The castle's great doors slowly swung shut with a deep, rumbling boom that echoed far into the distance.
Maeve raised a tiny paw and cast Arcane Lock on the gates.
Anser beckoned to Sosk, and the two returned one after the other to the still relatively tidy great hall.
All the corpses were scattered throughout the castle corridors, and the vampires had been wiped out completely. Aside from a few magic items, nothing remained.
"Whose divine realm lies on the other side?" Anser asked, looking at Sosk.
"The elven Moon Goddess, Sharess... no, Sehanine," Sosk answered quietly from the shadows behind him.
"The Gates of the Moon?"
"Uh... I'm not sure."
"Wasn't Viheral built by werewolves? Shouldn't good-aligned werewolves worship Selûne instead?"
"They should. But this tribe's primary deities were probably the Hunt God Malar and the Moon Goddess Sehanine. Their internal conflicts were severe. It's said they had long coveted one of Selûne's divine artifacts. Their extinction may have been the result of divine punishment..."
"So you're not really certain either?" Anser shot him a sidelong glance.
Sosk nodded calmly.
"It's been far too long. The truth has long since been buried by history. Most of the time, I'm just making educated guesses."
"And you're not even a follower of the Moon Goddess. What would be the point of finding her divine realm?" Anser couldn't understand.
As far as he knew, the Moon Goddess was still alive. Why would she welcome a nonbeliever—especially someone from an evil alignment—into her divine realm?
Sosk fell silent for a moment before speaking softly.
"The Moon Goddess... may not have the time to concern herself with us."
According to legend, within a divine realm there was neither aging nor death. Life and souls became something fundamentally different, and even the mysteries of magic were no longer beyond reach.
Anser glanced at him but asked no further questions.
He had already decided not to enter for the time being. What if he couldn't get back out?
Still, learning more about divine realms would be worthwhile. He was extremely curious about both the Weave and the gods.
"Wait here. If anyone comes out, smash this jar."
He set a clay jar on the floor.
It had also been protected with Arcane Lock. The moment it was broken, he would immediately sense it.
"All right."
Sosk didn't refuse.
He genuinely needed Anser now. To Thay, he no longer held much value and could be disposed of at any time.
As long as he continued serving as a capable guide, a good-hearted Paladin would probably be willing to offer him opportunities—and perhaps a few rewards as well.
Taking Maeve with him, Anser entered the Ethereal Plane and quietly observed Sosk for a while. Only after confirming he wasn't making any suspicious moves did he teleport back to Holrewen.
He might run into a powerful enemy tonight, so he intended to strengthen himself first.
Floating within the Celestial Ritual Array, he let his consciousness sink into his mind. The twenty-sided die speckled with golden starlight hovered silently before him.
The eleventh symbol was only a hair's breadth away from lighting up. It would probably happen within the next day or two.
The speed at which he could unlock new symbols had already fallen far behind his leveling pace.
He was about to reach Level 14, yet the eleventh symbol still hadn't awakened.
'Level up.'
He opened his Character Sheet and selected his class.
Advance your Sorcerer level or choose a new class.
'Increase my Sorcerer level.'
[Level Up: Level 14 Sorcerer!]
[Your draconic power has increased. Gold Dragon Power +1. Silver Dragon Power +1.]
[You have gained a new Draconic Bloodline feature: Dragon Wings.]
[You can learn one new spell, one Evocation spell, and one enhanced Metamagic option.]
[You have mastered a new Feat. You may manifest one of your innate magical abilities as a supernatural ability.]
He allocated both points of Draconic Power to his Intelligence, raising it to 25—the maximum for a young dragon.
'Next time, it should be Strength.'
Aside from Charisma and Intelligence, Strength was his highest ability score. Ideally, he'd raise it to the mortal limit soon. It would be a waste to spend Draconic Power on ordinary attributes.
At long last, Level 14 Sorcerer granted him the long-awaited class feature: Dragon Wings.
...
Dragon Wings: You can instantly manifest a pair of dragon wings on your back. They last for 1 hour and can be dismissed at any time. While active, you gain a flying speed equal to that granted by the Fly spell.
The first use is free. Each subsequent use costs 3 sorcery points.
...
To Anser, however, the feature was rather underwhelming. He was already a true dragon. After using Dragonkind Transformation, he had no fewer than three pairs of dragon wings.
'It's not going to grow another pair, is it? I don't think there's even room for one.'
He scratched his head, unsure how this feature would merge with Dragonkind Transformation.
'Whatever the case, it'll make me stronger.'
The die had never allowed a single resource to go to waste.
Next came his two 7th-level spells.
There weren't many 7th-level Evocation spells to choose from. After a moment's thought, he passed on the melee spell Mordenkainen's Sword and selected Prismatic Spray instead.
...
Prismatic Spray: 7th-level Evocation
Eight rays flash from your hand in an 18-meter cone.
Each creature within the cone must make a Dexterity saving throw. They are randomly subjected to the magical effects of one or two rays, with a base damage of 12d6 (12–72).
...
It was one of the rare ray spells. The rays were fired almost instantly, but the spell came with a high degree of randomness.
Although Prismatic Spray fired eight rays, there were only seven possible types: red fire, orange acid, yellow lightning, green poison, blue cold, indigo petrification, and violet banishment accompanied by blindness.
It was a spell that relied heavily on luck. The caster had little control over how the rays were distributed, and the enemy couldn't predict them either. If fortune wasn't on their side, they might be struck by two rays at once.
As an area-of-effect spell, Prismatic Spray was undeniably powerful, especially against spellcasters, since it was nearly impossible for them to prepare targeted defenses.
For his second 7th-level spell, he chose Teleport.
He passed on Plane Shift because it could only travel between different planes, and its accuracy wasn't particularly good.
For example, if you wanted to reach the City of Brass on the Elemental Plane of Fire, you might end up hundreds of kilometers away in the desert.
Compared to an entire plane, a few hundred kilometers wasn't much, but it could easily lead to unexpected situations—or even prove fatal.
Besides, there was an even better spell for planar travel: the 9th-level spell Gate.
For him, 9th level wasn't that far away. Perhaps that would be the true beginning of his journeys across the planes.
...
Teleport: 7th-level Conjuration
This spell instantly transports you and up to eight willing creatures nearby, or a visible object, to a destination you choose.
If the target is an object, it can be no larger than Large and cannot be held or carried by an unwilling creature.
You must know the destination, and it must be on the same plane of existence as you. Your familiarity with the destination determines the likelihood of arriving successfully.
Teleport can use a permanent teleportation circle, a related object, or a place you have seen or heard of as its anchor, transporting you directly there.
Even if a permanent teleportation circle wasn't open to you, as long as you knew of it, you could teleport to a location nearby.
...
The spell was remarkably accurate. Even if you missed your intended destination, you'd end up no more than ten or twenty kilometers away.
With it, Anser would be able to travel wherever he pleased. Anywhere within Realmspace would be only an instant away.
This was true freedom.
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