Chapter 118: Elemental Wizard (Patreon)

Mahya and I decided to "milk" Vegas, but we did it differently this time. An internet search revealed that the smallest country in the world after the Vatican and Monaco is Nauru in Micronesia, known for its phosphate mining operations. With only about 10,000 inhabitants, the chance of anyone discovering our bullshit was zero. We looked up popular names in Nauru, changed our profile names, transformed our look to a middle-aged couple, and conjured up Nauru passports. Now we were Mr. and Mrs. Tibwas and Anita Detudamo, with our beloved newly glamoured Saint Bernard.

We both spoke Parshan—she from a trip to that world, and I from a book about magic—so we started talking only in Parshan.

We chose Caesar's Palace as our target and booked The Julius Tower Penthouse. Pooling our money, we had $500,000. After contacting the casino host, we shared our plans and the bet amount, provided identification, and traded the cash for chips. Rue didn't want to stay in the room to watch TV for a change but wanted to patrol the casino. So now he was our beloved seizure-alert Saint Bernard. We spent the next two days in the "Laurel Lounge" for high rollers and left with a profit of just over two million dollars.

While we didn't cheat actively, like an AI with telekinesis, my Luck worked overtime.

Did I care?

Not really. I never claimed to be a saint.

And as Mahya put it, "It will be useless soon anyway."

After two days, it seemed like we were heading to the airport, but on the way, we hopped out of the taxi and transformed back into a young couple and Rue into a Tibetan Mastiff, this time black. Over the next couple of days, we just had a blast in Vegas. We checked out the Fremont Street Experience with its cool LED canopy, live music, and street performers. Then, we spun on the High Roller, the tallest observation wheel in the world, for an incredible view of the city. We also swung by the Mob Museum to learn about the history of organized crime in America.

On the last day before the rescue, I wrote two specific songs and composed the music for them. It was time to rock and roll. I explained to Rue that he couldn't come with us, and he was heartbroken. I had to scratch his ears and pet him for over an hour until he grudgingly forgave me.

On Wednesday, March 21, 2031, in the evening, Mahya and I drove ten miles from Area 51, stored the jeep, and continued on foot. We found a nice secluded spot between two hills five miles from the base. I took out my cello, and Mahya took out a goblet drum. I split my mind, connected to the wind, sent her the feeling of going wild, activated Rhythmic Resonance, and sang Sand Storm.

Sand Storm

Call of the Sand Storm, heed my call
Stir the sands, rise and fall
Desert dunes, begin to sway
Let the storm have its way

Oh mana, ancient and free
Listen to this bard's plea
Gather now, with mystic might
Bring the sandstorm to life tonight

Grains of gold, dance on air
Swirling patterns everywhere
Veil the sun, obscure the sky
Let the desert spirits fly

Oh mana, ancient and free
Listen to this bard's plea
Gather now, with mystic might
Bring the sandstorm to life tonight

Howling gale, unleash your power
In this fateful, mystic hour
Sculpt the landscape, wild and new
Paint the world in sandy hue

Oh mana, ancient and free
Listen to this bard's plea
Gather now, with mystic might
Bring the sandstorm to life tonight

The wind loved it very much and slowly picked up more and more momentum. Mahya and I put on protective masks and goggles, and I sang again. At this point, the sandstorm raged, and the wind was having the time of her life. I kept sending her the feeling of "go wild" and "don't hold back."

We walked to the base to the meeting point; Mahya placed the concealment poles, and we waited for the rest of the group. When Al and Sonak arrived, I removed my shoes and socks, drew the chain of connection symbols on my feet, and released the first magic circle, the one on the ground.

Sonak jumped when he saw me doing this. This was the first time I let him see me release a magic circle from my palm.

I stood with my feet in the designated places, flowed mana through my feet, and activated the circle. I released the second circle, splitting my mind into four. My mind went through a mini seizure but survived it.

