"E-Erumon? What are you doing back here so soon?" Vauv asked, stepping aside as the large warden stepped through the gate with determination in his eyes.
"I need to speak with Karthus, it's urgent," he said, briskly making his way back to his master's tower. "Wait, wait, wait. You can't go in there right now," she cautioned, putting a hand on his shoulder, turning him around. His eyes searched hers questioningly, but the pleading look on her face made his own shift into one of genuine concern.
"Vauv, tell me what happened," Erumon asked calmly, placing his hands on her shoulders. As he tried to look into her eyes again, she averted her gaze and bit her lower lip as if to hold back a well of emotions.
I don't like the look of this. What could possibly have happened to him? Erumon thought, glancing over his shoulder toward the tower with a worried look.
"Please, just… You can't go in there. He wouldn't want you to see him like that," she said haltingly. "What do you mean? Is he injured?" Erumon asked urgently, but she shook her head. "Not physically, but he hasn't been the same since the day he dismissed us," she shook her head with a shrug, indicating she truly didn't understand what had happened.
Did anything happen between him and the dukes? Erumon immediately thought, but understood he wasn't likely to get an answer from her.
"Vauv, I still have to see him. I will bear whatever punishment he demands for my intrusion, but this cannot wait," he said, producing the pearl of Leech mana he'd spared the Dericoed from. Her eyes widened in surprise, and she flinched away the moment she realized what he had in his hand. "W-Where did you get that?" she asked, glaring at the small, pale orb that swirled with the sickly green mana within.
"One of Caegwen's guardians nearly succumbed to its influence. It seems our enemies have found a way to break through the magic of the Hynafol Arboraneth," he explained briefly, but his grave tone added plenty of weight to his reasons for wanting to see his master.
Vauv looked at it again, then to him, and finally, to the tower off in the distance, sighing heavily while she made her decision. "This pearl is bad news, but perhaps it might be part of the reason Father is livid," she shrugged, prompting him to blink several times. "He already knows about this?" Erumon asked with visible astonishment.
"Perhaps not that, specifically, but it might be one of the reasons he was forced to leave so abruptly," she shrugged, causing him to place a curled finger at the base of his chin. A few moments of silence passed between them, each considering the potentially dire circumstances they were likely to enter.
"Come with me, then. You know you can't stop me, but if he asks, I will take the blame for whatever happens," Erumon said, holding out an upturned palm for her to take. She glanced down at it and inhaled deeply, shifting her gaze from his hand to his eyes and furrowing her brow. "Don't say I didn't warn you," she answered firmly.
After traversing through the large gate, the guards immediately began to speak amongst themselves, though none dared to question Vauv's authority in bringing him there. However, as soon as they crossed the threshold of the gate, an incredible amount of mana burst out from the tower, nearly knocking them off their feet.
"What the…? Erumon, on me," Vauv urged with widened eyes, breaking into a sprint once the burst died down. He did as requested, though he noticed she hadn't drawn her weapon.
Perhaps he's in a fit of rage, he surmised, but didn't voice his thoughts aloud.
When they entered the tower, they found numerous signs of an altercation, with Karthus sitting on his throne and Sildyr right beside him, her hand softly rubbing his shoulder. "It's fine, my love. They will come to see reason soon enough," she said in a soothing voice. "They should have seen reason when Liagon's alternate reappeared in Kavrass," Karthus seethed as he balled his fist.
"Lord Karthus," Erumon called out from the entrance, prompting him to look up and immediately move toward him. There was a gentle shift in the mana as he appeared before his former pupil. "Erumon! I'm glad you've come. Any later and we might have had a worse situation on our hands," Karthus said, giving the warden a surprisingly tight embrace, catching Erumon entirely off guard.
"My apologies. I know how you are with physical contact, but I am grateful to see you," Karthus said, releasing his hold and taking a step back. "What happened? Vauv made it sound like you were in serious trouble. It appears she wasn't entirely wrong," Erumon replied, looking around the room.
"The dukes held a meeting that made it sound like some were beginning to side with the traitors. Though I must admit, we don't fully know how far their reach extends," Sildyr sighed, appearing just behind and beside Karthus. "Damn it, so it has come to that after all these years," Erumon sighed and shook his head. Sildyr approached him and put a hand on his shoulder, giving him a consoling look that only a mother could give.
"I know how much you have sacrificed to keep that realm safe, but you can rest assured that we will do everything in our power to ensure that it remains that way," she said comfortingly, giving Karthus and Vauv a glance as well.
"Thank you, Sildyr, but I feel that there are very few who can oppose the will of the dukes. I'm doing what I can to prepare those who could, but they need more time; particularly, Gwili Gwynn and Ser Magnar Thorsen, who have just now come into contact with Shifting mana," Erumon responded with a solemn nod, prompting Sildyr and Karthus to exchange a glance.
"Time is a fickle thing. While it is true that a century to us may pass in a single flap of our wings, to them, that could be numerous generations. Unfortunately, they're running out of the precious time they do have," Karthus said in a tone that sent a chill down Erumon's spine. "What do you mean?" he asked, genuinely shaken by the words.
"What do you know about Liagon's alternate in Caegwen?" Karthus asked, getting a confused look from the warden.