Duelling Dungeons

“Of course, what would you like to talk about?” I asked warily. I’d had plenty of meetings with Lanivia before; I’d even been urgently summoned to her chambers before, but this was the first time I’d entered her chambers, and something felt off. Dangerous.

She cocked her head to the side, a sly smile on her illusory, partially transparent face. “Really? Do you not have any idea at all?” she asked. “Well, I’m sure you were distracted by all the after-match festivities. I’m sure it’ll come to you if I give you a moment to think about it. Why don’t we take a seat?”

She casually waved her hand to the side, and a small round table and a pair of chairs materialized out of thin air.

“Would you like some tea?” Lanivia asked as she casually strode to the far side of the table.

“Uhhhh… sure?” I replied hesitantly. As soon as I answered, an elegant silver tea set appeared in the middle of the table; Lanivia didn’t even have to gesture at it this time.

She straightened out her robe before slowly sinking into the chair. “Please, take a seat,” Lanivia said, waving to the second chair. She waited until I sat down before giving a quick nod and continuing. “I called you here today because I thought you might have questions about something that came up during the match,” she explained.

I frowned slightly and quickly sorted through my memories, trying to figure out what she could be talking about. It took me a couple of seconds. “Is this about what Nor’Goth said when I confronted him?” I asked, finally looking up.

“Indeed. I honestly thought you’d be more interested in investigating his claims, especially after he tried so hard to incite you,” Lanivia said.

“Wait, how do you even know about that? Didn’t that occur in my head? I asked, confused.

“It did, however. Nor’Goth likes people to know what he’s capable of. He convinced the Sanctum to hook up a special feed to his mental domain so everyone could experience what happened during his mental attacks,” Lanivia explained. “I expect your mother probably has something similar in the Abyss.”

“It’s possible, but I wouldn’t know because my mother and I have never had a proper conversation,” I admitted. “I didn’t really see her outside the occasional evaluation or social situation.”

“Yes, well, I’m sure the matriarch had her reasons,” Laniva replied awkwardly. “However, since I only have a passing familiarity with her, and I’m not a people person, I’m definitely not the best person to discuss your mother with. I apologize if I brought up some bad memories; that wasn’t my intention. The reason I called you here was to discuss what Nor’Goth said when you confronted him.”

“It’s fine. I’ve made peace with the fact that I’ll probably never receive affection from my mother or understand why she’s the way she is,” I said, giving her a strained smile. “As for Nor’Goth… I honestly thought he was just ranting, making excuses for his loss. He has quite the ego, and I figured he was just making things up to make himself look better.”

“He does seem like the type, doesn’t he?” Lanivia laughed softly. “However, in this case, I don’t think he was wrong. At least, not entirely.”

“Which part? The fact that you went out of your way to recruit me just because of who my mother was? Or that you knew some secret about me ahead of time?” I asked sarcastically.

“Of course not; Those were ridiculous claims. I’m talking less about what he was ranting about and more about what he was implying between the lines,” Lanivia said. She reached out towards the tea set, causing the entire thing to jump to life. The teapot floated up, filled the cups, then the milk and sugar hopped over and flavored the tea to each of our preferences. Once they were done, Lanivia’s cup flew directly into her hand, while mine floated over and gently landed in front of me.

When she took a sip, I couldn’t help but wince a little as I watched the fluid flow between her illusory lips and down her spinal column before disappearing beneath her robe. “I assume you know what I’m talking about,” she said.

“He implied that I may be psychic, and you knew that before hiring me,” I replied, looking her in the face.

“Do you believe that?” Lanivia asked.

“Of course not. If I had any sort of psychic capabilities, I’d know about them,” I snorted. “Besides, I suspect all the trials my mother put me and my sisters through were to determine if any of us had mental powers, and if I did, she never would have let me leave.”

“While that may be true, it’s sometimes tricky to determine if someone has psychic abilities. The mental domain is typically far more subtle than those of magic and martial abilities,” Lanivia replied. “Some powers are almost completely undetectable to anyone but another psychic, like empathy, passive telepathy, and precognition, just to name a few.”

“Even though they’re hard to detect, wouldn’t I know if I had them?” I asked skeptically.

“Perhaps, perhaps not. If their abilities awakened slowly, you may just think it’s a natural process,” Lanivia replied. “While I admit that it is possible that you were able to imprison Nor’Goth within your own mind just using your own mental acuity, it would have been much easier if you had some sort of psychic power, or at least psychic sensitivity.”

“So you think it’s likely,” I muttered.

“I think it’s possible,” she corrected. “And based upon my research, coming into conflict with another psychic could result in something of a psychic awakening. While not dangerous, it could be unsettling, so I wanted to check to see how you were feeling.”

“I’m fine,” I replied. “I haven’t noticed anything different during or after the match.”

Lanivia nodded. “Would you like me to bring in a specialist to test you? I admit that while I was aware of your mother’s abilities, I never considered that you might have inherited them.”

I considered for a moment before nodding slightly. “While I honestly don’t think I’m psychically sensitive, it would still be smart to confirm,” I muttered.

“You don’t seem that enthusiastic,” Lanivia said.

“Well, I never once considered the fact that I may have psychic abilities; They’re fairly rare compared to both magic affinity and martial ability. I’m going to need some time to consider the consequences,” I said.

“Of course,” Laniva laughed. “How very like you, reviewing the information from every angle before making a decision. I have a few books on psychic abilities around here. I don’t know if they’d help much, but you’re welcome to borrow them if you’re interested.”

“Thank you,” I replied quietly.

“Anytime,” she replied before finishing her tea. “I’ll let you know once the arrangements have been made. Do you have any questions or concerns?”

“Oh, I’ve got questions, but I think they’re ones I need to think about and answer myself,” I said, as I looked down at my clasped hands. “Thanks, though.”

“In that case, I’m going to get back to my studies. Feel free to use the table for as long as you need. I’ll clean it up after you leave,” Lanivia declared as she rose to her feet. “Are you going to be okay? Do you want me to call someone to help you?”

“I’m fine,” I chuckled. “I’m not distressed or anything; I just have a lot on my mind.”

“In that case, I’ll leave you alone. Feel free to call out if you need something,” Lanivia said before stepping away.

I watched her go, returning to her floating study, before leaning back in my chair and staring at the ceiling. “Psychic powers, huh?”