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CREDITS
✍️ Writer: Jake Kerr
🎙️ Showrunner: Jake Kerr
Production Note
This production utilizes the latest technology in content creation, including audio, visual, and production tools powered by AI under the design and direction of showrunner Jake Kerr.
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Find out more about series writer Jake Kerr:
https://jakekerr.com
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Check out our other audiobook podcasts!
The Thieves Guild
An epic fantasy centered around the city-state of Ness
Some secrets are worth dying for. Some are worth killing for.
https://podcastalchemy.studio/thievesguild
Thursday
A cyberpunk VR Thriller
No one can be trusted when nothing is real.
https://podcastalchemy.studio/thursday
This episode includes AI-generated content.
00:00:19 --> 00:00:24 It was humiliating to know that my entire role in the assault on the house with
00:00:24 --> 00:00:30 the coat in the cup would be to do nothing more than grab the trophies after the battle was won.
00:00:30 --> 00:00:34 Naomi and Iggy would be doing all the fighting. About the only thing I could
00:00:34 --> 00:00:37 do was use the sword that was hidden inside my cane.
00:00:37 --> 00:00:42 But although that was magically sharp, I wasn't sure I could actually stab someone.
00:00:43 --> 00:00:46 Stopping time and making people invisible were more my style.
00:00:47 --> 00:00:52 We left shortly after noon. Naomi started before the sun came up to cast a shield
00:00:52 --> 00:00:54 spell that would surround the three of us.
00:00:54 --> 00:00:58 As she stood up after the long time casting the spell, she stumbled.
00:00:58 --> 00:01:01 Are you okay? I grabbed her arm.
00:01:02 --> 00:01:07 Fine. She didn't look fine. It's a difficult spell.
00:01:08 --> 00:01:10 She took a deep breath and steadied herself.
00:01:11 --> 00:01:14 Is that the Babylon spell? I looked around.
00:01:14 --> 00:01:18 I was used to seeing a slight film or some kind of iridescent glow or a muffled
00:01:18 --> 00:01:22 sound. I couldn't perceive any of those things. No.
00:01:23 --> 00:01:26 Naomi slipped her hair behind her ears and tugged the sleeves of her dress up
00:01:26 --> 00:01:29 her arms. It's the ball of Qin Shi Huang.
00:01:29 --> 00:01:32 I am unfamiliar with that spell.
00:01:33 --> 00:01:37 Eki's voice seemed close to awe. It's from China.
00:01:38 --> 00:01:41 It's easy to maintain, but the initial forms are very difficult.
00:01:42 --> 00:01:47 I could only imagine. Very difficult for Naomi would be impossible for everyone else.
00:01:48 --> 00:01:53 Will it stop bullets? It's not easy to destroy, but don't expect it to hold
00:01:53 --> 00:01:55 up to sustained machine gun fire.
00:01:55 --> 00:02:00 Then I think we should avoid sustained machine gun fire. I held out my arm toward
00:02:00 --> 00:02:02 the door. We should get going.
00:02:03 --> 00:02:07 Iggy took the lead and Naomi followed behind. I slipped in behind her.
00:02:07 --> 00:02:11 You look fierce in that dress. And she did.
00:02:11 --> 00:02:15 It would be easy to get lost in her golden hair and blue eyes contrasting with
00:02:15 --> 00:02:19 the deep black. but a closer look revealed her concentration,
00:02:19 --> 00:02:24 her sharp features, and the intimidating movement of her hands as she prepared spells.
00:02:24 --> 00:02:27 With a background of black, it made her look ominous.
00:02:28 --> 00:02:33 Why, thank you, Streetlight. The fact that Naomi called me Streetlight when
00:02:33 --> 00:02:36 I couldn't even make a flicker with the staff was comforting.
00:02:36 --> 00:02:44 She had faith in me, and that meant a lot. The Germans call you the Black Witch. What? Naomi stopped.
00:02:45 --> 00:02:50 Icky turned and walked back. They are aware of you now and call you the Black Witch.
00:02:50 --> 00:02:56 I love that. Naomi ran a hand over her dress. I'm going to wear all black from now on.
