And yet, there are other qualities that wizards are known to the world by. Many a magical disaster has occurred due to the actions or negligence of those who wield powerful magic, and wizards especially have a bit of a reputation for causing catastrophic accidents or leaving behind dangerous locations. The ruins left behind by a powerful wizard are often classified as dungeons.

They fell through an empty sea of black water. The liquid itself seemed to taunt them as their limbs thrashed, finding little purchase or resistance, as if it was naught but air. And yet, the sea seemed as thick as tar, cloying, suffocating. It pulled downwards, grasping at clothing and skin with a thousand miniscule hands of void and ice. There was nothing to breathe, no resistance to be offered. They reached for mana and magic and found nothing to grasp in that realm as well as they sank further and further into the darkness. 

 It was difficult to tell how far they fell, until as abruptly as they had been seized, the world rotated and the wizards found themselves tumbling forwards and upwards. A membrane parted and with it, air and light flooded back into being. The two were unceremoniously thrown out onto smooth white stone. They lay next to each other, gasping for breath. 

They stayed like that for a minute, wordlessly panting. Jacedi was the first to get to his feet. He offered his hand to Hadrian and helped him to stand as well. Behind them lay a circular pool of black liquid, set into the same white stone. A single short step lay around the edge, between the surface of the water and the surrounding floor. The stone was smooth like marble, but with a surface that was too matte, with little gloss. It was the color of bone, in an even tone that revealed no cracks or discolorations. The platform around the pool extended several feet in all directions, forming a wide disc. Past the edges of the disc, there was nothing but a sharp drop into an abyss that swirled like ink. 

As the wizards looked around they saw that they stood at the end of a long bridge. It was wide enough that a carriage pulled by two horses could have crossed comfortably. The floor of the walkway was a single uninterrupted smooth expanse, like the rest of the platform, with a gentle arc along its length. It possessed waist-high railings on each of its sides, made up of a strange lattice of the same material in a chaotic pattern. It was a tangled web of round edges, reminiscent of a holed cheese, an irregular honeycomb. 

At the far end, the bridge terminated at an island, a craggy thing of dark earth and rock, suspended amidst the void. Broken fragments of stone floated around it, either having splintered off, or brought with the island from wherever it had been plucked. The detritus ranged from small clusters of rock to chunks large enough for several people to stand upon. 

And finally, atop the island lay a palace. That was the best word the two wizards could describe it by. A massive structure of sandy brick, its form straddling the island with multiple rectangular wings. It was capped by a huge burnished dome, gilt with a copperish metallic sheen.  

“Jacedi.”

“My friend.” Jacedi let out a deep breath punctuated with the slight laughter of disbelief.  

Hadrian’s neck swiveled about madly, taking in the impossible sight.

 “Look at the sky. I can’t believe it.” 

Above them lay an unbroken dome of hazy gray. Where the horizon should have been, the gray instead blended into the blackness that lay below in an uneven gradient, like clouds of paint swirling about each other in a bucket of water. The diffuse lighting of an overcast day emanated from the gray sky, casting the world in a tone that seemed slightly too even, with little in the way of shadows.

“Hadrian, this is old magic. Impossible magic. They would eat their hats at Aedura seeing this.”

“Is it dimensional magic? I mean, the Scholarium loves to argue about this stuff, but it’s either theoretical or them arguing about lost magics and which ancient Wizard was better or contributed more to modern wizardry.”

“And we are seeing it with our own eyes.”

“Incredible. I should record this–”

Hadrian began reaching over his shoulder for his bag. 

“Ah. I wasn’t carrying anything with me when we attempted the ritual.”

“That, presumably, is the way back out.” Jacedi pointed to the circular pool, its surface still like black glass. 

“We don’t have any equipment with us, do we? Should we consider attempting to leave?”

“It might be the less risky option. However, if we cannot enter again…”

“That would be a disappointment.” 

They turned back to look at the palace. A second of silence passed between them as they stared in awe. It was eventually broken as Hadrian cleared his throat.

“I can tell there is mana present here. It feels a bit strange, but still usable? I feel like I could cast fine here though.” 

“Likewise. Although it is probably prudent to avoid casting unnecessary spells. We do not know what may happen, or what may be waiting for us there.”

A small flame leapt into being on Hadrian’s fingertip before he extinguished it. 

“So, we’re doing this then?”

“How could we leave after seeing this?” 

Jacedi’s grin was wide as he looked at his friend. Their trepidation faded, painted over by a growing sense of excitement and adventure. The pair took their first few steps onto the bridge, and began walking towards the palace.

