Elsewhere

Baslin nearly stumbled over his words trying to relate all he had to say too quickly. “First off, the Twin Kingdoms were not always like they are now. About a century ago, they were united under a single king. King Estros. The Kingdom of Eternia had existed for millennia with the peaceful handover of power from Ruler to Ruler carrying on for longer than memory stretches. It was the most stable kingdom in all of the known world, and I was its high wizard. Estros was a friend for decades and I was happy to serve him as advisor and follower alike. When his twin children were born, I vowed that I would not leave and to serve them as I had Estros. He was a dear friend. How could I not do so?

This, my new friend, has been my undoing. I am bound by this terrible vow. You see, the twins have quite effectively ruined the kingdom of Eternia. When Estros died (I’m still not sure it was a natural passing), my vow still stood. I was to serve the twins equally yet they fought incessantly over using me and my spells to further their selfish gains within their now split and competing kingdoms. After nearly going to war with each over, I helped them come to perhaps the only agreement they have been able to hold.

The agreement was rather simple and, if I do say so myself, brilliant. All I needed to do was train an apprentice for each of them and I would be released from my vow. Now here’s where I really got the brats! Nothing in the agreement says the apprentices have to actually serve either of the twins!

I immediately got started training a pair of apprentices. I taught them everything I knew about magic and spellcraft. It took me years to teach them to the point they could stand on their own, but I did it. They were about to graduate. I had the ceremony prepared and quite the feast summoned. It was to be a grand day – my day of freedom!

I began the graduation ceremony and named Alexander my first graduated apprentice for Queen Pahst. As I began the ceremony to name Lucian my second graduated apprentice for King Chopie, an assassin struck him down. I obliterated the assassin, but it was too late. Moments later, another assassin killed Alexander. The twins’ jealousy and competitiveness led to the death of both of my apprentices. Their pettiness has no end!”

Duke interrupted, “Wow, that’s awful. I bet it was hard getting new apprentices after that.”

“Oh, you have no idea. It has been a century that I have been trapped here in my tower while the twins continue to squabble any try to outdo each other in all things. Every new building one builds, the other builds one ‘better’. They have taxed their population to the extreme and rule through intimidation and fear. It is truly awful.

Now, here is why I am so excited. I can train you in complete secret. My auguries have shown that no one knows you are here. This is great for the both of us. You learn magic and spells that few others in any kingdom know and I finally gain my freedom. Then I can cancel the longevity spells I placed on the twins and the kingdoms can finally rest and recover from their tyranny!”

“Now, wait a minute there.” Duke held up a hand to forestall the celebration. “There’s a few points of clarity that I need here. “One, did you say that you would kill the twins after all this?”

“Well, not kill them directly. Just cancel the longevity spells I have previously cast on them. They will die of old age on their own. Look, neither of them is a good person. They are petty tyrants and have terrorized their own people so much that I am certain that King Estros would come back from the grave and slay them both if he could. They are as close to evil as you can get without actively seeking to be evil. Removing them will be a grand favor for both kingdoms.”

“OK, let’s say that offing them is a good thing. Did you say that it took you years to teach your past apprentices? I’m not sure I’m willing to commit to years of study. Magic is cool and all that but just how long are we talking here?”

Baslin nodded along. “Yes, yes, I see the objection. But what you don’t see right now is the benefit. First off, when you have so much mana flowing through your body, your aging will all but cease. Your lifespan will extend into the thousands of years so what is a few short years in comparison? And the quality of those years? Oh, yes. With the proper spells, you can live in any level of comfort you would ever want.”

Duke weighed his options. He could try and leave as Baslin had made no threats or moves to prevent him from leaving. Then again, that didn’t mean that he wouldn’t have some way to prevent him from leaving. He could also take the man up on his offer. It would take a long time, years, in fact, but it would give him tremendous power in this new world. But he also had things to do. Like…OK, so he really had no goals in this world yet. Sure, he was tossed the “kill the big evil that lurks in the forest” BS quest, but he really didn’t want to jump into such a trite fantasy plotline.

Baslin noted Duke’s pause for thought and smiled again. Man, this guy smiles an awful lot. Super creepy or Super happy. Still not sure.

“Duke, I can see you are contemplating my offer. I am sure you have countless questions and concerns even still. How about this? I will send you to the capital of Chopie and you can see for yourself what conditions are like there. I will Portal you back in a week and we can discuss your impression of what this nation has become. You will have to be disguised and have your aura hidden so no one can track you back here but that shouldn’t be too difficult. What do you say?”

