Corvo awoke to the sight of an unfamiliar ceiling on a camp-bed, which reminded him of the ones they had used during the Edenian War.
'...white cloth? A tent? ', he thought as he propped himself up to look around.
Around him, he saw multiple dwarves and lykans lying on the same kind of camp-beds, some of them covered in bandages and some of them being tended to by healers. Shortly after he rose to a sitting position, he was approached by one of them, a dwarf in the robes of a cleric.
"Mister...Ignis, was it? How are you feeling? Are you all, right?"
"Hm? Oh, yeah... never felt better. How did I get here?"
"Well, after Lady Sklíros made sure that her grandchild was alright, she immediately went back to look for you. She found you collapsed in the old watchtower, and seeing as nothing was able to wake you up, brought you here right away."
"I see... how long was I out for?"
"About one full day. We feared you might have slipped into a coma due to you having exerted too much mana, but I am glad that our fears seem to have been misplaced. Again, is there anything that feels out of place?"
"No, it is quite alright. By the way, is Lady Sklíros still in town, or did she return home already?"
"She is currently with our mayor in the neighbouring tent. In fact, she even requested us to bring you to her, if you were to awaken before she left."
"Perfect. If you'll excuse me, I will take my leave then."
"May the light of Order guide you on the Ardent Path, traveler."
Corvo exited the first-aid tent, and looked around. Things seemed to have calmed down a little since the last time he had been here, but the soldiers standing guard near the tents still seemed on edge about the situation. He had been in the outermost of the 5 first-aid tents which had been put up, as he was believed to be in a coma and thus did not need immediate care. This meant that Ophelia was in the only tent next to the one he was in.
'Alright, but first I need to check up on something...', he thought, before making his way behind the tent. After reassuring himself that no one else was looking at him, he decided to retrieve the pages he found in Rainier's tomb from his pockets.
'Hm... This one's about a curse...quite complicated magic, though it feels...incomplete? It speaks of a way to turn its victims into mindless puppets of the Void after turning them to stone, though not about what happens afterwards...It looks like someone erased that part of the spell-circle, maybe while trying to destroy the page? At least the part that speaks of how to undo it is still intact. I need to forward this to the Magician's Guild before I finish my mission...only how to break the curse though. We don't need any more casualties.', he concluded while going over the contents of the first one.
'Now for the other one...! '
On the front, the spell-circle itself could be found, a highly complex formula containing runes and symbols which Corvo had never even heard of before, and he considered his knowledge of magic-theory quite extensive. On the back of the page, he found the purpose of the spell-circle, as it contained instructions on how to conduct the ritual. It was summoning magic which could call forth any being whose name and symbol was known to the caster, even celestials, or so it claimed.
"Impossible! How could such a thing even exist?", he thought out loud, surprised at what he had read, before quickly making sure that he was still out of sight from others.
'Hmm...those are the names of the 24 Gods of Creation, but what's this? Tiamat, the Godslayer? Apollyon, Avatar of Anguish? Varoth, the United? Never heard any of these names before in my life...hey, isn't that that yellow symbol the necromancer used?', his train of thought resumed as he skimmed through the other names on the page, and his eyes remained on the yellow symbol, which he had encountered multiple times ever since he had turned into a wizard, though the name next to it was, for some reason, indecipherable, unlike any other name on the list.
'I guess that's the one Gemini mentioned, this Yellow Seer? Let's see...I have to offer someone's soul to serve as a tribute on an altar devoted to the Void, as well as some of my own blood, which needs to contain enough power to warrant a summon? How barbaric', he cringed in disgust at the thought, before stashing the pages back in his pocket.
'An altar...Hm... the one in Foretblue? And for the soul...maybe I could use the gem fragments of that phylactery as substitutes. Despite them being nothing more than shards with remnants of soul-energy, they should amount to at least one full soul, no? ...yeah, I guess my next two destinations are settled then. I'm not going to just walk all the way to Fons Magicae, though. I learned from my mistakes. Maybe the mayor or Ophelia can help me get there...'