Their steps clicked quietly against the bridge’s surface. 

“What do you think it’s made of?” Hadrian wondered as he brushed one of the irregularly shaped railings with his hand.

“It has the smoothness of polished stone, but the texture and color is wrong. It reminds me most of bone or ivory in some ways, but I see no seams or joinery, as if this is all one single unbroken piece…” Jacedi trailed off. How a massive structure could be composed of such materials was a disquieting thought. 

“It seems odd too, the island and palace don’t seem to be made of the same material, at least from this distance, they look an entirely different color.”

As they got closer, they began to see other thin lines of white extending from the central island. Like threads of a spiderweb, they radiated out into the gray sky. The pair strained to make out the details of the other pathways, but it was difficult to see much. Jacedi shaded his eyes and squinted slightly as he looked. 

“Are those–”

“Other bridges?”

“They do not seem to be near this one.”

“Yeah, it looks like this bridge is rather alone. The others look like they’re mostly on the other side of the island?”

They continued to walk towards the island with swift strides. Hadrian coughed. 

“So, do you think this is the palace the tablet described? Or did a structure exist in reality by the lake at some point?”

“If something did exist outside of this place, no trace of it remains. Perhaps it has been buried entirely?”

“I feel that the author did not adequately describe the situation. Did they visit this place and only write vague descriptions?”

“Perhaps they deliberately did not provide all the details. Many wizards would keep knowledge of such a place secret.”

As their approach continued, the state of the palace became clearer. It was composed of wide rectangular blocks, many of which had bands of pillars circling their midsections. The pillars were orange in color, standing out against the sandy color the rest had been constructed from. The central dome was metallic and capped by a twisting spire of the same metal. 

Overall, it appeared to be in a state of disrepair, mostly intact, but with traces of creeping ruin showing themselves in the cracks. A chunk was missing from the dome on one side, and one of the smaller wings appeared partially collapsed. 

“What do you think was the purpose of all this? Was it actually the residence of someone?”

Jacedi was now craning his neck to look upwards at the highest points of the palace. They had closed much of the distance, and were nearing the island itself. 

“I’m not sure. I can’t imagine it would be very convenient, but you know what they say about reclusive wizards and such.” 

“Where do you think the other bridges lead? Other entry points maybe? For travel to different nations or regions?”

“That would make sense, I’m sure a place as isolated as this would need various resources from the outside world at some point.”

“Look, they have different designs than this one as well.” 

The bridge they had just crossed was quite wide compared to the others. Standing where the bridge met the island, there was still quite some distance between the one they had just crossed and the others, but they seemed smaller in stature, even from afar. Some had different designs, one carved to resemble entwined vines and floral designs, another punctuated with archways of stone blocks at regular intervals. One even looked like it might be a rope bridge of sorts. 

“Perhaps we should mark that this is the path we arrived from, just in case.”

“Good idea.”

A dagger appeared in Jacedi’s hand, which he used to cut a strip of cloth off of his tunic. He sighed.

“The sacrifices I make.”

“Stop, please. Besides, my robes are enchanted.”

“As is my jacket. I would not expect you to understand fashion anyways.”

A wry smile looked back at Hadrian while the elf threaded the strip through one of the holes in the bridge’s railing and tied it off. The dyed black cloth hung limply. It did not flutter. 

“There’s no wind here.”

“Eerie.” 

They turned to look again at the impossible edifice they had come all this way for. A towering gateway stood before them up a set of wide stairs. Massive double doors were set into a rectangular frame. They were stone, with bands of metal around the edges. Their surface was flat, with nothing in the way of indentations or handles to be seen. 

Hadrian took in a deep breath before speaking. 

“We could still go back now, you know. Record our findings and return to Aedura with the knowledge of this. We don’t know what we’ll find within, and if we don’t return, this place may never be found again.”

“Few would believe us. We would spend years attempting to gather the wealth and favor to put together a proper research expedition.”

“And we’d have to be careful in terms of what we explain when trying to get people on board, if someone found out about this and had the resources to make their own venture… What an exhausting thought.” 

“Then we have only one option remaining.”

“For the record, this is incredibly dangerous, what we’re doing.”

“Is it much worse than fighting giant rats or slimes? It is much more exciting, is it not? It may not even be dangerous. Not all ancient ruins are dungeons, after all.”

Hadrian couldn’t help but smile back at his friend.

