The first thing Kamil did after returning was put the soils into pots and plant seeds. This was done on the manor balcony which was away from the ground and everything else. Interestingly, the seeds survived. No plant was supposed to survive on the deadland. And then he cooked the soil in case some sort of monster might come out. Gojar was bemused at the sight of him cooking soils in a cast-iron pot.
“What are you doing, may I ask?”
They were in the manor kitchen which was Gojar’s sanctuary. It had an oven, four stoves, and numerous built-in storage compartments on a wall. There was also a pair of maids who acted as his assistants. He didn’t recognize them at all. He figured that those two were pretty much dedicated to the kitchen, thus he had no chance to meet them.
“I am cooking, Gojar.”
He aptly pointed out, “Yes, but you are cooking soils.”
“These soils are from the deadland. Monsters generally don’t like heat and fire, so I am cooking to see if any monster is within.”
The maids, upon hearing his explanation, took a few steps back in fear. However, Gojar looked unfazed.
“If you wish to make sure that the soils are clear, you could have used a water mage’s spell ‘cleanse’.”
Oh…, right.
Realizing that what he was doing was a meaningless endeavor, he racked his brain to come up with an excuse.
“The only one with an affinity for water is my wife. I do not wish to disturb her, given her condition.”
“Are you sure?” He placed his fingers on his chin, doubts in his eyes. “As far as I know, the captain’s wife has an affinity for water.”
What…? How does he know?!
He was being cornered subtly.
“Oh, is that so…? I don’t talk to her much, so I must have forgotten…”
“Even though the captain, his wife, and you were the original members?”
How does he know so much?!
“Oh, you mean Lara! I thought you meant someone else…”
It wasn’t working, and he knew it.
“W, well, excuse me. I will take the pot and bring it, ehm, Lara…”
And the first thing she said upon seeing Kamil carrying an iron-cast pot with soils in it was -
“You could have used a sack to carry the soil. Why make it heavier? Is that a new method of working out?”
Just … leave me alone, will you.
“Lara, can you cast cleanse on the soil? I want to know whether it’s safe to pour it back on the ground.”
“Sure.” She faced both of her palms toward the top of the pot. “Elementals of water, heed my call. Cleanse the target of all evils.”
A bulb of blueish water slowly dropped down onto the pot, wetting the soil. Then soon the water vanished.
“Hmm, how do I know whether it’s clean?” he asked, looking down on the pot.
“If there was anything, there would have been some sort of reaction. There was none, so I am assuming that the soil is clean. It’s from the deadland, right?”
“Right.”
“Well, it looks clean to me.”
Since the seeds survived and the cleanse spell came negative, it looked to be safe to discard it.
She suggested, “You know, we could just carry it back to the deadland and drop it there. No need to risk it, me thinks.”
That was a valid suggestion despite the fact that the soil seemed to be safe nevertheless.
“Yeah, okay,” he agreed.
“I still don’t get why it’s in an iron pot, but I won’t ask.”
Thanks.
“Anyway, how is the preparation going for the excursion?”
“The men are already in Tantan. They are camping just outside of the town. Lord Weber has been providing them with seafood. They are literally having a nice vacation over there,” she replied with a smirk.
“So, they won’t complain even if we delay a bit.”
“I bet they won’t.”
“Alright, see you later.”
“Cya.”
He didn’t expect the deadland investigation to drag out like this. Normally, he should have already been at Tantan, leading the group out in search for any clues on the lost city of Ceres. However, at the moment, he was having a second thought. Dealing with the deadland was a higher priority, and he didn’t need to lead the group. Someone else could do it.
He had a discussion with Cezary on the conclusion of the investigation on the soil.
“They are just regular soils,” he concluded. “We could grow corps just like any other.”
Cezary said, “Then it’s clear that the deadland has been created by magic, and that it may be possible to tackle it by eliminating the source of the magic.”
If I had earth elementals on my side, this would have become so much easier… I am unsure how to proceed other than…
“Let’s try Lara’s suggestion first. Prepare a barrel of Macomaco tea, and let’s just dump it.”
Cezary rubbed the bridge of his nose while shaking his head. “I really do not think that will work.”
I don’t, either. But this step is required for the next.
“We will have to try. If that shows no positive outcome whatsoever, I think we should try planting Macomaco plants there.”
“Won’t the plant just die? It’s my understanding that the plant requires a very warm climate.”
