“Who is left?” Manus asked quietly. She was wrapped in a furry blanket and wore her favorite fluffy slippers. The fey witch was sitting on the large, soft couch in her bedroom along with Suzie who was also still in pajamas as the two looked for some kind of comfort. The usually starry walls were dull and colorless now along with the dreary, rainy view from the magicked windows. It felt like every possible view on them was gray and cloudy.
	The gnome scratched her head and curled her red hair between her fingers. She read over a scroll, “Galahad, Mishta, and Andrew still walk freely. His cute little kobold is still safe too. Fredrik isn't holed up in his room anymore but I haven't seen him. Penelope, Colin, Isaiah, and Y’Sholtan are all residing in the cafeteria with many others,” She sighed, “Holmit and Angerdese are missing. The others have gone home… That stupid, hard-headed dwarf should have waited for the DHIF to do their job! Now he’s– he’s–” Suzie began to sob, “Why does this have to happen? I just wanted a fun school year for once!”
	Miss Manus’s heart was heavy and hurting. Three of her arms now as big, comfortable bear paws pulled the gnome in for a hug, “I know. After the death of Paula Button last year, and that strange dungeon opening under the school three years ago, and…” She stopped herself as she stroked the sobbing gnome’s hair gently, “We have suffered hardships before. We will make it,” A soft chime rang through the room, “Enter!” The witch called. In came Galahad wearing a hoodie and jeans. He looked exhausted and was panting and out of breath.
	“Are you okay, Suzie?” He asked as he approached the two.
	“No! How could I be!?” 
	“Suzie,” Miss Manus held her firmly, “Calm down. Galahad is merely wanting to help.”
	“Right…” The gnome sighed before leaning against her president for comfort, “Anything to report?”
	The duelist summoned his rat and put him in Suzie’s lap. She hugged him tightly like a stuffed animal meant solely for her comfort. Randy barely reacted, “Fredrik is out and about again. Barely spoke to me, but he’s working with Sean’s teams to help people move around campus or drive people up to the train station,” He explained, “Mishta, Andrew, Blud, and Rald are all very excited to see Arthur speak today! I heard he’s even bringing two other famous casters with him!”
	“We shouldn’t even be putting these people at risk with bringing them here,” Suzie grimly remarked.
	“Heroes are exactly what people need right now,” Galahad assured her, “Some look up to Sean and Harold, most everyone looks up to someone like Arthur. Even better if he’s bringing other people of his level with him. With them here, Fairgarland will be safe. We’re not abjurationists, but I think we should go.”
	“Imagine the stories a Grand Master could tell, the only Grand Master in abjuration at that!” Miss Manus agreed, her eyes were bright and full of wonder. Her star shaped pupils glimmered in the light.
	Galahad nodded, “I’ve heard them. They’re good stories,” He smiled, glad to finally see Manus in high spirits.
	“You have? Where?” 
	“Ah,” The duelist scratched his head, “Internet and books. He’s written a few compendiums and has been on a handful of those spellcast radioshow things.”
	“I see. Suzie, we should certainly go,” Miss Manus urged, “To clear our minds, if only for a while.”
"I… I supposed. It's as you said, at least we'll be safe," the halfling conceded, “For now, we should finish our work. Galahad, pull up a chair.”

. . . . .

	Sean straightened his tie as two of his lower classmen ran sticky brushes over his robes to remove any hair or duster. He would not allow himself to be embarrassed by a disheveled uniform. Harold stood nearby with an amused smirk on his face, “You look fine, friend,” The evocationist chided. 
	“I must look much more than ‘fine,’” The abjuration president replied with a twinge of anxiety in his voice, “You may have many evocation grand masters, but this is THE abjuration grand master. I must make a good impression for Fairgarland and the house that got its namesake from him.”
	“I am sure it is not that dire,” Zucarius smiled as he entered the room. The small group were all in the lobby of the Grand Hall. A few abjuration teachers, students from House Maxamillion, the Dean, and a few presidents were there, all waiting for their guests of honor to arrive, “This is supposed to be more of a fun event than something to fret over, Sean.” Harold whispered.
	"This is serious, Harold, and where is Master Xavos?" Sean retorted in a hushed but energetic fashion.
	"He's out with the DHIF agents keeping watch and looking for leads, so you can relax and fret over the follicles on your sleeves," Harold snickered. 
Sean's face went flush. "He should be here! With everything going on lately–"
	“They’re here!” A student exclaimed as they burst into the main room. They panted and sweated from their dash across campus.
	“Get this one some water and rest,” Sean ordered one of his attendants, “Everyone, please be on your best behavior. This is Arthur’s first time–”
	ZAP!
	A cloud of smoke filled the room for a moment before billowing out the front door by another spell. Everyone coughed and sputtered in the foul smelling cloud, “See?” A woman cried, “I knew they would be here!” 
	“We could have walked, you know,” Another sighed.
	“Ah, Zucarius, in the flesh. Good to finally see you once more,” A third greeted.