After making sure that he had been out of eye- and earshot of others until now, he made his way inside of the neighbouring tent.
Most of the injured here seemed to have suffered greater damage, though nothing more than something that could be fixed with bandages. He followed the path between the beds, and, at the end, reached the bed of the mayor, which was surrounded by Ophelia and Sara.
Opposite from them, he noticed the dwarven brothers who he remembered to have been tasked with fixing the walls of the town, one of whom had his beard cut short and hands bandaged completely, and now tried and failed to drink water from a glass, as his brother mockingly asked him if he needed help while trying his best to contain his laughter.
Upon approaching them, Ophelia's ears started to twitch, and she turned around to face him.
"Well look who it is! Thought you were taking your last nap back when I picked you up at that tower, you old codger, but looks like even death doesn't want to be around you, eh? What happened?", she asked, causing the others to look at him as well.
"Charming...Anyway, after we parted ways, I found the lair of the one calling herself the Queen of Undeath, and dealt with her. I believe that this will put an end to your undead problems.", Corvo answered.
"Truly? Not that I doubt your words, Mister Ignis, but could you provide evidence to this claim? Liches are known to be illusive monsters, so pretending to be cut down only to resurface shortly after can be considered second nature to them.", Haris asked between pained breaths as he tried to rise to a seating position, but was stopped by Sara.
"Hush now, we'll take over until your ribs are back in place, so just keep down and rest, okay?", she reprimanded him, and he sunk back into his pillow.
"Certainly. Liches are capable many things, though living without their phylactery is not one of them. The remnants of her phylactery are still in her hideout inside of the abandoned watchtower at the end of the road, as is a multitude of all kinds of items she stored there, most of which seemed to be enchanted. I would advise against entering without someone skilled in trap-detection, as there seem to be multiple spell-circles hidden beneath the carpets and behind the walls.", Corvo explained.
"Getting someone up here who is capable to do this kind of work could take a while...say, would you be able to do this? If it's not too much trouble for you, that is.", Sara asked him.
"I could do that, though I would like to ask for a favour of my own in turn.", he stated, causing Ophelia to look at him with suspicion clear in her eyes.
"Depends on the favour. Shoot, old man.", she demanded in a tone that indicated he would best not try to demand anything outrageous.
"I need to get to the City of Magic in Albion as soon as possible. Would you be able to provide me with a means of transport that would shorten the time I would need to get there?", Corvo asked, causing the old lykan in front of him to visibly soften up.
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"You just need a ride? Should have said so earlier!", she said before punching his shoulder with a bit too much force behind the punch.
"Hey! I know we are in a first-aid tent, but you don't need to break my arm!", he lamented, causing the others to chuckle.
"Whatever, old man. Me and Sara need to go to the capital and report what happened here, especially since that ginger bitch I fought earlier seems to have been a member of the royal guard. That bastard merchant friend of hers had a carriage we can 'borrow' until we get there, and seeing as Albion's border isn't too far from there, there shouldn't be a problem with you tagging along, as long as you keep your antics to a minimum. We clear?"
"Sounds good to me. Do you want me to lead you to the tower now, or do you need to prepare?", Corvo approved to her proposition and inquired about their next move.
"We should wait until the reinforcements from Potami arrive, since I don't want to leave this town unguarded in case there are still undead out there.", Sara replied.
"Very well, I will wait outside."
And with a polite bow, the wizard took his leave.
Upon the arrival of the guards from Potami, Corvo, Sara, Ophelia, and Noín made their way towards the guard-tower. At first, they climbed the stairs to inspect the upper floor, which had been remodelled into a throne-room. Finding nothing out of the ordinary, they descended down to the lower floors, were Corvo took apart the magical traps. First, they decided to inspect the lowest floor and confirm the story of the wizard. One look at the destroyed onyx crystal was all it took for Noín to verify what had happened, as he had dealt with quite a few liches before.
