Trillia's eyes fluttered open, and she watched the desert landscape flit by at a breakneck speed. She felt something binding her down to soft fur. Craning her neck slightly, she saw Ialu panting heavily as she ran through the desert. The sounds of shouting and magic rupturing space pulled her further from mental exhaustion.

They must have pulled her far enough away from the Sage's influence. As she wiggled and squirmed, she managed to get halfway sitting up. Behind them were hundreds of large quadrupedal skeletal creatures. All of them had saddles and were mounted with humanoid skeletal creatures. Most of them were firing at the group with magic or bows.

Kismet had a line tied around her waist that led to Ialu. Whenever Ialu changed direction, the line would tug at Kismet's waist, and she knew to change what direction she was flying backward in. Sweat poured down her face as she kept a barrier up. Maldoun was nowhere to be seen.

Another of Trillia's traits was pinging her rapidly, drawing her to it. She took the chance to open her mind with telepathy again and reached out to Ialu, urging her to change directions. Ialu happily listened to her master's commands and swerved off to the right. Kismet followed without even glancing back.

"[Restorative Chant]" She hadn't used it in a while. It felt good to get some use out of the skill again, a small part of her remembered Amelia every time she said the words, and that brought a smile to her face.

She cast the skill a few more times to restore Kismet's stamina and health. Then shed a hundred thousand mana from her pool into Kismet and Ialu's mana pools before casting the chant on Ialu as well.

That made Kismet glance back with a relieved smile. The woman turned her head up. "She's up! Get closer. She can resto you!"

Trillia glanced up to see Maldoun flying above them, two wings made out of radiant energy on his back. He was the source of the explosions she had been hearing. As he flew closer to the ground, Trillia chanted him back to full resources as well. Kismet noted the change in direction. "Where are we going, Mistress?"

Trillia looked in the direction they were headed. "Toward a [Primordial Spawn]. If there is an army on our heels, it will attack the army first. Unless the Sage is allied with the [Primordials], in which case that's valuable information to have!"

Kismet and Maldoun didn't respond. Trillia wondered if they even knew what a spawn could do. No matter, off they raced.

Even with Trillia there to restore their resources, the frantic run and battle was taking its toll. She didn't yet have a skill that could clear mental exhaustion, dehydration, or hunger for those who still needed such things.

Suddenly, Trillia's trait shifted perspective. Instead of being forward, it was all around her. "Keep moving! It's right on top of us!"

A few moments later, as the skeletal army crossed some threshold, the ground beneath their feet began to rumble. Trillia leaned in closer to Ialu and capped her mana at its current spot. The excess shedding to the three of her companions.

Sand began to flow backward, and Trillia urged Ialu to run just a little faster and push herself just a little harder. Trillia was rummaging through her pouches, trying to find something. Finally, she looked at her two companions. "I need an instrument of some kind! Something that's not an artifact. A whistle, a flute! It doesn't matter, as long as it's something!"

Neither of them questioned her or asked why. Trillia was happy to get such a strong vote of confidence. Kismet got closer and held out a thin piece of metal. "It's a jaw harp!" The woman used it herself quickly to show Trillia how it was used before passing it off to her. Trillia stuck it in her mouth and began strumming on it.

The first few seconds, nothing happened. Trillia silently cursed herself for not getting a better explanation of how the damn skill worked from Amelia. After a few more tries, she and her companions all got a notification.

You're now under the effects of [Astra's Amazing Agility] for the next 5 minutes.

You're agility is doubled for the duration of this skill!

All of them began moving just a little faster.

A few more minutes into the run, Kismet and Maldoun slammed into the ground. Ialu staggered but could still move. Trillia watched as her mana fell by the thousands a second. She urged Ialu to turn around and did her best with the wolf's help to scoop up her companions. The added weight would tire Ialu out rapidly, but she could still run.

The cause of the kerfluffle was the [Primordial Spawn] had finally surfaced. It looked like a giant worm hundreds of thousands of small razor-sharp plates lined its body. A maw at one end held a similar number of teeth. It had no apparent eyes, but its mouth was pointed at the skeletons. Arrows and spells rained down on the creature. All of the attacks only seemed to annoy it.

