The giant spectral hand appeared before me, but this time without the spiked knuckles. The soldiers and guards did not slow before it, and I mentally braced myself to push them all to the side. I really didn’t want to hurt them, but as long as I didn’t outright kill them, I could live with it.

  The clang of armor hitting armor rang out as my Mage Hand gently slapped half the soldiers to the left of me into the reinforced tent wall. I assumed it was reinforced, because the roughly fifteen or so soldiers smashed into it and crumpled, dazed, at the foot of the tarp wall. I swung the spectral hand back, sweeping the rest of the oncoming soldiers to the right. It all took seconds, and I cast Phantom Wing as the two soldiers that I had missed with the glorious spectral hand brought their weapons down on me.

  The magic buckler almost didn’t form fast enough. My arm bent under the double blows, and the strain was enough to focus my mind. But before I could direct my Mage Hand to do anything to the soldiers, Sergeant Twinkle Toes body-checked the two with a roar. Right into Sergeant Jeb’s root shield, knocking the two out.

  “We’ve gotta go!” Jeb yelled and grabbed my free arm. “Out the front.”

  “Right,” I replied, looking at the chaos. Harper was nowhere to be seen, only to pop up behind a guard getting groggily to their feet. She quickly knocked them out. Captain Rebecca was already outside, yelling orders.

  The council members were being rushed out a side door, other than the Chairman, who was being restrained by two of the Earthborn. As if he were trying to leap off the dais and brain me with the gavel. The strangeness of it made me pause, and I followed the rest out with the giant spectral hand behind me.

  Once through the tent flap, I was hit with the sound of people shouting and shields being pushed back. There were also several new faces with the 303rd helping hold the line against soldiers and camp followers who were screaming for my head.

  “Captain Rebecca!” I called, “Can we make it free?”

  “Soon! We have some friends coming!”

  “Friends?”

  “Of course! What, did you think we were the only ones who respected General Venegas? Gods, you’re a noob!” She replied with a harsh laugh. “Can that hand of yours block the tent door?”

  Looking between the entrance and the hand, I nodded and blocked the opening to the large tent with the Mage Hand. “Yes, for ten to eleven more minutes!”

  “More than enough. We just need to hold the line!”

  Again, I didn’t see Harper, but she practically turned into a ghost. You’d think a purple-skinned, horned cambion would stand out, but I knew she was out there beyond the line, reducing the danger to us. I hope she’s keeping to the whole not killing our people thing.

  Our back door protected, I moved up to where Arilyn was busy chanting in a loud, clear voice. I assumed she was protecting us from the magic users, and every once in a while I noticed soldiers with and against us glow briefly. She was healing everyone. The realization lifted my spirits, knowing we were doing what we could to reduce casualties. I put my hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

  Without breaking her chant, she somehow was able to split her attention and give me a side hug.

  The yelling and sounds of clashing weapons on shields had become almost deafening. I could see more soldiers coming, making me wonder if we could actually last even two or three minutes, let alone ten.

  Vessa had crawled into my hood and was cowering from the pervasive noises of anger and battle. “Finn, make them stop!”

  It’ll be okay, little one. Just a little longer. The thought calmed her a little, but her understandable anxiety was rubbing off on me. The line was holding. My spectral hand was holding. But I heard and felt the thunder of hooves preceding a larger force.

  We were done. Without using lethal force, our position was going to be overwhelmed.

  “Here they come, get ready to move!” Captain Rebecca snapped over the noise.

  The group of soldiers was a mix of several units, leading a herd of horses. Right before they were going to crash into the crowd of angry, Mage-hating soldiers and support personnel, the 303rd and allies made a huge push forward into the crowd, making a hole and room for the reinforcements.

  Captain Rebecca’s voice rang out over the cries of protest and groans of pain. “Mount up!”

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  “Come on!” I said to Arilyn, moving toward our horses and scrambling onto them. The additional soldiers surrounded us.

  “Flashbang!” yelled Captain Rebecca before there was a flash of light. The word was a warning to us. I looked away, seeing men and women to that side of me also looking away. Cries of fear and uncertainty mixed with the sound of the defenders disengaging and getting up on their horses.

  We went immediately for the gate we had entered earlier that evening. Magical lamps and plain torches lit our wild ride through the dirt streets of the camp, clumps of dirt being thrown up by the churning of hooves.

  The gate, however, was blocked by an equal group of soldiers. One man stepped forward and addressed Captain Rebecca. “I can’t let you through, ma’am. I’m sorry. The Council handed down strict orders that the camp was in lockdown.”

  “And when, Lieutenant, have lockdown orders applied to the 303rd?” She said, voice dripping with authority.

