Prologue

           The rebellion was reaching its height, and the Royal Archmage Tower was the last line of defense. The rebels and people of the kingdom know this, as whispers now roam the surrounding city with talk of an uprising. We follow two mages with a fate less than noble.

In azure blue robes lined with purple, two low ranking mages of the Royal Archmage Tower walk through the city back to the palace grounds. Carrying large leather bags filled with various foods and supplies.

The man of the two spoke plainly to his companion, “Patricia, I can carry at least one more bag, let me handle it.”

Patricia giggled as she walked without struggle, “Peter, you’re sweet, but I can perfectly carry a few seventy quab bags with physical enhancement magic. In fact, I can carry all the bags! Come on, let your wife dote on you!”

Peter turned his head away from her, “Then I will have nothing to bear to show I am a supporting husband.” Turning back to look at her with pointed teeth and a goofy smile. “I’ll just have to be your guard dog so no one messes with us! Yark yark yark!”

They laughed as the spell enhancing Peter’s teeth dispelled. Deciding to both carry on as they have.

As they got closer, strange gatherings and whispers were lingering. A few hushed glances their way. This was normally a friendly part of the city, creating an unease.

Nudging Peter, she used an illusory spell to subtly whisper in his ear, “Peter, enhance your hearing. Don’t make it obvious.”

The two could hear clearly what was going on around them. Many of the gatherers were rebels and whispering amongst themselves. They spoke of how they plot to attack the castle, yet they had to wait for their leader to arrive. It involved trying to overwhelm the Royal Archmage Tower before moving on to the King. Some desired to take hostage the mages, however they could not risk making a scene before the time was right. The two walked steadily, pretending they heard nothing.

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At the palace gates, as the great star began to set, Peter and Patricia were welcomed in. Now returning from their supply run. In the palace grounds the two would halt and get on one knee with heads lowered. For the King was walking with his Queen, who took notice and called the two over. “Speak news, young mages, where have you come from?”

“We have brought materials requested from the adventurer’s guild, and food for our table.” Peter explained.

“Pray tell, why would a wizard buy food when they have magic?” The Queen questioned. The King began to blush at the query.

Patricia cleared her throat, “The wise King banned such magic to keep the price of farmed food from dropping. Farms may now only hire out mages for crop enhancement. Ergo, we of the tower are required to purchase food when we risk taking from the Palace reserves.”

The Queen began scolding the King, “Harold! You stop our mages from conjuring food and yet have no food for them to eat? I am sorry on behalf of the Royal family, the order for food shall double for the tower’s reserve.”

The two mages bowed their heads and thanked them. Peter continued, “There were also whispers in the city. Rebels have taken root and plot to attack the palace when their leader arrives. Saying they will overwhelm the Archmage Tower.”

The King laughed at the news, “Then we have nothing to worry about! None can compare to the Archmage, even across kingdoms and empires. Run along before those bags become heavy.”

Watching the pair of mages thank him before walking into the tower with bags half their size each was quite the sight. “... Perhaps I should ask the archmage to teach me some physical magic, given my age.”

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Going up the tower, Peter and Patricia handed the materials over to a receiving mage. One bag they brought further up to their living quarters door when an eldar mage in purple robes lined with azure blue interrupted their entry. “Mage Peter, Patricia, thank goodness you’re here! We made a breakthrough with the alien vines. Come quick to help document this discovery!”

“Go ahead, I’ll put the food away and catch up later.” Patricia encouraged Peter to go up.

At the top of the tower, the symbol of the height of magic, where the archmage is appointed to oversee all magical activity; Peter entered with an excitement not easily wavered by the countless times he has worked here. The current archmage greatly encourages the collaboration of magic as seen by the dozens of wizards working here.

Peter was guided past the previous big project, the Soul Reaver, which was abandoned halfway months ago. The eldar mage brought Peter to a section where they were experimenting on a gourd vine that appeared from beyond their dimension some months ago. Recently they got it to grow large orange gourds and now have made an important discovery. “Look with mana vision, you’ll see. Or rather…”

“I don’t.” Peter said with a startled quiet. Something was deeply disturbing by that notion. “The gourd itself, it is like a hole in the world when I see it with magic.” Casting a minor fire spell on his finger, he poked the gourd and saw that it still burned. “It seems to have the properties of interfering with ambient mana, yet it is still vulnerable to fully casted spells.”

“Precisely! Now we need to document the extent of such as we begin to try and magically alter one of the pumpkins to fit our needs!” The eldar mage exclaimed.

“P… pumpkin? That’s the name we are giving an interdimensional orange gourd?” Peter sounded disappointed.

The eldar mage nodded, “Minren named it. Oh, be sure to document a small detail that we want to take out of the pumpkin when we alter it: It is slowly eating away at the life force of the planet.”

Peter was horrified, “Small detail?! How slow is slow?”

“If these pumpkins were to propagate without control, whole planet would die out and crumble in a mere three million years.” Truly this was tragic news, they had to begin altering the pumpkin immediately without delay.

Currently within the confines of a magical cube trying to contain it, a shaking pumpkin that bulged and rumbled. “This is our first attempt to alter the pumpkin. We have proven capable of altering it, however it keeps the same property of not being magic itself.”

Peter was a smart alec as he asked, “Do we know if that enhances the flavor?”

“Actually, eating a normal pumpkin seems to temporarily remove one’s ability to cast magic. So I wouldn’t recommend it.” The eldar informed him.

As the night set in, a palace guard burst in and called for all the wizards of the tower to come out to the palace grounds.

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Outside, all the mages gathered, wondering what this was about. Seen flying above the palace walls and just beyond a subtle barrier set up by the archmage, was the rebellion’s leader. “Surrender the King, or face the consequences.”

There was relief, nothing had happened. The arrived hovering within the barrier at the same height as the rebel leader. “Stand down, your rebellion is incomparable to me.”

With one swift motion of his hand, the rebel leader shattered the barrier completely. There were a few moments of silent shock before everyone panicked.

The archmage and the rebel leader would begin to clash, the wizards who were meant to cast fireball to dissuade the rebellion clamored to get inside the tower. Peter and Patricia followed a group of elders into a room.

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Shoved out of the doorway, an eldar barked at Peter on the stairway, “Make a distraction for the rest of us while we cast teleportation! We can’t cast it in-time!”

The man in azure blue robes protested, “Then I will surely die! I have as much right to live as any of you!” As he got back up, a red haze kept him to the wall away from the eldar wizard. They would not allow him to come any closer.

Patricia dashed out to him. “I will not abandon my husband!”

“Suit yourself.” Closing the door on them.

“Patricia…” Peter began sadly, as she abandoned her chance to escape. No time to speak, rebels were making their way up the tower. They ran as soon as the rebels’ eyes met their own.

On the top floor the two planned to use the Soul Reaver to wipe out the rebels in desperation. Yet as they tampered with it, sparks flew and struck Patricia. Her very soul had been damaged.

Panicking, Peter didn’t know what to do, then saw the altered pumpkin. Surely it did more than negate magic now. Enhancing his teeth, he bit in as his world went orange.