Book 3 Chapter 20 (Patreon)

“I’m glad you’re finally taking this seriously,” Joey said. He sat cross-legged on the ground, writing in his little notebook.  Nox had observed him carrying it ever since he finished mourning Kris and started his secondary career as an investigator. The warlock always took notes when discussions related to his investigations began. “I guess unless you’ve left in the Outer Rings, it's difficult to empathize with the residents' plights.”

“That’s natural, isn’t it?” Nox asked. “Unless you see something happen or know someone directly affected by an incident, you’re not personally involved. If you’re not involved, it's nothing but morbid bedtime tales.”

“I suppose.” Joey sighed. He finished writing his notes and returned the journal to his pocket. “But you’re willing to help me now?”

“I was never unwilling to assist. It's just a matter of finding the time and the specificity of the help you need. The outer rings are too far. But if there is trouble in my backyard, it's not too much trouble for me to step out and have a look.”

“Too far. Too much trouble. There are always excuses, Nox. This is real work. Important work. We need to figure this out and solve it before someone important to us falls victim.”

“Fine. Tell me how I can help you. Do you need a fund—”

“Money always helps, but that’s now what this is about.” Joey leaned forward, moving closer to Nox. “I need your spy network. April alone isn’t enough, and Caitlin is starting to grow uncomfortable with all the time we spend together. Lend me Ingrid and her little birds. They have the power to enter rooms and listen in on conversations that most can’t access.”

“They’re already doing that in the Galleria.”

“I need them doing the same in gang territories.”

“Are you mad?” Nox asked, raising an eyebrow. “I’m not releasing my apprentice—”

“I don’t want her specifically but her contacts, you dolt,” Joey said. “You’ve invested in a spy network. I’m asking you to share it.”

“Fine. But I’d like to get more directly involved. By the way. Leisel Wyrd. What is your take on her?”

“She’s not as strict as she seems in Intermediate Manipulation,” Joey replied. “Leisel insists we call her by her first name in Advanced Stealth and Espionage. In fact, she’s pretty hilarious and entertaining. I’d call her eccentric. Why do you ask?”

“She snuck up on me in the unisex baths and tried to seduce me with Mind Magic. When I called her out on it, she called it a test and claimed to be a friend of Kris’s.”

“That kind of behavior certainly toes the line between eccentric and crazy.” Joey laughed. “She told me about working with Kris in the past after the course’s induct lecture.”

“It's probably not the best way to convince someone to take your course. Mind Magic? What in Ygg’s name was she thinking?”Nox sighed, shaking his head. “Anyway. Are you going to investigate the sewer network?”

Joey nodded.

“I want you to use the party when you do that,” Nox said, placing a hand on his fellow apprentice’s shoulder. “It sounds like someone dangerous and powerful is behind the killings, and they’re using the sewers to move around. Perhaps they’re using the sewer network to transport or even imprison the victims.”

“I expect as much. This latest victim. The laundry girl.” Joey pulled out his journal again and checked his notes. “Her corpse was fresh. She didn’t look sick or malnourished. The killer killed her and put on their little show exactly a week before they killed her. The bastard took good care of her and fed her before taking her apart surgically. The blood on the scene was far less than what's in a body too. That means they killed her elsewhere and then brought the bits to Taylor’s store.

“This tells us a whole lot, doesn’t it? The killer is powerful. Skilled or talented when it comes to surgical skills. And has the financial means to imprison, feed, and take care of their victims. This is not the type of target I want to face alone in the dark.”

“In an arena they know intimately,” Nox added. “You’ve been selling yourself short, you know?”

“In what way?” Joey raised an eyebrow.

“You’ve turned into an incredible and observant investigator. Precise details. Logical deductions. I wouldn’t think to gather most of this information. There’s a reason you gravitated towards detective work and me toward wards.” Nox smiled at his friend. “Kris would be proud of you, Joey.”

