Flynn

RL78 - 30 VIG - 14 MND - 30 END - 31 STR - 14 DEX - 19 INT - 9 FTH - 7 ARC

Resa

RL78 - 26 VIG - 21 MND - 12 END - 12 STR - 33 DEX - 9 INT - 35 FTH - 9 ARC

Resa

"Almost there!"

Torrent leaped from one suspended rock to another briefly soaring through the air before all four hooves landed on solid ground - actually solid ground this time. Flynn and I quickly realized we needed our trusty steed's help to navigate the strange landmass here, the ebbing and flowing movement of the house-sized stones a bit more than our own two feet could manage. With this leap, though, it looked like we were finally at the end - the rocky outcropping this time was connected to the sheer walls of the newly-formed pit itself, and there was a dark tunnel heading deeper inside.

"Alright…I think Torrent's carried us as far as he should. Back to our own feet, Flynn."

"Normally I'd argue, but…underground's probably best traveled ourselves. Alright…let's go."

I dismissed our horse with a whistle as Flynn and I landed on the ground, and from there the only way to go was forward. "I haven't seen Blaidd yet…but he said that he'll meet us here. Let's just hope he's further in." We trekked through the cavern, but it was only a few brief minutes until it opened up into a room - or the remains of one, anyways. I immediately recognized the architecture from what we'd seen underground in the past, with gothic archways and ghostly white sconces set along the walls. However, the most notable portion of the chamber was what was missing - the floor. Based on the piles of bricks below I could only assume a cave-in, but the vast majority of the floor was missing. I doubted it to be the same event as what happened outside - only one star had fallen down, and it had formed the crater outside. This - this looked older.

I looked at Flynn, glancing down. "I guess there's no turning back from here…anything other business you need to take care of?"

My brother shook his head, bringing a hand to grasp at the unwieldy stone greatsword hanging from his back. "Getting this ready was all I needed. Should be good from here."

"Well…off to Nokron." Flynn and I both took the plunge, a brief fall that was enough to rattle our knees at the landing. Another jump and another ledge later put us only a few feet from a cavernous void, but more importantly to a gothic doorway just a short ways ahead.

On the other side was Nokron…it had to be. Tall gothic buildings, an inverted, corkscrew-like tower very reminiscent of the elevator shafts, the faint hints of twinkling underground stars in the distance…if it wasn't Nokron, we were close. A string of buildings led the way for us, some lopsided and dilapidated from untold years of abandonment. We started making our way down, narrowly navigating across a rampart until we could leap down to the roof of a building.

Upon landing, I saw something shift - a glint, but not much else. A second later and my eyes caught it - a sort of liquid metal inconspicuously lying on the ground, though growing before our eyes. It rose up, the liquid forming into a mass that came up to my chest, a strange blob of…something wholly unnatural. I looked at it, simply curious - it wasn't hostile - not yet.

"I've never seen anything like it." Flynn was equally intrigued by whatever the thing was - creature, construct, magic…I wasn't sure. As I looked around, I saw several more pools of the same liquid, though they hadn't come to 'life' like this one yet. When my eyes snapped back to the one we were near, I saw the liquid roiling and shifting, forming a sort of…needle.

I sidestepped it as soon as I knew what was coming, a long lance-like thrust coming from it as it lashed out. I sighed…everything tried to kill us…everything. "Well, I guess show and tell's over." I swiftly withdrew my katana and cut a slash along the blob's length, unsurprisingly doing very little to it. Flynn unhinged the stone greatsword from his back, familiarizing himself with its weight as he gripped it in two hands. I harried the creature, giving my brother time to ready himself - I had a feeling his weapons would be infinitely more useful here than mine. The blob formed another needle and lunged forward again, this time actually launching the needle from itself instead of a stab. I slashed it from the air with my katana, the needle skidding across the rooftop before dissolving back into a small pool of liquid. I looked towards Flynn - he was ready.

A single graceless swing was all it took - the heaving sword was sent crashing downwards, bisecting the orb and sending both halves of it splattering across the rooftops. Flynn remained there, chest heaving, for several seconds, simply waiting…but no movement followed. With a grunt he lifted the sword out of the ground, throwing it back over his shoulder. "Well…whatever it is, it seems like scattering it's a good way to go."

