Menzoberranzan, Year 2

Two mages sat cross-legged in front of each other, hands clasped and eyes closed. They were locked in a mental struggle against each other. They had done this before.

Then the younger was thrown back as if hit by a cannonball and hit the floor hard.

Gromph opened his eyes with an expression that spoke of both bemusement and disappointment. "Last time, you were doing better. What brought this on, Miyazaki?"

Nodoka got up and went back to her original seat. "It's about what happened, Master."

"Exactly, what happened?" He asked for clarification.

"The Mizzrym enforcers," she clarified.

"Ahhhh."

Nodoka disliked this. He was a bit condescending at her at times. He looked down on her for being a woman, a human, or both. Drow hated humans, and as a man who cannot progress any further in drow society than he already has, Gromph hated females. Nodoka most likely represented both worlds before him. And on top of that, next to no females in Menzoberranzan practiced arcane magic, so he'd feel threatened by her being an apprentice.

"Unaccustomed to death, are we?" He asked, and she flinched. That was a bad move; she shouldn't have done that. "Hm. As a human, I do believe you are going to be fine. You do adapt faster than other races out there. There will be more kills. Of that, you should be certain."

And yet Nodoka felt awful. "Master, a question."

"Go on."

"What was your first kill like?" She regretted asking him that since he looked at her in such a fashion that made her think he thought her an idiot. "W-w-what I meant was… How did it feel after having done so?"

"What my first kill was is none of your concern, so don't ever ask me that again," he snapped, and she flinched for real. "But as for how I felt… I…" he trailed off, trying to remember. Nodoka had seen that look before on others. Best be patient. "When I first killed, I felt great anxiety over the fact that I had just killed. Then… relief. I was victorious, and I was alive in my victory. And I had done so with my own power, without the aid of others. I had never been so grateful to my powers as I had been in that moment."

She nodded. "When I killed that intruder, I didn't think. I just rushed him with my knife. I stabbed him in the back of his neck. I didn't feel relief that I had just killed a man. I felt remorseful with having just taken a life. At the same time, I felt relief that I had also saved someone's life in the process. And that felt… wrong to me. I'm not- I- I don't want it to make sense that to end one life to save another is the way forward."

"Sometimes, that is the only way forward," Gromph replied. "Sometimes your way makes sense. Sometimes it does not. You should not stick to one road when you want to move forward."

"I'd rather move forward without having to abandon what I believe is right, Master," she spat out. "This isn't about kill or be killed. It's about doing what should be right, not expedient at the time."

"Ah. You believe in the code of chivalry and honor, do you?" He asked. She blushed. She didn't exactly believe in chivalry, but she thought herself to have certain standards. Otherwise, she'd be no better than those guys from Kosmo Entelecheia.

"Listen to me, Miyazaki," he started, staring her in the eye. And she found it hard not to look away from his crimson red glare.

"Chivalry… is manners."

She just blinked at him.

"Honor is prestige, and principles are restrictions," he continued. "Now, each of these can be used in combat, and some would consider that a good thing. But in the end, all that is just palaver disguised to either make both parties satisfied or just to delude yourself. Because even with chivalry, honor, and principles, the end goal of combat is still to achieve victory. How you achieve victory is entirely up to you.

"If you can achieve victory while upholding chivalry, honor, and or principles, congratulations. What a rare achievement you've accomplished. But if you can't achieve it without discarding those things, then discard them, and you have nothing to be ashamed about. Victory is the goal, not the means you took to reach it. You won't do anyone any favors by dying just to uphold your principles or adhere to chivalry. And never mistake honor for victory. You're too smart to make that mistake. And you're too smart to tell me I am wrong."

Nodoka nodded to him, acknowledging what he said. "Now," he said, clasping his hands. "Again."


Present Day

There was something about gearing up for combat. You know what you're getting into. You understand that it's dangerous. To tell yourself that war is safe to get into is delusional.

You have been preparing for weeks or even months for this occasion. You have undergone training for it. You have acquired equipment meant to help you experience this occasion.

And yet, you might feel a teeny tiny bit PANICKED at going through with it.

That's kind of how Nodoka felt as she woke from her slumber. Her head was packed with her chosen spells, and she had new toys to play with.

She didn't want to do this. She just wanted to stay in the castle and be safe for a couple of more days. But she didn't have that luxury. Nor did the other people out there who could get hurt if she ran.

Also, it was hard to sleep while wearing a hat. This fancy hat of wizardry she just got forced her to sleep on the edge of a bed, making it hang over the side and making her very uncomfortable. And that wasn't close to wearing her medallion in bed as well.

Nodoka got up and started putting on her gear. She would get a few other things as well, but she had her chosen attire for this fight. And then, she said something she was hoping would work with her new hat. But now… to test if it worked.

"Practe Bigi Nar… Ardescat." She waved her finger in the same gesture as when she first started practicing that spell. Nothing happened. She clenched her fist and tried again.

"Practe Bigi Nar… Ardescat." This time, she flicked her thumb from the inside of the hand, scratching it against the other fingers as if to mimic a lighter.

A tiny flicker of flame emerged from her thumb. And she felt joy. Again, just to be sure.

"Practe Bigi Nar... Ardescat." Now, the flame burst forward from the center of her palm, a living fire for her to use. Nodoka felt like she was on top of the world.

And then that moment ended because her stomach growled.

She and the others served breakfast to the novices. Novices always had big appetites. A good impression of years of handling youngsters and teenagers for the teachers. And that didn't take into account the various races that applied at the university. After the students ate, the teachers ate. And their apprentice joined them.

"I trust you have an idea?" Rincewind asked her.

"Yes," Nodoka replied. "It's a long shot, but I can win. I just need to add a few more extra things."

"Good. I'd hate to learn that you'd died."

Brandybuck gave her a vial. "Here. You should have this. You'll know when to use this."

Nodoka inspected the vial. "Bull's Strength?"

"You know what it does. I leave it to you to decide what to do with it."

"...Thank you, Master."

Drizzt looked perturbed, anxious over the situation. "I cannot in a good mood say that you should face this on your own, Madivh. You should have allies with you out there against such foes."

"And I greatly appreciate the offer, master Do'Urden," Nodoka replied, "but you have other obligations, and you have other responsibilities elsewhere. I cannot, in good faith, ask you to risk your life for me when your own family is waiting for you to return. And clan Battlehammer will want to know of Mordin as well. They will surely expect you to return with that news."

Drizzt grunted softly to concede the point. Nodoka tucked the potion away in her sleeve. Best keep it away for the time being. "Oh, and Master Rincewind?" She asked. "Where did you put that musket you got from me yesterday?"

After they ate, Nodoka having eaten the most hearty breakfast of the lot, they went back to the beach. All the students had packed their things, loaded their own memories with their spells and cantrips, and now they were ready, almost eager to get back out there.

Nodoka had a big bag slung over her shoulder and a chest in her hands. The musket she got back from Rincewind was slung over the other shoulder. Romavax took the chest from her for the time being.

"Can we go now?" Chenna asked.

"Yes, yes," said Nodoka, picking out her key.

"Wait, why are we at the beach?" Valence asked. "We could have done this at the castle, couldn't we?"

