Flynn

RL58 - 29 VIG - 14 MND - 23 END - 25 STR - 14 DEX - 15 INT - 10 FTH - 7 ARC

Resa

RL58 - 17 VIG - 16 MND - 12 END - 12 STR - 28 DEX - 9 INT - 34 FTH - 9 ARC

Flynn

"What do you mean 'an age without the Erdtree'?"

Renna - or perhaps Ranni, I wasn't quite sold - sat in front of us, the fingertips of her upper set of arms gently touching in a position of waning patience. "What dost thou know of the Elden Ring?"

Resa responded before I could. "We know it's been shattered…and that Shardbearers carry the largest pieces now. We know they're needed to reforge it and reach the capital, and to become Elden Lord. Why?"

"Thou dost speak the truth, but an incomplete truth. When the Elden Ring is reforged, it can be modified. The rules of this world are not set in stone. I seek a world of freedom and choice. It is within reach, this I know. I ask you again, carest thou to enter my service?"

"And what would we be doing?" I still held…reservations. Ranni was incredibly hard to read, and the fact that she'd been deceptive about her own name gave me little reason to trust her.

"I seekest the tools to carve the Elden Ring. If thou seekest more information, I can bring my servants to this Rise for you to speak with. Before this though, I must have an answer to my question."

I looked at Resa…every bone in my body told me not to trust her. Something felt…wrong. I couldn't place it. Still though…Resa knew her better. "I'll leave the decision to you, sister. I'll follow your lead."

She nodded, looking at Ranni. "The wolves you gave me, back at the church. Why those, specifically?"

The witch furrowed her brow, bringing her second set of hands up, mirroring the first. She was reading my sister, trying to gauge just what was being asked…frankly, I didn't quite follow either. "I find comfort in wolves. Protection. They make for superb guardians. Why dost thou ask?"

"Just curious. It was on my mind. Should we choose to serve you…are we beholden to that decision? A contract, a pact, an accord…anything?"

"No. I seek willing servants, thou can doest as thou wishes. I will task you - and if it is not completed, I will task another. I ask only that thou not discuss my machinations freely. Is that agreeable, Resa?"

Her name…she remembered it, even from that brief meeting at the church.

"Then I will serve you. To repay the gift you gave me, at least for now. Should I find it agreeable - I will continue to serve."

Ranni then turned to me, fingertips resting against each other, eyes baring down on my soul. "And as for you?"

I clenched my teeth, tensing my fists at the same time…"I'm a man of my word. I too will serve. For now."

"Good." There was a brief pause before she continued, as if she was momentarily elsewhere. "My servants are here. As I understand it you have met my war counselor, Iji. You shall also find Seluvis, preceptor in sorcerous arts. Finally, Blaidd will provide you the details of your mission. You are to seek Nokron, the Eternal City and claim its treasure."

"Understood."

"Good. Return when you are finished speaking to my servants."

As far as dismissals go…it certainly was an odd one. I looked at Resa and she gave a half-shrug, but said nothing. We left, leaving Ranni to herself.

"Are you sure about this?"

"No…but I'm willing to take the chance if what she's saying is true."

I sighed…that wasn't the resounding confidence I was hoping for. "What if we're just being used for something she's not telling us?"

"Oh I have no doubt we are…so let's pay attention and find out what."

And then - Iji. Or at least…a spectral form of Iji. It looked like him, book and everything, but he was silvery-white and translucent. "Oh…so we meet again. I apologize for the deceptiveness earlier - I did not foresee a meeting with Lady Ranni in your future, let alone entering her service. I should have seen it…but I did not."

"She called you her war counselor. Are you…" I let the words trail off, intuition filling in the rest.

"War is not on the table yet, but I advise Ranni in many matters of tactic. She has tasked you to find Nokron with Blaidd, has she not…I'm sure the three of you will find success."

"Well thank you."

"And Flynn…return to my forge when you have a chance. There is something you will appreciate."

"I…okay. Thank you, Iji."