	The dean opened his eyes to see an old, familiar face. Every student knew each of the three elder casters that had teleported into the room. In a blue-gray set of robes with a black belt tightly strapped around the waist was Arthur Maxamillion, grand master of abjuration. He knocked the soot off of his conical hat with a short, rounded brim. The hat was covered in golden stars that shined through even the soot. Next to him were two women. The first being his wife, the famous satyr sorceress Nambra Faith as some still knew her. An old woman with crimson hair, orange eyes, a black dress that soot seemed to constantly be falling off of, and goat legs with curly crimson hair. The horns on her head curled back in two loops and were capped with golden baubles. She held a thick, charred wood staff in her hand that ended in a gnarled cluster of branches, each seemingly forever smoldering. The last was Maxine Hamilton, a high-leveled master of conjuration. She had short, messy, black hair, and bright, emerald green eyes like that of a cat’s. Her dark black robes, a wide brimmed and tall conical hat were near indistinguishable from her ears, hair and tail that poked out through the robes. 
	“Ah,” Zucarius shook the old wizard’s hand, “I had no idea you were bringing Lady Hamilton with you.”
“Neither did we,” Nambra smirked as the dean took her hand and kissed the back of it in greeting, “We were planning on bringing our cleric friend with us.”
	“Even so, it is very nice to have you all here,” Sean interjected while stepping forward, “I am Sean Reagal, one of the house presidents that requested you, it is an honor to have the three of you step onto our campus.” 
	Arthur nodded, “The honor is all mine, Mister Reagal. Few have asked me to speak due to my wizarding knowledge and not because of my status as a hero of legend. It is quite the nice change of pace.”
	“I am told our contacts barely needed to talk you into it,” Harold chuckled, “A grandmaster needs to be recognized for all the work put into his craft!”
	The grandmaster wizard smirked behind his beard, “My heart was set aflutter when the dying flames of my ego were stoked by your headmaster. Nambra’s playful teasing and praising only goes so far these days.”
	“And you didn’t even ask to be paid?” Sean wondered.
	He nodded again, “I don’t think I could spend the money I already have in three lifetimes, even with my children.”
	“How many do you have now?” Harold pressed, “It seems like the amount changes from report to report.”
	“Let’s see here… those three have flown the nest, three in schools, two at home, I believe,” The wizard thought for a moment, “Seven.”
	“You listed eight, sir,” Sean hastily pointed out. He glanced over to see Harold’s mind racing.
	The elder wizard scratched his temple, “I did? I meant seven. Hard to keep track of them all. Ah! That must have been my mistake. My eldest, she has a husband you see. He has been part of the family for almost a decade now. Love him like the son I never got to have.”
	“Ah, that makes sense,” Harold sounded very disappointed, “You never had a son?”
	The wizard nodded, “Yes. In my many years with my lovely wife, we were never blessed with one,“ He sighed, “No wizarding magic aligned children either. I would have liked my own apprentice– from my bloodline, I mean. I’ve trained a few wizards in my time.”
	“And they all turned out to be wonderful wizards,” Maxine chimed in, “Even if I did become so infamous,” She checked a silver pocket watch, “Heavens! I must step away for a few moments, I need to speak to someone. I will catch up in a few moments!” With a puff of smoke, Maxine vanished.
 	“She always was an odd one,” Zucarius sighed, “Please, let us be off. The theater is not far.”
	“May we pass by the forest to the south? I wish to observe the mana in the area,” Arthur declared.
	“Ah,” The dean frowned to himself but put on a smile and nodded to the elder wizard, “As you wish. With a group this large we should not see any issues,” With a sigh Zucarius opened the double doors with the wave of his hand, “This way please.”

	. . . . .

	A small group stood together on the edge of the forest. Manus, Suzie, Rald, and Rita refused to leave the path while Galahad, Reccoa and Blud took a few steps into the woods, “We are going to be late, Lox,” Rald whined.
	“Hold on, hold on,” The man stooped down and poked at some footprints in the mud, “What shoe size is Holmit?”
	“Are dwarven boots?” The sectare woman wondered.
	“Lady boots. Maybe dwarven, size… eight?” Blud assumed, “What?” He grunted as all eyes turned to him, “I worked in a shoe store for a while, I know what people wear! Look at the pattern, no dude’s boots are going to have little diamonds on them.”
“I could see that man adorning himself with gems,” Suzie scoffed.
	“So these might be Angerdese’s then,” Galahad presumed, “Or they could be anyones, I guess, I mean… how many dwarves do we have at Fairgarland?” 
"Too many," Blud grumbled to himself. 
Galahad sighed heavily and returned to the path with the others, “Are you sure you're okay, Rita? You look like you need to lie down.”
	The imp’s color had completely faded. Purples and violets had turned to grays and whites. She leaned heavily on a quarter staff for support, “Every ounce of joy and happiness has drained from me. I think I have depression,” She groaned, “I can’t play pranks, tease anyone, or even draw a funny mustache on anyone anymore. This is Hell. And I’ve been there!”
	Miss Manus heaved a heavy sigh, “I know. We all know how bad it is right now. I for one miss teaching more than I believed I would. My students are at least still studying with the material I have been providing.”
	Nearly bouncing with excitement, Rald tugged on her brother’s cloak, “Come on! We’re gonna be late!”
	“I dunno,” Blud groaned, “I was gonna skip it, Rald.”
	“Oh, come on! You’re so lame!” Rald whined and crossed her arms, “Fine. Go hang out with your girlfriend more.”
	“My–” Blud’s face turned red, “She’s not my– Whatever, we’re gonna go watch a movie. Catch you all later.”
	“Ugh, what a jerk,” Rald looked up at Galahad, “What? Is there something wrong?”
	“No,” He frowned as he stared off into the distance, “I’ll have to catch up with you. I, uh, forgot something.”
	The gnomish woman cocked her head “Really? You’re usually so organized,” She eyed his seemingly bottomless bag, “What could you have possibly forgotten?”
