Aozaki Aoko [532-534] (Patreon)

Chapter 532: The Bountiful Cauldron

Aoko and Doric didn’t linger long on the streets. The two took a slight detour and then leisurely made their way back to the White Lady Inn.

Aoko relayed to Doric all the information she had magically read from Dzaan’s mind. Doric, however, showed no exaggerated reaction.

Aoko figured this was probably because Doric was never that interested in arcane magic to begin with, and didn’t know much about it either. She simply didn’t realize what Netherese ruins meant to a wizard.

If it had been Simon instead, he’d probably be doing backflips by now, excitedly discussing adventure details with Aoko.

Since Edgin, Holga, and Simon hadn’t yet returned from investigating the missing fishermen, Aoko and Doric decided to stay at the mage mansion and find something fun to do.

Aoko took out a chess set, and the two of them played while sipping tea and eating snacks, chatting about Doric’s childhood and Aoko’s past adventures.

Doric was extremely curious about the bizarre worlds Aoko had visited and asked many questions about their various details. Aoko, in turn, felt sympathy for tieflings like Doric, given their experiences in Faerûn.

Aoko couldn’t really understand why Doric’s parents abandoned her. For one thing, Doric wasn’t the type of tiefling with thick devil blood, red skin, and black eyes.

Secondly, judging by Doric’s current druidic abilities, she was extremely gifted—a prodigy like her left to fend for herself was just a waste of talent.

Perhaps her parents were ignorant and foolish, or maybe their hatred toward infernal visitors drove them to such stupidity.

Or perhaps, Doric’s parents were simply irredeemable scum. Whatever the reason, that human couple ultimately abandoned Doric and had another perfectly ordinary child.

That said, Doric’s current achievements owed much to her parents abandoning her near Neverwinter Wood—if they hadn’t, she probably wouldn’t have received such extraordinary education.

The two chatted about all manner of things, passing the time until around 7 p.m., but Edgin’s group still hadn’t returned, and Doric’s stomach was already growling.

“…Um,” Doric said awkwardly, rubbing her belly, “Should we have something to eat first?”

“Sure,” Aoko nodded, snapping her fingers to summon the invisible maid and bringing out the menu to order. “Are Edgin and the others always this slow? Should we try to contact them?”

“Traveling by sled to the east shore of Lac Dinneshere shouldn’t take long,” said Doric. “Maybe they couldn’t find the missing fishermen?”

Neither considered the possibility that Edgin’s team had been defeated by the hag—because that was simply impossible.

Aoko thought for a moment, pulled out a rune stone, and activated it to ask:

“Hello, hello, how are things going over there? Why aren’t you back yet?”

“…Actually, we’re already back,” after a brief pause, Simon’s voice came through the communication rune stone, “We’re back, but we’re at the town hall now. Things are a bit complicated… I’ll explain when we get back.”

...

It wasn’t until 9 p.m., when Doric was dozing off on the sofa, that Edgin’s group finally returned to the mage mansion and Aoko closed her magic book.

“I suggest you all take a bath first,” Aoko said, eyeing the exhausted, foul-smelling trio. “Was the hag’s lair really that stinky?”

“Don’t even ask. This job was a total loss,” Edgin said, tossing his coat to the maid. “All four fishermen were dead—eaten by the hag.”

“So, you mean the quest failed?” Aoko raised an eyebrow. Doric woke up groggily at this point, quickly pinching her nose and frowning at the trio.

“No, we killed the hag and found the magic cauldron,” Edgin replied. “It’s just like the rumors said—it can provide plenty of food, but…”

“But what?” Doric asked.

“…But the hag cooked those four unlucky fishermen in that cauldron. And from the bones in the cave, they weren’t the only victims,” Simon said gloomily. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m definitely not eating anything that comes out of that cauldron.”

“What’s the cauldron’s magical effect?” Aoko didn’t care what had been cooked in it—she knew what a hag was and wasn’t surprised.

“It’s a magic item once called the ‘Bountiful Cauldron’,” Simon explained. “Just pour in clean water, stir for a minute, and it turns into a pot of hearty stew.”

“Interesting!” said Aoko. “Is there a daily limit?”

“Yeah, three pots per day,” Simon replied. “After that, it needs to recharge until the next day.”

“Do you still have the cauldron?” Doric asked the key question.

“The town hall bought it from us,” Holga said, tossing a bag of coins on the table—a healthy sum by the sound of it. “They were very generous.”

“A magic item that can reliably provide food is priceless in times like these,” Edgin said, shaking his head. “We emphasized that the cauldron had cooked a lot of people, but the town hall didn’t care.”

“And Dennis Whalen specifically told us not to let the townsfolk know what the cauldron had cooked,” Simon added with a sigh. “That’s what bothers me the most.”

“Forget it, Simon,” Holga comforted him, patting his shoulder. “Just remember not to eat the stew in Easthaven from now on.”

