The apprentice wizard had screwed up and had messed up the invisibility spell. They were stuck. They went to find the immortal wizard Wraithvine and found them with the bugbear child and the kolbold companion. Soon as the bugbear child spotted them, they cried begging for help. -- Anon Guest
[AN: Possibly related to this one. Making me look these up eats time]
Being invisible sucks. Though there are senses that make up for it, like seeing your hand in the dark[1]. However, actually looking messes that up. The good news, slight as it was, was that the invisibility spell had worked on Yngvar, hir clothing, and anything ze carried. It even kept hir safe from splashes of telltale liquids.
The bad news, and there was plenty of it, was that Yngvar was stuck like that. Most spells fizzle out until an action is performed, a spell cast, or a certain time period expires. Yngvar had had made the mistake of looking into curses for a spell duration boost. And like any other curse, it clung like a lover.
There was only one person who could help. One wizard who had been everywhere, seen almost anything[2], and just about done it all. Wraithvine the Eternal would know about things that tended to stick. The real trick would have to be making hirself known. Because, since Yngvar's aim was stealth, any sound that could give hir away was also muted.
Step One was to find Wraithvine. Always a problem in a big world with one peripatetic wizard. Scrying worked a charm and, because it was Wraithvine, also served to announce that someone was looking for hir. Not exactly the world's best calling card when the world is also full of enemies. No doubt, Wraithvine was also trying to scry on Yngvar and coming up with interesting results.
If only Yngvar had also though to employ a Sending spell. It would have cleared up so much confusion.
It would have definitely toned down the fight between Yngvar, Wraithvine, a Kobold Rogue, and a half-grown bugbear who was just starting to get his extra reach. Imagine having to shout just to be heard. It's more taxing than you might imagine.
"NO NO NO, I CAME LOOKING FOR YOUR HELP!" It was meant as a scream for mercy, but came out as a muffled whimper.
"That's weird," said Rawr, looking with his new eye. "They look like they're screaming, but... it sounds like..."
"Someone shouting from a long distance away," Wraithvine powered down hir impressive spell. "Who are you and what's been done to you?" Wraithvine cast something in the air and drew a circle. "Step in here, it might help."
It did, making Yngvar a ghostly version of hir former self, and ze only had to project hir voice in order to be heard. "I began with a dissatisfaction with extant spellwork, especially the stealth stuff. They allow a person to get into a situation, but once something happens, there's no simple way out."
"That's what planning and teamwork is generally for," allowed Wraithvine. "Why did you want to remain unobserved in the first place?"
It was not, in retrospect, the most noble of causes. Certain venues had anti-scrying spells for a reason, and circumventing those was implicitly vile.
Yngvar had the thinnest of thin defenses. "I wasn't going to peek on anyone who was nude... I wanted to see how the ladies did their hair like that. And how their robes worked. For research."
Wraithvine had been listening with tented fingers and a growing frown of concern. Finally, ze took a deep breath and announced, "You're an idiot."
"Yes," Yngvar agreed. "I've learned that."
"You see?" said Lady Anthe. "This is why I'm thinking of retiring. Too many idiots and not enough knives."
"Knives won't even fix this one," said Rawr.
"It'd solve one problem."
"Ze wasn't being a creep, ze was just finding a complicated solution to a simple problem. Such as asking nicely to learn the techniques, join the order, or otherwise seeking knowledge by other means."
"They already had a restraining order against me," protested Yngvar.
Wraithvine covered hir face with hir hand. "I can see why..."
[1] This is a legitimate phenomenon. In absolute darkness, you can still 'see' your hand. That's because your brain knows it's there and fills in where you should see it. Like the helpful jelly it is.
[2] There's always room for something new.
[Image (c) Can Stock Photo / maximmmmum]
If you like my stories, please Check out my blog and Follow me. Or share them with your friends!
Send me a prompt [64 remaining prompts!]