	“Arthur’s book,” He replied, “It's one of my favorites, I was going to have him sign it,” The man chuckled, “Save me a seat, please?” His eyes were darting between the treeline and back towards campus.
	“I shall. Please hurry, would you?” Miss Manus implored. Galahad nodded and quickly hurried away, “Something seems to be wrong…” The fey woman murmured, “Carry on without me. I will return soon.”
	“What’s gotten into them?” Rita huffed.
“Does it matter? I just want to see this stupid conference and go back to baking,” Said Suzie as she, Rald, and Rita all hurried to the conference hall to find seating.
	Miss Manus cast an invisibility spell on herself and quietly walked deeper into the campus. Galahad had simply walked around a corner and then up towards the gym, none the wiser that the fey woman was following from twenty or so feet back. The man glanced around as he hurriedly walked towards the transmutationist dorms before taking a right and hurriedly walking to the gym. Manus knit her brow and gave chase, although the back of the gym was near the forest, no one had seen the monster from that side. Galahad slowed down, his eyes glancing around while he paced near a dumpster, “My, you know how to keep a lady waiting, hm?” A voice purred.
	“I can’t believe you would risk coming here,” Galahad growled and folded his arms while leaning against a dumpster. Miss Manus tucked herself away, hiding behind a recycle bin. She pulled her hat off to make her invisible frame smaller and watched with wide eyes as a woman in all black appeared on the dumpster. Her robes absorbed the already dim light around it and a black cat’s tail flicked to and fro as a grin appeared below a pair of shining emerald eyes. Miss Manus recognized her almost instantly from her modern history of magic classes. Maxine Hamilton, the grand master magi of conjuration and the namesake of Fairgarland’s house of conjuration.
	The pale witch kicked her feet showing off her black heels with pointed and curled toes, “Yes, yes, good to see you again.”
	Galahad stared at the older witch’s grinning face, the two silently staring at each other for a handful of moments before Galahad sighed and smiled back, “Yeah, it's good to see you, too.”
	The witch jumped down with a slow gravity spell and hugged the duelist, “Oh, you’re so big now! I can hardly call you Junior now can I?” Maxine giggled, “In Karak’Albrac, hm?” She asked as she saw and tugged on the man’s armband, “You do yourself a disservice not being in my house!”
	“I told you in my last letter why I made my choice, Lady Hamilton,” Galahad indignantly replied, “Now what was so important that I had to meet with you right away? If anyone sees us…”
	“Yes, yes, they would have many questions. But not to worry, I have been informed that no one with ill intent will see or know of our meeting,” Maxine rummaged through a bag on her hip. She released her long staff, letting it simply float mid air as it awaited its master’s touch, “Here. Your grandma wanted me to give this to you. She said you would need it,” Manus peered as much as she could with her fey eyes, “We both know something is going on on campus, and I think it piqued your grandmother’s interest.”
	It was a scroll case and a letter, “Do not open until… Tomorrow night at 1 AM,” Galahad read off the letter, “That’s her handwriting. And this?” He hefted the scroll case.
	“She was worried you would run out of paper,” Maxine chuckled.
	“Got it. Thank you for bringing me Grandma's letter. Oh, could you let her know I’m doing well?” Galahad inquired as he shoved the items in his bag, “Classes are going fine, I’m making friends, and most importantly to her, winning duels,” He handed over some of his own letters.
	“Of course, oh, and,” She returned to her bags and handed over a thick tome, “To keep your ruse going,” It was one of Arthur Maxamillion’s adventure anthology books, “And a little extra. A treat from me and my baker,” A mysterious burlap bag was handed to the duelist. He smiled as he glanced inside the bag, “Just a little treat. Don’t eat it all too fast.”
	“That’s going to be hard, you know I love these more than any other sweet,” The wide smile returned to Galahad’s face, “Thank you. I should get going, as should you.”
	“Of course, of course. Run along now, child,” Maxine ordered with a smile. With a nod and a quick turn, Galahad hurried away, going back to the stage to listen to Arthur speak. Miss Manus hid away, still invisible behind the bin. She was left with many questions, but knew better than to speak on it now or even ever. She stood, ready to sneak away.
	“Take care of the boy. He needs someone like you,” A voice said into her mind. A simple telepathy spell. Manus whipped around to see Maxine grinning right at her. The cat-witch winked before slowly vanishing, leaving her grin and emerald eyes behind to fade away last. Manus swallowed nervously and rushed back to the theater, her heart pounding in her throat.

. . . . . 

	The fall weather did little to deter the group as they escorted the elderly grand magi and his wife across the south end of campus. Sean was surprised by how… plain the grandmaster of his craft was. He had expected something more grandiose, or at least for him to wear his master’s robes that were hand crafted for each master that denoted their rank in the school of magic. But they were more ceremonial than anything, and practical garb was much more sought after due to how dangerous the campus seemed at the moment.
	Arthur peered into the woods, looking through the spyglass at the surrounding vegetation, “What do your eyes see?” He asked no one in particular.
	“Uh, the regular plants settled around campus?” Sean replied.
	“Look closer,” The grandmaster approached a tree. It was near the boarding school dorm, across the path, and at the edge of the woods, “This tree…”
	“Yes?” Zucarius’s interest had piqued.