"I have another theory…one that'll require some testing. I see another up ahead, let me take the lead." We continued on the rooftops until we found another pool of the same liquid material. "They seem to be metallic in nature, whatever they are…and that makes me think that lightning might be an effective tool as well." I withdrew my seal and held it against my katana, channeling the crackling, electric power of the dragons across the blade until it too was electrified.

"I'll stay here just in case you need an assist."

"Roger that…here goes." I stepped forward, not trying to mask my movements - with no face, I assumed the liquid could simply sense my presence. As I drew closer the liquid rose up and formed another blob, and at that point I struck. A single slash with my blade had the same nearly-harmless effect as before - but the lightning lingered. The entire block crackled and sparked, electric currents running across its surface. I slashed again as I avoided a thrust from it, and the electricity surged and quickened. A third time and POP - electricity reached a fever pitch for a brief moment until the entire slime simply burst. Liquid erupted in every direction, flying all across the rooftops - and on me. Thankfully it didn't cling, and instead fell to the floor rather easily, leaving barely a trace of what had happened. I wiped the blade clean and then sheathed it. "Well…I think that answers that question."

"I'll say…seems your hunch paid off. There's a few more up ahead, let's keep going."

We continued blazing a trail forward, traveling along more rooftops, dispatching a few more of the blobs as we went. Eventually though, the rooftops came to an end - thankfully, the path continued on in the form of an upturned building. All 7 stories of it had toppled over somewhat cleanly, bridging a gap to a much more solid, much more stable structure on the other side. To be expected, there were more pools of metallic liquid along its length - the last thing we wanted was for Flynn to be smashing that sword down on an already tenuous bridge. A few well-aimed bolts of lightning cleared the path, allowing us to continue forward.

I went to take the first step, but Flynn put out a hand. "Let me…if this isn't load-bearing, I'd rather figure that out before you're across and I'm not."

"So what happens if it collapses after you get across?"

He looked at me, frowning - I was pleased that Radahn's helmet didn't hide his expression like all of his other helms. "Well…fair point. Would you rather we just go together?"

I shrugged. "If it does fall and we only have one chance, I'd rather not waste that. Let's do it."

"Alright." Flynn and I both put one tentative foot on the building - nothing yet. Another and I wasn't sure if it was my mind playing tricks, but I felt the slightest shift in the foundation.

"Just…one foot in front of the other. Just walking."

Flynn nodded, keeping pace. "Just walking."

About halfway across, and I felt it again - this time, I was sure. A slight tilt, a slight rattle, but it was enough to make me anxious. "Just walking…but faster."

If Flynn did sense the same shifting in the structure, he didn't make it known. He kept pace with my quickened footsteps, but I could tell that this wasn't going to hold much longer. After a third time, there was no mistaking it - the whole building lurched, the front end dropping several feet down the structure it was leaning on…and I broke out into a sprint.

Three floors, two floors, one floor - I was nearing the end. Flynn was slower, but he was not too far behind me. Further ahead, the building continued to shift, enough that I was beginning to worry that we wouldn't make it in time. As it descended further and further down, I leaped forward, throwing myself at a small parapet on the corner of the adjoining structure. One hand firmly latched onto an unlit brazier in the middle, the other clinging to the smooth stone exterior.

I looked behind me…Flynn wasn't making it - or so I wrongly presumed. As the building fell even more he leaped forward, now several feet below where I'd jumped. There was nothing for him to latch onto - all that was within his reach was the smooth walls of the building. And -

I felt the several hundred pounds of Flynn grasp onto my legs, testing the tenuous grip I had on the parapet. Further below, the screeching descent of the tower came to a halt as it firmly wedged itself in place…but there was no way to get back to where we were if either of us fell.

"Gods Flynn you're heavy. What's the plan from here?" I found purchase on the parapet with my other hand, both hands now in a firm grip. Even still, my muscles burned and there was no way I could pull the both of us up.