“I suppose so. Alright, let’s find out what could be in a place like this.”

They strode up the stairs to the looming doors. Hadrian took the left one, Jacedi the right. They placed their palms against each door, and exchanged a brief nod before pushing. The ancient doors of stone groaned with the eons that lay upon them, feeling a mortal touch for the first time in untold years and–nothing happened. The doors refused to budge.

Hadrian looked at the doors quizzically. 

“Is it sealed? Maybe there’s another ritual spell required.” 

“Hm.”

Jacedi stared at them for a moment with his hand on his chin. Then, he reached out towards the doors and made a grasping motion. With a tug, the doors swung smoothly outwards all but silently, with only the slightest sound of stone grating against stone. 

“I hate it–it’s a pull.”

The young wizard adjusted his hat as he grumbled and they stepped into the yawning darkness that lay within the forgone palace.

Personally, I have always seen things a little differently. I have always thought about wizards, and about magic, as an understanding of the shape of the world. Each spell is like a secret about how something works. In the same way one can understand the forces that cause an apple to fall, one can understand how a spell creates fire or shapes earth. Though magic comes in many different forms, to me, this pursuit of its hidden mechanisms has always been what defines Wizardry in particular. 

After so many days spent traveling, seeing concrete evidence of what they had come to find was a warm and welcome sight. 

“I can’t believe it. It’s actually here.” Hadrian’s breath, already ragged from the climb, caught in his throat. 

“It may be early to be certain, but it is certainly good to see a sign of what we hoped and expected to discover.” Jacedi nodded. His tone was slightly cautious as he looked at his friend, but his eyes were ablaze with excitement.

“I was so afraid we’d find nothing the tablet mentioned. It’s not just fiction, entirely at least, that is.”

“I know. It is good to see your spirits higher.”

Hadrian was already rummaging through notes. 

“Let’s see. Our notes say ‘on the near shore, beneath Nabalkutu’s gaze.’” It seems like this is indeed Mt. Nabalkutu, so that probably means the side of the lake towards the mountain.”

Jacedi focused on the distance. “It is still a few hours away, but we should be able to make camp there today without any issue. It will take time to skirt around the lake, and we should keep our eyes open for any sign of ruins.”

They continued onwards with renewed determination. There were still miles to go through the hilly terrain, and each time the sight of the lake dipped below an obscuring hill, a slight anxiety clutched Hadrian’s chest. Each time it came back into view, it was a wash of fresh relief and reassurance. But unlike the physical hills, these peaks and valleys of apprehension gradually lessened with each passing cycle. In reality, the hills seemed to be getting larger and steeper.

“Are we really going to make it there by the end of the day?” Hadrian managed to get the words out between breaths.

“I think we can take a break for a little while. The sun is high now.”

Both of them were doubled over. The lake seemed closer now, but a dissatisfying amount so, given the time and exertion since they had first seen it. 

“How are you doing?” 

The animal looked back at Hadrian with a dopey grin, its tongue lolling out of its mouth. It swished its flat tail about.

“I think he is much less troubled than us.” 

“Well, it’s cheating to have four legs. We only have two.” 

“Krahhw.” 

The mule sounded like something between a frog and a bird. The sound trailed off at the end, making it seem almost quizzical. 

“Don’t make fun of us.”

They both sat down in the grass, admiring the view and catching their breaths. After a short respite, they continued down the hill.  By the time they reached the lake shore, the sun was low, and it was setting once they had circled around towards the mountain. There was only enough time to set up a basic camp for the night. The next morning, they began their work in earnest. 

“Did you see anything on the way here?” Hadrian asked.

“Nothing. But there was not much light to see by.”

“Neither did I. Hopefully we can find some ruins today.”

The morning hours passed all too quickly with no sign of stone or structure. They scoured the lake shore from the water to the tree line but found no evidence of any edifices that might have once stood there. 

“I suppose it was ambitious to hope that we’d find the palace right away. We’ve only got a vague description to go by, and the geography has likely changed in the last few thousand years.”

Hadrian sighed as he collapsed into a seated position, going through the motions of setting up their campfire for a meal. 

“We can start looking through the woods tomorrow. We have the provisions to spend a while here, and we can try to hunt or fish to supplement that. I am sure we will find something within that time.”

The next day, they began combing the surrounding woods methodically. Setting up a grid, they worked from north to south, searching the woods for signs of forgotten monuments. Before long, a day had become a week, and they had progressed through half their demarcated area. Their camp began to take on a grim mood. 

