Ruinous Return

B2 – Chapter 13

James charged at the enormous snake, weaving between its lashing strikes as he stabbed at it with his sword. Once he got close enough to the main body of the creature, he planted the sword in its side and cast a spell. "Anno nin i gwelu en-galad." At the speed of light, he moved the whole length of the creature – his blade ripping along the creature's body the whole time.

He turned as it flailed and struck him. The blow sent him flying, and as he collapsed in a heap, he spotted the creature slowly regenerating. Fuck! He pushed himself up and jumped to the side as the serpent lashed out at him again. He chopped down vertically, cutting halfway through its whole neck. The creature reeled back, and that gave him a chance to recover. Placing his hand on his broken ribs, he wheezed out another spell. "En ethiel an le / thalion min / leithio hain garan / a galad hain trîw." His body repaired from the power of the healing external spell, and he took a deep breath in as the creature continued to regenerate.

How the fuck do I kill it? The monster weaved its head back and forth, as if appraising him with a newfound respect. He had already tried fire, poison, lightning, and light. Physical attacks weren't working, either. For the first time in a long time, he felt panic. I can't die here, he thought as images of his family flashed through his mind. That's it! He raised his hand and pointed it at the creature. "Ithil aen / feanor or / towen san gilith or / tahl naid talethen / a valat ohor."

A water spell he had memorized, it drew all of the water-based liquid from a target, exsanguinating it if it was living. The serpent writhed as the blood within it was extracted, the corpse shriveling up to a husk as all moisture was pulled out of it. The substances congealed into a floating orb next to James, and he threw it aside. It splashed against the wall, and he took deep breaths as his mana slowly began to refill. I almost ran out, he thought. Not having another hero to work with made these dungeons quite the challenge.

As the walls of the room returned and the passage to the reward chamber opened, he leaned his head back and sighed. How the hell did Lyn do all those dungeons on her own? She had claimed to have conquered twenty-two, last he recalled. Some were done in smaller groups of heroes, a handful with most of the then-living heroes…but she had completed at least ten on her own. The most common type of dungeons were combat-focused ones, so odds were she had to fight equal foes to what James had just fought. I don't even know if I could fight old Lyn, let alone this new, stronger one.

He looked down at his palm and flexed his hand. But she doesn't have weird monster abilities like innate regeneration. She's still mortal. Of that, he was assured. His envoy who had gone with Zebed's trade delegation had described her in detail, and that envoy was capable of divination spells. "She has a heart," he had said. "Along with every other organ that a person has. The armor and body enhancement will be no match for your holy blade."

The knowledge that she was mortal gave him hope. He needed to clear more dungeons. Two more were present in his kingdom's borders that his scouts had discovered. Standing up, he went down the hallway to claim his prize. A wooden box that revealed a mana core. He didn't listen to the lingering words of the Elenthian, and just consumed it. He did not need any further spell types to be effective in combat. What I need to do is practice rapid speech to cast what I do know faster and faster. He knew that Lyn could cast rapidly; she had shown that off as they made their way to the Demonic Dragon's fortress. She was basically rapping in Elenthir, which James knew he would have to be able to match to counter her spells with ones of his own.

He went to the other item on the altar. Curious, he thought as he tried to make out the Elenthir label on the jar of powdery substance. Damn, I've already used this type. He put the substance into his satchel anyways, and touched the altar as he reappeared in the cistern under Kor's Hold that led to the ocean. He made his way up to the surface and began walking back home. Who would have thought that a dungeon was right under our noses this whole time?

Maria went to the royal archive and approached one of the archivists. "Excuse me," she said softly.

The elderly woman turned around and bowed slightly, "Queen Maria. How may I be of assistance?"

"Is there a book that talks about the various heroes and their lives?"

"Ah…yes, we do have something. The Codex of the Statue. Give me a minute." The woman left and vanished into the bookshelves, returning a few minutes later with a leather-bound tome that had pages in varying states of decay; from ancient to pristine. "This is where the names of the heroes and their life's works are recorded. Think of it like a reference guide. We can pull more information on a specific individual if you require it."

"Thank you." Maria took the book and headed back to her chambers. She was searching for an answer. Why James had become more obsessed. He has a good opportunity to rekindle old relationships and make strong allies…but this desire to stop 'evil' is preventing that. She arrived at her chambers and sat on one of the cushioned chairs, opening the book to the beginning.

The first heroes were hand-selected by Aelor before the deity distributed his power amongst them. They assaulted the Destroyer's citadel but perished in the attempt.

Maria knew that much already. The first heroes failed in trying to defeat the Destroyer. Their names were lost to history, as they had not accomplished anything major worth writing about. But then the statue appeared in what is now known as the duchy of Sonash, and with enough mana, new heroes would be chosen. Most groups of heroes attempted to fight the Destroyer after any span of months to twenty years…but none were recorded as having the same level of personality changes that she had been seeing in James recently.