“Now, kiss,” Caitlin said, making the pair jump. The pair of men hadn’t heard her approach. “It’s sweet. The conversation between you is nice, but the squirrels found the avatar. It's time we move.”

It was Fifthday. The schedule demanded Nox and his friends spend six hours exploring the dungeon under the City of Ygg. They had already defeated a few patrols of dragonscale asura. After three semesters of fighting them, not even the better-equipped and smarter specimens on the fifth floor were a challenge. Now, the party wanted to test themselves against the domain lord’s roving extension, Hogg’s Avatar.

The group sat in a ward of Nox’s design. The fifth floor had no safe zones free of patrols like the fourth. Repulsion wards ensured the patrols avoided their resting spot. Meanwhile, Joey’s mass concealment spell made it a challenge for the party to detect if anything got past Nox’s defenses. Neither tactic appeared to work on Hogg’s Avatar. So, Alexander sent his squirrels out to look out for the beast.

It wasn’t the first time they decided to challenge the faux dragon. The party had made several attempts to down the beast. Unfortunately, they had never succeeded. Losing Ratra’s Bow meant they no longer had reliable long-ranged attacks. Nox’s crippled mana system also limited his ability to make custom projectiles or bombs. They had to rely on essence pellets he pre-prepared prior to the delve. The lack of Crystallize Essence meant they also lacked reliable defences against dragon fire.

“He’s spotted the squirrels,” Alexander announced. “We don’t have to seek him out. Hogg’s Avatar is in pursuit.”

“Lead him through there.” Nox pointed at a pair of thick pillars. They rose past an adjoining path, and the entrance to a tunnel lay just beyond it. “We can use the narrowness to limit his movements.”

“It's also a good escape path if things go wrong,” Caitlin added. Her new elemental armor appeared more refined with every summoning. Thick and twisted wood segments covered her forearms, shins, chest, and back. Lesser, more segmented sections protected the rest, and Shaped, gelatinous water connected each piece. They allowed her joints incredible mobility. Caitlin also protected her sides in a network of wood segments and water. They let her twist, unlike her old armor. “Are you sure you two are ready for this?” She looked between her brother and Nox. “It’s alright if you want more time to prepare.”

“I’m fine,” Alexander growled.

“My new toy gives us a decent chance,” Nox said.

The druid-to-be summoned two of his burliest squirrels. It looked like someone had fed the critters life essence and had them lift weights for days on end. If their muscles grew any bigger, Nox imagined their hides would rip. The critters held little spears made of wood and sunlight. They sped toward the pillars and climbed them. Meanwhile, the party took cover on either side of the path. The Woodsons crouched together. Kris’ former apprentices took the spot opposite them.

They heard and smelled Hogg’s Avatar long before seeing him. The stench reminded Nox of his first rift delve with Annabelle, her late fiance and consumed brother. Originally, giant subterranean worms occupied the dimension. When the party arrived, a clan of semi-intelligent giant lizards was in the process of conquering it. Hogg’s Avatar smelled the same as the reptilian monsters’ leader. He was at least twenty-five feet long and had the width and musculature of a prized bull. Despite his dimensions, the monster looked more like a serpent than a lizard or any dragon from artists’ depictions.

The ground shook when the giant beast dropped onto the pathway. The arch extending across the pillars kept it from maintaining the high ground. Hogg’s Avatar growled, speeding past the party as he continued to pursue the squirrels bathed in Alexander’s new sunlight conjurations. The giant lizard appeared to fold its limbs and ribs as it squeezed into the tunnel. Nox and his companions remained ignored.

Otis jumped into action. Nox had the gremlin waiting just out of sight. His dark fur also helped him blend almost perfectly into the dungeon’s dim environment. He had rolled in asura blood to mask his smell, too. The gremlin dropped onto the monster’s back as instructed while consuming the fist-sized sphere of sonic essence glass Nox had given him.