After the three took long baths and used magic to clean their clothes, they returned to the lounge to discuss each group’s gains.

“This is all we got today,” Simon said, tossing a fireball scroll and a gray magic pouch on the table. “We didn’t recover the fishermen, but the town hall paid us anyway.”

The gray magic pouch was a type of bag of holding, though its internal space was only about five times its exterior size.

Aoko then shared the information she’d gotten from Dzaan that day. When she mentioned the Netherese Spire, Simon suddenly let out an excited yelp.

“S-sorry, I just got too excited,” Simon said, blushing. “Go on, keep going.”

Chapter 533: The Cauldron Heist

“…That’s pretty much the situation. Personally, I’m inclined to explore the Netherese Spire. What do you all think?” Aoko spilled out all the information, then took a sip of tea and looked at the others expectantly.

“I agree!” Simon leapt up from his seat, raising his hands. “Do you know what a Netherese mage tower means? That’s—”

“I know the significance of Netherese ruins,” Edgin interrupted, pushing Simon back into his seat. “But isn’t our current goal to investigate the cause of the Everlasting Rime? How connected could this spire be to that?”

“Think about it: what could possibly exist in this forsaken place that’s worth a god expending such power to intervene for?” Aoko replied, coaxingly.

“I don’t know if the spire is related to the Everlasting Rime, but I think it’s highly likely,” Aoko said, leaning back in her chair. “The Netherese Empire has too many secrets tied to the gods. Even if the spire isn’t related to the Rime, Simon and I could still gain knowledge and power from its relics.”

“Exactly!” Simon nodded furiously in agreement.

“I’m not far from reaching legendary status myself,” Aoko admitted. “If I can find a way to break through using Netherese relics, our odds of solving the Everlasting Rime increase.”

“I don’t have any objections,” Doric said. “And I agree—magic must be fought with magic.”

She pointed upward, meaning the Everlasting Rime was also magic.

“Why are you all looking at me?” Holga, holding a mug of beer, was momentarily confused when everyone turned to her. “I don’t care—just tell me where to go, what to chop, and how much.”

“Alright then…” Edgin thought for a moment and agreed. “Let’s make our next objective the exploration of the Netherese Spire. We don’t have any other leads anyway, and we can’t just sit around waiting.”

…

The next morning, as the team was preparing to set out for the Netherese Spire, an unexpected incident occurred.

Just as they stepped out the inn’s door, they met a messenger from Dennis Whalen, who invited them to the town hall to discuss something important.

“What’s this about?” Aoko asked the messenger, curious.

“It’s hard to explain out here, but…” the messenger hesitated, then replied, “Last night, a group of thieves broke into the town hall and stole a valuable item.”

Aoko and the others exchanged glances—they already had a suspicion. Since the theft was last night, could the stolen item be the Bountiful Cauldron?

There was no point in guessing, so they said nothing more and followed the messenger to the town hall.

When they arrived, they found out it wasn’t the cauldron that had been stolen, but a ship’s figurehead.

“What would thieves want with a ship’s figurehead?” Edgin asked, puzzled. “Almost all the water in Icewind Dale is frozen now. Is that figurehead valuable?”

“Step outside for a moment,” Dennis Whalen told the messenger, who bowed and left, closing the door.

“Have you heard of Chardalyn?” Dennis Whalen asked, looking at Aoko and Simon, thinking the two spell casters might know.

“You mean, the figurehead is a giant piece of Chardalyn?” Aoko raised an eyebrow, beginning to understand why the thieves targeted it.

Simply put, Chardalyn is a superior substitute for spell scrolls. You don’t need to spend time copying spells onto it—just target the stone and it’s charged. It’s even faster to use: just crush or smash it.

“Of course not,” Dennis Whalen said, waving his hand. “If I had that big a chunk of Chardalyn, I’d have sold it and this town hall wouldn’t be so shabby.”

“Actually, the figurehead has several shards of Chardalyn sealed inside,” he explained. “No one should know about this, but the thieves’ goal was clear—they wounded the guards and went straight for the storeroom to steal the figurehead.”

“Were the thieves duergar by any chance?” Edgin asked, testing the waters.

“How did you know?” Dennis looked at Edgin, surprised. “But yes, they were duergar—not sure where they came from, though…”

“We ran into a group of duergar in Caer-Konig,” Edgin said, frowning. “They had an outpost on the north slope of Kelvin’s Cairn, also searching for Chardalyn. We wiped them out.”

“Then these duergar are likely from the same faction,” Dennis mused, pacing the office. “They’re all duergar, all searching for Chardalyn—it’s no coincidence.”

“So, what do you want us to do?” Aoko asked. “We have our own business and can’t take on a time-consuming job.”

“Oh, don’t worry,” Dennis said. “I just want you, milady, to perform a divination ritual to pinpoint the duergar thieves’ location. As for dealing with them, we’ll handle it ourselves.”