"Yes, but if that bastard is still out there," Nodoka responded, "I wouldn't want him inside the castle walls. Better to deal with him out there without cover for him to hide than to risk friendly fire in a place where he's got loads of cover."

She opened the portal, and Drizzt went through first. Everyone waited for him to come back. Then he did. "Clear."

As before, Maddie went last out. The time to be Nodoka was over. The time to be Maddie again was now.

The campsite was an utter wreck. None of the tents stood intact. Maddie's cottage had its roof smashed in. The tower had been toppled over, and the scent of fire smoke was dominant. Those two had made a mess of the place.

Then they found Mordin. He had been impaled on a pole in the middle of the campsite, his chain mail rent and sundered as if it was regular clothes torn by a savage bear. One of his own axes was embedded in his shoulder, and the crossbow was snapped in half.

Barendd rushed over to see his fellow dwarf and recoiled as soon as he saw Mordin's face. Barendd looked horrified himself. "Hi- his… his beard's been burnt off."

They got Mordin down. His face had been severely burnt, his beard reduced to mere singed singular hair strands on his face, and his nose was smashed in. Literally. And his eyes had been gouged out. Judging by the lack of blood, that happened posthumously.

Barendd knelt by Mordin's corpse. "He… he didn't deserve this. He's a dwarf. Dwarves deserve rock and stone."

Rincewind put a hand on Barendd's shoulder. "We'll bury him here. The man gave his life for all of us. He's a bloody hero. And heroes deserve full rights. Right, everyone?"

"Right." Not one of them objected. Romavax found the remains of her metallic dog against a tree while everyone resolved to find stones. Maddie was going to join them when she saw a bloody black spot not far off.

She knew what it was right away. She walked over to it. It was Heebie. Her proud, brash, courageous, and reckless honey badger familiar. She knelt down by the splotch. She could still see tufts of white fur amidst the smashed-in bones and bloodstains.

For three years, he was her companion. For three years, he put up with her mood. Her temper at being bullied by the rest of house Baenre. Her sadness when she felt more lonely than usual.

He was her protector when she had no other. He was her furry friend who loved snacks a little too much. He listened to her when she rambled on about things. He was her loyal test subject volunteer when she had to practice a new spell. She kept him for so long that he may as well have been family.

And now he was just a bloody stain on the ground. Done in by a dragon as if he was little a little fly. Sure, but he was Maddie's little fly.

Noone seemed to bother her sobbing and mourning her friend while they worked.

Then Rincewind patted her on the shoulder. "We're ready," he said, and they walked over to Mordin's little funeral.

They had dug a shallow hole and had placed round stones carefully along the bottom, forming a stone flooring for Mordin to lie on. Mordin himself was interred with his rent armor and his arms folded together. They put someone's handkerchief over his face so they wouldn't see just how horridly mutilated he had been.

Not that it mattered to any of them. They had seen his face in the preparations, and they would hardly forget it for a long time.

Everyone had a large stone in hand. Maddie was passed one, and they all stood in a circle. "Uh… what now?" Someone asked.

"No one knows the words?" Chenna asked. No one answered.

Eventually, Maddie stepped forward. She looked down at Mordin, then knelt down and placed her stone on him. "Thank you for saving our lives," she said in a prayer-esque tone.

The others followed suit, saying the same phrase. Drizzt didn't say it when he laid his stone. "May you find a seat at Moradin's table, my friend."

As a final note, they laid Mordin's axes on top of the stone mound crossed to mark his grave. It helped that the old dwarf had engraved his name in the handles.

A moment of silence followed. Then, "We should get moving." Rincewind took the lead.

None of them talked. It helped. Maddie could focus on the fight ahead. It was going to be hard. She felt reminded again that she was alone, with none of her family beside her. It was a sobering thought. And it would help her stay alive. Because since she couldn't rely on any of her family to help her…

She would simply have to make do with what she had.

And she had a lot of things to use on those bastards.

They traversed and skulked along the treeline, following the teacher of survival, using a coordinated formation. Rincewind took the lead, Maddie was on the right flank, Brandybuck in the middle with the students, Romavax on the left, and Drizzt in the rear, astride his unicorn. They never found Mordin's pony amidst all that rubble. But with a dragon having assaulted them, it was fairly obvious.

Hugh and Barendd had their ranged weapons at the ready, too. Chenna stood on the back of the unicorn behind Drizzt, sling in hand. Everyone else had their eyes open on the sky, hands twitching, and practice wands at the ready. Maddie was armed with the musket, though it wasn't loaded. She should probably load it. But they had to keep moving.

Finally, they reached the teleportation circle. It was encircled by menhir stones carved with arcane runes, a large ring composed of metals that would not rust in the arctic cold, and covered with a permanent wall of force that acted as a roof.

Everyone took it easy then. Rincewind inspected the circle. Brandybuck listed off every student they had with them to ensure no one stayed behind. Maddie took to loading the musket. Romavax put down the chest next to her. "What did you bring this out here for, anyway?"

"Insurance, Master," Maddie replied. "Just in case I might need it."

"What's in it, anyway?"

"I'd rather not say out loud here." Maddie looked at the students and stage-whispered. "You know novices get when they smell money."

"Ah," Romavax whispered back. "I get you. So how is that done, anyway?" She gestured to the musket.

"Oh. It's a muzzleloader. You take some black powder; put that in first. Then you put some wadding in. That's to contain the powder when it is ignited."

"So it's to make an explosion? Inside the firearm?"

"Yes. The explosion is meant to propel the bullet." Maddie demonstrated by putting in the bullet. "Now I just gotta get it in right," she said, taking out the accompanying ramrod and started pressing it down the barrel. "The ramrod helps, compressing the powder, wadding, and the bullet together. Once that is done, I simply put the ramrod back, cock the hammer back here…"

Click.

"...and I'm ready to shoot."

"Impressive. Though it wouldn't be fast like so."

"No. A fast shooter could do, say, three to four shots per minute. It's user-dependent."

"Sounds rather flawed to me. If you survive, could I have a closer look? I think I might do a few changes," Romavax asked.

"If I survive. If I don't, I'll try to leave it where you can find it."

"That's not funny."

"Was it supposed to be?"

Romavax walked away to yield the argument. It wasn't a good one, to begin with.

We're leaving a friend behind to die, Maddie heard her thoughts. It's not right.

Maddie clutched her medallion. Slept with that on, too. At least it was easier to sleep with than the hat.

"Circle's good. We can go," Rincewind called. "Everyone step inside."

Everyone but Maddie, that is. Drizzt dismissed his unicorn to get in the circle himself. But he stopped to put a hand on her shoulder. "You are a much braver person than I'd thought you'd be."

Maddie chuckled. "People have been saying that for years. I'm just not brave enough to run away for fear of people seeing that I am afraid."

"No. You know what you are doing," he reassured her. "Tymora guide you."

"And you, Drizzt Do'Urden." The two of them clasped each other by the forearm. "Let's meet again under better circumstances."

The heroic drow nodded with a smile and stepped inside the circle.

"Maddie," Rincewind called to her. She couldn't help but notice the students were confused. "You sure you're up for this?"