"I can…I can try to climb up your back?"

I sighed…I hated it, but the plan actually made sense. "Alright. Just…go slow."

"Actually, I have a better idea." The voice wasn't Flynn's but I recognized it right away. My head snapped around, looking for the source - and out from a window not far away came Blaidd, a rope slung over his shoulder. "I came running as soon as I heard the noise. You two sure know how to make an entrance, you know that?"

"Blaidd, thank gods…Care to lend us a hand?"

Rather than answering, the wolfman did just that, extending a hand towards me that I graciously accepted. Miraculously Blaidd had the strength to pull both of us up at once, letting us collapse on the floor for a bit while we caught our breath.

"Welcome to Nokron, by the way. I dare say there's no turning back now. That spire over there is the elevator we took to get to Siofra." He pointed towards the upside-down shaft that clung to the building that I'd noticed earlier.

"Yeah…I'd surmised that's what that was. Just give us a moment…I thought we were going to die back there."

"Take all the time you need. I'll scout ahead and clear the path. I think we're not far from making it into the city proper." With a turn of his furred cape Blaidd was off, leaving Flynn and I to recover. We did, after a minute or two, eventually pulling ourselves up and getting back to our feet.

"Alright…let's catch up. He can't have gone too far by now."

Flynn and I pushed ahead, traversing the top of the rooftop we now found ourselves on, following the path Blaidd had traversed earlier. They led along a narrow ledge that led to the open window he first emerged from, letting us step inside the large building and onto another partially caved-in floor. More fallen tiles were on the floor below us, and beneath that was another yawning hole that descended into darkness.

"Well…suppose we're two ways into 'no turning back' at this point, might as well make it a third." Flynn and I took the plunge, landing on the floor below. We tread carefully from there, making our way around and through the half-destroyed floor. We passed by several creatures - likely recently slain by Blaidd's sword…strange, shrunken humanoids with skin a sickeningly pale white and unhealthily shriveled. Many of them had a similarly small bow nearby, with arrows tipped with the ghostly white flame that we'd seen around these parts.

"It's a shame, really." I jumped at Blaidd's unexpected intrusion, locating him from behind a nearby doorway. "They've been without the light of the Erdtree for so long that they barely resemble themselves anymore. All I remember hearing is that a coalition of troops were sent down to search for Nokron - and now look at what they've become."

I stepped through the doorway to where Blaidd was, finding a much needed grace on the other side. I promptly rushed over and lit it - now, we didn't need to worry about getting back here in the future. "Troops? Whose?"

"Can't say I know…Like I said, it's been quite some time."

I looked back at one of them…had our lives not been filled with so many undead that bore a similar, well, dissimilarity to their original selves, perhaps the shrunken creatures would have left an impact on me. As it was…it just felt like more of the same. "Well…it's unfortunate what happened to them."

"Indeed…but enough about them. We're here for Nokron. That map you picked up earlier had it jotted down, didn't it?"

I nodded, promptly rummaging through my things to find it. "Yeah…yeah, I think it did."

I fanned the map out on the clean floor, letting Blaidd and Flynn get a look at it. "Based on the elevator shaft we just passed, I estimate we're around here", I gestured as I pointed towards the south-eastern corner of the map. "Meanwhile, Nokron's up here…so this is the path we might have to cross." I traced a circuitous path that led across the towering bridges we'd seen from Siofra, seemingly the only way to make it to the elevated landmass depicted on the map. Norkon was directly off of that and in fact was not far from where we currently were - but there was no direct path without going around."

"Good…we're not far then, by the look of things. I take it your resupply went according to plan, based on Flynn's new armor?"

I looked over to Flynn, letting him respond. "Yeah…a bit surprised that a friend of ours was able to weave Radahn's armor into existence, but I can't say I'm complaining. This is more of what I'm used to…perhaps a bit on the heavier side, but it'll work."

"Well, it's good to know you have a limit. I'd hate for Tragoth to think that you were competition."

I chuckled. "Don't worry…when it comes to weapons, just give Flynn time. He'll find where Tragoth got that hammer and wield his own."

