Chapter 55: First Ascent

Toren Daen

"So Toren," Alandra asked, "What academy are you an alumnus of?"

"I haven't had academy training," I admitted sheepishly. "Though I don't think I'll do any worse than someone who has. I got a pretty good score on my ascender's assessment."

Alandra raised a brow. "And I'm guessing you want me to ask what that score is?"

"I got above average on flexibility of offensive magic and mental acuity. I scored average on manipulation of mana, but got exceptional on athleticism."

Darrin whistled in appreciation. "It's difficult to get exceptional in anything. You scored a lot better than many academy graduates."

I smiled slightly, feeling a bit of pride in my abilities. Though Toren had trained for many years to hone his magic, I'd only had Lady Dawn's tutoring for a little under three months. My progression of power had been exponential since she began to guide me.

We were nearing the large ascension portal, having just verified our identities with a nearby attendant. I stared up at the glimmering arch, thinking once more about the possible consequences of bringing people with me. I had a simulet in my dimension ring that matched the rest of the Unblooded party. Hofal was waiting at the inn for us to return.

Lady Dawn? I sent out. I don't know if you have a way to bind yourself closer to me, but I recommend you do it. These portals don't like asura very much.

"You will not lose me," the phoenix replied. "I am nestled in your core as we speak. You have no need to worry."

At least that was reassuring.

"It's the first day of the rest of your life," Darrin said as I stared, clapping me on the back. "These portals are a door to the greatest trials you will know. Take a minute to breathe, Toren."

"You've got everything you need?" Jared asked from the side. He was scratching at his beard, which was as far from combed as humanly possible. "I don't want to hear you whining that you're low on water. I'm always low on alcohol in there, and you never hear me complaining."

Alandra tried to kick Jared in the shin again, something that he just barely sidestepped. "Don't listen to him, Toren. Though it is important to make sure you've got everything you need."

"That woman takes all the fun out of things," Jared grumbled from the side. He had a bit of a belly, but his meaty arms offset it. With his tall shield strapped to his back and the small hammer he had strapped to his waist, I thought he would get along with the dwarves in Dicathen.

"I've got several weeks' worth of food and a week's worth of water," I said, hefting my dimension ring in the air. "I don't want to get caught unawares, even if most prelims only take a day."

"That's smart," Alandra said. "I've known a few mages who barely survived their jaunts through the Relictombs when they ran out of water. Better to overprepare than underprepare."

I exhaled lightly, preparing myself for the next step. I couldn't stare at the shimmering plane of purple forever. "Well, I guess it's time for my first ascent."

"Do you not have armor?" Darrin asked from my side. "If you do, now's the time to put it on."

I shook my head. "I've got a spell that protects me better than any armor I'd be able to afford."

Darrin looked at me like he didn't quite buy that, but I was done stalling to get my emotions in order.

As one, the four of us stepped into the portal. The transition was seamless, with no sense of nausea or disorientation.

The first thing I noticed upon entering the Relictombs was the heat. It was the heavy, dry heat that beat down on you during the depths of July. The air was dry, making it difficult to breathe.

It must be over a hundred degrees here, I thought, squinting through the heat waves. Sand was all around us in a seemingly endless sea, a desert filled with rearing dunes trapping us in this hostile expanse. There was nothing by desert as far as the eye could see. The sun judged from far above, the glare keeping me from looking up.

I was immediately thankful I packed a week's worth of water.

Lady Dawn? I asked, unable to suppress a jolt of worry. The phoenix had said she'd be able to follow me through, but–

"I am here, Contractor. Keep your attention on your surroundings. This will be the first true test of my teachings."

She was right. It was too early to tell if this zone was affected by my presence, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

The other three ascenders peered around with solemn expressions. I was immediately on guard from what I saw.

"Is something wrong?" I asked, trying to keep my worry out of my voice. "You've all got a strange look on your faces."

Darrin shook his head. There were already beads of sweat forming on his skin from the feverish atmosphere. "We just hate zones like this," he said with a sigh. "It adds a level of discomfort that never goes away."

"I've already got sand in my pants," Jared grumbled with a sorrowful tone.

"How?" Alandra asked. "You haven't even moved from where you entered!"

"Don't underestimate sand, woman," Jared snapped. "You'll never get it out of those pretty robes of yours. You'll see."

Alandra squawked indignantly, but Darrin was busy surveying our surroundings. "Jared, can you make us a canopy to travel under?" he said, not looking at the mage. "We need to conserve water the best we can. A bit of shade will help with that."

Jared complained, but he went ahead anyway. "Give me a second to modify my spell."

After a few seconds, a thin metal sheet was conjured from thin air. Jared moved his hands, directing the plate over our heads.

I immediately noticed a difference as the sun cut out. It was still sweltering, but now I was sure that once my body melted, my remains wouldn't catch fire.

I wiped the sweat from my brow. "That's useful," I said. "I wonder how hot that metal is going to get?"

