The Archives

It took four days from Wendlin to reach the city of Ybrali. Lyrus' party had been traveling nonstop. Lyrus had hoped they would be able to catch up with the Forest Lurker along the way but found no tracks to confirmed that indeed the mysterious figure was headed to the city. All they've met on the road were other merchants selling their wares. The city afterall is one of the main points of commerce in Threanas, the others being the former capital, Boehn, the lakecity of Orwood, and Lashe, the trading post.

Ybrali greeted the group with its large walls and stone buildings. While Noir's walls were bigger in height, the capital city was smaller in area compared to Ybrali. Here almost all kinds of shops littered the streets, large wooden and stone structures abound the streets. At the northwest stood an aging citadel which now houses the various books and written materials Threneas has, the Great Library or the Great Archives as the citizens call it. The place gave Lyrus a feeling of familiarity and at the same time, of the unknown. This was the first time he had even been in a city besides Noir and Ybrali's size and tall edifices threatened to overwhelm his senses. How are they going to find Heronicus here?

Arriving at one of the numerous inns in the city, the group decided to get some sleep. It was just a few hours past midnight and even the mercenary Roswell was nodding off earlier at the wagon. They've been traveling for four days straight, they needed rest. While the others settled down in their rooms, Lyrus went down at the tavern to drink some ale. He was never one to partake in liquor, but he could really use something to take his mind off things.

The bar was full of people despite it being midnight already, something that surprised Lyrus. In Noir, most inns and taverns would be empty late at night. While the atmosphere was lively, he noticed that almost all of the patrons were wearing hooded robes. He can't blame them though. Based on what he has heard, word of the 'otherworldly' raid on Noir had its citizens leaving the kingdom, while more and more mercenaries were being hired by shopkeepers. He won't even be surprised if the people with him right now are mercenaries.

The sound of crates being broken interrupted Lyrus' musings. He stood up, not bothering to finish his ale. If there is trouble outside, then he needs to be sober in order to defend himself. The patrons, however, did not even bother standing up or straining their heads to see what the commotion was all about. As if such a thing was normal here in Ybrali. Lyrus, on the other hand, had already his right hand on the hilt of his blade while he used his left to open the door.

A heavily bandaged man on the ground met Lyrus' gaze. Dark brown and yellow splotches littered the wrapped arms, legs, and neck of the person while numerous discolored lesions cover the man's pale face. Basing from the figure's dirty and ragged clothes and badly trimmed hair, Lyrus surmised that the man was beggar. The wooden crates infront of the inn had been broken, and judging from the splinters of wood sticking on the bandaged man, it was obvious he was thrown into the said crates. Lyrus, however, need not look further for the culprits.

Three men, all reeking of alcohol, bald, and wielding clubs, stood before the bandaged man. "I told you not to come to the inn when we're drinking!" shouted one of the men, revealing three missing teeth.

"Yeah! We don't want any of your sickness!" said the other one a skinny man with teeth all colored-yellow.

"Lay off him, will you?" Lyrus asked, drawing the three's attention to him. He tried to control his emotions at the sight before him. The three reminded him of Barthos and his group, and the daily beatings he used to suffer at the former's hands.

"What's it to yah? Yah got a problem wit us? We're just taking out trash!" bellowed the third one, a tall man with a big belly, clearly a frequent drinker.

"Yeah. I have a problem because you see, you remind me of someone I personally hate." Lyrus can feel the ale already working on him. He really can't hold his drink well. While he may still be able to draw his sword and fight, keeping his mouth shut was a totally different matter.

"What did yah say?!" The portly drunkard took a step closer towards Lyrus.

"I said I hate your lot. Now, begone." Lyrus unsheathed his two hand-and-a-half blades, personally made for him by Karos. He rushed immediately towards the huge-bellied man, he was starting to feel sleepy and wanted everything to be over with. He slapped the man's torso with the flat side of his blades then kicked the man away. The other two tried to attack Lyrus but the knight was faster. Using once more the flat side of his swords, he also sent the other two writhing in pain on the ground.

