Chapter 414 - Debriefing

Just needed a day to get my thoughts together on what's coming next. All sorted now. Thanks for waiting :)

“Come on, Randall,” Hump said, glancing back over his shoulder with a satisfied smile. “You can’t possibly be slower than me. I’m only a wizard after all.”

The sorcerer glared at him with such distaste that it took every shred of will Hump had not to burst out into laughter.

“I will… remember this… wizard,” Randall muttered. “You will come to… rue this day.”

“You tell him, Randall!” Skander said.

Randall gave the rogue a suspicious look. “Thanks.”

“You don’t have to thank me,” Skander said. “It’s my job.” Then he gave Hump a look, the corner of his mouth twitching. “You should know better than to mock a cripple!”

That was it. Hump couldn’t hold it in. He exploded into laughter, as did the other not so tired members of their parties. Only the two new members of Randall’s party appeared confused. Hump got the look—to them, Randall was the young Lord Ferrand and the filler of their coin pouches. It would hardly be professional to laugh at their boss.

“The day will come,” Randall ground out, though Hump could see his own amusement. “Remember this well!”

It was good. Hump had wondered how they would get along after all that had happened, but it seemed to be behind them. For all the jokes, Randall’s condition was pretty serious considering how far they were from civilisation. He was pale, his movements stiff, and exhaustion was etched into every line of his face. The earlier battle had clearly drained him, and while essence overuse was rare for Chosen, Hump suspected Randall was dangerously close to it. It seems even the boons of the gods were weakened in this realm. There was little any of them could do about it. Hump had given him an Essence Elixir, but they couldn’t provide him with any empowerment for fear of drawing the shades away from the fallen gorger and back to them. And Randall had absolutely refused Madeleine’s offer to carry him, so he couldn’t have been that bad.

Together, they pressed on across the barren plains, their pace unhurried. Without the aid of blessings, they were left to rely on good ol’ fashioned endurance. Fortunately, Nisha ensured they were heading in the right direction. She soared overhead, her sharp gaze scanning the skies for danger as she guided them toward Marcela’s party. Occasionally, she sent him a vision of the cloud of shades at their rear, each time, they grew a little more distant, yet it seemed even larger than before, the creatures drawn to the gorger’s body to feast. It left Hump wondering just how many shades dwelled in those fissures.

As they walked, Hump made careful notes on the artifact map, marking the fissures and the location of their encounter with the gorger. For so much activity to be in this place, it had to be significant—he was sure of it. The presence of the gorger and so many shades and flesh prowlers couldn’t be random. Something had drawn them to this area—ancient artifacts, residual essence from spells, or a natural phenomenon—whatever it was, Hump intended to find out. And if the gorger had a lair filled with tressures like the one in Sheercliff, he’d quite like to uncover that too.

By the time Marcela’s party came into view, Randall was no longer talking. Marcela stepped forward as they approached, her expression softening with relief as she took in their battered appearances.

“You got my message then?” Hump asked.

“I did.” Marcela nodded. “Sorry we didn’t make it in time to help. It’s good to see you didn’t need us. We were worried.”

Tamsin, standing at her side, looked far less pleased. “Good?” she spat. “Hours we’ve been staring at rocks and sand. And finally, there’s a fight and we’re too slow to reach it! This isn’t good, Marcela. Not good at all.” She crossed her arms, shaking her head with a pout. “Rocks and sand!”

Faelor shot her a pained look, the magic archer seemed embarrassed for her. “I’m sure they’ve had enough excitement without you adding to it, Tamsin.”

“As if I care!” she snapped. “It is rude to have a fight without us.”

“Well aren’t you a mad one?” Skander said jovially.

Tamsin’s pour turned to a sneer as she set her eyes on Skander. “You want to find out?”

Skander matched her smile. “Maybe.”

“Gods help us,” Madeleine said. “Are you flirting?”

Skander waggled his eyebrows at her.

“She truly is quite mad, so I suggest you don’t provoke her,” Len warned.

