Flynn

RL54 - 29 VIG - 13 MND - 23 END - 25 STR - 14 DEX - 12 INT - 10 FTH - 7 ARC

Resa

RL54 - 16 VIG - 15 MND - 12 END - 12 STR - 26 DEX - 9 INT - 34 FTH - 9 ARC

Flynn

I hadn't been wandering the hillside for long before I found myself whisked away in an instant - and when I did, I found myself face-to-face with Resa. We were in a small shack overlooking the vast sea to the west of Liurnia, and from the looks of things we were at the end of a cave far, far below where I'd just been.

It took a while, but eventually I was caught up on what had happened - the Albinaurics and Latenna, Nepheli and her tie-in with Gideon, and the fantastical Haligtree. It was a lot to take in all at once…especially hearing the abridged version that my sister offered me.

"So…we continue to get stronger then. For multiple reasons, that is." I looked at my staff, glancingly absentmindedly towards the sky. "For that damned dragon, and for Latenna. I can do that…we can do that. I suppose you want to head along the west coast then? Find everything of use that we can before continuing our journey elsewhere?"

Resa nodded. "Exactly, yes. We saw those towers up there for starters, but I have to imagine there's more. I suppose I should ask though…you did complete what you sought out to do, yes?"

I nodded. "The Evergaol was…yes, I did. Thankfully, without much issue. Unfortunately, nothing useful came of it."

Resa gave me a skeptical glance, but shrugged it off - it was times like this I enjoyed the helmet and the deceptiveness it let me get away with. "Alright then. Off we go."

We headed back to the grace in the gazebo before saddling up on Torrent and setting off to the west. We rode until we spotted another sorcerer's rise at the very south end of the western edge, detouring to explore it. There was no ladder, but some careful footwork by Resa eventually found our way to the top, netting us another Memory Stone - likely useful for both of us now that I was pursuing sorceries.

Our stop along our trek north was an Erdtree - this one guarded by the same sort of staff-wielding treelike creature as the last one. It was here that I first saw Latenna in action, Resa summoning her into being as we approached the creature. As my sister had warned me, she was immobile - but she made up for that with an unrelenting volley of light-tipped arrows, seemingly able to hone in on her target even after they were launched from her bowstring, slowly but surely whittling down the creature. I almost instinctively found myself trying to defend her - whenever the creature got too close, I rushed in from the other side to draw its attention away from her. That protective drive gave both the women the room they needed to work, and before long we'd defeated the creature.

Our reward, like last time, was two-fold, as two glassy marbles spilled out of the creature's core. One was a rich blue, while the other was cracked in numerous locations, though somehow holding its shape. We held onto them until we were at a grace where we could discover their properties, if they were apparent.

That time happened when we reached a lower area in the valley, coming upon an abandoned shack. Resa tested the blue crystal first, quickly learning that it restored her magical reserves. Useful, but…not moreso than what we already carried. I then tried the strange cracked crystal, replacing my spiked one that I'd picked up initially. I drank the concoction, feeling nothing at first…but then, a fervent rattling in my armor notified me that something felt…off.

A moment later, I erupted with the force of a shockwave. Energy shot out of every crack in my armor all at once, as if my skin itself had blown itself up. The force of it knocked me onto the ground and incinerated all the grass where I had been standing. By the time I came back to my senses, Resa was rubbing her head after being thrown against the shack.

"Alright so…whatever that one was meant to do, I don't think it's working properly." Resa dusted herself off getting back to her feet. "While that was certainly surprising, There's no reason to be using that in the middle of a fight."

"Agreed. That did not feel…pleasant." I took the crystal out of the bottle, replacing it with the spiked one. I stashed the cracked one for now…it was small, and on the exceedingly off chance that it would be useful later, we'd be glad we kept it.

And then, more northbound travel. The next thing we came across was yet another Evergaol, not far from the water's edge. We passed by it for now, but made a note of it for later. Evergaols were best when whichever of us hadn't entered had something they could do to pass the time - and as of right now, we had very little.

