Since the beginning of the period, Malbeno was invaded by worldly entities and armies that tried to reclaim it. Its population had to be constantly mobilized and, consequently, its culture faded to the point of engendering a confused identity, besieged by plagues, decay, loss and sadness. Unique in its kind, there was no commune within the continent that resembled it, not for its splendor, but for being a point where evils, negative energies and calamities converged, becoming a ghost commune; only tenants, outside its paved set of streets and disheveled buildings, prospered. It was no coincidence that elven traditions and ideals had proliferated in the territory, at the same time that the commune remained buried under years of calamities without seeing the light. Who in their right mind would expect something new to grow in that place, where houses and tombs literally shared a block?
Musk badgers, large ants, pests, wild scaradonts, woodlice (large terrestrial crustaceans, related to woodlice), coal cobras, giant crabs and other lesser entities made the terrain their habitat, taking advantage of the flooded areas, refurbishing with their fangs and claws the buildings invaded by vegetation and scrap metal. Organizations and companies in Rupestre, as well as ordinary people, used it as a dumping ground for failed inventions, to hide different crimes, to practice rituals or as a training place for redeemers in training.
The cleanest part of that dump had half-built buildings, discarded buildings and establishments with unrecognizable signs, subtly more vibrant than the rest, pastel colors, yellow and mahogany, which tried to rescue the little sanity and seriousness of that dysfunctional commune. They descended by some stairs to what was once a bar, but they did not stop at that large cubicle with round tables, a bar and a small stage set up. Below, there was a cellar with green walls, stacked barrels, shelves full of boxes, some plants and vines that grew directly from the rock, calendars from various eras, collectible figures, a training bag, an imbuctor and alchemy and spagyric tools like theirs and a dim light that shared space with the blue monitors in the background, on a desk full of plans, folders and a cup of coffee.
"It's here, but there's no one, " approaching the computer.
"Maybe he went on a mission or something, " the sorceress put her staff aside and sat down in the comfortable desk chair, the only one there was. "I like this base of operations."
"Yes, it is small, but it has its charm. Shine told me that several people occupied this room before him."
"What are you looking at on the screen? " he spun around in his chair, leaning back and stretching his legs.
"Clues as to where those fools went. This is an automatic on/off system that was activated upon entry, so either no one was here for a long time, or they turned it off with the intention of returning later."
"Light isn't cheap," she joked. "What was that notification about, Larsel?"
"Apparently, a general emergency call. On the one hand, I'm curious to answer it, but on the other, my survival instinct..."
"Larsel!"
"Well, well. Let's see what you have to tell us... " opening the call.
"Amira, I'm in trouble! How come you received me from…? You!"
"Shine, how are you? What are you supposed to do?"
"Having fun. Obviously running for my life, pointy ears! What do you think I'm doing? "while the roar of an entity could be heard in the background. "I need some help, you know?"
"Tell me your location."
"Generator! Itch!" he cursed as an unknown force pushed him through the air and shards of purple crystals covered the screen.
"Is it... " Amira thought she recognized the monstrous figure behind Shine, as well as the type of crystals.
"Are you OK?"
"Not for long."
"Hold on, we're on our way!"
"Go ahead. I'll create some runes and potions, " opening the box and refrigerator with various ingredients. "Or whatever I can, " exhaling a grimace of resignation.
"Here are these cat eyes, I collected them in the tunnel. I'll share my precise location with this tracker, don't delay, " he rushed up.
Alchemy, engineering and spagyrics required Trace, which was easy for a sorceress to obtain. The rest was crushing and mixing ingredients inside isotopes or laboratory containers, although she had to improvise with her staff to crush the precious stones, then drain them into an energy filter and heat them on a small burner. On another, more rustic and similar to a lighter, she combined crushed plants such as thorn apple, belladonna and a pinch of holly, along with a small bottle of hydrochloric acid and bicarbonate. She took out the ground rock with the help of her sleeve and continued cooking two medicinal potions, made with incense leaves, lavender, aloe vera, bleeding petals enhancers (for a prolonged healing effect), rosemary alcohol and the inevitable plant ash, generally used to create fertilizers and rituals of protection or purification.
She didn't need any unusual ingredients or a proper desk. Inside the artisanal imbuctor, he kneaded the gem powder with stabilized sulfur vermilion, ground bone, a pinch of aluminum phosphate and a Rastro oxide tablet, giving it the shape of a ruby. After a long minute of waiting inside a small tubular microwave, it acquired a solid, grayish texture, semi-transparent and covered, in turn, by fine splinters close to amber. He had created a lathos omorph, better known as "falloprecious."
