by K R Dimmick
I pulled on the remaining mana in the sigil, trying to extract it before my mana could start regenerating. The last tiny piece of the sigil melted and was reabsorbed just as my mana reached 95%.
Success! You have completely removed the sigil: Ur
I plopped down on the ground.
“What was that?” I asked, feeling a little shell-shocked.
“Ur is extremely difficult to control,” Arik replied. “My guess is that the side effect it has of trying to control aggression was just too much control for Baynor to tolerate. He ended up fighting it, instead of letting it fight the original sigil. At least it shows he’s still in there somewhere.”
I hadn’t even considered that he might not be in there, so I suppose that was good news.
“In case you’re wondering,” Arik continued, “Only the creator of a sigil can reabsorb the mana used to create it. It’s because your mana is part of you and no one else can take it in.”
“But…” I said, suddenly realizing that I didn’t want to reveal to everyone that I could share my mana with Soter.
“Yes, I assume you’ve seen someone sending their mana to someone else,” Arik nodded sagely, assuming I was talking about that, instead. “While you can send someone else your mana, it’s something that must be done with intention, which essentially refines it. Unrefined mana can only be absorbed by its owner.”
I guess that explained why Soter and I could share mana; the bond must refine everything for everyone involved.
“Okay, which one do I try next?” I asked once I’d recovered.
“I think we go with Jeran,” said Arik, turning the compendium to the correct page and letting me see the rune. “Its effect is usually slower, but it will also allow us to see more of what we’re dealing with. At least I hope it will. Since it can slow down or speed up time, it might show us what the ultimate end of this protection sigil is, so we have a better go at counteracting it.”
I took a deep breath and pulled my mana up my arm and into my right index finger. I drew another vertical line over the sigil. Once again, the line glowed bright blue and my mana started to drain. I quickly drew the diamond shape over the middle of the line, completing the rune. As I took my hand away, the blue glow faded slightly, and the sigil stopped taking my mana. Another quick glance showed me this one had taken 600 mana.
Success! You have correctly inscribed the sigil: Jeran
Everyone in the clearing stilled and turned to watch Baynor. At first, nothing happened. Then, the blue glow on the sigil started pulsing, slowly at first, but then it started to get faster and faster. His face started to go pale, so I focused on seeing his health bar. It was already down to 40%, and with every single pulse of the rune, another 5% of his health disappeared.
I grabbed my staff and cast Healing Mist.
“It’s draining his health every time it pulses,” I said quickly, focusing on reconnecting with my mana in the sigil again. “Get a health potion ready in case I’m too slow.”
I exerted my will over my mana and pulled it back into my body as fast as I could. The pulses were still increasing in frequency and I knew it wouldn’t be long before they’d outpace my regeneration buff. I cast another Healing Mist on the area with my left hand, even though the last one was still active, just to make room for the incoming mana.
At last, just as the sigil started to pulse faster than my healing, I managed to remove it. I sat down to find someone had kindly placed a loose tree stump behind me.
Success! You have completely removed the sigil: Jeran
“That was too close. If he dies, my guess is he’ll end up back in the Dragon Hunters’ guildhall,” I took a deep breath and looked at Arik. “Let’s hope this third one works.”
“Indeed,” he said, opening the compendium to the final rune we’d decided to try. “Sol. Let’s hope he takes the offered guidance to help his mind out of this mess. While you’re infusing it with your mana, I need you to focus on seeing him conquer this, okay?”
I nodded.
As soon as I’d recovered, I pulled my mana into my right index finger and started drawing the rune on top of Andrew’s sigil. I drew a short, vertical line and the blue glow appeared. My mana started draining as I focused on seeing Baynor come back to normal. I traced the next line upward and in a diagonal toward the right, and then ended the rune with another vertical line going downward. The glow pulsed briefly, then started to fade away as it stopped drawing on my mana. This one had used the most mana yet, 630. I grabbed an MP potion out of my inventory, ready to use it if Baynor needed healing.
Success! You have correctly inscribed the sigil: Sol
Nothing. He just lay there with no change in the sigil. My mana started to regenerate, so I put the potion away. Just as I was about to ask Arik what other runes we could try, the blue glow started to let off sparks. One spark landed on Arik and the corner of his robe burst into flames.
Kira launched herself at him, tackling him to the ground, where she proceeded to roll him over, smothering the flame. I guess people who live in forests have to learn how to put out fires very quickly.
I looked back to Baynor. The sparks were getting more violent, so we all started to back away. His health, though, remained stable. As I peered at the sigils trying to get a better look, I suddenly realized that the blue sigil I’d created out of the rune was attacking the protection sigil and slowly destroying it.
The green glow had started to change more toward a blue hue, but the shape of the activated sigil remained.
Finally, after a few more sparks, the sigil turned turquoise in color and settled down, just as Baynor opened his eyes.
54
Don’t Be Ridiculous
“Owww, my head,” Baynor tried to raise his hand, only to realize he was tied to the tree behind him. “What’s going on?”