The statue of Aelor began to draw new heroes from other worlds. The intent, it is theorized, was in the hopes that their unique perspective, upbringing, and background would grant a chance at victory.

More generations fought, she read, and the First Age persisted with new waves of heroes fighting and ultimately dying. But there were some interesting stand-out differences. Namely, a Revenant hero she had never heard of before.

Fel Ocer, the Revenant hero of the tenth cycle (the first group to be summoned from another world), was the last hero that remained alive after escaping the dread fortress. As a summoning could not occur until all twenty heroes were dead, he was pressured to give up his life. He refused and used his power and influence to create a fortress in The Teardrop Isles. It was here that the first instance of instability amongst a hero was recorded. It is theorized that his hero core warped his personality on a deeper level than seen in the nine prior cycles, due to the usual lack of a mana core in summoned individuals. He fell into madness, raising armies of the dead and staying on that island until he naturally expired from age.

She began feverishly flipping through the book. Summoned heroes from other worlds – like her James. She found the entry she was looking for.

Kor Khreld, the Paragon hero of the sixth cycle, slew Raevan the Destroyer. He, the Oracle hero Sherel Dior, and the Berserker hero, Skir Trisk were the only three who survived the conflict.

As the need for heroes had vanished, the trio went their separate ways and founded the kingdoms of Khrelardia, Shereld, and Trisk respectively. Peace reigned amongst the three rulers for some time.

After five years passed, the three surviving heroes began to experience changes that drastically altered their kingdoms.

Kor pursued justice to the point that he began an inquisition amongst the people, becoming a beloved tyrant who saw any injustice as a death sentence. His rule was righteous and terrifying, and when he died, his son took the throne.

Sherel went mad from visions of the future, and died in her palace, leaving cryptic warnings and messages that were never deciphered.

Skir indulged in battle to the point that he became unable to discern friend from foe. He fought his own castle guard and was an unkillable force of nature until he eventually collapsed from lack of sustenance. He was then quickly dispatched by his daughter.

Maria took a shaky, deep breath. Her hands were shaking as she set the book down. James' conversations with her and his vehement opposition to parlaying with this new Destroyer told her one thing…James was changing because of the hero core within him. Because of where he came from. There has to be a way to stop it.

She was no mage, but she knew one. Taking the book, she rushed down the halls of the castle – past the servants and house guard, with her own guard rushing to keep up in their heavier armor as she went up the stairs to the large tower where the archmage resided. The most learned spell user in Khrelardia. Knocking on the door, she was greeted by the wizened old man who had first summoned her beloved. "Yes?" he asked.

"Is there a way to remove a mana core?" she asked as she pushed into the room.

The man stood aside and gestured to the nearby table, "It is theorized to be possible. There is a record of the Mage hero performing such a feat. Why do you ask?"

She flipped the book open and pointed to the passage about Fel Ocer, "Read this," she said as she went past him and shut the door.

The archmage sat down and read through the section she had shown him. She sat opposite him. "Hmm…this is interesting. I did not know that heroes were changed by their unique mana cores." He looked up at her, "Why do you want to remove a mana core?"

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Maria flipped to the entry about Kor, "The Paragon hero. This one was summoned from another world and went…mad."

"Ah," the elderly mage stood up, "You seek to ensure our King does not experience the same fate. Well, I can reach out to the Mage hero, but your best chance would be to contact her directly and inquire."

"How do I do that?"

The man went to a desk, pulled out ink and parchment, and brought it back to the table. "This is specially inscribed parchment. For emergencies only." He winked at her, "The Queen caring for her dear husband qualifies, I believe."

Maria shook her head, "I know how to read, but my penmanship is horrible. Could you take dictation?"

"Of course, your highness."

Stellas finished her task and sat back with satisfaction. "Done," she said softly to herself as she stretched and yawned. A full alphabet and pronunciation guide to the letters in Elenthir, along with translations to the three languages she knew. Thomas would handle the other translations, and then he would perform a transmutation spell of the highest complexity to mass replicate the completed primer.

"And now for the other project," she muttered as she went to the door and left the study that connected to Thomas' room. Her room was next to his, and after going in and changing to more out-and-about clothes, she left and exited the fortress. Lynhold was bustling with activity. She saw Humans out and about – more than before. Inquiring with one of the Duskari guarding the fortress proper, she learned of a recent group of Human settlers that came from Komorra and Rist, seeking refuge from Valagonia's crackdown on the revolts.