"I can't say I'm surprised…anyways. If you all are rested up, we'll be on our way. We're almost there, you two…I can sense it." There was anticipation in Blaidd's voice…excitement, perhaps a hint of hope. It was clear that, whereas we'd only recently fallen under Ranni's service, Blaidd had been searching for this for far, far longer…what was the beginning of our journey was the pinnacle of his.

With all of our effects in order, we set out as a trio once more, exiting the small chamber and entering a courtyard beyond it. A stone gazebo sat in the center, surrounded by buildings on all sides. More of the strange humanoids were scattered about - some digging through the dirt while others simply milled about aimlessly. They were hostile, much like everything else, but didn't pose much of a threat to the three of us combined.

As we searched around, we found several things - first and foremost, another one of the strange stone orbs. Flynn was the one to pick it up off a body near the gazebo, holding it aloft. "Hewg mentioned something about these…that the twins back at the Hold can use them to create items from almost nothingness. That makes two of them now…I'd have thought they were rarer. Blaidd, have you heard anything about them?"

Unfortunately, the wolfman shook his head. "I can't say I've ever run across one before. If I find one, I'll bring them your way…I'm afraid I don't visit the Hold to make use of their services myself."

"Why's that?"

"The Hold is for Tarnished, at least for the most part. I've heard of rare circumstances where others were allowed into their circle, but it is infrequent at best and impossible at worst. As Ranni's Shadow, most of the services they provide I can find elsewhere - as you're well aware, Iji is a fine blacksmith and Seluvis is quite the adept sorcerer. Between them, a warrior like myself, and the rest of Ranni's network, our needs are taken care of. Still, I admire what the Hold offers. It is somewhere I would visit, if given the opportunity."

I frowned. "Well…if you ever need anything from them, do let us know. We're here for you, Blaidd. Just as we are Ranni."

The wolfman promptly shook his head dismissively. "Though your words are kind, I - we - are here in service of Lady Ranni. If your attentions are elsewhere, then I must ask that you refocus them. I mean this as no disrespect - I only wish to ensure the success of our mission here today."

"Blaidd, I, we…" I fumbled, trying to find the right words. What he said made sense…but it felt so cold, and only served to worry me further. I knew what would happen at the end of this, as did he - his loyalty to Ranni would have to falter, no matter what. "What I mean to say is that we are here for Ranni, but also to support you in your goals - right now, that's the discovery of Nokron, but also whatever comes after that."

At this, the wolfman furrowed his brow, his muzzle twitching with a struggle to understand. "Very well…as I said, your words bring me comfort. I only ask that you not put myself before Ranni's ambitions. Should we be in a situation where you must leave me to further her goals, do so - and understand that, though it would pain me, I would do the same."

Flynn was the one that responded. "I won't promise that, but I'll keep it in mind. Blaidd, Resa and I, we…we'll explain later, should we need to. Now's not the right time." I knew that Flynn wanted to talk about hollowing - I did too. But right now, while we were standing within Nokron, wasn't the right time. Perhaps afterwards, when the stakes were lower, we could explain to Blaidd why we worried so much about him.

"Understood - when the time is right, I am happy to listen. For now, let us continue on." The three of us continued down a staircase, stepping past an outer wall and out onto another landing…and for the first time ever, the glory of Nokron was laid bare.

We were above it, somehow, though a deep ravine prevented us from going straight there just like our map had suggested. However, that elevation let us see the numerous gothic buildings that still made up the city, as well as a thoroughfare between them. White torches danced and lit the area, suggesting that the place wasn't as lost and abandoned as I'd thought. As my eyes continued scanning across the horizon I saw the large bridge we were about to use to get there, as well as the large columned structure far, far in the distance…still with so little known about it. My eyes continued, following the bridge all the way over to a large ruined building just down the path from us - it reminded me of where I'd seen the massive deer husk down in Siofra, at least in terms of shape and size. That would be our first stop along the trail…but we had to get there first.

