Sixty-two, and two-hundred and seventy-one. That was how many had died during the assault against The Vault and the battle at the abyssal anchor. Both Volan and Jaliete insisted that their losses were almost miraculous considering the odds pile against them but Dalen didn’t see it that way.
Dalen rose with a puff of exertion from his chair and limped across his temporary chambers. It was a simple utilitarian room, with a decent-sized worktable large enough for his alchemy equipment and his sparse collection of books. It was hidden away in the depths of The Vault which in most circumstances would have felt reassuring but with the forces rallied against them it felt more like a cage.
Leaning over the workbench Dalen looked up at the sword Leo had brought back from the battle. Leo had given to him with a sad defeated frown but something else had clung to the man, something that had also clung to every man and woman who survived the battle. What exactly that was Dalen couldn’t quite put his finger on.
Oh, Dalen was aware of what had happened. Leo had explained it all in pretty disturbing detail. Kal had done something to everyone there that drove them into a near-suicidal attack against the demons without fear, nothing held them back, not even their dying fellows. He knew that but he didn’t really understand it.
Not only that, in no more than an hour of returning to their world Kal was taken. Taken right out from under after saving all their lives, again. But worst of all Dalen had missed all of it, he was unconscious while his friend had waded through the ranks of the enemy all around them and fought a gods damned tier-two demon.
All that was left behind of his passing was the corpses of those he had killed and his sword. Dalen had no doubt it was Dhinir and Uton’s men who had taken him what surprised him was the fact they hadn’t simply killed him assuming if they had the opportunity to take him they also had the opportunity to kill him.
Dalen knew Kal was alive like he had known he lived in The Place Between. Something had changed in Dalen. The mark Kal had left on his core had grown still but at the same time somehow more clear to him. He suspected it was because Kal was back in their world but something had happened to him. The anger and rage he had felt were just as severe as always but there was a hollowness to it now. What exactly that meant Dalen didn’t know but he suspected it wasn’t good.
That strange sensation he felt when looking at the survivors of the battle was not with them alone it also hung in the air all around him. He couldn’t see anything but he knew it had to be related to Kal somehow.
Sighing, Dalen read the description of the weapon again and shivered slightly.
Exterminator’s Regards [Rare] [Evolution]
The final weapon forged by the Lord of Extermination for a friend he hoped would never need it. This blade contains a fragment of its creator’s soul and will grow with its wielder. When an enemy is slain with this blade the wielder gains stamina equal to the enemy’s level. If damaged this blade will regenerate over the course of six days. The regeneration process can be accelerated by imbuing the weapon with mana.
“Maybe there’s more to the prophecy than I thought…” Dalen thought before reaching out and placing the blade into his dimensional storage. After that, he proceeded to pack away the rest of his items before stepping out into the hallway.
Two men who had survived the battle at the anchor stood guard by his door. They were both pale like the rest of the survivors and the moment Dalen looked at them he got that strange feeling again. It was distracting enough that he almost lost his train of thought as he found himself looking over them for something without realizing what.
[Landras Voor | Spearman 80 | Human]
[Erik Alta | Spearman 76 | Half-Elf]
Shaking his head, Dalen turned his gaze to the Landras on the left, the older-looking of the two, “Alright, I’m ready to leave. Though don’t you two have anything to collect?”
“No, Sir. We will remain by your side until we have brought him back to us,” Landras said firmly and a little too respectfully in Dalen’s opinion, Erik apparently agreed as he nodded the instant Landras finished speaking.
Dalen shook his head again, “Fine let's go. We have already spent too long in this place already.”
Dalen walked past the two spearmen and back towards the surface of The Vault. Now that The Order had become so intimately aware of the sheer lack of protection The Vault truly provided it was now clear that they had to once more continue their life as nomads. Though thankfully that was now significantly safer than it already was before. The Order had very few scryers capable of scrying long distances but all confirmed that their remote scrying abilities had simply stopped working.
Only skills that had physical implements or were anchored in very specific ways had any effect. For example, Jaliete’s Mind’s Eye still worked since she could see through the eyes of somebody she had made contact with using her other mind mage skills but Elendria’s spatial awareness didn’t work at all despite her ability to teleport not being hampered. Dalen didn’t pester her about the workings of it all since she was barely able to stay conscious for more than a few minutes once she had awoken.
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If they could have, they would have teleported everyone well clear of The Vault the moment they got the chance but with most of their skilled space mages either dead or out of action they would have to leave on foot. But of course, once again barely anyone was in travel condition. The survivors of the battle had spent the better part of a day making their way back on foot and even with most of The Order’s healers with them many couldn’t be healed during that time.