“Yes, it does. But it won’t die right away. I would like to see whether it makes any difference while it’s alive.”
“Well, we have nothing to lose. We will need to talk to the farmer Grent -”
Kamil interjected, “No need. I have some seeds.”
“Ah, yes, I do recall you tending a tea field back in Lux.”
“There is something I’d like to research as well. I would like to know whether it is possible to grow plants indoors. I specifically want Macomaco plants to grow indoors.”
Cezay folded his arms. “I’ve never thought about growing plants indoors. However, your suggestion reminds me that we now have a sizable amount of people underground. There is an actual need to grow plants indoors. Being able to farm underground … may just save a lot of headaches in the long term since we would be able to bring farmers underground, reducing the need to protect them from werewolves.”
He brought up a good point. Whenever werewolves attacked, there was always a chance that they’d harm farmers. Farming took a very large amount of land. Whether they could actually dig that much space and keep its ceiling stable was questionable but not impossible as long as an adequate amount of support pillars were present. If the age of darkness makes living on the surface too hard, they might really need to farm underground.
“This might require a lot of time to test, however,” he added but he didn’t look troubled.
“There are two major issues I see here,” Kmail explained. “One is a source of artificial light that can replace the sunlight. The second is pollinating.”
“Pollinating?” Cezary was never a farmer. He had no basic knowledge in plants. This area was a field which Kamil was far more knowledgeable in.
“Pollination. It’s essentially fertilization. On the surface, bees and other insects do this. In a small batch, one could artificially do this. But, on a far larger scale, it would be a major pain in the backside to do this manually. Now, you don’t always need pollination. In the case of Macomaco plants, you don’t really need to pollinate unless you want to produce seeds. For wheats, you absolutely need to pollinate. So, it depends on what plants you are dealing with.”
“Interesting… My apologies. I am not familiar with plants.”
“Anyway, about the excursion, I’d like to sit this one out if possible. I’d like to focus on the current matter which I am required to do.”
I have too much to do here. I want to focus on the current research. Finding a way to cure the deadland seems more important than trying to find traces of the ancient city, Ceres.
The deadland was expanding. Whether the age of darkness was coming or not, it wasn’t here yet, and the priority was curing or at least stopping the expansion of the deadlands. It would be one less problem in the future. Additionally, if it expanded any further, the city Fadin was at risk. He also wondered what would happen to the adjacent river. Would the water become tainted as well?
As if fully aware of what Kamil was thinking, Cezary readily agreed. “True, dealing with the deadland is more important. Who do you wish to delegate the matter to?”
Raem was the guard captain. By his role, he was sort of required to be always present within the city. Likewise, Lara as his right hand woman was also sort of required. Basically, Raem and Lara were the two pillars of the army. Besides, he did not feel comfortable entrusting any task to Lara. That left only one candidate.
“Wiara will have to lead the excursion. Perhaps, let Anita tag along?”
Cezary nodded affirmatively. There weren't any other choices.
Perhaps…
“Perhaps I should inquire with the guild for some additional personnel.”
The reason for this was simple: There was only one mage in Wiara, and Anita was an assassin who was effective against humans but not so great against monsters. Biology was different between humans and monsters. What would be fatal to humans wasn’t so for monsters. Yes, she would have around 50 soldiers with her, but all of them were simple fighters. Someone experienced would need to tag along. Finally, there was an inherent danger of letting a woman lead a large group of men. Granted, she wasn’t a beautiful woman but a woman nonetheless. She was in her 30s but wasn’t showing any clear aging like Marat, thus she looked fairly young still.
“Duke, I’ve answered your summon,” said Brian, leaning forward with his palm on his chest.
“Guildmaster Brian, I’ve called you here today to make a request.”
“Oh?”
Kamil explained the upcoming excursion and its purpose, which made Brian’s eyes go wide and a big wide smile appeared on his face.
“Is something wrong? You look shocked and happy.”
“Duke, we are called ‘adventurers’.” He repeated, “Adventurers.”
The reality was that, in spite of being called adventurers, they never really did adventure. Their job mostly consisted of escorting merchants. Seldomly they’d go out for monster extermination which wasn’t quite an adventure.
He continued, “What you’ve proposed is, in my book, a textbook adventure.” His eyes were sparkling with excitement. “A real adventure with a purpose.”
Seeking an ancient lost city in the middle of nowhere, Kamil realized what Brian was saying.
