Aozaki Aoko [562-564] (Patreon)

Chapter 562: The True Tower of Illusions

"No matter what, I have to get this spellbook," Aoko said with determination. "Simon, give me a hand!"

Trying to get this ice block out of the niche without thawing it—the best way was to pry it out.

Which spell would be best for this? Of course, the answer was the ever-versatile Bigby's Hand.

But Bigby's Hand was a little small compared to this frozen gelatinous cube. One hand couldn't pry it out, and since Aoko couldn't concentrate on two Bigby's Hands at once (it's a high-level concentration spell), she had to get Simon to help.

"We'll cast together, pry this thing out of the wall, and then take it outside to thaw!" Aoko explained. "Any questions?"

"Sounds reasonable," Simon replied after a moment's thought. "I'm in."

Aoko nodded, then cast Disintegrate to blast a hole in the room's wall, planning to toss the frozen gelatin out through it shortly.

With their synchronized incantations, two glowing force hands appeared. Each mage inserted their hand into the gelatinous cube, and with a mighty effort, pried the huge ice block free from the niche.

Aoko could sense that the moment the frozen cube left the niche, it began to thaw rapidly. The freezing magic's range was limited to inside the niche—the niche was like a giant freezer.

Catching Simon's eye, Aoko signaled, and together they maneuvered the cube out the hole using their Bigby's Hands.

Edgin, ever perceptive, strummed his lute, casting Feather Fall on Aoko and Simon. The two jumped out through the hole alongside their force hands.

Looking back at the tower's top room, Aoko noticed nothing had changed except for the missing remains of the tower's master—this frozen cube was a pretty useless anti-theft device.

Once Aoko and Simon landed, the cube was fully thawed—not from the temperature, but because it was now far beyond the reach of the freezing spell.

As it thawed, the gelatinous cube began to squirm and tremble. Aoko saw clothing on the remains inside start to corrode and dissolve, and even the spellbook began to—

Buzz!

Aoko quickly directed Bigby's Hand deep into the cube, trying to extract the spellbook. The cube's corrosive nature tried to eat away at the force hand, making sizzling noises, but as a force effect, only other force damage or Disintegrate could harm it—acid was useless.

Seeing Aoko act, Simon copied her, using his Bigby's Hand to fish out the wizard's remains, along with any metal trinkets being corroded.

When Edgin, Doric, and Holga floated down from the tower's top, Aoko and Simon had already defeated the gelatinous cube. Most of the wizard's skeleton was destroyed, but the good news: Aoko got the spellbook, and Simon got a perfectly intact golden bracelet.

Aoko looked with some distaste at the battered, corroded spellbook in her gloved hands, wiping it with a cloth—the cube's residue stubbornly resisted magical cleaning tricks.

Simon did the same with his golden bracelet, which, being metal, was easier to clean.

"How's it going?" Edgin asked. "I didn't find the Arcane Octad Ritual tablet in that room."

"It's probably in this spellbook," Aoko said, cautiously paging through it now that it was clean. "Hmm, let me see—"

Unlike ordinary spellbooks that only record spells, this one was more like a personal journal, with all sorts of content: random spells, complaints about the city lord, thoughts on magical experiments—everything jumbled together.

The chaos of it made Aoko's head spin. How did someone this disorganized become an Evocation wizard of Ebon Star rank?

The book even included the wizard's own portrait—he had a bright red mohawk. Pretty stereotypical for a reckless evoker.

After over half an hour, Aoko finally found the information she wanted: notes on the Arcane Octad Ritual.

Meanwhile, Simon had cleaned up the rune-etched golden bracelet and put it on. It really was a magic item—twice per day, it could cast 4th-level Evocation spell Lightning Javelin. Simon was quite pleased.

"It says here: 'With ice, quench the flame in thy palm,'" Aoko shared with the group. "It looks like there's a clear order of operations, compared to the earlier ignition ritual."

"Great! So we only have one tower left?" Edgin asked. "Should we go now or rest here for the night?"

Aoko put the book away and checked her watch. "We've only been exposed to the magic plague for four hours so far today. There's still time.

The Tower of Illusions is in District 22—not far from here."

"Let's go quickly! Maybe we can clear two towers today and break the central tower's shield tomorrow!" Simon said optimistically.

Compared to the chaotic Tower of Transmutation outside Ythryn, the Tower of Illusions had the most mysterious look yet.