The blacksmith nodded, but then motioned towards the corridor leading down. "Not a bother. Let us do what we can…for Lady Ranni."

"Sure." That final line didn't sit right with me…and I didn't know why. Somewhere, deep in the pit of my stomach, I was a Chaos Servant, through and through. I served Quelaan…not Ranni. My time devoted to the Watchdogs had been of my own volition, serving no one. But this…from the outside looking in, it felt cultish. I kept silent for now, but I was content to let the doubt linger.

As we descended the staircase from Iji, I could already see another phantomy form at the next landing - likely Blaidd, if I had to guess. The figure was tall - as more and more of him was revealed, I realized he was taller than I was by a fair margin, my eyes only coming to his collarbone. What was most intriguing was his head - whereas I had expected the head of, well, a human, instead there was a wolfish face looking down at us. Beyond that, he wore armor that seemed to balance between durability and flexibility, and had a large fur cloak swept around his back. I could see the hilt of a large blade poking out from behind his back - I assumed it to be a blade roughly the size of my halberd.

"Ah, you must be the new lot. The name's Blaidd, I'm Ranni's servant. I understand we'll be working together quite soon?"

Resa nodded. "That's what we've been told too. Ranni mentioned you have the details?"

The wolfman nodded. "Getting right to business? Alright then. I'm still in Limgrave right now, as it is. The city of Nokron lies beneath that land, deep underground. I plan to start from the well, deep in the Mistwoods. Are you familiar?"

She nodded. "We've seen it, but we haven't explored quite yet. We searched the Ainsel well south of here and saw hints of a city wall there, are you sure this Nokron is in Limgrave?"

Blaidd paused at that, thinking for a few seconds. "The intel I've gathered points to Limgrave, but I could be wrong. If it doesn't pan out, we can search Ainsel more closely."

"Very well. We have a few things to finish up before we can join you, so don't rush. We'll meet you outside the well when we're ready."

"Not a problem, I've more to do for Ranni in the meantime. I'll see you both there. What are your names, if I may ask?"

"I'm Resa. This is my brother, Flynn."

The wolfman nodded, stepping into a gentle bow. "Resa, Flynn, well met. I look forward to working with you in the future. Seluvis is just down the stairs, if you need to see him. Don't…pay him much mind."

I furrowed my brow, but kept silent. We bid farewell, continuing down the stairs. At its base, near the entrance, was the man I presumed was Seluvis. Similar to many of the other sorcerers we saw, he wore a mask to hide his face. Rather than the stony blocks many others though, this was more of a metal face shield, with holes for the eyes and some thatchwork over the mouth. Beyond that, he wore a comically wide-brimmed hat, as well as robes - though I noticed they differed from the robes worn by the Academy mages. The man didn't even turn to look at us before he started speaking, only in our general direction.

"Oh…you must be the newcomers. I am Seluvis, a preceptor in the sorcerous arts, something that I'm sure is far above your understanding. I'll be frank, I'm not quite sure what mistress Ranni sees in a Tarnished like you, but seeing as we now serve the same person I kindly ask you pull your weight. Is that understood."

I resisted the urge to slug him then and there - though that would likely only serve his point. "I'm actually learning sorceries myself. Nothing fancy yet, but I'm making steady progress. How do you support Ranni?"

"Ah, the Lady always has use for talented sorcerers such as myself…I'm quite sure she sees other uses for you. Should you wish for a teacher though, I suppose I could deign myself to educate one such as yourself in service of our Lady. My Rise is not far from here, just a bit to the west."

"That's quite alright. I've quite a capable teacher already." Inside, I was boiling…pompous, arrogant, self-entitled…people like him deserved to be put in their place. If he wasn't a phantom right now…he likely would have been.

"Ah, splendid, I ask then that you seek me out if you absolutely must. Please, don't take up any more of my time…I've other matters to be attending to." With that, the phantom vanished leaving us alone in the bottom room.