An adventurer was offered a real adventure… He could hardly turn it down, couldn’t he?
“Duke! I have a request.” He got down on one knee and leaned forward. “Please grant this job to the guild. I would like to summon as many available guild personnel as possible and embark on the quest.”
The original plan was that Wiara would lead a group of fifty soldiers into the wilderness Northwest of Tantan in search for any ancient city or information. Brian was asking Kamil to transfer the entire operation to him.
“Brian, I do understand your enthusiasm, but this mission shouldn’t be taken lightly. I do wish to grant your request but only under some conditions.”
Given the fact that Kamil had the sole authority to deny him, Brian was cooperative.
“Firstly, I want you to bring Wiara with you as a government official.”
He wanted someone who would keep the mission in mind all the time, and there was no better person than Wiara who was known to keep orders to the letter.
“Wiara, you say? I’ve met her before and know her. She can pull her own weight. Why not. Anything else?”
“Mr. Brian, I want you to listen to her when she speaks out. Essentially, she will be a shadow leader. If she demands you to pull out and withdraw, I want -” He paused and corrected himself. “I demand you to follow her order.”
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
Brian’s face darkened but soon his discontent seemed to fade. Donning a smile back on his face, he replied, “I will be honest. I am not happy about that but I suppose it is a small price to pay for a real adventure. Anything else?”
“Secondly, there are fifty of my elite soldiers in Tantan. I want you to give them some training. They were originally meant to carry out this excursion. I do not wish to just send them back home. I don’t care how; Give them lessons they haven’t experienced.”
Brian beamed a crooked grin. “May I go hard on them?”
“They’ve been having good food. What goes around comes around. Just don’t kill them or cripple them for that matter.”
“I’ve heard you loud and clear, Duke.”
“Finally…” Kamil crossed his fingers on his desk, and his casual expression darkened. “Well, it’s not exactly a condition I am going to impose on you. Rather, I’d like to tell you why you are going on this adventure. It’s not simply because we wish to know more about this ancient city.”
He went on to tell him the age of darkness. He didn’t tell him everything he knew and clearly made it sound like it was dark clouds hanging over the horizon.
“It’s not a matter of if but when. We need to know more about our past and how we’ve survived so far. The ancient city of Ceres probably holds some clues. There should be more ancient cities, but it’s pitiful that we know only one so far.”
“I see.” Brian nodded along in understanding. “My apologies, Duke. I was getting worked up for some real adventure, but I see that it’s not something I can take casually and fail.”
“Oh, you may fail.”
He blinked, confused. “I beg your pardon?”
In the end, I am pretty sure that it will be down to me to beat the shit out of whatever is lurking in darkness. I just want to improve my odds.
“It is important, yes. But it’s not mission critical. If you run into difficulties, you can always retry later. What I am saying is don't push too hard. This will probably not be the only adventure I could offer you. Don’t die, Brian.”
“I see. Understood,” Nodding affirmatively, he replied.
After the meeting with Brian was over, he summoned Wiara.
“Wiara”
“Duke,” she said while kneeling down on one knee.
“You are to accompany the guildmaster Brian to the excursion.”
She blinked a few times. “Duke, I thought we-”
“Yes,” he interjected. “But I’ve chosen not to go. Raem and Lara are staying as well. Due to the lack of personnel, I’ve decided to enlist the guildmaster’s assistance. He has already agreed, and I am assigning you to go with him.”
She leaned forward, looking down. “Duke, I assume you are going to tackle the deadland while the excursion is in progress.”
“Correct.”
It took a short moment before she spoke, “Are you excluding me from the operation because I spoke against you frequently the last time?”
In her mind, she was being punished for speaking against him. She did feel she went too far, which was why she retained herself from going against him any further later on.
Hmmm, so…, she took it that way, huh.
He did find it weird that she was retaining herself from speaking lately. She had been clearly more careful in her behaviors as of late as if she became self-conscious about something.
“Wiara, why did your nation fall?”
She looked confused. “I beg your pardon?”
“Your country, the Siwen, has fallen. Why?”
Looking down, she bit her lips and took her time to make a reply. “The country was rotten to the core. Even I knew something bad would happen sooner or later.”
“Wiara, the Siwen fell because they had too many yes-men.”
“Yes…men, Duke?”