Why? Because the whole tower was draped in a giant veil. Purple light shone from the topmost window through the veil, casting a dreamlike glow.

Holga reached for her axe, about to lead the way in, but Aoko stopped her.

"This tower isn't safe," Aoko shook her head. "You all should stay outside and wait for me. I see traces of high-level illusion magic—someone could die in there."

"Shouldn't we face it together?" Edgin protested.

"See that mist?" Aoko pointed inside. "If I'm right, anyone entering will be attacked by an 8th-level Phantasmal Killer. Anyone who can't withstand it will be scared to death."

Chapter 563: Facing Fear

After casting all sorts of resistance buffs, Aoko entered the Tower of Illusions alone.

This was the most intact Ebon Star tower she'd seen—almost no damage, as if it still existed in the Netherese Empire of two thousand years ago. But the interior was filled with gray-white mist, and even with Aoko's magical sight, she could only see traces of illusion magic glowing within the fog.

A permanent Phantasmal Killer effect permeated the tower. Unlike the original 4th-level spell, this one's magical aura was boosted to 8th-level—proof that the tower's master was a true expert in metamagic.

Thanks to her extradimensional protective bubble, Aoko could move through the tower without breathing in any of the magical mist, making her way steadily to the top floor.

Only by reaching the top could she hope to dispel the entire tower's phantasmal killer mist.

She couldn't help but marvel at the Illusionist "Ajamar"—to make an inherently intangible illusion spell persist as fog throughout the tower, what trick did he use?

Climbing the stairs, Aoko speculated—perhaps permanent alchemical items, or a continuous fog-producing potion line, but each theory had flaws.

"Probably an animate spell," she muttered, using her intellect and previous research to see through the mist's true nature: an 8th-level animate Phantasmal Killer.

Suddenly, Aoko realized she'd climbed more steps than should have brought her to the top. There were no landings, no doors, and no top floor in sight.

Phantasmal Killer had activated, she thought calmly—she hadn't breathed the mist, but apparently the spell had other, non-contact triggers.

Aoko continued ascending the endless spiral staircase, thinking about what fearsome visions she might see.

First appeared a figure in a tattered red cloak, face hidden in darkness, trying to remind Aoko of unpleasant memories.

"Ridiculous," Aoko muttered. "As if monsters from Alaya could reach me in Faerûn."

The red shadow vanished into the mist. Aoko climbed onward.

Next, she was confronted by Touko in a green coat, one hand on her hip, wearing a smile that hid cruel resolve. Behind her stood a massive golden wolf.

Aoko snorted. "Your spell sure is amusing."

She walked straight up to the vision, waved her hand, and dispelled both Touko and Lugh Beowulf's illusions. She'd saved against Phantasmal Killer twice in a row.

With Touko's illusion gone, the mist thinned, and Aoko began to notice other details along the staircase.

After about five more minutes of climbing, Aoko reached the tower's top room—no mist at all.

A vast, circular chamber. On the wall opposite her, a phrase in Draconic:

"Bare-faced to the heavens."

Aoko gazed at it, waved her staff, and cast Greater Dispel Magic. The Draconic script vanished, replaced by another message.

As the inscription appeared, a man's gentle laughter echoed through the room—not mocking, but filled with warmth and comfort.

The laughter faded, replaced by a mechanical noise as a stone pillar rose from the center of the room. Atop the pillar sat a mask.

Aoko picked it up—the mask was white, emblazoned with the first magic goddess's symbol in azure mineral pigment, half-covered by a veil.

This must be the item required for the ritual, to cover the face—Aoko now understood the final step.

In sequence, the mask must be donned before pointing the Nether oak wand at one's heart—first in the ritual order.

She stowed the mask in her imaginary space, glanced at the now-clear stairwell, and saw the mist was gone.

Apparently, once she saw through the illusionary inscription, the animate spell faded away.

"Hmm…"

With a thought, Aoko tapped her staff, vanished, and reappeared outside the tower, where her companions were chatting by the luggage.

"All done?" Edgin asked as Aoko reappeared.

"Yep, went pretty smoothly," Aoko nodded. "Now we have details on five of the eight ritual steps."

"By the way," she asked, "how much time did I spend in the tower, from your perspective?"

"About three hours," Simon replied after checking his watch. "We debated going in, but decided to trust you and wait."

So the mist's illusions had confused her sense of time—it wasn't as easy as she'd expected to break those wards.

"Let's go inside," Aoko beckoned. "The magical traps are all dealt with. We'll stay here tonight and plan our next move. Tomorrow, we perform the ritual and break the shield!"