  “I—I can’t let you through, Captain. You know what will happen. I’ll be stuck guarding gates and latrines for the rest of my career,” the lieutenant replied worriedly.

  “Do you want the front line, Lieutenant? Dream about dying for the glory of others?”

  The young man coughed, his eyes wide. He walked closer before answering. “Not really, but I can’t say that so loud,” he said softly. “Maybe if you knock me out? Then you’d be the only officer here…”

  Captain Rebecca slid off her mount smoothly and strutted over to the young lieutenant. She said something too quietly to hear, and the young man nodded quickly. She dropped her left hand to her sword — which glowed briefly — before she backhanded the man so hard he arched backward to land five feet away on his back.

  A woman I hadn’t seen before ran past the captain and checked the unconscious man’s pulse. She gave a nod and ran back. When the woman passed, Captain Rebecca whistled, and her horse walked up, and she vaulted into the saddle. At her signal, the soldiers around Arilyn, Vessa, and me began to move forward behind her.

  We went carefully around the unconscious officer. Before reaching the gate, Captain Rebecca ordered, “Move,” without slowing her horse.

  We rode away from the Allied Army camp without any further trouble.

  That night, we continued up the pass to the top before stopping. But we did not enter the messenger’s base. Instead, we camped right outside it. No fires, no hot food. Yet I slept easily, knowing I was protected. And I was really tired at that point. My surged Mage Hand dissipated early in our journey up the pass, and it was like I had lost a pool of energy.

  So when my head hit that pillow, I was out before I even registered Arilyn snuggling up to me on one side and Vessa on my chest.

  I didn’t know if we had any contact from the messengers, as I was insulated by the newly reinforced 303rd. So when we moved on the next day, I was unbothered for the first time in days. With the weather being mild, the trip back down the east face of the mountain was pleasant. Well, other than the planning discussions for getting down into the chasm.

  What I had thought of as a herd of horses was in actuality extra mounts with supplies for climbing and rappelling. Lots and lots of rope, harnesses, and forged metal spikes, and what looked like a set of metal rings and ovals. Though thicker than I was used to, they looked like rappel rings.

  I had done some climbing when I was a teenager, mostly in controlled settings. Climbing walls and such. I wasn’t a stranger to rock climbing, but I wasn’t an expert by any means. Though I had a sneaking suspicion that I would be able to climb with more ease because of my dexterity stat.

  But that was a worry for when we got there. And after much discussion, it was agreed that for the maximum amount of success, we’d need to go down to where the mountains and the chasm met. Despite the extra travel time in the unknown depths of the chasm, it would be a safer bet than attempting the Akana’Zuul path.

  Which to me was a blessing. I had no desire to go back there without being at a much higher level. If I survived that long.

  By the time we reached the chasm and set up camp, I was faced with the horrifying actuality of what we were going to do. We were going to climb down into unknown danger just to retrieve the body of a friend. I hate to admit it, but at that moment I seriously considered not doing it. Nothing about the plan was sane in my eyes, even if I had a hand in making it.

  Standing at the edge, I looked down, praying that I wouldn’t get vertigo. There was no bottom that I could see, just that damned fog, reflecting the sunlight. Every once in a while, I thought I saw something moving through the fog at a high speed. Like maybe it was flying.

  I took a few steps back, sitting quickly. Never had I had a problem with heights like I did in that moment. I grabbed the strange necklace I had been wearing for some time and looked at it. It was still the fascinating thing I had seen it as in that shop in Las Trussen. And still, I had yet to get it identified.

  With a slight grin of excitement, I cast the aptly named Identify Item. And was glad I was sitting down.

  Item: Magestone Pendant

  Rarity: Unique to Class

  Description: A gemstone of gleaming facets and hidden patterns, faintly pulsing with magical energy as though alive with potential. At least it is for a Mage. Non-Mages will see it as a simple, yet well-polished, river stone.

  Abilities: This is a unique item that is only usable by Mages. This item is able to increase in viability through use, unlocking further abilities over time. At the first level of attunement, it is able to store 10% of the Mage’s max mana pool. At the second level of attunement, the Magestone can store up to 20% of the Mage’s max mana. The Magestone is currently at attunement level three, which allows the Mage to store up to 25% of the Mage’s Max Mana and increases the Mage’s mana regeneration rate by 10%. Further abilities will unlock over time as the attunement level grows through use and familiarity.

  Current Mana Reserves: 114 / 143

  My eyes widened in surprise at the description. This was way more useful than I had imagined. A reserve of mana that I could pull on in an emergency and a slightly higher mana regeneration rate? What’s not to love?

  Granted, the ten percent would add up over time as I leveled up.

  This was not going into my little book for the Enchanter’s Guild.