"Thanks." The wrapped man said as Lyrus helped him get up. Looking at the peasant closely, Lyrus realized that the man was almost the same age as him, maybe a few years older, the lesions on the latter's face making him look older.

Lyrus invited the bandaged man inside the inn despite the latter's hesitance. "Wait! Why are you here, Ruiri?!" the innkeeper exclaimed upon seeing the man entered the inn together with Lyrus, drawing stares from other patrons.

"He's my guest. Take a seat Ruiri." replied Lyrus.

"But sir. That man has a disease and…"

"And…he's. my. guest." Lyrus put emphasis on his words this time. He already felt dizzy. The last thing he needed was another argument.

Lyrus pulled out one of his swords and plunged it on the middle of the table. "Use this for protection when you leave."

"Here. Give Ruiri whatever he wants and some change of clothes as well." Lyrus said as he tossed a gold coin to the innkeeper. The innkeeper looked like he was about to say something but decided against it upon receiving the coin.

Lyrus talked to the beggar for a bit, asking if the latter noticed anyone suspicious for the last few days to which Ruiri replied that there was none. The knight the decided to get to know more about the person he just saved. He learned that Ruiri is a beggar and had been living in Ybrali for the last three years, and had ran away from his home. Having heard enough, Lyrus finished what's left of his ale.

"You can return 'one' of my swords tomorrow. I'm staying here in this inn, together with my bodyguards, Roswell, the mercenary from Quirun, and Leane, a mage from Adrana." Lyrus made sure that everyone in the bar heard him. He had already attracted attention because of the fight earlier, might as well make sure that no one would further trouble them. Besides, he knew that Roswell would be pissed off when the latter finds out that he's flaunting his name. With that the knight waved his hand at the bandaged man named Ruiri and went upstairs to his room.

Despite having turned in a bit late, Lyrus woke up early. As expected, Roswell was not pleased when the innkeep told him the events from last night. The mercenary spent a great portion of their breakfast making snide remarks about how stupid Lyrus' actions were. The knight only shrugged it off. They have more important matters to attend today. This time, it was agreed that the whole group shall go to the archives. While it was counterproductive, there's a high probability that the Forest Lurker might want revenge for what happened last time and, in such case, it would be better if they stick together even for a couple of days.

While Lyrus have seen a few large edifices in his life, none of them compares to Ybrali's library. Large stone walls, polished granite floors, and chiseled limestone staircases welcomed the party as they stepped inside. If Lyrus had to guess, the whole structure must be just a bit smaller than the actual castle in Noir. Oil lamps adorned the inside of the building, shedding light on the rows of wooden, and sometimes stoned shelves filled with numerous books. Knights also patrol each of the five floors of the archives, reminding the group that the library indeed used to be a citadel. On the other hand, the large number of books gave them hope. If there was something that could lead them to the tower or Heronicus then they would definitely find it here.

This time it was Freid's turn to use the dagger. Being more "friendly-looking" than Roswell and not wanting to cause any trouble with so many knights around, it was decided that Lyrus' bestfriend would be better suited to ask around the library. Roswell, Lyrus, and Leane were then to split up and search every floor for signs of Heronicus or any clues to finding the tower. Freid grinned widely as he took the dagger from Roswell and walked towards the librarian. While the knight doesn't hate Roswell, he sort of dislikes the latter for being what he calls a "sourpuss".

"What are you doing?" Lyrus asked in a hushed tone as he saw Leane slip a piece of paper in one of the books.

"I'm putting spells inside the books. The walls of the library itself is protected by some enchantments but the books themselves are not. I'm not going to let that Forest Lurker get the upperhand next time." Leane replied as the mage scribbled on a piece of parchment furiously. Looks like the Forest Lurker had gotten on the nerves of the usually composed sorceress.

"What are you looking at? Go to the upper floors. I'll follow soon after I'm done here." Leane shooed away Lyrus.