"Even I can tell these shards reek of death, and me nose been complete shite since that sulphur explosion when I was a wee lad. Makes ye wonder who this belonged ta, though I'd rather not know.", the dwarf stated grimly, before they decided to leave them behind and explore the other rooms.
However, before leaving, Corvo picked up a few of the larger shards and put them into one of his pockets.
Next was the armoury, which was filled with enchanted weapons and items that were either cursed or filled to the brim with necrotic energy, countless different containers full of all kinds of poisons, and a bookshelf full of heavy tomes.
"Gan úsáid! Nothing I'd even consider touching with tongs.", the dwarf cursed, annoyed at not being able to take anything as trophy for himself.
"Yeah, only poison and cursed shit.", Ophelia said in a similar tone.
"May I take a few of those?", Corvo asked as he pointed at the books.
"Why would you need books about necromancy, curses, and poison?", Sara asked him, who became uneasy thinking about what such knowledge could cause in the hand of the wrong person.
"All knowledge is sacred, so sayeth the Scholar's Oath.", Corvo nonchalantly recited the motto of the worshippers of Morpheus, the God of Wisdom.
"I don't know about that. You think that's a good idea, giagiá?", Sara inquired.
"Heh, he'll probably just get himself killed if he tried to use any of them curses, so sure, why not?", Ophelia replied, and Corvo hastily retrieved all the books from the shelf.
"Woah, woah, hold on a minute! How the hell did you get all those books into your pockets? And how can you still walk normally with that much weight in there?", Ophelia yelped in surprise, as though she knew of magic which could expand bags so they could hold more items, this did not remove their weight.
"...magic?", Corvo retorted with a shrug, causing her to sigh.
"Whatever, let's just move on.", Ophelia said while rolling her eyes and the three walked up the stairs.
The living quarters were comprised of 6 different rooms, with three on each side of the hall that connected them. Ophelia already headed for the first door to their right, but Corvo stopped her dead in her tracks, as it was rigged with powerful magic that even he would not be able to defuse. Therefore, the group started with the first two doors on the left instead, both of which only contained beds and empty chests.
"Smells like the bastards we fought. Guess they stayed here while discussing how to kill us off.", Ophelia snarled before spitting on the ground.
In the last room on the left, they were greeted by excessive luxury, as the room resembled that of a noble. The walls were clad in luxurious wallpaper, the floor was hidden behind a fancy red carpet, the bed seemed fit for royalty, and the furniture, a large chest, a bookshelf, and a writing desk, were covered in gold. On the desk, they found the journal of a Liam Grenouiller Faex, which Corvo decided to read after assuring the others that there was no trace of enchantments or magic-traps found anywhere else in the room.
"Oi! I found me-self one fine gemstone! I call dibs!", the dwarf exclaimed in joy at the rather large ruby he had found within the chest, which other than that only seemed to contain the robes of a spellcaster.
Sara, meanwhile, took a look at a bluish-silver halberd affixed to the wall, before taking it off.
"Noín, do you know what material this halberd is made from?", she asked the dwarf, which hurried over to her.
"Hm... well how bout that, this be made of gormnarí ! What did humans call it...dwarven steel was it? Whatever, this was definitely made by dwarves! How the hell did these walking corpses get their filthy hands on this?", Noín grumbled as he snatched the weapon off of her paws and inspected it.
"Is it some kind of stolen heirloom? Or would it be okay for me to take it?", Sara asked, and the dwarf shook his head.
"Not likely. Sloppy hammer-work, probably made by some apprentice...though still a decent weapon, I suppose. The runes on the hilt simply translate to 'Made for Faex', probably a human family, as the one who made it didn't even bother putting their own name on it."
