Reshi worried for their sorcerers. "They are not ready," he argued. Guided by Reshi's voice mostly, Trathmir glanced at him and nodded in agreement to the young master's words.
"You're not wrong, Reshi" he said. "But the other masters won't take our side when the time to decide comes".
Reshi sighed. Trathmir said nothing that was not true. The Labronkath had a long way to go when placed side by side with their counterparts from the other continents.
Trathmir pat the younger master's shoulder. "Bless heavens, we still time on our side. The time to prepare them."
Their awareness of Trazak and Kaadin rose above the roof just by mere feeling of their Aer. Their meeting was cut short and the door closed behind Reshi.
The two masters rushed to the fight scene. "Stop it! Stop this madness right now!" master Trathmir yelled.
Bebo looked at Trazak's wound as ordered. While Trathmir scolded the crowd, Kaadin took the cue and left. His subtle escape perceived by Amara. Kaadin's speed became unmatched the moment his feet stepped outside the Labronkath. He travelled into the forest.
-
Their journey back to the Labronkath was just a matter of time. Vorgard halted and lifted his hand, signalling Nyne and Makr to do the same and stop. The leaves shook, fell and danced freely in the wind. That would not be strange if it was a windy day. Vorgard's nose flared. He fixed his gaze forward and sharply. A strong scent was approaching and fast.
"Can you guys..."
"Yes," they chorused.
The three of them felt the strange Aer at the same time the minute it entered the forest. A tremendous feel of Aer. Disarmed before this presence they were yet to even see, the trio remained still. What they felt could be likened to a hunter who faced a fierce beast with no aid. Their instincts warned them. Deep down they knew not to run or put up a front but rather, to remain still as that was the safest choice. Much better than what their instincts as battle trained Aepari suggested.
The forest was already Kaadin's world the minute he entered. For that moment, Vorgard, Makr and Nyne felt like ants under a human's foot.
"What is this!" Makr thought.
Had they been greenhorns, their shock would be understood. These men had faced many creatures. None came close to what they experienced in this singular moment. A force of wind blew past them. The pressure they felt lessened the farther the wind went from there.
"Did you hear that?" Vorgard asked.
Makr and Nyne gazed at him. The control of their bodies slowly returning to them.
Vorgard shook his head. He dismissed it as a false feeling. "It's nothing," he said, "I thought I heard something."
Nyne breathed sharply and unevenly. "It's like a forgot to breathe for a moment there."
Vorgard stared in the direction Kaadin had blitzed through. He did so just to be certain he had not been hallucinating.
-
In a cave, where the sole source of illumination was the nearly burned out candles on the floor.
A throne of skulls. Hundreds of them. The arms of the throne carved from human ribs. A man of firm build sat; his head rested on his fist. The lion skin he wore did well to hide all except his hands and face.
Ivaad, Kiion and Akem approached. They stood in the centre of an incomplete circle formed by other members of the Order of the Night.
The man grunted. "Where is Maelo?" he asked. His voice reached every corner of the cave.
They kept faces staring at the floor. "Dead or captured," Ivaad answered. The Murder stammered before this man and his hands shook. The man knew they had failed at their task. Punishment was to be given but it was not the most important matter.
The man leaned forward, his hands out together. The light from the nearby candles was cast on his face just enough to reveal the scar over his right eye.
"Shall we then discuss the matter for which I summoned us here?" he said, "The time is nigh. The time we sought out the rest of the Fragments."
-
"Who are they?" Amara asked the Aepari by her side.
Everyone's attention soon shifted to the returning trio. The faces of their comrades filled with smiles.
"Our brothers," the Aepari answered.
"Nyne?" Reshi whispered. The master was quick on his feet to welcome them back, giving each a hug.
"We were worried," he said.
The three bowed their heads. "Master," they chorused. Vorgard went on to apologise, "Forgive us for causing you trouble."
Other Aepari gathered around. They exchanged hugs and laughed, cracking jokes about battles and death. Vorgard walked away. His shoulder was numb from bearing the weight of Maelo's body alone.
"Oi! Vorgard!" called an Aepari that walked behind him. "Who's that you have there?" he asked. Vorgard hoped it wouldn't come this but it was inevitable.
"It's nobody," he said. "Just some criminal we encountered on our journey back."
"I hope he's worth the stress in coins," the Aepari said, laughing. He left Vorgard alone afterwards.
Nyne's eyes met Chesca's. She waved at him, making not even the slightest move to come close to the crowd that surrounded Nyne and her brother.
Nyne turned immediately to Reshi. He dragged on Reshi's cloth with concern. "Did Sirsca make it here?" he asked with worry all over his face.
"A...a woman," he said. "I sent her...I sent her here on Cloud."
Reshi nodded his head, easing Nyne's worry. "Come with me, Nyne."
The pair of them walked down a fleet of underground stairs of the guild. Their path lit by the torches they carried. A hideaway turned dungeon that reeked of rats' piss.
Nyne kept turning his head in many directions. He was creeped out by this place.
"What is this place?" he asked, his voice echoing through the space.
As she heard the voice, Sirsca's eyes sharply opened. She rushed to the entrance of her cell, her grips strong on the bars.
"It used to be a cellar," Reshi said.
"N-Nyne!" Sirsca shouted. "Is that you, my boy!"
The voice kept coming.
Nyne knew the voice like he knew his name. "That's Sirsca," he thought. Nyne went ahead of Reshi to reach Sirsca's cell.
Tears rolled down her eyes the moment she saw him. She grabbed his cheeks and caressed it.
"You're alive," she said. The neck of her cloth was wet with tears. "Thank heavens. I thought I'd lost ya too."
"I'm fine. I'm fine," Nyne said. Sirsca saw the ashes on his clothes. The bruises on his skin didn't escape her eyes either.
"You're hurt, my boy."
Her grip tightened on the bars of her cell as she banged them endlessly. "Let me out of here!"
Reshi soon approached. "Greetings."
Sirsca spat on the floor and turned her face away. "To hell with that," she cursed the master's politeness.
"I understand your hostility towards me and the others but I must apologize on their behalf as well. You will be released."
Sirsca returned to the raised stone that had being her companion for days now.
"Take care of yaself, Nyne. I'll be with ya soon."
Nyne grabbed the bars. "I will make sure you're released, Sirsca. I assure you."
Sirsca smiled. "I know ya will, my boy".
-
A valley, north of the Labronkath. A calm body of water soon splashed about as Kaadin zoomed past. In not many steps, Kaadin's sword moved through the air and the body of water turned red with blood the more Kaadin used his blade.
Kaadin's elbow was stayed before him and then he whispered and cast a spell with his low tone of voice. "Gard," he said. At his command, Aer covered him like a dome and extended to a limited radius. The beast swung its hard tail with much ferity at his opponent's magic. It squeaked. The sound manifested as waves of Aer that tussled with Kaadin's guarding cantrip.
Kaadin's body was a canvas of scars. Most of them delivered by a certain man. A man he had submitted under his authority. His many battles with the said man had ended in his defeat but Kaadin still yearned for that kind of battle. One where he will emerge the victor but before that, he oathed not to fall to another's sword ever again before that fated match.
The blood of the magical beasts bathed him as he cut through the last of their troupe in half. Kaadin stared at the sky, surrounded by dead meat of ograkks. Tens of them. He swiped his blade, allowing all the blood on it to wet the ground before he sheathed. Nearly satisfied, Kaadin returned to the guild, bathed in blood and sand.