"When Lord Erumon, a warden of the realms, allowed us to travel freely between this realm and our own, he developed a way to send instructions to certain personnel before we even arrived. This way, it will be easier to tell who is a friend and who is here for more nefarious reasons," Ardrin explained, forcing Wien to shake his head in confusion.
"That was a lot of information for my uninitiated mind, but I'll take your word for it," he said, visibly trying to comprehend what he'd just heard. "Lord Erumon is much like Mideia, though he's on our side, if that makes it easier to understand," Ardrin said, staring down at Wien imperiously.
"So, he's a god?" he asked. "Compared to you, yes. In any case, we'd better get moving. I've had to create the portal out here so that this one would have time to get used to the Leech mana still permeating the air around the citadel," Ardrin replied with a light scoff before turning to lead the others toward Pyrdredd.
The rest of the group followed him, though Taegin and Karak were the only two who seemed genuinely unaffected by the realm.
It's been a long time since I've been here, Taegin sent his brother. So much has changed, and yet much remains the same, it seems, he continued, kicking up a small cloud of ashen dust beneath his feet. With Nexis gone, this realm will begin to heal again, though I don't know how much it will be able to, given that Pyrdredd is still heavily infused with Mideia's mana, Ardrin sent with a mental sigh.
Before Taegin could reply, Trina noticed a group of dark figures moving in the distance, silhouetted by a sickly, green glow. "Wh-What is that?" she asked Taegin, pointing in the direction of what she saw. "That is Pyrdredd, and if you're wondering who those figures were, I would recommend that you keep any thoughts regarding their appearances to yourselves," he replied, already able to see who was coming to greet them.
Buruz, Krozz, and Niashin approached them rapidly, though Wien could hardly believe his eyes at their speed.
I think they might rival Trina in speed, but how is the largest one moving that quickly? Wien thought, heeding Taegin's warning as best he could, since they reached them within mere moments.
"Lord Ardrin, it is good to see you well," Buruz said with a deep bow. "You as well, friend. How are things here?" Ardrin asked with a slight hint of joy hidden within the thin-lipped grin. "About as well as you might expect. Now that Nexis is dead and the barrier is gone, the realm seems to be healing, though it still has a long way to go," Buruz replied, then immediately shifted his gaze to the others he didn't recognize.
After glancing at them, he pulled Ardrin aside to discuss something briefly, while Niashin and Krozz stepped forward.
"You brought allies, Karak. Who are they?" Niashin asked flatly. "These are Lord Ardrin's allies: Trina, Wien, and Taegin," the daemon replied, gesturing to each of them. Niashin's eyes widened when they fell on Taegin. "Egeshe krag, is that really you? The legendary swordsman who gave Kerre Kalia the cut in her kataki?" he asked, taking a few, obviously anxious steps forward.
"It is, indeed," Taegin replied humbly, giving the hegraphene a low bow. "Ah, you don't need to bow to us. Not after what Thoma and the others did," Krozz said, taking a few steps forward and outstretched his tree-trunk-sized arm for Taegin to clasp.
"I thought that was you, Krozz. It's been so long that I hardly recognized you," Taegin said with a grin, clutching the large forearm.
"Thoma and Ysevel wouldn't shut up about you, and while they haven't been able to return, they send their regards," he continued warmly. "Bah, I knew they'd be too busy to come and see me, but I hope you'll remind them they're always welcome at Deathwhisper Tavern," Krozz replied. The faceplate still covered most of his features, but it was evident he was smiling brightly from the wrinkled skin near his eyes.
"I'll be sure to let them know," Taegin replied. "Come now, we've got a lot of ground to cover, though I do hope these two will quit being so shy and introduce themselves properly," Krozz said with a tilt of his head toward Trina and Wien, who were visibly astonished by the two's friendly interactions.
Th-this is fine, right? Wien asked himself before clasping the oversized forearm, trying his best to imitate Taegin and Trina's greeting.
After a brief exchange of greetings and introductions, they quickly followed behind Buruz and Ardrin. Wien, of course, struggled to keep up with the rest of them, but he was grateful the others had slowed their pace enough for him to follow.
