There was comfort to be found in having a dragon as an escort. Traveling towards the ruins went much quicker with Nah providing a watchful eye over the wagon. Jaune wished he could have had the opportunity to see the desert from above, alas the manakete seemed to keep him at a distance. Since she introduced herself to him, she had little else to say in his presence. His companions seemed unconcerned by her behaviour, so he decided to give her the space she seemed to wish for.

He looked above into the dark sky of the desert as he maintained control of the wagon. The outline of the manakete was illuminated by the full moon. Jaune could faintly hear snoring from the back of the wagon. He wasn't sure which of his companions was the source of the sound, but the list was easily narrowed down. He glanced at his side to see Laurent seemingly lost in thought as they continued their journey.

"Hm, odd. I wonder? Hm," the peace of the night was broken by Laurent's mumbling.

Jaune continued to drive the horses forward as he softly spoke, "Is there something disturbing you? We have time to talk, if you wish."

There was a pause before Laurent finally spoke, "I find myself in a conundrum of sorts. I suppose I may have discovered something. Well, it is a somewhat distressing discovery," he sounded hesitant.

"Regardless, I offer you my ear. Share whatever you wish, Laurent. I feel bad for how little I have to offer you and yours with my presence. This is the least I can do," Owain was proof enough his companions were far above him in combat prowess.

"Hm, so you say. Right, I suppose there is no harm in speaking of my discovery. I will come right out and say it, this peace is disturbing to me. I never thought of myself as someone who took pleasure in danger or the thrill of combat. Yet, I find myself growing lost without the level of constant threat we were under back home. Did the others speak to you of our situation?"

Jaune nodded, "I have an understanding of what happened, to some extent. It sounds as if you are restless. I noticed it with the girl above us too. The two of you seem zealous in your guard. I understand why, I just think you two need to slow down."

"A fair assessment, I believe you may be correct. I just feel idle without having to plan for future encounters. There is not much planning I can do for our delve into the ruins. My mother's notes only contained a finite amount of information on the ruins. We have everything we need, yet it does not feel like enough. What if there are Risen or Grimleal? Are these concerns even valid or is my mindset stuck within my own time? How can I plan for our future if my thoughts are held within the past?"

"For what it is worth, I think there is no harm in thinking of the past. We may always be at risk, but it is at the same level you faced. Relax and clear your head before you think yourself into circles. I believe adapting to problems as they come is just as feasible, correct?"

A small smile grew on Laurent's face as he adjusted his glasses, "Quite feasible, yes. With Morgan at our side, I am certain we could adjust our plans for any threat. I will have to keep your advice in mind. Hm, I may have to share some words with Nah at the next opportunity. She appears to be lost in her own conundrum. It is not my place to pry, but you have shown me I should at least offer her my ear."

Jaune reached to his side and tapped Laurent's shoulder, "Good man. Distractions are dangerous, so leave it to me to be the only one tied up in trying to make sense of their thoughts. The puzzle is slowly coming together for me."

"Oh? That is some good news. I wish I could aid you in that regard. Unfortunately, my studies in the healing arts have been long neglected. Hm, Brady might have the proper knowledge to assist you. Morgan may have some knowledge as well, but not to the same extent. I Brady would have headed to Plegia upon arrival. You may have to wait until our mission has been settled."

Jaune sighed, "I shall keep this Brady in mind. I wonder if my mind itself is trying to prevent me from remembering?"

"Such a concern is not outlandish. I have seen some horrible things in my time. When people are presented with terrible events, some shatter. I have seen a woman refuse to acknowledge reality for what it was when her child was lost. I must have only been nine years old at the time…" his expression could only be described as haunted.

Jaune grimaced, "I made a promise, one I will see to the end. I refuse to let this world succumb to the madness from your time. No one should have to deal with what you must have grown up with."

Jaune watched Laurent close his eyes before speaking, "A goal we both agree with. I admit, I wish you had survived. We could have used your wisdom growing up. I am your elder, yet here I am leaning on your shoulder for support. I can only imagine the pillar you could have been for us…" a few tears fell from underneath his glasses.

An odd feeling boiled within Jaune at the sight. His companions, these adults, they carried with them a burden he could hardly understand. He was only fifteen years old, yet they seemed to treat him as if he was a parental figure. It was baffling, yet it seemed to light a fire in him. Jaune wanted to help his companions succeed, to be this pillar they seemed to expect him to be. His siblings must have had irreplaceable places within the hearts of these people. For them to assume he would have been such a great figure, it awoke a drive he did not know he possessed.

"Laurent, listen to me. I will do whatever it takes to ensure we succeed. I mean every word of what I just said. Use me for your plans to deal with the Grimleal threat. Give me any role or mission. I am not helpless. My rapier can strike as true as any other weapon. I am here to support you all."

The stoic mage cracked before him as he finished his small speech. The mage he knew for only a short while, was sobbing into his shoulder. These people, they were undeniably damaged by what they endured. Jaune could not help but see them all as family. The memories of his father's words echoed deep within his soul, 'Trust no one but your family.' He would put his trust in them, for how could these people from another time not be his own?

Time had passed since his conversation with Laurent. Their heart to heart chat seemed to have helped the mage with his restlessness. Although the mage still was often lost in his thoughts when they shared a shift of steering the wagon, he seemed more relaxed. Jaune wished he could have had a similar talk with Nah, based on her constant patrols. Alas, they had arrived at the site of the ruins before an opportunity had presented itself.

Laurent had informed the group that three large bags of supplies should be filled from the wagon before delving within the ruins. He had mentioned their time within the ruins could take a day or more. Morgan seemed to not be happy with the news Laurent had apparently withheld.