The first partition remained connected to the wind. In the second partition, I created the flame I learned in Spain and held it in my right palm. I held a water-aspected crystal in my left palm and channeled mana into it with the third partition until droplets accumulated in my palm. In the fourth partition, I achieved oneness with the earth. I stayed like that until all the elements balanced, and I didn't feel like I was being pulled apart by invisible forces anymore. I also regained some ability to think and not only be an elemental representation.

Placing my palms on the key runes on both sides of the hovering circle, I activated it. I was the link between the two circles, the one on the ground and the one in the air. It took another few seconds for the circles to calibrate to each other, using my body as a conduit, and they worked.

I felt the mana accumulating around us, being pulled from all the elements and the world at large, and gathering in the circles—more, more and more. I was glad I unraveled one of my spirals. Otherwise, my channels would have been screaming. Even with two spirals, I felt the strain—more and more mana accumulated. When I felt the flow slowing down, I activated Rhythmic Resonance and sang Rage of the Elements repeatedly, accumulating more and more mana in the circles and all around us. I poured more mana into my voice and sang again, stronger and louder, accumulating more mana.

Rage of the Elements

Wind, rage through the dunes,
Swirl the sands in wilder tunes
Fire, burn bright and high,
Paint your passion 'cross the sky
Water, surge and flow free,
Carry whispers to the sea
Earth, tremble and quake,
Ancient slumber now awake

Elements, heed my song
Join your voices, wild and strong
Answer the bard's mystic call
Nature's power, enthrall us all

Wind, howl through canyon deep,
Secrets long forgotten, keep
Fire, dance in primal might,
Illuminate the darkest night
Water, crash on distant shore,
Echo legends evermore
Earth, rise in mountains tall,
Stand as nature's mighty wall

Elements, heed my song
Join your voices, wild and strong
Answer the bard's mystic call
Nature's power, enthrall us all

Wind, whisper through the leaves,
Tales of time that no one grieves
Fire, spark in hearts so bold,
Forge the new from stories old
Water, mist on morning's breath,
Life and change, not fear of death
Earth, bloom in vibrant green,
Life renewed in cycles seen

Elements, heed my song
Join your voices, wild and strong
Answer the bard's mystic call
Nature's power, enthrall us all

I didn't know how much time passed, but at one point, I was standing in the middle of a raging tornado made of mana. It had all the colors of the rainbow as it swirled around me in a vortex. I felt the circles were close to their maximum capacity and moved to the next stage. I broke the connection to fire and water and connected two parts of my mind to the wind, and two parts sank into the earth.

Although I still didn't achieve Unity with the earth, with profound oneness and the wind's help, it was enough. The wind grabbed all the mana accumulated in the hovering circle and carried it through the base like a passing wave. The earth absorbed all the mana from the ground circle and permeated the base. I didn't have to do much, only guide and direct with small nudges in the right direction.

I was sending mental thank-you notes and love letters to the dragon that told Lis about the golden rule throughout the entire process. She was right. You don't demand—you ask. You don't force—you guide. And the true power was in Unity.

All the power in the base died, and I felt the Traveler.

Finally, I could release three mind splits, leaving only one connected to the wind. My mind let out a sigh of relief. I looked around and saw Mahya with a massive grin on her face, and Al and Sonak were looking at me with eyes so wide that I was afraid they would fall out.

"I take it back," Al said. "You are not terrifying sometimes. It is safe to say that you are truly terrifying."

"Let's go," I said, laughing, though the laughter sounded hollow with the howling wind. And putting my shoes back on.

"How?" Sonak asked, his voice barely audible over the roar. "I can hardly see anything from all the sand flying around. Can't you do something about it?"

"No. I created the sandstorm, and I have no intention of stopping it. I'll clear us an area to jump over."

"Do we need to jump?" Mahya asked, eyes squinting through the swirling sands. "The power is down."

"Yes, I don't feel like hugging barbed wire."