As we continued north, it became clear that the towers would be our next destination. There was a grace near the base of the tower…and oddly enough, guidance was trailing off of it, pointing even further to the north. That meant that something was up there…the towers were more eastern than the guidance pointed, and the Academy was not even in the same direction. We'd avoided guidance once before, in the peninsula to the south of Limgrave. Part of me wanted to test what would happen if we did so again…but I had a feeling Resa would want us to investigate.

Our trek up to the towers was relatively uneventful - we ran past a strange headless troll, its body a shimmering gold. It reminded me of the similarly headless guardian we'd fought in front of the catacombs not too long ago - but given its slow movement we were able to maneuver past it, and up towards the towers.

There were four in total, each built identically to the other three. Three bells hung from the higher points of the towers, with one at the top and two below it. Ribbonlike stone was carved around it, something that must have been a painstakingly slow process. At the bottom was a waygate - a dormant waygate, that was. To the side of each was an imp statue, though the statue glowed an odd blue that others we'd seen previously had not. I tried to use one of our remaining keys on it, but it didn't seem to work - thankfully, I could still retrieve my key from the imp's head after trying. Each of the three gates had some text next to them, presumably describing what was on the other side. "Crumbling Lands", "Night Sky Unceasing", and "Precipice of Anticipation"...all incredibly cryptic.

The fourth tower was slightly different - rather than a waygate and statue, it held a chest. Resa lifted the lid, revealing a singular stonesword key inside. The key, much like the statues we'd found, pulsed a blue glow intermittently. She looked at me, holding it up.

"Three doors, one key. I have to imagine there's more, but we have no idea when or if we'll find them. Any thoughts?"

"Well…if I had to pick…Crumbling Lands."

At this, Resa looked genuinely surprised. "And that's because…"

"Because how else would you describe where we fought Gael…it was the end of time. Now, I have no idea if this can transport us through time or not…but given that there's magic flowing through this key, I imagine if any keys are capable of that, it would be this one. I want to know…what does the end of this world look like? We know how ours ends…but maybe there's a better future for the Lands Between. One…different from…ours."

My thoughts trailed off, thinking back to the discussion with Fia. Resurrecting the dead - an endless cycle that just grinds everything to dust. I wanted…perhaps needed to know. What does the future look like…is it savable?

"Okay…Crumbling Lands it is then." We headed down to the first tower where I saw the sign for the Crumbling Lands. My sister inserted the glimmering key into the statues - and unlike before, it slotted firmly into place. As it did, a familiar swirling portal appeared within the waygate, signaling that it was now active.

My sister looked in my direction. "After you."

I nodded, taking one step forward, and then another. I stooped low, putting one hand through, and then my head, followed by the rest of me as I was transported…somewhere.

The first thing I noticed was a tornado, a raging vortex some ways into the distance. Oddly enough, I didn't hear it…for something that large and that powerful, I would have thought it would drown out my hearing, but instead it was deathly quiet.

Then, I started to pick up on other details. An asteroid field of rocks surrounded the tornado, each suspended in space. I saw drakes, or perhaps even dragons…dozens of them. The sight alone of that many creatures made me subconsciously tighten my grip on my blade - we still hadn't taken out one since waking up.

My vision panned more towards the immediate, not the distant. We were in crumbling ruins, several pillars seemingly destroyed, either by war or time…the animal skeletons nearby didn't signal which. There were a few trees growing nearby, suggesting that perhaps it was war…from what we saw at the end of time, vegetation hadn't quite made it.

I took a few steps forward, and that was enough to make my stomach lurch. There wasn't one massive tornado, but several. There weren't dozens of dragons, but perhaps several hundred. Rocks dotted the entire skyline. Beneath the first tornado, previously obscured by the island we were on, was an entire city that looked on the brink of collapse. Various pieces of it - walls, pillars, towers - were suspended in the air. Everything seemed to be describable by "on the brink of collapse"...and yet it was as if time itself was frozen. If it weren't for the tornados or dragons, I would assume we had stepped into a still image. A quick check of our immediate surroundings confirmed that yes, the island we'd appeared on was also left floating in the air…and that there wasn't much else to it.

"Well, I certainly wasn't expecting this." Resa came up, resting her arm on my shoulder. "I don't know what to make of this."

"Neither do I. It's certainly…different."

"Did you see what you needed to see?"

