Fishwhacked: Reign of the Walrus Witch

Chapter 16

The physical world was back. Things had weight again. Ebb found herself standing atop a hefty stone table that had a crystal ball embedded inside of it. She was indoors, in a roomy commons area. A few windows showed the blur of snow roaring around outside. Inside, the walls were lined with colorful torches, and robed men and women and mineralads and vegetablokes were milling about, talking to one another, reclining on the couches, or working with complicated devices. They all possessed at least one floppy cloth hat.

Thaulma was standing besides the crystal ball table. Ebb walked down the small set of stairs that had been placed next to the table, and Thaulma went to help her, but Ebb swatted her away.

"You're alright! Thank the jods!" Thaulma exclaimed. The other occupants of the commons glanced over at the non-robed peasant girl carrying a fish.

"Yeah, barely. What the hell was that?" Ebb demanded. The crystal ball on the table lit up, and Paistra appeared. One by one the others warped in.

"I don't know! You should have appeared right after me! Ye jods, your face! That cut! The warp pad is in working order, I don't... What did you see?" Thaulma rambled.

"You told our fortunes, and then they tried to kill us," Paistra said.

"What? What does that mean?" Thaulma asked, as he held up her hand to Ebb's face. There was a flash, and Ebb's wound was suddenly a bloodless scar.

"We met with our future selves and we argued a little and it ended up with us fighting them," Ebb said. "Except mine, I tricked her into revealing she was some kind of trick, and a rift or something opened. And now I'm here."

"What in the world?" Thaulma waved another robed figure over. He had three hats and his beard glowed slightly. "Magikarl! They came through!"

"Ye jods, are you alright?" the man bellowed. His face had colored lines running across it and being near him felt like the static in the air before a thunderstorm. "I am Magikarl, Archarcanerd of the Drownvale Arcane Collegerium."

"Woooooo! Go Homonculi!" came a young arcanerd's enthusiastic shout from somewhere in the commons.

"Shut up!" Magikarl yelled, then turned back to Ebb. "If anything happened to the Fishlass, I'd never forgive myself."

"I'm so sorry, I don't know what happened," Thaulma said. "Come, come with me, we have much to discuss. Including your unprecedented detour into some kind of illusory realm."

Magikarl walked off and waved for them to follow him.

"Stay together," Paistra said quietly and took the lead, following Magikarl up a spiral staircase. The young arcanerds watched their every move.

The innards of the tower were sleek and clean, as opposed to its shoddy weather-beaten exterior. Portraits of old arcanerds lined the walls and pennant flags with inspirational words hung over the doors.

"How long has this place been here?" Paistra asked. "Did the king know about it?"

"Since the founding of Drownvale itself, and yes, the reigning monarch is informed of our existence when they take the throne. We send an emissary to Peopleopolis to tell them, and only them. It is an arrangement we have. Those who pursue the arcane arts come and study here, and in return, we stay here and don't meddle much with the outside world," Magikarl explained. "Of course, some pursue the arcane arts on their own, and we can't force them into our student body. Like yourself, breadmancer. But, uh, feel free to take some pamphlets, you may find one of our programs to be right for you."

"I'll pass. I'm kind of busy with some things at the moment. Speaking of, from what you just said, I assume you can't help us do anything about the Walrus Witch then?"