Several more of the blobs were present to bar our way, but we'd long since figured out how to fight them. However, another individual was roaming about - a woman clad in light armor and wielding a thin, curved shotel. Her face was obscured by a conical helm with white cloth that covered all but her mouth, while further below she wore a mix of dark hardened cloth and a white shawl. As her attention turned to us and her sword arm was raised, she backed up in a fluid movement, her feet dancing across the cobbled stone as if on glass. Her garb, her movement, her weapon - they all lent her an air of mysteriousness that made me want to know more.

Unfortunately, now wouldn't be the time for that…not when she was our enemy. As Flynn and Blaidd stepped forward to intercept she lunged forward, slashing her blade in an arc woefully far away from either of them - but as she did so the blade stretched and lengthened, almost whiplike in its movements as it snaked towards Blaidd and slashed him across the arm before retracting and filling its original position.

"Ah, the Nox warriors…I've heard scarcely few stories about them, but they all speak of weapons that flow like water. Be on your guard, they are a far greater threat than anything else we've seen thus far." Flynn brought his blade arm up, holding the weapon downwards and using the width of his blade like it was a makeshift shield. Blaidd moved more rapidly, more aggressively, skirting around the side to enter a flanking position. I moved in accordance, taking to Flynn's other side so that the three of us nearly had the Nox swordswoman surrounded.

With a deft flick of her sword and a graceful backstep she deflected both mine and Blaidd's advances, her blade knocking mine out of the way before lashing at Blaidd's. Flynn was the only one to respond, raising his sword up overhead as purple energy began to crackle and course upon its length. In a feat of strength he slammed the weapon down onto the ground - and just like the Knight of the Crucible, a fissure of stones and energy blasted forth, catching the Nox swordswoman unawares as her backstepping foot found the uneven ground of the fissure. She rapidly re-assessed and adapted, kicking off the upturned rock and leaping behind it, turning it into a sort of defensive barrier. She lashed out again, this time at Flynn, her adept control of the blade finding ways for it to sneak around and find the seams in Flynn's armor.

While she was momentarily distracted I closed in, raising my seal up and hurling a bolt of lightning at her just to keep up the tempo. I leaped over the fissure and darted forward, her blade snaking forward as I rolled out of the way. As her blade retracted I threw another lightning bolt, watching her movements…analyzing. Her stance didn't have any glaring weaknesses, nor did her attacks. However, her movements…she always dodged to the left or right, and always stepped around the same amount. That gave me an idea…

I threw a lightning bolt towards her left, estimating where she'd leap to, and then I splintered off to her right to catch the other possibility. My hunch was right as she leaped away from the lightning, and right into my sprung trap. My katana was poised and ready, a raking slash across her side signaling that she'd been outsmarted. As she recovered from the wound I pivoted on my left foot, spinning around and bringing the blade raking across her back this time. She managed to pull herself free, but at that point she'd been figured out - her training too rigid to adapt mid-combat. Between Flynn, Blaidd, and myself, we managed to corral and subdue her, finally bringing a stillness to the place once more.

"She was as skilled as I've heard…but she's far from where she should be." Blaidd looked over towards the city, his brow furrowed. "The Nox were known to stay within the cities themselves…it is not often that they venture this far out."

"Should that be a reason for concern?"

Blaidd shook his head. "For now, no. If we find more, then perhaps…but she may have just been a scout, nothing more. For now, let us continue."

The three of us pressed on, descending down a rocky decline before reaching a stone bridge that led to the larger building ahead of us. Unlit stone braziers sat on either side of the bridge, once again reminiscent of the staircase leading to the deer carcass deep within Siofra. However, a look ahead into the building showed that nothing of the sort was there - just the lower half of a statue and then clean, open air.

Almost nothing…as we stepped further into the room, I saw the now-familiar glimmer of metallic liquid pooled nearby. I gave it as much courtesy as I had the rest, coating my blade with electricity as I approached it. It began to rise up, elevating from a mere puddle on the ground into the blob-like shape we'd come to expect - but as I went to slash at it, it dropped back back to the ground in a brief cloud of smoke.

I took a step back, crackling blade still in hand. "Eyes up everyone…something's different about this one." Blaidd and Flynn pivoted in turn, their prior lack of focus on the seemingly-innocent creature now flipped.