I shook my head. "I…don't know. Obviously this isn't where we fought Gael, and given that there's no land it's not like we're just at a different vantage point. But…if this is truly the end of this world, I have no idea what to make of it."

"Well…there's something left, right? Maybe not much, but this was more than we were left with." We both peered out over the city - there were a few trees dotting the crumbling landscape, and the dragons around signified that at least something had lived.

"I suppose so. But it's hardly a suitable life."

"Neither was ours."

"That's…fair." I looked around at the small island we'd found ourselves on. There was something beneath us - not a path to the main city, but perhaps something that could give us some clues about when, or where, we were. I walked over, taking a leap of faith down onto a worked stone…well, right now it was a floor. Another hop put me on a ruined segment of wall. I landed face-to-face with the bones of a creature - a long snout and large canines confirmed it to be at least slightly bestial in nature, and its size suggested it was perhaps twice as large as I was.

Resa followed me down, looking at one final jump down even further. I could see two figures standing in archways, and from an initial pass they looked to be the living version of the skeleton - bipedal, bestial creatures with scarred and matted black fur, each carrying a roughly smithed weapon. I looked over at Resa. "Think we can take them?"

"Well…we could always strike away at them safely from up here. I know you're not going to do that, though…and I'm not going to abandon you." She pulled out her blades, nodding. "Let's do it."

I leaped down, the landing a little bit more rough than I had planned - and immediately, one was on me. It seemed a bit burlier than its companion, wielding a weighted jagged blade as opposed to more of a throwing glaive like its ally. It lunged towards me, swinging that weapon with surprising ease and power - I barely managed to hold my ground after one blow, immediately scrambling to block a second with my shield to regain my posture. Resa leaped down beside me, sending a bolt of lightning streaking down at the other while she descended.

I learned very quickly that these beast-creatures were hardy. Swipes against their hide seemed to do very little in isolation, and it was only after repeatedly attacking one spot that I began to draw blood. It made me worry about what else might lurk in this place…if something this small was giving me us this much trouble, I could only fear for the inevitability of a stronger foe elsewhere.

Eventually, however, we pushed through - out of breath and with a shield arm with barely enough strength left to keep the armament held aloft - but successful nonetheless. I walked over towards the fallen foe, picking up the jagged sword that it had been fighting with. I was actually a bit surprised - despite its size and heft, I found that I could actually wield it fairly well - it sat somewhere between my longsword and my halberd in terms of weight. The blade itself was equal parts crude and intricate - it looked to be taken from something else, a clear shear line on the front and back from where it'd been ripped from a larger object, leaving only the upper rim of the blade sharp, and with a handle crudely grafted into the metal for ease of gripping it. The side of the blade had all manner of snakelike patterns along its length - though with only a part of a whole, I couldn't tell if there was any deeper meaning to it.

"Well…as far as weapons for you goes, that one actually seems somewhat reasonable." Resa looked over at me as she picked up the throwing glaive the other one used, but quickly decided it wasn't quite to her liking.

I gave it a few test swings - the blade was double sided in a very loose sense, with a sharp edge on both the top and bottom. I liked the feel of the blade in my hand…whatever metal this was, it swung well. "Well, unfortunately that might be all we get out of here…I'm not seeing a way to get anywhere else. I think the only way out of here might be…to take one more leap."

We both stepped over to the precipice - we hadn't found a grace here…no way back. It felt grim, but perhaps fitting…in a place like this, so removed from the world and frozen in time, perhaps it was intentional that death was the only way to escape it. We took the leap in tandem, a surprising lack of wind greeting us as we descended into nothingness, even in the midst of the raging tornados all around.

Resa

We both awoke back at the bell towers, coming to our senses around the same time. I wandered over to the north cliff face that we were on, scanning the horizon. I saw yet another Rise to the east, down at the water, as well as three more on a hillside to the north. I wasn't surprised to see that many - this was Liurnia, after all. However, I also noticed a large building complex to the north, perhaps a castle of some kind. The grace we'd seen earlier had been pointing north…perhaps there was something there worth exploring.