“Hold on,” I said. “Someone untie him.”
“Are you sure?” Mikael asked, peering closely at Baynor. “How do we know he’s not going to go all strange again?”
“Well, we don’t know for sure until we remove the sigil completely,” I replied, “And since we can’t do that right now, we just have to trust the sigil’s been neutralized. He seems to be back to normal, at least for now. So, I say we untie him and start planning.”
“The sigil?” Baynor asked, trying to look at his hand.
We quickly explained what happened as Mikael untied him. Baynor went from looking as white as a sheet right through to going red in the face and yelling about how Andrew had finally crossed a line and it was time to stop him.
Baynor’s ranting caught the attention of King Faelyn who walked over to see what was going on. After yet another explanation, a notification appeared.
Congratulations! You have completed the quest: Corruption 3
You have received 20,000 XP.
“I believe this is yours,” said the King, handing both Arik and I our rewards.
You have received 10 Florins.
I watched my XP bar cross the halfway mark toward level 11.
“We will have to take this remedy to the residents of Ratters Town soon,” the King remarked.
Before I could say that I needed to get to Goran Thedgate before I ran out of time, he carried on.
“Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten about your journey,” he said. “Getting you across the Dragon Gate before it’s too late is vital. You’ve become far too important to our community here. We’ll help you all we can, and should you choose to start your own guild, you are welcome to set the entry gate for your guildhall within El Sanctum.”
A few gasps went up around the clearing.
“You have proved worthy of the blessing I bestowed upon you when we first met. I believe you’ll choose your guild members wisely, and our alliance will be a boon for both of us. I am even open to granting permission to any elf that wishes to join your guild.”
“Thank you, your majesty,” I stuttered. Even though I had the Reputation Points to start a gui
ld, it hadn’t occurred to me that I might be able to start one that contained NPCs and was allied with the elves. This could be huge for a new guild. “I will definitely look into it.”
“I will need you to work out how to remove these sigils and make sure they can’t be reactivated,” the King added, addressing Arik and myself.
You have received a quest: Corruption 4
Work with Arik to find a way to remove the protection sigils.
Completion of this quest will give you 20,000 XP and 10 Florins.
Do you accept? Yes / No
“But that can come later, when you’ve got the time to address it,” he said.
We both nodded as I thought yes, and the King turned to leave. Acting on instinct, I hurried after him.
“Your majesty,” I blurted out. “Would it be possible for Baynor to bind himself to El Sanctum while we do this rescue?
The King looked at me like he was weighing the idea.
“I only ask because if something goes wrong and he dies, we really don’t want him bound to the Dragon Hunters’ guildhall,” I added.
“Do you trust him with our lives?” the King asked. “Because if he has access to El Sanctum, our lives are in his hands.”
I hadn’t really considered that. Thinking about it, I realized that, at the moment, I didn’t trust him. This could still be a set-up, and having Baynor bound here would make everything much worse. The King quietly watched me think things through and come to my conclusion.
“No,” I said in a very small voice.
“That is why I know I’ve done the right thing by trusting you,” he said. “You’re going to be a good leader.”
I walked back to the group, still a bit shocked.
“Can we get back to this rescue now?” asked Baynor. “I have a score to settle with Andrew.”
“I didn’t know a guild had to have their entry gate somewhere. Do you know where Andrew put the Dragon Hunters’ gate?” I asked Baynor.
Mikael, Baynor, Kaylin, Kira, Allion and I had all sat down to plan out the rescue. Arik had gone to search for Aliz to get her to join in as well.
“I don’t know for certain, no,” Baynor replied. “But I have a feeling it’s in Ratters Town, though. Andrew has been spending a lot of time there lately, and that’s where he had us all congregate when we attacked the elves.”
He looked around at a few stony faces.
“Sorry about that,” he muttered.
“Look, let’s just put all that aside for now,” I said, looking around at the group. “What’s done is done. We need to think about Jon, Kaylin’s sister and Saris now, or we’ll end up sabotaging the rescue.”
A few reluctant nods passed around the group.
“The town hall is also where he always appears from when he visits,” Kaylin chipped in. “And it’s where Jon disappeared, and where ma sister were taken, too.”
“Okay, let’s look at what we know for sure” I said. “Firstly, we know you can enter a guildhall in a party, as long as someone in the party is a member of that guild. Secondly, I know that anyone in those cells loses all access to party functionality, guild functionality, their inventory and they’re unable to message anyone. We also know Andrew is going to think Baynor is still under the influence of the sigil he activated. And we have at least three people we need to rescue. Can anyone think of anything else?”
“We know you have to stop sharing XP with a guild before you can leave it,” Aliz chipped in as she and Arik joined us in the clearing.
She sat down, giving Baynor an odd look I didn’t have time to worry about at the moment.
“Good point. Anything else?” I asked.
“We know Andrew wants to get his hands on both you and Baynor and he doesn’t care who gets hurt along the way,” added Arik.
“He has a point there,” muttered Kira.
