The Mage Pit; Art by Gekko Seishin (Patreon)

The sound of little claws clicking quickly across the stone floor was enough to send most adventurers into a panic. There had to be several dozens of them, the little horrors. They’d already ripped apart his guide; the poor, old, cape hare, and now they were after him.

“Not much down here no more. Nothing that’d interest you lot, m’lord.” he had said. He was wrong. Dead wrong. Though the old hare, Yadida, had been the seneschal of the large estate in his youth, he was not certain what his master had been working on in the bowels of his secret chamber.

He’d served him for many years, living out his early twenties in the estate. Yadida only moved back to the village after the lord of the manor, a wizard named Bailseen, went down into his Research Bunker and never returned.

“I kept to my duty.” he’d said with pride. Following the lion's instructions to seal the entrance and contact the Librarium, when more than a week had passed. Sadly, the Librarium never came and no one ever saw Bailseen again.  No one would ever see Yadida again either.

Though Cassius had no time to shed a tear for the fallen kinling, he still felt a great pang of guilt for his loss. The young Knight Ranger of the Sacred Order had been asked to investigate the ruins of an estate out in the Assyrian county of Tudiya’s Gulch; Count Oraham’s lands.

It was a county with little citizenry or attractions. Only the town of Ivah held any considerable population. That is where he’d tracked Yadida and used his name and royal title to convince the hare to help him. The old cape hare had been just what he was looking for.

Tudiya’s Gulch was a depressing land. It’s meager woodlands, lowlands, and rolling hills where as bland and unspectacular as a place could be. Even though Cassius was the son of the Archduchess of the province, he’d only just heard of the place a few days prior.

There were strange goings on in the Gulch and travellers were vanishing without a trace. Though there weren’t very many people lining up to live out in the boonies like this, it was a good area for those who needed privacy. It was the perfect place for some rich Mage to construct a Research Bunker.

Controlling his breathing and using his training to retrace his steps in the dark, Cassius, or Cassie as his friends called him, made haste to break out the ‘Mage Pit’. He preferred the derogatory term for structures such as the one he was trying to escape. He’d been running for several minutes and aside from lamenting the loss of his guide, he also cursed himself for not being more careful. He’d heard stories about places such as this as a fledgling. Most did not end well.

It was always the same story. Some fool with more money and ambition than wit, would get it in their head to research some dangerous magic or another. They’d acquire small lands either by coin or service to the local lord, and build themselves a bunker.

The structures all looked different, but were mostly the same. Some kind of lavish or foreboding building concealing the entrance. A magic circle around the estate, lined with obelisks to power the spells sealing their little hidey hole. By Librarium standard, the Bunker would need to be at least two hundred meters underground, with barriers and magical seals to protect the surrounding populace from whatever Arcane experiment the mage was dabbling in. It usually worked.

But the obelisks around the Bailseen estate had been damaged. Most were crumbling and Cassie could not feel the flow of mana that would power the seal. What he had felt had made his skin crawl under his fur, and he was sure that his long, braided, multicolored hair would turn white when he stepped foot in the inner halls. He’d stopped to look in a mirror to make sure it was still burgundy on the left and blond on the right, as it should be for an Assyrian royal. He knew right away the old hare had been wrong about the place.

Turning the hall again into a wide room, Cassius caught the familiar sight of the stylized archway. He remembered passing through it on their trip down. He was about halfway up and making good time. Behind him, he could hear them coming. He had to slow them down.

Reaching into his satchel he grabbed a spell stone etched with the rune for fire circled by several lesser runes. It was the glyph for the spell ‘Blast Field’. An expensive spell stone, but one that had served him well. He carried at least four of them on him at all times.

Pouring his quintessence into the stone, he activated it and tossed it into the doorway he’d come in. The arcane trigger would take effect and then... Boom!

The explosion was modest. He’d used the only obsidian level stone he’d had. Anything higher and he was worried he’d bring the gate Bunker down on himself. With the gate sealed, he stopped to catch his breath.

“Fine mess you got yourself into this time, Cassie.” he chided himself.

He’d accepted the assignment only because it was a request from the Assyrian Peerage. Count Oraham may have been a nobody in the grand scheme of things, but many high lords visited his lavish palace year round. Rumors say; to enjoy certain appetites outside of the public eye. Cassius hadn’t known the truth of it, but the pressure from the Peerage to have either he or his brother handle the issue had been fierce.

There were a few Assyrian born Ravens in the Order, but only two of the Peerage, and they’d asked for his royal discretion in the matter. So despite all good sense, Cassius had gone alone.

Count Oraham had been gracious enough to send a token escort with him on his investigation, but the two guardsmen had been less than useless. The cowards balked at following him and the guide down into the inner sanctum.

“We’ll keep watch here...” one had said. He could only think ‘right’, as he went off ahead.

Cassie listened for the scratching around him as he made his way to the entrance hall. The little monsters were called ‘qausits’. Tiny extraplanar fiends from the Elderlands. Theria had not seen their like until after the ‘Great Sealing’. They were one of the elderian beasts that unscrupulous wizards had been able to summon and enthrall into their service.

He wasn’t sure just what the diminutive monsters were capable of, but he knew they weren’t exactly feral; or at least they weren’t supposed to be. They were said to have the intellect of small children, and be able to cast magic, as well as assist in spellcasting, among other things. Though their tendency to influence their masters towards abuse of their magical gifts was well documented, they weren’t considered enough of a threat to catch an outright ban. So it was illegal to summon one, but not to own one. Cassie could only roll his eyes at the thought of how that little bit of legislative gymnastics came to be.