“Watch it, Stick,” Tamsin snapped. “I’m not in the mood. My axes thirst!”

Len pressed a hand to his face. “Please don’t call me Stick.”

“I just call it as I see it.”

Len let out a long, exhausted sigh. “Enjoy the next few hours, my friends. It has not stopped.”

Brilliant, Hump thought. Tamsin was… intense at the best of times.

“Don’t worry, Tamsin,” Hump said. “There’s plenty more to fight. You’ll get your turn eventually, just not today.”

“More?” Marcela asked. “What in the world did you find?”

“We found a damned gorger,” Randall snapped. “And enough shades to blot out the sky. It was miserable.”

Together, the two parties recounted the battle with the gorger and their retreat. Hump hung back, leaving most of the description to the others and taking the opportunity to catch his breath and begin the slow process of replenishing his essence. Without the ambient energy of the world to draw on, recovery in the Remnant Realm was difficult. He could feel his core refilling as he focused on the River and Waves, cycling his essence and drawing upon the strength of his soul, but it left him ravenous. The experience might prove useful, however. He’d need to get used to this if they were to spend extended time here. If Dylan was right, and the essence of this world could be returned to something fruitful, perhaps there would be a way for them to harness it one day. Until then, Hump would need to suffer through this.

Or do I? An idea came to Hump. One he’d never think of in their own realm where essence was so abundant. What if they found a way to bring a store of essence for them to draw upon to this realm? Like a collection of essence stones. It would function similar to an Essence Elixir but be far less aggressive. Not ideal for a fight, but if they were resting at camp, it could give them a way to more easily replenish their reserves without relying on a huge amount of food to produce the energy themselves.

Testing the theory, Hump had Celaine hand him a few of the essence stones stored in her belt and began the process. Immediately, it felt easier, but the stones did not last long. He leeched their essence away in mere minutes. They would need a significantly more powerful stone for this to work, and even then, it would be expensive.

They were half an hour into their return trek when Nisha spotted five silhouettes in the distance—another party. They had been drawn by Hump’s activated locator beacon. After a brief detour to join with the group, they continued east toward the wizard temple. The journey felt endless, the barren landscape stretching out in every direction. Without the tension of battle to keep them alert, a tired quiet set over them.

When finally, the dark stone structure of the wizard temple rose on the horizon, its looming presence was a welcome sight. It was quiet outside, but within, the temple halls were bustling with activity. It only took a quick look around to realise that they were the last squad to return. Workers and adventurers cast curious glances their way, a few calling out, asking what had happened. Others ready to go hunting warlocks the very second, they realised there was a chance.

They saved the report for Marshal Anara. She was gathered around a large table brought in from Elenvine. A patchwork map covered it—the master map. Hump studied it curiously. Most was white, but the area around the temple at its centre was updated with the information gathered by the other squads. On it, he saw another temple farther east—perhaps connected to the city of Jarsal, if the geography was similar to Alveron—and various points of interest.

When Hump added his own to it, Anara was more than pleased with their findings. They gave their third recount of events, the other squads listening in. As they spoke, Hump watched the expressions of the gathered adventurers shift to one of intrigue. They knew as well as he did that a sentient foe like a gorger likely meant treasure.

“Sounds like quite the battle,” Anara said as they concluded. “Well done to both of your parties. We will need to reassess our risk in the expeditions following this. Our theory that such enemies wouldn’t lurk so close to Elenvine was clearly mistaken. Yet it makes for a productive outing. A potential gorger lair to the west, and another wizard temple to the east. And more importantly, no serious injuries among us. I’m sure General Korteg and Lady Isolde will agree that our preliminary expedition was a success. Congratulations, all of you.”

Despite her words, Hump couldn’t help but feel like they were no closer to finding the warlocks than they had been before. All they knew now was that the Remnant Realm was a dangerous place, and that the warlocks knew they were on their trail. It would be even more difficult to find them now.

