“Are you alright, your highness? You seem to be out of breath,” laughed Njal, pouring an amber liquid into a glass vial. The bearded man hunched over and observed the fluid then placed the glass container over a small flame. Immediately the room was filled with a spicy smell closely resembling black pepper.

Cassian was hunched over with his hands on his knees. Sucking in air desperately like he just resurfaced after diving to the bottom of a lake. He shot Njal a dirty look. “I will never understand how you…and your bloody magi…traverse these damn stairs with…such ease.” He looked over at Light who was panting arduously. “See! Light agrees with me. Couldn’t you have designed the tower with a lift?”

“The Blue Tower is a place for thinkers, young lord.” Njal walked over to a bookshelf and selected a dusty tome from it. With a thud he slammed it down on a crowded table and flipped it open. “What better place to think could there possibly be, then when traversing a stairway?”

He is out of his damn mind. Cassian wiped his sweaty face with his tunic and shrugged. “The river, the library, a bakery. I can think of a million better places to think.”

Njal scanned the text in the book before him and chuckled. “It sounds like perhaps you could use some more time climbing the stairs.”

For one of the greatest minds in all the land, Njal sure is a crazy old man. Cassian shook his head subtly and walked over, setting down a container full of red mushrooms with white dots on the caps. “I got what you requested. Bluestalk puffball. I don’t know—it seems kind of silly if you ask me.”

Grinning and nodding his head, Njal scooped up the mushrooms and looked them over. “What is it you find, as you say, silly, young lord?”

"Well the name, I suppose. Why call them Bluestalk puffball, if the mushrooms are red. Was the one who discovered these colorblind?”

Njal raised a bushy eyebrow and shrugged at Cassian. “How the stars would I know? I didn’t discover and name the fungi. Give me a day or so to work on this new iteration and then I should be ready to administer it.”

Cassian looked at Light and clicked his tongue. “I really appreciate your help, Njal.” He spent a few minutes looking around the messy study at the oddities and illegible scribblings that were strewn all about. “What should we do in the meantime?”

Njal kept his nose buried in the tome and snorted. “Anything you want! You’re the prince of Enthamere and I am not your babysitter.” Ah, yes. The old not your babysitter line. Clever. As Cassian rolled his eyes and turned to leave with Light, Njal lifted a wrinkled finger into the air and spoke up, “Ah, but there was one thing. Radivar requested that you visit him again.”

“Excellent. More stairs.” Cassian muttered under his breath. When I become king, I think I will outlaw stairs in my kingdom.

After descending the stairs, Cassian still didn’t understand Njal’s point about it being the best place to think. When Cassian and Light entered Radivar’s laboratory, Cassian stopped and brought his hand to his chin. Something seems different here, but I can’t quite pinpoint it. Cassian looked around trying to figure out what felt off.

Just then Radivar stepped into the lab from a door on the far side of the room, his gaudy jewelry jingling with each step. “Your highness! You’ve returned, impeccable timing.” When the dark skinned man got closer he noticed the look of confusion on Cassian’s face. “Ah, you must have noticed the terrific news. Using dear Light’s blood sample I was able to concoct a potion that seems to cure these afflicted creatures of their madness!”

Light looked up at Radivar and turned away to clean his fur. Cassian laughed at his furry friend’s lack of interest and walked over to the enclosure holding the wolf with the crystalline eyes. His jaw dropped. While the mighty horned auroch was previously in a violent frenzy, it now laid on the floor watching calmly. “That’s terrific news, Radivar! Can you free these animals now?”

Radivar grinned but shifted nervously away from Cassian. “I wish to, yes. But first I need to make sure that the cure will work long term and without adverse side effects.”

Cassian turned and gave him a blank stare.

“Before I can free them, I need your help with one last task, Prince Cassian. I completely understand if you choose to decline, but if completed successfully these creatures will be free to live the rest of their lives in the wild.” Radivar played with the gold and silver beads braided into his beard nervously waiting for a response.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

Narrowing his eyes and stepping closer to the short magi, Cassian sighed. “Of course I’d like to help these animals, but why do I get the feeling that this mission is going to be a bit reckless and unnecessarily dangerous?”

Radivar laughed awkwardly. “You’ve certainly got good instincts, your highness.” He walked over to a desk and pulled out a charcoal drawing on a sheet of parchment. “Have you ever heard of a manticore?”