A last-ditch effort for her to come with. It was understandable. She could hear them thinking.

"Wait, she's not coming with?"

"What's going on?"

"Why is she not in the circle?"

Those were just a prelude to what they were thinking. Maddie could see Chenna on the verge of cracking up. And honestly?

She wanted to come with. She wanted to run. But with everything she has done so far…

"Yeah," she stated and showed off her gun. "And I'm gonna win."

Rincewind flinched for an instant there. Very brief, but she could see that he wasn't thrilled about her staying. "This might just be the last time I ever see her. And I'm not ready to- well, it is her choice. Must respect that." "I'll owe you a drink when you get back."

"Heh, I'll hold you to it."

Then the magic activated. Chenna cried, "no," but it was too late. Within seconds, they were all gone. And Maddie was left alone once again.

She crouched down and shuddered. It hurt to be left alone. It was so nice to have company for a change. Now… it just stinks to be alone. How could anyone ever feel good while alone?

Nodoka took a deep breath. And rose up again.

"Alright then," said Maddie. "Time to get to work."

She took out the main items of the satchel she had been carrying this whole time. Her Lamp. Before she rubbed it to summon a genie, she opened the chest she got Romavax to carry this whole way. After making sure nothing was missing from the contents, she started rubbing.

A sulfury smoke emerged from the Lamp first. "Oh, brilliant," Maddie muttered as the smoke took form and fire emerged. A massive, muscular, barechested man with horns and black eyes emerged from the smoke, sporting tattoos of a vicious nature.

"I hear your summons and obey," he spoke in a deep and booming voice, probably just to intimidate and show off. Efreet weren't known to be polite. "State your wishes and I shall grant them to the best of my-"

"Yeah, no," she interrupted. He looked at her.

"What?" He asked.

"I know you Efreeti," she stated, "and I know you don't bother with granting wishes to the best of your abilities. You like to be terse and cruel, twisting the words of whatever we mere mortals wish of you and then call it a day.

"Now, if I were a genie and I was put in one of those things, having been made a slave and forced to grant wishes of those who used it, I'd probably be the same. I get your frustration. But this Lamp guarantees your freedom when all three have been used. So, if you want out, you best play nice. Understood?"

He stammered. He actually stammered. "You- you can't just-" Then he simply glared at her. "Just state your wishes, mortal. I am not in the mood now. You ruined it."

"Yeah, I've been having that day myself. But tell you what, I got a little incentive for you." She kicked the open chest. That was loaded to the brim with platinum coins.

"Is that-"

"Consider it a geniegeld. Basically, once all my wishes have been granted, you get to leave here and take the money with you. No strings attached. So, play ball?"

He inhaled the cold air and seemed unafflicted by it. Impressive. Maybe it was his natural body heat or he had a permanent Endure Elements spell on him. "Play ball," he repeated.

"Good. My first wish is this: I would like a chain shirt, made out of mithral. Approximately my size - and I mean, I should be able to wear it without issue, not my actual size - and accompanying gear that comes with."

"Hmph, as you wish." This magic was different from when Marina-san did her magic. This had a strong smell of unfiltered sulfur and brimstone to it. But it was just as effective in the end. A chain shirt with a pair of greaves and a nasal skullcap helmet appeared from the smoke and landed at Maddie's feet. "There, as requested. Your size and all. Next wish."

Huh. So he actually was playing ball. Okay. "Right. Next wish." She brandished the musket. "You see this? I'd like an enchantment placed on it."

"Oh?"

"Basically, I would like any ammunition shot from it to explode on impact."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. And if you think that's a bit overkill, I'm putting in a condition, too."

"Wait, you want an enchantment on a firearm to give it exploding ammunition, and you want there to be conditions to it?"

"Not conditions, a condition," she corrected. "Basically, the enchantment is to end once the person who last fired it has killed a red dragon."

Now his eyebrows rose. "Let me get this straight. You want this weapon to have exploding ammo, and this is to end when the shooter has killed a red dragon?"

"Yes. That is it, exactly."

"You know what? As you wish." The musket flared up with a bright orange glow for two seconds when the words were spoken. Maddie could feel the hum of that thing now.

"Ooh, nice."

"That's two wishes, now what is your third?" He asked.

Now that was a good question. She only had the two stored ahead, but she had also been hoping for the djinn rather than the efreet. What could she ask for-?

Oh. Wait.

"For today…" she started, but she had to think about the wording. "For today and tomorrow, I wish that I, and any of the stuff I have with me, are immune to fire."

He blinked. "That one makes sense. As you wish." The glow surrounded her and lasted just as long as the one on the musket. "There. And to prove it," he said, and then he sprayed fire from his hand as if he was just waving his hand.

Maddie felt no pain, no heat, and nothing she wore or held in hand was heating up nor being destroyed by the fire. When it ended, she could only nod in both approval and in awe. "Nice. And with that, you are now free."

"I'll be taking my money and leave, then." The Efreet crouched down to collect his chest. He double-checked her to see if she made any move against it. As she didn't, he picked it up with some relief. "Question. You asked to be immune to fire and for a firearm that shoots exploding ammunition. And you asked for limitations. I get the power boosts, but why the restrictions?"

Maddie already had an answer for that. "With power comes the responsibility to use it. And if I left it on permanently, I would just take it for granted. I'll use it, sure, but I'm not gonna be reckless about it."

He blinked at her. "Heh. You are retarded." Then he poofed away in a flash of flame.

Maddie gasped. "Wow, that's just beyond rude."


Maddie was very pleased that the Phantom Steed was ritual magic. Meant she didn't need to prepare it beforehand or anything. And she was pleased that Rincewind had shown her how to do it.

And that the summoned mount she made - a griffon without wings - could haul butt very well.

She reached the mountain top faster than last time. Partly because she knew the way this time and partly because her mount was faster than the horse she used last time. And this time, she had a specific destination in place.

She started the climb, musket in hand, just in case. The steps felt familiar. Same as they were last time. Only one thing missing this time.

Right on time, though. She heard the snarling and growling. But this time, it was in front of her rather than behind her. The lindwurm showed up, probably the same one she met last time. "Hello again," she told it. And it flinched.

It recognized her. It hadn't expected to see her again. Certainly not alive.

Maddie wasn't going to enjoy this, but this did provide an opportunity. She took aim with her gun and crouched. Best to preserve the spells for the real dragon. "I'm sorry, but you did try to eat me."

It roared at her, and she pulled the trigger.

Just like with a crossbow, it was so easy to use and very accurate. The bullet sang true through the air and impacted the lindwurm's head.

And then the explosion happened. The lindwurm didn't stand a chance. It was dead by the sheer blast of the explosion before the fire did the rest. Maddie felt a bit of remorse. In the end, it was just a hungry predator.

But no time to grieve it. And she wouldn't. End of the day, it tried to eat her, and she didn't want to be eaten. Simple as that.

She had work to do here. She kept walking. Although… a lindwurm's teeth could get her some neat stuff…

Ah, she could get it later if she had to.

It took her some walking, but she reached the cave. Good. It was intact, even.

Maddie got to work right away. With a piece of charcoal, she drew a circle. Arcane markings were made inside the circle. All of which were designed to help her amplify her spell.