Most mages daring enough to keep one advocated that they were mostly harmless and easily domesticated. Perhaps that was true if a powerful sorcerer with the experience and knowledge to bind one was around, but apparently if left to their own devices, they became bloodthirsty monsters that wanted to devour you, bones in all; or at least that was his recent experience.

As soon as he and Yadida had entered the main Laboratory the monsters had set upon them. No warning. No provocation. Just the attack. In the quick glimpse he’d got of the room, he’d seen many cages of an unfamiliar and definitively arcane design lining the walls. The runes that powered them were deactivated and the Qausits kept inside had run amuck. There was blood everywhere.

Had they gone mad during their years of isolation? How had they survived so long? Cassie didn’t have the time to answer those questions as they fell upon him and his companion.

He had the skills and reflexes to avoid the ambush, but Yadida did not. They’d gone straight for the cape hares neck and there would be no saving him. Cassie cursed aloud. If only the Court would listen to reason. He understood about privacy and freedom, but he wasn't sure it was worth the danger. But then again, he wasn't a mage.

The Order had been trying since its inception to get The Crown, the Court, and the Librarium to enact laws forcing Mages to report their Bunkers location, particulars, and research to the Raven Knights. Unsurprisingly, even the Crown was against such measures. So when some fool mage died deep in the bowels of his magic playground, and whatever twisted aberration they were playing with managed to escape to harass the countryside, it was then, and only then that the Ravens were notified. The young Ranger cursed the politics, but knew even his own royal family would never agree to any such oversight.

A loud crash from somewhere above him broke Cassie from his daydream. His ears perked up as the sounds of skittering came from the far end of the room. Peering through the darkness with his preternatural sight, he could make out the outline of a door, or a hatchway against the wall. It wasn’t very visible, but it seemed to be some kind of secret entrance that’d been previously hidden behind relief, which was now on the floor. It took him but a second to put two and two together, and he cursed again loudly.

In one fluid motion the little lion drew his bow, notched an arrow, and released it; catching one of the creatures struggling out of the portal between the eyes. He picked up his pace, making his way to the exit while loosing two arrows at the fiends that came behind. They struggled to claw over the body of the first and the shaft was apparently filling with the horrible buggers.

He thought to infuse an arrow with arctic energy. Seal up the entry, but more of the monsters had appeared from beyond the shadows and were closing on him fast. He turned and exited the room, but was met with an enterprising little monster who’d been hanging from the ceiling.

With little hesitation, the young ranger deftly pulled his short sword from its hidden scabbard alongside his quiver. In one fluid motion he turned and bisected the creature; shattering it from the middle. Pieces of the thing burst out in all directions, as frozen debris littered the area.

Cassie did not stop to check his handiwork, for he had felt the burst of arcane energy that had frozen the qausit, and it was not his own. Turning he dodged past a wall of flame, nocking a fresh arrow and letting it loose. As the flame shot past him, smashing into, and incinerating the beast at his back; his arrow flew true, catching another one just past the head of the cloaked mage standing just a few feet down the hall.

Groaning, Cassie looked around, not paying the white haired lion much heed. Instead, he began to speed walk past him, checking the dark areas with his kirlian sight.

“You’re welcome...” the effeminate voice of the mage said from under his purple cloak. Cassie said nothing.

“Well how rude, Lord Cassius, and here I came all this way to help you.” the mage huffed in mock displeasure. Cassius audibly sighed, but refused to engage with the mage. Instead he checked the hallway thoroughly, moving slowly toward the stairs.

“We can’t go back that way, we have to find an alternative exit.” informed the Mage helpfully, turning to follow Cassie. He pawed slowly down the hall, holding up his staff and letting the eerie, magical light wash over the walls. He was looking for something.

With another groan, this one deeper than the first, Cassie finally turned to address the other lion.

“Why are you here, Guy?” he growled through clenched teeth.

“What is the Crown’s interest in this business?”

The mage removed the hood of his cloak revealing himself in the warm, blue light of his staff's mana stone. Like Cassie, Guy was a pretty young thing. Short for his species and incredibly attractive in a feminine way. Though he was taller than Cassie’s barely 5’7.

Guy was an Eridani lion, one of the felines out of Eridani Fields. Like Cassie, of noble birth. He was the son of Duke Harlem Eridanus, the Lord of that Duchy and a distant cousin to the Assyrian Royal Family. As an Eridani, he had mostly copper fur, with markings that accented his fur pallet the color of fire brush, though his face, chest and abdomen, were all the color of tussock grass out of season.

Peering through the darkness with turkish rose eyes that glittered and glowed with preternatural power, Guy Eridanus looked along the wall for something unseen.

“The High Enchantress did not send me.” he answered finally, still looking at the walls.

“Once the Archduchess found out what the Peerage was up to...” Guy stopped as Cassie’s groan turned into a full fledged roar of anger.

“My mother asked you to come?” he asked incredulously. Guy giggled girlishly and turned toward Cassie, hands on hips.

“I may be a Crow, but House Eridanus still holds loyal to our Lady Ariella, I’ll have you know.” he teased in mock indignation. Cassie wasn’t having it

The pretty gold lion wheeled on Guy, getting into the taller males face and snarling.

“You are a Crow in service to the Crown. Your loyalty is sworn to the machinations of the King. Enchantress Sierra would not send one of her little birds if this did not have the interest of the...” Cassie stopped dead in his tracks and looked around, his eyes widening as if seeing the hall for the first time.