It was the night of their eleventh day there when Hadrian snapped. 

“You’d think there would be something! A stray bit of masonry or a moss covered chiseled stone. We have found absolutely nothing! What if this isn’t the right spot? Maybe it’s just a lake by some mountains. Maybe we read too much into it.”

Hadrian dropped his sheaf of papers with a frustrated grunt. Jacedi reached over to recover them. He looked at the translations upon them as he brushed off the dirt.

On the near shore, beneath Nabalkutu’s gaze

Stands the palace of Tarhun-gal

With walls that gleam like copper

And stones that date from ancient times

A scholar’s idol

A king’s desires

A mortal’s greed

Tarhun-gal provides

“Perhaps we are looking at this the wrong way. The later passage here, we assumed it referred to a magical seal of some kind.” 

All are barred from entry

Excepting those who know the key

Cast water upon mirror 

Reflection upon reflection 

In the shape of man

And the gates shall open for thee

“Yeah, probably a magical lock of some kind? You were carrying around that mirror for ages just in case it’s still active.”

“What if it does not refer to barring our entry? What if the ritual it suggests is intended instead to reveal?”

Hadrian’s face scrunched up in thought. “Hm, I guess that’s a possibility. Stories of invisible castles exist. We don’t have a lot to go on though, it made more sense if we were looking at a locked gate and we could see what kind of spell we’d be dealing with. As it is, we’d just be… splashing water on a mirror?”

“It does not hurt to try.” 

“It seems kind of silly… but I’m running out of ideas. I haven’t noticed any unusual magic here either, no echoes of mana that might indicate a ward, have you?”

“No. I would have mentioned it if I had.”

“Sorry, yeah, I know. I don’t know if it’s just me being frustrated or being so far out in the wild for so long, but I’m starting to feel uneasy about.. something about this. I’m not sure what. Let’s try doing something with the mirror in the lake, maybe something will activate a spell we’ve missed or not been able to detect. This is some old stuff, it might be beyond us to sense.” 

They carefully unbundled the mirror from its oilskin wrappings and leather bindings. It had been well packed for its long journey. It was a reasonably large mirror, the kind that might be hung on a wall, about as wide as a person and half the height of one. 

“This would’ve been expensive in the last places we’ve been for a while.”

Jacedi nodded in agreement. 

“It was good luck we were able to purchase it from that traveling merchant. However, I do wish they had a smaller one.” 

They carried it over to the water’s edge and set it down by the shore, holding it upright.

“Okay, I guess first we try just getting it wet, I guess?”

“That seems too simple, but it is a good first step I suppose.”

Hadrian gestured to the water, and an orb detached itself from the lake, gently floating upwards to rest above his hand.

“Here goes nothing.”

He tossed the water at the mirror. It splashed across the surface. Droplets rolled down the glass.

“This feels stupid.”

“Hm. Perhaps we should try placing the mirror under the water. ‘Reflection upon reflection,’ remember? 

Hadrian shrugged. “Worth a shot.”

Jacedi took a few steps into the lake and set the mirror down gently. It sank softly onto the pebbly lake floor under inches of water. Both wizards leaned over to look into it, standing ankle deep as gentle waves lapped against their legs. 

“See anything?”

At first, it was only a trickle. A sly tendril of magic creeping in at the edges of their awareness. It was a black and oily thing that slithered across the lake surface. It crept around the lake, splitting itself in half and then again, multiplying into a ring of writhing appendages. 

“Hadrian–”

“What is this?”

“It is unlike anything I have ever seen.”

“Should we–”

Hadrian took a step away from the mirror and looked to the shore, but the wriggling oil surrounded them now, coating the edges of the lake. The nearest tendrils reached towards them as if grasping, coiling and uncoiling with slick iridescence. 

Jacedi scowled. “I do not like this. It feels wrong. Can you freeze the water?”

“I can–”

Before the wizard could cast anything, the magic exploded outwards. It stretched and shot towards the two wizards, reaching for them like a hungry, starved thing. It coiled around them, wrapping around ankles and limbs. It was cold and sharp, and its touch whispered of ice and needles and teeth. It eagerly poured towards the mirror, dragging them along with it unbidden.

In only a moment, they disappeared beneath the surface of the shallow water.

After the ripples subsided, the lake was tranquil and still once more.

Many pieces of the world have been lost. The accomplishments of mortals and even the knowledge of them fade from existence, in time. Wizards are said to covet these truths unknown to others, whether forgotten or yet to be discovered, and many a tale is of a spellcaster driven to madness by their single-minded pursuit of such. 