"I know what you're thinking…but give me a second." I turned around, seeing Flynn with his whetblade by the grace. He was in the process of transferring the Carian Greatsword ash from his greatsword to this new cleaver, just now putting on the finishing touches - he was getting good at that. "I think we're due for another visit to the Hold. I'd like to talk to Hewg to get this weapon up to par before I start fighting with it."

I nodded. "I'm good with that. I'd be interested to show Latenna's spirit to Roderika…perhaps she is one of those 'special' ashes."

"If so, that would be good. We picked up all that glovewort…and unless you have a change of heart with our skeleton friends, I think we'll have some to spare for a while."

I rolled my eyes…this again. "I'll let you know when that change of heart happens…but don't hold your breath." We took a seat at the bonfire, and then made our way to the Hold.

However…something was wrong, I sensed it immediately. The lights were out. Everyone was gone. I looked to my side, thankful that at least Flynn was here. "What's happened?"

He shook his head. "I'm not sure. Be on guard…I don't have a good feeling about this."

From the left corridor, a figure appeared - a familiar, quiet figure. We'd seen him several times - a man clad in skeletal armor. He rushed out of the doorway towards the both of us, wielding a flail-like weapon that was little more than a skeletal arm.

Flynn was quick to intercept, bashing his shield into the figure before coming in for a gouging attack with his newly-acquired blade. I faltered for a moment - there was no fighting to be done in the hold, but clearly our opponent wasn't following that rule…so neither would I.

I leaped up onto the central table, holding my seal in hand. Frozen lightning cascaded down in two subsequent waves as I tried to pin our aggressor, giving Flynn room to lay into him with his blade. I continued our counterattack, throwing a couple lightning spears before grabbing my blades and leaping into the fray. Between the two of us, there was little he could do. Flynn's new weapon was slow, but effective - every hit was enough to stagger our foe, and with my quick strikes in between, it spelled doom.

As he fell, things started to return to normal - lights flickered on, and people began to apparate. I quickly stowed my weapons now that it seemed we were back in the Hold proper…but I had no idea what had just happened, or why. I took a glance down at where the skeletal figure had once been…he wasn't there now.

"Let's keep this quiet for now. I don't know who we can trust."

"Agreed." I know who I could trust…Roderika. I had no plans of telling her what had just happened, but I was about to present her with Latenna - someone who we absolutely, under no conditions, could let Gideon know about.

"Alright, well…let's do what we came here for, anyways."

Flynn and I fragmented off, myself stopping at Roderika while he continued on to Hewg. "Hello again, Resa. Is Aurelia doing well for you?"

"Well, we haven't had a need for her yet…but I've found more glovewort, and a special new spirit. Do you think you can do more tuning?"

"Of course…I'd be glad to."

I took three urns out - Aurelia, Argyn and the wolves, and Latenna. The first two went as I expected, Roderika performing a similar ritual as before, just with the more potent glovewort that we'd found in the catacombs.

When it came to Latenna, however, she could immediately tell that something was different. "This spirit…I can feel it, like a heartbeat in my chest. It's special, isn't it?"

I nodded…and when I spoke, it was but a whisper. "Yes…her name is Latenna. You can't tell anyone about her, okay? She's…in danger. We're protecting her."

Roderika fervently nodded. "Of course, of course…you have my word. May I?"

I handed Roderika some of the ghost glovewort we'd collected. "Please."

Again, she began the ritual in much the same manner as before, plucking the bulbs and placing them around the urn as she began an incantation. The bulbs began to glow a different color - a pale, purplish blue rather than a rather pure white - and even began to pulse slightly as the incantation continued. It felt longer than normal - but perhaps that was simply my anticipation. It ended in the same flourish as she swept her hand around, all the bulbs condensing into one that was placed into the urn.

"There…may she protect you, as you protect her."

I smiled…it warmed my heart to see Roderika like this, remembering where she'd come from. It certainly felt like she'd situated well within the Hold, and was starting to break out of the shell she hid within when we first found her. "And thank you for ensuring she can. It looks like Flynn is finished, so I'd best be on my way. I'm sure I'll return soon enough."

I stood up, heading back to the main chamber where Flynn already was. We took ourselves back to the bell towers, ready for whatever was next - which we decided was continuing on towards the north. We saddled up on Torrent once again, riding down the mountain and back along the pain roadway we'd been following.