00:02:58 --> 00:03:01 You may have missed the part where Iggy said the Germans are aware of you now.
00:03:02 --> 00:03:05 That can't be good. No more element of surprise.
00:03:06 --> 00:03:10 Quit did I ever worry about the element of surprise. And with a bounce in her
00:03:10 --> 00:03:16 step, Naomi jogged ahead, took Iggy's arm in hers, and tugged him forward to
00:03:16 --> 00:03:17 face the German archmage.
00:03:19 --> 00:03:23 We walked the same street I had followed the day before. I kept glancing about
00:03:23 --> 00:03:24 for Germans or Russians.
00:03:24 --> 00:03:29 Of course, I wasn't expecting anyone to be in a uniform, but I still thought
00:03:29 --> 00:03:31 I'd be able to pick out something suspicious.
00:03:32 --> 00:03:36 Naomi was doing the same thing. About 20 yards away from the house that Icky
00:03:36 --> 00:03:41 indicated, he held out his hand and we all stopped. That is not good.
00:03:41 --> 00:03:44 I stared at the house. It was beautiful.
00:03:45 --> 00:03:49 Standing three stories high, it had ornate decorative carvings at the top of
00:03:49 --> 00:03:53 each level, with a gorgeous deep brown door with inlaid gold.
00:03:53 --> 00:03:57 It appeared to be constructed of a light stone or a rough marble, cut into blocks.
00:03:58 --> 00:04:02 To the left of the door was a short staircase that rose to a lawn with a patio.
00:04:03 --> 00:04:07 What's not good? I tried to peer into the windows or find some other evidence
00:04:07 --> 00:04:08 of trouble. There was nothing.
00:04:09 --> 00:04:13 A house is badly damaged. There has been a magical fight here.
00:04:13 --> 00:04:15 I don't see anything like that.
00:04:16 --> 00:04:19 Naomi nodded. Oh, I'm sorry, Aneat.
00:04:20 --> 00:04:24 It is hidden by an illusion, a very strong one. The house appears normal and
00:04:24 --> 00:04:27 well-maintained, but the door is hanging from its hinges.
00:04:28 --> 00:04:32 The windows are broken, and there are scorch and bullet marks along many of the walls.
00:04:33 --> 00:04:36 I turned to Naomi. How good is that shield?
00:04:37 --> 00:04:41 Good enough. She marched forward, leaving Iggy and me behind.
00:04:42 --> 00:04:44 We quickly caught up. Got a plan?
00:04:45 --> 00:04:48 Enter through the front door and blow up anything that moves.
00:04:49 --> 00:04:51 I was going to object, but the
00:04:51 --> 00:04:55 truth was that I didn't have any better ideas. What do you think, Iggy?
00:04:56 --> 00:04:59 The weather is warmer than usual. There aren't many people around,
00:04:59 --> 00:05:01 and I'm concerned that I won't be able to protect you.
00:05:01 --> 00:05:05 I couldn't help but laugh. I meant, what do you think of Naomi's plan?
00:05:06 --> 00:05:10 I looked around. He was at least right about the people. Perhaps the Germans
00:05:10 --> 00:05:12 had created an illusion to drive people away.
00:05:12 --> 00:05:17 It is simple and direct. She has the power to overwhelm most opposition.
00:05:17 --> 00:05:21 However, I fear her shield will be too little to protect us.
00:05:21 --> 00:05:25 Don't worry about that. Just turn into your fire form or whatever the heck it
00:05:25 --> 00:05:28 is you do and make sure to fry as many Nazis as you can.
00:05:28 --> 00:05:31 I think it would be better if he were to warn us about illusions.
00:05:31 --> 00:05:33 We don't have Mr. Ali with us.
00:05:34 --> 00:05:40 Fine, I'll do all the hard work. Naomi started forward. Iggy and I once again played catch-up.
00:05:41 --> 00:05:43 We reached the door, which appeared closed.
00:05:44 --> 00:05:48 Iggy reached out, pushed his hand forward, and the door swung forward easily on its hinges.
00:05:49 --> 00:05:54 They know we are here now. He had a precise frown on his face. How so?