When it was ready, Maddie stood in the middle and spoke, "Audacia, Magica, Bibliotheca,"

Her key phrase. Hers. No longer did she need the practice key. And each word filled her with the confidence that she was a wizard now. And she was going to make some noise now.

Because as she learned last time, this place had great acoustics.


He tore another chunk of his roast steak. This great animal had a bountiful amount of meat sticking to its corpse. His partner had the most of it, but he could get a few chunks to roast.

Bathogo, his dragon partner, tore off great chunks with every bite from the wooly, trunk-nosed animal. After what they went through, spending the rest of the day searching in vain for their target and barely getting any sleep, hunting down a great beast to feast on was the least they deserved.

Besides, his face was searing, and he had to cool it with water. Blast that girl for splashing acid in his face.

Thinking back on her made him think. Where did she end up at?

"How's the eye?" Bathogo asked between the chunks of meat he scoffed down.

"How's the ball?" He asked back. He was surprised to learn the dragon had been bitten down there, by an absurdly sized rodent, no less.

In response, the dragon groaned.

"Exactly."

Bathogo tore off another chunk of mammoth meat. "Where did she go?"

He shrugged. "No clue. All I could see in that portal was an ocean beach. So probably somewhere tropical."

"Great. That gives us every coastal region in the world," the dragon complained.

"Not necessarily. We can at least rule out the Sword Coast and Icewind Dale. So that leaves us…"

"With Maztica, Kara-Tur, and Zakhara," Bathogo pointed out. "And that leaves out also the southern parts of Faerûn, too. It's too big. We're back to square one."

"And on top of that, we're broke. Unless you want to-"

"Not happening."

"Then we are broke and need to pay another mage to find her. We're not going back to Zakhara unless we have to."

Soft trumpeting caught his attention. A small one, probably the child of the one they took down when attacking the herd. He could see the rest of the herd at a distance by checking the periphery. At least two of them were bristling, or was it growling with elephants? Whatever the case, they seemed ready for a fight if it came to it. Now he and Bathogo could handle them. It seemed like a good fight. But they were pressed for time and money.

He grabbed the infant by the head and held it close. The infant tried to get away, pulling as hard as it could against his pull, but he was stronger. The two mammoth fighters stepped closer, but Bathogo paid them his attention. As for him, he pulled the infant closer.

"Tough luck, little one. We need money, and we happened upon a clan of frost giants over at High Ice. I heard they like to domesticate beasts like you." He couldn't help but chuckle. "I'm sure you will fetch a very nice price."

And then he heard the roar.

In fact, they all did. The infant stopped squirming. The mammoths lost interest in the dragon, and the dragon paid more attention to the roar.

The sound came from the mountains. The mountains were close to where they had found their prey.

Bathogo snarled. "Challenge roar."

He let go of the infant, who ran away as fast as he could. "Out here? There are no other dragons in the area."

"The Lindwurms wouldn't dare face me," Bathogo agreed and continued the line of thought at the same time.

"And there are no dinosaurs up here. (1) At least none big enough to make that noise."

They exchanged looks. And then he smiled. "We're back on schedule."

But then he stopped. She had challenged them. That alone spoke volumes. He grew nervous. She looked scared the first time they faced each other. Now she was coming back for more? What had changed? What made her think the odds were in her favor now?

Bathogo seemed to think the same. "She thinks to best me?"

"No, us. She thinks she can beat the two of us," he corrected his partner. He pondered and scratched his head. Of all the tactics he had seen mages employ over the years, this was not one favored by them. "If we go now… we could be walking into a trap. Wizards don't do straight-up fights nor go up against overwhelming odds on a whim. Not without a plan. She's got a plan. And I hate fighting prepared wizards. Plus, I'm down an eye, and I haven't adjusted yet."

Bathogo walked forward. "But if we don't go now, we lose sight of her. She'd leave, we'd lose her, and we'd be back to square one."

They kept staring at a distance.

"We could draw her out."

"We'd be attracting unwanted attention from others. And she'd be surrounded by those who wouldn't let her leave."

"She wouldn't let neutral villages get caught in the crossfire."

"Neither would all the great powers in Faerûn if we chose to draw her out."

"So this is it, then."

"Yes."

He cracked his knuckles and stretched his limbs. He then drew his sword for inspection and put on his goggles. "Well then," he said and mounted Bathogo by the base of his neck. "Once more unto the breach."

And the two set off toward their destiny.


Maddie had found a ridge to hide behind as she believed them to come her way. If they flew past, they wouldn't see her. They'd expose a blind spot to her if they flew over her. Of course, if they came from behind, then she might be in trouble.

Of course, given their size, she'd hear them before she'd see them, and she could adjust accordingly. And she had prepared. She had put her new shiny mithril shirt on and put the robe over to hide it. The greaves couldn't be hidden, but they were useful nonetheless. And the helmet was tucked inside the hat for both an extra layer of protection and concealment. Deception is part of warfare, after all.

And she brought her sword. Both of them. Her new adamantine sword hung from her hip, and her other sword, Dawnbringer, was tucked into the belt. She had to get something special for it once this was over. If she won, that was.

"Dawnbringer, be honest with me," Maddie asked it. "Do you think we have a chance to win this?"

"I do not think, Madivh," said the sword of sunlight. "I know."

"Okay. But, do we have a chance to win this, yes or no?"

"Yes." That answer was very concrete. "It is no good to consider the battle lost before you commence. You must set your sights on victory before committing."

"Yes, I know. But you should never take victory for granted. There will always be someone who takes you down, at least."

"On that, we agree. Never assume you are the greatest warrior in the world."

"Shouldn't be lo-" Whoosh! "Oh, here we go." Maddie cocked her musket, readied her aim, and took out her little archery stand model.

She saw them coming up. There was something about seeing a dragon in flight. It seemed very magical and evocative. Now, they were about 300 yards away and closing. Even for an expert marksman, shooting such a large target with a crossbow would have presented a challenge.

But for a wizard armed with a musket, who has had their eyes enhanced by a magic pool of water blessed by a deity and has a spell specifically for ensuring the bullet hit its mark, that was a different story.

Maddie had loaded her gun after her roar and had ridden hard to her chosen ambush spot. And now it was coming down to this moment. She would either win or avenge Mordin and Heebie…

…or she'd be beaten and broken, dragged before Vlaakith the Lich-Queen.

Now or ever, she thought as she took hold of her model.

"Let my aim be true."

With that, the first shot was guaranteed. One shot to bring him down to the ground. But she had to act fast. She took aim, and…

Bang!


They were caught unprepared for the sudden explosion.

He got thrown off Bathogo and started falling to the ground. Fortunately, one of the tattoos he'd been given allowed him to safely fall to the ground. It also allowed him to survey what had just happened.

Bathogo had been shot in the joint where his wing met the rest of his body. The dragon tried to stay airborne, but it was a damn good shot. Bathogo landed on the ground, headfirst. He sprawled around, rolling over to get up from his prone position.

As for him, he used his goggles to scout where the shot had come from. His goggles had helped immensely when they first came here, allowing him to see her from a distance. This time, he might just spot her again. But he saw nothing.