The three of us watched as the cloud settled - and in its place was…me. At first the depiction was crude, warped, the proportions not quite right and a silvery sheen across its skin. However, those imperfections were quickly ironed out as body parts snapped into place and it became, for lack of a word…me.

Not long ago, I'd stared at a depiction of myself, back at the coliseum above Siofra. That had been conjured, apparated…and it was of an older me, from the past. What I saw now was me as I was now…even the scrapes and cuts I'd sustained on the way here. The reflection looked at me, its head cocking to the side wordlessly. It held out its hand as if offering to shake mine - but a moment later, more liquid metal flowed forwards, forming into the exact shape of the katana that I was wielding. In its other hand formed a seal, bringing its two hands together as lightning crackled along its blade.

"What is going on here?" Blaidd stared quizzically at my reflection, trying to make sense of it. "In all that I've read of Nokron, nothing like this has ever come up. A tear that can take the shape of another…incredible."

As Blaidd spoke the tear turned its attention towards him - and as it did, its proportions changed. It swelled, growing taller and taller, as a familiar lupine face replaced where mine once was. A fur cloak replaced my garb as the katana surged and lengthened, becoming an exact replica of Blaidd's.

"Not just one person, it seems…anyone it wants." Blaidd snarled as the tear snarled back, swinging his sword until it was pointed into the ground. "Just how deep does the replication go, I wonder…I suppose only one way to find out."

Without waiting a moment Blaidd hurled himself into the air, propelled by the sorceric energy imbued in his sword. It was a maneuver we'd seen him - and only him - pull off many times in the past…which is what made it all the more surprising when the tear was only a half-second behind him, launching itself into the air with its sword. Both Blaidds flew through the air, passing each other as they crashed back down onto the ground, each one erupting in the signature blast of cold.

Blaidd spun around, swinging his sword in a wide arc until it was caught by the tear's sword, both hulking blades quivering against each other. "Well…that answers that question. If it's an exact replica of whatever it wants to be, we'll need to be equal parts careful and crafty."

Blaidd disengaged, withdrawing his blade and taking a step back. He was right - if the tear could do anything we could, as well as we could…trying to take it on individually would just end up in a stalemate. As he withdrew I closed in, laying down a field of lightning while my still-crackling blade swung towards it, closing off its options. It reared back, sweeping its greatsword in front of me to block my blow before promptly shifting itself to resemble me once again. Now smaller and nimbler, it lunged forward with a newfound katana, catching me by surprise. Lighting struck down just behind it as I felt the first wound of the fight slash across my torso, flinging blood in its wake. I cursed…we needed to be prepared to fight any of the three of us, changing at every moment. There was no way to prepare for who we were going to fight, or when we were going to start fighting someone else.

Flynn closed in as the tear shifted to resemble him, two armored hulks crashing against each other in a fierce bout. Stone blade slammed against stone blade, purple magic crackling against each other as neither one could make ground. Blade came in from behind in a flank only for the tear to pivot, swelling in size as the stone greatsword shifted to metal. With Blaidd's nimbleness it avoided the strike, leaping into the air and landing far behind Flynn. I hurled a lightning bolt only for it to once again get dodged, Blaidd's cunning reflexes no working against us as well as for us.

"We need a plan. This isn't working. Whatever we do, it has an answer to it." Flynn backed up, keeping his greatsword leveled at the Blaidd-tear that had leaped behind him. "And I'm going to be honest."

Blaidd also kept his sword trained on the tear, moving up next to Flynn. "It not only has our appearance, but our instincts. However you would get out of a situation, it will. If we can think a step ahead, that is our key for success."

I followed up, seeing where he was going. "In other words, if someone else is fighting you, strike at where you know you'd want to be?"

"Precisely. It lacks autonomy, it only acts as we act. Flynn - strike at it from the front. Resa, move to its left flank."

