Chapter Fifty Seven - 057
Vessilia nodded at Evie as the latter left, ducking out the side exit and leading her small group on their journey. Atar and Harn had already left, presumably were even beyond the encampment even now, well on their way to the tower. The plan was working, though she feared almost too well.
Stop those thoughts. May the grace of Siva guide us. Vessilia had often turned toward her father's religion for comfort, usually finding it a warm blanket to soothe her thoughts. It was less than comforting today, however. Swallowing, she turned toward the room, doing a final count.
Other than Magda's friend (who was even now getting to her feet), there were nine prisoners still there. One group each for Felix and Magda to lead out of this place. She considered her own group, five of the survivors with impressive physiques but all the hallmarks of exhaustion. All were weakened, tired and bloody, near the end of their Stamina and Mana after hours in the Labyrinth below. Vessilia had learned much in talking to Vivianne, the Dwarven woman who had rushed to Callie's side after Magda had originally knocked her down. Apparently she was a journeyman in Field Medicine, though unfortunately without talent for Mana Skills, so lacked any true Healing in her repertoire. Impressive, nonetheless; the woman had a good head on her shoulders and helped to keep everyone else calm.
Smiling at her group, she led them to the exit. They were running low on time, having projected only a fifteen minute window to get in and out. Vessilia feared...No, she insisted. It will be fine.
"AH!"
One of the survivors, an Elvish man by the name of Pell, collapsed to the ground. Moving quickly, Vessilia rushed to his side, Vivianne right behind her. Ice was scattered all around the area, remnants from the weapon that nearly chopped her in half, and it was clearly on these chunks that the Elf had tripped upon. She glanced down at his leg, and his tattered pants revealed an ankle swollen and red, streaked with something dark just beneath the skin.
"Tsk, Pell why didn't you say something? Did it bite you?" Vivianne asked, her eyes intense. Pell only grimaced and nodded, looking away. Vessilia watched the Dwarven woman's face soften slightly before she pulled a few rags out of a pocket. "What'll I do with you, Pell? Foolish Elf." Quickly, she wrapped up his ankle and the two of them helped the Elf to his feet.
"Can you not heal it here?" Vessilia asked, looking at the Dwarf who shook her head, braid's swinging. The noblewoman reached for her hardened potions case, a side pouch where she kept her two emergency Health Potions. Vivianne's squarish hand stopped her.
"No, those won't do any good. The wound needs cleansing, and we can't do that here. All we can manage is a brace, for now." The Dwarf furrowed her brow, frustrated. Vessilia put her hand on her shoulder and smile gently, both at her and all the others.
"We will take care of him, of all of you, once we're free." She looked about, noticing that Magda had started to gather her people around her. "We must go. There is not much time."
The spearwoman got Pell's arm over her shoulder and neck, supporting his lanky weight. He stumbled, a slight tearing sound as he leaned against her and hissed in pain. Vessilia slipped, feeling something drop from her waist, likely Pell's patchwork armor. She fetched up against the icy wall for the briefest of moments. "I have got you, Pell. Everything is going to be fine."
Oration is level 16!
The Elf nodded, his face smoothing slightly, and the noblewoman kicked ice chunks out of her way while extolling her charges to follow her path.
"Come, my friends! We must be quick."
Magda released Callie, loath to let her go but knew that they were short on time. The nine remaining survivors gathered around them, all of them watching with some measure of nervousness.
"You good, Cal?" One of them asked, a dark skinned man, heavy with muscle beneath his tattered leather armor; clearly he'd developed his Body well beyond his first Temper, likely past his second as well.
Callie wiped her face and smirked. "I'm fine, Bodie. Thanks." She stood straighter and noticed the empty room. "Where is everyone?"
"Evacuated," Magda answered, gesturing toward the side exit. "My people led three groups out already. Just two more to go and we're done in this cursed city." Only silence met that declaration, and Magda looked at askance at Callie. "I know that silence. What?"
Callie hesitated, looking back toward the bronze doors they had just entered. "We...we can't leave, Mags."
"What?"
"There's something...whatever got buried here? It's bad. It's real bad. We can't let it be." Callie put her hands on her hips, scowling at the ice all around them. "Can't leave it to these frosted bastards."
"Explain," Magda frowned.
Cal grunted and started pacing. "The Labyrinth they had us run every day? It's a maze of traps and illusions, filled to the brim with chimera and elementals and who knows what else. It's a nightmare of torment, worse than any Nymean ruin I've ever seen."
"So why stay?" Magda asked, exasperated. "My plan was to leave all that behind. Get us back to civilization. Safety."
"Pfha!" Callie snorted, nose wrinkling in that familiar way it did. "Safety? Back in Haarwatch? Do you know why we're out here?"
Wow. Imagine if Pit ate this one? If he could even get his mouth around it, that is. Felix gazed at the shard embedded in the ceiling with wide eyes, walking around the circular balcony to see it from all angles. His eyes snagged on something on its surface, a faint sheen that seemed too orderly to be mere light reflections. He stared hard, tilting his head this way and that, trying to catch the light from below on its angled planes. Then he had it. It appeared to be a series of shallow engravings on the upper third of the shard, and the more he looked the more he saw.
Sigils of the Primordial Dawn is level 4!
They're sigils! Felix perused them a moment longer, noting only a few squiggles he recognized from the markings in the Temple. Working off a hunch, he tried Analyzing it again.
Name: Elemental Shard
Type: Elemental Core
Lore: While an elemental core is a central node to an elemental being, an elemental shard is an order of magnitude greater. Can be used for many crafts up to and including Epic ranked artifacts. This shard is being used as a focal point for a large area effect spell, evidenced by the sigils gracing its surface.
Rarity: Epic
Analyze is level 24!
Oh shit, finally! Analyze was his first Skill he'd ever earned, and he definitely planned on Tempering his Mind once it hit Apprentice Tier. He looked again at the new Lore entry for the Elemental Shard and grinned. Aha! This is the focal point of the wards around the building! I knew it!
Felix started to inspect the ceiling, certain that if he could somehow get this shard out of the roof he could break it up, feed it to Pit piece by piece. He was strong, he could probably carry the thing easily, right? He circled the icy balcony several times, but each time he couldn't quite figure out a way to leverage it out. Then he smacked his forehead, feeling like an idiot.
Magic. Use your damn magic, man.
Reign of Vellus!
He reached his hands forward and lightning began to arc around the ceiling and shard. With a tug of his Will, the ice shuddered and groaned...before sliding loose.
Hell yeah!
Felix floated the Elemental Shard toward himself, tilting it slightly so that it wouldn't bang into the iced over railing. The moment he put his hands on it, a notification popped up.
Do You Wish To Claim This Shard?
"Um, yes," Felix said with no little trepidation.
Shard Already Claimed. Contest Claimant?
Already claimed? Realization hit him. The giant. Or the Circle witches maybe. Whoever had cast the ward.
Directing his thoughts toward the prompt, he reluctantly said, "No."
Then the shard became absurdly heavy, almost ripping through his hands and into the floor beneath. "Holy shit!" He wheezed, veins standing out on his forehead. Felix could feel the ice-laden floor creak beneath his combined weight, and he did the only sensible thing he could think of: Reign of Vellus.
Lightning rapidly arced around the shard, but the weight lessened greatly as his Willpower took on the load. The shard bobbed in the air, lifted with much more grace than Tides of Vellus ever managed. "This Skill is so cool. If only I could stop all the lightning. Reduces the utility a lot."
Suddenly the building shook, ice shivering off and falling the hundred or so feet down to the ground floor.
What was that?
Then the doors, those massive bronze doors that fronted the building, exploded inward.