"The nerve of him…"

Resa grasped my shoulder, squeezing firmly. "It's…hopefully we don't have to work with him any. Let's go back to Ranni…she asked us to speak with us when we were done."

"Fine…let's go so we can get out of here." We climbed back up, ascending the elevator and returning to Ranni's chambers. As we entered, the figure let out a yawn - all four arms stretching wide. It was only then that I noticed ropes at her knees and elbows where I expected skin to be. Was she…a construct?

"So, you've been briefed and you've introduced yourselves. I take it then you'll be seeking Blaidd out soon?"

Again, my sister took the reins. "We have more business in Liurnia first. Once we've completed that, we'll meet up so long as nothing changes."

"Oh…do tell, what business do you have? I've lived in Liurnia quite some time…perhaps I can be of assistance."

"My brother is seeking to learn more sorceries, and we're hoping that he can learn more there. Besides, that, we want to seek an audience with - "

I put my hand on Resa's shoulder, looking directly at her. "Are you sure?"

My sister paused for a moment. "She was honest with us, Flynn. We should be too."

"Do tell."

"We're seeking Rennala's Great Rune. We're hoping to negotiate with her, and that it won't come to blows."

Ranni's response was but a laugh - more of a titter, really. "Thou art misguided. Thou ask for mother's most prized possession. She would rather die than see the egg leave her care. If thou seekest a Great Rune, though should be prepared for a fight."

"Wait…mother?" I picked up on that, quick to point it out.

"Yes. My mother is Rennala, my father Radagon. It is no concern to me that you know this."

"And you've no qualms with us raising arms against her?"

Ranni shook her head. "You will not slay her. There is a hex placed upon thine mother - one to protect her in need and repel any ill-prepared attackers. Should you seekest it, you will learn of its nature - but if you emerge victorious it will leave her exhausted. Thou wilt have time to extricate the Rune shouldst thou choose to. Claiming the rune does not have to lead to her death."

"But it could."

"It will not, if your intentions are as thou sayest. You seekest Great Runes though? Dost thou have interest in the Elden throne?"

I shook my head. "No, but we are seeking the capital for our own reasons." I intentionally left out Melina - Resa may feel comfortable disclosing our agenda, but I certainly wasn't. "As we said earlier…we know they're required to enter."

"Very well…I shall not pry." Again, Ranni stretched, letting out a yawn. "This form requires rest. It is difficult to control it, sometimes…and so I must slumber for now. I anticipate great news once I awaken…" Her words trailed off as her head dipped forward, her oversized hat nearly falling from her head.

Well…yet another strange departure. I looked at Resa. "Let's get outside. I want to…talk about this."

As we descended, the phantoms of Iji and Blaidd were gone as well. Soon we were outside. I took off my helmet, taking a seat on the steps leading up to Ranni's Rise, patting next to me. "Are you really sure about this? I'm…I'm hesitant, but I'll support you if this is something you believe in."

Resa sat down next to me, and I put an arm around her shoulder. "I do, Flynn. I can't explain it, but I do trust her. I know you don't…I think she's being deceptive because she has to be. Think about it. She's a child of Radagon. That makes her a demigod…for all we know, she has her own Great Rune and is being pursued. The fact that she told us much at all makes me think that she trusts us to at least listen."

I hadn't thought about her lineage…but it did make sense. "And the others? Iji lied to us as well, if he knew Ranni was up there. I'll give him a pass for the reasons you stated…but it's worth mentioning that the only one I have no reason to suspect is Blaidd."

"What, Seluvis never lied to us." I turned to my sister with a burning glare on my face, only to see her barely holding back a giggle that broke as soon as she saw me. "Okay, okay…point taken. Tell you what. Let's see where this search for Nokron takes us. If you still don't trust things after that, we can back out. I know you're willing to follow my lead, but I don't want to put you through something you can't agree with. Deal?"

"Deal."

As I went to get up I felt Resa's hand on mine, still on her shoulder. "While we're here…do you want to talk about what's been on your mind? You said you would when you felt like it, but…it's been a while."