The finery of the place had been of little note before, but now he took a closer look. The tapestries, the flags, the reliefs. They were all honoring the Crown. There were the emblems of a few Houses of the Peerage, but quite a few honoring Prides of the Court that were in Maahes. And right in the middle, the symbol for the Kingdom of Lioncourt. The ‘open eye’ , the emblem of the Druid Bast staring right back at him.

Guy took a step back, outside of Cassie’s immediate range and focused on the other wall.

“Right now we must find an alternate way out, you can get your panties in a wad later.” Guy shrugged. Cassie snarled, infuriated and stalked up behind Guy, pointing toward a discoloration in the wall.

“I’ll save you sometime, the secret passage is right there.” he started.

“I just didn’t think it was wise to go deeper into this dungeon.”

Guy shrugged and walked over to the seemingly flat entrance. Turning the light of his staff on it, the hidden runes appeared.

“Why can’t we go back the way I came.” Cassie demanded. Guy leaned back, looking queerly at Cassie.

“Really?” he asked.

“Say it...” Cassie demanded.

His ears twitching at the sound of quasits making their way to the hall. Without looking he turned and nocked an arrow. With only a few breaths to infuse it with the essence of ice, he charged an imbued arrow and loosed it at the doorway. It struck a quasit down and ice began to crawl over the area, temporarily sealing the exit.

Guy whistled appreciatively. It’d been an amazing shot.

“Talented as ever, m’lord...” Guy teased.

He never referred to Cassie as ‘his lord’ without it being mocking. Though it was technically true, Guy and Cassie had always been frenemies. Neither particularly hated the other, but their relationship was one part antagonism, one part attraction, and one part a life long familiarity. It made for an odd relationship that was often hostile.

“Say it, true...” Cassie demanded again, this time turning his menacing gaze on Guy.

“I invoke my right as Raven of the Realm... speak of this now or I will...” Guy cut Cassie off with a dejected groan.

“Yes, yes... you don’t need to get all official.” Guy acquiesced.

Tapping his staff to the wall he dispelled the runes and the entry opened up. The dapper mage fairly jumped in self adulation, before the burning stare of his impatient compatriot threatened to burn a hole in the back of his head. Looking back and meeting Cassie’s disappointed glare, Guy sighed and steadied his staff in both hands.

“The Guards you left at the entrance are dead. That position was overrun. I got separated from my own escort, all four Oraham’s kin, in the chase. Their blood curdling screams leave me with little hope they survived.” he answered grimly.

Cursing, Cassie lamented not forcing the guards to come with him. He may have been able to protect them if they had; though there was a corpse probably stripped to the bone deeper in the pit that refuted that idea. Angrily, Cassie stormed up to the entry and turned his Ranger’s sight down the hall.

“This mage, Bailseen, he was one of yours right; a crow?” he asked, looking for traps. Guy sighed and began chanting.

“Oh Inanna, this is the body of my sorcery. Peel back the darkness and reveal what is hidden in the shadows...” he incanted. Guy’s staff then fairly lit the entire passageway before them revealing any enchantments that had been hidden.

There were two. One on the ceiling was obviously some kind of trap. the other a series of runes meant to send a signal to another rune elsewhere. A kind of alarm. Guy dissipated these enchantments and allowed Cassie to pass to diffuse any traps of the mundane variety. The two worked fast as the sound of ice breaking behind them heralded the return of fatal pursuit.

Lucky for the pair, Cassie was a Master Level practitioner of many of the trappers artes; he could even detect magical traps, but not as quickly as a learned mage. His abilities allowed him to detect and disarm the few mundane traps in the corridor. Including a pretty nasty wire trap that would have ripped the pair apart.

As they went, they covered one another. Guy casting quick spells via name invocation and Cassie using his martial talents for speedy defense. Every few steps brought a new danger and once, Guy even had to bash one of the little buggers with his staff. It went flying into the wall triggering a trap that sent spikes down from the sealing. Cassie had to jump back to keep from sharing it’s fate, impaled against the ground like some grotesque butterfly.

Swinging around, Cassie slammed his bow into another of the ugly critters. Then, in the same motion, greeted two more with thrown knives. Dodging to his side he avoided tiny claws and fangs, jumping up on a fixture on the wall.

He hoped they’d been as sturdy as the ones he’d seen on his trip down. He’d tested one or two and they seemed firm. As he held it, he realized it was some kind of light fixture. Apparently before the place became a creepy tomb, some kind of gas was introduced through a tubing in the wall, igniting something inside of the fixtures to light the hall.

“No fire or lightning spells! Nothing that ‘sparks’!” he warned. Guy, whose elemental affinity usually led him toward water and wind spells nodded.

“I know, there’s supposed to be a combustible gas running through the walls. With the runes no longer working, volatile elemental triggers could send the whole place up.” Guy shouted, stepping towards the wall.

Cassie peered at Guy suspiciously. The gears of his mind turning over the confirmation.

“You seem to know an awful lot about it.” he accused, but Guy didn’t respond. He had other issues to deal with.

Somehow, one of the dangerous little fiends had gotten on Guy’s back. It shrieked loudly as it gnashed it’s teeth, trying to gain purchase for an attack at the lion's neck. The prissy mage slammed his back against the wall with all his might, squishing the little bastard. It clawed and cried as he did it a few more times, to the sound of cracking bones. Luckily, the thick, magically reinforced, fabric of his uniform protected him for the worst of the clawing.