Lyrus never read a lot. His life on Noir prevented him from ever acquiring books or any reading material. What he knows he learnt through the books he borrowed from Freid and read during winter when any kind of work is impossible. That's why the astonishing number of books inside the archives naturally drew his curiosity. Before long, he was already browsing a number of manuscripts on different subjects such as sword care, wulforses, and even tomes on flora found in Threanas.

Half an hour into reading, the knight suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder. "Sorry, Sir Lyrus. Don't worry. This won't kill you but should put you to sleep for a week." said the voice from behind him, a female voice. He then felt his body going numb and his eyelids slowly closing. It's the Forest Lurker, no doubt about it. He can still hear the woman chanting a spell while keeping one hand on him. If he doesn't do anything quick, then he will be sleeping for the next few days.

"Etrunr!" Lyrus yelled inside his mind. His intention? Use the 'push' generated by the spell to wake him up and to remove the Forest Lurker's hand from him. While he knew the spell might not work, he still decided to try. To his surprise, he felt a strong gust of wind leave his very body, shaking his senses awake, and the sensation of the woman's hand being forcibly removed from his shoulder.

Lyrus quickly stood up and draw his blade only to saw the hooded figure, the Forest Lurker running away. "Leane, Freid, Roswell! The Forest Lurker is here and is about to escape!" he shouted. It doesn't matter if they get penalized for causing a ruckus inside the archives, they have Thenan's dagger and the gold coins for that.

Leane rushed towards the nearest staircase where Lyrus voice seemed to come from, and threw on its steps, one of the books in which she placed a spell. She also started projecting runes from thin air and chanting. She was on the second floor, while Lyrus was just a floor above her. The Forest Lurker would definitely pass the staircase infront of her. Her intention last time might be to simply incapacitate the hooded figure, this time though she doesn't care if she maims a bit of her foe. The Forest Lurker should not have sought a fight with a mage like her.

As expected, the Forest Lurker stepped on the book Leane placed at one of the steps on the staircase. The spell was almost instantaneous, the right leg of the hooded figure froze within a matter of seconds. Taking this as her cue, Leane sent yellow lightning bolts towards her foe using her staff. However, the bolts were met with another set of yellow-colored bolts from the Forest Lurker. Before even the mage can react, her foe had already dispelled the ice on the latter's leg.

The two mages threw spell after spell at each other, cracking tables, and destroying the books around them. Freid, on the other hand, had made his way to where Leane was only to see the mage badly outcasted by the other. Without a second to spare, Freid joined the fray, wielding Valkeif. He used the spear to temporarily distract the Forest Lurker, thrusting at various directions while slowly walking forward, allowing Leane to find cover and prepare more spells.

Having acclimated to the knight's fighting style, the hooded mage, dodged an attack then blasted away Freid with a gust of wind, hitting the knight squarely on the abdomen and sending him flying across the floor. Leane tried to subdue the skilled opponent by unleashing a barrage of fireballs only for her foe to easily dodge them as the latter made her way towards the former. Leane recognized the glowing runes on the palms of the Forest Lurker, those were the same ones used to incapacitate Roswell, a single touch would immediately bring her to her knees. The mage managed to dodge the Forest Lurker's left hand but was grazed by the right.

Leane felt nauseous and her knees shaking instantaneously. If those hands managed to fully grab her then she's sure that the unbearable pain will soon follow. "Leane use my spear! Recite the first line of runes!" Freid shouted before losing consciousness.

The sorceress quickly froze the floor, making the Forest Lurker slip. As she did so, Leane ran to where Valkeif was and picked it up. A few seconds. All she had was a few seconds before those hands reach her. She hastily read and recited the engraved runes on the spear. Out of the corner her eye though she saw her opponent's glowing hands about to touch her, making her closed her eyes, steeling herself for the coming pain. However, the pain never came and instead a flash of lightning erupted from Leane herself, tossing her foe not just away from her but even over the ledge of the floor they're on.

Lyrus ran towards the ledge as he saw the hooded woman thrown overboard. Etrunr incapacitated him greatly this time despite not reflecting an attack strictly speaking. In fact, he can still feel his legs shaking as he made his way to the stone ridge. While he hated the woman for what she attempted, he won't be able to forgive himself if their group ends up killing the person they called the Forest Lurker.