"You don't want to know, kid," Jared said. His one eye squinted past our makeshift cover. "Think you can figure out where we need to go, squinty-woman?"

"Don't call me squinty-woman," Alandra snapped back. "And yes, if you'll let me concentrate I can get a spell off."

Alandra closed her eyes. I felt fire mana swirl around her, slowly coalescing into a stylized rod in her hands. I stared at it curiously, wondering what it did.

Alandra turned in place. The little rod of fire in her hands morphed as she turned, an arrow growing out of one end as it pointed behind us.

"The exit portal is likely that way," Alandra said, closing her fist and dismissing the spell. Seeing my confusion, she clarified. "One of my spells can detect dense clusters of mana from a long radius away. Portals usually have a specific organization of mana that I've gotten adept at sensing."

Huh. That was interesting. I wondered if that was how most people got through zones.

"Welp, we won't get anywhere standing by. We've gotta get moving now, while the sun is still high."

"Why is it so important for us to move now?" I asked, not disagreeing but wanting to understand Darrin's experience.

Darrin's piercing green eyes hardened as he looked in the direction Alandra's compass spell had pointed. "One thing you learn quickly, Toren, is that there are rarely times to rest in the Relictombs. The night will be just as dangerous as the day, just in a different way."

With that, we began to move.

—

Several hours later, I was utterly miserable. I'd gone through half a day's worth of water already. My boots squelched with each step, the sweat soaking my socks making itself known. My clothes were sticky with sweat, and I'd somehow gotten sand in my pants.

"How do I have sand in my trousers?" I lamented aloud. "I haven't even touched the ground with anything but my boots!"

"I told you, kid," Jared said commiseratingly. "Don't underestimate sand! You'll never get it out of that nice little waistcoat you're wearing. Everything itches, especially my backs-"

"Do you have an estimate of how close we are?" Darrin interrupted Jared, focusing on the sentry. There was, in fact, sand ground into her robes.

Alandra recast her one spell, judging the fire rod. "Probably another day or two of walking," she said, brushing a soaked lock of auburn hair out of her face. "Hold on, let me check to see if there are any other sources of mana nearby. There might be secondary objectives, or maybe some accolades nearby."

She focused on her rune, conjuring a different matrix of fire. Small wisps of fire danced in a unique rendition of a map. She frowned, stepping out from under the protective shade of Jared's metal cover. "There's something really nearby, actually." She turned in place, peering at her spell. "Just a little more over-"

The dune she was standing on suddenly gave out from over her, the bits of rock under her gravitating down. She yelped as her spell winked out, sliding down the dune unnaturally fast. She lost her footing quickly, starting to tumble.

Darrin cried out, rushing toward her body. Jared cursed, beginning to cast another spell.

I was faster than both of them. A pulse of telekinesis and fire from the soles of my boots rocketed me toward the tumbling sentry.

I slid down the dune, catching up quickly. It didn't take long for me to realize the pull on the sand around us was unnatural. It was sinking too quickly, a certain weight on my boots as they settled onto the fine grains.

Lady Dawn, I said, trying to grab onto the sentry. Can you tell what's doing this?!

I hauled Alandra to her feet. She sputtered as she continued to flail, her balance far from my own. She eventually clutched onto me like a koala, watching something down below with fearful eyes.

"Below you, Contractor," Lady Dawn said, sounding unconcerned. "You are in the pit of a welldraw kantamid."

That doesn't help! I thought back, turning around. What the hell is a welldraw-

I saw it there. In the center of a tall funnel of sand, a chitinous beast waited with quivering mandibles as long as my body. It pulled on the sand around us with some sort of gravity spell, drawing us deeper. I could only see its head, but it must've been even bigger underneath the sand.

If those jaws got me, they'd be able to snap me in half. I shivered.

"The kantamid larvae lures its prey into a gravity-locked trap of sand, trying to pull its kill into its venomous jaws. You would do well to avoid that fate."

Oh, shit. Lady Dawn was using her training voice. I wasn't going to get much help from her.

"I'm going to throw you!" I said to Alandra. I couldn't fight effectively trying to protect her. "Brace yourself!"

"What?" the auburn-haired sentry cried, unable to hear me over the sound of churning sand.

I held her aloft, making her squeal, before hurling her toward Jared above us. The shield had begun to circle the cone, knowing that his speed wasn't enough to try and enter the trap. He was trying to find a better place to approach, but Alandra's screams drew his attention. She soared through the air, yelling to the high heavens.

Jared caught her with a grunt, toppling into the desert. I supposed it was inevitable that his ass would eventually touch the sand.

I was less than thirty feet from the bottom of the pit now. I spied Darrin Ordin trying to reach me, skating down the sand on shoes of wind.

Any advice, Lady Dawn? I asked.

"The beast is slow to move and has a surprisingly soft cranium," the asura replied. "Your speed is your advantage."

I drew Oath and Promise, feeling the gravity magic's effect on me. I could escape this trap easily enough, but I came into this hellish dungeon to test my abilities and hone my combat skills.

