"It's known as an Obcasus; a legendary creature that sits on riverbanks to feed on corpses, but they're usually no larger than a full-sized Thran, and they don't eat mana," she said with evident concern in her voice.
It was apparent she was trying to hide the fact that it came from Vareluth, but the fact that she alone knew the name was enough to draw some degree of suspicion from the others. Regardless, there were a few audible gasps and concerned glances from them, though I suspect many of those present were in denial at her statement.
"What if that creature decides to turn its gaze on Narin? Will we be safe here?" Meliss asked, but Kalia shook her head. "It isn't known to attack populated areas, but if it's as abnormally large as Thoma said it was and it saw him, then that could change, given its behavior," she said with a shrug, making Meliss' eyes widen at her nonchalance.
There was a short moment of silence as everyone considered her words, though no one seemingly had any proper response to the potential threat of the obcasus.
"Is there a way to kill this creature?" a voice came from the far end of the hall, prompting all the dwarves to kneel immediately as it reached their ears. "Great Calduran, you can't be serious! A creature like that needs to be studied, not killed. Please, consider the advancements we could make if we learned how it could do that," Balgrim pleaded hoarsely, his throat still red and sore from Mom's chokehold.
Calduran stepped toward us with a heavy gait and furrowed brows. "You've been studying it for years, and yet you have so little to show for it. With this major shift in its behavior, I don't think it would be wise to risk studying it further," he said in a low, rumbling voice that trembled the ground beneath our feet.
Balgrim was stunned at the comment and his lord's vivid display of a lack of confidence. "B-But Calduran, we don't ha-..." he began to stammer, but was cut off by a surge of mana that could have crushed an untrained human.
"Mind your tone, Balgrim. I will not have this creature running around our lands freely if it's using these orbs to gather its strength," Calduran burst out angrily, exerting his will over the mana to match his voice as he forced the druid to his knees.
"If it seemingly absorbed the mana, as Thoma described, and its behavior was unlike anything else we've observed, it stands to reason, not emotion, that it should be dealt with accordingly. I trusted that you once knew better than to forget your position here required that of you," he continued, stopping just before the subdued dwarf.
"M-My deepest a-apologies, Great Calduran," Balgrim wheezed, using all his strength to fight against the mana that wanted to crush him into the stone floor. Calduran paused for a moment as if considering his words and the honesty behind them. After a few tense heartbeats passed, Mom placed a hand on Calduran's shoulder and nodded her head, prompting him to release his mana.
While Balgrim found himself struggling to breathe for the second time that night, Calduran sighed heavily and shook his head disappointedly. "I'm sorry to ask this of you, Siraye, but it seems we will need your help yet again after all these years," he said with a pleading look hardly visible beneath his bushy eyebrows.
"Of course, Calduran. It's the least I could do for an old friend," she smiled, surprising the rest of us at the sheer amount of potential lore behind that statement. Naturally, no one said anything aloud, but we were all thinking it.
Just how long have you known him? I asked her. Remember that crater Balgrim's always complaining about? Calduran used to live in the town that used to be there, but that's a story for another time, she explained, forcing me to blink a few times.
"How soon can you and your allies move out?" he asked, glancing at the rest of us. "At your command, Great Calduran, though I think it would be a good idea for us to take Balgrim with us, since he seems to know more than he's letting on," she said, glaring down at the still-kneeling dwarf.
He returned the glare and either held back a spiteful comment or a wad of spit, I couldn't tell which.
"I'm going, too," Ed said, injecting himself into the situation, but Mom raised a hand to stop him. "I don't think that's a good idea. If this obcasus is unlike anything we've fought before, I don't want to put you at risk unnecessarily," she shook her head, causing his expression to drop.
"I'll vouch for him," I said, stepping forward, getting a look of concern from her. "I've known Ed all my life, and if there's anyone who can adapt to a creature's fighting style quickly, it's him," I continued with an approving nod aimed at him. "Are you sure?" Mom asked, meeting my gaze sternly.
"He killed an addia the first time he met one. I think he'll be alright, even if you would only take him for a supporting role," I said, knowing it wouldn't be easy to convince her. She thinned her lips and inhaled deeply through her nostrils, letting out a heavy sigh.
He knows Balgrim better than any of us. If something's off, he'll be the first to let us know, alongside Athar, I sent her, causing her concern to fade quickly when she realized what I was doing.
"Alright then. If you trust him, then I will, too. However, if anything happens to him, you'll have to take responsibility, do you understand?" she asked, not as my mother, but as a commander. "I understand the weight of my decision, and accept it entirely," I replied in a similar tone, giving her an elven salute, which caused Ed to pump his fist in excitement.
"What about me?" I heard Meliss ask him under her breath. "No. That's not a risk I think any of us want to take, no matter what anyone thinks," Mom said curtly, but I knew she was right. Meliss frowned, but ultimately seemed to understand the position we were all in.
Ed had been trained his entire life to fight monsters; she had not. There was a skill disparity that simply couldn't be avoided, and we were all sure that was the only thing Mom was taking into consideration. It wasn't that she didn't want all the help she could get, but it was also too risky because of her position with Edryd.
"Very well, Commander Siraye. I've heard about your combat prowess and, after having seen it for myself, I understand your judgment," Meliss replied with a slow nod, prompting Ed to turn to her. "Don't worry, we'll be back before you even realize we're gone," he said with a smile, kissing her forehead.
"Might be a little longer than that, but…" Athar's alternate muttered, getting a quick slap upside the head from Irun. "It's fine, Irun," Meliss said with a chuckle. "Do your best out there. All of you, and may whichever gods you believe in grant you swiftness in battle," she said, putting a hand across her chest and bowing; something she likely learned from Ren and Thorn during her training.
"Thank you, Meliss. We leave at dawn; get some rest until it's time to leave. We're going to need it," Mom said, excusing us with a bow to Calduran, who beat his chest twice at us with a solid grunt. Ed scurried up beside me, but noticed Mom raising an eyebrow at him before he could say anything.
"Make sure you have everything you'll need to take, Edryd Baelis. You're under my command for now, and I won't expect any less from you than I do my own son," she muttered, causing his eyes to widen and his throat to catch.
"Yes, she's my mom. Sorry, I kept that from you," I sighed and nodded my head, while his head flicked between us with pure confusion. "B-But you don't have steel-colored hair; not to mention she's stunning, while you're, uh…" he trailed off, getting a raised eyebrow from Ysevel. "Meh, I guess you're alright if you've landed yourself a princess," he huffed, causing me to chuckle.
"Thanks, Ed," I said with a thin-lipped smile as I patted him on the shoulder. "I'm sorry I couldn't tell you earlier. There was just no good time to explain everything," I lied, but since she'd already spilled that secret, there wasn't much left I could do.
"It's fine. I'm sure it would have raised questions, many of which I have, by the way," he shrugged before elbowing me in the ribs. "When this is all over, I'll explain everything," I smiled as I gave him a shove.