The next morning dawned, barely brighter than the night. The sun rose reluctantly, casting a pale, silver glow over the frozen landscape. Justin knew they would only have a few hours of daylight, and they had to make the most of it.

He felt more energetic than he had expected, his sleep deep and undisturbed. He wondered if Alden had something to do with that. Kargan’s Ward of Aegis provided an effect that enhanced rest, so it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility if Alden had a similar spell. Whatever the case, Justin was grateful for any potential advantage.

After a quick breakfast of dried rations, Alden led them from the broken tower into the ruins of Salinuk. The icy winds swept through the broken city like the breath of a vengeful ice god, but Justin's Vorthak’s Flame kept him warm. Lila pressed against him.

The ruins, skeletal and jagged, held an austere beauty—once proud spires now bowed under the weight of time and frost. Every step crunched over frost-laden stone, and every shadow seemed to hold a thousand unseen dangers. Justin couldn’t shake the feeling that the city was watching him.

Navigating deeper into the city, they began to encounter elemental wraiths, mostly of the ice variety. Their forms drifted through the streets, translucent bodies shimmering with bluish frost. Their cold, glowing eyes scanned the ruins for threats.

Alden weaved around the wraiths, seeming to know the best way to avoid them. As they went deeper into the city, Justin marveled at the sheer density of them. Every so often, a faint screech echoed in the distance, the sound twisting through the frozen air and making the hairs on Justin’s arms rise.

Soon, they found a sheltered alcove beneath the remains of what might have been a grand archway. Alden gestured for them to stop.

“We’re close to the ethereal well,” he said, his voice low but firm. “We’ll need to tread carefully. The wraiths will grow more numerous the closer we get.”

Justin, feeling it was safe enough to talk, asked a question that had been pressing on him. “I’ve been wondering…is ice its own element? I thought Fire, Water, Air, and Earth were the physical elements.”

Alden nodded. “Ice isn’t its own element per se. It’s what’s called a dual element. It’s formed by a fusion of Water and Air. There are other combinations as well.”

“Like what?” Justin asked, intrigued.

“There are four dual elements of the physical variety,” Alden explained. “Water and Air create Ice. Water and Earth create Darkness, which is potent for trapping and debilitating enemies. Fire and Earth form Poison. Lastly, Fire and Air give us Lightning, unpredictable and immensely destructive. Opposing elements, like Fire and Water, cannot combine—they cancel each other out.”

Justin furrowed his brow. “So that’s all of them? Ice, Darkness, Poison, and Lightning?”

“Correct,” Alden said. “Dual elements are more difficult to master, usually requiring a dedicated Focus. But their power can turn the tide of any battle.”

So, that was how Ryak’s Cryomancer Focus worked. He wondered if there were “Poisonmancers” and similar for the other dual elements. Probably.

“Good to know,” Justin said, filing the information away. It might come in handy later.

Alden straightened, his spectral form shimmering faintly. “Time to press on. The next section can be tricky, but with some luck, we might avoid a fight. We could actually encounter some wraiths of dual elemental nature, though the ice ones are most abundant. So be on guard.”

They moved into the northern edge of the city, where the ruins gave way to an imposing structure, what seemed to be a royal palace. Its icy spires stretched toward the heavens, their surfaces reflecting the pale sunlight like shards of a shattered mirror. The air here was heavier, almost oppressive, as if the palace itself were alive.

“This is what remains of the Palace of the Elements,” Alden said softly. “Where the Mage-King of the Ancient Qilungit ruled. Their mastery of elemental magic was second to none. Even today, they carry on this ancient tradition, though the grandeur of this place can only be found in their deepest lore.”

Justin took in these words, but he was more focused on the elemental wraiths swarming the area, their forms flickering and shifting between physical and spectral states. Among them, Justin noticed not just ice wraiths, but others—green-tinged ones that left a trail of toxic mist in their wake, and crackling lightning wraiths that seemed to warp the surrounding air with electricity. He hoped they wouldn’t have to face either of those.

Such was the density of the wraith groups that they were forced into a narrow corridor flanked by ruined walls.

Alden’s pace quickened. “Stay close,” he whispered. “This corridor leads directly to the North Bridge and the Tower of Skaldarn. If we move quickly and quietly, we might—”

A shrill screech tore through the air. Justin’s head snapped up just as the dark shapes above dove toward them. It was a cloud of icy blue bats, each one as large as a hawk, wreathed in a veil of frost that preceded them. There could have been fifty or a hundred of them; Justin couldn’t say.

