Leveling up the World

Chapter 740: Post Archmage Reality

Dallion was back in the spike-filled room. Raven instantly collapsed to the ground. The events that took part in his realm had left him mentally and physically exhausted.

Lux, heal him, Dallion said, as he used a few simple spells to clear as much of the wreckage as possible. It was almost funny how he couldnt do a spell that he had found so simple not too long ago. The spikes coming from the walls and ceiling were going to have to stay until mage reinforcements arrived. At least one would hope they would.

Hes gone, Gen said from Dallions realm.

I know that.

Its not the worst thing. There was no way you could trust him after what he did.

That much was obvious. Dallion fully agreed, and yet he still felt a sort of emptiness inside. It was as if a landmark had gone; even more, it was as the father figure of his realm had upped and left. Dallion wasnt ready to forgive him, not by a long shot, yet he still couldnt find himself capable of hating the old echo.

Will he be alright? he looked at Raven.

Better than me, the armadil shield complained. Hell need some care, but there are enough mages for that.

Are you alright?

Almost got cut in half a few times, but whos counting? You really need to pick up your game for when you meet Grym.

You think well meet?

Its inevitable. He clearly doesnt like you, and after what happened today, hell want to clear his record. Nobles hold grudges, especially those set on world domination. Trust me, I have personal experience.

No doubt the guardian was right. Even if the Academy kept the matter secret from the public, the whole group of traitors had seen everything that happened through the echoes within their puppets. If Dallion had to guess, they had probably killed off the echoes by now, leaving their puppets stringless and confused. The empire could interrogate the mall they wanted, they could even enter their awakened realms, but theyll only learn pieces of what they wanted to know. Meanwhile, the alliance was free to continue with their activities.

How are things up Dallion began, but stopped himself. All the information about the outside world came from Nil.

As he stood there, Ruby flew onto his shoulder. The insect was soon followed by more shardflies.

You won? Several of them asked.

No, Dallion said. They had run away before the fight began. He glanced at the archmages body, then at Raven. All I did was fight puppets. It was a lie, but it saved a lot of explanations. I think you should leave now. Mages will start showing up and they cant talk to you.

A wave of reluctance filled the room, emanating from the thousands of creatures.

Go up, then south. Ill make sure no one goes after you. There was a bit of hesitation. At the very least, Ill give you a good head start.

There was a fifty-fifty chance that the shardflies believed him. Dallion doubted theyd attack him, but he wasnt fully convinced theyd leave either. That would make for another unpleasant clash in the skies above the archmages complex.

Theres nothing to be gained, he added, using his music skills to make them more agreeable. This isnt your reality, but you can still make some nests in it. The people are simple here. Most of them wont bother you as long as theyre left alone.

Just like us.

Just like you. Dallion forces a smile onto his face. Go. Ill take care of things.

Nothing happened for the next few seconds, then a few shardflies flew out of the room. They were joined by several dozen more, then more. Soon enough, they were flying out in the thousands, heading straight up in the shape of a reversed tunnel. That was at least one less worry that Dallion had. Finding a relatively clean spot on the floor, Dallion sat down. Now that he was experiencing calm for such a long period of pressure, exhaustion hit him like a sledgehammer. It wasnt enough to make him faint, but more than adequate to make him pensive and tired.

Eleria? Dallion asked, surprised. Not much. The first time was when I was hired to track down and destroy a dragons shadow. Why? Is she alright?

Its unusual for someone so separated from the Academy proper to recommend an applicant.

I was told that was part of the process. Was she rogued?

And she didnt share any specifics about her research? the other mage interrupted.

Nope, not particularly. That wasnt exactly true. Dallion knew it had to do with creatures, just as he knew that the woman had a phoenix feather with her. Something to do with the local area, from what I remember. He leaned slightly forward. So, is she alive?

The two mages looked at each other, after which one of them vanished.

Thanks for the chart, the other stood up.

Glad to oblige. Pressing his luck, Dallion added a subtle thread of calm into his words. I take it everything is in order outside? No more attacks or shardfly outbreaks.

I would have preferred to have a living chameleon lizard, the mage grumbled. But yes, things are under control.

Anything more?

Dont. The mage darted Dallion a warning glance. Youll be told whats needed.

There didnt seem to be any anger emanating from the man. Could it be that the man was grateful to Dallion? That left the door for some rather interesting question.

Oh, and by the way, good thinking on saving Phoil, the mage said as he went towards the door. Not all of his echoes managed to pop out. We got some interesting info from there.

Why are you telling me that? Good to hear. Dallion nodded. How long will I remain here?

A few more days. The Learning Hall still needs some work.

Was there a second swarm of shardflies? I remember the building was

Its not just the building that needs fixing. The mages tone hardened. Get some rest. Youll know when its safe to go.

Definitely combat mages, Dallion thought.

The emperor must have sent them to resolve the Academy mess before focusing on the larger war. No doubt that would result in substantial territorial losses before things got stable enough for a decisive counterattack. For all Dallion knew, the empire might have lost three provices in the last few weeks: Dreud, Wetie, and another of the northern ones. If true, the overall territory of the empire had shrunk by half in a frightfully short period of time.

The few more days turned out to be well over a week. Boredom seeped in, infesting everything Dallion was doing. A large part of the time was spent in the awakening realms, talking with his echoes, guardians, and companions. Dallion would have welcomed teaching them skills, but there were no sources of magic he could use to boost them. For better or worse, he felt like being on a long vacation anxious at first, then marginally calm, pleasantly relaxed, and finallybored beyond his skull.

Ruby seemed to share in the annoyance. The shardfly had quickly found that every inch of the room was protected, making drawing impossible. The only thing the creature could do was spar with Dallion in an attempt to grow a bit stronger.

Every day in the morning, a tray of food would magically appear. Getting all the info they needed from him, mages no longer bothered with personal visits. That didnt stop them from monitoring, though. When Dallion voiced a request for a larger bathroom, he was instantly provided with one.

On the fifteenth day since his protective custody, the door finally opened again. Dallion split into a second instance to glance over his shoulder. Of all people, Katka emerged from outside.

Congratulations. She tossed him a green robe. Lets talk.