With a long and uninterrupted rest, the party awoke to a calmer morning than what they would have found in the forests. While still full of naturistic sounds, such as the birds and foxes, the city carried the chimes of shop bells and the tapping of feet on stone.

Logan’s usual routine of micks across his body had him ready in moments, the same was said for Amalia and Marcus. Rituals that would take minutes back on Earth were barely a single minute. Aside from eating, you should always revel in the delights you’re offered.

Exiting their inn, the group were greeted by a Tarrishna in normal clothing. Gone were the garbs of a guard, replaced with comfier attire and somewhat more formal. “Morning”, the man greeted in ava.

“That it is. Did your scouts find what they wanted to?” Logan asked.

Tarrishna nodded, “The speed at which the monsters were dispatched, and subsequently Harvested, showed clearly your prowess in many fields.”

“I am glad we can please the leaders.”

“To that end, I have been permitted to hand over as much information as we hold surrounding this fleeing man you’re after”, Tarrishna continued as he pulled out a rolled piece of parchment.

“Thank you”, Logan nodded.

“This ‘Drustan’ passed through our forests some time ago, lining up with your earlier statements. He was seen investigating a nearby set of ruins for around two days before leaving that and heading further east. To another set of ruins. They contain rare slate for the area, but aside from the rarity of its materials it also holds relevance for magics of old.”

“He must have found something in the prior ruins, maybe a dungeon, and then moved on to a different magical focal site to start his ritual casting”, Logan calculated aloud.

“We have some seers in the settlement to aid in protections against wildlife and monster migration, but whenever they tried to follow this man their sight was blocked. Since the man had moved so far and did not disturb us, we left him be.”

“That’s understandable. You didn’t know what was going on at the time, and I have little doubts about the number of people that pass near this city.”

“Mentioning that, no other humanoids accompanied or even went in the same direction as your hunt. Unless there were teleportation magics at play, he should be alone”, Tarrishna informed as he looked back at the parchment, “We noted several bags and items across the man, a few were obviously of artefact design but we did not pry that far before he was out of range.”

“That reinforces my idea that he’s alone”, Logan accepted.

“We did send some scouts near the ruins, but it’s far afield from where we care to protect. The man was seen either in contemplation, or as you have spoken of, attempting some sort of ritual. With the issues surrounding the jinmerru we put him low on the list of priorities.”

Logan nodded, “Alright. Thank you for the information. We can take it from here.”

“I cannot offer much more aid, aside from my prayers that you’ll be fortuitous in your endeavours.”

Tarrishna turned to leave, his day busy with off-time activities. Additional hands would be nice, but Logan was sure none of the guards could offer substantial assistance. Before leaving, the party did the usual checking of gear and resupply.

----------------------------------------

Logan scanned his mini-map as it updated with new details, area obstructions, and a dwindling red circle to search in. It now fully encompassed the ruins that had been explained to him, a sizable locale that could have easily been a town worth two hundred inhabitants, but what decay was shown ahead of time spoke volumes to the lack of people still there.

Gathering together, the party warped to the skies and then a fair distance away, apparating within a clearing a good mile or so away from the ruins. As if they all were compulsive, the team quadruple-checked their equipment, Amalia having her helmet grow around her head to complete her protection.

“Marcus, Enhance us beforehand. While the aura is intimidating, I don’t want to be caught unawares if Drustan has defences set or is want for violence on seeing any approach”, Logan asked.

Marcus accepted as he started to pat his allies and increase their attributes.

“So, we’re going to attempt diplomacy first?” Amalia asked.

“Of course. The man is grieving, and desperate. If we can halt this peacefully we’ll be all the better for it.”

Marcus scoffed, “What’re the chances of that happening?”

“Slim, I’d say. I would hope that seeing a fellow Devout, and another caster, may limit his aggression as we’ve had similar upbringings.”

“We’ve got twelve days left for this quest, right? He shouldn’t be near completion of the ritual”, Marcus calculated.

“He might be acting cautious. Can the ritual be sped up in any way?” Amalia asked.

“From what I read, he could make the ritual a bit more unstable, or costly, to speed up the timer. You can combine several types to a degree, but that’s insanely difficult for people not versed in rituals.”

Marcus hummed, “The man seemed desperate by all accounts. There’s always that possibility.”

Moving through the forest, the party’s discussion got quieter and quieter until it was absent. Their thoughts mostly on their steps to avoid loud snaps and crunches underfoot. Eventually, they found the trees starting to reduce in number, until they saw it.

Peering into a forgotten settlement, where only faint whispers on the wind carried the prior voices of the villagers, the party saw dust pick up and carry around the lost home. Pillars made up of rare slate no longer held up the livelihoods of those who once lived here, walls barely clung to them to protect the area from the elements.

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Weathered through time and travel, the ruins reflected the light from above the greenery, patches of moss and grass reclaiming the stone as its own. The slate was expensive, but it belonged to the ground no matter what the dead thought.

The air was thick with a sense of dread, ignoring the desecration of security that the homes previously offered. Almost electric, Logan could feel a heavy field around the area. Spellforce that fought back the call to ancestry, keeping some semblance of what the place used to be.

Intermingling with twisted vines and roots, the slate barriers and flooring had newly drawn sigils across them. Chalked in vibrant colours, they seemed to flow with their wrist-flick motions toward the centre of town. As the party shifted from tree to wall to barely standing pillar, they got a better sight of the general meeting place of the forebears.

