"So you want us to travel more than a hundred miles to the south," John asked as the Kangaroo indicated the location of the castle on a map, "Break into a castle that's supposedly loaded with magical traps and enchantments, steal this valuable object you still haven't told us what it is, and we're getting payed how much for this?"
"Five thousand gold apiece," Ken nodded as he passed the map to Tabitha to examine more closely, "With a bonus of an additional five thousand each should you successfully return with the item."
"Which is...?" John pressed.
"A secret," Ken replied simply to the dragons growing annoyance, "The map you have has been specially treated by my master with some powerful enchantments. It will lead you to the object he seeks. Whatever you do, you mustn't loose it. Or you will never find the object."
"And I'm guessing there's another reason to hold onto it?" Marty asked, drawing the attention of all those present, "I can feel the power in the map even from here. For such powerful enchantments you must be worried a normal map or instructions will not be enough."
"It's true," Ken nodded, "It's said that inside the castle, maps, compasses, trace spells, and other means of determining ones location are completely useless. Worse, the castle is rumored to be a maze inside, far bigger than it looks. With shifting passageways and vanishing doors."
"You're not exactly instilling us with confidence here you know," Tabitha muttered as she rolled up the map and tucked it up her sleeve.
Ken shrugged, "It's not an easy mission. You deserve to know what you're getting into at the very least. You should knowe I'm putting a lot of faith in you by telling you this much. My master would have simply gievn you the map and directions and sent you on your way."
"Charming," John grumbled sarcastically, "Does he also donate to charity?"
Cassy gave him a dissaproving look but Ken just smiled knowingly as he avoided the question, "The gold you recieved as a down payment should cover your supplies for the trip there and back. I take it you can be ready to go soon?"
"We'll leave first thing in the morning," Tabitha replied, getting in ahead of John and surprising the dragon just when he looked about ready to tell ken where to shove his map, "Marty and I will go shoping after we're done here for a few items we still need, but other than that I think we're set."
"Good," ken nodded, standing up as their meeting appeared to be over as far as he was concerned, "I'll see you all when you return. Oh, and one last thing; as I mentioned the castle is quite hazardous. Many adventurers have attempted to penitrate it's magical defenses..."
"Let me guess," John muttered gloomily, "None have ever come out?"
Ken just smiled and turned, soon leaving them behind as he vanished into the crowd.
"What have we gotten ourselves into this time?" the dragon muttered.
"Quite the adventure I'd say," Cassy smiled as the companions around the table gave the priest a mixed bag of looks from approvving, to concern, to general disbelief.
It was almost exactly a week later the quartet of adventurers found themselves cresting the rise at the edge of the planes. Far ibn the distance the golden sand of the desert could just barely be made out. Much closer, however, sat the castle.
"That's it?" John asked incredulously at what appeared to be a crumbling guard tower, barely large enough to hold a dozen soldiers let alone the vast riches promised.
"Hmm... Clever..." Marty mused as he scratched his chin.
"That's it!?" John repeated growing a bit more irritated.
"What's clever Marty?" Cassy asked ignoring Johns rambling for the moment.
"THAT'S IT!?" John was litterally glowing smoke rings by now with every puff of breath.
"It's a clever illusion spell," Marty replied, "I'm sure of it. The castle has been magiced to look far less impressive and unassuming than it really is."
"THAT'S... really?" John asked the fire in his voice dying out so fast the girls did a double take at his mood shift.
"Yes I'm positive," Marty nodded, "I can just make out the outline in the air where the real limits of the castle are."
"Can you undo it?" Tabitha asked straining her eyes to try and make out the outline marty had spotted.
"Unfortunately no, this form of illusionary magic is too strong for me. It would take at least a dozen average wizards, or even theree arcain mages to enchant a whole castle with a perminant spell this effective. But, I do believe I have a solution."
Reaching into his bag he pulled out what looked to be an ordinary pair of specticals and put them on. Wavhing his hands in front of his face, the cheetahs palms began to glow. "Now let me see... If I can tap into the same frequency of the illusionary magic... reverse it... and... there!"
"Nothing's different," Jon pointed at the small tower that was supposed to be the castle.
"Not there, here." Marty pulled off his glasses and handed them to John. The dragon looked dubious but slipped them on anyway.
"Wow."
The word was as simplistic as much as it was an an understatement.
The castle stretched upwards easilly five hundred feet tal. And that wasn't even counting the two dozen or so towers sprouting haphazardly from the roof and sides of the building. The walls stretched away in either direction for what looked to be a couple miles. And looming right where the tower had been were a pair of impressivly tall oak doors carmed with all manor of runes and symbols.
"Wow," John repeted as he pased the glasses to the girls as they slowly started towards the castle, "Ok, good job Marty. But one question: This castle is by a major traiding rout, how do the traiders not accidently run into the invisible castle?"
"It's a matter of one of the ten basic laws of magic. The fourth if I'm remembering correctly," Marty replied, " 'Any spell that effects perception effects ones reality only so long as they believe the illusion', Hence, if no one knows there's a castle there, as far as they and the magic are concerned, there isn't. But for us, since we know it's there now, it should feel as real as a-"
John 'Oof'ed as he suddenly ran smack into something that wasn't there. "...Stone wall?" The dragon finished a little cross but not specifically at Marty.
"Precisely," the Cheetah Mage nodded, "Now we just need to find someway inside..."
"I say we break open the front door," John noted, "That wood looked old and worn. i bet we could smash it down if we worked together."
"Use your head John," Marty replied, "Didn't you see the markings all around the doors? Intricate spellwork if ever I've seen it. We bash down the door who knows what sort of enchantments it might stick us with. maybe given some time I could try to decypher parts of it, but it didn't look like any language I could pick out at a glance."
"Alright, then what do you suggest?" John replied, still sounding a bit on edge.
"We look for another way in," Marty replied simply, "The castle might be enchancted now, but it wasn't when it was built I bet. If we circle the wall we might find an old servants way in that's less guarded."
"Have you seen how big this place is?" John asked retorically, "That could take us days just to walk around the whole thing."
"Uh boys?" Tabitha muttered as she looked up at the castle while wearing the specticals, "I think I see some windows above. Maybe I could try and climb up and toss a rope down for everyone."
"How high is it?" John asked curiously.
"At least... I'd say a hundred and fifty feet."
"Uh-huh, no way!" Marty muttered waving his hands in front of him, "I'm scared of heights. I get up there I know I'll get dizzy and fall."
"We could always tie the rope around youe waist and hault you up last," John smirked toothilly as Marty glared at the smug dragon.
The only one who hadn't voiced an opinion was Cassy as the three looked to her.
"Well Cassy?" John asked, "What's your plan?"
"Well... I don't really have one..." She admitted slowly.
"Alright then, which plan should we go with, you're the tiebreaker here."
"Um..."
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