“Those who simply carry out orders without attempting to correct what they think their lord is doing wrong are not really vassals. You argued with me because you felt that I was going too far. Am I wrong? You can answer earnestly. I won’t punish you. You have my word. You can even tell me what you had in your mind.”
She hesitated. “Duke…, if I may.”
“Go on, Wiara.”
“Your wife is pregnant, and you are the head of a new house. If you get hurt and die, your future child won’t inherit your title or land. You have to be alive until the child is born. Only then the succession line is secure. Even then an infant lord or lady is only going to be under constant danger for God knows how many years. Milord, you need to take care of yourself.”
She wasn’t wrong. If Kamil died, by default, the title and land would go to the nearest relative, who was Edmund Fenchel. However, given the unique status of Ceres, that wasn’t going to happen. It basically meant another conflict between Egra and Estana. In other words, probably another war because Karsten wouldn’t let it go.
I really hate politics sometimes. It’s just so complicated for no benefit other than creating conflicts…
“I admit openly that you are not wrong. For that, you have my apology.”
“Duke, you don’t need to-”
He interjected, “However, Wiara, it wasn’t me doing the deed. Who else?”
Her eyes were open wide for a moment before narrowing as if she realized what he meant. Indeed, somebody had to do it. She bit her lips, knowing the reality.
“You saw the deadland, and it is spreading. We have to find a solution and are venturing into something unknown. We can’t proceed too much if we are being too cautious. The sooner it is solved, the better. That is why I am taking the matter as top priority. The excursion holds some importance as well. That is why I am entrusting you for the task. Go with Brian. He seems too excited for an adventure and may entirely forget what I’ve sent him for. So, I want you to keep our object in mind. Your job is to find clues that may be of use for us.”
“Understood, Duke.”
He also summoned Ravas afterwards and ordered him to create a separate room to experiment cultivating plants indoors within the manor. Ravas was bewildered by the very idea of growing plants indoors, but it wasn’t his business.
Meanwhile, Brian wasted no time and set off to Tantan the very next day. He was bringing nine members. Among them, there was Faro. With Wiara, there were a total of eleven members in his party. On the same day the adventurers departed, Kamil also set off to the deadland carrying a barrel of Macomaco tea as well as a potted Macomaco plant. He was with Lara and Anita on this journey.
“What a waste of perfectly fine tea,” Lara complained while looking at the barrel.
“I didn’t know you were a tea person, Lara,” Kamil replied.
“I am not. Macomaco tea is an exception, though.”
Anita added, “I must say that I was pleasantly surprised by the abundance of tea in Ceres. It’s hard to come by in the capital.”
She was wearing a maid dress. Now, Kamil initially thought that she’d carry a pair of daggers, just like Emily did. Daggers were the favorite weapon for assassins. However, she had a neatly rolled whip on her belt and a dagger on the other side. He had never seen anyone using a whip as a weapon although he could see its advantage. In other words, she could be effective against monsters because a whip was a ranged weapon. With a dagger, one had to be dangerously close to his target to attack. While it may be fine with humans, it was just too dangerous with monsters.
“How much does a small pouch of Macomaco tea cost in Keviel, Anita?” he asked.
“Six silver pieces if lucky. Usually eight.”
Lara’s eyes went wide. “That’s fucking way too overpriced,” she blurted.
The merchants are placing a lot of markup… And I guess the gate toll isn’t helping others.
The gate toll was a silver piece. It was clear that they were making their customers pay the toll and then some.
“How is the economy in Keviel?”
With a heavy face, she replied, “Gloomy. It has been regressing for years. Shortage of essential goods have placed a lot of burdens on common folks. They aren’t starving, but their living costs have doubled… if not tripled.”
“While their income remains the same, I reckon.”
She nodded slowly, looking depressed. “The nobles don’t know what they are going through since they live in a bubble.”
In Ceres, a small pouch of the tea cost just two silvers. The price had tripled in Keviel, and the distance wasn’t even that far. He could understand the tea costing triple in the North but in a neighboring city?
Not my problem… although it pains me to see the folks going through a hard time.
“If it was me, I’d lift the gate toll first and foremost. That’s the biggest issue in the capital.”
“I completely agree. I’ve heard that Lord Knell tried numerous times to lift the gate toll to no avail.”
He could only sigh. Again, it wasn’t his problem. It wasn’t his domain.
“We are here,” Lara informed them.
They had a few hours before sunset, thus they had ample time. They were at the Southern deadland, where Lyatan used to be.