"What?! We have to camp out in some dark ruins? Did you forget what happened last time we did that? I remember a whole lot of screaming, mister!" Morgan slammed her foot against the desert sand as she crossed her arms.

"Leaving the ruins to sleep within the wagon would be an inefficient use of our time. I have not forgotten our time camping within the ruins surrounding Ylisse. Do you truly believe we should expect the same encounters we had, within these ruins?"

The irritation slowly drained from her face as she shook her head, "I guess not, sorry Laurent. Sometimes I forget we can be a little extra risky now. Things changed a lot for us, but everything still feels the same to me."

Owain laughed from her side, "Morgan, apologizing? Did Nah drop me on my head again?"

Jaune watched as she calmly paused in place before punching Owain's side, "How thoughtful of you Owain. I didn't know you wanted to carry my bag for me."

"Ouch! Idiot! You know I can't do that. Didn't Laurent tell you the plan?" He was rubbing his side as a victorious grin grew on his face.

"Laurent! What did I say about making plans without me? All you said was we would need three packs! What else did you come up with, Mr. All Hat No Brains?" Her anger was now clearly directed at Laurent once more.

Laurent awkwardly adjusted his glasses, "Well, I may have recalled a small issue with our delve into the ruins. My mother noted the ruins were rather extensive. She also mentioned the only way they were able to secure the staff was with the Exalt's blood. I believe there is a distinct possibility we may have to split into three groups of two if we wish to cover the most ground in a timely manner. There are three here with the blood of the Exalt's line and three without. It makes sense to divide those with the blood with those without."

Morgan rested her hand on her chin as she spoke, "Risky, but we really are working on a schedule. The Mad King's War should be kicking off soon if it hasn't already. We don't know if any armies may pass through here on their way to the border. Splitting up may be our best bet. I still don't like it," Morgan's gaze rested on Jaune as she finished speaking.

Jaune was about to speak, but was interrupted by Kjelle placing her hand on his shoulder from behind him, "Jaune's not going to shatter in the wind, Morgan. He's fought by my side already. I'll take good care of him in the ruins if we really are going with Laurent's plan. We work well together as a team."

Morgan's gaze relaxed as Jaune spoke up, "I agree, Kjelle's defense and reach work well with the support I can give with my rapier. We are already somewhat familiar with each other when it comes to combat."

Morgan sighed, "I guess I can't argue against that logic. I'll drag Nah along. Laurent can go with Owain."

Owain rapidly nodded, "I agree! With my sword hand and Laurent's genius, we will be unstoppable should we face any ancient dangers!"

Morgan spoke with a smirk, "My reason to send you with Laurent is to keep your sword hand to yourself. We don't want the demon you keep at bay attempting to prey on Nah, do we?"

Owain seemed to choke on his words, "Hng, dearest sister! What exactly are you trying to imply?"

Nah looked over her shoulder towards the group as she impatiently waited in front of them, "Leave him alone, Morgan. Owain doesn't look at me like that. Besides, are we sure Laurent isn't in danger?"

Jaune couldn't help but laugh. Nah's joke seemed entirely out of character from his impression of her. She immediately looked away when his eyes met hers. It seemed she still had some issue with him.

Kjelle smirked as she nudged Jaune with her shoulder, "Heh, Owain probably gets a lot of practice with his sword hand. Maybe you should be careful too Jaune, he begged me to let him share the room with you back at the inn."

Owain's face was a mess of different emotions, "Please, enough. I surrender, leave me to sulk in my defeat for daring to go against Princess Morgan."

Morgan's expression morphed into distaste, "Gross, I tried to forget we were ever called by those titles. It just brings back memories of Cynthia's tea parties. I will never forget that retainer wearing the dress she picked out. What was his name, Frederick? Now I just feel bad. Remind me to buy him a drink or something if we ever encounter him."

Jaune frowned at her words. The name of the retainer sounded familiar to him for some reason. It felt as if the memory of the name was just at the tip of his fingers. He wanted to reach out and grasp it, but he decided it would likely not be wise to try to force himself into recovering memories right before a delve.

Laurent spoke as Owain muttered something about leg hair, "The packs should be prepared. We had enough supplies from your raid on the outpost to provide each of us with enough food and water for three days. Each pack also contains one vulnerary to use in emergency situations. Among the supplies is some tinder and blankets, should we be required to take shelter within the ruins. We shall go inside the underground ruins together and split up if the paths diverge, any questions?"

Nah spoke with irritation, "Can we move already? I'm not looking forward to being grounded. I'd rather just get it done instead of standing around pointlessly."

"Very well! Stay together with your partner should we need to split off. Allow me to hand each group a torch. Light it only when you need to. Each pack should have a replacement or two, should we need them."

The surface of the ruins was about what Jaune expected to see during their journey to the location. Damaged sandstone buildings in varying states of disrepair littered the desert sands. A glance in the long since ruined windows showed most were already coated in a thick layer of sand. As the group walked deeper through the ruins of what must have once been a village, he noticed a small shift in the architecture of the fallen buildings. The sandstone was a completely different coloring, perhaps from a different construction effort?

He spoke as they continued their trek underneath the beating sun, "Laurent, how much do we know of these ruins? What exactly was this site before it was reclaimed by the sand?"

"Hm, my mother's story on the origin of these ruins was incomplete. Most came from her conjecture, some from the wisdom of Morgan and Owain's father. Both agreed these ruins are composed of a few different attempts of civilizing this location. The buildings not fully reclaimed by the sand, housed Plegians until your father's war," Laurent adjusted his glasses as he noticeably paused to gauge Jaune's reaction.

