbers. It showed how long it took someone to complete the first test. All the way at the top was the name 'Susie Nyx. Zero hours, zero minutes, eight seconds.' Garon ran his finger along the name.
"My daughter used to come here all the time. She took as many free lessons as she could and even got a day job to pay for extra classes." Garon sounded almost proud. "It all worked out. She finished the first test in eight seconds. The best in our town."
"Eight seconds!" Olivia gasped. Even Ash had taken about half a minute, and Bruno only got it down to thirteen seconds. "Seriously? She's that good?"
"She inherited my fire magic." Garon bragged, and his lip twisted back into a smirk. "She's almost as skilled as I am. She can use every school of magic and has dozens of spells saved up."
"What do you mean dozens of spells saved up?" Davi questioned.
"Like she has a lot of spells in her grimoire," Olivia explained.
"Grim what?"
"Have you seriously been living under a rock?" Olivia questioned, and she made a face. "Grimoires aren't even a new thing. They've been around ever since people first got magic." She placed her thumb to her forehead. "The human brain is kind of sucky. We weren't meant to use magic since it was an elf thing, and we only have it because of Haru. Our brains can only do so much with magic, which is why it's hard for a mage to make a spell. We can't just wave our wand and say some words and cause something to happen; we need to have the spell unlocked, sort of like in a video game. Most people can only unlock a new spell, though, by either spending years working on a concept or being put into a stressful situation and unlocking it through a strong desire to overcome something. This is why you only have two spells, Davi. It's super difficult to create a new spell on your own."
"So then why do you have a bunch?" Davi asked. He had seen Olivia make a knife, a scythe, flowers, rope, shields, and so much more, each one being its own spell.
"That's where grimoires come in." Olivia giggled. "I'd show you if I could, but my phone doesn't work, and that's where my grimoire is saved. Back in the day, people carried around books, and whenever they gained a new spell, it would be added to their book. Nowadays, though, all our books are on our phones. Since it's so hard to create new spells, someone got it in their head to start selling spells after he found a dead fire mage's grimoire and discovered he could add the pages from that mage's book to his own, and he'd unlock the spells and be able to use them as if he always had them. Mages who unlock spells they don't want can sell their spells off and have them be extracted, and then those spells can then be sold on the market to someone who has the same type of magic."
"Why would anyone want to sell their spells, though?" Davi asked. "I thought it was hard to get them; wouldn't you want to keep them?"
"Most people do, but you have to consider the people who unlocked their spells during a stressful time. Sometimes they don't want to remember what happened to them to unlock that spell and would rather just get rid of it. Other times, a mage can die, and the spells they have are taken by the government and resold for a profit, or a mage was a criminal, and the spells they know are forcefully taken." Olivia shrugged. "Spells can come from anywhere, and it's best not to think about it. The point is, if you have a grimoire, you could look for someone who invented a Shadow Blade spell, and if you were to buy it and add it to your grimoire, you'd be able to cast that spell. The only issue, though, is that the stronger the spell, the more expensive it would be. The same goes for the type. The rarer the type of magic, the pricier the spells will be. The person who invented the spell can also affect the price. If a celebrity or someone famous made it, it'd be worth a lot more than some random guy who works in an office. That's actually where I luck out. Since blood magic is so bad, most of their spells are dirt cheap, and I was able to pick up a handful throughout the years working random jobs in my village."
"Shadow magic is scarce," Garon commented. "Most magic in the Estiria kingdom is based on the five elements. Fire, water, earth, wind, and lightning. Magic that relates to a concept like shadows is pretty lucky, though, because of that, most of their spells will likely cost you an arm or a leg." Garon chuckled. "You're better off just spending five or so years trying to make a new spell or throwing yourself headfirst into danger and hoping your instincts kick in and you unlock a new one."
Davi gave a lazy nod. Nothing changed for him in that case. The concept was interesting, but it felt like cheating if someone with a lot of money could just buy a powerful spell so long as it was the same type of magic they used. He also wondered if there were any shadow spells for taking down a dragon.
Those are the only kind he'd spend money on.
"When we get out of here, I'll show you my grimoire and the item shop!" Olivia said excitedly. "You can pay for magical items, roll on the gacha, and get new spells. Grimoire's also show what schools of magic you're best with and what your stats are!"
"So," Davi said, eager to change the subject since he was getting confused. "This Susie girl kept working at the first test and bought better and better spells until she was able to be the best?"
