Chương 48: Night at the Dabaux Estate

The more that Archmage Poshit listened to the rumors circulating about Ygg Latten Bay, the more she realized the debt she owed to Tucker Dabaux. It was only thanks to him that she was here enjoying braised fish and and not there fighting swarms of fish monsters in the rain. The rumors were probably an exaggeration, as rumors generally were, but how much of a truth did she need to feel grateful to the old man?

That's why she was doing her best to persuade him to stay indoors while the security team outside scoured every inch of the estate for the mystery beast that had killed the chimera. It was a big loss for the project because Wolfbear had been the best-behaved specimen. Almost a mascot really. Which was good because they needed a new mascot after Wolfbear ate the previous one.

"How can they even prove that it's gone?" Dabaux said.

"You can't prove a negative. The most they can say is that they haven't found it."

"Using that logic, Dad," Shou said, "there's always been the possibility of a chimera-eating monster hiding on the property." Shou was about the same age as Poshit, and in her opinion rather dashing, in that got-lots-of-money kind of way.

"Evidently," Dabaux said.

"How else could it have eaten the chimera if it wasn't?" Shou looked over to her.

"Help me out here, Amaya."

"Sir, what Shou means—" she began.

"It's already getting dark out," Dabaux said.

"If I wait any longer, there won't be any sun left to enjoy. What's even the point of having a garden?" Before Poshit could reply, a servant appeared in the dining room.

"Sir, there's a group of dragonkin here to see you. They said they have a request."

"Dragonkin?" This seemed to pique Dabaux's interest. It wasn't often that a member of that race was seen in human territory, let alone a group of them.

"Invite them in. Quickly, before they get eaten." It turned out that these weren't just any dragonkin, but full-grown warriors. While they'd unmanifested their wings in order to fit through the doors, it was quite clear from the emblems on their uniforms and their arrogant tones that they hailed from the empire.

"Let's speak in the gymnasium," Dabaux suddenly decided after seeing the state of the soldiers' armor. These furniture were antiques. The spacious gymnasium would have given the dragonkin the space to spread their wings if they so desired. Poshit noted with approval that there was a guard posted along one of the walls, just in front of a nondescript door. It was the secondary entrance to the labs below the estate and perfectly safe.

There was a second door behind it, at the bottom of the steps, heavily reinforced to keep the chimeras from breaking through.

"What can I do for you fine gentlemen?" Dabaux asked, ever open to conduct business. One of the dragonkin warriors, whose uniform had a few extra stars compared to the others, stepped forward.

"We'd like to hire you to find a missing child..."

In the dungeon beneath the Dabaux estate, spells were flying in every direction. Raylin rested her arm on Maelle's shoulder as she pointed down the passageway and shot off another [Firebolt]. The alchemists returned fire and a projectile was right on target for Raylin's head when it fizzled against Maelle's [Shield].

"I gotta get to Tier 2," Raylin said.

"That [Shield] is so handy!"

"We gotta find cover," she replied.

"I can't keep layering [Shields] forever." The problem was that they were being squeezed from both sides. The other captives behind them were having their own battle with another group of guards. Their only retreat was a branch in the passageway leading deeper into the dungeon, from which came the hungry snarls of unholy beasts. There was a tacit understanding among the captives not to go down that way unless as a last resort. She put up another [Shield] while Raylin shot off another [Firebolt] from her shoulder.

Luckily none of the guards or alchemists seemed to have access to Tier 3 magic. They barely even qualified for Tier 1, with their [Firebolts] being so weak and inefficient. Also their aim was really bad, like they couldn't even point straight. Her old magic tutor would've assigned them extra homework for sure.

"Don't feel bad about giving away our position," Raylin said.

"Sneaking was never going to work anyway."

"I didn't give away our position," she protested.

"That guard started casting the moment he saw you."

"Our entire group was right in the middle of the hallway! There's nowhere to hide in this stupid dungeon." She felt something tugging at her ankle and looked down to see it was Boots. He lifted a paw like he was pointing down the passageway toward the monsters.

"That cat knows no fear," Raylin observed.

"Most cats hate loud noises and things that might eat them."

"He spends a lot of time with very loud people," she explained. It felt like he was trying to tell her something. Since Boots was the only cat she ever got to know, she had no other point of reference for how smart cats were in general.

"Maybe we should head toward the monsters," she said.

"Are you crazy?"

"Well, Boots wouldn't want to get eaten, right? He'd only ask to go that way if it was safe." A flurry of [Firebolts] broke through her first [Shield] and almost brought down the one layered behind it, forcing her to hastily put another one up. Meanwhile Raylin gave Boots' suggestion some thought.

"You're really running low on mana?" Raylin asked.

"Not low," she said. Since mana was used in flying, she'd always had ample.

"But we can't stay like this forever. That archmage is going to return sooner or later."

"I don't know what's worse, her or the monsters," Raylin said uncertainly. They didn't get a chance to decide because a voice broke through the din of battle.