00:05:55 --> 00:05:59 I knocked the door to the floor. It was hanging by a hinge and fell loudly to
00:05:59 --> 00:06:01 the ground when I pushed it.
00:06:02 --> 00:06:07 I didn't hear anything. Sound is part of the illusion. Iggy walked across the threshold.
00:06:08 --> 00:06:13 I guess the illusion ended at the front door. I looked around the entryway.
00:06:13 --> 00:06:19 There wasn't any identifiable furniture, just piles of splinters and broken ceramic and glass.
00:06:20 --> 00:06:24 The walls were scorched with marks of fire, and bullet holes were everywhere.
00:06:25 --> 00:06:28 There was a relatively clear path to a door on the opposite side of the room, at least.
00:06:29 --> 00:06:32 I took a step only to have Iggy hold his hand out, stopping me.
00:06:32 --> 00:06:35 It felt like walking into an iron bar.
00:06:35 --> 00:06:39 This is a trap. There. Iggy pointed about a foot in front of me.
00:06:40 --> 00:06:43 Is a large hole open to the basement. There are wooden spikes.
00:06:44 --> 00:06:47 Well, it's crude, but it almost worked. Thank you, Iggy.
00:06:48 --> 00:06:53 I stepped back. Why don't you lead? Where is everyone?
00:06:53 --> 00:06:58 Naomi's head darted around as we followed Iggy. I'm sure they'll show themselves soon enough.
00:06:58 --> 00:07:03 Iggy paused just inside the next room. A raging fire filled the room from left
00:07:03 --> 00:07:05 to right, completely blocking our way.
00:07:06 --> 00:07:09 It was clearly an illusion as the top of the flames licked the ceiling,
00:07:09 --> 00:07:11 but nothing burned. Iggy turned around.
00:07:11 --> 00:07:14 It is an illusion and cannot hurt me.
00:07:14 --> 00:07:20 Yeah, about that. It is an illusion and it can hurt us. Iggy nodded.
00:07:21 --> 00:07:22 We will need to go around.
00:07:23 --> 00:07:27 I turned and looked back in the other room. The wall to the right has to connect
00:07:27 --> 00:07:29 with another room. Could we just blow through that?
00:07:29 --> 00:07:33 Naomi stepped past me, looking like I had just given her a present.
00:07:33 --> 00:07:37 With her hands and fingers moving with their typical unworldly speed,
00:07:37 --> 00:07:40 a kind of glowing orange smoke appeared in her hand.
00:07:40 --> 00:07:44 I guessed it to be some variation of a detonation. Before I could tell her to
00:07:44 --> 00:07:46 be careful, she hurled this spell at the wall.
00:07:47 --> 00:07:50 Rather than explode, this spell hit the wall with great force,
00:07:51 --> 00:07:53 as if it was a giant hammer.
00:07:53 --> 00:07:56 The wall blew backward into a pile of rubble.
00:07:57 --> 00:08:00 There was a hallway behind it, and before we could consider whether to proceed
00:08:00 --> 00:08:04 forward, a man in dungarees and a green shirt ran up and immediately cast a spell.
00:08:05 --> 00:08:10 It didn't even get halfway to us before it fizzled. A look on his face told the story.
00:08:10 --> 00:08:15 His jaw dropped, and you could practically see him trying to figure out what happened.
00:08:15 --> 00:08:21 Naomi stepped forward and thrust her hand out. The magician flew back and slammed into a wall.
00:08:21 --> 00:08:27 Naomi dropped her arm, and the man slumped to the floor. Was that the gin breath spell?
00:08:27 --> 00:08:30 Iomi nodded. I love that spell.
00:08:31 --> 00:08:34 Icky didn't wait and stepped through the ragged opening and into the hall,
00:08:34 --> 00:08:37 which was now full of the rubble from the missing wall.
00:08:37 --> 00:08:41 An explosion flashed in front of my eyes, but I didn't feel anything.
00:08:41 --> 00:08:44 Icky stepped back. He was unhurt.
00:08:44 --> 00:08:48 They have some kind of weapon that hurls large explosive projectiles.
00:08:49 --> 00:08:52 Ice shield can't take too many of those. Be more careful, will you?