The creature fell from him, dazed but not dead. It held desperately to the fabric of his cowl. With others coming, Guy could not afford to wrestle it free. In a panic he began pulling at the tie that bound the garment in an effort to free himself.

So distracted, the Eridani lion was unaware of the two stalkers coming down on him from above. He would be killed if something wasn’t done. Realizing this, Cassie pushed himself off the wall, bounding to a side table where he could square himself to the target. With a show of extreme speed, balance, and acrobatics, he flipped forward off the table into the air.

The bright eyed ranger took the time to draw a few arrows and nock his bow, breathing deeply as he went for a quick imbue. The light of his arcane arrows shined brightly in the darkened tunnel and caught the attention of every quasit in the hall. The mana ring around the pupil of his eye began to glitter and turn, and then his eye took on a more yellow hue as his vision intensified. He invoked the sight of the eagle.

Paired with his Kirlian Eye ability, Cassie saw everything down the hall, and he didn’t like what was to be seen. There were at least eight of the creatures danger close. Five making their way to Guy and another 3 lunging at him. He had a split second to decide what to do with his light arrows.

Though the passage may have been dark as the blackest night, the qausits were elderian beasts that reeked of unnatural aethereal energy. The distinct vibrance of their quintessence could be seen as glowing an eerie purple in his enhanced sight. They were all lit up like fireflies, making them easy targets.

With a single release he sent away four arrows, his quintessence infused in each. In his mind he focused on the aethereal link between himself and that infused energy, and with effort he sparked an elemental trigger. His arrows turned instantly into beams of light, enhancing their speed and destructive power.

The four light arrows hit true, vaporizing the small monsters on contact and carrying on down the hall. Each time a beam of light hit something, it would ricochet and continue down the hall, though slightly diminished. He managed to score several more kills before the aetheral light dissipated and the arrows came to a stop.

Following Cassie’s lead, Guy stepped forward thrusting out his hand. With just a thought, he sent a funnel of razor wind out to eviscerate two of the quasits that the ranger had missed. With a quick turn he evoked the name of ‘Anzû’s Mist’, shooting a beam that first seemed to be a swirl of fire and water, streaking down the corridor. However halfway through, the two combined creating a burst of steam that blasted the quasits into the walls. Guy could hear their gargled cries as they writhed and thrashed on the floor; bodies covered in blisters and burns.

“That’s gotta hurt...” he laughed, as he watched his handiwork. The pain would be intense, almost debilitating. Especially since the creatures never seemed to close their damned mouths. He’d been counting on them inhaling the steam and damaging their insides. It’d worked like a charm.

“This way!” called Cassius as he turned down a hall. Guy followed quickly, raising his staff and recasting his detection spell. Inside him he felt a small tinge of pain as he drew deeply upon his spirit’s well. Fortunately, there were no traps and the two were able to proceed with little incident.

For more than an hour the two lions stalked through the dark corridors and passageways of Bailseen’s mage pit, trying their best to find their way out. As they went, they encountered fewer and fewer quasits, which would have been a good thing if their presence had not been replaced by the foreboding sense of subversive magic.

“There’s something else down here... something more powerful.” Cassie warned. He was no mage, but his ability to sense the Aethereal was as good if not better than any wizard. He could feel something powerful just beyond the large circle door ahead of them. Guy scoffed;

“Astute observation, Lord Obvious, what are we going to do about it?”

Cassie rolled his eyes, tired of Guy's flippant attitude.

“We’re going to neutralize the threat,” he began.

“All hallways lead here. If there is another way out it is passed whatever is in that room.” he pointed out. Guy sighed, reaching into his bag and taking out a large vial with a curious, lambent, green potion. He looked a bit queasy as he drank the dubious liquid.

“Bah... this stuff is vile.” he gagged.

“The maladictions of your chosen profession...” Cassie teased. Gu huffed and folded his arms.

“Hey, I didn’t have to be here you know. You should be grateful.” chided the Eridani lion. Cassie turned to him and his eyebrows narrowed.

“No, you didn’t... but here you are. You wanna tell me the real reason?” he asked pointedly. Guy opened his mouth to answer, but stopped when he felt Cassie’s throwing knife at his crotch.

“The real reason, love, not that bullshit you were spouting before.”

Guy looked incredulous and rolled his eyes so hard Cassie thought they may just fall out of his dandy little head.

“Oh come on, you’re not going to hurt me Cassie.” he sighed, grinning defiantly. Cassie’s eyebrows further furrowed and he slowly pushed forward, the knife pressing against fur and flesh.

“Last I checked you were at least at Journeyman level in the healing artes... I doubt anything I do will be permanent.” Cassie threatened, steel in his voice. Guy wanted to argue, but the look in the the Assyrian’s eyes told him that would not end well.

“Aww... I thought we were friends.” Guy whined playfully. Cassie’s smile turned wicked as he grabbed Guy by the crotch and pushed him back into the wall.

“We are friends, Guy. It is that friendship that has kept you intact thus far. Continue lying to me and I may have to get less than friendly.” he warned.

With a lascivious smile, Guy pursed his lips and cooed at Cassius;

“Mmm... I love it when you talk dirty.”, but the ranger was not amused. With a slight squeeze the gold eyed jungle cat put pressure on Guy’s special area. The white haired lion cried out indignantly.

“Goddess in the beyond, man! That was not called for!” he protested, but Cassius pushed forward, getting face to face with Guy and squeezing a little harder.