As we moved, the storm's ferocity grew, each grain of sand a needle against our skin. Mahya collected the poles, and we became invisible. I ran to the fence and sent the wind a feeling of a clear area without sand. In less than a minute, we had a relatively clear area. There was still a lot of sand flying around, but we could see the fence, and the wind was mild enough not to affect our jump-over. Communication with her was getting easier by the day.

I took out the trampoline, and we jumped over one by one. Each leap felt like an eternity, the ground below a blur of motion and danger. I spread my mana sense as far as possible and stored the trampoline. Sonak ran away in the Traveler's direction, and we followed at a slower pace. The darkness was oppressive, the sandstorm relentless, turning every shadow into a potential threat. The Traveler felt closer, but in the same place. I guessed he was moving up toward the surface.

As we advanced towards the building, we telepathically coordinated who was shooting potion balls at which soldier. We left behind a trail of soldiers sleeping on the ground without weapons; their weapons were in our Storage. The sounds of shouting grew louder, blending with the storm's fury. We picked up the pace, then we heard gunshots. The sharp cracks of gunfire sliced through the air, sending adrenaline coursing through my veins. We crouched as low as we could and continued to advance to the designated building.

When we got close to the building, we saw soldiers at the entrance looking from side to side and moving their weapons with their gaze. I could see them from maybe two meters away, so I assumed they could see even less.

We shot them one by one, collected the weapons, and entered the building. Sonak entered a second after us.

"What made them shoot?" I asked mentally, anxiety tingling at the edges of my thoughts.

He didn't answer—just passed me and moved toward the back of the building. Two soldiers came out of a door, and Mahya and Al shot them and sent them to sleep. We looked beyond the door and saw stairs, or at least I thought those were stairs. It was so dark I could hardly see anything. I heard more soldiers coming up.

"Let's wait for them here." Mahia sent. Her mental voice was tight with focus.

"Sonak went downstairs." I sent.

"His problem, not ours."

I dragged one soldier to the side, and one of them dragged the other. Now we waited, the tension palpable. Another four soldiers came out the door, swearing about the sandstorm that cut the power. I snickered in my mind—their equipment was RIP for good. I didn't know enough about mana density, but the wave we sent to the base felt denser than the mana in Faerie.

We shot them, dragged them to the side, and waited.

It was too dark, and I could hardly see anything. I asked Mahya, "Should I send a small light ball above the door? I can hardly see anything."

"No."

Soldiers came in through the door from the outside. I felt Al moving toward them.

"I sent Al to take care of the entrance," Mahya sent.

We stayed positioned by the stairs. We heard some shouts and shots, but as Mahya said, it was his problem. Based on the white coats, we shot seven doctors or researchers and fifteen soldiers. Al took out another eleven. Every time we shot somebody, we dragged them to the side of the hall so they wouldn't block the passage. The air was thick with tension and the scent of the potion. It was bizarre; I could smell it, but it didn't affect me—magic script circles are fantastic.

Finally, Sonak came back up with his friend. He dropped the invisibility, and I saw he was bleeding. Idiot.

I cast a diagnostic spell, the magical energy flowing through his body and revealing the internal damage. The spell confirmed what I feared—he had a bullet lodged in his gut.

"Lie down," I ordered. Even my mental voice was tight with tension. The urgency in my tone left no room for argument.

I quickly put him to sleep with the Anesthesia spell when he laid down. His eyes fluttered closed as the magic took hold. I cut away his shirt with a sharp knife, exposing his blood-smeared skin. With steady hands, I made an incision across his lower abdomen, the darkness making the task even more challenging.

My fingers probed into the wound, guided more by touch than sight in the near-darkness. His insides' warmth contrasted with the bullet's cold metal when I finally located it. Grasping it carefully, I extracted the projectile, letting it fall on the floor with a soft clink that sounded ominously loud.

With the bullet removed, I focused my energy and cast Healing Touch again and again. Magical energy flowed from my hands into the wound. With Diagnosis, I watched the torn flesh knit itself back together, blood vessels reconnecting and muscle fibers realigning. The skin closed last, leaving only a faint mark where the bullet had entered.

