Aozaki Aoko Case File [486] (Patreon)

With their leader Sofina down, the Thayan forces collapsed like dominoes.

Previously, Sofina’s iron grip had kept the Thayan assassins from showing any fear or hesitation. But now, the regular assassins and the newly created undead in the arena began to falter.

Neverwinter’s regular soldiers, along with the assorted warriors Aoko and her friends had rallied, pressed the attack, routing the enemy and quickly regaining control.

Aoko calmly stashed away Sofina’s spellbook, acting perfectly natural despite Xenk’s suspicious gaze.

“A wizard’s spoils can’t be called stealing, can they?” Aoko retorted righteously. “I took this from Sofina in battle, fair and square!”

“Edgin, look at this!” Simon cheerfully handed Edgin the Tablet of reawakening, leaving Edgin momentarily dumbfounded.

“Where’s Kira? Did you find her?” Edgin asked urgently. If Simon and Doric had found the Tablet of Reawakening and Forge, then surely they’d found Kira!

“Don’t worry, we’ve put Kira somewhere safe,” Doric quickly explained. “She was kidnapped by Forge, who was trying to move all of Neverwinter’s treasures onto a ship by the docks. That’s where we found the stele.”

“Oh, thank you so much, Simon, Doric…” Edgin said, covering his face as relief washed over him.

Holga smiled and patted Edgin on the back, also praising Simon and Doric for their work.

“Speaking of which, this armor really saved me,” Holga tapped her adamantine cuirass, saying to Aoko. “One of the Red Wizards stabbed me with a Red Wizard’s Blade, but it didn’t get through.”

“A barbarian’s strength isn’t just about skill,” Aoko winked, “gear and weapons matter too.”

“How did you counter Sofina’s Time Stop?” Simon asked curiously. “I didn’t see you cast a counterspell.”

“Do you know the Trigger spell?” Aoko replied with a wink.

“Oh! That explains it…” Simon said, suddenly understanding. “But wait, spell reversal is 7th-level magic. How did you use it with Trigger…?”

“That wasn’t spell reversal,” Aoko explained patiently. “It was a rare spell called Reactive Detonation, adapted from one of Faerûn’s magic variants.”

“Since I knew Sofina could use Time Stop, I’d been thinking for ages how to counter it. Most mages follow up Time Stop with Delayed Blast Fireball, so I came up with this trick.”

“The moment Time Stop ends, the fireball’s explosion triggers the empowered Reactive Detonation I set with Trigger, giving me fire resistance and reflecting the opponent’s fire spell back at them.”

“Brilliant!” Simon praised. “When I heard Edgin shout that warning, my heart almost jumped out of my chest!”

“All magic has weaknesses,” Aoko said with a wink. “The essence of spellcasting is using rules and weaknesses wisely.”

“What are you going to do with her?” Xenk asked, glancing at the barely alive Sofina. “Kill her now?”

“She’s a lich,” Aoko reminded him. “Even if we kill her, her soul will return to her phylactery and she’ll resurrect. I’ll leave her to you, but I’ll keep her spellbook.”

“Sigh, fine,” Xenk said, relieved. “I hope you use that knowledge wisely, at least not for evil.”

“You misunderstand necromancy,” Aoko shook her head. “The evil lies with the Red Wizards, not the magic itself. Necromancy is the closest school to understanding life itself, not just for sewer-dwelling necromancers.”

“...Besides, Sofina’s spellbook doesn’t have much necromancy in it,” Aoko frowned, flipping through its pages. “How is she Szass Tam’s subordinate but only has conjuration, transmutation, and evocation spells?”

While Aoko picked through Sofina’s legacy, the mage guild had finished off the last two Red Wizards, and the nearby undead and assassins had been cleared out. There’s strength in numbers, after all!

The battle for Neverwinter was drawing to a close. The crisis that could have killed many residents had been averted—not effortlessly, but not as hard as feared. No wonder the righteous churches of Neverwinter didn’t get involved.

Szass Tam was once again made a laughingstock, and even the artifact-like Horn of Beckoning of Death was destroyed by Aoko.

With Sofina defeated and Forge captured, her curse on the old Lord of Neverwinter was quickly lifted. The Lord’s Alliance, having lost many senior members to their plot, hated the two especially.

But thanks to veteran paladin Xenk, Sofina was handed over to him and the Harpers, while Forge was thrown into the Revel's End, never to be released.

Aoko, Edgin, and company received thanks from the restored Lord of Neverwinter. Aoko was granted lifetime membership in the Wizards’ Association, plus a luxurious estate in the Arcanist District.

As for Edgin and Holga, who missed their homeland dearly, they received a large sum of money. Edgin officially regained his Harper status, but for now, he wanted to stay with his daughter.

Simon and Doric’s relationship had progressed a little, though not much. At least Doric agreed to go out with Simon alone next weekend, making Simon feel his efforts weren’t in vain.

Everyone held a grand banquet at Aoko’s new mansion. Amid everyone’s blessings, Edgin used the Tablet of reawakening and a lock of hair to bring his wife back to life.

The family embraced tightly, and even Holga was moved to tears. She knew best how hard it had been for Edgin, raising his daughter alone after losing his wife, and truly felt happy for them.

The story reached a perfect ending, but Aoko’s adventures in Faerûn are far from over.