	“It’s dying. Rapidly, for such a sturdy oak,” Nambra answered. With a cry, flames burst from her hand and formed into a blade that cut through the bark. The inside of the tree was rotten and full of mold, “Look. What strange phenomena. Have you seen this before, dear?”
	Arthur had already brought out a book. He used a magical hand to rapidly fan through the pages, “Hm. I would require more research. While it is definitely magic most foul, I struggle to pin it on necromancy. We would easily smell such black magic. There is mana everywhere.”
	“That is not out of the ordinary, as you surely know,” Zucarius chimed in, “The students bask this campus in their mana daily. Even nightly for some.”
	“Where is Maxine?” Arthur frowned, “I think I see–”
	“I am here!” The cat witch suddenly materialized amongst the group of jumpy students with a big grin on her face. Contrasting her all black attire and fur, was her daughter, Sophia in an all white robe with white fur, “What did you need of us?”
	“Have you finished your duties?” Harold remarked with a smirk.
	“Of course I have, I would not returned if I had not,” Maxine harrumphed at the president.
	Sophia rolled her eyes, “Ignore the antagonizing evocationist, mother. Do you see anything in the trees?”
	“Yes, Maxine, we have spotted something truly nasty, but your keen eyes may tell us more,” Nambra nodded.
	“Hmm,” She procured a green orb and used it as a scrying tool to peer at the surrounding area, “A few spells that would be strange in any other location are here and there, but beyond that, nothing. Those spells being quite high level conjurations– teleportations specifically.”
	“The DHIF officers deduced it was a blink. A mass or group variant most likely. I suspect it to be an innate spell of the creature,” Zucarius added.
	“All wonderful deductions,” Maxine nodded, “And quite right ones by my estimate. Arthur? Do you detect anything else?”
	“Dark magics have been cast here,” The wizened wizard thought aloud, “I wish I could encounter this being, in all honesty.”
	“You are not worried in the slightest about it?” Sean guessed, “Some have said the creature can stun with only a mere glance.”
	Nambra grinned, “Nothing he hasn’t dealt with before. I want to see it too, really.”
	“We are all morbidly curious,” Maxine scanned the area, “Have you seen it, Sophia?”
	“N-no, mother,” She shook as she felt a shiver in her spine, “Well, beyond the one photo Carly took, no,” Her ears flattened against the top of her head. 
	“Hmm,” Arthur stroked his beard, “I will look into all of this at a future date. For now, I have a speech to give.”
	“Of course! Right this way, please,” Sean was quick to lead the group further down the path. They were silent for a time, each student and faculty member was staring into the woods warily. 
	“I hear an abjurationist won your duels, is this true, Sean? Someone from your house?” Arthur asked as his mind wandered.
	“Well," Sean chuckled, "While he did not win the duels, he did defeat Harold, the reigning champion." 
The prince rolled his eyes, "I admit he had more fight in him than I had prepared for."
"I'll say. Broke his arm doing so and I hear some consider him the true champion, so I am not surprised you heard that he was the victor through word of mouth. Though he is quite proficient in abjuration, Galahad is not in my house,” Sean explained, “He’s working on a transmutation mastery of all things.”
	“Galahad… Galahad…” Arthur repeated as if tasting the name on his tongue.
Harold watched him closely, looking for changes on the wizard's face, “His last name is Loxley. Have you heard of such a house before?”
	The elder abjurationist stroked his long beard, “I cannot say I have. Someone else’s parents had a penchant for Arthurian names, it seems.”
	Upon arrival at the meeting hall, Zucarius waved his hands to pull the double doors open for the group. Inside the heated foyer of the meeting hall, multiple small groups were waiting around. A lot of eyes were on a set of smaller doors that led into the main theater. A student was fiddling with the arcane lock on the door. He held a staff in one hand that glowed with blue power as he ran a wand along the edge of the lock. 
	“Did you get it yet? I want to sit down, my legs hurt,” A small, gray imp whined.
	“It's a tough lock, the kind I put in my dorm, Rita,” The wizard fiddling with the lock replied, “It takes– Oh!”
	“Galahad–” A gnome in purple had noticed the dean and faculty enter the building and was tugging on his robes.
	“No, I’ve got it. They’re late anyways,” The man thrust his wand forward, and with a loud click, the set of double doors creaked and slowly swung open, “Everyone, hold your applause,” He gave a mock bow.
	“That was one of the head master’s wards, wasn’t it?” Arthur asked as he approached the students.
	“Ah–” The man’s face turned red as he saw the crowd that had formed, “I wouldn’t know about that. If a master did this, it was shoddy work.”
	“Still, impressive. I am sure Zucarius will overlook this overstepping,” Arthur smiled at the dean who shrugged and chuckled at the thought, “I know I am quite late already, but what is your name, sir?”
	“Ah, Galahad,” The wizard smiled back sheepishly as some of the other students began to file in, eager to take their seats. Rald and Suzie stood their ground with their human lowerclassman. Rita slipped into the room and found a seat a bit away from the stage, “Thank you for the praise, sir…?”
	“How do you not recognize him?” Rald balked at the first year student.
	“No need to snap at him. I am a relic of years past. I am Arthur Maxamillion, the single grandmaster of Abjuration and hero of the new world,” The grandmaster took off his hat and bowed his head in greeting. The duelist quickly and awkwardly did the same after pulling his hood down.
	Harold was intently staring into their faces, trying to discern anything telling in their expressions. To his disappointment, no such telling ever showed, “I am sorry, sir,” Galahad smiled, “You’re a lot… younger when depicted in the history books.”