Cassian’s brow furrowed as he snatched the parchment and inspected it. “I’ve heard legends of this creature. Though, I always figured it was an old wives tale. An excuse farmers gave to my father’s auditor’s to avoid paying taxes when their livestock fell ill.”

“Oh it is very real I’m afraid, your highness.” Radivar reached into the desk and pulled out a stack of ink stained parchment and handed it to Cassian. “These are reports of the monster from the past few years. My suspicion is that it was twisted by the amethite. I need y—”

“Let me guess,” Cassian interrupted, thumbing through the reports then tucking them into his knapsack. “You want me to track down the manticore and administer your new cure to it?”

Radivar smiled with his eyes, the gold hoops in his beard clattering together as he nodded vigorously. “Very perceptive, your highness. If the serum works on the beast then you will have solved two huge problems for your kingdom. One, you will have stopped the creature from perpetually eating farmers and their livestock. And two, you will have ensured that the serum can be used to treat even the most severe cases of the stone sickness, as I’ve taken to calling it.”

“Eldan told me during my lessons that this stone sickness can affect humans if they aren’t trained to wield amethite. Could your serum be used on humans as well?”

Radivar clicked his tongue, “It’s certainly in the realm of possibility. It hasn’t been tested for use on men just yet. Human trials are generally frowned upon at the Tower.”

Taking a step back and crossing his arms, Cassian furrowed his brow. “But Njal is essentially doing a human trial on me in an attempt to free me from the witch's curse.”

“Njal, is the Lord Magister. The rules are his to break if he deems it appropriate.” Radivar stepped forward and patted Cassian on the back encouragingly. “Given his long relationship with your family, I suspect he feels a sense of duty to cure you of your affliction. You are the future of our nation, you know.”

“Yeah I suppose you’re r—”

Radivar inhaled suddenly, then interrupted, “On second thought, maybe you shouldn’t embark on this mission. The manticore is a deadly creature and Njal would hang me by my toes if he found out it was my assignment that saw the sole heir to the throne maimed or killed.”

The words of the magister seemed to offend Cassian and his face became red like a rose in the spring. “Njal doesn’t need to know. I’m so damn tired of people sheltering me and babying me! I’m a grown man, Radivar!” Barked Cassian.

Gesturing with his arms for him to calm down, Radivar spoke calmly, “No need to shout. Being underestimated your whole life sounds exhausting, I understand, truly. The Blue Tower is home to scholars and thinkers, there’s none here I could trust with this mission.”

Cassian laughed, “If only your magi could subdue the manticore by luring him into a massive stairwell then fleeing up the stairs until he passes out from exhaustion. Then they may have a decent chance.”

“Did you suffer head trauma in the fight with that witch?” Radivar shook his head and narrowed his eyes. “Perhaps I will reach out to the king and see if he can lend me a champion to undertake this quest.”

“Hold on now! You can’t just offer a quest and then rescind it so suddenly. That’s not fair.”

“It’s simply too dangerous upon further consideration. I can’t risk it. While you wait for Njal, you could spend some time in the libraries?”

Cassian felt like his insides were made of tinder and a spark had just set him ablaze. What a bumbling idiot! I am more than capable of completing this mission. It’s nothing but doubts everywhere I go. They have no idea how capable I am! Then a bell rang inside his racing mind. A subtle smirk found his face and he glanced over at Radivar. “You know, I think you’re probably right. It’s just too dangerous for me. My father should send a champion or three.” Cassian patted Light on the neck and turned to leave. “I think I’ll go down to the libraries after all.”

Radivar tilted his head slightly and shrugged. He turned away to take notes on the miraculous recovery of his subjects. “That went better than I expected. Level headed kid…”

On the way out of the room Cassian subtly scooped up two syringes full of inky black liquid into his sleeve. Making sure that Radivar wasn’t paying attention, he dropped them into his bag and exited the chamber.

Once they were descending the stairs Cassian pulled out the charcoal drawing depicting a vicious lion headed monster with wings and a razor sharp spiked tail. Looks like a proper gentleman. I imagine he will be quite keen to see Light and I. Chewing the inside of his cheek and smirking, he retrieved the stack of reports.

According to these reports, he looks to be a day or so to the south-east in the Gondovir mountain range. They say he’s made a nest near the peak of the tallest mountain. Of course that’s where he nested. It’s never oh yeah, he made a nest just off the road. It’s always something insane like the darkest dungeon, the driest desert or the tallest tower.