She made her way to Trisha's healer academy and wound her way through the complex. She was taken aback at the cleanliness of the building. The floors were covered with silver. She asked a nearby healer, and the woman explained that they were the easiest surfaces to clean. The countertops were covered with the same material, as was the base of the walls where it met the floor. There were plenty of beds that were occupied by people of various races in differing states of injury. To her surprise, magical healing was not being performed immediately. Instead, she saw mundane practices being performed.

"Ah, you're here," Stellas heard in Triskol as she had stopped to watch a man having his broken leg fixed. Turning to the voice, she saw the Healer hero, and bowed slightly.

"Thank you for seeing me, Lady Baxter."

"Just Trisha. Thomas said you wanted to discuss a proposal?" She gestured for Stellas to follow her, and she did so, going to a large office on the upper floor.

"That's right. It's something of a personal matter. He said you would be the best equipped to help."

Trisha took a seat and gestured for Stellas to sit opposite her. Stellas did so, and Trisha leaned back. "Well, do tell."

"He wanted to see if you could acquire something he called 'saline'."

"We have plenty of that," Trisha commented. "I can provide it with ease."

Stellas nodded, "He also wanted to ask if you would be willing to create a simple pamphlet with Elenthir verses for a variety of injuries that have enough restrictions built into them that the mana requirement is much lower than normal. We wish to include it in the Elenthir primer we are preparing."

Trisha nodded and made some notes on a sheet of parchment, "I can do that. It will take some time, and having someone who is more fluent in Elenthir than I would be helpful."

"That's why I'm here," Stellas stated. "I was top of my class at Professor Misery's mage school, and I have been given a comprehensive education over the past month of travel by the Knowledge hero."

Trisha nodded, "Let me do some rounds, and then we can get to it."

"What are rounds?" Stellas asked as she stood to follow Trisha.

"It's a term from my world. It's when the highest-ranking physician – healer – goes to various patients, often accompanied by new healers, and provides diagnosis and instruction on the spot. Think of it like a live demonstration form of teaching."

"I would be pleased to watch," Stellas said with authentic enthusiasm.

The tunnel Lyn walked down was much, much older than the prior tunnel and chamber they had exited. The dust was caked inches deep upon the floor, and there was a stale scent of untouched, stagnant air. She walked forward cautiously and stopped the group as she saw the blue glow at several points along the passageway. "Traps," she muttered as she crouched down to scoot closer to one.

"How can you tell?" Vael asked.

"Rogue core," Lyn replied as she blew away some of the dust, lifted a rough tile, and crushed the spring mechanism with her clawed grip. "Let's speed this up. Caran aeren / o ael / eithil gilith / naid telir / a tasorn / or heledh hen." A gust of wind blew out of Lyn's palm, coursing down the hallway before rushing back to her, picking up all the dust and debris, before condensing into a sphere in front of her. She set it down on the ground.

With the floor no longer covered, the four could see the inlaid pattern of the rough stone. "It looks like a river," Gael commented. There were blue colored stones winding back and forth, surrounded by grey rock.

Lyn chuckled, "Just follow the river. It avoids every trap trigger." She walked along the blue stones, careful to ensure she placed her feet perfectly. Glancing back, she saw the other three making decent progress, but had to reach out and catch Thomas as he almost slipped off one of the smaller stones. "Watch your footing," she stated plainly. "You're the only one here who can heal."

Thomas wiped some sweat from his brow, "Yeah, right. More focus on footwork. You know I'm a bit of a klutz."

Lyn continued forward until she came upon a large double door. The door had no inscription but was split down the middle with a line of rock. On one half, there was a spot for a humanoid palm print with seven fingers, and on the other half, a palm-print for an elongated, dainty palm. "Adhano nin ennas / nan hen / en-Duskari," Lyn whispered as her draconic features were suppressed. She pressed her palm into the slot on the door, and it glowed brightly before sliding open with a rumbling noise. There was a slight, black film that looked like the entrance to a dungeon, and pushing her hand against it, she found the usual jelly-esque resistance before her hand passed through.

"What did you do?" Thomas asked as he peered over her shoulder.

"My body looks just like Raevan's did when I talked to her in the Destroyer core. I think this door could only be opened by her, or someone who looks exactly like her. Hell, Vael is the same size, so she could possibly do it also." She looked at the other door, "The statue of Aelor always had its hands hidden, right?"

Thomas nodded, "Yes, we never saw that part of his features. The Elenthians had seven fingers, though."

"Want to bet that he had seven fingers?"

"It's a solid guess. That means, in all likelihood, that both deities would use whatever was in there. Come on, let's go inside."

Lyn nodded and walked into the chamber. The entire room was a huge circle and glancing back she saw the other door for Aelor, still shut. In the center of the room was an enormous throne of black glass.

As Lyn walked forward, she felt the Destroyer core pulsating within her, as if drawing her towards the seat. The inky blackness of the throne swirled within a housing of transparent obsidian that was intricately shaped and carved.