The debriefing continued for a while after that. The eastern wizard temple appeared abandoned and destroyed, which likely meant that the warlocks knew of their presence in the Remnant Realm and were doing what they could to prevent them from finding anything useful. It pained Hump to know something so ancient had been destroyed just like that, but at least it meant the warlocks were on the defensive for once. Anara promised that orders would follow in the coming days. For now, they were to return to Elenvine.

As Hump stepped back outside, taking in the not so fresh air of Elenvine, a familiar voice called him.

“Wizard Humphrey.” Wizard Jentris called. She was waiting nearby, her black hair dusty with sand, yet the white streak unmarred. “Do you have a moment?”

Hump gave her a friendly smile as he walked over. “Wizard Jentris, of course. How can I help?”

“I’m here to help you actually,” she said, smiling back. “I raised your desire to access the academy archives with the headmaster, and he’s agreed to it if you’re willing to become an associate of Elenvine Academy.”

Hump frowned. “What would that entail?”

“Typically, this type of opportunity would be available only to the academy’s patrons and qualified researchers. In your case, you would only need to provide proof of rank through a practical assessment, a yearly fee of twenty gold pieces, and check-in at your local Wizard’s Society when you’re travelling. Of course, you would gain all the other amenities provided to Inner Circle members.”

“They want me to join the Inner Circle of the Wizard’s Society?” Hump asked. This was not the first time someone had tried to recruit him to such a scheme. Wizard Lindle in Sheercliff City had attempted the same, and Hump hadn’t been too keen then either.

“I told them you wouldn’t be too keen on that,” she said, wrinkling her nose. “It was the best I could do though.”

Hump saw through the lines—the academy wanted to know what he could do. He was a quickly rising young wizard, so it was understandable that they wouldn’t want him travelling the kingdom completely unregulated. By joining the Inner Circle, they would be able to keep better track of him. Hump knew how much his master had tried to get away from the academy and Wizard’s Society. He had lived a life of secrecy because of them.

Hump certainly wasn’t too keen on signing away his freedom. “Thank you for this, truly. But it’s something I will need to think about.”

“Our resources are extensive,” Jentris said. “I knew you wouldn’t be keen, but it’s a good offer. Not many gain access for as little as this. You will be able to view spellbooks up to Tier 6, gain access to extensive resources on subjects such as alchemical, artificery, and history.”

“It’s tempting, but I don’t like being tied down,” Hump said. “Would you give me some time to make a decision?”

For a few seconds, it seemed as if Wizard Jentris would argue the case further, but then she nodded. “Very well. Inform me if you change your mind.”

“Sorry. I really do appreciate you doing this.”

“Not at all, Wizard Humphrey. I know you have encountered some trouble in the past, but you can trust us. Elenvine Academy exists to give wizards a safe place to collect knowledge and to learn.”

“I’ve always been a hedge wizard,” Hump said. “Signing up for something so… official, just isn’t something I can commit to without consideration.”

“I understand. We’ll talk again soon.”

Hump watched her go.

“You don’t trust her?” Bud asked quietly.

“Nothing wrong with her,” Hump said. “It’s the Wizard’s Society I have a problem with. My old master avoided them for his entire adult life, and for good reason. I suspect that reason still exists.”

“Then you’ve made the right decision,” Bud said.

“Maybe.” Hump sighed. “At the same time, the archives sound incredibly useful. The decision would be easier once Wizard Aldric was here to advise.”

“Or you could speak with your new wizard friend,” Dylan suggested.

“Wizard Torvik?” Hump hadn’t been back to see the man yet after reading Starris’ letters, but he did seem like someone he could trust. “You’re right. He would be worth speaking with too.”

The more Hump thought about it, the more he realised the inevitability of a relationship with the Wizard’s Society. He was too public a figure already, and that was only growing worse with time. Whether he liked it or not, they would be paying close attention to him. Perhaps joining them officially wouldn’t be so bad. Better it be on his own terms where he was the one to benefit.