I let out a sigh…with all the Carian goings-on, my discussion with Fia had slipped my memory. "It's…well, perhaps it's related in some way. Fia is…how do you put it. She's an ally of the undead. She's trying to resurrect someone. To make it such that undeath is death. If Ranni knows of a way to reshape the rules of the world…perhaps Fia does too."

"Well, if I had to choose between a land of choice and a land of undead, I think that's a simple decision. What's got you hung up?"

"She made a good point…that we Tarnished, or Undead, or whatever we now are, can resurrect…but it's just us. Think about Godrick…he's never coming back again. Now I'm not going to justify Godrick, but people have the capacity for change. Maybe it is unfair that they only get one chance at life. I mean…we fought to give people the choice of death, after all."

"Right…but undeath isn't death, it's worse. Remember Nito, and the skeletal armies he raised. People like Aldrich. Undeath isn't a new chance at life, it's horrible."

"You're right…you're right. I don't know why, but her words got through to me a bit."

"Because of your flame?"

"Because of how she was going to use my flame." I paused, taking a second to regain my composure. "It's a source of birth and life…and I fear it might be the key she needs for her plans. I was trying to justify it to myself…that way my flame wasn't being used wrongfully. But you're right…I can't. We'll need to deal with her at some point."

"And we'll do that together…but for now, let's focus on what's ahead of us. We have a dragon to kill…let's not waste any more time."

"Okay…let's go."

We started making our way back that direction - but first, we swung by Iji's location at his behest. He presented me with a sort of locket-like crest - bronze metal with blue detailing, as well as miniscule pieces of glintstone at the top and bottom. He described it as a crest given to the Carian knights of old…and that now that Resa and I served 'Lady Ranni', it felt fitting to pass it along to me. He said that it possessed the ability to make Ashes of War less taxing on the bearer, something that many Carian Knights benefitted from.

I accepted it - but I wasn't quite ready to don it, not yet. Ranni was…troublesome. Perhaps I would grow to trust her, but until then I'd keep the crest nearby in the event I changed my mind - at the very least, it would be useful if I decided to accept the implications of wearing it.

With that detour out of the way, we made our way back to the dragon in the lake. The return was simple - and after our spat with the previous one, I was optimistic that we would succeed. I doubted that this was an illusion like the one in front of Ranni - this was placed here to guard the key. It wouldn't simply vanish, it would fight til its last breath.

Once we approached, we prepared - or rather, Resa prepared. This dragon, like the last, shrugged off glinstone-based attacks with ease, likely because it was fused with the stuff. Empowering my blade with glintstone would just be a waste of energy…though I didn't exactly have any alternatives at the moment. Resa empowered her katana with lightning, keeping her seal in her off hand for when the dragon inevitably left the ground.

And then - the battle was upon us. No sneaking in this time - we knew it was watching us. I rushed in, blade at the ready, poised to strike its head while it was still vulnerable. Resa swept in from the other side, her katana slashing at its vulnerable neck while it was still grounded. It quickly lifted up, unleashing a flurry of bites, stomps, and wing beats against the two of us. I'd learned what I'd needed to from the last fight - hug the rear legs, and little else could reach me. I struck back when I could, and guarded when I couldn't - slow, but steady.

Soon, it took off into the air - and that's when my sister got to shine. Her aim with lightning spears was impeccable, honed from our arduous journeys through Lordran and Lothric. Speed, distance, elevation…all of it was taken into account every single time one such spear left her hand. The dragon's head was struck repeatedly, forcing it to consider whether flight was its best means of survival. Still, it blanketed us with a gout of gaseous glintstone from afar - the craggy rocks surrounding the key weren't the best of cover, but it was enough to shield us from the bulk of the attack.

After a few more well-placed lightning strikes, the hulking beast returned to the ground…and that meant that it was my turn. I once again rushed in, my cleaver tearing into its legs as rivulets of thick blood began to pour from the scales in earnest. A stomp tried its best to dissuade me but did anything but, as a simple backstep got me out of the way. I pushed back in, slashing once, twice, three times more from below.