"There must be many such ruins. I am afraid even Ylisse is home to a few abandoned settlements due to my father's efforts. No need to avoid the subject for my peace of mind."

"Understood, I shall continue my explanation. The most recent settlers of this land never bothered to fully reclaim the ruins within the heart of their village. You noticed the shift in the coloring of the stone, correct? My mother theorized the ruins we seek are of a more ancient nature. The father of Morgan and Owain confirmed her theory during their delve within. I believe he mentioned the entrance to the heart of the ruins had the looks of an ancient Grimleal temple."

Laurent's history lesson was interesting, but it left him seeking a few more answers.

"This Staff of Naga, it somehow was lost in some former Grimleal temple? You would think such a thing would be kept safely within the walls of Ylisstol. I assume this entrance leads to a greater underground ruin if all these preparations were necessary?"

"Indeed, my mother explained the tunnels hidden away underneath the ruined temple are vast. As for the missing staff, she had her own theory based on how they found it. She did not write in much detail of the actual discovery, however she made mention of finding it among corpses of some lost Ylissean knightly order."

Morgan spoke up from beside Nah, "Ylisse and Plegia have been in conflict for a super long time. I bet there are a ton of hidden graves on both sides."

Kjelle spoke up from behind Jaune, "Morgan's right about that. I heard a lot of tales about how pushy some of the knightly orders can get back home. Hearing that a chapter may have rallied out to some Grimleal site, really doesn't surprise me. Bunch of selfish idiots though, losing an artifact like that. Mother and father would have kicked their asses if they were an order that tried that today."

Jaune was surprised to hear the last little detail Kjelle delivered, "I assume your mother and father must have had some importance among the knightly orders? I recall the political importance of the orders, but not the specifics."

"You bet she was! My mother was a real badass and father wasn't a push over either. They ended up leading their own order before- well things happened. Anyways, she was this big role model for girls everywhere. Showed we could kick as much ass as any other knights on the frontlines. We went from just having the Pegasi chapters to having a place among the other orders," her voice was filled with pride.

Jaune smiled at her enthusiasm, "She sounds like a great woman. When we all return home, be sure to point her out to me. Perhaps we can see such results much earlier with some extra backing?"

"Eh, I'm not really sure if I should do that. Lucina seemed really worried about the whole messing with connections thing. She's worried that we might say something dumb and end up breaking our parents up before they get a chance to make us."

Laurent nodded, "A reasonable concern to have. We have no way of truly knowing how our parents may react to our presence. We were lucky to stumble upon you, Jaune. Your presence at our side is proof enough our outlandish claims may be accepted by outsiders. I admit, your royal blood makes it even easier for us. Your backing should help us if we expose our identities to our parents."

Owain was rotating his shoulder as he spoke, "Yeah, you're a big help for our quest. Me and Morgan would probably be seen as bastards of your dad, Uncle. We're around the right age for it and we have the Plegian features for people to come to conclusions."

The group stopped inside a heavily submerged ruin as Jaune responded, "I understand your worries on both accounts. Should you all come to an agreement, I assure you I will smooth over any issues you face with your identities. My father does not need another stain against his name. He would have thrown himself upon a sword before siring a bastard, yet I doubt many would even question a rumor of him having bastards."

It seemed the others were not familiar enough with his father to comment on his admission. A silence fell upon the group as they searched the sand covered floors for a sealed entrance into the ruins. After some digging, Nah made the discovery of the stone hatch.

"It's sealed with some type of dark magic. It's faint, but I can smell the remnants of it. Can one of you two handle it?" Her gaze flicked between Owain and Morgan.

Morgan didn't hesitate to approach the sealed hatch. She stared at it for a few moments before mumbling some string of words Jaune couldn't understand.

"I think I took care of it. Whatever the seal was, it was really drained. I wonder why the Grimleal never bothered to reclaim this place? Seems like a waste, although hm. I guess it makes sense that they haven't bothered when they don't have complete control of Plegia yet," she was tapping her cheek with a single finger as she spoke her theory.

Owain shrugged as he walked up to the hatch and pulled it open, "Hopefully our quest prevents those fiends from taking control in the first place."

One by one, the group lowered themselves down into the dusty sandstone ruins. A surprisingly small amount of sand littered the hardened stone floors. As expected, there were no light sources within the entrance to the ruin. Laurent was the first to light his torch with a quick cast of fire magic.

"Conserve your torches for the time being. I shall lead us further within the ruins. Stay on your guard, my mother never mentioned if they encountered any dangers within this place."

They continued deeper into the long abandoned hallways of the underground temple. Much of the structure remained in acceptable condition. Cracks along the walls or ceiling were not an odd sight for the group to see. It worried him somewhat to see some of the ceiling sections slightly indented as they journeyed deeper in. It hinted at the possibility of the sand putting too much pressure on the roofing of the tunnels.

His worry seemed to be shared by the manakete at the very least. She seemed to be on constant guard, staring at every single crack or pile of sand found in the tunnels. For someone who could turn into a dragon, she seemed awfully cowardly. He could only guess it was from her not being able to fly freely down in the depths of the sands. His thoughts were interrupted as the hallway elongated before leading them into a giant central chamber.

Laurent held his torch high in the air, moving his arm to illuminate various sections of the chamber. It would seem they had arrived at the heart of sorts. The large chamber was supported by four giant sandstone pillars. Once again, the room was coated in various amounts of sand. More importantly, the chamber appeared to open up into three different directions.

Laurent lowered his torch as he softly spoke, "It appears I was correct. My mother was right about the ruin being large. This would be the time for us to breakaway for the sake of our search. Allow me to light a torch for each of you before we split into our groups."