	“As I said, a relic of a bygone era. Tell me, why did you go into transmutation when you are obviously so skilled at abjuration?” Arthur asked.
	Galahad paused for a moment, “What’s the point of getting an easy degree? Have I really toiled and struggled where my peers would if I arrive with a plethora of knowledge to ace all my classes?”
“Well you can’t have earned your knowledge so easily before, what’s wrong with a so-called easy degree?” The grandmaster inquired, curious of the first-year.
“There’s nothing wrong per say… I just want to be challenged and forced to think. It would be quite boring for me to retread what I know. I came here to learn.”
	“Quite well put,” Sean nodded. “I had not considered that side to your decision.”
	“Yes, if only more had that mindset,” Arthur nodded before checking a pocket watch. He nodded, surely he had another few minutes to spare.
“May we take our seats?” Sean suggested, “Students are waiting for you, Master Maxamillion.”
	“Of course, my apologies, I am easily distracted these days,” With the shaking of his head, Arthur chuckled and filed into the theater with the others. He eyed the young Galahad for a moment and felt the pang of a slight headache. He shook it off and took to preparing his materials on the stage.
	“Mister Loxley,” Zucarius sighed deeply, “Please refrain from letting yourself and other students into restricted areas. Yes, areas behind arcane locks are off limits unless stated otherwise.”
	“Yes, Master Zucarius,” Galahad nodded, "It won't happen again."
	“Are you getting into trouble again?” Miss Manus entered the room with a worried frown, “My apologies for my underclassman and fellow council member’s actions, Dean Zucarius. And good day to you, Grandmaster Arthur Maxamillion,” She called to the wizard who stopped what he was doing to wave before going back to his notes as he slowly walked on stage.
	“Ah, is she your handler, young one?” Maxine teased, “Sophia, is he one of your friends? I thought you liked troublemakers,” The younger cat-witch was clutching her forehead with a scrunched up face, “Something the matter?”
	“Just a headache,” She grunted before sipping on a green potion, “Although I have had interactions with Galahad, I would not exactly call him a friend. He keeps to himself,” Galahad frowned but said nothing. Maxine looked between the man and her daughter, merely smirked and shook her head.
	
	. . . . .

	The auditorium for Arthur's talk seated a few students. The first two rows were filled with faculty and whatever students were left on campus, while Rita sat alone further towards the back. Many had come wanting to learn from the grandmaster, and others wanted to hear stories from his time as a hero. The wizened grandmaster cleared his throat before he began.
	“Sometimes I wonder if things would have been different had I gone to a college of the arcane arts,” Grandmaster Arthur Maxamillion said as he stood on the stage before a wooden podium. Sitting on the stage with him was Dean Zucarius, Nambra Faith, and Kal Spellbreaker, the abjuration house headmaster, “While I am grateful to have been taught as an apprentice, part of me thinks I would have learned better from a professor. My mentor, Master Delliorise, may he rest in peace, was a strange one…”
	Sean Reagal sat in the front row, slowly adjusting his blue tie as he began to think. Harold seemed to be acting quite strange, then again he had been since his loss in the arena. The president of House Maxamillion couldn’t help but let the brain worm creep in that his friend, if he really was his friend, had only set up this talk to somehow get to Galahad. It sounded insane in his head, what could he possibly gain from doing such a thing? All this to prove a bloodline? Would he really go through all that trouble for such a thing? But even so, Harold’s strange, intense look before had been obvious to Sean, and as crazy as it may sound to some it was beginning to be the only explanation he could think of as the day went on. He looked to his left to where Harold was sitting and taking notes. The prince listened intently. Sean had not known him for being so invested in abjuration, beyond the need for dueling.
	“Of course,” Arthur coughed and straightened his old body up, “Abjuration is a wonderful school. You focus on the defense of those around you, and yourself should you need it. You protect those in need, defeat opponents in a non-lethal manner, and so on. It is about the preservation of everything, even if some may not deserve it…”
	Sean glanced to his right. Galahad and friends sat to his right in a row. The first year watched the talk with great interest along with President Manus and the gnome– Suzie, he recalled, and the goblin he had not yet been introduced to. Galahad had a small burlap bag in his hand, from which he secretly pulled a salt topped caramel from. He offered the bag to Manus who gladly took a treat as well. Sean’s attention went back to the elder wizard, “The protection of life is a wonderful thing. Though, I do love every school of magic, each has its own place in the world.”