Duke considered the offer for a moment. He tried weighing the possibilities but, ultimately, there was no choice. Of course, he was going to do it. A free trip to civilization? Sure, why not.

“That sounds like a great idea. Let’s do it.”

“Excellent! Just a few quick incantations and you’ll be off.”

Baslin quickly cast a series of spells on Duke, far faster than he would have expected.

*** A SPELL HAS BEEN CAST UPON YOU

You are now affected by Aura Concealment. Your aura has been concealed. You appear to be completely mundane and indistinguishable from countless others. Whatever it is that makes you special, no one can see it now. This spell will last for seven days before fading completely but will gradually lessen in effectiveness over time.

You are now affected by Lasting Disguise. Your appearance has been altered. Your general size and shape remain, but your facial features, hair color, and hairstyle have been significantly altered. No one you know will recognize you. Even your voice has been changed. This spell will last for seven days.

***

Duke stood and walked over to a mirror across the room and gazed upon himself to see how the disguise worked. He could still see himself, but he could also see a nearly transparent outline of another face over his own. It was disorienting. His hair was now shoulder length and blonde. His eyes had now become the crystal blue of a glacier. On top of all that, he seemed to have put on nearly 20 kilos in bulky muscle mass, like he was a powerlifter. He rather liked the changes – they definitely were different enough from his actual look that no one would mistake him for who he really was.

“Are you done admiring yourself?”

Duke startled at Baslin’s voice.

“Um, yes, I guess so. It’s just so weird seeing myself like this.”

“Oh, yes, the first time is a bit disorienting. Here, change into these clothes. What you are wearing now is far too unique, even down to the patches with their cryptic symbols on them. Is that some sort of language?”

Duke took the proffered clothes and went to a side nook that Baslin indicated to change. After doing so, he realized that he still had his name patch attached to his uniform. He immediately tore it off and tossed it into a nearby fireplace, making sure it burned up completely. Thank goodness he couldn’t read my nametag. Conceal your true name…Fail!

Duke returned to Baslin who smiled at his appearance. “Yes, yes, yes, you now look like you belong in the city. Give me your old clothes. I’ll put them in your room to await your return.”

Baslin handed Duke a pouch. “Now, take this and put it on your belt. There should be enough coin in there to take care of your needs for the full week. When your time is up, the pouch will grow very warm – that is your indication to get somewhere private so no one sees you Portal back. Do you understand?”

Duke nodded. “Sure, pouch gets hot, I hot-foot it out of sight and then I’m back here. No problem.”

“Wonderful, are you ready, then? I’ll take you to the portal chamber.” Baslin led Duke to another chamber that housed a great spiral staircase. The staircase was made of carved marble and was nearly four meters wide. It climbed both up and down from the ground floor. Giving Duke a “come along” hand gesture, he began to descend the stairs.

Six flights later, they emerged into a single large chamber with glowing symbols and runes covering most of the surfaces. The most prominent feature, however, was a six-meter-wide circle glowing in the center of the room. Duke could feel a thrum of power that pulsed around the room. It made his bones ache with each pulse. He gritted his teeth at the sense of “wrongness” that pulsed around him.

“Duke, is there something wrong? You don’t look so good.”

“This whole room feels wrong. Something is off here. Really far off.”

“Nonsense. What you are sensing is the power required to keep this portal stable and concealed. I assure you that this is the safest, most stable portal in all of the continent. You have nothing to fear.” To emphasize his words, Baslin walked out into the center of the chamber and spun with his arms outstretched. “See, perfectly safe. Now, let’s get going. I can’t wait until this week is over and you are ready to start learning. We are going to have so much fun!”

Duke bit down his fear and joined Baslin in the center of the room, his mind and body screaming at him to run the entire time. He was, however, made of stern stuff and did not flinch as Baslin shook his hand and then rapidly skipped out of the circle.

“OK, when I throw this switch, you will be portalled to a secure location within the city. It’s one of my old houses and is magically warded to prevent intrusion. You can use it as a base of operations for the week. No one should notice you coming in and out – that’s the absolute best feature of the place.”

Duke steeled his nerves and clenched his muscles to prevent his legs from shaking. Everything felt wrong and he could feel his stomach starting to twist. “Do it, Baslin. Quickly!”

Baslin quickly threw the switch and Duke disappeared in a flash of energy.