Chapter 37: The Mouse

Panni could clearly discern the metallic junctions on the golem trembling with a creaking sound, murky oil seeping from the seams. He suspected that the golem's body could only vent its intense emotions in this manner.

As the recollection of the empire's destruction played out, wisps of black smoke emitted from the golem's head, indicating that the auditory illusion magic was spiraling out of control, with even the corrupted constant auditory illusion spell emitting strange gibberish.

It was a rare opportunity.

Panni's right hand delved into the folds of his robe, silently chanting an incantation as he prepared to harness the power within the spell scroll.

Hum!

At that moment, the tendrils of the artificer's intrusion into Panni's mind finally collapsed entirely. Panni's head buzzed once again, abruptly interrupting the spell he had begun to cast. He was momentarily dazed by this localized mental explosion, but fortunately, his spirit remained resilient, sparing him any lasting damage. As he regained his composure, he noticed the artificer golem motionless, its body strangely devoid of oil. His heart skipped a beat.

Counteracting spells in this manner, Panni realized, would hardly endear him to the artificer.

He clenched a scroll, poised to strike, when suddenly the artificer turned its head, the sound of its illusionary magic tinged with confusion. "Something... happened just now?" it queried.

Panni's subtle movement halted, and his lifted spirits deflated slightly.

It appeared that Panni's psychic assault had compelled the artificer to erase that memory to avoid mental disturbance.

Panni felt a twinge of regret; a golden opportunity had slipped away, and the artificer might not offer him a second chance.

"You attempted to cast a spell of human domination upon me, and I resisted," Panni responded respectfully, his tone matter-of-fact, as if merely stating a fact.

It's evident that the artificer isn't averse to such a tone; he nodded in realization. "Ah, I see. But how can I trust you to enter my laboratory?"

Panni's eyes scanned the now open laboratory door, where the light seemed distorted by some magical effect, rendering everything indistinct. Meanwhile, the artificer fell into contemplation.

Indeed, he had sliced away memories upon being awakened by recollections, casting aside those emotions and forgetting the recent events. Sagbá Pasca suddenly felt perplexed. For added security, he intended to cast a remaining mental spell on Panni, yet he sensed a strong sense of unease.

A deeper consciousness warned him against attempting to invade Panni's soul. Despite severing that nightmarish memory, the images lingering in Panni's soul still left a psychological imprint on the artificer.

"Curious. After this experiment concludes, I must extract his soul for examination."

Inwardly contemplating, the artificer hesitated for a moment before casting a sixth-circle spell on Panni.

Panni's mind throbbed with pain, feeling his consciousness somehow linked to something. Just as he pondered the nature of this spell, the artificer spoke, "Follow me, and refrain from any other actions."

An immediate sense of foreboding surged within him. He sensed dire consequences if he were to disobey the artificer's commands.

Panni complied, trailing behind the artificer, while simultaneously deducing the nature of the enchantment the artificer had placed upon him.

It was a directive spell, none other than the renowned GEAS, distinct from soul-intruding control spells. This spell resembled more of a coercive curse — if the recipient disobeyed the caster's commands, they would suffer the gravest, potentially fatal, magical consequences.

Panni became increasingly cautious. He knew that while the artificer lacked emotional intelligence, he was by no means foolish. Information gleaned from the mummy Sagbá indicated that the artificer was fervently devoted to his experiments and would naturally not tolerate any unforeseen disruptions. Thus, all these precautions seemed only reasonable.

Although the spell imposed some restrictions on him, it was not as debilitating as spells like "dominate person" or "mental intrusion," leaving him some room to maneuver. If he could withstand the magical damage incurred by defying commands, there might still be an opportunity.

As Panni pondered these thoughts, he took a deep breath and followed the artificer into the laboratory. To his surprise, the laboratory was not as magnificent as he had imagined.

In the center of the room, spanning a dozen square meters, stood a large experimental apparatus resembling a supercomputer. From the records of the Imascadian Empire's artificers stored in his mind, Panni knew this to be a standard modulator used by artificers for experiments. Similar to the workbenches commonly used by alchemists in the mundane world, this modulator incorporated advanced magical industrial technology from the ancient empire, making it more powerful and comprehensive in its functions.

The modulator was sizable, occupying most of the room. It was evident that controlling it alone would be somewhat challenging, necessitating the presence of an assistant for precise operations.

Apart from the modulator, there were no other furnishings in the room. In Panni's imagination, there should have been at least some of the artificer's proud creations on display, such as completed constructs or exquisite magical weapons. But there was none of that.

The artificer tapped a few times on the modulator, and with a soft sound emanating from the center of the tabletop, a platform emerged. On the platform lay something that struck Panni as profoundly strange.

A peculiar-looking creature.

At first glance, it resembled a diminutive rodent, measuring merely two inches in length, tail included, barely stretching to four inches.

The peculiarity began with its slender tail, adorned with a luminous sheen and sharp spines, appearing nothing like that of a typical rodent. Below its body, its four claws bore an eerie black hue, their lustrous finish emanating an aura of mysterious antiquity.

Even more peculiar was the creature's head.

Adorned with three eyes, the ones on either side tightly shut, upon closer inspection by Panni, the central eye-like structure revealed itself to be a dark gray luminescent crystal of indeterminate material, resembling a shimmering hourglass in constant flux. The creature's ears were elongated and elfin, their membranes as delicate as cicada wings, akin to two wings suspended above its head.

Its fur transitioned from within to without, gradually fading into a transparent silver-white hue, presumably maintaining this coloration even on the material plane. Exquisitely beautiful, it refracted the ambient light, akin to donning a cloak of phantasm, poised to vanish into the shadows at any moment.

Despite Panni's exhaustive recollections of perusing various tomes compiled by erudite adventurers, he failed to recall any creature matching the appearance before him. Curiously, as he gazed upon the rodent, he suddenly sensed a disconcerting juxtaposition of vitality and lifelessness emanating from the creature.

Was this the material for the experiment?

"Oh, yes, my assistant, before we proceed with the experiment, I believe it is prudent to elucidate the nature of our endeavor. Should you have any inquiries, feel free to pose them at your convenience," spoke the artificer. From a certain perspective, this too fell within the purview of the geas spell, constituting a directive. With a myriad of questions swirling in his mind, Panni promptly began his inquiry:

"Lord Pasca, may I ask, what manner of creature is this, and why have I encountered no mention of it in any scholarly tome?"

"Mentions? Certainly not, for it exists solely beyond any realm save for this demi-plane," responded Sagbá Pasca with a hint of pride. "It is a creation of mine, the epitome of magical weaponry."