Laurent made his way over to press his torch's flame against the unlit torch in Jaune's hand. There was no way Kjelle would be able to hold the light when the two of them would be splitting off together. She had her shield and spear to worry about. He stepped away from Laurent to allow him to light Nah's torch.

"If no one has any preferences, Owain and I shall continue forward down the tunnel in front of us. Jaune and Kjelle can explore the tunnel on the left while Nah and Morgan can handle the tunnel on the right. I need to make it clear, my mother explained these ruins were large. I believe we should meet again in this central chamber by tomorrow should we spend the night exploring."

Laurent's logic was sound. There was no reason to disagree with his current plan. The group spent a few minutes double checking the three bags of supplies split between the three groups before they went their separate ways. Kjelle and Jaune started their trek down the left tunnel in search of the lost artifact.

Hours passed as they made their way down the seemingly never ending tunnel system. Occasionally, the repetitive path was broken by a closed off side room. They would pause their search to check the rooms only to find rooms filled with beds. Most of the beds were collapsed or in a further state of disrepair. The rooms were always plain, holding nothing else within.

Jaune was growing weary as they confirmed another one of the side rooms did not hold their prize, "I find myself curious as to the purpose of this many rooms. Surely this must have been more than a simple Grimleal temple?"

Kjelle wiped sweat from her brow with her gauntlet as she nodded at his words, "Agreed. This many bedrooms? Had to have had an army down here. I guess it could have also been used to keep people together to be taught something? Plegia has to teach their dark mages somewhere, right?"

"If it held such importance, you would think they would not have sealed it off. We have yet to find any signs of a struggle, but I feel something must have happened down here."

Kjelle looked forwards down the dark tunnel, "Beats me. We only have one way to find out. Keep going until we find the staff or my legs give up. At least the sand isn't that thick down here. Still hot in my armor though."

They continued searching the halls, occasionally commenting on the dull rooms. After a while, Jaune really didn't have much to say or theorize about the rooms. He was certain they had to have served some purpose, but there was little evidence of what it could have been. His mind shifted his focus to trying to figure out why they haven't seen any signs of life. Neither of them had seen a single insect or other creature the entire time they spent in the tunnels.

As he spent time idly speculating, the path noticeably dipped downwards with a series of stairs. Kjelle groaned in irritation as the plate armored woman took her time following him down the steps in her heavy equipment. He didn't blame her for being slow as his own legs were tired at this point. He could only imagine how exhausted she might feel.

Jaune held his torch high as they reached the bottom of the staircase. It seemed the staircase came to an abrupt end into an alcove. A giant dark stone carving of a six winged dragon looked down at them. Six red ruby eyes were illuminated under the glow of the torch. It would have made for an interesting discovery if he wasn't irritated by going all this way for nothing.

Kjelle seemed to share his sentiment as she slammed her shield down on the sandstone floor, "Damnit! All this way for nothing? Come on! There has to be something here. Don't tell me we walked hours for some old statue."

She paced towards the statute in anger. Jaune figured there was no harm in letting her vent. Besides, he would rather take a seat at the moment. He picked out a larger pile of sand to sit upon as he waited for Kjelle to calm down.

"Grimeal bastards! Ruin my home, force us to go back in time to put you down, and now you have the gall to make me walk for hours in a desert for nothing!? I'm going to kill all of you!" In her irritation, she kicked the base of the large statue with her plated boot.

The ground shook. Kjelle lost her footing as the sandstone floor rapidly cracked underneath both of their feet. The statue plummeted into the unknown as Kjelle turned to run towards him. The sand he sat upon was rapidly draining into another opened fissure. He tried to claw himself away from the rapidly falling sand, but he couldn't regain his balance.

Kjelle's gaze met his own as both fell into the darkness screaming. Time felt as if it slowed down as he watched his torch remain alight in his hands. The weight of his pack turned him in the air, he could no longer see into the encroaching darkness. He could only see what was above him with the aid of the torch he kept in a deathgrip. They continued their rapid descent as the magic flame of the torch fought to stay lit. Loud crashing could be heard below him as he and Kjelle screamed. It would seem the statue had come to a stop and they would be next.

Kjelle's screaming became a pained wail as he heard a crunch right before he made his own impact. His screaming was interrupted when he felt the pack and his back bounce hard off of whatever he landed on. The interruption was not by choice, he choked and gagged for air. His torso felt constricted, it was difficult to breath. He clawed at his chest as he tried to take deep gasps of air. His torch remained roaring off to the side, illuminating him as he panicked.

He couldn't breathe! It hurt! His chest was on fire as dust and sand fell upon him from the ruined ceiling. The world itself sounded muffled as the whaling of Kjelle ceased. He could occasionally hear her grunt in the distance or he thought he did. Jaune was finding it harder to focus as the sharp pain continued to grip his chest. He coughed out dust and something thick as the smell of copper filled his nostrils.

He felt a gauntleted hand brush against his side as it searched for something in the pack, "P-please let the vulnerary still be fine. Don't let us die in this hell hole…"

His thoughts were shifting between the pain and trying to interpret what Kjelle must be saying. It was getting increasingly harder to focus. He heard her grunting in pain as he felt something heavy crawl against him. Violet eyes met his gaze as he faintly saw her pour something against his lips.

"Jaune! Damn you! Keep the vulnerary down!" She seemed increasingly panicked as he felt the weight against him increase.

The shape of Kjelle looking down at him with tears in her eyes stirred something within him. Her violet eyes and dark hair was overlapped by the sight of grey eyes and dark hair with red streaks. Something was wrong, very wrong. He was losing focus as he violently coughed. He thought he saw another face hovering behind the person looking down on him. A featureless black outline with a small white grin.