“One way or another you’re going to sing for me...” he purred in Guy's ear, and Guy could not tell whether he was offended, impressed, or aroused.

“Most likely all three...” he decided before turning to give Cassius a little peck on the muzzle.

“Very well m’lord, but you can’t get a guy all hard up and then leave him hanging. I’ll be expecting some kind of compensation when this is over.” he teased.

Cassie simply sighed. Guy’s enmity for him had always been surface deep. Though he hardly cared for the Eridani’s glib attitude and self centered demeanor, Guy was a pretty thing; and Cassie had no problem trading favors for favors.

“Alright, when this is over... answers.” he demanded, stepping back. Guy made a show of straightening out his shorts and fixing his collar before blowing Cassie a kiss.

“Fine, m’lord... answers.” he agreed.

Stepping forward, Guy placed a hand up and met some unseen resistance between him and the door. Where a mundane would see nothing, his Kirlian eye saw the concentration of wild mana that made up the barrier. It was quite the powerful aethereal construct.

“Oh Inanna, this is the body of my sorcery. Pierce the veil between our world and yours and let me see the truth that lies just beyond my second sight!” incanted the crow. As he cast his magical detection spell, the mana halo around his pupil grew large and then consumed his entire eye. An odd and ancient symbol of power formed in his vision and he saw the world beyond the veil of mundane sight.

The barrier itself had been easy enough to see with his regular kirlian eye, but the magical circle that powered the construct had been hidden from sight. Now he could see it, floating just behind the barrier. He could see all the intricate aethereal connections and manipulations that made up its form. The intricate rune work that had written in the language of power, mana in its purest form, keeping the entire spell together. It was a sight few had ever seen, the immaculate framework of Aethereal Energy. This level of detection magic was beyond most mages who hadn’t reached master level in their divination artes. It was a rare talent, and one that led to his recruitment by the Crows of the Court in the first places. He smiled as he began to ‘read’ the circle.

Despite training, most Rangers of Lioncourt never managed to exceed journeyman rank at any of the divination spell artes, though such a high rank for those outside of the mage’s profession was commendable. Cassie had all kinds of tricks and skills to detect magic himself, but, to see the intricate workings of such a spell was beyond him. He looked on in awe as he realized what Guy was doing, before literally clapping quietly in appreciation as the white haired lion proceeded to deconstruct the barrier. His understanding of the manipulations of mana that created it, helped him dispel the powerful defense. After a flash of low shimmering light the barrier was gone.

“Okay, that was impressive...” Cassie admitted stepping to the door to check for other traps. Guy nodded, but said nothing. He needed to catch his breath and deal with the spots in his vision. Such powerful ocular spells put a strain on his sight.

Cassie looked back mildly concerned.

“You ready for this?” he asked. For another moment Guy did not answer. Instead he reached in his pocket grabbing another vial of the potion to replenish what he’d lost casting the previous spell. Gagging, he replied;

“We’re good...” Cassie wondered about that, but did not argue.

Most believed Mana Potions replenished the natural arcane energy that flowed through a person’s body, their quintessence inside of their ‘spirit’s well’. The truth was much different. Mana potions caused an aetheric reaction with the remaining quintessence inside a person's body and caused it to draw in wild mana to replenish what energy was lost. Mana potions didn’t work if you’d depleted your reserves below a certain point, and there was always a risk of a bad aetheric reaction. Though the risks were minimized depending on the quality of the potion. The better the potion, the more vile it seemed to taste. Watching Guy try desperately to keep the liquid down told Cassie that he’d brought the good stuff.

With a grin, Cassie knocked his arrow and began to imbue it with the element of wind. His techniques require far less quintessence than the Master level spells Guy had been casting left and right.

“Y’know, Prometheum Potions get the job done and don’t taste like ass sweat and swamp water.” he joked, referring to the Order’s exclusive Mana Potions. Guy almost gagged again, but caught himself. Lifting his head and holding his staff a little firmly, he shot Cassie a knowing smile.

“I’d rather not drink the afterbirth of some slimy mana beast, thank you.” he teased. Cassie raised an eyebrow and Guy waved him off.

“That’s a question you’re gonna have to ask your own people,” Guy started. He then beamed wickedly, bringing his staff up and preparing for the battle to come.

“Just ask that one on an empty stomach.” he warned.

Slightly distrubed, Cassie turned his focus back on the door. Though he was curious at what Guy was hinting at, he decided it was a question that could wait. Instead, he focused his ‘Eagles Eye’ back on the door to find the best place to land his shot. Since the door opened to the left, he would hit it slightly to the right. With luck the physical resistance would be minimal and he could send the door flying into the room, distracting or subduing whatever foreboding subversive creature was inside. Unfortunately, things didn’t work out that way.

Cassie’s ‘Gale Arrow’ hit its mark and the resulting air pressure threw the door off of it’s hinges. The thick circular piece of wood flew back, hitting the ground several times as it travelled toward a figure in the center of the room, awashed with eerie crimson light. Cassie and Guy pushed forward, and instantly checked for traps before vaulting through the entryway, what they found was shocking.

The entire room was some kind of summoning chamber, with a magical circle etched into the ground. The bodies of several kinlings, drained and emaciated, littered the ground. Their blood poured into the groves of the magic circle. Above them, powered by the magic circle, which had the crimson liquid flowing upward and transmuting into light, was a small gateway that led into blackness. In the center stood a creature that might have once been a lion, now twisted and subverted by the abuse of mana.