“Land the airship. Lara and Anita, get ready for combat just in case.”
Both women nodded affirmatively. Aside from those three, there was a pilot and a single engineer present in the airship. They were essentially running a skeleton crew. The smaller crew number, the easier preparation was.
“Okay, here we go!”
As soon as the door opened and a ladder was lowered to walk down, Kamil popped the top of the barrel, lifted it, and threw it outside, pouring the tea onto the soil of the deadland. As fully expected, nothing happened.
“Well, no surprises there,” he remarked indifferently.
“What a waste,” Lara echoed her complaint a while ago.
“Let’s take the potted plant and get it out there.”
“So, this is the deadland…,” Anita whispered as she surveyed her surroundings as soon as she went down the short ladder.
“Yep, the deadland. Nothing lives here,” Lara said while sniffing. “The air doesn’t feel dead, though.”
Other than the barren ground, it didn’t entirely feel dead although certainly eerie that nothing was present in the vicinity: No grass, no weeds, no trees, and no rocks. There was absolutely nothing.
“Alright, here goes nothing,” said Kamil while carrying out a small potted Macomaco plant. He placed the pot on the ground and observed the plant for a few minutes. Lara and Anita also observed the potted plant curiously.
“It’s not dying,” said Lara.
“Well, it is in a pot or maybe it takes time for things to die. Let’s break the pot,” Kamil said while pulling out his snake sword from his waist. With a series of clicking sounds, the belt transformed itself into a sword.
“A snake blade?!” Anita exclaimed. It was an assassin’s weapon. She would have noticed it if it wasn’t placed inside a flexible leather sheath, making it look like an innocent belt from outside. Either way, she did not expect a lord to wield an assassin’s blade.
“Why not?” he casually replied as it was not a big deal, and it wasn’t. He swung his blade and cracked the pot, then kicked it to break it apart. As soon as the soil of the pot and the ground made a connection, the tea plant immediately began to wither, turning gray at the same time. Within just ten seconds, the plant was dead. Even before anyone could make a comment, the plant began to crumble into what looked like ash, and wind blew them away into the air. Even the broken pot began to turn gray but at a much slower rate.
So, this is why nothing is here… It became ash.
“What in the world…,” Anita whispered while Lara was just looking at it without saying a word.
“Let’s go back inside and take off. I think any living beings staying here for too long may be harmful,” he suggested at once.
I may be protected by elementals, but Lara and Anita? Their health might be at a risk if they stay here for too long.
Once they were in the air, and thus safe, the three had a short discussion of what had transpired.
“Duke, may I ask why you brought the plant here in the first place? The tea, I do understand why.” Anita glanced at Lara.
“Sir Waszak mentioned before that monsters seemed to be avoiding the plant. Therefore, I figured that it might have some unknown powers. It seems I was wrong.”
Anita was convinced by his explanation.
It does have powers. I think it’s just that the power of the deadland is simply too strong. In addition, the plant needs to be empowered probably.. I think the plants need to be created by the four elementals to wield the power to cleanse the land properly…
“Let us go back for now.”
I am going to try to bless it with fire and wind.
As soon as they arrived back in Ceres, Ravas came over and informed him that his request was already complete. It didn’t even take a full day. Apparently, he considered the order the highest priority and got his best miners to dig it and then complete walling at a record time. Granted, the room he requested wasn’t big, but the speed was admirable. The small room, which was just large enough for two beds to fit inside, was directly connected to his study via a door. It was completely empty when he entered. He ordered maids to bring in several potted wheats as well as a potted Macomaco plant.
Folding his arms, he looked over five potted wheats and Macomaco plant in front of him in an otherwise empty room.
“The fundamental difference between indoors and outdoors is the presence of sunlight,” he said to himself. There was no one around. “Perhaps…, air circulation as well.”
He looked at two ventilation holes on upper walls. “Those should be enough for air circulation, I think. Now, the sunlight…”
The room was illuminated by a pair of fire crystal lamps on the walls. It wasn’t dim but wasn’t bright, either. He brought in four more lamps and hung them on the walls, which made the room fairly bright to eyes.
“Let’s see how this goes and now…”
He approached the Macomaco plant. Placing a hand on his waist and then sticking out the other hand toward the plant, he chanted.
“Elementals of wind, eh…” He wasn’t sure how to phrase it. “Bless the plant?”