"What are you fools doing!" It was the steely-eyed head guard, who had pushed his way in front of alchemists and was staring Maelle down. Raylin sent a well-aimed [Firebolt] down his way, but he casually raised an arm and took the hit like he was blocking a punch.

"Oh no," Raylin gasped.

"He's too high-level." He didn't look that high-level. Raylin's [Firebolt] was just poorly cast and inefficient. But Maelle didn't point that out. There was no need to make her friend feel bad for not being able to afford a top Draegorian tutor. Instead she used the lull in the battle to get off her own [Firebolt], elevated to Tier 2. It flew straight on target to the head guard's neck. He treated the attack as he had Raylin's, casually raising his arm to block.

But this time he let out a cry of pain as the fire scorched him through his sleeves. The effect was less than Maelle had expected. Which meant that Raylin was right about the guard's high level. And he was glaring at her like bloody murder. The guard broke into a charge. Behind him the alchemists followed.

"Why'd you have to go and make him mad?" Raylin moaned. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

"He was already mad," she said before quickly turning over her shoulder and shouting.

"Fall back! Fall back! We're being overrun!" All the captives fled down the passage of last resort. Raylin scooped Boots up and carried him with her. Maelle was the last one in, keeping her [Shield] up to cover their retreat, and taking one last shot with an elevated [Firebolt]. This time the head guard ducked out of the way, allowing the spell to hit one of the unfortunate alchemists behind him and setting their robes on fire.

"Are you trying to make him even angrier?" Raylin scolded when she caught up with her.

"It didn't even hit him," she replied. They sped down the passageway and into a room stained with blood. At the center was a counter surrounded by chains and shackles. There was only one other exit from here, and they followed the others in. Prison cells surrounded them on both sides, leaving only the center path they were on, which exited into another passageway out the other side.

The bars on the cells were thicker than the gaps between them, and just as well, as the creatures within clawed and reached for them as they passed. In the middle of the room were the skeletal remains of a large beast, which had been pushed aside as the others fled past.

"What is that?" Maelle wondered.

"Judging by the bones, I'd say some sort of weird bear," Raylin replied.

"I saw some in a museum once." Maelle was confused.

"But it's only got four legs?" Before she could get close enough for a better look, Raylin yelled out, "Wait!" and stopped by one of the cell doors.

"I've got an idea. Cover me."

"What are you doing?" she said, backtracking to put up a [Shield] behind her friend and watching her fumble with the bent pins that had been used to pick their way out of the cages.

"Just a bit jittery," Raylin said.

"Your hand's all black," she pointed out.

"It's spreading from where it pricked me earlier. But I can use my other hand."

"We should find you a healer."

"Maybe we can ask our captors if they've got one handy." Maelle prepared to send some [Firebolts] into the previous room, only to realize that their captors hadn't made it that far yet. That was when she noticed all the smoke and fire coming from farther up the passageway. She returned to the blood-stained room for a better look and saw that more than a few alchemists were on fire, and their flailing about was making it difficult for the others to get past without catching alight too.

Even the head guard had stopped to stomp his allies out. Or at least that's what she hoped he was doing. She heard a click and looked back at Raylin.

"Hold on. You're releasing the monsters?" she demanded, feeling a spike of fear as the creatures in the cell turned toward the door.

"What did you think I was doing?"

"I was too preoccupied to do any thinking at all!" When one of the monsters nudged at the cell door with its head, Boots got spooked and let out a hiss. He'd climbed up onto Maelle's shoulders and was glaring down a creature more than ten times his size. The monsters in the cell backed away.

"Looks like that batch was a dud," Raylin said.

"Cover me while I open the rest. I'm sure some of these... things will be good and dangerous."

"Better hurry," she said, looking back through the passageway. The head guard and the alchemists had made their way past the congestion. Maelle retreated toward Raylin so that she wouldn't get cut off when the monsters came out. Then she shot off some [Firebolts] toward the captors to slow them down. They all reacted much more defensively than before. Not surprising when half of them already had to abandon their burnt-out robes.

"All done," Raylin announced.

"That fast?" She retreated next to her friend.

"They're all the same lock, so the first one's the hardest." But all the other monsters turned out to be duds too, as they would only stare at her, with Boots hissing from her shoulder, as she and Raylin walked past. A [Firebolt] whizzed past their heads.

"Enough wasting time," Maelle said, pushing Raylin along while putting up another [Shield] behind them. The bones of the four-legged bear helped block a flurry of [Firebolts] as the two girls ran to catch up with the others. One of the other captives was waiting at the next intersection. He waved to them and then disappeared down one of the passages. They followed. But the guards were also coming. The echoes of their footsteps rebounding off the stone walls got louder with each passing moment.

At last Maelle and Raylin caught up with the rest of the group, who were returning the other way.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Dead end," one of them replied.

"Big, solid door in the middle of the hallway. Locked tight. It must be the way out." She turned to Raylin.

"Could you?"