"Yep." Garon's smile turned a little somber. "She never even needed my help. She did it all on her own. She's a future Arcane Knight. I'm sure of it."
"Earlier, you said you were afraid she'd be here trying to break her record." Olivia gave the captain of the guard a strange look. "Do you not want her to?"
"Olivia." Davi shook his head. "Remember what the blacksmith said about his daughter. She's sick."
Olivia's eyes went wide. "Oh! Yeah, I forgot. Sorry." She winced and looked away awkwardly.
"It's okay." Garon turned away. "Now that I know she didn't sneak out again, I'm a little more at ease. Anyway, we should hurry. It'll be night soon."
"Yeah." Davi nodded. "Let's go. We still need to get ready."
The three of them left the tower and made their way outside. The sun had fully set now, and the moon began to bathe everything in a soft silver glow. It was going to start. Any moment now. The streets were now filled with several guards who were running back and forth, setting up some last-second barricades or readying their weapons.
Garon turned to Davi. "We're counting on you."
"Don't worry." Davi nodded. "I'll deal with it."
"That's what I'm worried about…" Garon muttered quietly.
"What?" Davi looked back at the man, but the guard captain was already leaving.
"Nothing." The man gave a thumbs-up. "Good luck. Arcane Knight."
Olivia watched Garon leave, the man heading to talk to some other guards. She shot a nervous look at Davi. "Are you ready?"
Davi gave a soft nod. "Yep. Let's do this."
That was how he found himself standing in the middle of the town square, fully cloaked in his armor. Olivia was with him, clutching onto her wand and shivering, though it wasn't from the cold. Dozens of guards were all scattered throughout the city, holding spears and shields, and a few even had guns. Davi noted Garon wasn't anywhere to be seen. It seemed that the head guard had gone to the other side of the town in case the magical beast attacked them from the rear.
From what he had been told, Garon always showed up and fought the snake off once it arrived. Since the creature could arrive anywhere, Garon would patrol the outer area of the town and wait for it to arrive and then make his way over to it. Miraculously, despite doing this, no one would actually get hurt, and Garon would constantly scare the snake off, but only after it had taken someone.
Doors had been locked, and windows were boarded up. All of Daisy was tucked away, its people hiding in their homes, not daring to come out. Davi could feel the gaze of dozens of different guards on him. Most were looks of awe, a few of fear, but one or two stood out above the others. They almost looked like they resented him.
"A-are you really an Arcane Knight?" One of the guards asked, fighting back a shiver.
"I look like one, don't I?" Davi said coldly from beneath his helmet, though he was well aware of just how deceiving looks could be.
"I can't believe we have a real Arcane Knight here with us." A guard said, clutching his spear. "I'm pumped up now. Maybe we can finally beat this damn beast. We've been fighting it every night, but it doesn't go down no matter what we throw at it."
"Yeah." Another guard nodded. "Maybe now will be our lucky break? We're all counting on you, sir."
Davi went to say something but stopped when he felt an intense chill suddenly slide up his spine. The air had been cold, and snow was constantly pouring down, bathing the area in white, but in an instant, the temperature had dropped even further. Everyone shivered, and instead of snow, hail started to rain from above. Now that he thought about it, if the snake was breathing fire, why was it also the one behind the snowstorm that surrounded Daisy?
Just as he was wondering this, the sound of ice shattering caught his attention. A guard let out a hiss and raised his spear, and Olivia took a step back, her eyes wide with fear as she saw it.
Wrapped around one of the buildings was a massive snake—so big, in fact, that its tail went past the town's street and vanished into a series of alleyways. It was covered in white scales and had yellow eyes that glared at everyone. Venom dripped down its fangs, and it slithered its way around the building, coiling around it.
Davi was the only one to step forward. "Row Shadow Vault." His claymore, along with a shield, flew out, and he grabbed them both. "So, you're the thing causing so much trouble?" He pointed his blade at the snake. "Well. Let's get this over with."
The snake opened its mouth, and Davi lifted his shield. He was ready for the fire. He'd block it and then force his way through the flames just like he did with the salamander. Unfortunately for him, it wasn't fire that blasted out.
White mist erupted from the snake's mouth, covering the city in more ice and washing over him, freezing him in an instant. Davi gasped and winced, and before he could recover, he was encased in a block of ice.
"Davi!" Olivia yelled out in horror. The ginger-haired girl let out a scream, and the snake hissed, and then it lunged forward.