Compared to when we first fought this beast, I felt far more confident. We knew our enemy - and we had a plan. When the dragon took to the sky again, Resa was primed to send it back to earth. Once it landed, I was there to strike it down. Eventually, it fell…and though my breathing was heavy and my joints were sore, we emerged far less injured than I'd initially predicted.

I rejoined with my sister, sheathing my weapon now that the coast was clear. "Good work…now, let's see if we can find the key."

"Shouldn't be too difficult…looks like the previous owner might not have meant to leave it here." Situated near the back of the rocks was one of the Academy mages, complete with the blue and red robes as well as the stone mask. I hadn't had a chance to inspect it during the fight, but it was clear now that the figure was long deceased - likely from the dragon that moved in to guard it.

Resa approached, inspecting the mage's belongings. Finding the key was easy enough - it was roughly the size of a fist. It looked somewhat like a brooch - made of very decorative silver and set with the telltale blue glintstone, it felt like it was a 'key' in function only, not look. There was a sharp point at the bottom that led up to a circular top, making it easy to loop through my sister's belt. Once she'd done that, she looked at me. "So…do we head straight to the Academy? We told Thops that we'd come back for him."

I'd nearly forgotten about him…but I remembered enough to recall his general apathy and, well…helplessness. "We can wait…he's been doing plenty of that. Plus, a conflict with Rennala wasn't part of our initial plan…having an outsider with us as we enter would just get messy."

"Agreed. Let's go then. I know you've been waiting on this for a while, but…Blaidd's waiting on us. We shouldn't waste time in there if we can avoid it."

Blaidd, Ranni…I could already tell it was going to be one of those things my sister and I wouldn't see eye to eye on, at least for now. She was right…I'd been anticipating this moment for a while. The spectacle had rubbed off, however - the realization that the Academy was no longer in service, the realization that we'd have to fight Rennala…it made the Academy feel less like an adventure, and more like a checkmark to complete. I had no doubt that I'd find useful information for my sorcery studies within its walls - but that was now overshadowed by the true reason we were entering.

All of those thoughts accumulated into "Yeah…makes sense."

"Let's go then…we should be able to start with the grace close to the gate." We traveled there, thankful that the grace from earlier circumvented the need to find the waygate within the ruins. Once more, the elaborate blue sigil sat within the shimmering gateway - except this time, we had a way past it.

Resa and I walked up, key in hand. She unclipped it from her belt, holding it out in front of her as she turned to me, nodding. I nodded back…it was time. We took a step forward in unison, the barrier this time parting for us.

It was like stepping through a waygate - that same sense of a lack of direction, that ethereal property…but we soon found ourselves standing in a large stone courtyard, another shimmering grace right in front of us. I paid that no mind, however, and instead looked to my left…the Academy. Its front gate was right in front of us, leading to an impossibly tall building whose roof I could barely see without inducing vertigo from looking up. We were here…finally.

My sister stepped forward, lighting the grace - perhaps now we could hand the key off to Thops later, since we had a way through on the other side…I still questioned whether he deserved it, but the key served us little now.

I advanced towards the Academy, expectant to see just what was inside. Directly inside was a single room containing a lift. Resa came up beside me, the two of us stepping on, and so up we went. We passed several rows of stained glass windows before the lift came to rest at the Academy's main entrance.

We'd seen it from afar, but seeing the Academy from this close was an entirely different experience. Wisps of glintstone magic seemed to permeate the foggy air, creating a sense of mysticism over the whole place. The academy itself reminded me of the entrance to Lothric castle - towering gothic architecture with a large circular window at the top of the central tower. Multiple spires extended all around, showing just how vast the Academy was. Compared to Stormveil Castle and the destruction it had encountered, the Academy seemed practically untouched…though I knew that the inside may tell a different story.

