The Esper of Algol: Protector

Soothsayer

Sweat fell down their faces still, but being inside a volcano that was supposed to be active would do that.

The passageways that had been dug into the mountain seemed designed to confuse any would-be infiltrators. Three times they fell down a trap door. Myau could sometimes see them, and he apparently had learned how to disarm them from the priests at Gumbius, but that didn't prevent them from triggering when they were backed into one during a fight. Lassic had staffed his fortress with hulking marauders and giants, magically dubious sorcerers, and a slew of the undead both fleshy and skeletal.

They knew they had to go up. Lassic was at top – or at least they should be able to see something once they got to the top, if he was above it. The logical course of action was to take the stairs that went up, and ignore the ones that headed down.

Except, after what felt like at least two days they couldn't go up any further, they were faced with large iron doors with a simple iron padlock that clearly didn't lead out.

"Another prison cell?" Odin wondered aloud.

"It's..." Alis searched for the word as she placed her hand on the door, "empty."

"OK?" Odin asked. "And how can you tell?"

"She means," Noah explained slowly, intently looking at the door as if he could see through it, "that there is a distinct lack of magic here."

Myau was sniffing at the tiny gap under the doors. "There's someone in there." He sat up and curled his tail around his paws, facing Noah. "Question is if Lassic nullified his magic, or if he's nullifying Lassic's."

The lock clicked open.

"Are you crazy?" Noah whispered to Alis. "We don't know who's in there!" Alis started to say something in response, but an uproarious cacophony of voices made him hold his hands to his ears and he flinched.

The doors seemed to swing open of their own accord. Noah was aware the hinges creaking, although he couldn't imagine how he could hear them over the noise.

"It's just an old man," Myau stated, back on his feet.

Alis frowned and furrowed her brows at Noah, then tentatively stepped into, hand on her sword hilt. The man - he was more middle-aged than old - stared back at the lot of them, the grey eyes lingering on Noah.

"I have no weapon and little magic, as you can plainly see," he told them barely above a mutter.

Again, Noah marveled at how he could hear him above the din, a moment before he realized he had no idea where the voices, who were shouting what sounded like insults and curses, were coming from.

Odin followed Alis into the cell in similar fashion. He carefully picked up and examined a rough bloodied spear, similar to the ones that centaurs used, that had been broken in half and tossed carelessly in the corner of the cell. Myau was pawing and sniffing at a large singe mark in the center and crinkling his nose.

There was no sign of any other people, much less enough to make the noise Noah heard. His heart beat fast when he realized: the voices were coming from his wand. As soon as he realized that, he knew why it was so angry.

"You're Damor," Noah said to the man quietly.

Damor gave a terse nod. "So, you've heard of me, brother?"

"Do not count me among you're brethren," Noah's bright blue eyes flashed as he pulled the red wand from under his shining cape. "You betrayed us and sold your powers to Lassic. Lanai are supposed to protect Algol, not ally ourselves to the powers that would destroy it."