Aftermath

The wheels of the wagon rolled without slowing down, crunching dirt and stone underneath its edges like they were nothing. Its driver, Roswell whipped the horses relentlessly. While the mercenary believed in treating animals fairly, he also believed in following orders, and his order right now was to get their party as quick as possible to Mu Astra. Roswell uttered a word of thanks to the horses as the animals galloped without fail and promised them a lot of rest and food later.

Not words, but a cry of anguish escaped Lyrus' mouth when Heronicus' spell finally wore off. While his body was still aching from being bound, blood coursed through his veins like hot tar, burning his very being with rage. He spent the next few minutes punching the wooden walls in his room until splinters stuck out his hands like quills of a porcupine. Gone. Heronicus was gone and so does hope for Auria and Threanas. What would he say to Edrana? How would he face Deanor and the others?

"Lyrus, we're having dinner right now. Do you want to join us?" Freid asked from outside Lyrus' room. Even his bestfriend was shocked when Leane and him narrated their meeting with the half-elf sorcerer. While Freid may hide it, Lyrus knew that his bestfriend was worried about him just by the tone of the latter's voice. Deciding that striking walls would get him nowhere, Lyrus removed the splinters from his knuckles then went down at the bar.

He felt the gazes of everyone as he made his way to the table. The last thing he needed right now was pity. The knight proceeded to eat the stew before him, the bits of potatoes felt like lead as each one dropped down into his stomach.

"Leane, please feed Marah after supper." He instructed the sorceress. Heronicus' spell prevented Marah from speaking and even moving, hence the need for someone to look after her. Leane had tried to break the spell but to no avail. Even Ruiri's magic and Lyrus' Etrnur wasn't able to do the job. After the morning's events, Freid immediately sent word of the encounter to the Midnight Council, including the fact that The Exiled had one of their own interrupt the party's efforts to secure the Sky Marigold.

"So what now? Are we going back?" Roswell spoke. Lyrus saw the mercenary's question coming. He knew Roswell wouldn't miss a chance to gloat at his failure. The knight stood up from his seat, his stew half-eaten, and was about to offer a piece of his mind to the mercenary when Leane came rushing down from upstairs.

"Lyrus…this is bad. Marah has passed out." Leane panted as she relayed the news.

"And why should we be worried about that?" Roswell replied. The mercenary was unhappy with how things turned out. Sure, they managed to capture the Forest Lurker but he didn't get to have his revenge.

"Because I checked her body and some of the runes on her are still actively resisting the spell. She fainted because she's losing mana by the minute. If this goes on, she might die within a few days." Leane replied irritably. She hated Marah for messing their mission alright, but she wouldn't be able to forgive herself if a fellow mage dies infront of her especially when she could have done something about it.

"Roswell, why don't you shut up and prepare the wagon? Freid, you help Leane bring Marah down and prepare our things." Lyrus took a step forward towards the mercenary, fists clenched.

"What did you say, again?" The mercenary held Lyrus by the collar of his gambeson. Roswell might be larger and taller than him, but the knight held his ground and locked eyes with the man.

"I said, prepare the wagon. We're going to Mu Astra right now."

"Are you out of your mind? You seriously going there to get her fixed? She ruined our plans. She is not even a citizen of Threanas." Roswell held Lyrus' collar tighter, to the point of ripping it off.

"I said…prepare. the. wagon." Lyrus gripped the mercenary's arm with his hand, exposing his bloodied knuckles.

"Fine. But don't blame me if that woman does something stupid again." The mercenary let go of the knight and left. Marah might had caused them problems and even the Sky Marigold itself but to let her die is something else. He might not be able to save Auria and Threanas but right now he can save a life and that's what matters.

The group left Ybrali a few hours before midnight. Mu Astra is a good five days of travel and would require them to cross the Wesdirec river. If what Heronicus said was true, then maybe they can also find a way to cure Auria there. Afterall, Mu Astra is the training academy and temple for mages. There are seven 'Mus' located all over Elderone. Legends say that the first practitioners of magic discovered seven locations with large concentrations of mana and seeing the potential use of said places for the study of magic, built schools and temples on them.

Threanas is fortunate to have a Mu within its territory, assuring the kingdom a good supply of talented spellcasters and healers. However, Mus have always stayed independent of the nations in which they reside. Mus might send some mages to serve in the palace or neighboring cities or provinces, but its inhabitants have also restrained themselves from interfering in political affairs. As such, there's no telling how they would react when asked for help.

Lyrus gazed at the unconscious woman. Freid was attending to the horses while Leane and Roswell slept. They have made camp on a hill for the night. The plan was to start moving again after the horses have rested. The knight placed both of his hands at the curled form of Marah, the purple runes still glowing as they form a sort of rope around her. Him, Ruiri, and Leane have taken turns trying to break the spell using their own methods.

"Lyrus…I have an idea." Ruiri spoke and walked towards the knight. Speaking a few choice words, bright blue runes appeared on the bandaged man's sword, illuminating further their campsite. The knight gazed at the glowing blade and marveled at Ruiri's power. If he only he had such power, then maybe he can have prevented what happened to Auria.

"Use your spell and I'll use my sword at the same time." Ruiri suggested.

"We can try that but why don't we wait for Leane? Let's combine all of our…spells."

"That's too risky. Even now, we don't know how Heronicus' spell would react if countered by two different ones." Ruiri replied. He's desperate just like Lyrus as obvious by the fact that the otherwise timid man has decided to take a gamble.