“Run!" Alden called. "Head down the passage and wait for me."

As Alden cast Wall of Flames, incinerating the first wave with pained shrieks, Justin and Lila beat a hasty retreat. He ran as fast as his legs would carry him, their footfalls echoing loudly in the narrow confines of the passage. They were nearing the end of it, which opened into a ruined arcade, when something dark and oscillating blocked their passage, almost like a cloud of pure shadow.

Justin skidded to a halt as his pulse hammered in his ears. At first, he thought it was a trick of the light—a shadow cast by something behind him. But then it moved, rippling like water and coalescing into a vaguely humanoid shape. The entity stood taller than any man, its form half-substance, half-void, with edges that bled into the air like wisps of smoke. Its eyes—or what passed for them—glowed faintly red, piercing the oppressive darkness of its body like hot coals. Tendrils extended from its mass.

“The hell is that?” Justin whispered, his voice catching in his throat.

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The elemental answered with a low, resonant hum that seemed to vibrate in its chest, more felt than heard. It stepped forward, the ground beneath its feet dimming and cracking.

Lila drew her knives, her breathing quick but steady. “Does it matter? It’s in our way.”

Justin tightened his grip on his cane. His heart was pounding, but he forced himself to focus. The corridor behind them was narrow, barely wide enough to turn around without bumping into one another. If they wanted to escape, they’d have to fight through this thing.

The creature attacked first. A swirling cloud of shadow spread outward, impossible for Justin to dodge. He expected it to be smoke or poison, but to his surprise, he felt nothing at all. The darkness seemed to assail his eyes, but he felt no effect.

[Darkness resisted by Vorthak’s Flame!]

“Damn it, I can’t see a thing!” Lila called out, her voice edge with fear. “Justin, a little help here!”

“It’s a blinding attack,” Justin called out. “It’s still focused on me for now. It should fade with time. Just hang back.”

Justin wasn’t sure if that was true, but he hoped so. This has to be a dark elemental.

The elemental shuddered, unleashing a new attack. Dark tendrils snaked toward Justin. Justin activated Gentleman’s Sidestep, narrowly avoiding the attack as the elemental’s tendrils slammed into the wall behind him. Lila, at last seeming to recover from the blinding attack, unleashed a volley of her knives at the elemental’s torso. Most went wide, but a couple landed, sinking into the shadowy substance. The creature recoiled with a shudder, wisps of darkness peeling away like smoke from a fire.

“I hope that hurt!” she said, her tone shaky.

Justin pressed forward, swinging his cane with precise, practiced strikes. Each hit seemed to disrupt the creature’s form, scattering fragments of shadow into the air. But it retaliated with frightening speed, whipping its tendrils around in a wide arc. Justin barely managed to duck, the rush of air chilling him as the attack passed overhead.

“Keep moving!” he shouted.

The elemental shifted again, the darkness around it deepening. The air grew cold and oppressive, and for a moment, the world seemed to dim. Justin tried to activate his Gentleman’s Sidestep, but the skill was still on cooldown. He could do nothing as a general malaise fell over him.

[You have been slowed!]

He glanced at Lila—her movements were slowing, too. It was like trying to move through molasses.

“Lila, fall back!” he barked.

She hesitated, gritting her teeth as she just barely dodged another tendril swipe by activating Acrobatic Tumble. The skill at least seemed to cut through the slow effect, but after the motion was complete, she was right back to where she was. The elemental, sensing her vulnerability, turned its attention fully on her. Justin moved to intercept, feeling as if he were running in slow motion.

“No, you don’t,” Justin muttered.

He wasn’t sure if it would work, but in the past, Dandy’s Swagger had a way of gaining attention. He activated it now, strutting forward with exaggerated grace, cane twirling. When that wasn’t enough, he followed it up with a Poison Barb, feeling he had nothing to lose.

“Hey, shadow-face! Over here! I’ve seen puddles more intimidating than you!”

The elemental hesitated, its glowing eyes shifting back toward Justin. The Poison Barb had landed its mark, and Justin felt the rush of satisfaction as the creature seemed to quiver, its focus torn from Lila.

Suddenly, he could move again as normal. The dark elemental created another cloud of shadow, once again blinding Lila, but the attack was useless against Justin.

He darted forward, feinting left as the elemental lashed out with its tendrils again. Gentleman’s Sidestep, now off cooldown, kicked in, his movements a blur as he evaded the strike by inches.