The figure disappeared as he felt something wrap against his lips. Kjelle's face was much closer as something warm flowed into his mouth. His mouth remained sealed as he fought to swallow down whatever was being forced into his mouth. Ever so slowly, a warmth grew in his chest. Breathing was getting a little easier as the warmth occasionally was forced into his throat. Whatever it was that sealed his mouth would occasionally lift before more of the miracle elixir flowed into his body.

He didn't know how long he had remained laying against the sand filled ground. It could have been hours or minutes. The pain had slowly subsided as he regained his focus. He lifted his head to see Kjelle unconscious with her head rested against his shoulder. He saw a trail of blood behind her, along with her blood coated legs. It looked like the armor that had covered her legs was stripped off and abandoned in a distant pool of blood.

He blinked as he studied her features, something was oddly familiar about this situation. He couldn't quite place where he would have experienced something like this. Kjelle's face and lips were drenched in blood. For that matter, his own clothing was covered in a considerable amount of blood. He closed his eyes to take a deep breath before shaking her awake.

"Kjelle, are you well? Can you hear me? Are you injured?" His voice was shaky as she opened her eyes.

"Ugh, everything hurts. We got lucky, really lucky. The vulnerary didn't shatter when we fell. Both of my legs were shattered when I hit the ground. Had to rip off my armor and crawl over to grab the vulnerary. Found you choking on your own blood, must have broken something in your chest. Had to share the last of the vulnerary with you. You spit up a lot of it, so I don't know if either of us got enough."

"My breathing still hurts. I can breathe, but there is a sharp pain in my chest. I think I can manage it for now. How are your legs?" The pain in his chest could be ignored if he absolutely had to. They would be in a worse predicament if she could no longer move on her own.

"Legs were messed up real bad. Bones broke through the surface. Bleeding stopped and I can feel my left leg, but the right is done. I think it's still broken. I'm going to need your help if you feel well enough to move again. The rest of my armor needs to go if we are even going to have a chance to move reasonably well. I'll weigh you down too much otherwise."

Jaune saw the worry in her eyes as he spoke, "I have no plans of leaving you down here. I assume you have something underneath your plate armor? We still do not know if we might encounter something dangerous down here."

"Real subtle concern there. Don't worry about my modesty. I have a tunic underneath and shorts. Did you really think I would fight in just plate armor?"

Jaune couldn't meet her gaze as he spoke, "It was a valid concern. I have never worn plate armor before!"

She rolled her eyes, "Yeah, yeah. Give me a hand, will you? I need you to hand me my spear. I left it over by where my leg armor is. Should let me support myself a little."

Jaune slowly rose to his feet, clutching his chest as a sharp pain ran through it again. He wheezed as he took a moment to catch himself. He was clearly far from full condition as he went over and grabbed her spear. With his aid and the spear acting as a cane, Kjelle was able to stand on one of her legs. He helped her take the rest of her armor off as the two took a moment to figure out where they were.

Kjelle leaned against his shoulder as he went to pick up the lit torch. It seemed conjured flames were difficult to put out. With the torch raised, it was clear they were in a different section of the underground temple. The floor and walls were made of a darker older stone. The two had to carefully maneuver around the destroyed statue as they looked for any exits.

Jaune had to pause to catch his breath as the two went deeper down the dark stone tunnels. Kjelle wrapped her arm around his shoulder as she tapped his back.

"You hanging in there, Jaune? We can take a break if you need it. I know I haven't been this banged up since I fell from Cynthia's pegasus when I was a kid. Doubt you're used to dealing with this kind of thing."

He took a sharp breath as he shook his head, "I am fine. I made it through my shoulder being cleaved beyond recognition. I think I can handle this amount of pain. We might have to set up a camp site down here if we do not find a way back up."

Kjelle grunted in agreement, "Good thing Laurent set up a deadline. They'll come looking for us if we don't make it back by the end of tomorrow. Wish we had a way of keeping track of the time. I'm really not sure how long we were out for when the vulnerary was doing what it had to do."

"It was a smart decision on Laurent's part. Thank you for sharing the vulnerary with me. It must not have been an easy choice with the pain you must have been going through," Jaune had remembered how overwhelmingly happy he had been when he had discovered the vulnerary during his incident with the bandit.

Kjelle turned her head away as she spoke, "I-it was not a big deal. I swore I would support you as your spear. What type of retainer would I be if I left you to suffer?"

Sharp pain filled his chest as he laughed, "A rather poor one, presumably."

"Exactly! I'm not about to break my promise already. Besides, you still owe me a ceremony when we get you back to Ylisstol!"

"After this, I promise it shall be a grand one. Ylisstol shall know you as a knight who saved the life of Prince Jaune. I imagine you will have to deal with quite a large amount of attention."

"That's going to be strange. I've never really been the center of attention before. Some of my mother's fans sent me letters or gave me things, but that was more for her deeds. Never thought I would actually make a name for myself. Thought Severa would be more likely to become the center of attention again."

Jaune began to move forward again down the tunnel, "You mentioned her before. Do you have some sort of rivalry with her?"

"Well, not really I guess. We just have different priorities. I think I mentioned it to you before, but she likes the real girly stuff. Dresses and makeup are a big thing to her. She really latched onto that stuff, but it never really struck me as important. You know, we had bigger issues to deal with."

"I believe I understand. She sounds your opposite based on such a description. Do you still get along with her?"

Kjelle hummed for a few moments before responding, "Well enough for how bratty she could be. She was always spoiled, it took her a while to mature. She realized she couldn't do the whole dainty routine when the waves of Risen continued to increase. She got a whole lot more bearable at that point."