Lyrus agreed to Ruiri's plan. Once more he concentrated on his intention to break the spell while Ruiri let the tip of his blade touched the purple runes binding Marah. Upon Ruiri's signal, Lyrus shouted Etrunr while the former thrusted the tip of his sword. A flash of blinding light appeared, and the two were both thrown off their feet with Lyrus rolling down the hill a good few yards.

"You okay?" Freid asked as he offered his hand to Lyrus. Lyrus grab hold of his friend's arm but his knees collapsed the moment he tried to get up, prompting Freid to support him with his shoulder.

"You two should stay away from each other. Both of you are like martyrs and a group of martyrs usually gets executed…Oh look, sourpuss is awake." Freid laughed at the sight before him; Roswell scolding Ruiri while the latter scratches his head in embarrassment.

"He's a good man. He could have stayed at Ybrali given that our mission is now over but he didn't. He wanted to help Marah."

"Yes, he's a good man and he's very much like you." Freid replied, grinning once more upon seeing Lyrus' bemused expression.

The group spent the next few hours checking their inventory and provisions and trying once more to break Heronicus' spell. Leane even tried using Etrunr on Marah but discovered that she cannot produce the spell at all, to Lyrus' surprise. The female mage also attempted to coax Ruiri to teach her his magic. Ruiri, however, declined, saying that his magic is a personal skill passed generation to generation in his family. While it irked Leane a bit, she let the bandaged man have his way. She maybe desperate to save Marah but she still respects family tradition even if it includes magic itself.

It was just a few hours before dawn when the party set out again. It was Freid who was manning the wagon while the others stayed inside the wagon bed. This time, Lyrus used some of Edrana's potions on the unconscious woman. It was fortunate that Edrana labeled the bottles meticulously, stating what each concoction does and its possible side effects.

"What's that?" Lyrus asked as he saw Roswell bring up a vial containing a bubbling yellowish liquid.

"Poison." Roswell replied as he uncorked the vial and started to bring it up to Marah's mouth.

"Wait, what? Why?" Ruiri asked as he tried to grab the flask from the mercenary and failed.

"Do I need to explain everything?"

"Yes, yes you do." This time it was Leane who spoke, having just woken up. Holding her staff ready. Roswell might be a great mercenary but that doesn't mean she will think twice to protect Marah if needed be.

"This poison puts the body into a sudden 'shock', sharpening your senses to the point that you feel overwhelmed and unable to move. Might wake her up." Roswell then poured the liquid into Marah's mouth before anyone can react.

"Damn it, Roswell!" Leane shouted so loud that Freid jumped a bit on his seat infront.

"I've got the antidote, relax. If nothing happens after a few minutes, then I'll make her drink the antidote. Just thought that maybe poison will work on her." The mercenary examined intently Marah's face, like a hawk searching a field for mice.

However, even Roswell's poison was of no effect, forcing the mercenary to administer the antidote after awhile. Leane, on the other hand, got frustrated with the man, having been forced to use healing magic on Marah just to make sure that the latter is fine. By the time daylight broke, the female mage was sitting beside Freid infront of the wagon.

The next few days were no different from when the party left for Ybrali. They traveled nonstop, resting only for a few hours to allow the horses to recover. Freid and Roswell have taken turns driving the wagon while Lyrus, Ruiri, and Leane continued to attempt to break Heronicus' spell. By the fourth day of their journey, all three have slept all throughout the morning until well into the night. Their bodies have and mana have been exhausted greatly. Even Leane who is an accomplished mage passed out at one point.

Marah, on the other hand, wasn't getting any better. By the time they made it to Wesdirec River, the woman has lost all her color, while her skin became cold to the touch. At one point, Leane thought that the Exiled member was dead, crying for a few minutes as Freid comforted her.

"The moment we pass the river we'll be in the territory of Mu Astra." Leane declared as they navigate the wagon through the waters of Wesdirec. They were fortunate that it was the peak of summer when they crossed since the water was shallow, otherwise they would be facing raging rapids.

Lyrus didn't feel it at first but as they crossed the river and journeyed closer to Mu Astra, a heavy sensation slowly enveloped their party. While Leane and Ruiri seemed impervious to it, Lyrus, Freid, and Roswell were panting and sweating heavily. As they reached the walls of the temple, the three were already on their knees despite riding on a wagon the whole time.

"What you're feeling is mana. When mana concentration becomes so high and dense, even those without affinity for magic can sense it. Don't worry, you'll get used to it." Leane spoke, clearly struggling to keep a straight face while Ruiri smirked at the female mage's and the three's reaction.

Lyrus has never been in a temple before so Mu Astra's appearance amazed him, momentarily making him forget about the unpleasant sensation caused by the mana around them. Four large towers stood at each of the corners of the domed temple. Its large walls are adorned with large paintings and runes. Obelisks and statues of various shapes and sizes littered its surroundings. Some of the statues are of animals while others of beings so hideous that Lyrus was sure such abominations could not have existed. Torches constantly flickered from within the inside of the temple, making it look like a giant lighthouse of some sort from afar.

However, before the group can even get out of the wagon. The obelisks and statues before them started to glow, revealing runes on it. "Oh man, I have a bad feeling about this." Freid said as numerous hooded figures stepped out of various portals infront and started walking towards them.