Several wind elementals appeared around the plant, orbiting around. The plant itself glowed in faint green before the glow faded away.
“Elementals of fire, bless this plant.”
A lone fire elemental appeared on the soil of the pot and it walked around the plant, which resulted in glowing in red that faded away after a few seconds.
“Well, that was easy.”
For him at least. The spell “bless” simply did not exist for other ordinary mages. The closest spell that existed for mages was the “energize” spell from fire mages. For them, casting magic was borrowing powers of elementals. It was a one-way communication line between mages and elementals. A human would ask such and such to be granted to him, and the elementals would answer if they liked what they heard. Thus, over thousands of years, scholars had defined what delivered the best outcome, thus spell incantations were created. Of course, mages had choices in following predefined incantations. In general, the higher affinity one had, the less he needed to follow the exact incantations and could personalize it.
“I honestly don’t know how this blessed plant is going to hold up.. Actually, I should bring another random plant after blessing it.”
And then he set off another quick journey to the deadland with Lara and Anita.
“Two potted plants? One is Macomaco, and the other is wheat?” Lara said while leaning forward and looking over the two potted plants.
“Yep.”
“Did you do something to these?”
“I cast a blessing on them.”
“So, these will work to cleanse the deadland?”
He shrugged. “I don’t think so.”
“Then why are we wasting time?”
Lara had always been super-direct. While others, including Kamil, attempted to correct her bluntness, in the end, it was who she was. And, as they grew older, he came to appreciate her bluntness because there was no bureaucracy in her words, only truth.
“We need four elementals to truly bless the plants, I believe. I have only two.”
Anita’s eyes widened. “Only two?” she blurted. “What do you mean?”
“This guy here.” Lara pointed at him. “Has affinities for fire and wind.”
“But… that’s not possible?”
“How can it be impossible when you are seeing an example right here?” she retorted, and he chuckled. Anita looked dumbfounded with her mouth agape.
“You aren’t wrong,” she eventually replied.
“Anyway, we are going to see whether being blessed by two elements is going to have any effect. Will it survive or will it just wither away like the last time? We will see soon enough.”
And, as soon as they arrived back at the deadland, Lyatan location, they landed and carried the two pots onto the ground.
“Here goes nothing,” Kamil said while breaking the two pots with his snake sword.
The wheat immediately withered within seconds and crumbled. It was as if the two blessings it had didn’t even matter, which proved that Macomaco plant had a natural resistance to darkness.
“It’s… glowing?” Anita remarked. The tea plant began to glow in green and red. It was mostly glowing in green with a few leaves glowing in red.
“I think it’s … resisting,” he said.
While they were silently watching the plant glowing, it was Lara who approached Kamil and whispered while poking his side.
“Hey, hey, look around. Undead are rising from the ground.”
“What?”
Looking around, he could see hundreds, if not thousands, undead digging themselves out of the barren ground. Lara dashed toward the nearest one and bashed its skull as a preemptive strike. Anita did the same by whipping their skulls as they were coming out. But there were simply too many of them to make a difference.
“I think we should get out of here before it’s too late!” Lara suggested while thrusting her spear into the neck of a skeleton. Its neck disc flew away, and its skull simply fell to the ground. But that didn’t seem to deter the skeleton.
Narrowing eyes, Kamil looked around and then looked back at the plant. Normally it should be withering away by now but it was holding on. At the same time, it didn’t look like it was doing anything other than just holding on.
Just fire and wind are not enough…
Having concluded that there was nothing more to be done, he abandoned the plant and rushed toward the airship. Lara and Anita did the same likewise upon seeing him retreat. The undead were heading straight to the glowing plant without paying any attention to them meanwhile. They were surprisingly nimble and fast as their airship took off.
“They are … stomping the plant?” Anita wondered aloud.
They were indeed stomping. Some of the undead were turning into ash and crumbling as they stomped, but eventually they won due to their sheer number. The crushed plant gradually lost its glow and began to turn into ash as well. Kamil folded his arms while watching the scene unfold through a window.
It looks like even with just two elements, it has an effect. Otherwise, the undead wouldn’t have rushed in to crush it like that.
It might have been working but it was just too slow.
“What now?” Lara asked.
“I’ve exhausted my options. This is it for now.”
Let’s hope that Brian and Wiara bring something new. Otherwise, there doesn’t seem to be anything I can do to stop the spread…