We continued forward, passing through an iron doorway as we approached the main staircase. Two sorcerers stood at the top, staves in hand - guards. Upon even seeing us, those staves were raised and glintstone began to fly through the air…we were intruders, plain and simple. I had surmised that our entire trip through the Academy would be a fight, and that assumption was starting to look rather guaranteed.

I held up my shield, blocking the incoming barrage of glintstone as I advanced. I retaliated with my own magic from afar, but it seemed to have little effect on them - it was reminiscent of hitting the dragon with glintstone, unfortunately. All that time studying and understanding sorceries…perhaps many of the mages here had built up a resilience to their own craft.

No matter…I had other, more crude means to fight. I raised my cleaver, striking one down as Resa took the other. They weren't particularly hardy, as I expected for mages, and before long both of them had been dispatched.

Resa sheathed her katana, looking at the bodies. "Are you…okay with this? Fighting our way all the way through the Academy, just to get to Rennala?"

I furrowed my brow, thinking for a moment. "The way you're asking that…are you?"

"I…don't know. There are other Great Runes out there…who was it you mentioned, Praetor Rykard? We could leave her be…go elsewhere."

"We could…I'm with you. I'm not entranced with the idea of attacking Rennala. For now though, I want to see what's in here. I know the wonderment's faded, but…there has to be something in here that makes it all worth it. If we get cold feet later, we can leave. Sound good?"

"Yeah…I can get behind that." The two of us opened the door into the academy, revealing an entrance hall lined with two sets of pews. Another sorcerer was beyond that, too engrossed in a tome to notice us at the moment…but it wasn't alone. Two figures dropped down from hooks on the ceilings, strange creatures with four arms that each wielded a sword. They came at us in a flurry of swings, striking my shield so aggressively that I struggled to keep my stance. Once they tired though, I retaliated, several well-placed strikes sending it crumpling to the ground. The mage came next…and once more, we were left alone in the room.

We continued on, finding a small corridor with a grace on one end. From there we stepped outside, into a sort of graveyard area, encountering some sort of…magical corpse. Its entire chest was rotted out and by no means should it have been alive, but two eyes glowed a brilliant blue as it shambled about, clearly propelled by a dark sorcery. We fought through them, each one inconsequential by itself…but there were quite a few as we made our way through.

Soon, we re-entered the Academy through a dimly-lit hallway but only briefly, as it led onto a canyon-like room. To our left was a massive waterwheel - sturdy blocks seemed to pass by the ropes being turned at regular intervals, making me suspect that it could serve as a form of transportation.

"Shall we?" Resa walked towards the wheel, looking down. "Our chance is coming soon."

"Sure." I stepped on, the two of us beginning to ascend. The fog was thick out here, masking the view of most of our surroundings. After a short break we reached a rocky outcropping at the top where we got off. Ahead was another doorway, once again leading into the Academy - and inside was a quiet study chamber, a grace at its center. There had been quite a few of those, thus far…it meant that we could reach any area of the Academy quickly, should we need to. For now, we continued on, still having most of our energy.

As soon as we exited the hallway a figure came rushing at us, a sorcerer in lighter robes and wielding a sword. We'd fought people like this before, in Caria Manor…but only briefly, the troll they were 'allied' with taking them out rather abruptly. This one had no such problems, and swung at me with a blade of glintstone magic, bouncing off my shield. Resa swept around from behind, putting her katana to work as she dispatched it.

The hallway went in both directions, but I could see that turning left immediately led to a dead end. Inside was a small chamber, a long-dead noble hunched over against the far wall. I noticed something in its hands - a scroll. I knelt down, picking it up. I knew before even looking at it that it contained sorceries, the crest of Raya Lucaria very boldly emblazoned in the cover dispelling any alternatives. Of course, I couldn't read it…but based on the fact that it was a clutch of scrolls I surmised that it was far more than just one sorcery in here. I turned to Resa, holding it up. "This…this is about what I expected. Academy secrets just…lying about. I can only imagine there will be even more if we continue on. I might not feel great about what we're doing here, but I also can't deny that it's going to help me with what's ahead of us."