The gathered First Elders plus Dalen and Leo had made the call to rest within The Vault's defenses for two days while Volan’s people did what they could to accelerate their recovery. Dalen had spent most of that time mass-producing mana potions alongside two other alchemists, an elf named Kelindra, and a dwarf named Thorum. Together they had done what they could and used up pretty much every ounce of ingredients left in The Vault.
Kelindra and Thorum were much better alchemists than he was. Practically everything they made was far more efficient and less time consuming but Dalen did have one advantage.
His anger.
Bringing Kal back only to lose him again pissed Dalen off but that wasn’t all. He had seen the bodies. Seen the slain non-combatants, and the slain unascended. At first, Dalen had feared Kal had killed some of them but if he had Dalen never found any. Many were injured and burned many would leave scars even with healing potions and healers but none had died.
The Empire’s men. Dhinir’s men weren’t so lucky. For every person of The Order killed dozens more of their enemy died. It had been a slaughter and Jaliete had confirmed it. She had seen everything with her Mind’’s Eye skill.
The passages of The Vault were still darkened by the bloodshed and now reeked of decay. The bodies had been scavenged and piled outside of The Vault’s walls but the smell would stay with the place until they spent the effort to clean it but that wasn’t going to happen. Not now.
Dalen followed the passages and columns of order fighters and crews of laborers through one of the larger chambers of The Vault. It was one of the only areas in The Vault that hadn’t been doused in blood. Elders Jaliete and Volan stood near the wall at one side as they watched their people move past them and toward the surface.
Leaving the flow of people Dalen approached them, “How is Melisia? Will she be able to travel yet?”
Volan nodded, “She recovered while you worked. Though she is still sensibly shaken by what happened.”
Dalen let out a relieved breath. He would have to talk to her soon, “Alright, good. What about Elendria?”
Volan frowned but Jaliete answered, “Whatever Kalum Lesta did to redirect her skill damaged her deeply. She still hasn’t fully awakened.”
“Her mana hasn’t regenerated at all either and I am beginning to suspect she may have core damage even more severe than what we all experienced on The Fractured Path,” Volan added, his expression disturbed.
The two of them had already told Dalen of their confrontation with Kal at the end of his rampage through the halls of The Vaults. They had told him how Kal had turned back to The Vault the instant he had run out of Empire soldiers to kill, back toward the helpless of The Order.
Jaliete must have caught the look on Dalen’s face, “I saw it all Dalen. Kalum Lesta made a choice when he saw your dying form on the ground. At first, I saw the eyes of a pained and troubled man but when he saw you, Ander, and Melisia wounded that humanity left him. There was wrath in him, Dalen but that isn’t all. Alansu attempted to dominate him.”
“What fought us at the entrance of The Vault was not who you described Dalen,” Volan agreed.
Dalen didn’t want to believe it but he had felt the wrath of Kal’s birthright himself, “You think his birthright was in control?”
Jaliete shook her head, “Perhaps. But I do not believe so I think he used a mind-manipulating skill.”
“So what? You're saying he is a mind mage too?” Dalen said
“No. He isn’t a mage class but Nyx believes he has an alternative method of acquiring skills and if that is the case getting a skill that affects one’s mind is well within reason. Have you spoken with Leo, or the other survivors about what they experienced?”
“A little but they all find it hard to talk about. It’s like they only half remember everything yet they speak about certain things with specific detail,” Dalen shrugged.
“Which happens to be a very common symptom of mind-affecting skills,” Volan pointed.
Dalen turned to Jaliete who nodded, “Yes, Volan is correct. I believe he used the same skill that he used on our people, on himself. It is well known that a person’s mana affinity greatly affects their skill. A person aligned with fire casting a healing spell might appear as golden fire or perhaps burn the target as it healed, or a life-aligned individual may simply be unable to produce flame at all. Kalum’s resource seems to be either derived from his birthright or heavily inspired by it and if that is the case it could have even more drastic effects on his skills and growth.”
Confused, Dalen frowned, “What are you saying exactly? That Kal activated some kind of barrier to protect him from Alansu but it had side effects?”
Jaliete nodded, “Yes. I would have to see it again to be sure. Perhaps Melisia would see more but of course, she had little time to see anything.
That took a weight from Dalen’s shoulders he hadn’t realized he was holding. He hoped she was right, “Alright. Well, let’s get moving then.”
Jaliete spoke up again before Dalen turned away, “One moment, Dalen. There is something else we want to speak with you about before we leave,” Jaliete’s words seemed to twist in Dalen’s mind as he felt the mark in his chest change suddenly like a fire had sprung to life in his chest and mind. He staggered but Volan’s firm hand steadied him before he could stumble and fall.
His vision doubled and within the blurring of his sight, a sickly-looking man appeared, in his hand were two vials of fluid.
“If you have my sister you will all die!”