The object he withdrew with such care revealed itself as a rough-edged tablet of stone once unwrapped. It was the dull beige of desert rock, and its unassuming appearance belied an ancient majesty, not the least of which was due to the quiet reverence with which the wizards treated it. One side was indented with tightly packed rows of angular runes, tiny lines forming individual glyphs. 

“We might as well go over our translations.” Hadrian began rummaging through his pack, pulling out a sheaf of papers.

“You have spent many weeks re-reading the same lines. I do not think you will find anything new, or that our course will change at this stage of our journey.”

“What if it’s not the right place? Maybe the location the name referred to changed over time? Or what if we made a mistake somewhere.”

“Most likely not, and some of the references we checked were quite old. It is also one of relatively few peaks in the range that bears its own name. As for the translation itself, do you not recall the month we spent just collecting Old Tyrnian lexicons?” 

“That’s the thing though, if this place has a name specific enough for us to have found it through research, why could we not find any record of the palace the tablet describes, or the ruler the tablet attributes it to? The ruins of it should be unmistakable.”

Jacedi shrugged. “By our estimations, the tablet is older than the records we had access to. The libraries we visited were relatively provincial compared to those at one of the larger universities. Had we returned to Aedura, we might have discovered more.”

“Sorry, just nervous, I guess.” Hadrian sighed. “I suppose the secluded estate of some long-forgotten ruler is not so unlikely a thing to lay undiscovered for thousands of years. I can’t shake the feeling that there’s some strangeness here we haven’t quite figured out.”

“Well, we have done the best we can given the circumstances. I think it has been worth it for a shot at claiming riches and glory for ourselves.” Jacedi smiled. 

Hadrian smiled back. “You sound too mercenary. I thought we cared about academic prestige that didn’t just come from politicking and scheming.” 

“I thought you loved Aeduran politics.”

“Ha ha. Good joke.” 

Jacedi smiled as Hadrian flopped back onto a sleeping mat. 

“Let’s get some rest. We’re still several days out, right?”

“If we make excellent time each day, we can be there in two weeks. But I imagine it will likely be closer to three.” 

“Sounds good. I guess camping out here isn’t so bad anyways. It’s a bit colder than up north, but not as bad as I thought it might be.” 

The elf wizard murmured in agreement. The pair quickly slid into slumber under the night sky. The wide landscape of earth and low greenery seemed to stretch out endlessly in all directions.  The small campfire whispered and crackled for hours into the night, a single point of light upon the land beneath the many stars. 

The next morning a thin layer of dew had settled upon the world. Jacedi awoke first, getting up quickly with the dawn. He brushed at the droplets of water that had settled upon his clothing. As he did so, he pulled the dampness from himself, coalescing it into a small cloud of tiny dewdrops that hovered in front of him. He flicked his finger towards Hadrian’s sleeping figure and a cluster of globules the size of a few grapes flew through the air to splatter on his face. The rest of the water he allowed to fall at his feet.

Hadrian sputtered awake instantly. He leapt to his feet, indignant. 

“It’s barely even dawn.” he grumbled, gesticulating at the sun shyly peeking just barely over the horizon. With an intake of breath, a wave of heat washed over him, evaporating the water into steam that drifted off into the morning air with a hiss.

“Your robe’s on fire.” Jacedi pointed behind the waking wizard. 

Hadrian woozily squinted at his friend with a look that exuded disbelief and disdain. He crossed his arms, refusing to turn around. 

“What if I’m actually on fire at some point? I’d never believe you.” 

“Well, if that ever comes to pass, you better put it out quick, then.” 

Stretching his limbs, he stumbled over to the sleeping mule to begin loading the packs. 

“Hey there.” the creature stirred. “You’re my friend, right? I hope the dew doesn’t bother you too much.” He brushed a few drops off of its pinkish mane. 

The beast of burden awoke, large black eyes blinking open. It licked the moisture off of its smooth skin, its long tongue circling its eyes before it turned its attention to Hadrian. With a wet smack, the tongue collided with his face.

“Alright, alright, that’s enough friendship from you. We’re leaving soon.”

The early hours of the day were fairly comfortable to travel in for the most part. The scraggly grasses and shrubs offered no shade, and the trees that did were relatively few and far between, but an occasional conjured breeze was enough to prevent them from getting too overwhelmed by the heat. Only when it approached midday were they forced to break. The wizards once again found a spot of shade to rest in for a few hours as the sun slipped past the crest of its daily arc. They made a small meal out of their provisions and bread as they sat.