Then he just had to anticipate. Where would a really good spot be if she had to use an ambush site to attack them unseen?

And then she gave herself away. A blink of rare sunlight shined off her weapon, and she flinched. He saw she had one of the muskets he got from the pirates down south. Huh. So she did have a plan. No ordinary bullet could have brought down a dragon like Bathogo.


Crap. He saw her.

Maddie noted he was falling slowly, like with Feather Fall. That changed things. How did he do that? He didn't seem like a magic user himself.

She had finished reloading her musket and cocked the percussion cap back. Taking aim, she had two targets: The warrior and the dragon. And the dragon was-

The dragon roared and got back on his feet. Never mind, priority target acquired. Maddie's one drawback was that she couldn't use True Strike again.

But then again, she had really good eyesight, and the bullets traveled fast.

Bang!


Hearing the gunshot but not feeling anything, he concluded that she shot Bathogo again. This time, she hit him in the other joint. And the blast was enough to knock his partner off his feet.

He raised his hand and shouted, "Jaculetur!" As before, a silver bolt of raw energy shot out from his ring and headed straight for her. She must have heard him or seen him do it because she scrambled.

"I see her!" He shouted to Bathogo.

"Go!" The dragon shouted back. "I'll catch up!"

Convenient, because he just landed on his feet. Time to go collect her and get back.

Wait, did she just dodge it?


Magic Missile.

How?!

The guy could shoot Magic Missiles. Maddie narrowly managed to dodge that one. Thank god for advanced mathematics in the university curriculum. Working out the airspeed velocity of that missile and the angle by which it'd be too late for it to adjust course to hit her was a real challenge, but Maddie was pumping adrenaline like crazy.

Uh oh, she saw him running her way. She had to change location now.

Maddie snapped her fingers, and a feather appeared in her hand. "Winds of Akadi, give me passage and no trouble," she spoke and gestured, and she took flight.

Maddie had seen wizards fly before, and some of them could reach some serious speeds. But she couldn't reach that speed yet. She had to make do with the initial Fly spell. But it was more than enough.

She flew off into the trees. The terrain was rough, the trees obscured an outside view constantly, and little roots and various stones and fallen down logs made for an interesting obstacle course. For him, that is.

For her, she didn't have to worry about any of those. Of course, she could only fly for about five minutes in total. But in such a landscape, five minutes of flight at higher speeds than walking and jogging was plenty of time and distance.

She glanced back. He was running fast and had entered the tree line.

Okay, he had taken the bait and left the dragon behind. They were divided. Good. Maddie couldn't fight them both at the same time, so the plan was simply to divide and conquer.

That dragon couldn't make his way into the forest as easily, so he'd stand out by miles. He would either try to brute force his way through the trees, or he'd have to wait outside. And if he did try to force his way in, he'd be bogged down by the fact that the trees were in his way. Either way, the dragon was out of the way for the moment.

Now Maddie just needed a good spot to set the trap for her pursuer. She had an idea of what to do and how to do it, but the location mattered right now.

Truthfully, she only needed any two trees, but what mattered was a good distance in case the dragon chose to follow.

Maddie lost track of how long she had been flying when she found a place. It seemed like a decent place to stop. And there was a big rock she could hide behind. She landed by the rock and got her musket ready. She started loading. Powder first, then the wadding and the bullet went last. She had to make sure she got it memorized.

He had to be showing up soo-

A second silver bolt came straight at her. And it was too close to dodge. Crap.

Maddie could only throw the musket away. The Magic Missile has a tendency to break weapons at times. And she needed it.

The bolt hit her square in the chest and sent her careening into a tree. She hit her head.

"Argh!" she yelled before slumping down on the ground. No. Oh, no. She was losing control. Couldn't stay awake…

Had to… stay awake…

Get up…

Get…


Amazingly, Maddie woke up without any pain. But she wasn't in the forest anymore. She was on soft fabric, dry quarters, and bright lights. No more sounds of birds singing or the distant trumpeting of the mammoths and the howling of wolves. Now it was the continuous hum of a powerful engine and the rattling of pipes and an air conditioner flowing. She found herself on a ship. And yet, there was nothing alien or githyanki evocative about the interior. Everything looked…

familiar?

She checked her bed. It was a sofa. The room was wide, with a second sofa, a TV display, and a small kitchen, or was it a galley on a ship? The whole room looked identical to…

"The Great Paru-sama?" She asked out loud. It was. It was the Great Paru-sama. It was Haruna's airship. What the hell? What's going on here?

Is she dreaming? Or is this some kind of… hallucinogen imposed by the concussion from the collision? Or was all of the last ten years just one big bad dream?

She pinched herself. No pain. Great, this is a dream. But is it a dream that you wake up from, or not? And how long did she have? They say that time flows differently between mental states and the real world, but how do you know for certain? And what is the difference? Does it flow slower for the mental state or faster? If slower, then she'd be screwed. That guy could just be grabbing her right now and hauling her off to Vlaakith. But if it was faster, then she might just have a chance.

Still, what is going on here?

"Hello?" She called. No one answered. "Anyone there?"

A door handle rattled. The door opened, and out stepped a short person with really long hair covered under a hat. They wore a white shirt and black trousers, all ruffled like the person had gone to sleep in them. And then it hit her. She knew who that person was. Because that person spoke first.

"Nodoka?"

"Yue?"

"Nodoka!"

"YUE!"

And two best friends embraced in the fiercest hug they had ever committed to. They clung to each other so hard, that they wound up collapsing on the floor. Tears flowed from both of them, and they had the biggest smiles they could sport.

"Oh my god, it feels so good to see you again!"

"You too!"

Happy sobbing is some of the best there is.

"I don't care if this is a dream; it's just great to see you again, Yue!" Nodoka said through the happy tears.

"Wait, dream?" Yue questioned. The two separated. "Is this a dream?"

"Yeah, I think so. I pinched myself, and it didn't hurt," Nodoka explained. "You don't remember how you fell asleep?"

Yue gazed off for a bit. "Now that I think about it… I think I dozed off in Haruna's arms, back on the GPS. (2) It's confusing. And what are you wearing, by the way?"

Maddie checked herself to see she was still wearing her battle outfit and hat, minus her weapons. "Oh, I uh…"

Oh, to hell with it. It's Yue. Why wouldn't she tell her best friend in all of existence?

"Yue, I'm in a bad spot. I got troubles," she said. And she told Yue the rest.

"Hmph, should have expected something dirty from Vlaakith," she said after a moment of silent contemplation.

"Wait, you know her?" Nodoka asked.

"Not personally, but she sent 'envoys' to Mahora. Offered to transport a number of us to find you and bring you back." Yue told her the rest. "I don't know how things are going, otherwise."

They both sat on the sofa. Asuna missing, Konoka and Setsuna doing something, Chizuru and Akira are "guests of royalty", and Fate leading their team. Nodoka reclined on her seat and sighed heavily.

"This has become one giant mess, hasn't it?"

"Yes."

"So what now?"

"Now? You finish what you're in, Nodoka," Yue explained. "I gotta work on what we have on our end."

"What?" Nodoka exclaimed. "But how am I-?"