We rode through another camp, similar to the one we hit when we first arrived. A few beasts milled about, as well as a small number of knights and mages. We pushed through, breaking out into a more open stretch not far from the water's edge.

Interestingly, right in front of us was another troll-carried caravan cart. Historically, they'd carried rather good gear in them - both Flynn's greataxe and greatsword had been found within previous ones. This one, however, was guarded by a small militia's worth of people - perhaps fifteen total, as well as a rather heavily armored knight on horseback further up.

"Think it's worth seeing what's in there?"

I nodded. "We can try, sure…but we're not taking out the trolls. They're…let's leave them out of this." I remembered last time - the trolls had spikes through their chest to aid them in moving the cart, hardly humane. It was moving slow enough - with Torrent's help, we could easily catch up and climb on while it was still moving.

"Fair enough."

However, we needed to clear the guards first. We swept in from behind, I let Flynn off Torrent while I stayed for a bit longer, hoping to use the maneuverability to my advantage. All manner of pages, footsoldiers, and mages turned their attention towards Flynn as he sent his cleaver through one, spinning around to block an incoming attack with his shield before retaliating and dispatching the other. They weren't particularly hardy - but if he wasn't careful, I could easily see him getting surrounded.

However, that's where I came into play - from Torrent, I had ample mobility to lay down fields of frozen lightning, devastating swathes of three or four of our assailants at once, quickly thinning the herd. Soon, there were only a couple left - and we cleaned those up in our usual, methodical fashion.

I rode up to the carriage, sidling up with Torrent before leaping over to get on top. Like the others, a heavily ornate chest was tucked in the rear. I lifted it up, inspecting what was inside. I retrieved a sword…a very beautiful sword at that.

It wasn't anything too large, but by its design it looked more like the sword of a royal than a warrior. Its crossguard and pommel were made of brass, etched and imbued with blue crystals, perhaps glintstone. At the base of its blade was another large crystal in the shape of a spearhead. Along the crystal's length were several red gemstones, further emphasizing that this was a weapon of royalty - but it was so well crafted, I hardly cared.

As nice as it was, I could tell that it wasn't for me - glintstone magic coursed through it. "This…may be better suited in your hands. I know you just got that cleaver, but…perhaps next time." I handed it over to my brother, letting it leave my grasp

Flynn turned it over in his hands, inspecting it and giving it a few experimental swings. "Unfortunately, this may require a bit more study like the axe. There's something I just…don't get." He sheathed the blade, resting the equally ornate scabbard on his hip. "I'm sure you'll find a new weapon soon…but I'd hazard a guess most of Liurnia's armaments are going to be for the magically-inclined

"It's fine, really. D tipped me off on the dragon incantations not too long ago - I'm just glad to have my lightning spear back."

"You and me both. It's nice to be reminded of…" His voice trailed off.

"You're past that, Flynn." I put a hand on his, moving both towards the staff he carried. "You're learning new things…if I'm honest, things I didn't think you'd even be able to learn, and you're doing it well. No, it's not pyromancies." I knew that word would sting, saying it out loud - but I wanted to hammer the point home. "But it's something new, and it's something you chose."

"No, it's not that. My flame, it's…"

Right…Fia. I hoped he didn't know I overheard them, but I'd have to cross that bridge at some point. "Tell me when you're ready. I won't pry."

He nodded. "I will, I promise. Just…I need some more time to process things."

"I understand. There's a Rise just across the lake, let's see if we can grab another memory stone." Now that Flynn and I both needed them, I intended to explore nearly every Rise that we came across. We rode over, finding a grace near the shore that we activated before riding up further. At the Rise, we were met by a familiar sigil-glyphed wall, and an imp statue with a phrase - 'Seek three wise beasts'.

"Alright…time to go turtle hunting. Let's split up."

Flynn went off to the right, while I took the left. One was immediately obvious, standing on a rock within plain sight. The second was…notably less so. The turtle was halfway up a tree, clinging on likely only due to the puzzling nature of the trial. A lightning spear quickly took it down. Flynn found the third, hiding far below towards the water's edge. With the seal gone, we went inside - and once again, our prize was a memory stone. That made four now…I wasn't in any immediate need for more, but I had no doubt that it would become useful in due time.