"Of course." Raylin went ahead with her pins. Maelle started putting up [Shields] and prepared to face the alchemists and guards. The other captives who knew some magic took positions around her in the narrow passageway. They had to buy Raylin as much time as possible. When the head guard rounded a corner, the group sent a barrage of [Firebolts] his way. Instead of tanking them, he ducked back around, and the spells splashed harmlessly against the gray stone. This was the trick, she realized.

Even if her [Firebolts] didn't do any damage to him, the pain was enough of a deterrent. And he wasn't able to tell which of the projectiles were hers. As long as they all fired together, they could hold this position. But one of the captives beside her had a different assessment.

"He's waiting for the rest of his people to gather, and then they're all going to charge at once, with him tanking from the front. Unless you've got a spell that can stop him, we'd better hope your friend gets that door open soon." A cry from behind her made her turn around. Raylin had dropped her pins. Worse than that, it looked like something was seriously wrong. One of the other captives helped her over to Maelle.

"What's wrong?" she asked. Raylin held up her hands. Both were black. On one the toxin had spread halfway up her arm while on the other it had only reached her wrist.

"You pricked both hands?" she cried.

"Back when I was unlocking the monster cells, I was rushing," Raylin explained, opening and closing her fingers to show how little mobility they had left. Definitely not enough to be picking any more locks.

"What do we do?" one of the other captives asked. She didn't know. They were trapped. But she had to try something.

"Hey!" she called out, hoping that her voice carried clearly around the corner.

"You're the boss guy here, aren't you?"

"You won't be able to get through that door," the head guard called back.

"It's double-reinforced against the chimeras."

"Chimeras? Is that what they are?" she said. He didn't reply. Then she had an idea.

"These chimeras, they must be dangerous if you need a double-reinforced door to keep them in."

"You have no idea," the guard replied smugly.

"They would give a gold-ranker trouble." Someone who could tank [Firebolts] as confidently as this guard would easily lay claim to gold rank. She wasn't sure if he was confident enough to handle the chimeras, but her only hope lay in the chance that he wasn't.

"The fact that these chimeras were all locked up, I guess that means they aren't on friendly terms with you guys?" she said. There was a brief pause before the guard replied, "What do you mean were?" At that moment a scream echoed through the dungeon. That spurred the head guard and his cohort to charge around the corner. But there was such panic on their faces that she didn't care to shoot at them. The captives stepped aside and allowed the guard and his alchemists to stream past.

When they reached the reinforced door, the guard began fumbling with his keys. He dropped them to the floor when his hands were struck by Maelle's [Firebolt].

"What was that for!" he screamed.

"Do you have a death wish?"

"We all escape or none of us escapes," she said.

"Fine, fine." Trembling he picked the keys off the floor and sorted through them. Panicked cries from the other captives made her turn around. The head of a snake had appeared in the passageway, its elongated neck leading back around the corner at an unnatural height. Maelle shot an elevated [Firebolt] at it. Instead of retreating from the hit, the snake hissed in anger, and the rest of its body stepped into view. It had the body of a lion and four whip-like tails.

All the other captives backed away, save for the only one at Tier 2 like Maelle. The two of them shared a glance and then plopped down a [Shield] each, layering them on top of one another. It wouldn't be enough to stop a gold-rank attack, but it would buy the people behind them a few precious seconds.

"Are you almost done yet?" she asked the guard, the panic rising in her voice.

"I told you this door is a bit particular, didn't I?" he replied.

"No, you didn't."

"Well, it is, okay!" The snake-lion-whiptail took a cautious step forward. It wasn't charging in like she was expecting. In fact it seemed conflicted, eyeing her like it couldn't figure out if she was a legitimate threat. That's when she noticed it wasn't actually looking at her but at Boots, who had for some reason decided that now was a good time to climb up and perch on her shoulder. That made her realize that if they all died here, Amberlin was going to lose her cat.

And somehow that thought made her feel almost as bad as the thought of her own death. She couldn't allow Boots to die. She pointed a finger at the snakehead. And poured all her mana into the [Firebolt], trying her best to elevate it to Tier 3. She'd only gotten that training manual from Virdis yesterday and hadn't had a proper chance to study it. But before that, she'd been working on the Amber Mage's textbook that she got from Havlo. That had to count for something, right? Boots was hissing.

The snake froze midstep. All her mana was leaking. She couldn't get the spell form right. But she only needed one shot.

"Got it!" The cry came from behind her. It was followed by the sound of the door shifting. Maelle and her co-defender backed away. The snake-lion-whiptail didn't follow. The other captives flowed up their stairs and out into what looked like a dojo. Maelle followed and ended up bumping into Raylin because everyone had come to an abrupt stop. She quickly saw why. Archmage Poshit was there, staring at them in shock. But she wasn't alone. What really made her heart stop were the people the archmage was talking to.

The dragonkin assassins who'd been chasing her only a few days ago, only there were eight of them now. From the way they were looking back at her, it was clear that they recognized her too. For a moment the entire room stood in silence. And then the exterior door opened. All heads turned. Maelle would recognize those deep blue scales anywhere. And she would never forget the half-elf who'd rescued her from those bandits. It was Marina together with Rava.