The planet dedicated to the familiar didn’t just rotate around the new star but the old one as well. Nox couldn’t use the magic that accompanied Crystallize Essence, but Otis had no such problems. His snack transformed him. He grew bat-like ears which folded when he opened his cavernous mouth again. Then he scrambled onto the faux dragon’s head, and the gremlin roared. The force of the sound made the air ripple.

Hogg’s Avatar shrieked. Something exploded in his lizard-like ear holes, and viscous blood poured from the orifices. The beast’s limbs and rib cage expanded as it swiftly backpedaled, but the party attacked before he could pull his top half out of the tunnel.

Crescent water blades grew downward from Caitlin’s armored forearms. She slashed at their giant opponent’s rear left limb. Her Shaped aquatic weapons cut deep into the flesh but failed to damage the bone. She retreated straight away, moving significantly faster than her old armor would allow. When Hogg’s Avatar tried putting weight on the limb, it crumbled, and blood spurted from the wound.

Joey assaulted the other limb. His collection of cantrips and, therefore, essences had grown, but he still gravitated towards fire and ice during combat. Hogg’s Avatar had proven immune to the former during their past encounters. So Joey bathed the right-left limb in frost fire, making the hide brittle. Then, a dense mass of icicles burst from within the beast’s flesh.

Once the two close-ranged fighters locked the faux dragon down, Alexander’s squirrels flooded over the body, assaulting sensory organs and all vulnerable points. Meanwhile, Nox charged the most powerful arrow his new bow would allow. It lacked the shredding and elemental powers he once manipulated, thanks to Crystallize Essence, but still crackled with energy.

Ratra’s Bow used the wielder’s mana, star, and planets to give itself form. Since Nox’s Shaping spell was currently dormant, the arrow struggled to maintain a stable shape. Tendrils of hyper-excited mana arced off the projectile and danced between it and the gauntlet. On the bright side, the new bow gave him the power to impart a cantrip’s power to the arrow, and Nox used Galvanzing Touch. It wasn’t as potent as using old essences but it still made Hogg’s Avatar spasm when his arrow ripped into a massive gash opened by Caitlin’s water blade.

Most of the party retreated beyond the pillars when Hogg’s Avatar finally wriggled free of the tunnel. They used whatever long-range attacks they had available, drawing his attention. Meanwhile, Nox hung off the pillar using his Artisan’s Arm and Otis’ assistance, staying just out of the faux dragon’s view.

The squirrels had successfully shredded the nostrils but failed to damage half the eyes significantly. Unlike most beasts, Hogg’s Avatar had four: two on the side of its face and two more on the front. Only bloody messes remained of the latter. So, the beast failed to spot Nox as it crawled towards his friends, launching fireballs at them. Though still weak, Caitlin’s new Aqua Barrier spell bought them time.

Meanwhile, Nox used his newly developed arcane technique to extend his mana zone. He waited until Hogg’s Avatar entered the very tip. Even though he couldn’t see the monster, Nox could now sense its presence. So, the Artisan’s Arm and Otis pulled him closer. He expanded his mana zone around the faux dragon’s head and cast Temporal Sphere, pouring as much energy as possible into slowing time. The control spell was enough to wreak havoc on the dragonscale asura, if not kill them straight away. Unwilling to take any risks or make any assumptions, they descended on the monster, unleashing their most powerful attacks.

Hogg’s Avatar didn’t stand a chance in the end. Joanna lingered nearby, ensuring no one got killed, but, in the end, her presence proved unnecessary. All but Alexander had reached the adept rank, after all, and spent the past year mastering their abilities. They would need to descend to the lower floors, which only low-experts could access if they wanted a greater challenge.

Unfortunately, the City of Ygg strictly monitored and vetted anyone stronger than adept entering the dungeon. Nidhogg was considerably stronger than most domain lords of his rank. The dungeon was also a valuable resource for the city and well-contained by its mages and Ygg. They didn’t want any ambitious delvers killing Nidhogg just yet.