Looking down, he saw the woman fighting Roswell. He breathed a sigh of relief. At least, the chase is still on, he thought. He then went back to attend to both Freid and Leane, trusting that this time Roswell will not fail in capturing the Forest Lurker.

Roswell pulled out his dagger upon seeing the Forest Lurker fall infront of him. The figure, which revealed itself to be a woman with a bandaged forehead casted a spell to break her fall. However, before the woman can even run towards the exit, Roswell threw three jars infront of her, each producing a different colored-smoke, all are highly poisonous except to him. He had built some resistance to his very own poisons by inhaling and even ingesting them in small doses over the years.

The mercenary heard the shuffling of armored feet towards their direction as the knights scrambled to contain whatever trouble has occurred in the library, prompting him to throw some smoke bombs around them before engaging his prey. "Did you really think I would not prepare for you this time?" Roswell grinned as the Forest Lurker grabbed on to his arm, stumbling as she did so, having inhaled the toxic gases.

The pain immediately erupted all over Roswell's body but he didn't mind it. After all, one of the jars contained a numbing gas so powerful even a fully-grown adult wulforse would be paralyzed in minutes. He can't be hurt if he doesn't feel anything at all.

Roswell unleashed a flurry of stabs and slashes against his opponent. To him, it doesn't matter whether his prey is man or a woman, young or old, prey is prey, and if he needs to catch it then catch it he shall. He felt his dagger connected with flesh four times before the woman in desperation casted a spell that produced a huge gust of wind that sent Roswell flying and the gases dissipating in an instant.

The Forest Lurker stumbled on to the streets of Ybrali, blood flowing from her arms, legs, and torso. She made a grave mistake of underestimating Lyrus' party. All she planned to do was to put Lyrus to sleep to distract them for a week while she continues her investigation about Heronicus. She didn't consider that Lyrus himself might be capable of performing powerful magic, magic that can even break a spell already being casted. She felt her knees give way as she tried to run. She can't feel her body anymore and she's getting dizzy and sleepy at the same time. Roswell did prepare for their encounter.

She quickly muttered a few choice spells while she can still feel her lips moving. In an instant, the effects of Roswell's posions were minimized, allowing her to move properly. The spells should do their job for a good hour or so, just enough for her to escape and administer some antidote. She needed to hurry. Lyrus' group and a few knights would be bursting out of the entrance of the archives at any moment. However, a few yards away from her she saw a heavily bandaged man wielding a sword and walking towards her.

Lyrus and the others ran out of the library. Freid left Thenan's dagger and some gold coins with the archives' librarian to avoid anymore trouble with the knights. They needed to hurry. While all of them are reeling from different injuries, so was the Forest Lurker. While Roswell's poisons might be rendered ineffective by spells, performing healing magic on oneself while moving was almost impossible since the feat requires total concentration lest you end up injuring yourself further. Further, no amount of magic can instantly heal any kind of injury. Just ahead of them, the group saw the Forest Lurker fighting a heavily bandaged man, Ruiri.

To say that Ruiri knows how to use a sword is an understatement. The man is proficient at wielding a blade. Parrying the woman's dagger even her magic with what appears to be a spell put on the sword's edge itself as bright blue runes glowed on its flat side. Ruiri even began hurling firebolts at his opponent while slashing at the same time. He was so good that Lyrus and the others can't help but watch for a few minutes in awe.

The woman bit her lips. The…beggar before him was definitely no ordinary beggar. The man's swordplay was refined, not to mention the powerful spell he casted on his blade before charging at her. It was the first time she had seen a spell that allowed a sword to cut, block, and even parry something incorporeal like magic attacks. Looking at her back, she saw Lyrus and the others running towards her. It was a mistake.

In the blink of an eye, the bandaged man punched her so hard on the stomach, it was if the very enchantments on her body shook from the force. Within a few seconds of doing so, the woman felt Roswell's poisons regaining their strength. Did the man just strike all her spells away? She spat blood from the blow. Desperate to escape, she used the last combination of spells she knew. Light emanated from her very own body as she felt a large amount of her mana and strength being pushed outward.