As I moved into position, Flynn raised up his sword, purple energy crackling along the length as he prepared a mighty blow - one that, as we all surmised, was doomed to fail. Upon reaching its apex Flynn took one step forward, and then another, slamming his blade down into the ground. A fissure coursed and crackled out towards the tear, which instinctively surveyed its options - couldn't rush forward, couldn't evade towards me, couldn't backstep options were limited. It made the only move it could, leaping away towards its left flank. It was there that Blaidd sprung his trap - a trap that he'd already set in motion a half-second prior. The wolfman was already in midair, his greatsword poised and ready to strike at the tear. Mere moments after the tear finished avoiding Flynn's blow, Blaidd crashed down upon it in an explosion of magical ice that sent the two of them careening backwards. It was the first solid blow we'd landed against the tear thus far…and it only showed that Blaidd's theory seemed strong.

With this newfound information, we continued the fight, doing everything we could to corral the tear into positions we could take advantage of. Thankfully, we all knew our own ticks - Blaidd always tried to escape as far away as possible, Flynn preferred to block in a way that left his right flank exposed, and I preferred to dodge past attacks and circle behind the enemy. Time and time again, the tactic bore fruit - not always, but over half of the defensive maneuvers the tear performed were met with a follow-up that connected.

I advanced forward, charging at the mimic that currently looked like my brother, staring down the towering sword that it wielded. As a fissure rocketed towards me I dodged left, continuing to close the distance. Before I could reach it it shifted to resemble Blaidd, growing in stature and size. Behind me, the real Blaidd took that as a signal to splinter off, waiting for a pincer maneuver from Flynn and I that forced the tear where he wanted it.

Leaping over the fissure I came in swinging, launching a bolt of lightning to further keep up the pressure. From the corner of my vision, Flynn came rushing in with a sweep of his Carian blade followed up by plunging his staff into the ground in an eruption of magic. The tear retreated, a half-step back that the two of us continued trailing, both lightning ang magic chasing after it while our legs made chase. We closed the distance, again coming in with carian and steel blades alike. We'd pushed the tear towards the outer wall of the crumbling ruins, and so its only defense was to shift into Flynn's burlier, armored form and catch both of our blades at once. However, Flynn immediately pivoted by dropping his staff and grasping his stone greatsword, slamming it against the tear's exposed flank with enough impact to send it toppling to the ground.

Before the tear had even gotten up, Flynn continued the hunt by slamming the blade into the ground, sending a fissure along the ground towards it. In a split-second reaction the tear shifted to look like me, now swifter and agiler and able to barely avoid the fissure that went rocketing past. Flynn and Blaidd closed in, leaving me to wait on the wings until the tear tried to evade both of them - and with the sheet aggression that they were putting on, I wouldn't wait long. Flynn was leaving blade and staff together, regularly freeing a hand from the blade to cast a quick spell in response. Meanwhile came in with wide, overreaching swings not meant to inflict harm, but to simply take up space and limit the tear's options.

Eventually, it reached a breaking point - at least, a point where I knew I'd want to escape. It was then that I laid my trap, throwing out a field of lightning just behind both of the tear's assailants, poised to strike right as the tear would try to escape. As that happened, I ran forward, watching with satisfaction as the plan went like clockwork - the tear evaded both Blaidd and Flynn and straight into the lightning field, disorienting it just long enough that I could thrust my katana directly into its chest, its body going rigid for a brief moment - and then limp.

Its form continued to slacken, losing around my blade. In a rather horrifying display the flesh began to shift and dissolve, reverting to its prior metallic sheen before simply dropping like a puddle back to the ground. Rather than remain as a liquid, it continued dissipating into the same cloudy gas that had originally formed it, until soon…nothing remained.

I let out a sigh, sheathing my blade. The others came over in similar states of exhaustion - the fight hadn't been long, nor particularly life-threatening - but the pace had been relentless, and we hadn't had time to stop and catch our breaths since it began. The three of us stood there in silence for a couple seconds, gathering ourselves and our energy, staring down at where the tear had been.

"A creature like this can't be unique. We're sure to face more of them as we make it to Nokron - let's not forget the tactics we used." Blaidd looked around, surveying the landscape. "It looks like we can take the bridge to make it to the mainland. Are you all ready?"