It seemed Kjelle was going to say something more, but both fell silent when they encountered an odd doorway. The door was large, spanning the length and height of the path. More importantly, a blue barrier stopped them from approaching it. Something about the barrier made Jaune's marked eye pulse. It felt as if the barrier was beckoning him forwards.

As he made contact with the barrier, it shattered. He felt submerged in an overwhelming sense of dread as he hesitantly continued forwards with Kjelle. It felt as if something was whispering warnings in his ears as he pulled the door open with the aid of his companion. The severity of the feeling only increased when they were greeted with the sight of what could only be described as a throne room.

Purple tapestry lined the halls with a familiar symbol hanging down from them. He recognized the sigil of the six eyes as that of the symbol he saw on Owain and Morgan. The hair on the back of his neck stood tall as he held his torch out forward. He heard Kjelle gasp at his side as his brain tried to process what it was they were seeing.

The room was littered in preserved corpses. Silver armored bodies draped in white capes with the blue sigil of Ylisse littered the throne room. He could still see the look of terror on some of the faces of the corpses. It looked as if they had died only moments ago. They inched slowly forwards as his torch hand shook uncontrollably.

The throne was uncovered by the light of the magical flame. He nearly choked on his own saliva when the flame uncovered two figures before the throne. Another Ylissean knight clad in full silver was on his knees. A white staff was held horizontally in his grasp, the large green gem pulsing violently. The staff was being used to block the blow from a large black blade held in the hands of a knight in dark plate armor draped in a cape of the purple tapestry lining the throne room.

Nothing moved in the room as he took a series of sharp breaths. He shakily spoke, "What is this? It looks as if the battle just took place."

Kjelle was rapidly glancing around the room as she nervously spoke, "It feels like we're being watched. Something is very wrong here. Do you think that's the staff we are looking for?"

Jaune focused on the glowing staff, walking closer to it. He hesitantly reached out, "I am afraid we only have one way of finding out."

He gently pulled the staff from the hands of the silver knight. Once the staff was fully removed, the knight hit the ground with a thud. The knight in the black plate hit the floor as well. The pulsing of the staff came to a stop as the feeling of dread grew heavier. It was getting difficult to breathe again.

Jaune took several steps back with Kjelle as he studied the staff. He felt something pulse up his arm as he held it in his hand. Kjelle had taken his torch with her hand wrapped around his shoulder, the other supporting herself with her spear.

Jaune spoke with certainty, "This has to be it. The staff feels right in my hands, as if it should have always been there. The feeling makes sense for an artifact of the goddess. I wish we could bury the knights, but I do not have the energy for it."

Kjelle sounded relieved as she spoke, "Finally, let's go back where we fell and set up a camp. Those knights dishonored themselves, we have no choice but to leave them be. Come on, the others will come looking for us and Nah can fly us out. There should be enough room where we fell for her to transform."

With the creation of their short term plan, they turned their backs. It was only after they neared the exit did they hear the rattling of armor. They rapidly turned around only to see the figure in black plate armor bend grotesquely. It stood inhumanely twisted with the large black blade held in a single hand. Jaune's heart beat rapidly as his instincts screamed at him.

Kjelle's face paled as she whispered a single word, "D-deadlord?"

She turned towards Jaune as she rapidly spoke, "Leave me! You need to get out of here right now! I recognize that aura, we can't deal with this by ourselves!"

The dread grew as he spoke, "As if that is even an option. Do you truly believe me to be the type to leave you here to die? To throw you away to save my own life? We will get out of here together!"

The twisted figure advanced with arrhythmic movements. It jerked and shifted as it increased in speed. The black blade sailed through the air as Jaune pushed Kjelle away from him, narrowly avoiding the blow.

The dark knight rasped as it stumbled back into a fighting position, "Ylissean."

Jaune pulled out his rapier as he took a step forward to thrust the tip of the blade underneath the exposed shoulder of the being. He watched as the tip struck true and was rewarded with a small stream of vile smelling black blood. He quickly stepped back, his rapier held in front of him while the staff remained upright in his freehand.

The being raised it's black blade as it prepared to lunge at Jaune once more, only it's attention shifted when Kjelle screamed.

"Your fell lord is a weak coward! You wear the arms of a knight, yet you are a stain to the name!"

The abomination shifted to swing the black blade at the helpless form of Kjelle. She remained against the floor, holding her spear at the ready. It was not a good position to block the blow from the creature. Jaune felt the staff pulse in his grasp as his heart beat even faster. Just as the creature was about to strike, he gave into the electrifying feeling from the staff. A green glow illuminated the room. Kjelle shut her eyes as the blade swung towards her head.

Jaune heard metal strike metal as what he could only describe as a shade blocked the blow from the dark sword. An ethereal female knight stood over Kjelle. Her blue eyes were filled with determination as the blonde shade drove the blade back with her own. A single familiar silver ring was illuminated on her hand under the green ethereal light surrounding her. The shade drove the figure onto its knees as Jaune advanced to give Kjelle a hand up.

As he got Kjelle onto her feet, his eyes locked onto an all too familiar ring on her own hand. The ring on Kjelle's finger and the ring on the shade was identical. He had no time to think about the connection as he helped her limp away from the scene of the fight. Jaune raised his rapier, prepared to aid the shade, only for the shade to smile in his direction and shake her head. It seemed Naga deemed this battle was not his own as the two beings resumed their dance.

With the dark knight distracted, he aided Kjelle in escaping the throne room. As the large door closed behind him, the staff pulsed once more in his grasp. A blue barrier grew out from the door until it reached them. Both of them fell to the floor, exhausted.