Doing surgery half by feel in almost total darkness was a nightmare, even with the aid of magic. The stress of the procedure, combined with the less-than-ideal conditions, left me exhausted and frustrated. I vowed never to do it again. The memory of blood-slick hands fumbling in the dark would stay with me forever.

After casting Clean and Purify on him, I woke him up not too gently.

"Let's move out." Mahya sent, her voice urgent.

Sonak whispered something to his friend in a foreign language, and we moved toward the door.

"There are many soldiers outside." Al sounded tense.

"How many?" I asked, feeling a knot of anxiety tighten in my chest.

"Due to the darkness and sand, it is difficult to ascertain with certainty."

"Everybody, get low in case they start shooting and take cover by the wall," I ordered, my tone sharp with urgency. "Mahya, get down on your belly beside me. Let's do some target practice."

"First, load your gun fully."

After I filled the balls, I cast Mana Shield; we lay on our bellies and peeked out the door. The sandstorm was a chaotic maelstrom, the wind howling like a beast. The sand outlined many people, and I got what Al meant. It was impossible to tell in the darkness and all the sand. But I could tell that they all had weapons. I spread my mana sense as wide as possible and tried to store their guns. It didn't work.

"Why can't I store their guns?" I asked Mahya, frustration seeping into my tone.

"Because they are in contact with them."

Good to know.

We started shooting them, and it was like dominos—hit one, five fall. The air filled with the dull thuds of bodies hitting the ground. Unfortunately, they also started shooting. The sharp cracks of gunfire sliced through the storm's roar. But my Luck worked; they shot high. Still, my Mana Shield broke, and my head pounded for a few seconds from the backlash. One bullet grazed my shoulder, and I heard Mahya grunt in pain. The scent of blood mingled with the acrid tang of gunpowder. I rolled to the side behind the wall, healing myself and Mahya, who rolled beside me, her face pale and tense. Luckily, she only received a graze, so I didn't have to perform another surgery in the dark.

"Shoot anyone who walks in the door," I sent to Sonak and Al, my thoughts taut with tension.

The shots from outside stopped. Al dropped his invisibility, took out his mithril shield, and instructed, "Cover yourself with it, then cast invisibility again to include the shield."

We put the shield on ourselves, cast invisibility again, and belly-crawled to the door. The ground was gritty and uncomfortable, and each movement reminded us of the dangerous situation.

We continued to fire at the soldiers, and they again fired back. A few shots pinged the shield, the sharp clangs echoing ominously. Those who fell dropped their weapons, and I stored them with my mana sense. The scene outside was chaos—soldiers shouting commands, scrambling for cover, their movements frantic and disorganized. The sandstorm added to the confusion, turning the battlefield into a nightmarish blend of shadow and swirling sand.

A soldier fell nearby, clutching his leg and screaming in pain, his voice a raw, agonized cry. One of his comrades hit him. Another stumbled, disoriented by the sand and darkness, only to be hit by our shots and collapse. The panic was palpable, spreading through their ranks like wildfire. Some soldiers tried to help their fallen comrades, only to be taken down themselves, their bodies crumpling in the sand.

I caught glimpses of faces, eyes wide with fear and confusion, mouths open in silent shouts as the wind stole their voices. The entire area was a writhing mass of chaos, the sandstorm amplifying the terror and confusion.

Despite the shield, a bullet clipped the edge, sending a jolt of fear through me. The sound of gunfire was relentless, a cacophony of danger that kept my nerves on edge. I knew we couldn't stay like this forever—we needed to finish this quickly.

We kept firing, and our shots were precise and methodical. The soldiers' numbers were thinning, but the chaos outside showed no signs of abating. Every time a soldier fell, it added to the growing panic, confusion, and fear, turning the battlefield into a swirling vortex of chaos.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the shooting slowed. The soldiers were retreating, their morale shattered by the relentless assault. We had a moment of respite, the storm's howl the only sound.