With the Rise completed, we returned to our march up along the western coast. Another grace solidified our progress - and just beyond that was another map stele.

I pulled out my writing utensils and began to jot down what was there. Thankfully, this one wasn't under attack - compared to my rather hurried notes on the eastern coast of Liurnia, I had time to write everything down properly.

"Let's see…we were just at Testu's Rise, as well as the Four Belfries. We passed that Evergoal, but it looks like there's another one further to the north. There are some ruins to the north - Kingsrealm ruins, according to this. It looks like we're heading in the direction of Caria Manor - and the group of Rises beyond there is known as the 'Three Sisters'...it doesn't give a name for each one."

"Caria Manor…perhaps there's more I can learn there."

I chuckled. "I'm sure. Oh…looks like there's more on this stele." I continued reading, seeing descriptions and locations of even more. "To the south - it looks like the plateau is inscribed in this too. What we saw was the Cathedral of Manus Celes, but there's more. A couple ruins, an Evergaol, a Rise…but oddly enough it's describing another Ainsel river well. Perhaps that's the way up?"

"Well, didn't you say the map we found down there showed locations we couldn't reach?"

I nodded. "Yeah…perhaps it's worth exploring more underground later. For now though, let's focus on the Manor…we've been heading that way for a while now. Based on the map, it looks like we'll need to go through the Kingsrealm ruins."

The ruins weren't actually that far ahead - we could nearly see their entrance from the stele. As we entered, we saw a mage - similar to many that we saw wandering the roadways. It turned and cast a simple sorcery at us - and then vanished into a puff of golden sparks. Further away, another one appeared, and then another, each one launching a pebble at us before vanishing.

"Well…I'm not sure if it's guarded or not, but we should still be wary of ambushes." Flynn and I dismounted Torrent as he took out his staff in his other hand, ready to retaliate at any caster he saw. Slowly, methodically, the two of us cleared out every sorcerer that we saw…but something was missing. We hadn't found the hidden cache of these ruins, if there was one. More importantly, we hadn't found a way forward. The ruins were constructed at a natural chokepoint of the coast, allowing for one singular wall to be built on the far end. At the center of the wall was a large, bricked in archway - but my memory, and my mind, told me not to trust it.

I extended my hand forward, once again not expecting to feel stone - or anything at all. Just like last time, my hand slipped through. I quickly recoiled it, turning to Flynn. "Check the floors…anything that seems like it's out of place. There may be more hidden walls. If something's that well hidden, it's likely worth finding that much more."

"You said this is like what you found in the catacombs?" He walked up beside me, extending his hand through as well. "This is…interesting magic."

"It means that someone doesn't want us - or anyone - coming through this way…if I had to guess, it'd be the denizens of Caria Manor. Let's search this place and then head through - I imagine as soon as we pass through this wall we'll have eyes on us, and we might not get another chance to search here."

"Makes sense. I'll take the east, you take west."

The two of us split up, searching the grounds. I found little of value to us - the staves the spectral nobles carried looked rather simplistic compared to Flynn's. Eventually though, I heard Flynn call out from across the ruins - when I ran over to meet him, he was standing in front of a stairway leading down.

"It was like you expected. Hidden wall. Whatever's down here, they wanted to keep secure."

"Maybe it's something of Carian make then…though you'd think they'd keep it within their residence."

"Well let's just find out for ourselves." We headed down, finding an empty doorway at the bottom rather than an iron doorway. Inside was a much larger chamber - I instinctively readed my katana and scimitar, remembering the strange metal-helmed figure we fought guarding Sellen. For now, at least…the chamber was empty.

That changed dramatically only a few seconds later. As Flynn advanced a few more paces in, a sickly portal opened up in the floor as a familiar abomination crawled out of it. We'd seen it only briefly, guarding the portal to Raya Lucaria - a tangled mess of limbs and a gaunt and horrid face. It looked like one of Godrick's grafted abominations, though I was starting to question whether they were under his employ given this one's location. As the figure emerged from its portal it leaped at Flynn, a flurry of hands whirling about in its opening maneuver.