Kjelle took a deep breath as she cried, "I-I thought I was going to die there. Whatever you did saved my life. Does your eye hurt? Your brand is glowing brightly."

Jaune took a few sharp breaths as he tried to collect himself, "The staff. I have no idea what I did. I allowed the staff to guide my hand. Naga's staff saved both of our lives. I have no idea how long the barrier may remain. We need to go back and set up camp."

"I can't believe we survived an encounter with one of Grima's own. Those things, Deadlords, they are the type of monsters even monsters fear. We need to hope nothing happened with the others. Nah can get us out of here, otherwise I'm not sure what we can do."

It was a long journey of retracing their steps down the hallway. Neither spoke much as Jaune processed how close he had been to dying two times in one day. It seemed the prize had been worth it, assuming it was responsible for summoning the shade that had held off the Deadlord. When they finally arrived at where they fell, he took the time to open their pack to lay out the basic necessities for a campsite. A few blankets were tossed down and a small campfire was prepared with the help of Laurent's magical torch.

Jaune was preparing a small meal for himself and Kjelle when he caught sight of her ring again from the illumination of the campfire. He would have never known she had it if she wasn't forced to take off her gauntlets with the rest of her armor earlier in the day, "Your ring, does it have a story to it?"

Kjelle nodded as she was laying on her side on one of the blankets, "Mother gave it to me when my father died in battle. It was the wedding ring he gave her. She said it looked just as plain as him when he gave it to her, but it had been enough. One of the only things I really have left to remind me of him. My father died when I was pretty young."

Jaune glanced at the staff by his side as he spoke, "I am sorry to hear that. Perhaps, you will have an opportunity to get to know him better when we head back. Thank you for sharing what you did. You had no obligation to tell me when I asked."

"No reason not to. Not like it's a big secret really. My mother shouldn't have the ring yet, so I'm not telling you anything I should avoid telling you. I still don't get why we have to keep our mouths shut. After this, I really don't think I care. I want to see Lucina's face when we go to Ylisstol and I give my mother and father a big hug."

Jaune smiled softly, "I imagine I might be dealing with a few hugs myself when I get back. I have three siblings waiting for my return."

Kjelle laughed, "I bet you do. Your sisters might not be willing to let go of you. I hope things go well…"

The two ate and drank from their supplies before falling asleep. It had been an exhausting day for both. They could only trust in Naga that the barrier would hold for at least one night. There was little they could do if it fell. Time passed as they slept their fatigue away.

Jaune felt someone shaking him as he rapidly opened his eyes and reached for his rapier, "What is it!?"

He was greeted with the worried eyes of Morgan as he rapidly looked around the campsite. He saw Owain standing guard as Laurent poured a vulnerary down Kjelle's throat.

"Shut up and drink, Jaune. Kjelle said you were sleeping all day," a vulnerary bottle was forced down his throat by Morgan.

The pain from breathing was fully gone as Morgan continued to pour the concoction down his throat, "You two idiots gave us a scare when we came searching. Nah picked up on the scent of blood from both of you. We feared you two were dead, until we spotted the light from the campfire."

She removed the vulnerary bottle as a feeling of relief flooded Jaune, "We found the staff. It was protected by something called a Deadlord. The Ylissean order's remains appeared to be frozen in time alongside it. When we got the staff it woke up."

Morgan's eyes widened as she hastily reached for her tome, "Is it still around here?!"

Jaune shook his head, "I was somehow able to seal away where it was with the staff. I have no clue how it exactly works, but it seems to answer to my will. Kjelle says it makes my brand glow when I use it."

Morgan sighed in relief, "At least we won't have to deal with that issue now. We've lost a lot of people dealing with just one of those things before. We can worry about the staff later. Nah's going to bring you up with us and then we're going to get out of these ruins. Now, be quiet Mr. Shattered Ribs. I can't believe you two were stubborn enough to keep exploring with your injuries!" She was grumbling as she helped Jaune to his feet.

"Were my injuries truly so severe? I admit it felt painful, but the vulnerary I shared with Kjelle numbed it."

"Idiot! My mother trained me in medicine. I can recognize when someone broke something and you broke a whole lot of things in your chest. You're super lucky the small dosage of vulnerary you had was enough to seal what happened to your lungs."

As Morgan was flailing about in irritation, his eyes fell on the brand she shared with the tapestry found with the Deadlord, "So I have been told. Luck or Naga seem to favor me it would seem."

There was certainly some connection, but his fellows did not seem to carry the same suspicion. Perhaps, it was something they were already aware of? It was not his place to step in if they were keeping something away from him. Morgan and Owain shared his same brand, regardless he would trust them as family with the hope he won't regret it.

Hours passed as they made their way back to the surface under the watchful eye of Laurent. Jaune saw him as the serious type, but his level of focus was on a different level. He worried the man may have blamed himself for their injuries. It was something he would need to address at the next opportunity. As they ascended up the hatch, camp light greeted them.

The group ducked behind the ruined walls of the temple. Jaune peeked outside with the others, noticing the familiar symbol of the Grimleal on the cloaks of several figures huddled around a fire. It would seem their delve was not as unnoticed as they believed.

Morgan gritted her teeth as she whispered angrily, "I'm so stupid. Of course the seal was weak. It must have been more of an alarm instead of just a way to prevent people from entering."

Laurent frowned, "My mother never mentioned a Grimleal alarm within the ruins. It must have not been there during their venture. It would seem we may have to battle our way out. I believe it would be safe to assume we are dealing with dark mages."