"No need looking for them, according to this, the one who stayed here was the last one bearing that name... It also speaks of other hideouts in Chóratonippotón and Éclat, so we should probably inform the authorities there as well.", Corvo sighed, before closing the book he just skipped through and put it into one of his pockets.
"...sooo, I can keep it?", Sara asked, and with a shrug from Noín, she excitedly took it from the dwarf and strapped it to her back.
"Next room then?", Ophelia urged to continue, as she was yet to find anything she could take for herself, and they left the room.
The next room contained two beds and reeked of decay. All other furniture, as well as most of the items they found, were only comprised of instruments of torture, so they quickly left for the next one.
Neighbouring the torture chamber was a completely normal room, though caked in dust and cobwebs, as if no one had entered it for decades. There were two field-beds, one on each side of the room, two chests, with each one placed next to one of the beds, and a weapon-rack opposite of the entrance, on which they found a longsword, two short-swords, two staffs and a large shield.
"Well I'll be damned! A Flamberg sword? Not many up here, more common in tha south and the homeland, I reckon...eh? Is...is that more gormnarí? But... this be human letters, no runes of ours? Did a human blacksmith make this!? How in Gideon's name...", the dwarf yelled out in excitement as he inspected a longsword with a wavy, flame-like blade, before moving on to the two short-swords next to it on the rack.
The shield, which was decorated with the symbol of some noble house none of those present were familiar with, and the two ordinary looking wooden staffs, which were placed next to it on the rack, disappointed him, however, as they were neither made of any fancy materials, nor crafted by a famous blacksmith.
"Ain't no carpenter, so staffs ain't me thing."
Meanwhile, Corvo opened one of the chests, which contained an assortment of spellcaster-robes. He noticed that their design was similar to the robe of the undead spellcaster, which he saw in his vision in Rainier's tomb, and therefore concluded that this had to be the room of the two undead which managed to occupy the Rainier for quite some time.
'These kinds of robes, together with those stars stitched into them... I remember reading that the Arcane Union used to display their Star-Ranks on their robe before Edenia... So I guess the symbol on the back is the emblem of the Union? How old were these guys? ', he thought, before closing the chest and opening the other, which was empty, as the one known as Jack probably only wore his adamantite armour.
With everyone now a few items richer, as Ophelia decided to take the longsword, having wielded a similar one during her time in the resistance, and Sara replaced her two damaged short-swords with the two from the chamber, they left the guard-tower.
"Hey, Mister Ignis? Could you perhaps...I don't know, collapse the building somehow? It would probably be for the best if the poison and the cursed items were no longer accessible.", Sara asked Corvo.
"Hm...I think that's a good idea. And call me Corvo, please.", he asked of her, before motioning them to step back a bit.
"Let's see...how about...TREMO!", he raised his staff, and a large, white spell-circle formed beneath his feet.
The ground began to shake before them, and cracks began to form in the walls of the tower, before the entire building began to collapse in on itself.
"That should do it, no?", he asked, and the others seemed to agree with him.
"Oho! Ye knew earth-magic as well? I thought ye was a pyromancer? Not bad for a human!", the dwarf hollered, impressed by the feat, though before Corvo could correct him, as he had used Reality Magic and not earth-elemental magic, he was punched in the leg by the dwarf. Though it was meant as a pat of approval, it caused Corvo to buckle, and he fell face-first into the snow.
With countless apologies of the remorseful dwarf, and just as countless explanations of how there was none needed for an honest mistake, the four returned to Apomónosi, where a celebration was held for the heroes who had put an end to the undead threat.
The next day, after the funeral for those who had lost their lives during the attacks, Corvo, Sara, and Ophelia started their journey towards the capital of Chóratonippotón, the city of Veloth, in the carriage left behind by Michail Gyrológos.
The two lykans happily chatted about the past in the driver's seat of the carriage, while Corvo decided to take a nap, as he believed this journey ahead to be completely uneventful, as the hardest part surely laid behind him.
He would be proven wrong.