A sudden breeze rolled over the floor, rocks rolling as if to imitate immature games and dust that flew high to put one side at a disadvantage. Just like a man tidying his home from dirt on the carpet, there stood Drustan, his hand waving around to clean a large circle he had drawn some time ago.

Drustan was ragged and tired, black bags under his red eyes showed he had yet to sleep since leaving Gauntlet. His dark blue robes had caked-on dirt near his feet and chalk marks across his knees and arms. Short black hair had been brushed back by hand several times, spending little time on his looks when no one could look at him.

The sign of tiredness was only partially surprising, the man most likely keeping the power within the artefact to be used in the ritual rather than to aid in his time spent casting it. Thinking on the artefacts, they all had their place within the large chalk circle that Drustan had etched into the slate.

Several circles within themselves that got smaller to the centre, a rather simple design but not uncommon when trying to create an effect within a small area. Held within small mounds of rocks, Logan could make out handles or straps of the items in question, Identification showing their true design.

One disheartening fact was the ritual had already started, at least its introductory segment had. There was little time remaining before some of the artefacts could be retrieved in usable conditions, two had already faded to being mundane in the setup of the circle and its preservations.

Logan tutted quietly as he signalled Marcus and Amalia to follow him. Brazenly, the trio approached Drustan with abandon to their stealthy approach.

“Drustan”, Logan called out.

The Devout spun around the spot so quickly he was lucky not to twist his ankle, sweat beaded down his face as he called back, “Who goes there?”

“Logan. We’ve been tasked with apprehending you for the theft of your guild’s artefacts”, Logan explained succinctly.

Drustan picked at something under his robe, “Curses to the below. How’d you find me? I should have been shielded.”

“There are more ways than one to track someone down.”

Drustan bit his lip, “Logan… That name is familiar.”

“We were at the same tournament, but we never fought.”

“Fuck me. You’re the Phasing Hunter?” he asked rhetorically.

Logan nodded, “Please, come peacefully. This doesn’t need to end in more death.”

Drustan spat, “More!? There shouldn’t be any! Our pockets are deep enough so that anyone can come back!”

“I heard about how your guild didn’t listen to your words—”

“Too right they didn’t! There should be no expense spared to see someone returned! The blaggards thought coin and material wealth were more prized than our lives.”

“You’ve every right to be angry, Drustan. But you stole a family’s fortune, several families.”

“We all bled and sweated for those items. So what if I asked a little extra, everyone did so.”

Logan sighed, “Do you think this ritual will really work?”

“It has to. It’s my last chance. The moons pass and grow, before the largest one fades I have to finish this.”

“The moons?”

“Yes. Their light is needed to shine on the circle.”

“Skearos is not known to hold the moon in much regard”, Logan retorted.

“Yes. But few even pray to the Lord of the Dead. Even before my brother… my brother died, I was privy to many tomes of knowledge.”

“A learned man. Was there truly no other path open than this one?”

“Not with my means, no”, Drustan replied under his breath, “Please, sir. You’re speaking with me now, speak with me further. Let me make you understand.”

Logan waved his hand to Marcus and Amalia as if to say “at ease”, “It does not seem that you’re currently channelling, so we’ve time yet.”

“Thank you. First, may I ask what the specifics of your hunt are?”

“We’re to take you in, alive, as well as all the artefacts you stole.”

Drustan looked at the circle and then back to Logan, “You’re a caster. No doubt you investigated my circle before approaching me. You know two are already gone.”

“And another you still use to avoid detection.”

Drustan nodded, “You’ve already partway failed to take back all the artefacts, there would be little reward in returning a partial number.”

Logan coughed, “You’re right in the regard that the additional objective was taking back ‘all’ the items. But out of manners, I would like to see the remainder back.”

“The others are partially drained, and are trapped that if they are taken from their prison they will be even more so.”

Logan thought for a second, looking over Drustan to find a lie where there wasn’t one, “Ok. So taking the artefacts back is a lost cause.”

“I will admit, if you found me a day earlier, you’d probably have taken all of them back.”

Logan sighed and shook his head as he looked at the ground.

“So. I’ll make a proposition to you.”

“I’m listening.”

“Since the artefacts are a lost cause, let me finish my ritual. Give me a chance to revive my brother. After that, come what may, I will return with you without argument.”

“Would that not reward your theft? What would stop us from just apprehending you now?”

Drustan then raised his hand to let his sleeve drop, revealing a few rings, “If I find myself at a loss in this fight, which I will inform you there’s little chance of with the artefacts I kept for myself, I will just run as far as I can.”

Logan used Identification, at least two of the rings held charges of Teleport within them. Logan scowled, “I don’t think you’d run away, not when you’re so close.”

“Calling my bluff will be your choice. I love my brother, with all of my heart and more, but even I won’t sacrifice myself for him.”

Logan looked at the circle, “You’d sacrifice an easy life, though.”

“Prison is an acceptable outcome for my brother’s return.”

“Would Ratbert say the same?”

Drustan stared at Logan for a moment before replying, “Well, he’s not here to say no, is he?”

Logan side-eyed his quest window, “How long will it take to complete?”

Drustan’s expression became lighter at the question, “I was going to set up some more defences, in case the artefact failed, as well as the nearby monsters approaching. But. If you three are here, I needn’t do so. A day, maybe a half extra.”

“Hold a moment.”

“Of course.”

Logan turned to his allies, having a short conversation hunched over away from Drustan’s prying eyes and ears.

After some time, they approached the Devout again. Logan replied, “You may as well complete the ritual. At least then something will come of the loss of the artefacts.”

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