00:08:53 --> 00:08:58 She muscled her way past Iggy, forming detonations in each hand as she walked through the wall.
00:08:58 --> 00:09:02 In the same motion, she turned to the right and launched the detonations down the hall.
00:09:03 --> 00:09:07 As quickly as she had launched them, she had two more prepared and launched them.
00:09:07 --> 00:09:10 She did this two more times. The effect was immediate.
00:09:11 --> 00:09:14 Through the walls to my right, I could hear a series of explosions.
00:09:14 --> 00:09:16 There was a shout, but then quiet.
00:09:17 --> 00:09:21 Remind me not to get on her bad side, Iggy. He nodded in reply.
00:09:21 --> 00:09:25 Turning our way, Naomi looked at us. Coast is clear.
00:09:26 --> 00:09:29 The carnage at the end of the hallway was worse than I anticipated.
00:09:30 --> 00:09:33 There were two men that I hoped were just unconscious, but I feared were dead.
00:09:34 --> 00:09:37 They looked like regular men, but I was sure that they were the ones manning
00:09:37 --> 00:09:38 the bazooka that lay at their feet.
00:09:39 --> 00:09:41 It was little more than twisted metal now.
00:09:42 --> 00:09:45 They had set up an ambush at an intersection of two halls.
00:09:45 --> 00:09:50 The one we were on ended at a T, and the wall behind the men was partially caved
00:09:50 --> 00:09:53 in, with broken plaster and wood showing through scorched wallpaper.
00:09:54 --> 00:09:59 There are no illusions here. Iggy said the words as a fuselade of bullets thudded
00:09:59 --> 00:10:00 against Naomi's shield.
00:10:01 --> 00:10:04 They came from the hall to the left, where four men were wielding machine guts.
00:10:05 --> 00:10:09 It was eerie how the bullets would hit Naomi's shield and then just fall to the floor.
00:10:10 --> 00:10:15 This is tiresome. Where are the magicians? Naomi tossed a detonation toward the men.
00:10:15 --> 00:10:18 It hit one of them, knocking him backward into two others.
00:10:18 --> 00:10:23 As they landed on the floor, Naomi marched forward, her black dress flowing
00:10:23 --> 00:10:28 behind her as she held out her hands on her left and right. They glowed with an orange light.
00:10:28 --> 00:10:32 One man fled down the hall, while the two that had been knocked down scrambled
00:10:32 --> 00:10:35 backward into their feet, fleeing as fast as they could.
00:10:36 --> 00:10:41 It must have been a frightening sight. This woman in black, terrifying spells
00:10:41 --> 00:10:46 poised in her hands, her sharp face in a scowl, and her hair in black tress
00:10:46 --> 00:10:48 flowing out as if powered by their own magic.
00:10:49 --> 00:10:53 Iggy and I rushed to catch up to Naomi, who seemed dead set on fulfilling her
00:10:53 --> 00:10:56 plan of walking through the front door and blowing up anything that moved.
00:10:57 --> 00:10:59 I glanced down at the man who had been hit with her detonation.
00:11:00 --> 00:11:03 His eyes were closed, and smoke rose from his chest.
00:11:04 --> 00:11:08 Naomi was a few feet in front of us, and there was an explosion of light as
00:11:08 --> 00:11:11 she turned a corner. This is more like it.
00:11:12 --> 00:11:16 Iggy was moving slowly and deliberately, and I tried to push past him to get to Naomi.
00:11:16 --> 00:11:21 It was trying to shove a boulder out of the way. I turned the corner to see
00:11:21 --> 00:11:22 five magicians in the distance.
00:11:23 --> 00:11:26 There was a thick, gauzy haze between them and us.
00:11:26 --> 00:11:30 One was on his knees, eyes closed, waving his hands, casting a spell.
00:11:30 --> 00:11:33 The other four were trying to defeat Naomi through pure force.
00:11:34 --> 00:11:37 They hurled powerful detonation spells at her over and over.
00:11:38 --> 00:11:43 I expected them to fizzle against her shield, but they landed with something more like a thud.
00:11:43 --> 00:11:48 And as I watched, each one seemed to progress a little further and sound a little louder.
