Professor Gaakhu

**Gaakhu** was an Archmage of the Griffon Kingdom, a Language Professor from Lightning Griffon Academy, and the head of the Kulah expedition.

## Appearance

She was a young woman in her early 40's, with several blue streaks in her light brown hair and dark eyes.

## Personality

The Professor was haughty and self-important, valuing herself over everyone else.

## Background

At the start of the expedition, Gaakhu disparages Quylla and Phloria, deeming inexperienced due to their age. The expedition discovers Odi language markings leading to a set of giant gates that are the entrance to Kulah. High Command orders the expedition to continue and seal all communications with the outside, with Phloria taking command as the highest ranked officer.

When Lith and Phloria propose to destroy the ancient Odi array protecting the Kulah city gates, Gaakhu and most of the other Professors object to Phloria's orders and involve Commander Berion. Berion takes Phloria's side and orders the Professors to heed the Captain's command.

Upon destroying the array and entering the city, the expedition is attacked by a fungal creature. Professor Syndra's assistant Calil foolishly uses a fire magic spell that detonates and spreads the spores, infecting most of the expedition members. Afterwards, several succumb to their wounds, including Gaakhu's assistant Nilla. Phloria opts to save Gaakhu, Ellkas, and Neshal over Professors Phesta and Syndra due to Lith, Phloria, and Morok lacking sufficient vitality to heal all of them.

Berion orders the expedition to search Kulah, only leaving after making sure nothing left can endanger the Kingdom. The Professors sober up a little with the near-death experiences and loss of their colleagues. Yondra, Ellkas, and Gaakhu share their knowledge of golems and the Odi language. The expedition splits up into two groups to explore the buildings, with Gaakhu, Neshal, Morok, and Phloria's soldiers Jerth and Helion consisting of the second group. After Lith handily disables a complex array with his high mana perception, Gaakhu asks Lith if he would like to become a Professor at Crystal Griffon Academy.

Morok's group comes across a room filled with cursed object weapons, a Forgemastering lab, blacksmith workshop, the Main Office, and an Armory. They inadvertently activate a group of prototype Flesh Golems that chase the group and trigger the general alarm, waking Kulah from its slumber. Morok's group rendezvouses with Lith's group with the golems on their trail. The two groups Blink back to the camp, where they manage to destroy the creatures' power cores.

Later, Lith and Phloria uncover a Nightmare Safe that holds countless reports, a metal key, and a keycard. Ellkas and Gaakhu analyze the reports, learning that the successful projects were moved to an underground facility. The expedition accesses the underground facility using the elevator in the headquarters building, inadvertently awakening the remaining Odi from their slumber deep underground. The world energy from the geyser is converted into a black miasma that devours all living life in the city and the crystal mine tunnels, forcing the Assistants and soldiers left in the camp to Warp into the elevator with the rest of the expedition.

Gaakhu lashes out at Phloria and Lith for their predicament, but after her quarreling causes them to be caught off guard by an attack, Lith lifts her up by the neck and proposes to leave her behind. Phloria gives Gaakhu a last warning to curb her emotions, only denying Lith's proposal because of her usefulness as a linguist.

The Odi lure the expedition to the Living Quarters, where they set loose a small army of completed Flesh Golems that kidnap the Assistants and Phloria's soldiers. Lith and Quylla manage to destroying several before the remainder of the expedition is forced to Warp back to the lobby. The Odi conduct another ambush, capturing Gaakhu, Ellkas, and Yondra, who plays possum to get behind enemy lines. Yondra kills her captor and frees Gaakhu and Ellkas, finding their way to the cell holding the soldiers and Assistants. Yondra frees Rainer, though Gaakhu and Ellkas refuse to save anyone else other than the soldiers, deeming the Assistants dead weight.

Gaakhu speeds through the complex towards the Warp Gates in the Warehouse. Several Golems attack, though Gaakhu, expecting resistance, abandons the soldiers and attempts to escape by herself, though is captured by the Golems as she had been their target from the start due to her knowledge of the Odi language.

The Odi enslave her by permanently altering her life force, making the slave item impossible to remove without killing her. As the Odi's slave seal required the Mana Reactor to work, their defeat and the destruction of the Mana Reactor lead the spells engraved in her life force to consume Gaakhu's vitality to prolong their existence, inevitably killing her.

## Quotes

* *"There are several possible explanations for this phenomenon, but your clearance level is too low to learn about any of them. So shut up and help us open this damn door."* (Gaakhu to an assistant, Chapter 638)
* *"I dare because I think that due to your young age you fail to realize how important this discovery might be, Captain Ernas. Ours is not just the temper tantrum of some old fogeys. We are concerned that your hasty decision can harm the development of magic and the Kingdom itself."* (Gaakhu to Phloria, Chapter 644)
* *"Damn old fossils. I'm too young to die. As much as I would like to teach these arrogant kids a lesson, I need them for my survival. The moment we're out of here, I'll use all of my resources to ruin you and your precious careers."* (Chapter 689)
* *"My Assistant Nilla died at the hands of the fungal creature. I have no obligation towards any of these kids. I already failed to protect myself, taking care of someone else is out of the question."* (Gaakhu to Yondra, Chapter 701)
* *"Kid, grow up. Saving everyone, beating the odds, those are all fairy tales. I bet that our story will end with 'and then they died too'. If Yondra wants to burden herself with you, it's none of my business."* (Gaakhu to Rainer, Chapter 701)

## References

1. ↑ Chapter 637
2. ↑ Chapter 644
3. ↑ Chapter 646
4. ↑ Chapter 649
5. ↑ Chapter 652
6. ↑ Chapter 654
7. ↑ Chapter 657
8. ↑ Chapter 663
9. ↑ Chapter 686
10. ↑ Chapter 688
11. ↑ Chapter 689
12. ↑ Chapter 692
13. ↑ Chapter 699
14. ↑ Chapter 704
15. ↑ Chapter 721
16. ↑ Chapter 730