The pattern of walking and resting, making camp and meals continued for several more days. After a week had passed, jagged shapes began to encroach on the horizon. It was not long before the dark shapes rose up, taking form as a distant mountain range. From the pair’s heading, the rocky peaks seemed to stretch on endlessly to the right, before dwindling into the earth ahead of them. 

As they walked, the details of the faraway range crept into their sight. The hazy blue of distance faded into the whiteness of snow-capped summits and the deep green scrabble of forested slopes. Each step they took seemed to grant greater clarity to the imposing horizon. Another week passed, and the mountains now loomed above the small wizards, as if they had slid across the land to greet them. 

Their destination was a rather modest peak. It was not especially tall compared to its neighbors, nor was it noticeably shorter. It was situated near where the range ended to the north, yet still many miles from where the terrain leveled out enough for anyone to travel around the mountains altogether. It was simply a single crenelation in a vast wall of stone. The shrubbery and dirt of the plains behind gave way to rolling grassy hills that swaddled the base of the mountains, growing upwards until they themselves gave way to sheer faces of rock. 

“This is the place?” Hadrian shaded his eyes as he looked upwards. It was the morning of what they hoped would be the last day of the journey there. 

“I am fairly sure.”

“So we should be looking for a lake ‘nestled between two hills’. From the tablet, it should be less than a day’s trip from ‘the foot of the mountain.’ If this is the right mountain, hopefully we can make camp there tonight.”

“The hills may make it difficult to find. In the worst case, we can continue up the mountain and look back from a higher perspective.” 

“Sounds like a plan.”

The pair began their ascent with renewed confidence from approaching their destination. The first hill seemed rather unimposing, and they climbed it fairly easily. The second hill seemed the same at first, but the young human wizard stopped to catch his breath at its peak. He took off his hat and wiped at his brow before bending over to rest with his hands on his knees. Halfway up the third hill, he dropped to the ground, lying against the slope, panting with exhaustion.

“Hey Jacedi.”

“Yes?” the elf had a slightly smug expression on his face. He was clearly sweating and out of breath, but was in much better condition.

“We’ve been walking for weeks now. Why is going uphill so. much. harder.”  

“Gravity is cruel.” He shrugged. “Come on, perhaps we will be able to see something from the top.”

“Give me another minute.”

“Okay. But do not take too long, or I will have to go on without you.” 

“Shut up.” 

“We will wait for you at the top then.” he winked, before heading further up the hill, lead in hand, with the mule trailing a short distance behind him.

Hadrian sighed as he weakly waved about in the grass. He lay there for a little bit longer before pulling himself to his feet. Placing his hat back upon his head, he followed after his friend. He caught up at the hill’s summit to see Jacedi standing there with the mule. He turned back, flashing a grin at Hadrian. 

“Welcome!”

“I really am not looking forward to a whole day of this, let alone two or more.”

“I think you may be in luck then.” 

“Luck isn’t really our thing, is it?” Hadrian trailed off as Jacedi turned back to look towards the mountains. 

A patch of blue glittered between the green hills up ahead. It was smooth as glass, and the crisp reflection of the bright sky and a scattering of clouds stood out starkly among the surrounding earthen shades. 

“Maybe it is now, my friend.”

So it is with trepidation I begin this chronicle. Perhaps this record will be merely a fond memory for myself to look back on as the fancy of youth and naivete.

Morning arrived far too swiftly for one and right on time for the other. Jacedi was returning to the room fully clothed while Hadrian was still struggling to emerge from the sheets.

“The bathhouses out here are better than I expected, to be honest. Are you sure you do not want to visit? This is our last taste of civilization for quite some time.”

“I’ll be fine. I’ll use a spell.” came back groggily as Hadrian sat up and slunk out of bed.

“Very well. I will go acquire a mule, I will meet you to pick up the rest of the supplies?”

“Sounds good.”

A few hours later the town was fading into the scenery, a lone edifice of wood and brick on the horizon behind them as they set out into the wilderness. Before them lay a vast swathe of open land, sandy dirt generously speckled with dense green shrubs and occasional solitary trees. 

Walking alongside their rented mule, the wizards made good time. As the sun rose higher in the sky, they stopped to rest under the shade of one of the occasional trees.

“We should wait a few hours before we continue.” Jacedi took off his coat and sat down against the smooth bark of the wide tree trunk. 