He stood tall, staring at them with wild, golden eyes that had no pupils. Patches of fur had fallen off where odd growths protruded from the skin. He was tall as a dragonborn, almost nine feet, and his muscles seemed to twist around bones that weren’t all of similar length, giving him a grotesque, twisted figure. Worst still was the giant eye protruding from his chest. It stared at them with malice as the creature smiled and laughed.

“So... they finally sent someone, after all these years.” he said with a voice that seemed to come from everywhere. The eye looked at Cassie and then at Guy, scrutinizing his uniform.

“Now the murder cares, now that I’ve made a nusiance of myself.” he laughed bitterly.

Cassie’s eyes bulged as he traced the monsters form. Looking on in awe as a slender tentacle reached out from it’s back and held the large wooden door easy in it’s grasp. The rest of it’s body looked relaxed.

“I’m guessing that’s Bailseen?” Cassie quirered. Guy shrugged and held up his staff, casting a minor spell of protection via name invocation.

“I’m not sure,” shrugged Guy.

“Was a bit before my time.”

The creature's unsettling laugh lowered to an uncomfortable snicker.

“How very rude of you. I am right here, you could just ask me.” it admonished. Cassie and Guy did not respond. They simply looked at one another and nodded. A sort of nonverbal confirmation that this was not going to be a pleasant encounter. Bailseen picked up on this, but didn’t seem offended.

“We need not be enemies, young lordlings.” he began

“Though I may seem to be a horrible abomination, I am not without my reason. It is true my studies have subjected me to subversive mana, and I rightfully bear the scars.” he snickered, gesturing to himself.

“I don’t wish any more harm than I’ve already caused.” he said sincerely.

Cassie’s eyes went back to the macabre scene before them. The dozens of bodies strewn haphazardly around the room. The large mana stone in Bailseen’s hand pulsed with their stolen powerl. He could barely make out their emaciated faces, all twisted in their last moments of agony. It was all he could to keep his anger in check.

“You’re become subverted beyond redemption. You are a sick, sir, and there is no cure. There’s no way we can let you continue to grow in power. You’ll become a fiend!” he snarled, readying his weapon.

Bailseen nodded, unable to argue with Cassie’s assertion.

“I’m almost there,” he shrugged. Disturbingly the tentacles protruding from his back shrugged as well. Slowly he sat down the door and faced the pair head on.

“I am aware of the monster I’m becoming. That is why I have been researching a way to open a rent in the Forbidding.” he started.

“Why, so you can call forth more of your filthy little minions?” Cassie’s words were accusatory, but Bailseen did not anger. Instead he gestured around.

“Is that what you think this is about.” he asked incredulously. He turned to look at Guy, a pleading expression on his horrific face.

“You’re a Crow, you explain it to him.” he said gesturing to Guy, who was studying the magic circle. He’d been looking increasingly more concerned as he did.

Nudging him, Cassie asked what the beast was on about, but Guy needed a moment to gather his thoughts.

“He... he’s not trying to summon anything.” he started, double checking the runes. He then explained that the rent above them was not for summoning creatures like the quasits they encountered. He figured they had been an unfortunate byproduct of Bailseen’s brute force attempts to pierce the Forbidding and create a path to the Elderlands. He wasn’t trying to summon something from the land of the Elderians, he was trying to open a portal he could go through.

Bailseen clapped and complimented Guy on his expert deduction.

“You are correct,” he confirmed. Bailseen then went on to explain his reasoning, and what brought him there.

The Crow had been commissioned by the Court to find a safe way to summon Quasits and bind them to service. He’d been entirely funded by the Peerage. His experiments had been going well for years, until he underestimated his test subjects. Those unbound watched and learned from those who were. They’d learned how to enhance and support each other’s magic. How to cast spells in combination to increase their power. The unbound eventually made a move to escape.

Initially they overpowered him and he was forced to use his bound Quasits to fight, and slow them down. But there were many more unbound than bound and he’d been quickly overrun. He was forced to activate the Bunkers defenses and take extreme measures to keep them from escaping, but they were clever beasts and had paid attention to his summoning ritual, and soon began summoning more of their kind.

In order to prevent this, he released an alchemic gas through the corridors of the bunker that was supposed to kill the Quasits, and it worked, for the most part. Some had some kind of resistance to the gas and did not die. Instead it robbed them of their minds and made them mostly feral, both bound and unbound became wild fiends that fed off one another to survive.

Because of the nature of the defenses of the Bunker, once his senschel sealed it after more than a week without contact, Bailseen was stuck. After a few months, he’d run out of provisions and realized no one would be coming to save him. With no other option, he had to subsist on tainted flesh and whatever water he could conjure up.

His magic was not strong enough to break the seal keeping him inside of his self made tomb, and it made it impossible for the divination spells he’d put in place for communication to get through. His ‘echo sphere’ had been damaged by rampaging quasits during the initial insurrection and he could not call for help.

“That’s when I decided on a plan of action...” he said reasonably. He’d let the quasits breed. He’d take the young before they’d develop and he’d drain them of their energies. He would use the ill gotten quintessence to power his spells and he’d make a portal powerful enough to get him out of the bunker. With strong enough magic, he could supersede the seals in place and escape, or so he thought.

“I always knew there was a chance I’d be subverted before I gained enough power to escape.” he chuckled, a little madness in his cold eyes.

“Then something happened. The seals went down. Someone on the outside was trying to get in. They’d been at it for years I think. The passage of time is hard to calculate after a while. Though I think they’d been out there for four or five years.” he grumbled kicking one of the bodies.