Lyrus and his group snapped out of their trance and rushed towards Ruiri. The man might be able to hold his own against the Forest Lurker but they don't want the poor beggar dying just because he decided to help. However, before they can even get close to Ruiri, light erupted from the woman, and the next thing they knew was they were thrown across the streets of Ybrali.

"You, okay?" Lyrus asked as he handed a mug of ale to Ruiri. They were back at the inn. They were lucky they have Thenan's dagger and a lot of coins from the Council, otherwise they would be spending the next few days at the prison. The librarian had already sent a messenger back at Noir to inform the Midnight Council of what happened. Knights, on the other hand, were ordered to patrol the streets and to look for the Forest Lurker, a woman with a long black hair, unusually straight nose, and bandage on her forehead.

"Yes." muttered Ruiri, finishing the ale in one sitting. Lyrus had introduce the man to Freid and the others after asking that the former to join them for dinner.

"Where did you learn to fight like that? You held your ground better than any of us." Freid inquired with amazement. True, the woman might have been injured but Ruiri did more damage than any of them could.

"Well…my father was a knight while my mother…was a mage. They sort of taught me everything I know." Ruiri answered, head bowed. Lyrus chuckled a bit at the man's demeanor, Ruiri reminded him a bit of himself.

"Oh wow. To be that good in both swordplay and magic, you would need years of training. You should teach me some of the spells you know especially the one you casted on your blade." Leane remarked eyes seemingly twinkling in amazement, to the irritation of Freid.

"Well, it's all good and great that you held your ground kid but what now? We lost that damn Forest Lurker again." Roswell gritted his teeth. His prey has escaped twice. Twice. No one has escaped from him twice. Until now.

"Not necessarily. I forgot to tell you. I talked to the librarian and he said that a man named Heronicus does frequent the archives and that the man should be visiting three days from now." Freid smile triumphantly as he took a bite of the chicken leg he's eating.

"Good. I would like to see that woman try to escape me for a third time. So what's the plan, Lyrus?" Lyrus spat a bit of his ale. It was the first time that Roswell addressed him by his name. The mercenary must have been so frustrated that he was willing to listen to him for once.

"Okay. Given that the Forest Lurker wouldn't be able to move around much with the knights looking for her, I say we take advantage of this situation and prepare." Lyrus breathe deeply. He needs to think very carefully this time and prepare for almost any contingency.

"Leane, place a lot of spells on the books inside the library, both binding spells and those for attacking. The librarian has allowed us to…destroy the books if needed so might as well do that. Roswell, prepare all sorts of poisons and smoke bombs, we'll distribute it amongst ourselves. After that, go with Freid and Ruiri, familiarize yourselves with the streets and alleys of Ybrali, we need to make sure she doesn't escape once more. That's it for now." Lyrus looked at Ruiri who just choked on the stew he was eating.

"You want me to join your group?" Ruiri asked with a look of surprise and bewilderment.

"Yes, if possible. We could use someone like you. Don't worry, you will be compensated." Lyrus stared at the beggar's eyes as he waited for the latter's answer. Right now, Ruiri is the only one who can go toe to toe with their opponent. Also, Lyrus saw his self in the beggar, and just like how he was given a chance for a better life with Edrana, he wanted to do the same with Ruiri.

"Okay….I guess…" Ruiri answered and for the first time everyone in Lyrus' party cheered and smiled, even Roswell.

While they might have failed in capturing the Forest Lurker once more, the group celebrated the addition of a new member and the chance of being able to finally meet Heronicus within a few days' time. They ate their dinner and drank well into the night, while Lyrus explained to Ruiri their true identities and mission. Lyrus felt that for the first time they were indeed a group with a common goal, comrades, and brothers in arms. It was past midnight when the celebration ended and after so many days of difficulty sleeping, sleep came to Lyrus easy. Three days. Within three days he will finally get the Sky Marigold and cure Auria.