"That's true…you're going to have quite an eventful tutoring lesson with Sellen, when all of this is done." As she was speaking, Resa was barely looking at me. Rather, she was scanning the room, eyes squinted suspiciously.

"See something?"

She nodded, walking forward. "All these bookshelves are full of books…except this one." She stepped towards where the sorcerer had been resting, placing a hand on - no…in the bookshelf. "And given the recent track record with walls that aren't what they seem, it's no surprise that they'd be in the Academy too."

The bookshelf faded away, leading only a few paces outside to a hidden balcony that overlooked the Erdtree in the distance. The fog that seemed omnipresent in Liurnia clouded most everything else…but the sight of the Erdtree against the clear night sky, moon in the distance, was still peaceful.

We stood there for just a moment, soaking it in. We were closer…from here, this high up, it felt like we could see the Erdtree better than ever before. We'd be closer still, however…Melina's accord demanded it.

"Well…perhaps this was little more than a romantic getaway for some lucky sorcerers…but I've no doubt this is the only one we'll find. Might want to keep our eyes open." Resa looked up at the stars one last time before turning to head in. I followed her, leading back into the main hallway. More sorcerers plagued us on our trail - unsurprising given where we were, but the near-perpetual threat of glintstone flying at us slowed down our pace considerably.

We reached a crossroads, four sorcerers firing on us in unison. Resa dispatched one with two well-placed lightning bolts while I approached another, raising my shield to defend against a third while I tried to slim the numbers. As I did, I noticed a massive jar sitting in the corner - a jar with arms, like what we'd seen along the cliffs in Caria Manor. As I rushed to take out a third it started whirling towards me, body spinning rapidly to throw itself in my direction.

A shield simply wasn't enough - it was too big, too fast, and too heavy to block. The impact threw me against the back wall as my neck snapped backwards. I struggled to regain my senses as I felt its fist punch into my midsection, making me double over. As it came in for another swing I finally regained myself, raising my shield just in time while I skirted around to the side, getting back into an opening. I raised my sword, forming the Carian Blade that dwelled within it…I didn't have time to unleash its full power, but one empowered slash downwards was enough to repel the jar backwards, giving me time to heal myself from my flask before closing in to finish it off.

By the time I'd done that, Resa had already finished off the others. "That was…unexpected. Jars both here, and in Caria Manor? You'd think one side would have sway over them."

"Keep in mind there were sorcerers in the manor as well. I don't know…but it certainly is odd. Do you need any more healing?"

I shook my head. "No, should be good for now. I'm ready to press on."

Ahead was a staircase, at the top of which I could see one of the hemispherical altars like what was near Loretta. I wondered if they were connected to celestial bodies somehow…this one too overlooked the sky. Beneath it was another of the light-robed mages, as well as two more blue-robed ones hiding in the wings. When we took them all out I looked around, scanning what was in here, looking for more secret passages. Along the wall of what we'd just climbed up were an array of the masks the mages wore on their heads. I hadn't really noticed it, but there were three different types present - all sharing many similar properties like long hair and a beard, but each with their own twists.

Above that, however, was a large portrait…I could only presume it to be Rennala given its prominence and size within the Academy. It depicted a womanly figure in the classical blue and red robes of the Academy, wearing an oddly curved, pointed hat upon her head. Not much else could be seen of her given the robes, but the pose she was painted in was one of intelligence, a full bookshelf placed behind her. Even more interesting than that was an intricate and ornate staff beneath it. Was it Rennala's? I refused to believe that she'd be without it, but the fact that it was several feet longer than I was tall suggested that it wasn't for an average sorcerer of the Academy. Even if it was my size…I had no doubt I was severely lacking in the skills necessary to use such a staff.

