"A witch?" Líaden asked. "Are you sure?"

I frowned. "She seemed like one. What's it to you, anyway?"

The dullahan cursed and started mumbling to itself. "Was it her? No, it can't be...She can't possibly have had enough time to gather the energy to travel the Realm along with me...It's just not plausible. And the manna levels are far too low to sustain someone of her level..."

It's ignoring me. Scowling, I picked up a piece of wood and threw it at the creature. The sharp clank pulled it from its musings. It blinked, staring down at the wood chip with confusion. Then the mental gears started to turn and its head snapped up.

"Oh!" it yelped. "Was I lost in thought again? I'm sorry, it just happens sometimes when I-"

"I don't care," I interrupted. "Who is 'she'? You know Hale, too?"

Líaden gasped. "So she is here! But how? She's far too weakened to travel the realm. Unless - had she managed to kill Sam? No, I can't believe she'd be able to overpower Sam in such a weakened state-"

I threw another wood chip at it. "What are you on about? Who is Sam?"

"Will you stop? I'm trying to think here!"

"You're the one who's ignoring me."

"Blast it, you're such a-"

"I'm a what?" I growled.

The dullahan squeaked, pressing its fist to its helmet. "I-er, nothing. Look, there's just some sensitive information that I really can't tell you."

"I think I outta know anything that has to do with my bunkmate," I replied dryly. "I don't fancy gettin' another claw to the face while I'm catching a rest, mate."

"You share rooms?" it hissed. "No wonder you're so violent; her dark manna must've corrupted you!"

"What are you-hey! Hands off!"

The thing had lunged at me, grabbing my arms. I struggled as the gauntlets started to glow and whatever power the creature contained flooded my body. This was far different than the energy from before. It took the form of a blazing white fire and it burned fiercer than a stray [Fire Bolt] from Crystal, worse than an ice crystal sliding down my gambeson.

I screamed as the flames enveloped my entire upper body. "I'm sorry!" Líaden yelled. "Purges are painful, I know, but we have to-"

I headbutted it, hard. There was no Skill enhancing the blow but as I was forcefully knocked into unconsciousness, I could see the dent on its helm my head had left.

_________

"Sorry," the dullahan said. "I probably should've warned you but most people don't willingly submit to a [Purge] when you tell them you need cleansing..."

I didn't bother giving it a response. My glare was enough to know what I felt about its apology.

Líaden sighed. "Well, at least the pain was worth something. It turns out, you had a bit of corruption spreading in your forearms. It was slow-acting, thankfully, but there was a lot of it. Strange, because I haven't sensed any dark manna in the area." It hesitated, looking down at its hands before sighing. "Which only confirms my theories; the Dark Witch really is here."

How many times was this thing going to keep mentioning things I had no clue about? It was getting annoying, especially because I knew there was a deeper meaning behind his words. What was manna? What did it do? How could it be 'dark'? How could my arms be corrupted? Was it a result of me tearing a muscle trying to escape the ropes? Just who was this {Dark Witch} and why was she such a big deal?

Was it Hale? I scowled at the thought. Of course! Líaden made the class sound menacing and that Kox sure was trouble. How she'd managed to worm her way into the Keep Guard was beyond me. No doubt there was some dark magic at play here.

I had no clue what the secrets behind the mystical energies few could command but I was sure Hale could use them. Whatever ill intentions she had for me and the other castle denizens would surely come to play when she held such power at her fingertips. And while I didn't want to admit it, the dullahan would likely be the best way to defeat her. At the very least, it was a well of useful information.

If it came down to a fight, which I'm sure it would, it might be useful there as well. It would do well for me to get on its good side, to make sure it didn't turn on me in the heat of battle. But first, I needed to be in the loop.

"Tell me more about this {Dark Witch}," I demanded. "What are her Skills? What level is she?"

The dullahan tilted its head in confusion for a moment before it gasped. "Ah! That's right; I learned about this in the academy. Different Realms, different systems."

"What's a Realm? And what does it have to do with the {Dark Witch}?"

"You don't know what a-oh, this is bad." The armored creature rose, forcing me to look up at it as it started pacing the floor. "I can't believe she sent us both to an Unenlightened Realm. Is she insane? The effect this could have on the people...But this could be the cause for the overaggression Or perhaps it's normal for this Realm's standards? The war stories back home tell of something similar..."

"Líaden," I cut in. "You're getting distracted. Information, now. I - we need to stop Hale before she can enact whatever sinister plans she has."

"Don't say her name!" it yelped. "The manna levels might be ridiculously low here but names still hold power, especially for Dark Witches as strong as she is!"

"I would know that if you would have told me."

The Dullahan flinched. "Right, right. Sorry, I just, um...I'm a bit - No, nevermind. Um, levels, levels, what level is she...Well, technically, she holds the power of a B ranked Paladin. That is...uh, what level are you?"

"I have three levels in {Guard} and one in {Pugilist}."

"Oh...wow, you're weaker than I thought."

"Excuse me?"

The Dullahan raised its hands. "I don't mean it in a bad way! Well, yeah, I did but-but it's just because you...fought so well that I...um..."

"You're a terrible liar," I growled.

It sighed. "I know...I mean, considering your total level, you'd be around a Rank H Paladin. Maybe touching Rank G."

"And how powerful is a Rank H Paladin?"

Líaden stared at me, its glowing eyes squinting as it eyed me up and down. "Well?" I demanded, growing impatient.

"Well, it's...you see, a Rank H Paladin is what we would call somebody on the cusp of reaching their potential. That is, almost there, but not quite."

"Of course, I haven't reached my full potential," I snapped. "My status was reset! Now, what does that mean?"

"It means that, in my Realm, you'd be the power level of a child."

My mouth flopped open. A child? I'm that weak? No...no, maybe children were supernaturally strong in the dullahan's...Realm, whatever that was. Yes. That must be the case. I can't be that weak.

Surely.

You're in deniaaaallll.

Shut it!

"Tell me more about your Realm," I said, crossing my arms. "And manna, too. Where it comes from, what it's for."

Líaden grimaced. "I'm not sure that's a good idea-"

"If we're going to defeat H-the {Dark Witch}," I interrupted, "I need to know everything I can. You said it yourself; she's strong. There's no way you can beat her alone."

"I-I guess...Well, I'll start at the beginning. A Realm is..."