"Did you give Rabban a potion protection mask?" I asked Sonak.

"Yes."

"Move now!" I ordered, knowing we had to take advantage of the lull.

I stored all the scattered weapons, and we ran out in a crouch, guns in hand and ready. The storm's roar was deafening, the sand biting into our skin. I activated my Luck, intending to find the best path and the place to go over the fence, and felt a direction.

"Follow me."

The feeling led me left and right between buildings. Each turn was a gamble, the darkness and storm masking potential threats. We only encountered six or seven now-sleeping soldiers who donated their guns to the cause. Every encounter sent a jolt of adrenaline through me, the fear of discovery ever-present. After ten minutes, we reached a deserted part of the base, the silence eerie compared to the chaos we had left behind. The only sound all around us was the howling of the wind, without shouts or shots.

"How are we going to get Rabban over the fence?" I asked, the wind stealing my words almost immediately leaving my mouth.

"If Al and I jump together holding his arms and he helps by pushing himself, we can get him over," Mahya suggested in a quiet tone. Or relatively calm, considering the raging sand.

"Why are you talking instead of telepathy?" Al asked, also in a quiet tone.

"So Rabban could learn English."

Sonak said something to him, and I felt him spend the mana. The air around Rabban shimmered, and Sonak again said something. Rabban became visible for the first time. He was a big Viking-looking guy with blond hair and runes tattooed on his body. His imposing figure made me worry about how we would get him over the fence.

I took out the trampoline, and Mahya and Al grabbed Rabban's arms. Sonak walked over to them, and they talked quietly, their words lost in the wind. He became invisible again, and I saw the trampoline dip dangerously low. It dipped once, twice, and the third time was so low I was sure it would break, but it held. My heart pounded with each dip, the tension almost unbearable.

It didn't dip again, and Mahya sent, "We're over. I think Rabban needs healing."

I heard Sonak cursing and said, "Go over quickly so I can heal him."

He went over, and then I did. Rabban dropped the invisibility again, and his leg pointed in the wrong direction. The sight was gruesome, and I felt sympathy for him.

"Let's lift him and get away from the base; this is not a simple healing. I'll channel Anesthesia into him so he won't suffer. Sonak, explain this and tell him to go invisible again."

"You can't put him to sleep," Mahya said. "The minute he's asleep, the invisibility will drop."

I cursed under my breath, frustration and urgency warring within me.

We lifted the poor and very heavy guy and moved away fast. The storm was unrelenting, each step a struggle against the wind and sand. We couldn't run; the visibility was too bad. It was awkward as some of us pulled occasionally in a different direction, but we managed. Every sound seemed amplified, every shadow a potential threat.

After ten minutes of fast walking, I said, "We are far enough. Let's stop for a few minutes."

We laid him on the ground, and he dropped the invisibility. I channeled Anesthesia into him, straightened the leg, and first cast Heal Bone. The sound of the bone fusing was oddly satisfying amidst the chaos. After the bone had fused, I cast several Healing Touch until the leg healed completely, and then I stopped the Anesthesia. The entire process was nerve-wracking, the storm's fury a constant reminder of our precarious situation.

I tried to send the feeling to the wind that she could gradually stop the storm, but she was having too much fun and didn't feel like it. I just let it go. There was no point in arguing with an element, even if Mahya said she knew a wizard who argued with them.

Sonak and Rabban hugged, and we said random words in English for a few minutes until he lifted his hand and said, "I can okay this."

"Introductions can wait," Mahya said. "First, let's get out of the wind. John, Vegas or your house?"

"Vegas. I don't want to be near the base."

We ran to the road, continued running on the road for another twenty minutes to make sure we were far enough, took out the Jeep, and drove slowly and carefully to Vegas.

I felt elated. We rescued the Traveler, and I didn't need to kill anybody. They were having a nice long nap in nature, or actually covered in nature. Sort of. I scratched my head. This thought got away from me.