I climbed up the staircase, getting a good look at it. The entire thing looked like one long helix, the metal worked in a twisting pattern all the way to the tip. A central core of glintstone was set into the top, surrounded by more intertwining metal. Part of me wanted to reach out and touch it, lift it…just to see how powerful it was…but out of respect, I left it alone.

I walked into a small chamber beyond the stairs, looking around. On the back wall were four picture frames, each smaller than Rennala's…and even though I'd never seen their pictures before, their faces were recognizable. They must have been prominent instructors or researchers at the academy, because the masks just downstairs were crafted in the likeness of the bottom three paintings, even down to the accessories they wore on their heads. The top, larger picture depicted two individuals within one frame…I hadn't seen a mask with either of their likenesses, but I was certain there would be more academy left.

I turned, continuing to scan the area. The walls were lined with bookshelves - but more importantly, one was a bookshelf lacking any books. I walked over to it, putting my hand onto its surface - and just like before, my hand passed through.

"Resa." I called my sister from below, still looking out at the night sky.

"Find something?"

"Another hidden wall…seems your hunch was right."

We rejoined each other and I stepped forward, entering into a cramped corridor beyond. It opened up into a study absolutely teeming with books, with a chest prominently placed into the center. I lifted the lid…another scroll.

"Not only was it right…seems like it paid off." This was four scrolls now, plus the group of two we'd found earlier. I could only hope that some day, I'd be able to utilize all of these…I doubted that I was adept enough now, but perhaps in time I'd be able to grow into them. The Academy was home to the best of the best, in all likelihood. Any sorceries here would be something to strive for, not something I could pick up and master immediately. Still, that gave me something to look forward to - I was new to this, and I couldn't expect to excel at them all like my sister did with her incantations.

"Looks like there's a second floor…let me see if there's something up there." Resa scaled a ladder on the wall, ascending to the top. She scoped it out for a moment before coming back down. "Nothing that I can really see…I'm guessing whatever sorcery that is, they wanted to keep a secret."

"Well…that's what we have Sellen for…to unveil those secrets."

"And probably more…I'm pretty sure there's far more Academy left to search."

We headed back out through the corridor and into the main room. Unfortunately, there were no more secrets to be had - at least, not here. The chamber continued into a hallway, a door at the far end. We walked down together and I stepped inside, Resa right behind me.

Inside was a wolf. A big wolf, far larger than I was. It was sitting on its hind legs, its back turned towards us as it looked at the far wall.. Its fur was a vibrant reddish-orange, the hairs long and rough along its spine.

As soon as I saw it my movements stiffened, doing everything I could to be quiet…perhaps it wouldn't notice us? I turned to Resa, holding a finger to where my mouth would be…be quiet. She nodded her understanding, stealthily slipping in behind me. I gently closed the door behind us - right up until the wood creaked, and I let out a sigh of irritation…it was never easy.

The wolf's head cocked to the side and immediately locked eyes on me, its entire body turning to look at us. Gods, was it big…even as it knelt low to the ground it could look me directly in the eyes, all while being easily twenty feet long.

The wolf skulked along the back wall, eyeing us up as a predator does its prey - not yet striking, but intently analyzing vulnerabilities. I raised my shield, ready to guard whenever it decided to strike. Resa prepared as well, her hand intently clasping her seal while the other held onto her rapier.

I didn't want to fight this thing…it had to be no more than a guard or a watchdog, simply doing its duty. And yet here we were, prompting its very duty…and if we wanted to go any further, it was likely kill or be killed. We could try to run…I saw a hallway off to the right. But it would chase us, and there would be more waiting for us. It was either stop here…or commit fully to going further.

What did I want? We'd already found so much…enough that the work, the time, and the trip would be worth it. But what if there was more? Part of me didn't know if we'd only scratched the surface of what was here, or if we'd found everything there was to find. As the wolf continued to eye me I deliberated, thinking, debating…and I knew that I wasn't satisfied yet. We hadn't even seen Rennala yet…I wasn't willing to turn back until that had happened. But was that worth taking the life of such a proud beast?

No…we'd have to find our own way forward.