	Sean rubbed his chin for a few moments, tuning out the wizard’s speech as he began asking for a volunteer to demonstrate a spell. Arthur and Galahad, could the two be connected? Harold seemed to think so, at least Sean recalled from the board Harold had put up on the wall of his dorm. But what connection was there? Abjuration? They didn’t look alike, neither did Galahad look much like Nambra beyond each having orange or red eyes. The audience clapped as Arthur showed off his signature spell, a yanking of the air from peoples’ lungs to incapacitate them. A student, now on the floor, was pulled to his feet by another spell but his head still seemed to be spinning, a few others helped him back to his seat after Arthur thanked him for his assistance, “Magic like this is what got me far in my adventuring days. I developed it myself. While it is currently not widely known, I plan on putting spell details out in the future. Another wonderful spell,” He put a visible blue barrier on himself, “Maximilion’s Barrier, I honestly was not good at this in my day. Names, I mean. It was so bad I let Nambra name each of our seven children," The students politely laughed at the old wizard’s joke, "But this barrier can easily be transferred to an ally! Good for quickly protecting another. For offensive spells, especially the undead, I copied another’s homework…”
	Seven children. He did accidentally say eight earlier, Sean thought. What a strange conundrum for Harold, what could easily be explained as an older gentleman misspeaking probably had the prince’s mind in knots. The thought occurred to him, however: what if Harold was onto something? It was a foolish thought, he decided. The president pushed the issue from his mind, he really did not have the capacity to worry about this right now. The monster and the student’s health was a more pressing issue. He looked at Harold again who now looked bored before going back to Galahad. Manus was nodding rapidly as she tasted the seemingly homemade caramel. Seemed the two were loving it. As if to prove a point, Galahad shoved his arm into the bag, revealing its magical depth. Next to him, he found something distracting him. The two small women had begun passing papers back and forth. Notes? Sean wondered. Maybe they were attempting to delve into the greater meaning of the grand master’s words? Sean was too distracted to attempt to discern the notes. The distraction was… the goblin, of all things, her lips were curled in an unusual way. It reminded Sean of his mother’s familiar, a marvelous short-haired cat. The happy look it always gave him was most akin to the goblin’s face. Sean put a hand on his head. Nostalgia? No, that’s not what made his heart flutter. Perchance he needed to be introduced to her after the speech. But… would that be strange? Sean slumped in his chair.
	“I admire each and every one of you,” Arthur smiled behind his silvery beard, “Honestly. You have the opportunity of a lifetime! This school is one of, if not the most illustrious in this country! Perhaps even the world, I've heard some say!”
	Sean glanced over at the goblin again. The only person between him and her was the gnome, Suzie. 
	“Although I love my expertise and encourage you to delve into it, please do not limit yourself. Simply knowing one school does not make a great wizard. Conjuration…” As the wizard summoned a snow white ferret, the room “oohed” and “aahed.” 
	The young president glanced over again. They were none the wiser about his peering. He folded his arms and closed his eyes for a few moments trying to put his thoughts together. He jumped at the thunderous applause that broke out as Arthur’s speech ended. Sean glanced over at the two and leaned close, “What did he say at the end? Unfortunately I was… distracted.”
	The goblin woman smirked, “Falling asleep? He went through a few schools of magic: conjuration, evocation, and enchantment.”
“Then he said ‘thanks for listening to me ramble,’ and said he’d stick around for a meet and greet, and that he and his friends would be staying for a few more days,” Suzie continued with a shrug.
	Sean nodded, “That is just like him,” He sighed, “Thank you, Suzie and… I’m afraid I haven’t met you, miss.”
	The goblin smiled, her cat-like mouth’s corners rising, “Rald Raxpadalia. You’re Sean… Reagal, right? The president of abjuration?”
	“Yes, I am,” He chuckled as the two rose to follow the rest of the transmutation house, “Well… nice to meet you. If you need anything, feel free to let me know.”
	“Oh, uh, sure. Thanks,” Rald gave him a confused look but thought nothing more of it as the group left.
	Sean stayed in his seat with a smile on his face, watching the younger members of his house crowd around Arthur for the chance to ask him a question or get him to sign something. He nodded, proud of himself for how smoothly he had gotten introduced to the goblin. Well, smooth as could be in such circumstances, anyway. Galahad and Manus were some of the first to approach the wizard, asking him to sign a copy of Arthur’s book. Galahad was recounting various tales in the book while the grandmaster asked a few questions about their studies, “And the one where you describe how you, Nambra, and two friends defeated that crazy, magic whale? That’s something out of my nightmares! I can’t imagine having to deal with such a creature!” Galahad laughed as Arthur signed his book.
	“Would you do me a favor? Seeing as you are a knowledgeable abjuration, would you give this a try for me? Let me know how it goes?” Arthur handed the first year a spell scroll bound in a dark blue string, “You, Sean, and a few others seem perfect to give my signature spell a spin before I release it to the public. I am sure it could use some tweaks.”
	“I would be honored to!” Galahad reverently took his book and the scroll.
	Manus smiled for her council member and student, “My, are you going places in the world. Could I purchase a copy of your compendium? Galahad here has sold me on it.”
	“Of course, of course, feel free to stay for the Q and A I will do once everyone has their books!” Arthur smiled.
	“Yes, we must let our lovely Arthur ramble on and on for us!” Nambra teased. 
 Sean decided to wait for the last to approach with his own copy of a book and questions. He turned to Harold who was also idling, staring at Galahad and Arthur again. His head rested on his fist, his body leaning back and into it his armrest lazily, “So,” Sean began, “What is your game here?”
	“I have no idea what you mean,” Harold sat straight up and folded his arms, “Are you speaking of bringing Arthur here?”
	“You definitely have reasons to bring him here beyond a favor to me,” Sean pestered further, “It is written all over your face, so just let the cat out of the bag.”
	Harold sighed and looked away for a moment, “The protection of the students of course. Does the campus not feel safer with these three elder wizards here? They are already shedding light on what this monster really is, hm?”
	“Are you glossing over the fact that you seem to think there is a connection between Galahad and Arthur? You forget I saw your board of conspiracies,” Sean reminded him.
	Harold sighed, “Yes, I have my suspicions. You don’t see them, do you?”
	“He is a skilled abjurationist, yes. Am I related, too? I am a good abjurationist as well,” Sean pointed out, “And beyond the similar eye colors, I do not see the connection to Nambra either. Strange eye colors are not out of the ordinary for casters, Harold.”