“No problem,” Aoko agreed. “What’s the payment?”

“These three gems,” Dennis took a pouch from his desk drawer and spilled out three gems before Aoko. “Each is worth about five hundred gold. Is that acceptable?”

Aoko picked up a green gem, examined it, and found it to be of excellent quality for magical purposes. She nodded in satisfaction.

“Deal. I’ll take the job,” Aoko said. “Did the duergar leave anything behind? Body parts, armor fragments, anything?”

Chapter 534: The Honest Folk of Icewind Dale

How did Dennis Whalen know Aoko could do this?

That was Simon’s fault. When the town speaker was flattering “Master Simon,” Simon, trying to be modest, accidentally let slip that Aoko’s magical skill was far above his own.

Dennis Whalen, though he said nothing at the time, carefully remembered this—and recalled it when trouble struck.

Dennis Whalen wasn’t stingy with payment. He probably understood that offending a mage who could magically track the duergar would have consequences, so he paid up front.

Aoko didn’t bother with appearances. She began casting right in front of Dennis, using as clues several crossbow bolts fired by the duergar, still stained with guards’ blood.

She used seventh-level Foresight, which works like sixth-level Legend Lore but is stronger and faster. Normally, it would require some life force as a cost, but Aoko offset that with her arcane reserves and the wisdom of Mystra, without even expending a spell slot.

As the spell took effect, white light shone in Aoko’s eyes, her gaze looking into empty space, then she closed her eyes.

“I have the answer,” said Aoko, opening her eyes and turning to Dennis. “The duergar leader from last night was Durth Sunblight, apparently the brother of Nilda Sunblight, whom we defeated at Kelvin’s Cairn.”

“So where is he now?” Dennis pressed.

“He’s in a place called Sunblight Fortress,” Aoko replied, walking to the Icewind Dale map on the wall. “About here.”

She pointed to a spot in the Spine of the World, due south of Easthaven and southwest of Cauldron Cleft.

“It’s that close?” Dennis exclaimed. “I thought these duergar had just come up from the Underdark!”

“When we wiped out their outpost at Kelvin’s Cairn, it was clear their fortress didn’t spring up overnight. They’ve been near Ten Towns a long time, only recently becoming active thanks to the Everlasting Rime,” Edgin explained.

“Well, in any case, thank you for your help,” Dennis said with a sigh. “Especially you, Lady Aozaki. Without you, we wouldn’t even know who our enemy was, or where they are.”

“Just business,” Aoko shrugged. “We’ll be leaving town soon—watch out for duergar ambushes. Their racial spells include invisibility.”

“I understand,” Dennis replied solemnly. “I’ll be careful.”

After leaving, Aoko’s party went to the adventurers’ outfitter to buy supplies for the road, then left Easthaven by dogsled through the east gate.

Before leaving, they bought a new sled dog, since “Boy” had been returned to Garrett, and two dogs wouldn’t be enough for the long journey.

The bitter wind from the Reghed Glacier carried away any remaining warmth from every crack and crevice, supported by Auril’s power. In Icewind Dale, nothing alive could escape its chill. Even within Ten Towns, people only just managed to survive—the Reghed Glacier had always been a lifeless, frozen wasteland.

Even with Aoko’s powerful magic protecting them, the cold seemed to reach their very souls. Just seeing the endless frozen landscape made any mortal shudder.

Their journey was far from smooth. Not long after leaving, they were ambushed by a band of frost trolls. Aoko and Simon easily drove them off with Cloudkill and Melf’s Acid Arrow.

But the trolls were just an appetizer. Halfway through, a group of Auril-worshipping druids attacked. They’d been following the party in the form of mountain goats and ptarmigans, finally choosing a remote spot to make their move.

These druids could cast various nature spells and winter-themed divine magic, but Aoko and Simon blocked them all.

Besides spells, the frost druids had many natural allies—awakened trees, mountain goats, tamed elk, and even some inexplicable awakened walruses (which moved hilariously on the ice).

Aoko used an extra spell slot for Haste, patting each companion, and the party charged into battle like unleashed beasts.

Doric, a true Circle of the Emerald Enclave druid, had no mercy for Auril’s fanatics. She wild-shaped into an owlbear and, with Aoko and Simon’s buffs, laid waste to the enemy, taking down several druids in no time.

The fight didn’t last long. After Aoko extracted information from the mind of the last surviving druid, Holga finished him off with an axe.

“They wanted to kill us or drive us back to Ten Towns,” Aoko said, frowning. “They’re followers of Auril, trying to hide her secrets.”

“Any more ambushes?” Edgin asked.

“There are plenty of Auril’s minions on these tundras,” Aoko replied. “If we’re unlucky, we might run into barbarian tribes or frost giant mammoth riders.”

“Great,” Simon grumbled. “What a warm welcome.”