"Nodoka," Yue said calmly. "Can I be clear? We're scattered. There's a good chance that if we don't get together again, we're gonna die. Our friends back home are gonna die. Our friends with me are gonna die. But before all of that happens… you're gonna die."

Nodoka froze. Yue talking like this? "Wh- why are you-?"

"I'm telling you what is at stake here. They have changed the game from under our feet. We can't go back to the way things were because of that. What matters is how we respond to the new game. And the wrong move means game over. No do-overs."

They sat in silence again. Then Nodoka huffed. "Just like back at Ostia, huh?"

Yue blinked. Then she smiled. "Yes, like at Ostia."

"You know, now I know this isn't a dream. If it were, Negi-sensei would be walking right about now."

"And probably ask you to marry him, at last."

"That, or…" Nodoka trailed off. "N-never mind. It's silly."

The two laughed. It was going to be the last one they'd have in a while. So they made it last.

Yue broke the silence first. "Think you're up for it?"

Nodoka stared at her best friend and, with a tone that spoke of unyielding confidence and bravery, said just one word in response.

"Yes."


Yue woke up. She found herself blinking away tears. And she was staring at Haruna's bosom. Oh yeah, she fell asleep in her embrace.

She rose up from bed. No lights were on, and she had to rub her face.

"Nn, Yue?" Haruna stirred. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Yue said softly. "Just had a dream, is all."

"Good kind or bad kind?"

"Good kind, I think. I saw Nodoka."

"Think you can get it back?"

"No." She fell back into bed. "But I'm gonna try anyway."


I have you now.

He heard that the last missile he shot at her made an impact. Now she was probably stunned and knocked out. Great. Now he just had to collect her, and they could be off. There was something about a pickup later, he just had to secure her now.

The girl had a great strategy, flying into the forest to separate them. But it was not enough. Sometimes tactics and intelligence doesn't match up to brute force. Guess she had bitten off more than she could chew this time.

With this achievement, he could probably ask for anything. A knighting? He'd be the first of the Duthka'gith to ever become a knight in the Queen's service. As a knight, he'd be leading her armies across the stars and raid distant places for gold, steel, and jewelry.

Or perhaps… freedom? Could he achieve that? Really obtain freedom from servitude to her? She wasn't the greatest, but she held them close to her and didn't let go so easily. But with this prize…

…could it be possible? Could he actually leverage this to achieve freedom for himself?

What else could he try to aim for?

He saw her in the distance. And he was pretty certain she saw him. She stood leaning forward, clutching her chest and using a black sword for a cane. Wait, she had a black sword this whole time?

He walked her way. She was limping, anyway. No way she could have something up her sleeves just like that.

She didn't flinch nor run. Instead, she turned to look at a gap between two trees and then back at him. Then she sheathed the sword, put her hands to her mouth, and started blowing air.

A thick cloud of fog emerged her and shrouded her completely. He stopped walking at about sixty feet away. What the hell? What is she planning? He came closer but didn't rush. Better to simply wait this out and see what she had in mind. And if it took too long, he could just-

Wait, why didn't he just cut the fog with his sword right now?

The fog ended abruptly, with her standing before a large wall of web between the trees, and her standing in front of it.

Whoa, whoa, hang on. What the hell is she doing? He could see she was expecting him to get caught in the web, but she cast it too early, and he was too far away to get caught in it.

She turned to face him and then crossed her arms. She must be whispering her spells because he couldn't hear what she was saying. Next thing he knew, she was encased in blue energy that split off and formed around her, like pieces of armor. A breastplate, pauldrons, vambraces, tassels, and kneecaps. No helmet for her, nor greaves. Wait… she was already wearing greaves. And she was wearing a hat, so no need for a helmet. Then she drew her sword and readied herself in a sword stance. What was it called again? Ox Guard?

He stared at her. So she wanted a fight? Really? A straight-up duel? Where was Bathogo? Did she have backup nearby? Was this an ambush? What- this- this made no sense at all. No wizard tried this stuff. Were her allies busy dealing with the dragon while she presented herself as bait? Was that the plan? Divide and conquer?

Okay, better play it safe. He pointed his ring at her. "Jaculetur!" He fired another missile at her.

"Akiror!" She shouted, and a bolt of fire shot off her sword's tip. The two missiles collided with each other.

Well, that rules that out, then. Guess he's gonna have to get in close. He readied his own sword and took position. In response, the girl readjusted hers to a low guard.

He readjusted his stance again, this time pressing the flat of his sword against his cheek. He could feel how cold the steel was in this forest. Good. Cold steel was just what he needed to stay focused.

And she fixed her stance to a High guard now. And she narrowed her eyes at him.

Okay, that was it. No more guessing. No more adjustments. Best get in. This was going to be a hard fight. And when he won, it was going to be worth it.

He charged in. He was fast. He wasn't slowed down by the roots and the stones in the forest, no low-hanging branches to get in the way. She stood still. Good, she knew she was on the defensive, and she wouldn't charge him. No sport otherwise.

Her back was against a wall she made herself, and he was the stronger fighter. Victory was his.

When he got to within thirty feet, she whispered something else and started turning to the side with her feet. What? Oh crap, she was casting another spell. What did she have now?

And then she disappeared in a puff of mist. He stopped as hard as he could. What?

He didn't sense her until it was too late. Her sword slashed the back of his leg from the thigh to the knee. He screamed in pain. Felt like she had cut an artery. What's more, he just lost his balance.

And she banked on it.

She grabbed hold of the back of his head and pushed him forward toward the web wall. Oh, so that was- crap, he had fallen into her trap just by showing up. She had planned this whole thing from the beginning! He's lost.

Just before they reached the web, she took hold of his lower area and pushed forward at the head and the lower section. She was somersaulting him into the web. Having lost his balance, he couldn't fight it.

He got flung and got stuck in the web, upside down. This was not good.

He could try to break loose. The web was strong, but he could take down giants with his own strength. All he needed was a little time to get control back over himself.

But it seemed she wouldn't let him.

Before he could react, she took her sword and thrust forward. He tried to scream but-

He couldn't speak. The blade was lodged deep in him. There was no pain. Just the metal. And her heated glare at him as she held the sword in place.

"That was for Mordin, you son of a bitch." Who the hell-?

Then she yanked it out again.

For sixty years, Rasith had hunted and fought mages and won. For sixty years, he had reveled in making them hurt for using their spells. He had been the first in boarding parties, the fiercest in raids, and the most terrifying amidst Her servants and soldiers for the greatness of their race.

And now, after sixty years, he had been done in by…

"A girl?" he choked, spewing blood.

"A gir…" he trailed off.

It was getting colder.

..

.


The blood was staining the web.

So that was it. She had just killed someone. Totally on purpose, this time. Not that she had any choice in the matter, but… wow, she was shaking from the sensation.

This wasn't a case of manslaughter where she didn't intend to kill someone; this was fucking intentional.

And yet… she tried to tell herself it was justified. But when is it okay to end someone's life like that?

Of course, he was fine with killing people himself and was going to deliver her to Vlaakith. So, there was that.