	The evocationist paused for a few moments, “Looks are deceiving, Sean. Not everyone is putting their real face forward to the world. Some people are hiding things deep down, and whatever Galahad is hiding, it will tell me how he was victorious.”
	“Oh my goodness,” Sean put his head in his hands in disbelief, “This is still about the duel. I thought you were just suspicious for some odd reason." 
"Why wouldn't it be?" Harold replied, "Look at it this way, I have done you a favor as well as the rest of Fairgarland by bringing them here, so what if I want to confirm my suspicions at the same time? Is it hurting anyone?" 
	"I am surrounded by mad men, afterall,” Sean groaned. He stood as he saw an opening to speak to Arthur, “Just don't drive yourself mad chasing whispers in the wind. Good day, Harold.”
	“Good day,” He replied, leaning back into the chair to stare at the two once more.

	. . . . .
	
	The dark of night concealed four wizards as they quietly stepped into the library. With the flick of her wrist, one conjured a small flame to cast light on them, leaving the lights of the library off to not draw attention. The librarian was out for once, all were sure she had fled campus as well. They stood around a table, the two shorter ones stood on chairs to see, “Perform the spell,” One ordered.
	“Yeah, yeah, hold your damn horses,” One of the short ones sneered. The four wizard’s circled around a paper with numerous runes drawn upon its surface. With the wave of a wand, the runes lit up one by one, “Come on, show it to me.”
	With swirls of bright magic, the paper burned. A circle appeared in the table, it gained the depth of a bowl seemingly going down into the table. The spell showed a scene of two men in a hotel or apartment. An elf and a young man sat at a small table and were going over numerous papers. The caster moved his hands into the viewing portal and spread them apart, zooming in on the papers.
	The wizards began copying their notes. Maps, directions, observations, and anything else they deemed useful. The elf cleared his throat, “We’ve cleared the whole forest now, Slick,” He grumbled in frustration, “Other than some residue, have you seen anything?”
	The man shrugged, “Some weird berries here,” He pointed to their map, “It’s definitely farming there or something. I don’t know. I’ve dealt with monsters before, but this is definitely different.”
	“Get a copy of that,” The wizards hissed to one another.
	“Not much time left,” The caster grunted.
	“Did you hear something?” The elf frowned, the two DHIF agents going silent for a moment, “Nevermind. Let’s look around that clearing again tomorrow. It's supposed to rain tonight so we’ll see how that weird black ooze reacts. Maybe we can get that master Arthur to accompany us. He’s spent a day going over notes after that speech.”
	“Right. I’m starting to think it's some kind of spirit, somehow it's whisking people away deep in the woods,” The man decided, “I’m going to call base tomorrow and request a priest or paladin.”
	“Good call. Hit the hay, slick. We’ll get to work bright and early,” The elf nodded. The spell was dispersed. The table returned to normal minus a ring of ashes that was easily blown away. 
“So,” Papers were laid out by the wizards, “It has to be here,” The first pointed to a circled area of the woods, “It’s where everything seems to be culminating. We saw the ooze they were talking about.”
	“It's worth checking out,” A second sighed, “Are we all prepared?”
	“Of course. Is it just the four of us? Shouldn’t we ask for support from others? Safety in numbers and all?”
	“No way! We still don’t know who the Butcher really is! Anyone on campus could be it! The four of us are fine!”
	“Now hold on, you heard them, do you really think it's anyone still on campus?"
"Um. I did invite another…”
	“What!?”
	“She demanded to come! I let it slip what we were up to! I’m sorry! It's not like we’re taking Rald with us!”
	“What do you mean you’re not taking me!?”
	“G-guys, calm down… Please.”
	The overhead lights flicked on, “Hello friends!” Carly, Sophia, Rald, and Blud were all basked in cold white light. Reccoa quickly approached the group with a smile on her face, “When will we slay monster?”
	“Reccoa, soon,” Blud assured her, “This is Carly and Sophia.”
	“Welcome to the ABUG,” Carly nodded.
	Sophia gave her an incredulous look, “You’re not worried about her?”
	“Too tall to be the Butcher. Rald, are you coming?” Carly asked.
	“Y–”
	“Nope!” Blud answered for her quickly, “Too dangerous. Go home or stay here. Your choice.”
	Thunder boomed outside. Rald glared at her brother, “What the hell are you talking about! I’m part of this too! Reccoa isn’t! I should get to go!”
	“Okay, tell me what offensive spells you know beyond a basic elemental bolt spell,” Blud folded his arms. His sister’s face turned red with rage as she couldn’t come up with an answer, “Exactly. Reccoa is strong and trained by Lox. Carly is an evocationist, and Sophia is our upperclassman. She knows her stuff. You’re just a healer, Rald. Mom would kill me if she found out I let you follow along,” The goblin said as he condescendingly patted his slightly shorter sister’s head and ruffled her hair, “Just stay here,” Blud ordered as he grabbed his bandolier of magical components and messenger bag.
	Rald felt defeated, no one had stuck up for her and her brother, while frustratingly pig-headed, had a point. She could heal them, sure, but she couldn't defend them, and that point stung badly enough to draw tears. Carly and Sophia shifted nervously. The two simply shrugged apologetically at the teary-eyed goblin, “We should go… Get help if we aren’t back by three,” Carly asked Rald and handed over a copy of her map.
	“Yes! Yes!” Reccoa bounced excitedly, “Come! We must go! It is monster slay time!”
