Aozaki Aoko Case File [485] (Patreon)

Aoko controlled the stolen stone gargoyle dragon, sending it crashing into the encircling Thayan assassin fodder, knocking them flying. Then she charged at the two Thayan Red Wizards besides Sofina.

She had no choice—one of these guys had just taken advantage of her multitasking slip to destroy one of her simulacrums. Not retaliating just wouldn’t be her style.

Still, while this kind of psionically animated golem was great against non-casters, its only real advantage against powerful mages was its toughness.

As Aoko dodged two necromantic blasts from Sofina, she made the stone gargoyle dragon tank two Disintegrates and an Empowered Fireball. At last, the giant creature met its end, shattering into rubble in frustration.

But that absolutely wasn’t in vain. The three Thayan Red Wizards had burned through a large number of spell slots to fend her off, easing the pressure on the Harpers and druids fighting them elsewhere.

Sofina’s face was dark as she charged at Aoko for a rapid exchange of attacks and defenses.

She started with a Catastrophic Energy Ray, but Aoko blocked it with an Exorcism Barrier. Sofina then tried to use Mislead with Greater Bestow Curse for a sneak attack, but Aoko broke it up with a swift Thunderwave.

Their battle was intense, so much so that a sneaky Thayan assassin who tried to help got caught in the magical crossfire and was instantly burned to a crisp.

Seeing their boss unable to quickly bring down that archmage, the two remaining Thayan Red Wizards exchanged glances and immediately broke off from their current opponents, planning to focus their fire on Aoko.

To be fair, it was a good decision. While Xenk was great against evil targets, he couldn’t take on so many spellcasters at once the way Aoko, with her ability to one-vs-many, could.

But they were a little too late making that call, because Aoko’s setup finally paid off—her reinforcements arrived!

“I’m here to help!”

The burly wizard she’d met in the Arcanist Disctrict before, wielding a staff that looked more like a hammer, roared as magic buffs burst from him. He slapped a Tansen Polymorph spell to his chest and charged the Red Wizards.

The white-bearded old man looked like an evoker—he hadn’t stopped casting since showing up, and a flood of summoned creatures pounced at the enemy.

Even better, Simon and Doric arrived just then, joining forces with the Arcanist District reinforcements. The balance of power instantly flipped, and Sofina’s face turned even blacker than the bottom of a pot.

In Sofina’s mind, something snapped when she saw one Thayan Red Wizard get knocked out from behind by Edgin’s lute.

She decided to hold nothing back and kill a key target, leaving the rest to her future self.

“Enough!”

Sofina shouted, unleashing a wave of negative energy that forced everyone nearby to fall back a few steps. She immediately cupped her hands to her chest, casting a spell that sent a surge of ominous dread through Aoko.

“It’s Time Stop!” Edgin yelled anxiously. “Simon, Aoko, counter her or else—”

But Simon was busy fending off two Thayan assassins with Doric and had no idea what spell Sofina was casting. Doric, meanwhile, was in owl-bear form, lost in the thrill of battle.

Aoko’s expression was unreadable. Under the shocked gaze of everyone present, she didn’t move at all and was swallowed up by the special field of Sofina’s 9th-level Transmutation spell: Time Stop.

Za Warudo! Time, stop!

“I’ve put up with that idiot Forge for so long,” Sofina muttered to herself as she strolled through the frozen world. “His so-called charm and wit made me sick!”

“And now, just when I’m finally about to cleanse this filthy world tainted by the living—” Sofina’s face twisted as she glared at Aoko’s pretty features, her voice thick with hatred. “You busybodies have to show up and get in my way!”

Delayed Blast Fireball!

A basketball-sized ball of orange-red energy shot from Sofina’s hand but didn’t explode. Instead, it obediently hung in front of Aoko.

Anyone familiar with Time Stop knows: during this spell’s duration, the caster can’t directly target creatures with spells. But Delayed Blast Fireball is different—it allows the caster to plant a spell during Time Stop.

In other words, the spell can be set to trigger at the exact moment Time Stop ends, giving the enemy no time to react.

After setting her trap, Sofina grinned wickedly, backed off, and waited for Time Stop to end. She could already picture the young, beautiful archmage writhing in agony from her magic.

Time Stop finally ended. In front of everyone, a massive explosion erupted where Aoko stood, her figure swallowed by roaring fire.

“No—!” Edgin howled, clutching his head. Aoko, the young archmage from another world, had always looked out for him and Holga. He’d long considered her a close friend, but now she’d fallen to the evil Thayan Red Wizards just like his wife years before.

But before Edgin could finish his cry, the flames around Aoko suddenly contracted, gathering into a beam that blasted back—hitting Sofina, who was laughing maniacally.

Everyone was stunned. Nobody understood how Aoko had broken the Time Stop + Delayed Blast Fireball combo, but regardless, the situation had flipped, and the morale of Neverwinter’s defenders soared.

Bigby’s Grasping Hand!

A giant force hand shot from Aoko’s palm, pinning the badly burned Sofina to the ground.

Aoko immediately rushed over and snapped Magic-suppression cuff onto Sofina’s wrists.

Everyone crowded around happily, even Xenk was curious how Aoko had managed to turn the tables. But Aoko’s attention was focused on looting.

While keeping up Bigby’s Grasping Hand, she rummaged through Sofina’s tattered robes, making Xenk cough awkwardly on the side.

After a lot of effort, Aoko finally found a black leather spellbook hidden in the scorched lining.