"Do you need me to carry you?" Krozz offered in as warm a tone as he could muster. "N-No, I'll be alright. Thanks," Wien replied nervously. "Time is of the essence, Wien. Let him carry you the rest of the way so we can move more quickly," Taegin said, getting a stifled chuckle from Trina and a defeated sigh from Wien in response. "Very well, then. I apologize for the inconvenience," Wien said.
Krozz scooped him up like an adult would a small child and placed him atop his broad shoulders. "Hold on tight," Krozz said, creating two handholds just off to the side of his plume for Wien to grab onto.
This is ludicrous, he chuckled to himself before Krozz immediately picked up the pace to match Buruz's speed.
Within the hour, they'd made their way to Pyrdredd's great hall. Signs of Thoma's battle with Nexis were still visible in its thick pillars and shattered ground, though Trina could only guess as to what truly happened there. "I'll have to tell you the story someday. It's quite impressive what they were able to accomplish here," Niashin said, noticing her concerned look.
"I'd love to hear about it," Trina said, shaking herself out of her thoughts momentarily before following the others into the depths of the halls. "We should split up here. It will be more effective if we search for any scrolls, though, since Wien isn't allowed to use mana, I suggest he stay with Krozz," Taegin suggested with a wry grin before splitting off from the group to explore the citadel.
I'd recommend you start in his room, Ardrin noted, spawning a small orb of mana for Taegin to follow. I appreciate the help, since I don't know my way around, Taegin sent back, immediately turning to follow the violet orb down the halls.
Within a few moments, Taegin reached the upper levels of the citadel, doing his best to ignore the many distractions still hanging on the walls as he made his way to the room.
The small orb flashed before the large doorway that indicated he'd reached his destination, but his eyes widened when he laid his eyes on the state of the room.
It looks well lived in, but just how long has this all been here? Taegin thought, taking in even the most minor details he could observe.
His heart nearly stopped when he laid eyes on the fractured painting of Nexis. Taking a few steps forward, he looked over it carefully.
No matter how long it's been since he was cursed, I suppose his looks have carried through his bloodline, haven't they? I wonder what Thoma must have thought when he saw this, he asked, closing his eyes momentarily.
When he reopened them, he turned away from the painting and resumed his search for whatever notes he could find. Realizing he needed to see more than with just his eyes, he cast a spell that coated the entirety of the room in mana.
Within moments, his spell indicated that he should move toward the bedside, where a small nightstand held a drawer that was locked with a mana ward. Pushing a counterspell into it, the octagonal rings undid themselves, spinning counter to each other before finally disappearing. He pulled on the small, metallic ring, and the drawer creaked open, producing a small cloud of ashen dust as it slid on its mechanism.
Within the drawer was a miniature painting of a set of octagonal rings lined with runes, a dried-up inkwell, and a leather-bound book with silver inlaid into the ancient Elven script on its cover. "There you are," he muttered, pulling the book out and blowing on it lightly to get rid of the light coating of dust that had accumulated over the years.
He gingerly opened the book, doing his best not to damage the spine, and began to read the content written on the pages. As he flipped through each one, he spotted numerous diagrams for different spells, portal formations, as well as a handful of other instructions written in a language he couldn't understand.
This must be the Wardens' native tongue, but why would Nexis have something like this? It could be something Mideia might have left behind for him to study, he surmised, flipping through a handful of other pages before concluding that he couldn't read the language.
Ardrin, I've found something I think you might want to see, he sent his brother. Continue searching for any additional information you believe may be useful. We'll meet back at the main hall later, Ardrin returned curtly. As you wish, dearest brother, Taegin replied smugly.
He continued to skim through the pages to see if he could find anything else he knew how to read, but only found a detached note and another miniature painting that slid out of the book and onto the floor.
As he lifted the two pieces of parchment and flipped them over, he realized that the painting depicted a man with elegant silver hair that reached beyond his shoulders, a square jaw, and a pair of differently colored eyes; one red and one violet.
He couldn't have known him back then, could he? Taegin asked himself, quickly shifting his attention to the note, which was also written in a similar language to that of the book.
"Damn it, no answers there, either," he grunted, placing the two pieces of parchment back where they belonged before returning to his search.