	Left alone now in the cold and lonely library, Rald wiped her eyes and started to fume, “He is such an idiot,” She cursed, “A real… moss collector,” The goblin hissed, “And that moss collector,” It felt dirty on her lips, like a word she should never say. But her brother was definitely acting like one, the lowest of the low, “He is gonna get them all killed with his bull headedness,” She sighed and checked the time on her phone, “Can I do anything? The night watch? No… Lox!” Rald dropped down, ready to run before stopping short after a single step, “Pick up, Lox…” The goblin pulled out her cellphone and flipped it open. Within moments, it was ringing softly in her ear. Soon her heart dropped as she heard ‘Hey, this is Galahad. I can’t come to the phone right now–” She stomped her little goblin foot on the hardwood floor while chanting goblin, dwarven, and orcish swears as she closed the phone.
	Her mind started to race, she really was worried about them, but what to do? The wheel in the goblin’s head spun faster and faster, trying to think of someone that would help. Rald snapped her fingers, “That’s it! But…” She frowned before shaking her head and sighing, “That’s the only option. He has to help,” She decided before running out and down the path towards the dorms.

	Carly walked through the rain covered in a clear poncho. In her hands, she held a camera. It, too, was covered in a plastic casing to keep the rain off. The camera’s lens was sensitive to heat, showing the witch anything warm that it was pointed at with reds and oranges. Everything, except for Blud who led the group, was basked in a cool blue, “There’s another,” Carly pointed her camera at a dying bush cloaked in orange and yellow warmth.
Sophia squinted, “What is that?”
	“Magic lets off heat, especially illusions. It's a way you can tell them apart. Though I don’t see why someone like you would carry around a thermal camera,” Carly explained, “This coagulation of nasty black ooze is letting off heat like all magic does. And we saw this when it destroyed my cameras, we must be going the right way.”
	“I hope so,” Sophia mewled and shivered in the cold rain and freezing wind. Despite her magicks, the temperature was still bothering her, “This storm will be the death of us.”
	“The thrill of hunting makes me hot,” Reccoa proclaimed with a smile, letting herself get drenched in the frigid rain.
	Blud groaned, “Can we please stay focused? I see more sludge over there.”
	“I see it. Let’s–” A small blip cloaked in red warmth appeared on the camera before vanishing behind a tree, “What was that?”
"What was what?" Asked Sophia, her blood electrified by the sudden jolt from Carly.
"There, over there, something moved!" The journalist hissed.
"Everyone on your toes…" Blud whispered, drawing out a spell he concealed on his fingertips.
	“Hm?” Reccoa sniffed the air, “Foul scent.”
	Blud took a deep breath through his mouth, “I can taste something too. I think it's this sludge crap. Do we– ACK!”
	The goblin flew off his feet as a figure rushed him from the trees, throwing him into the mud. Carly screamed as she looked up from her camera and into the horrifying skull visage of the Butcher. Its vacant eyes and broken tusks turned toward her. Reccoa was quick to act, wreathing herself in flames before letting out a cry and unleashing a barrage of fire. The Butcher let out a wail before lunging with inhuman speed at the sectare woman. Despite the swirling flames around her, the Butcher grabbed Reccoa by the neck, easily lifted her off her feet and slammed her into the mud as well. Sophia’s whole body shook and she tried to prepare and cast a spell to save her but her magic would only turn into sparks, a miscast. Blud leapt up out of the slurry and fired off his thunderbolt, striking the skull on its side, the crackling energy running through its calcified face, thunder in its empty sockets. The goblin froze in fear, unable to cast another spell as the creature stared directly into his eyes. He soon felt a blast of black magic that knocked him into a tree. The goblin was out cold.
	There was a flash, but what seemed to be lightning was the flash from a shaking Carly’s camera. She took more, staring right at the creature through the viewfinder of her camera, “It's even more horrifying up close,” She gasped, “Oh my God.” 
	“Carly, can’t you do something!?” Sophia shouted at the supposed evocationist. 
	The Butcher’s eyes locked with the cat-witch’s. Terror took hold and would not allow her to move. Sophia could do nothing as the butcher approached slowly, purposefully, as if it were toying with her, floating ever closer. The butcher reached out with a hand, swirling with dark magic. 
	“Unhand her, monster!” A gallant voice cried. A wall of earth erected before the cat-witch, mud and dirt flying every which way. A torrent of mud burst from the ground and knocked the Butcher off their feet. The creature fell into a pile, but quickly rose, its body twisting upward like a fount of black water back to its feet and further, floating above the muddy earth. A flurry of small, golden, shining, and magical darts flew out of the darkness of the woods, many piercing the beast’s hide and cloak. The Butcher howled in pain, sounding more like an animal than a man or demi-human even. It waved its arms as another spell was flung, a bolt of shimmering lightning that the beast dodged by dashing deeper into the forest.
	“Oh, lordy,” Sophia sighed and collapsed to her knees as she finally regained her bodily functions. Brown mud quickly stained her white robes, “What are we doing out here?”
	“That is my question as well,” The gallant voice sounded scolding, “Good evening, Sophia,” It was Fredrik, offering a hand to the woman to pull her up. He was sporting golden armored robes tonight, his face hidden behind a hooded mask. The golden mask grinned, but its happy expression was contrary to the two deathly eyes practically boring holes into hers. Sophia sighed and let him take her hand, she knew now that it was guaranteed tonight could only get worse.

Chapter 18