It began slamming its body into the skeletal army and slithering along with its mouth open, pulling in hundreds of skeletons and thousands of pounds of sand as it went. All along its body, the sand shot out, and even from their distance, Trillia could see it rip through some of the bones.

[Great Beast - Primordial Dune Worm - ??] Space Mana Manipulation

Notable Traits:

Eternal Slumber

Primordial Spawn

Limitless Mana

Mana Font

Pact-Breaker

Trillia turned her eyes away from the scene.

The group kept running.

The sound of battle vanished behind them.

The group kept running.

Day turned into night.

The group kept running.

Night turned into day...

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As they approached D'Jamu, they ran toward the gate. Ialu's paws were covered in blood, and you could see the muscles spasming under her fur. Kismet and Maldoun were unconscious. The aura from the great beast had done a number on them. Monster Slayer and Stalwart Mana had saved Trillia. She wasn't entirely sure how Ialu hadn't succumbed to the thing's aura. As guards began to shout and scream to open the gates, a flash of light silenced everyone.

Arlyss stood there with a rift portal open. Ialu didn't question or hesitate and ran directly into it. They were in the library once again, seeing the safe place. Ialu collapsed to the ground. Trillia hopped off and pulled Maldoun and Kismet off as well. Arlyss walked through the portal and reached down to the four of them.

"[Slumber]"

Trillia saw the ground rushing up to meet her as she tried to pull Kismet further away to check on her.

-=- Some Time Later -=-

Her mouth felt like the desert sands outside. Trillia groaned and rolled from her back onto her stomach. Pushing herself up and off of the...bed? She blinked a few times and saw that she laid in her bed. Ialu lay on the bed next to her. The events of the escape came flooding back to her.

Reaching over, she checked on Ialu to see that her wounds were all healed and the wolf was resting peacefully. Trillia stood and quickly exited the room, running up the stairs to the library. As she burst through the doors, she saw Arlyss and Stas speaking at the table. "Are the others ok?!"

Arlyss smiled and nodded. "Exhausted, yes. Both of them have mana sickness and healing sickness. As does Ialu. They'll need plenty of rest. What happened? I didn't think there was a dungeon nearby that could challenge the four of you together."

Relief flooded through Trillia. Her shoulders sagged, and as she leaned against the wall and sank to the ground, she wanted to cry. Her traits wouldn't give her the relief of it, though. Instead, she relayed everything that happened as best as she could.

The three of them sat in silence. Arlyss standing at a window and looking out into the desert. Stas had come to sit next to Trillia, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You did good, Trillia. You used the terrain and your traits to get your group out alive. More experienced leaders have done less."

Trillia hugged her knees to her chest and gave a weak little nod. After a few more minutes of silence, Arlyss turned to them. "Why don't you take Maldoun, Kismet, and Ialu back to your home for a few days. Counting the time it took you to get here and the time spent here, it's been a few months since your parents have seen you. It'd do Kismet and Maldoun a bit of good to see life from another perspective."

Trillia looked up at him, doubt nagging at the back of her mind. "Did I not do well? I tried calling out to you..."

Arlyss shook his head as he approached. "You did better than I could have expected. I think the Sage is targeting you because he knows that you have the capability of destroying him. Pact-Bound creatures are extremely durable. If he is truly pact-bound to a deity of death, it means he's going to be difficult to put down. We're going to have a lot of fighting ahead of us. I'd rather you visit your family now and remember why you're doing this. Stas and I will handle things while you're away and make preparations."

Trillia nodded and stood up, a bit wobbly and very obviously still exhausted, even if her resources were topped off. "And the others?"

"I'm sure Ialu would love to see your home. Kismet and Maldoun need to be away from the city for a few days. See what freedom truly looks like, even if it's in times of war. Go and gather everyone, they will move a bit slow, but I'll open a portal once you're ready."