Maddie dismissed the web with a wave of her hand, and the dead gith fell to the ground, headfirst. And then he landed on his back. Or rather, his corpse landed headfirst, and it flopped down on the back to the ground.

And so, Madivh Samasal had won the first real battle of the war between her and Vlaakith the Lich-Queen.

He was most likely dead. But let's be on the safe side first, shall we? Maddie had heard of remote control necromancy. She raised her sword and swung down on his neck.

It wasn't the cleanest cut. In fact, it got stuck. Maddie had to pry open the neck to get the sword loose, and then she tried again. This time, the head came off the body, and any chance of animating him into an undead was gone.

Maddie felt a bit ill desecrating the dead, but it was either that or Vlaakith might turn him into an undead, or worse, he'd become one himself through sheer willpower alone. Graveknights emerge like that. That would complete the experience. A githyanki/red dragon hybrid graveknight coming back from the dead for revenge. Brrr.

The loud, encroaching noise of crunching trees came close to her location. The dragon was coming. Not done yet, she thought as she sheathed her sword and picked up the musket. Judging by the sounds of it, she would only have one shot. And she had to make it count.

She reloaded and then cocked the mechanism, and she was good to go.

The dragon crashed in-between the trees a fair distance from her but good enough for a shot. "WHERE ARE YOU!?" It roared.

"Here!" She shouted back at it.

The dragon saw her, then saw the corpse. It fixed an enraged glare at her. "That was-" It stammered. "YOU LITTLE-"

"Fethos!" She yelled, holding out her hand in front. A shimmering blue forcefield glowed around her. And just in time, for the dragon's fire breath swept over her.

That efreet had been true to his word. She was immune, as was the gear she was wearing and holding. Her shield was up just in case, though. Never get too cocky.

The breath ended soon before her shield ended. Good. The dragon needed to see that. And the two squared off again.

"You're out of spells, aren't you, girl?" The dragon asked, matching her pace as she stepped sideways.

"Nah, I got some juice left in me," she answered. Truthfully, she only had one spell left. And at this range, what was it going to be good for?

"You have been a real hazard, haven't you? First, you challenge us, then you ambush us, and now my partner is dead. I should have charged extra for this," the dragon boasted.

"Get paid more so you could leave sooner? I can kinda respect that," said Maddie. "Though I am not so keen on being your target."

"Too bad. If the Queen didn't want you so bad, we might just have taken you in to train. Or maybe I could have had you as a pet."

"Pet," she echoed. "Yeah, I don't think so. Killing him was just business," she said, nodding her head to the headless corpse of his partner, "but you. You killed my friend. That's personal."

"So that's a no to coming along quietly, then?" The dragon asked, planting his foot firmly in the ground. He just signified that he was about to strike.

Maddie chose to reply in kind by placing herself opposite his face, musket pointed straight at him. "Yeah, that's no. So why don't you come and get me," she said, snarling the following words, "you big, fat, slow, ugly, slug."

His eyes widened, then he thrust his head forward and opened his jaw, about to breathe fire again. Maddie couldn't miss at that range when she pulled the trigger.

The bullet went straight into the back of the mouth, close to the area where the uvula would be.

And directly below the beast's brain.

Maddie was catapulted backward by the explosion's shockwave. She flew a clear ten feet, at least. And she landed roughly. Ouch.

She got up fast. Lying prone in a fight was tantamount to suicide. And she saw… that the dragon was lying down, too. He was twitching and moaning in pain, but he was in worse condition.

She didn't hesitate. She threw the musket aside, drew her sword, and took out the potion Master Brandybuck gave her. She basically ripped off the cork with her teeth and chugged the contents. This was going to require some effort.

Then she rushed at the dragon. He stirred a bit, raising his head to have a look, but his eyes were still disoriented. Perfect.

She grabbed hold of a horn and pulled herself up to the back of his head. This was for Heebie, she told herself. She took aim with the tip of her sword and pushed as hard as she could.

The sword went in without issue. The dragon stopped stirring, and then… he collapsed, one last gasp of air escaping his nostrils.

And of course, the physics of a massive beast's head falling down rapidly decided that Maddie was to be thrown off and flung into a tree.

She hit it hard with her back and landed roughly. Argh…

The world was turning black again…

Well, at least they were dead. That was… that was some comfort.


Good thing they were just here to pick up passengers.

Captain Gan of the Stag Beetle, pirate of the Free Roamers, Raider of the Astral Sea, hated the cold.

He hated the biting winds, he hated the frozen rain (or snow as the wacko locals called it) and he hated the bloody wildlife that just loved to hide in the damn white landscape. And he definitively hated the color white. Damn cold ruined the color for him.

Gan wouldn't be here if it weren't for the fact that the Lich-Queen Herself was promising such a massive payday for him and his crew for this job.

That, and he had his trusty coat on. Good coat.

In short, three passengers. A warrior, a dragon, and a prisoner. Gan didn't know who the prisoner was or why they were out in this gods-cursed frozen hell, but the money was enough for him not to care so much, only that they needed to get the hell out of here.

"Captain, smoke!" A lookout cried and pointed four points off starboard. Gan relied on his trusted ruby eye (which, while held in place with a strap around the head, doubled also as an eyepatch) to see at a distance. Plumes of black smoke, telltale signs of fire.

"Alright, take us there," he gave the order. "Heading one-five-two-zero."

"BRING HER AROUND! ONE FIVE TWO ZERO!" His second mate, a woman by the name of Lenan, bellowed at the crew, and the helmsman turned hard to the new course.

"Ease to five!" Gan shouted over the bellows of his second mate. The Stag Beetle wasn't the most nimble of ships when not in the Astral Sea. It may be a flying ship, but here the weight actually mattered. And once they were on course for the smoke, he shouted another. "Beat to quarters!"

The crew scrambled to get into position. With weapons in hand, they could be ready for an attack in the blink of an eye. And Gan prided himself on having a well-trained crew. Hardly fit for the crews of the war-barges of Her Majesty, but not one of them was a slouch in combat.

Gan readied his own ax as they approached the smoke. "Stop here, lower the anchor lines," he told the crew once they were close enough. Precision landing with a ship was impossible, anyway. "Secure the masts and get ready to land. We're going on foot from here."

They disembarked, with the first mate in charge of the ship while they were gone. Gan told them to be silent since they didn't know for sure if it was them.

Of course, that just meant they were down to whispering since silence could only last for so long.

"What you reckon, Cap'n?" Asked Lenan, sword in her hands.

"I reckon we found our job, and the sooner we get them on board, the sooner we can get out of this frozen arsehole of the world," Gan replied. "See something other than white. I wanna see blue, green, and yellow."

"Well, there's brown," Lenan pointed out at the trees. Gan glared at her. Lenan was picked for her brawn, not her brain. That's what the first mate was for.

"Cap'n!" Someone whispered up ahead. Gan picked up the pace. About a hundred paces away, there was a large red mass. No doubt their dragon.

"Spread out. Let's not group up and get caught in the open." On his word, his crew took off in pairs and went off in separate directions to surround the location.

Once he got word they were in position, he and Lenan approached the site. And they found effectively the aftermath of an intense battle.