…

At that moment, as Aoko and her companions obtained the last ritual clue from the outer towers, Dzaan had also crossed the Hunger Caves and reached the edge of Ythryn.

Standing on the city's edge, staring out at the ancient floating city, his heart filled with both greed and awe.

He, Dzaan, had conquered death, survived the deadly tundra, and now found the floating city.

Once, he'd been too weak to break through, but not anymore.

The truth of magic was somewhere here, waiting for him. Everything here would be his.

Chapter 564: Contingency Chain

Aoko had no idea Dzaan had reached Ythryn, or perhaps she just didn't care—she had her own priorities, focusing on magical research.

After setting up her Magnificent Mansion at the top of the Tower of Illusions, she locked herself in the workshop and started poring over the Evocation wizard's spellbook.

Apart from some edgy nonsense, Aoko found that the Evoker really knew his stuff—he could even cast Contingency Chain.

Aoko's eyes widened as she found the spell, soaking in every detail and copying it as fast as she could, eager to master it.

If she could learn this spell, it would be the most significant boost to her power yet.

Like regular Contingency, it auto-casts a spell under set conditions—but Contingency Chain could trigger three prepared spells, not just one.

If normal Contingency is basic self-defense, then Contingency Chain is a calculated counterattack—sometimes even aggressive.

Aoko set her contingency to "when hostile action occurs within my warded zone," with the warded zone defined by her own unique magic circuits and marks—not the spell itself.

Other wizards can only set triggers like "when I'm attacked," "when I meet an enemy," or "when my health drops below 50%"—all requiring them to actually take damage.

Common combinations: triple Abi-Dalzim's horrid wilting for mass battlefield wipes (though Aoko didn't know that spell yet—something to study in the Necromancy book later).

Other popular combos: Simulacrum plus double Summon—great for instantly evening the numbers on the field. Aoko could already use this, with summoned monsters, devils, or even double Mordenkainen's Sword.

There are offensive uses too; the most famous is triple Pierce Magic.

Pierce Magic reduces a target's magic resistance and can strip a spell effect. In caster duels, it's commonly used to strip all the buffs from an enemy—whoever can remove the other's defenses first usually wins.

In summary: if a high-level wizard doesn't know Contingency Chain, their archmage title is questionable.

Back when Aoko and Sofina fought in Neverwinter, to real archmages, it was child's play—they didn't even know Contingency Chain.

The spellbook detailed not just the spell model and casting steps, but also lots of practical advice and theoretical explanations, giving Aoko a new respect for the punkish Evoker.

When she'd learned regular Contingency, she'd had to figure out a lot on her own. Here, she found hundreds of case studies distilled from generations of Netherese experience.

A typical example: the difference between "being hit" and "wizard being hit."

If a spell is blocked by magic resistance, it's only "being hit," not "wizard being hit."

If a fireball deals damage, that counts as both.

If a fireball is blocked by 100% fire resistance, it still counts as "wizard being hit."

If a fireball is blocked by Resilient Sphere, it's neither.

There were hundreds of examples like this, making Aoko appreciate the Netherese Empire's magical achievements.

After a focused study session, Aoko fully mastered Contingency Chain before bed, setting up her own sequence as suggested in the spellbook.

Contingency-type spells last indefinitely as long as the token isn't destroyed—they remain until triggered.

After a dreamless night, Aoko woke, ate breakfast with her team, and headed to the central tower's plaza—the site of the Arcane Octad Ritual.

At the site, Aoko stood at the center of the magic circle, while the others took up positions around to guard her.

Aoko composed herself, donned the veiled mask of the first magic goddess, and pointed the Nether oak wand at her heart.

The first two steps went smoothly—she could feel the Weave in the circle stirring.

She lifted her empty left hand, conjured a flame, and spoke a secret aloud:

"In my world, I am one of only five Magicians, who wields the Fifth Magic, the power of the end of the universe."

This secret—unknown in Toril—passed the ritual's test, and the magic surged through the spell model.

Satisfied, Aoko clenched her hand, freezing the flame into ice and extinguishing it.

The ritual completed successfully!

The seven-layer force shield covering the central tower was now reduced by five layers—only two steps remained, hidden within the central tower, but these shields were no longer enough to keep Aoko out.

"All right, let's go," Aoko said, packing up the ritual tools and calling to her team. "The true heart of Ythryn awaits us!"