Trillia bowed slightly and turned to do as she was told. She was more than a little apprehensive about seeing her mother again. She had just left without a word. She hadn't said goodbye to Amelia either. As she gathered her things and explained the plan to Ialu and the others, she began to feel more and more guilty about how she had left things.

The four of them were gathered in the library. Maldoun and Kismet looked...pretty rough, to put it kindly. Dark circles under bloodshot eyes. They looked dead on their feet. There was only so much magic could do to fend off weariness. Arlyss smiled and hugged Trillia and Ialu and shook the hands of Kismet and Maldoun. "First, I wanted to say well done to all of you. If the Sage is a pact-bound creature, you did extremely well to escape. I'll find a solution. In the meantime, I want Trillia to visit friends and family and relax. It's a good time for the two of you to recover from the sickness you have and see her homeland as well."

Seeing them give a gesture that was vaguely a nod, he continued. "Remember, you are representing not only me but also D'Jamu. Make as good of an impression as you can."

With that, he opened a portal. "This will lead to Amelia Shatterhoof. While you were getting things ready, I reached out telepathically to her. She's near a dungeon that you are apparently familiar with."

Trillia tilted her head slightly. "That dungeon is weeks away from the city. I don't think I'll have time to visit my parents as well."

Arlyss offered a smile and motioned to the portal but said nothing. Trillia gave Arlyss and Stas one last look before she walked through with Ialu.

On the other side, she saw Amelia sitting there at a large stone table. Next to her was Amara, Varga and Gobbinz. Trillia ran a hand along Ialu's back as she walked up to the table and sat down. The first thing that caught her attention was the runic markings on her mother's torso and arms.

No one ran to embrace her. No one shouted that they were glad to see her. First, they needed to see if she was here in an official capacity as an Avatar or if it was personal. Arlyss probably hadn't informed them. "It's good to see you all again. Forgive me for leaving without warning. I just... I wanted to save everyone. The more I heard you all speak about sacrifice to seal the [Primordials], the more I wanted to find another way."

Amelia offered a smile. "I'm glad you're back. I'm a little hurt you didn't tell me, but I understand it was a decision made in the heat of the moment. I think all of us are more angry at Stas for being your transportation."

Amara stared at her. Rather, Amara stared at her pact markings. After a few minutes, the others walked through the portal. Kismet and Maldoun's eyes opened wide when they saw Amara, and both of them kneeled. Arlyss must have told them something. Amara glanced at them briefly. When she spoke, it was the tone the Grand Chieftain used, not her mother.

"Everyone leave us. I wish to speak with Lord Arlyss' avatar. From one pact-bound to another."

Amelia stood and walked over to help Maldoun and Kismet stand. Both of them seemed even more terrified as they had to look up to see her face. When Varga stood, it was just as bad. Both of them glanced at Trillia's tiny form and realized that the [Runt] trait painted an extremely misleading visage of her people.

Once they had been led away and it was just Trillia, Ialu, and Amara at the table, Amara finally spoke. "It's good to see you. I'm happy that you at least chose a deity who will be honorable and competent as the one to bind yourself to for an eternity. His father has always been a fair and just god. I have no doubt his children will be the same type of deities. Arlyss filled us in on your plans. I..."

She paused. Trillia had tears in her eyes. Try as they might, her traits couldn't suppress the relief that Trillia felt upon seeing her mother again. Amara stopped speaking and walked around the table, and hugged her. "Official business can be handled later. You're safe now, little one. I'm not angry at you, just disappointed you felt the need to save us."

The waterworks started, and Trillia hugged her mother as tightly as she could. She thought she'd be strong enough to stand on her own, and despite everyone telling her what a good job she had done, she felt as if she was failing. It was a terrifying feeling. It reminded her of when Persona had taken her hostage. She felt powerless, despite being the reason the four of them had lived this time. She silently cursed her traits, they helped her stay calm in the heat of the moment, but after the fact, she'd always have this burst of emotional release. Like the traits didn't want it bottled up in her forever.

Instead, she just hugged her mother tightly. Ialu laid her snout on Trillia's back and shoulder. Official business could be handled later. Trillia was happy for that.