I nodded, following his gaze. "Let's find a grace soon and take a rest. I used quite a bit of my reserves in that fight, and I'd rather not be unprepared when we enter Nokron."

Flynn nodded. "I second that, I'm pretty spent as well. I haven't tried to use sorceries quite like that before."

"But you are using them, and growing more practiced at that." Blaidd looked at my brother approvingly, a slight nod to his head following the words. "As always, you need only ask for help in deciphering the scrolls you carry. It is always good for me to keep my skills honed."

"I'll keep it in mind, but for now let's focus on why we're here."

The three of us moved along the bridge, towards a landmass that we could use to wrap around to the city. As we approached I heard noises - a wistful, sonorous singing that carried the hauntingly beautiful melody through the air. We were too far away to see a source for it yet, but it left me curious and intrigued - wanting to know more.

As we trekked across the bridge, I also watched as Nokron passed by on our left. The city was all mute grays and gothic architecture, and I could even see liquid metal pooled in various places around the city - proof that the shapechanging tear we'd just fought might not be alone.

Closer we drew, until eventually a crumbled portion of the bridge made for a natural departure to the landmass. It was then that we finally saw who, or rather what was singing so enchantingly - a faction that we'd in fact encountered before. Large and muscled, with horns protruding from their head and blue skin like the ocean. We'd seen them briefly in Liurnia, but more recently we'd encountered them in Siofra, though as spirits. Here, they were very much alive, moving in packs and shepherding small flocks of animals. Atop a small plateau not far ahead though was what seemed to be a more shamanistic one of their tribe - it held the skull of a creature towards the sky as it sang its melody, standing in front of an unlit brazier.

It was all very…odd, and only served to spawn more questions. Was this a ritual, a celebration, or something else? If this tribe was alive up here, why were there ghosts down below? If they were alive this deep underground in eastern Liurnia, how did the ones in Liurnia get that far separated? They were all questions I doubted I'd ever find answers to, but in this brief moment, I temporarily forgot about Nokron and simply drank in the sight of this tribe and their everyday lives - and the sheer mystique behind it all.

"Let's not cause much of a fuss, and stick to the shadows. Like Flynn said, let's focus on Nokron." Blaidd diverted us off to the left, veering off the trail and into the grasses beyond. We hugged a low rock wall not far away, staying out of the tribe's way for the time being.

Soon that rock wall gave way, a small gap wide enough for the three of us to slip through. Just inside was a grace - a welcome sight, one that would save us the long walk back should things go poorly, but also would help refresh us for the way forward.

Thankfully, that way forward was near - right in front of us, in fact. We were eye level with some of the higher floors of the city, a fair amount of it sprawling out beneath us. Not far ahead, erupting from the rooftops, were the ghastly visages of a half-dozen people, arms outstretched as if fleeing the city - or plummeting to their doom. In either case they were entirely made of stone, looking like a sick perversion of a gargoyle. We'd seen this once before when we fought the strange dragon deep within Liurnia - only then, the statues were looking up rather than down, and whereas before the figures looked foreign and alien, now…they looked very reminiscent of the lost legion that we'd encountered on the way here. However, these statues were massive, each one easily a couple stories tall and in no way reminiscent of the legion that didn't even reach my shoulders.

As simply intriguing and fascinating as it was to me, I looked over at Blaidd to gauge his expression. It was one of…relief, of satisfaction. "I must thank you both for aiding in getting this far. Nokron has been a goal of Lady Ranni for quite some time, and to see it finally realized here in front of us brings me hope for her future."

I noticed the choice of words there - her future. In the back of Blaidd's head, he still knew what his future was - a conflict between Ranni and the Empyreans. Blaidd knew that there was not much in the way of hope for his future…just Ranni's. I still wanted to talk to him about hollowing, to explain to him why we sympathized with what he was going through and were doing this for him as much as we were for her. However, now wasn't the time…once Nokron was done and his mind was in relative ease…then it might be time for a discussion like that.

For now, however, there was Nokron and only Nokron. We'd come all this way and the city was right here…it was time to find the secret of the hidden city.