“Fine by me.” 

Hadrian raised his hands and conjured a soft breeze as he sat down beside his friend. The beast of burden carrying their extra supplies let out an appreciative sound as the cool air drifted over the party. 

“I will be better able to check once night has fallen, but we should be on the right heading.”

“Don’t worry, I trust your navigational skills. Much more than mine, at least.” Hadrian sighed.

Jacedi let out a short chuckle. “Well, my abilities are rather stellar, after all. There are few who would be worthy of comparison.”

The wind around the elf began to turn unpleasantly humid and warm. “Augh! The world is cruel to those who dare to speak the truth!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Hadrian looked at his friend innocently. 

At this point Jacedi began to fan himself with one hand, the other arm plastered across his forehead in an exaggerated gesture of suffering. The breeze returned to its original refreshing state as Hadrian shook his head, a smirk playing across his features. 

The sun crawled across the sky over the next few hours as they passed the time with banter and discussion. It didn’t feel too long to either of them before it seemed appropriate to begin walking once more. 

More miles disappeared behind the pair as they trekked further into the empty landscape. As night fell, they set up a simple camp. Jacedi removed their packs from the mule and set up simple pads for them to sleep on as Hadrian started a small fire. 

The young wizard knelt down and made a spreading motion with both hands above the sandy soil. A shallow pit opened up in response as if it had been waiting for his request. He dropped in a small pile of tinder and wood he had gathered, before pointing a single finger at the setup. A small flame leapt into existence on his fingertip, which he then touched to the fire pit’s waiting arms. It greedily swallowed the spark, rapidly developing into a modest campfire. 

Jacedi brought over a small metal pot, which they set to hang over the fire on a metal rod that was supported at both ends by wooden frames. Hadrian placed a hand over the empty pot and it smoothly filled with water conjured from the ether. They tossed in a few pieces of salted meat and waited for the water to boil. 

“Don’t think I’ll be getting used to travel rations anytime soon.” Hadrian murmured. 

“It is much like what we eat when on long sea voyages. At least for the next few days we can eat fresh bread from the last village. After that it is only biscuits and the other dried goods.”

“Ugh.” Hadrian shivered. “I really hate those things.”

“It is too bad neither of us learned effective food preservation spells.”

“Yeah, magical provisions were so much cheaper around the University, I never thought to learn it then. A spellbook is probably out of our price range. Maybe we can find someone to teach us. At any rate, add it to the list of utility spells I wish we’d studied.”

“I will file it beside your complaints about the post-graduate options the other departments received.” 

“Hey, our expedition was an unmitigated disaster. And no one tells you when you’re enrolling how miserable city-state military service is. Transmutation and Runecraft had some really cushy gigs set up for them.”

“I know, you were furious about how they got to assist that famous architect with a museum project, your dreams of archeological adventures dashed.” 

“Remind me again why we majored in Evocation?”

“As always, your words, the very day I met you, were ‘who would not want to throw fireballs and lightning.’ Besides, your dreams may come true yet.” the elf tapped his jacket pocket. 

“Don’t get so confident yet. We might still have to sell it to make up for this trip if we come back empty-handed.”

“Have faith my friend, it will not be long before we are telling the tale of a decade, full of excitement and intrigue, journeying to the edge of the map to recover long lost artifacts like the greatest of adventurers.” 

“It’s hardly the edge of the map. The shroud is more than a thousand leagues east.” 

“Maps do not only have edges at the outside. All sailors know the ocean is full of the unknown even in the center of the map, which we like to think we have conquered.”

“I don’t think we’ve ever been this far southeast before.” he took off his hat to brush dust off of the brim.

“Mm. Not much out here but empty arid land until you reach the mountains, just a few scattered villages. I think we have been lucky to travel on roads up until this point.”

“It really is desolate enough for me to hope.”

“Ah, you are beginning to take heart in this venture?”

“Look, I’ll be happy if we find anything, let alone strike it rich. Dreaming about how glamorous a life of adventuring is hasn’t exactly worked out well so far.” 

Jacedi’s convivial demeanor drooped for a moment as their eyes met. Memories of the last few years hung in the air between them. The smell of filth, lodged deep in your clothes after hunting down overgrown sewer rats for a meager bounty. The grisly sights that accompanied the cleanup of minor undead appearances. Living from one quest’s paycheck to the next, moving from town to town looking for odd jobs. 

“It is not quite what we imagined the life of a wizard would be like when we were younger, is it?”