As he continued deeper into Malbeno, the tombs took on extravagant shapes, resembling real bastions inhabited by barn owls. The Anisdamene temples (semi-circular, borderless, with a terrace garden and a golden dome) rose two stories above the private houses and simpler tombs; from time to time, around fountains, small altars to pagan gods and entities, he recognized old kitdra rituals, based on such stylized skulls with precious gems. He turned the last corner, crossed the threshold of a protective fence and made his way through a block full of mechanical parts and the shells of disused vehicles, while he heard the complaints of his companions and a thunderous roar scared away entities that, moments before, seemed threatening. In the area of the electric generator, he watched as Larsel spent his bone talismans in sand attacks to free Shine from the strong grip of a creature two meters larger than them, with the physiognomy of a gorilla and a resistant skin of purple crystals covering it. Indeed, they were facing a fearsome diamondback.
"And that was the last one, " unsheathing a dagger and taking a moth-shaped amulet from his pocket.
"Hey, you. Here's this healing potion, I only had enough for two, " handing it to Shine, who was crawling back.
"Any plans to beat this thing?" as he spit out the cork.
"This, " revealing the stone.
"A beautiful falloprecious. Great "drawing out the last word.
"You do know how it works, right? "fastening the talisman" We only get one chance.
"The only way to win is by fighting as a team, "activating his staff.
The sorceress, the redeemer and the elf faced their reflections on the skin of the diamond, clinging to the cunning and weak will of a novice sorceress, a deserter elf and a rebellious redeemer. Stopping the entity's march was impossible, all that was left was to find the ideal moment to use the precious fault, a simple but effective alchemical invention to fight entities of rock composition. It was an uphill struggle (almost literally) to harm that living slope, whose sharp ends, by themselves, meant a problem when invading their space. The elf used his protective amulet to attract a colony of moths to his aid, which gave them time to reposition themselves; Shine tricked the beast with a temporal light replica and, amidst all the chaos, Amira threw the fake gem against its chest, using a burst of Pure Trace. When broken, it acted as an armor reducer that nullified the properties of rock-based armor, mineral-based armor, and exoskeletons.
The fight lasted a few minutes, during which the diamond-like being put up a fight. He almost crushed Larsel, if it weren't for a strong blow from the staff to his chin and a resplendent kick from the luminous redeemer, who avoided using his skills so as not to blind his own team with the reflection of the armor. They were close to winning, but the entity didn't give up and focused on the cornered bearer of the staff, who raised that carved trunk with her tired muscles and internal wounds to absorb the impact. However, the damage she received was such that the wood ended up splitting without breaking, while the rest of the force reverberated in her body, making her retreat and bend her knee, seized by tremors and fatigue. An uncomfortable sensation, a tingling, chained her to the ground.
The entity was approaching, its wild, furious and merciless gaze far overshadowing the serious face of the sorceress, who by then had lost her fear of looking it straight in the eyes, as if her blue eyes had performed alchemy with her own feelings. Frustration and anger mixed with fear and anguish, seasoned with a pinch of pride and stubbornness, resulting in bravery. Amira planted her staff firmly on the ground. She could not and did not need to move from that spot, she was just a few centimeters from imminent danger, from perishing, her attire seemed to understand it, breathing and moving in ever-diminishing tones, like a heartbeat levitating above the dust. Suddenly, beneath the sorceress, a small outbreak of mystical energy in the middle of the desolate Malbeno re-emerged, nourishing the only rune that still shone brightly on the wood. That is, the Ichnospea.
As far as anyone knew, there was no force that could stop or slow the passage of time, but at that moment, Amira perceived everything in slow motion, even the alertness of her companions and the notches on the diamond's face and shoulders, cracking more and more as a strong wave of Trace emanated from the small sorceress, exploding into what seemed to be a shower of butterflies. Shine was the only one who could keep his eyes on the strong light and anticipate what was going to happen, creating a kind of light barrier that resisted the wave, although it left him exhausted. The sorceress had defeated the entity.
"Well done!" Shine celebrated.
"Can you get up? We'd better get back to base."
"Phew! Yes, that will be...the best, " standing up carefully.
"I'll catch up with you soon, I have to fix the generator. Listen, without you I would have died, so thank you."
"What's wrong, Amira? "holding her on his shoulder.
"It's the cane, I can't move it. It's like it's stuck to the ground."
"We will come back for him," the redeemer assured.
"Okay. I think it found its place, "realizing that a rune was missing. Precisely, the one he used to defeat the entity.