The dragon was dead, evident by the sword sticking out of the back of its head. One of the Duthka'gith warriors that the Lich Queen employed was present, and he was dead, too. The fact his head had been cut off was quite evident. And there was a little human girl unconscious in front of the dragon. No bonds or rope tying her up.

From the looks of things, they failed to take her prisoner and wound up dead in the process.

Queen was not going to be happy about this.

"Welp," said Gan, "this didn't go as planned."

Still, the Stag Beetle was here in time. The girl hadn't managed to get away, and they were all around her. Maybe they'd hit payday after all.

"Get the girl. At least then, this won't have been a total-"

KRAKA-THOOOOMM!

"-loss?"

What was that? There was this blinding flash of light and the massive soundwave of a-

Four trees in a row fell down right on top of his men. They yelped cries of alarm, and panicking voices demanded to know what just happened.

"What's going on?!" The girl had woken up too by the noise and got up to a sitting position. Then she noticed him and Lenan and- zoom! What? Where did she go? How did she even-?

Click!

The noise alerted him. She was standing behind a large rock, sporting a musket pointed straight at him. Gan could hear his men falling back to his location. "Captain! We got trouble, cap'n!"

A large war hammer came flying out of the woods to slam into even one of his crewmembers, his third able sailor. His torso was shattered by the sheer speed, and impact of mass to the point the only thing recognizable of him left was his lower section. The legs kept on running until they stumbled and fell down in front of Lenan.

The war hammer came flying back and landed firmly in the hand of a tall, buxom, and muscled woman in half-plate who not only had a free gauntlet that harnessed lightning between her fingertips but also had a massive steel beast in the form of a bear, a common predator that they had, on occasion, smuggled from Toril to other places for money.

A gentle tap came next, right next to the girl. A third woman, this one old and wizened, but no doubt wise beyond the wrinkles of her brow, clad in a shimmering robe that glowed and shifted between all the colors of the wizards' praised mystical, held a white staff that had a short, double-edged blade on the top (3) in one hand and a book in the other. The girl spared a glance at her, then back to him and Lenan.

"Cap'n! Up there!" One of his crew pointed to a figure in the sky. This one was another wizard, though this one was huge. And flying on his own. Clad in a grey robe that obscured all features, he was facing the ship.

Oh no.

Finally, a dark elf in black leather armor and a green cloak came. He had two curved swords in hand and a glare that spelled death to any who dared come close.

The girl had this kind of protection?!

Gan tallied the men he had left in the field and on the ship. He didn't have any spellcasters on board because they were too expensive, but one would have been very useful right now. Now he was facing three spellcasters and two warriors. That he knew of.

His men were hardened fighters, but they had been feeling the cold this whole time, unlike him, and they were used to ship-to-ship and boarding parties, not forest battles. What's more, they weren't expecting any resistance at all. And on top of that, the two warriors expected to have pulled off this victory were dead. So…

"Back to the ship," he told Lenan, who turned to face him. "Back. To. The ship," he repeated himself.

Lenan looked at the wizards and then back to him. Then she started barking orders. "Break off! Back to the ship! Pull back, gizzards, and board for takeoff!" Immediately, they started obeying.

"No money's worth this trouble," Gan told the locals and started following his men.

"Hey," the girl called after him. When he turned, he saw the head of the slain warrior flying to him. He caught that and looked at the girl. "Take that back to Her, at least."

He chose not to argue the point and took the head with him.

This mission was a disaster. No dragon, no warrior, just his head; the prisoner was not a prisoner at all, and on top of that, he'd be the one to deliver the bad news to Her Majesty.

Now Captain Gan of the Stag Beetle had yet another reason to hate the cold.


It wasn't until the pirates were gone that Maddie finally relaxed and put the gun down.

"Thank goodness. I thought they were gonna notice the gun wasn't loaded."

"That, and you're probably in so much pain, I'm wondering how you're even standing." The speaker was her old Headmaster, Olga Stormwind. And she looked ready to fight.

"Head…master?" Maddie asked and slumped to the ground, finally giving in to the pain. "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh," she groaned. "That was stupid of me."

"Yes, it was," said the old wizard. "But, I cannot say that it wasn't very brave."

"Logically, it was the best choice I had before me. Didn't want innocents caught in the crossfire."

Brigitte Romavax came up, decked out in new armor. "I must admit, I didn't think you had it in you. I imagined you would use hit and run tactics on that beast until it left, but you straight up killed it." She took out a jar filled with some gel and applied some to Maddie's face. It felt… nice.

"Healing salve?" She asked.

"Healing salve," Romavax confirmed.

Behind Romavax, the hulking wizard landed next to Stormwind. Maddie recognized him. No one else was so large and imposing of a wizard as Master Balthazar, Head Librarian of Greenwoods. The great Warforged was clad in a simple grey cloak with white accents, and he held a metal rod in hand with buttons, along with his spellbook and his focus, a small quartz crystal embedded in his forehead. The two of them had spent many hours together in the library.

"Master Balthazar," she greeted him. "Haven't seen you outside the school grounds before."

"Would it surprise you that I volunteered to go?" The warforged replied. He had a soft voice that belied his appearance, and it reminded her of this actor from that film about a peasant who tried to pass himself off as a knight. That was a good film.

Maddie's eyes widened. "You?"

"Me," Balthazar confirmed.

"Rincewind barged into my office, along with young Brigitte here and Brandybuck," Olga explained. "Ranted about surviving an encounter with a dragon and said you were off to face him and…" she looked down at the dead gith. "That fellow. Looks like… we missed quite the party."

Drizzt came into view, sheathing his swords. "The pirates have left. They're not changing course our way."

"Good," said Olga. The drow turned to see Maddie being patched up, and she nodded to him with a gentle smile to let him know that Mordin had been avenged. He nodded back.

"I suppose… you'll be wanting the sword back," Maddie said weakly. He stared at her and then smiled.

"No. You keep it. Mordin said that he was looking for someone worthy of it. Which made me wonder why we came all the way out here. No one else lived here… but you. And you have already slain two opponents, a dragon, and his rider, with it. I daresay Mordin would be proud."

Maddie couldn't help but smile.

"After we got them to calm down," Olga continued, "Rincewind explained things in more detail. I wasn't keen on knowing that one of our best students was going to die, so I asked Balthazar and Romavax. Rincewind is back at the university, calming his students. Brandybuck is back at his laboratory. All the students are safe."

Maddie smiled. "Good. Good, then… it wasn't all for nothing."

"What mattered more was you, girl," said Balthazar, his tone stern now. "They were after you. If you got captured, then the enemy would win."

Maddie kept quiet. Balthazar was right. She was the primary target. But she felt she had to speak up. "Even so-"

"Shh, sh sh sh," Olga said, spraying a light mist in the air. "Just sleep, girl. You've earned your rest."

Maddie said nothing and simply slipped into her dreams.

At least she got to dream about Negi-sensei…


(1) And with that, Negi should probably never be allowed to go to Toril, or if he does, no one tell him the dinosaurs are alive.

(2) In case it wasn't clear, they're operating on separate time streams. What passes as minutes and hours for Yue could be months for Nodoka.

(3) Swordstaff: For when you want a martial mage that gets in too close for comfort.