“I feel old, Jacedi. It’s been what, five years since we graduated? Maybe we should have just stuck with mercenary work. There’s always room for more combat wizards. At least the pay’s regular.”

“I think if we had stayed in that world, we would simply be experiencing a different sort of misery now.” 

“Yeah.”

A brief moment of silence.

“I know how you feel, my friend. It has been a long time since I last visited my home. But if I cannot believe in an opportunity such as this one, I would not have any hope at all.”

He reached into his jacket pocket and removed a book-sized object wrapped carefully in canvas. 

“Our ticket to great things awaits.”

It is easy for one to believe that their current quest is to be their greatest.

The sun was beginning to set when the two figures reached the town. The greens and beiges of the surrounding shrublands were cloaked in orange and gold, casting long shadows behind the pair as they approached. 

The longer of the shadows was cast by the shorter of the two, as he wore a tall pointed hat with a wide brim. The hat was slightly droopy, although rigid enough to stand mostly upright on its own. And though it was difficult to tell in the warm colors of sunset, it was just a slightly different shade of slate gray-blue from the rest of the raiment worn by its bearer, perhaps a bit paler, a tinge more grayish. And he was a wizard.

Both of them were, in point of fact.

The taller figure wore no hat, and their silhouette was instead crested by a ponytail of white hair that fell to a little below their shoulders. In contrast to the robes of their companion, they wore a long coat of black and red leather that reached their knees. A large oblong package was slung over his back, a roughly rectangular flat shape wrapped in oilskin and secured with leather straps. 

A few heads turned as they approached. The village was not especially large, nor was it exceedingly small. It was remote enough to receive few visitors, and those tended to merchants arriving with at least a cart. As it was, the pair, who had only traveling packs upon them, began to catch some attention. 

As the fading sun gave way to the colder night, the robed one shivered slightly.

“I think people are looking at your hat.”

“So?” 

The young man who wore the hat scowled and pulled on the brim with both hands to secure it upon his head, as if to reassure himself of its presence. 

“It is getting a bit chilly, are you certain you wish to continue wearing that getup for the rest of the journey?”

“The outfit is important! A proper wizard should present themselves as one.”

“And I suppose someone wearing a coat could not possibly be a wizard.” A smirk.

“It’s fine, if it’s actually a problem, I’ll just burn a little mana on a fire spell to keep me warm.”

“If your robes catch fire, does that make them more or less qualified to be proper wizard attire?”

“That won’t happen.”

“Mhm.” 

“Look, there’s the inn.”

The wooden door opened smoothly with a soft chime.

“Hello, looking for a room?”

“Just for the night, we are only passing through.” The tall one replied.

The innkeeper looked at the shorter one. “You a wizard? Like, a proper one?”

“I am. University trained.” He looked at his companion with a smug grin, which was met by a rolling of eyes.

“We are both actually wizards. Graduated in the same class.” 

“I see. Well, happy to have you in for the night. Let me show you your room.”

The stairs let out a soft wooden groan as they ascended. The innkeeper opened the first door on the right. Behind it was a small room, with just enough room for two beds and trunks, and a desk between them. It was dimly illuminated by a glowing crystal on the desk, which flickered slightly, as a torch would, but in a more subdued manner. 

“It’s not much, but it’s the best I’ve got ready right now. We don’t get too many travelers, so I rent out some of the rooms to the townsfolk for storage and such.”

“It’s not a problem, thank you.”

A little while later they had settled into their lodgings. The first one removed his hat to reveal a mop of messy brown hair. He was a young man in his early twenties at most, with olive skin and bright green eyes that quickly scanned the room. He wasn’t actually that short for a human, about average, or possibly slightly under it. His companion just happened to be rather tall, even for an elf. 

The one with the long coat removed it and hung it up on a wooden rack by the door. He was about half a head taller than the other wizard, making him just a bit taller than a good deal of other elves, and most humans. His eyes were a vermillion red, and his complexion was a deep tan. Underneath his coat he was wearing a straightforward tunic and trousers, both dyed a nearly black shade of charcoal. 

The human wizard, whose name was Hadrian, sat down at the desk and pulled a notebook out of his pack. A quill and ink followed shortly and his attention narrowed to the page before him.

“Don’t stay up too late. We want to be leaving town not long after dawn.” 

“Won’t be long. Good night, Jacedi.”

“Night.” The elf rolled over, facing away from the desk and its light. 

The scritching of quill and paper followed for a little while longer, before he extinguished the light and the night’s rest found both of them.