I quietly agreed with her and asked if anyone could think of anything else. Everyone shook their heads.
“Okay, and what are the things we’re not sure about?” I asked.
“We don’t know if all the guild members are currently sharing XP with the guild,” replied Aliz.
“Well, if it’s any help, I know I had to drink a potion to join, just like you did. I was told it meant that half my XP would now be funneled into the guild,” Baynor stated. “And I watched the others drink potions as well. I know Saris complained about the XP tax a few times, so I’m pretty sure she was given the same potion. Colt I’m less sure about, and he seemed to level faster than we did, but that could simply be because he had more opportunities, due to being part of the guild leadership.”
“We don’t know if Kaylin’s sister or Jon have been forced to become guild members,” Mikael said somberly.
That was something I hadn’t considered. Andrew seemed to be able to make people do whatever he wanted, so it was a possibility.
“I don’t know how you get a party to enter the guildhall. Does it have to be via the entry gate, since they won’t have the guild menu to use, or is there some other way?” I asked.
“That one, I can answer,” Baynor replied. “I was the one who had to bring Aliz to the kitchens each week to deliver all the potions.”
Well that explained the funny look Aliz had given him and how Suri had managed to get the journal to Aliz without leaving the guildhall.
“As a guild member,” Baynor explained, “When you’re in a party with a non-guild member, and you try to enter the guildhall, you’re given the option of creating a temporary portal they can use. You can also make it go wherever you want in the guildhall.”
That was good news because it meant we could enter the guildhall from El Sanctum, and we wouldn’t have to worry about trying to get into Ratters Town, or worse yet, have to find their entry gate before we could go in.
“I just turned up at Aliz’s house each week and created a temporary portal that took us to the kitchens. I could simply leave them to it after that,” Baynor said.
I must have looked surprised because he carried on.
“I think Andrew assumed I stayed there, watching them,” he added, looking a little guilty, “But after some experimenting, I discovered that I didn’t even have to be in the guildhall to let Aliz stay there. It was great because it meant I didn’t have to sit around the kitchens, waiting, and she could just let me know when she was ready to leave.”
Well that explained how Aliz had gotten the journal so easily from Suri. Thanks to Baynor, they’d been completely alone.
“Where do they come back out when they leave?” I asked.
“They always return to the place they entered,” replied Baynor. “I suppose it’s to stop guild leaders from transporting non-guild member armies around the place.”
“Okay, so we know Baynor can get us into the guildhall,” I said, trying to get us all back on track.
“Remember, I’m also still stuck in the Dragon Hunters after Andrew forced me to join,” interrupted Allion. “So, if you still don’t trust Baynor enough, I can be the one to get you all in.”
“I haven’t forgotten you’re still stuck in the guild. Aliz and I will get you out,” I replied, remembering to avoid promising anything and putting yet more restrictions on myself. “As for who should get us into the guildhall, I’m still going with Baynor. He can’t die, you can, and I’m not going to risk any locals on this if I can avoid it.”
Allion looked surprised for a moment before nodding.
“Okay, we have our way in, now all we have to do is work out how to get back out. Do you know if the non-guildies have to stay in the party to remain in the guildhall?” I asked.
“I’m not a hundred percent sure, but I think so,” Baynor replied, looking around the group for confirmation.
Everyone else simply shrugged their shoulders.
“I’ve never belonged to a guild,” Mikael chipped in. “I’m assuming the Dragon Hunters were the only guild you’ve both been in?”
Baynor and I nodded.
“
I’m starting to think I need to create a guild just so we can experiment,” I said. “Trouble is, I have no idea whether you have to grow the guild before some features activate, or whether some functionality stays the same no matter how much you grow.”
“Well, before you do that, we still don’t even know if this is a trap,” Mikael stated, causing everyone to fall silent.
I didn’t want to make everyone feel even worse by adding that we didn’t know if we were already too late and that Jon and Kaylin’s sister might have already been sacrificed. This was looking like it was going to be more complicated than I thought. There was a good chance I might have to pick between doing the rescue and getting to the Dragon Gate a day early. Knowing myself, the rescue would come first. I still had a day left, after all.
“Okay, Aliz, how many XP Release potions have you created?” I asked, trying to kick everyone out of the somber mood that had settled over us.
“I haven’t managed to finish one yet, I need your help,” Aliz said.
I nodded. I guess it needed a mana infusion as well. It was a good thing I was a magic user, I thought.
“I think we need some kind of distraction as well, so we’re rescuing them when most people are out of the guildhall,” I suggested.
“How about we tell Andrew you’ll be at the Dragon Gate this evening?” Allion replied. “Make him go there instead?”
“Don’t be ridiculous! The last thing we need is him waiting for us when we do get there,” Mikael looked at Allion in disgust. “I know this is risky, but how about we mount an attack on Ratters Town? Nothing too big, we don’t want anyone actually getting injured, especially since our healer will be elsewhere and most of us have friends there. We just want something showy enough to bring the Dragon Hunters there.”