And not a moment too soon. The kantamid looked at me with beady eyes, anger in them at having one of its prey escape. The aether beast dug its orangish mandibles into the sand in front of it, then snapped its head up, kicking up sand toward me.

A wave of sand defied gravity, racing toward me with speed. The churning mass got larger as it approached, intent on swallowing me whole. I could see the beast's tactic now: like an antlion on steroids, it would draw unsuspecting prey into its hole, then disorient them and drag them to their doom.

I grit my teeth, pressing into the ground with a burst of telekinesis. I flipped sideways, avoiding the sand with room to spare. I tossed Promise upward, the dagger soaring before it was abruptly caught with my telekinesis. I mentally directed the weapon down, the flash of reddened steel a deadly arrow.

My dagger scored a cut across the creature's mandibles, making it screech in pain and interrupting another attempt to throw a wave of sand at me. At that moment, Darrin skated to my side. He was wearing a set of heavy gauntlets, which matched his looser clothing.

"Hofal mentioned you had a tendency to rush into danger," he said breathily, still feeling the effects of the heat above us. "I should've expected you to rush in like that."

We were still slowly drifting down toward the kantamid, the sand falling unnaturally.

"I'm predictable like that," I said conversationally, my dagger flying back to my hand. It was none the worse for wear. "I'm going to kill this thing," I said, glaring down at the antlion-wannabe. "I'd be happy for any help you can lend."

"I hate insects," Darrin said, making me immediately like the man more. "I'll help you kill it."

Darrin thrust his fists forward, a burst of wind materializing ten feet away. The wind punch intercepted another wave of sand sent by the aether beast, the two canceling each other out. If an insect could look pissed, I'm sure the kantamid at the bottom of the pit would be the perfect example.

"Do you have any ranged spells you can use?" Darrin asked. "If you don't, I'll have to get closer to that beast if I want my wind punch to damage it."

"I've got something that could work," I said. "Can you cover me?"

Darrin nodded, using his wind punch to break another one of the beast's sand waves. "Do what you need to, Toren!"

Feeling reassured, I sheathed Oath, then used a burst of telekinesis to push off the sand. I vaulted into the air, soaring over the kantamid. It was digging its mandibles into the sand again, trying to fling the granular material at Darrin. He'd succeeded at identifying himself as a threat.

I concentrated on one of the template spells I'd designed during my last three weeks of training. I had taken inspiration from the fire constructs that Dornar Joan used. One of my tried and true methods of using my telekinesis rune was throwing rocks like a shotgun, but that method became less and less effective at damaging enemies as time went on. After all, I was using normal stones.

I had to find a solution that played to my strengths. And so, a dozen beads of solid fire coalesced in my hands. Using a mix of pure mana, I was able to make my fire spells far more solid than in nature.

I cocked my hand back, twisting midair so I was upside down. With a cry, I threw my fire marbles with telekinesis, the tiny glowing spheres becoming streaks of orange light as they shot off at absurd speeds.

My spell peppered the ground like a cluster bomb, sending tiny explosions of flame as my fire beads dug into the ground in a dozen different places. One seared a whole straight through a thick mandible, spraying greenish goop over the sand. Another few impacted the beast's head, punching holes in the thick chitin.

I landed solidly on the other side of the inverted cone of sand, exhaling at the maneuver. The most difficult part of using solid fire was that it had a horrible tendency to burst apart when I used my forceful telekinesis on it. But I only needed it to stay intact for a second.

It screeched piteously, leaking goo as it tried to flick more sand.

The unnatural pull on the sand ceased as the beast slowly stopped struggling. I cautiously walked down the sand, Promise held tightly in my left hand.

When I was close, I got a chance to inspect the creature's remains. It was certainly insectoid in nature. The mandibles were covered in thin spines, which dripped with a greenish venom. The chitin blended in with the sand remarkably well.

I barely had time to react as the beast's head suddenly whipped to the side, the jaw set to spear me through the chest. I brought Promise up to defend, but time seemed to slow. Would I actually block this? Would my telekinetic shroud be enough to keep me alive?

I didn't have to answer any of those questions. A burst of compressed wind exploded underneath the kantamid's head, blowing a hole straight through the chitin. A spray of goop splattered against the sand, and the kantamid finally went still.

I turned my head to the side, seeing Darrin. His gauntleted hand was still in the ending movements of an uppercut.

"Thanks," I said a bit shakily. "I wasn't sure if my barrier would've blocked that."

"Something to keep in mind, Toren," Darrin said, dismissing my gratitude sternly. " Always confirm your kill if you're going to approach. These beasts aren't like those on the surface."

Darrin pushed aside the head. From how the sand began to shift, I got a peek at the body underneath the sand. The kantamid was easily over twenty feet long. I gulped.

"They fight to kill, not to survive. On the surface, mana beasts will retreat when they know they're outmatched. Not here. Remember that."

I nodded. "I will."