Cassie looked closer and realized they were all female. Something hard to tell in their current physical state. He looked at Guy who nodded in assist. He was thinking the same thing.

“Witches?” Guy asked, already expecting the answer. Bailseen nodded. Walking over and grabbing one of the bodies he spat.

“An entire coven. This one was their leader, she was pretty powerful.” he shrugged, holding up her corpse effortlessly.

“When they finally got the seal open, they let the damn Quasits out.” he laughed. He then commented on how absolutely fortuitous that turned out to be, as he began to use his own Quasits to subdue and capture the witches for his experiments. He needed more power for his portal.

“Why did you just not leave? Seek help?” Cassie demanded. Bailseen again turned to Guy, this time with a look of exasperation.

“Because he’s subverted and there’s no going back for him. If he was out there walking around he’d be killed on sight.” Guy nodded, starting to understand the mad mage’s motivation.

“The only place you can go that you won’t be killed or experimented on is the Elderlands.” he concluded. Bailseen nodded his approval.

“Got it in one...” he grinned.

Cassie narrowed his brow and pointed an arrow at the crazy ‘crow’. With steel in his voice he asked;

“And what of the aftermath you leave behind?”

The former Crow shrugged and gestured around him.

“I imagine your friend here has orders to clean up this mess. I doubt any of this will survive.” he said nonchalantly. He then turned to Guy.

“I’m guessing an activated spell stone, probably a big one. Most likely emulation field? Silver Level?” he asked casually. Cassie looked at Guy who shrugged sheepishly.

“Gold, the Sorceress wants this place sanitized.” Guy admitted. Bailseen whistled. He’d never even seen a gold level spell stone. Anything above silver was illegal, a fact that wasn’t lost on Cassius.

“Sierra made that herself did she? ‘Bout the only one who could.” Bailseen said of the Court’s High Sorceress. Guy looked a bit nervous, but didn’t dare turn to see Cassie disapproving glare. Instead he held his staff up and pointed at the fissure.

“I don’t think we can accommodate you, Kevn Zax.” Guy lamented formally, invoking the friendly title crows such as he used for their elders. He gestured to the portal.

“You haven’t got enough time or power here to open your portal,” he began. Observing the worried look on the subverted’s face, Guy soon added.

“And neither he nor I have the power to help you... willingly or unwillingly.”

Bailseen looked dejected for a moment staring up at the half-formed portal. He’d done so much. Worked so hard, only to die like this? He knew the two would never let him leave the bunker. He was mad, yes, but his mind was not so addled that he didn’t understand that. Could he just roll over and die after so much effort.

“No, you cannot,” a voice spoke in his mind. The voice was familiar, it was own; though tainted and wicked. The subversion trying to seize all control. He’d done well to stave off the hunger, the madness for as long as he had. He’d gone a little crazy he knew, but not so mad that he’d let the taint consume him. Not yet.

“Kill them... devour their essence.” it encouraged.

“You owe them nothing. You owe the land nothing!” it insisted. It played on his misgivings and bitterness over being left behind, trying to convince him to take what he wanted and survive. Live, consume, grow more powerful. He silenced the voice with a resounding,

“NO!” that caused both effeminate lions to jump back and ready their weapons.

Grabbing his head he squeezed hard, gritting his teeth.

“I am Bailseen Karam! I WILL NOT BE A TOOL OF YOUR TAINT!” he growled wrestling control of his mind. He snarled and fought, declaring his independence of the subversion that threatened to devour him.

“Oh Inanna, this is the body of my sorcery. Let your light wash over me and fill my mind with your wisdom and mercy...” he incanted, casting a calming spell. His body glowed with a warm light and the voice in his mind silenced.

“Intriguing...” Guy mused, formulating a thought. Cassie too was surprised at the subverted spellcasters ability to control his taint. He lowered his arrow and sighed, coming to a decision.

Slowly, as not to alarm the kin, he reached back and withdrew his short sword. Bailseen looked up, feeling the power of the enchanted weapon.

“So you are to execute me then?” he asked, a bit of indignation in his voice. Cassie shook his head.

“Not as such,” he replied, tossing the blade to Bailseen. The fallen mage caught it with one of his tentacles and looked at it.

“This... this is a Mana Brand.” he exclaimed. The surprise on his face was mirrored by Guy, but Cassie ignored them both.

“I imagine we’ve not got a lot more time for revelations and discussions right?” Cassie quiered Guy, his tone accusatory. Guy smiled sheepishly.

“A little over three minutes, I felt the elemental trigger a while ago.” he answered truthfully. Cassie scowled and turned his attention to the door on the far side of the room.

“That a way out?” he inquired of the exit. Bailseen nodded in confirmation, explaining it was the secondary entrance that led to the secret exit in his parlor. With the seals down, they should be able to make it to the house, the mundane reinforcements would keep the blast from the spellstone from completely demolishing the surface, or so he hoped. Cassie hoped as well. That was good enough for him.

“I can’t do anything about the time, but that should give you a better boost of power to attempt your spell, though it will shatter the core in the process.” He said of the powerful mana stone embedded in the blade. Bailseen nodded and reached out with a tentacle behind him, grabbing something off of a table. With a whip, he tossed it to Guy.

“A record of my research... Sierra will want to see it.” he informed. Guy bowed his head and went to put it in his bag.

“There is another in the house above, she will want to see that as well.” he continued moving out of the duos way. Giving him a suspicious glare, Cassie peered into Guy’s eyes, hoping he would not mistake the Raven’s meaning.