00:11:49 --> 00:11:53 Naomi was casting different spells. The first few seemed to be force spells,
00:11:53 --> 00:11:56 but they didn't do more than explode against the hazy air.
00:11:57 --> 00:12:01 Finally, someone who knows how to make a decent shield. Naomi tried another
00:12:01 --> 00:12:03 spell. Can you break through that shield?
00:12:04 --> 00:12:07 I was in awe of the Germans at being able to contain Naomi's power.
00:12:08 --> 00:12:13 Of course I can break through that shield, but I'd bring the whole house down on our heads if I did it.
00:12:13 --> 00:12:18 Naomi stopped casting, ran her fingers through her hair, and then pulled her hair behind her ears.
00:12:18 --> 00:12:24 It was awe-inspiring to watch four magicians hurling explosive spells at her
00:12:24 --> 00:12:28 nonstop while she calmly searched her memory for the right spell to use.
00:12:28 --> 00:12:33 I felt a vibration, and that's when I realized that Naomi's shield was weakening.
00:12:33 --> 00:12:39 Naomi, maybe Iggy can do something. I turned to him. Can you defeat these magicians?
00:12:40 --> 00:12:44 Yes, but I'd have to be in my elemental four, and that would set fire to the
00:12:44 --> 00:12:46 building. I don't need the Afrit.
00:12:47 --> 00:12:51 Naomi's comment caught me off guard. Two years earlier, she had been dismissive
00:12:51 --> 00:12:54 of magical creatures, but I thought she had changed.
00:12:54 --> 00:12:57 Now she was calling someone who had saved us the Afrit.
00:12:58 --> 00:13:02 The time wasn't right to say anything, but it turned out I didn't need to.
00:13:03 --> 00:13:06 Naomi stopped right in the middle of what she was doing and turned to Iggy.
00:13:07 --> 00:13:09 I'm sorry, that was rude.
00:13:09 --> 00:13:13 Ignatius Lazarus, I do not need your help, but I appreciate the thought.
00:13:14 --> 00:13:18 She set her comet with the utmost calm, even as her shield continued to weaken.
00:13:19 --> 00:13:22 She tapped her chin with her finger. Something that will blow through a wall
00:13:22 --> 00:13:24 of Gorgon that won't destroy the house.
00:13:25 --> 00:13:29 I tapped my cane on the floor nervously, and that's when an idea popped into my head.
00:13:30 --> 00:13:33 Naomi, will the ship follow me if I move?
00:13:34 --> 00:13:40 Yes. She barely acknowledged my question. What happens if your shield overlaps theirs?
00:13:41 --> 00:13:45 Nothing. Defensive spells don't really affect each other. Can I damage our own
00:13:45 --> 00:13:48 shield? At that question, she turned to me, clearly intrigued.
00:13:49 --> 00:13:53 No, it's attuned to stopping external attacks. Anything you do simply passes
00:13:53 --> 00:13:56 through it. Wait, what do you have in mind?
00:13:57 --> 00:14:02 I have an idea. I walked forward, tapping my cane on the wood floor.
00:14:02 --> 00:14:07 Its tap both calming me and filling me with confidence. Tommy, no!
00:14:08 --> 00:14:14 It was frightening, walking directly toward master magicians casting deadly spells at you.
00:14:14 --> 00:14:18 The shield in front of me absorbed them, but that was little consolation as
00:14:18 --> 00:14:21 their spells got closer to hitting me with each passing second.
00:14:22 --> 00:14:26 The interesting thing was the effect it had on the magicians.
00:14:26 --> 00:14:31 I could see fear building in their eyes as I slowly walked toward them, step by step.
00:14:32 --> 00:14:37 Tap by tap, I reached the gauzy shield and stopped. It was right in front of my face.
00:14:38 --> 00:14:42 Tommy, I don't think my shield will last much longer. How fast can you cast
00:14:42 --> 00:14:45 that spell that binds people up in ropes?
00:14:45 --> 00:14:50 Ariadne's net? I just learned it, but it's simple. I can probably cast it in less than a second.
00:14:50 --> 00:14:54 Get them ready. I don't want to kill anyone if it isn't necessary.