"Don't touch it," Thomas said. "We don't know what it will do. Best let me do a divination spell to check."

Lyn ignored him and touched the throne, feeling a jolt of energy rush through her body as the shifting spell ended and her draconic features re-emerged. The darkness within the throne surged around her talon, and it seemingly beckoned her to sit.

Vael and Gael stood at the back of the chamber, but Thomas walked forward and put a hand on her shoulder, "Just stop for a second!"

She turned to Thomas and shook his hand off, "It's obviously a throne made for me. Do you not see this?" she asked as she put her hand on the armrest and the black inkiness spread over and seemingly tugged at her. "It's obviously supposed to be something I sit in."

"To me it looks like you're just touching an arm rest."

Lyn blinked a few times before glancing back at the throne. She saw the shadows swirling within. "No, it's filled with something." She looked to the twins, "Vael, Gael, what do you see?"

"Solid stone," Vael stated. "A single seat made from marble."

Gael looked at her with a shocked expression, "Really? It looks like a giant carved chunk of wood to me."

Thomas sighed, "Just let me do the damned divination spell, okay?"

Lyn nodded and pulled her hand away. "Fine. Do what you will."

Thomas held his hand out over the seat and incanted a verse, "Dand le / i felais hen / a aniron le / danthar bain ned thir." His eyes glazed over and the iris' were replaced with a pure, white color. He whispered aloud in Arinol, "This throne…is the Throne of Raeloran…the seat of the singular deity who created the Elenthians…before splitting itself into Raevan and Aelor." His eyes returned to normal, and he looked at Lyn with sheer excitement, switching to English. "It's like an antenna you could plug yourself into. You could be sitting on this in the Valley of the Volcano, center of the continent, and reach anywhere on Ghomar with your spells." He sighed and swapped back to Arinol, "The downside is that the mana cost is still the same. And, you either need to have been there, or have an active divination sensor or similar effect to see what you wanted to interact with, spell-wise."

Holy shit…This is perfect. I just have to move it from here to Lynhold. She focused her mana and incanted a storage spell. A storage space appeared next to her, and she waved to the twins, "Come over here and help me lift this."

The trio used the internal spell to bulk their muscle mass, and with some significant effort, lifted and moved it into the storage space. Lyn let it close. Thomas looked on with a smug expression, "This is awesome. You'll be able to change things remotely, literally reshaping the world to your will with earth elementalism. You could make lakes with water elementalism! If you got flora as an external spell type, you could bring life to barren wastes. Not that Ghomar has those, but still! Fucking awesome."

Lyn nodded, "Well, I think we should check the exterior of the room just in case there's something else hidden. Everyone spread out and search." The four split up and scoured the room, but finding nothing, returned to the entryway. "Nothing." She looked at Thomas, "Looks like we have finished unearthing the secrets of the Ruins of Elent. Is there anything else to do here?"

Thomas shook his head, "No. We have every item and scrap of knowledge, we have learned what happened to the Elenthians, and we found the name of the singular deity pre-split. Not to mention the throne the deity used to amplify its power." He grinned, "This has been more than I dreamed of finding. Thank you for prioritizing it."

"No problem," Lyn replied as she led the way back through the trapped hallway. "Now, on to Trisk for a meeting with a king."

Exiting the tunnel, and going up the stairs, Lyn activated the inscription to allow entry to the main complex. The four continued out the front doors, and Thomas paused, looking back at the building with a sad expression. "It's bittersweet. I spent so many years here, uncovering secrets. And now I'm leaving it for the last time."

"It doesn't have to be the last time," Lyn replied. "We can always come back here."

Thomas shook his head, "There's nothing for me here. Hector is gone, and we have removed everything of value." He turned to her with a sad smile, "It was a good time in my life, but now it's time for a new chapter…I'm not just Thomas, the Knowledge hero who ran off to find ancient secrets. I'm the Scholar to the court of Lady Rivers." He laughed a little, "And, her most trusted advisor."

Vael laughed, "I don't know about most trusted. She trusts my brother and I quite a bit, baring herself in her most vulnerable state."

Thomas shrugged, "Fair point. So, Lyn…do we get to ride you again?" He smiled at the innuendo-laced question.

Lyn flipped him off and stepped away from the others, "En ethiel i thalion min nin / i beleg bregol en-ngurth / na garo nin rhaw / a adlethad ha na / i beleg nadhras sui ar Ghomar." Her form shifted to the full dragon shape, and she lowered herself a bit so the others could mount up and get settled between her spines. Letting out a roar, she ascended into the skies, flying well above the storm until the air grew thin. She felt the mana draining but had gained enough height she could glide over the storm and out over the ocean – to the kingdom of Trisk.