Nah spoke quietly, "They must have found the wagon by now. I can't fly all of us around constantly. I can get us far enough away to find a village to get supplies, but that is risky."

Owain grinned, "No need friends. Our quest was successful! Is this not an opportunity to determine the power of Naga's own artifact?"

Kjelle spoke with worry, "Do you know how to use that thing, Jaune? You're not going to hurt yourself with the whole glowing brand thing are you?"

"I suppose that is yet to be determined. We went all this way with the understanding the staff could play some part in our victory. I am willing to take this risk to determine if this belief holds merit," he stood from behind the wall and slowly approached the Grimleal camp with the staff firmly in his grasp.

His instincts were screaming at him that he was being an absolute idiot. That his father would condemn him for his stupidity, for risking his life on a guess. He buried the feeling as one of the mages took notice of him and his faintly glowing brand.

"Well, well, well. I guess we know who our intruder is afterall. Lady Aversa is going to be thrilled! The Archbishop should be done with killing your bitch of a sister by now. The Exalt has probably been dead for days now. Be a good boy and get over here little pawn of Naga."

Jaune kept his position as the dark mage approached. Two other dark mages joined him while a third dark mage went running towards one of the campsite tents yelling, "Lady Aversa! We found the intruder!"

He bit his lip as the green of the staff increased in intensity. The three arrogant dark mages approaching him seemed to slow in their approach. One of the dark mages pulled out her tome before speaking.

"The Pawn of Naga is doing something! We need to strike him down!" She began to chant as the other two dark mages rushed to cast their own spells.

Unfortunately for them, the staff pulsed an ethereal green once. Understanding of the control of life flowed through his mind. He knew what it would take to do the most damage to a living being. The three froze in place, the words of their spells dying on their lips. The living dark mages were now no more than statues as Jaune felt his heart beating rapidly. Owain, Morgan, Nah, Laurent, and Kjelle rushed by his side with their weapons at the ready as the group heard clapping.

A tanned skinned female with white hair stood clapping, "My my. How impressive for someone as young as you. Your blood must be quite strong with the taint of Naga. Mm, you will do nicely," she lazily flicked her tome open as the three frozen mages began to jerk violently.

Jaune pushed against the strain from his staff as he tried to focus the power against the woman. She was one of those names. One responsible for everything his companions had to suffer. He directed the power at her only for it to do nothing. The ethereal green glow was drowned out by a miasmic purple from her tome.

She mockingly smirked, "Tut, tut. Behave little boy. Do you really think you are the only one with an artifact of your god?"

The tome within her hands glowed a miasmic purple as the three mages shambled in place. Several other Risen rose from the sands as she took a step back, "Kill the rest of the children. Leave me the boy."

Both groups charged at one another under the desert moonlight. Kjelle plunged her spear into one of the Risen with a shout of fury. Owain silently cut the hands off of another before plunging his blade into its throat. Nah transformed into a dragon, bathing a group of them in a sea of flames. A spear of lightning pierced through another two from an irate Morgan. Laurent's fire burned true, setting several others on fire.

Aversa appeared to be panicking as she kept flicking the tome. More Risen rose from the sands only to be crushed by the fighting force at his side. Their faces were grim, filled with the determination to see this through. Laurent was fighting closer towards her as Jaune called upon the little energy he had left to use the Staff of Naga to treat any wounds on his companions.

Aversa angrily shouted, "No! Grima take you all! You will ruin everything! Just die! Die for me!"

Laurent shouted his own warcry as he grew closer to her, "Aversa! Dastardly bitch! My mother sends her regards!"

In her panic, she didn't dodge in time. A ball of flame struck her arm, sticking to her skin. She screamed in pain as she dropped her tome to try to bat it out. It presented Jaune the perfect opportunity to use the very last bit of his energy to cause an ethereal green to take hold of the woman. She was frozen in place, yet the fire continued to feed.

The rest of the Risen were dealt with as Laurent silently stood in front of the burning woman. His gaze was transfixed on her face as it became increasingly unrecognizable. The others slowly approached from behind him to take a look.

Owain squeezed Laurent's shoulder as he stood at his side, "This villainous got what she deserved. Your vengeance has been satisfied hasn't it?"

Laurent sounded calm as he spoke, "This feeling is fascinating. I feel ecstatic to see such an evil woman meet her end, yet I am disgusted with myself for my enjoyment of it."

Jaune stumbled, using the staff to support himself, "Did you hear the mages? The Archbishop was sent after the Exalt. We need to get back home."

Kjelle grabbed his arm and wrapped it around her shoulder to give him support, "We can get the wagon ready if they didn't do anything to it. We should resupply with their tents."

Morgan grabbed the tome from the floor as a miasmic purple sparked in her hands, "Huh, so this is what an artifact feels like. It does just sort of direct you on how to use it. I feel like I know how to use this thing. Bleh, it feels disgusting. The worst type of dark magic you could think of."

Nah wrinkled her nose, "Smells like it. We have two artifacts with just a single target remaining. We really can stop this, can't we? We've already changed much."

Laurent took a deep breath, "Indeed, give me a few more moments to collect myself. You should conserve your energy, Jaune. We shall search their tents before heading out. We can only hope one of the others is there to help defend Emmeryn."

Jaune nodded, "I have already put much of my faith in Naga these last few days. I shall hope she favors Emmeryn as much as she favors me. I promise all of you will be rewarded for this. Whatever life you want when all of this is done, you shall have it. In my name, I swear it."

Morgan stood infront of him and bonked him on the top of the head with her hand, "Stupid. We never did this for recognition or rewards. We just want to give ourselves the chance to grow up in a happy world. Keep your rewards to yourself. I just want to see my parents happy for once."