“Yes, I’m sure your Order would wish to see them as well.” Guy sighed. Cassie said nothing. Instead he took a moment to bow to the wayward wizard before making his exit.

Guy on the other hand bridged the gap between himself and Bailseen, extending his hand.

“You will not be forgotten, brother Crow.” he promised. At first, Bailseen reached out with a tentacle. Purely an involuntary reaction. He’d been so used to using the powerful appendages over his arms. With effort, he reached out his hand and shook Guys, before bowing to kiss it.

“Tell Harlem and Porsha they’ve raised a fine young kin.” He beamed. Guy looked up, surprised at the mention of his parents.

“You knew my parents?” he asked. Bailseen turned and studied the mana brand in his grasp.

“Yes, though that is a story from another time. You know the Crows work closely with the Kingsguard. I grew up with your mother.” he informed.

Guy’s face grew solemn. The older lion looked so happy. He didn’t have the heart to tell him that his mother had died. He also had no time to explain the extreme circumstance, but he would ask his father about Bailseen, that was for sure. Bowing, Guy promised to ask his parents about the mage and then followed Cassie to the exit. They did not look back as they felt the powerful draw of Mana as Bailseen began to incant. It was his last effort to survive and they needed to start their own.

They never found out whether or not Bailseen succeeded in crossing over to the Elderlands. It was more likely that he had been disintegrated with everything else living down in the Bunker. Upon returning to the surface, Guy was quick to activate a spell stone that he’d left behind. The clever crow had prepared a new seal for the bunker. Not as powerful as the original. Not on such short notice, but one strong enough to contain the blast, or so he hoped.

The rumble of subterranean explosion could be felt for a mile, and the foundation of the manor was rocked. Half the building threatened to come down, so far was it in it’s dilapidated state. The two hid under a shield spell to escape the falling debris. Despite the seriousness of the ordeal, it was over in a matter of seconds.

Following Bailseen’s instructions, the two searched through the ruined building for his other journal, finding it in the upstairs office. Unlike the previous journal which was a record of his work, this one was of a personal nature, with recorded correspondences and letters between himself, his family, Sierra, and to Cassius’ great surprise, his father. The old kin had been asking for regular updates on the matter. His involvement shed light on why the Peerage thought they could pressure the Assyrius boys into investigating the matter. He cursed under his breath knowing that things were only going to get messier.

Cassie and Guy investigated the area for hours. From the late afternoon when they’d made their escape, to the sunset hours of twilight and beyond. They were thorough in their inspection of the area, making sure no other dangers escaped to continue menacing the countryside. After Cassius was satisfied that they could do no more, he made his way down the large hill that led to the estate, and began following the Harper tracks that fled off into the distance. Their mounts had run during the detonation, and if he didn’t want to walk back to Ivah, he would have to find them.

“So, all's well it ends well I guess.” Guy said coming up behind him. Cassie glared at him, but said nothing walking on down the path.

“Oh come on, job well done. Everything worked out.” Guy pointed out. Cassie did not turn. For several steps they walked in silence, Guy making teasing and juvenile gestures at the back of his companions head. The ranger pretended not to notice. Eventually Guy’s curiosity got the better of him and he poked Cassie on the shoulder.

“So what are you going to tell the Peerage.” he asked. Cassie shrugged. He didn’t know if he wanted to tell them anything. He knew there would be an investigation, but he doubted the Order would get anywhere with the Court. Not with his father backing the venture.

“What are you gonna tell the Order?” Guy then inquired, seeing the apprehension on Cassie’s face.

Cassie did not stop his stride as he answered;

“Everything, of course. I will be compelled.” Sighing, the white haired mage put his hands in his pockets. He knew that Cassie could keep no secrets from the Order. His oaths in magic would compel a full and truthful recounting. He wondered how they would feel about him giving up his mana brand. They certainly wouldn’t be happy with that, especially given why he’d given it up.

Guy thought to ask about that, but thought better of it, instead a wicked notion flashed in his mind and he grinned devilishly at Cassie.

“And what of our arrangement? You did indeed get your answers, m’lord.” Guy reminded. Cassie stopped then, turning his head and smiling back at him.

“I haven’t forgotten.” Cassie replied, brushing a hand through his hair. He then turned and kept walking, snickering quietly to himself.

“Unless you want to do it right here on the road, we’ll probably handle that business back in town.” he assured him.

Giggling, Guy walked ahead and turned to face Cassie, backtracking. He meant to offer another flirtatious tease, but the look on the Assyrian lions face brought him up short. Cassie's face was plastered with a devious grin. With a wink he finally said;

“I’m sure you’ll want a soft bed for this one. I don’t plan to be gentle...” he sassed walking on.

Cassie then warned that he hoped his foppish compatriot had brought more than just mana potions in his ‘little purse’, because he was going to need them. He cackled evilly as he walked away, promising to pay Guy back in full.

The young Crow stopped a moment and stared after him, wondering just what he had in store. He’d never known Cassie to be violent or domineering in bed, but the thought was intriguing. Hopefully, he wasn’t too rough, if he was, Guy would probably need to take time to recover. Pulling the journal out of his satchel and looking at it, the beautiful beau wondered after his duty, but only for a moment.

“Eh, she waited fifteen years, she can wait another few days.” he concluded, thinking of the High Sorceress. With a grin on his face and a little pep in his step, Guy started after Cassie shouting;

“Wait for me, m’lord!” Cassie did not.