00:14:54 --> 00:14:58 To her credit, Naomi didn't argue with me. She crouched and prepared her spells.
00:14:59 --> 00:15:01 The Nazi magicians were in a panic.
00:15:02 --> 00:15:04 Tossing a constant barrage of spells at us.
00:15:05 --> 00:15:07 Better hurry, Streetlight. We don't have more than a few seconds.
00:15:08 --> 00:15:13 She trusted me. I pulled my arm out of its sling and held the cane in my hand.
00:15:13 --> 00:15:17 With a fluid motion, I slid the blade of the staff out with my right hand.
00:15:18 --> 00:15:24 I paused with the blade poised above my head, and at that moment, I knew it would work.
00:15:24 --> 00:15:28 The magic of the blade was part of the artifact and could not be turned off.
00:15:28 --> 00:15:34 I was one with a staff, and while it was still full of surprises, I knew this.
00:15:35 --> 00:15:38 I brought the blade down through the air. It reminded me of the moment two years
00:15:38 --> 00:15:42 earlier when I was walking with my grandfather through an empty alley and I
00:15:42 --> 00:15:44 used a broomstick to fight imaginary creatures.
00:15:45 --> 00:15:49 The feeling of swinging the imaginary blade through the air felt the same as
00:15:49 --> 00:15:52 the feeling of swinging this very real blade through the shield.
00:15:53 --> 00:15:58 The difference was that it wasn't slicing through just air. It slid through
00:15:58 --> 00:16:00 the magical shield with no resistance at all.
00:16:00 --> 00:16:05 As the blade reached the floor, the blurry shield fell into smoky tendrils that
00:16:05 --> 00:16:06 floated to the left and right.
00:16:07 --> 00:16:12 A gash that split the air between us and the Nazi magicians was open and widening.
00:16:13 --> 00:16:17 Naomi wasted no time and cast spells in quick succession.
00:16:17 --> 00:16:20 For not being a damage spell, it was wicked looking.
00:16:20 --> 00:16:25 Black tendrils, what looks like viscous fluid, spread out from her hand with a hiss.
00:16:26 --> 00:16:29 The moment they reached a magician, the tendrils wrapped around his body,
00:16:29 --> 00:16:32 pulling his legs and arms together and tying them tightly.
00:16:32 --> 00:16:37 I had just taken in what was happening to the first magician when she had three more bound.
00:16:38 --> 00:16:42 One of the magicians tried to flee, but her spell caught him before he had taken
00:16:42 --> 00:16:45 three steps. He fell forward with a thud.
00:16:45 --> 00:16:51 I sheathed the blade of the staff and looked at Naomi. I couldn't even see your hands move.
00:16:51 --> 00:16:55 Child's play. She smiled and then touched my arm.
00:16:55 --> 00:16:59 Great idea with the sword. I'm going to have to come up with some other name
00:16:59 --> 00:17:03 than Streetlight. How about Deathblade or Slash?
00:17:03 --> 00:17:07 Iggy walked up. I was thinking something more like Butterknife.
00:17:08 --> 00:17:11 I rolled my eyes as Iggy leaned over and looked at one of the magicians.
00:17:12 --> 00:17:16 The magician's mouths were covered with the black oily bindings that held them.
00:17:16 --> 00:17:18 These are the Brotherhood of Saturn.
00:17:19 --> 00:17:25 No way. She walked over and looked at two of them. They were struggling to free themselves.
00:17:25 --> 00:17:28 I studied them a bit. I thought they were banished by the Nazis.
00:17:29 --> 00:17:33 That was just a story to hide the plans the Nazis had for magic.
00:17:33 --> 00:17:38 They are widely considered the most powerful magicians in the world. I turned to Naomi.
00:17:39 --> 00:17:42 Five of the most powerful magicians in the world, and you just beat them.
00:17:43 --> 00:17:49 We beat them. She turned and started down the hall. Time for us to grab a coat.
00:17:49 --> 00:17:53 I stepped was a bit lighter, and my shoulder hurt a bit less.
00:17:53 --> 00:17:57 Naomi had smiled when she noted that we had beaten the magicians together.
00:17:58 --> 00:18:30 Music.