Lila, now freed from its immediate attention and once again able to see, took the opportunity to flank the creature. Her knives flashed in the dim light, striking true with every throw. The elemental’s form wavered, its edges fraying further with each hit. Justin continued pelting it with his cane.

After another minute of this, the elemental’s form darkened as it began gathering energy for a new spell. A sphere of dark energy shot out toward Justin. Gentleman's Sidestep was off cooldown, and despite evasive maneuvers, the sphere enveloped him. The pressure was crushing, making it almost impossible for him to move. The elemental’s tendrils lashed at him like whips, the pain searing.

Soon, the sphere dissipated, leaving Justin bloody and staggered. Lila broke into her Bardic Inspiration, and Justin felt his limbs strengthen. The pain subsided a bit as his wounds started to knit themselves together slowly. slowly. By the time the regeneration ended, he was still bleeding and not completely healed, but at least he could better face his enemy.

The fight stretched on, a grueling ten minutes of dodging, striking, and countering. This time, Justin reserved his Gentleman’s Sidestep, only using it when the elemental cast the sphere attack, which seemed to be its main damaging spell. He could easily tank the darkness cloud and the whipping attack that caused the Slow effect. When that happened, he retreated while Lila broke into a new song, which restarted her health regeneration effect. It was enough to heal him somewhat. Sometimes, he got lucky, and his Essence of a Gentleman boon procced, allowing him to dodge damage entirely, and this was besides the dodges he got in naturally.

If they had been at the Vault’s recommended level, he was certain he and Lila could have taken care of this entity in half a minute or less. As it stood, it was like a boss fight from one of his video games. Winnable, but it took everything he had.

Finally, Lila’s knives hit dead in the center of the elemental’s core while Justin delivered a finishing blow with his cane after softening it with another Poison Barb. The creature let out a low, resonant wail, its darkness dissipating into the air in wisps of smoke, revealing the ethereal dust Eldrin so prized. The corridor grew still again, save for their heavy breathing. Justin was just grateful the sounds of the fighting hadn’t attracted more of them.

Justin turned to Lila, who was leaning against the wall, one hand clutching her side. “You okay?”

“Just a scratch,” she muttered, wincing as she straightened. “That thing didn’t like me much.”

As Justin kneeled to gather the dust, he was interrupted by a voice behind him. “Well done.”

Justin spun to see Alden standing at the far end of the corridor, his spectral form glowing faintly in the dim light. He had hidden himself behind a broken pillar.

“Seriously?" Justin asked. "You’ve been there the whole time?”

Alden inclined his head. “I didn’t expect you to run quite so far. I dealt with the bats quickly and followed. I thought it prudent to see how you handled yourselves against a formidable foe.”

Justin’s temper flared. “You could’ve helped us!”

“And I would have, had you been in true danger,” Alden replied calmly. “But I needed to gauge your abilities. Your teamwork is commendable, though your decision-making could use refinement.”

Lila shot Justin a look, half-amused, half-exasperated. “We’ve been working together for a while now. We’ve got this.”

Alden reached out his hand, and both were wrapped in an aura of whitish-gold light. A pleasant, cooling sensation surrounded Justin, like dipping into a spring on a hot summer day. When the spell ended, all his hurts had been mended.

“Thanks,” Justin said. “So, what was that thing, anyway? A dark elemental, right?”

“That's right. As I said earlier, it's a combination of Water and Earth magic. They can be exceedingly dangerous, especially in large numbers, or bolstered by other elementals. Their spells are mostly designed to debilitate, so if you can learn to work around that, they’re not too bad.”

“That crushing spell it did...” Justin said. “I never want to feel that again.”

“Crushing Abyss,” Alden said. “A nasty darkness spell. Thankfully, Vothrak’s Flame was a good counter to the elemental in general. But just imagine having to face one of these things without the gift of sight. If they catch the wrong party unawares, he can be lights out, and not just for a few seconds."

Justin suppressed a shudder.

"Needless to say," Alden continued, "you must be careful going up against darkness magic. There are countless ways it can ruin your day.”

Justin crossed his arms, still annoyed. “So, did we pass your test?”

“What I saw was encouraging,” Alden said. “There's hope yet. Now, if we’re done bickering, we should move on. The Tower of Skaldarn awaits, and the challenges ahead will make this encounter seem trivial.”

With that, Alden turned and began walking. Justin shook his head, muttering under his breath before following. Lila gave him a small, reassuring smile as they moved deeper into the ruins.