I summoned Aurelia - if nothing else, it would be good to see how much she'd improved under Roderika's care. As it turned out though, that extra assistance was far from necessary. The creature seemed to have an almost crippling weakness to healing - I stumbled upon it entirely accidentally. I attempted to heal myself with my seal once after suffering an errant swipe from it, and the creature let out a roaring howl in pain from the seemingly innocent action. Once I figured it out, however, it spelled almost immediate demise - each healing brought it to the ground, giving it no room to maneuver.

With the creature slain, I walked towards the heavy iron door along the far wall of the room. As we'd come to expect, inside was a single chest. Flynn knelt down, lifting up the lid - and then immediately took a step back. "I think this might be more suited to your tastes."

"Oh?" I stepped forward, peering inside. Within the chest was a rapier - weapon of elegance and precision. This one, however, was far from a noble's sword. The entire thin blade was made from a single shard of ice, narrowing into a dangerously thin point at the tip. I held it in my left hand, feeling the weight - it certainly wasn't meant to be an off-handed weapon, but it also made little sense to put a heavier blade like my katana in my off hand. The weapon was surprisingly light, lighter even than my scimitar.

"Well…it may take some getting used to, but given how hidden it was I think we'd be a fool to leave it behind."

"A katana, a scimitar, a dagger, and now a rapier…you really don't know what you want to be when you grow up, do you?"

Playfully I spun around, swiftly angling the rapier towards my brother until the icy tip was a hair's breadth from his neck. The ice seemed to glow for a brief moment before fading - I hadn't intended for that to happen. "I want to be versatile and quick…to have more options at my disposal than hitting someone with whatever slab of metal I'm currently enamored with." I raised my eyebrows defiantly, glancing at the cleaver he had slung over his shoulder.

"Well then…it seems you're well on your way, then." Flynn gingerly nudged the rapier point to the side, taking a step back. "We can head back to the Hold, if you want. I think we have a few stones left."

"It can wait. As you just said…I've got two other blades at my disposal." The dagger wasn't something we'd been focusing on with the stones we'd found - I saw it more as a tool for movement than for fighting. "Let's continue towards the Manor."

Continue we did. We returned back to the large archway holding a hidden door. I extended my hand forward once more, but this time I continued through. That extra push was enough to dispel the illusion - and on the other side was a giant troll. I raised my weapons defensively, but it didn't seem to notice us at the moment - it was hunched over, and I thought I saw a book in its hands? The only other thing I noticed was a strange helmet over its head, and a cape on its back. This clearly wasn't a troll like the ones we'd seen in Liurnia - far from it.

I kept my weapons at the ready, but lowered them - perhaps it wasn't hostile. As I walked forward I noticed a grace to our right that I lit up. Upon drawing even closer, I saw a large anvil resting at the troll's feet, as well as a club…I continued to get more and more confused by what I was looking at.

"Oh, look at you. It's been quite some time since we've had visitors. What brings you this far north, travelers?" The troll didn't bother looking up from its book - and upon seeing that the helm it wore included a full frontal mask, I wasn't even sure how it was reading the book in the first place.

Flynn responded. "We're seeking the Manor - I'm a bit of an aspiring sorcerer with an interest in Caria Manor. Who are you?"

"You may call me Iji - I once served the Carian nobles, but no more. Now, I simply offer my hammer to those that have use of it. Is there something I can do for you?"

"If you once served the Carians, why are you out here?"

At this, Iji finally put down his book. Looking directly at us - through the helm, at least. "I am here as a warning to those seeking the manor. It is heavily guarded…advancing past this location can be tricky. When the Academy sought out the Carians, the Carians placed a snare that still exists to this day. If you go much further, you're to meet the fate of many knights that died trying to besiege the manor."

There was silence between the three of us - that was certainly unexpected news. Eventually, Flynn spoke once more. "Is there any more you can tell me? Are the Carians still there? Someone I might be able to learn from?"

"The Manor itself is far from what it once was, though you may yet find what lies inside useful. Should you wish to approach it, be careful. I can say no more."

After a brief silence, I chimed in. "You said you're a blacksmith, yes? I know you're…large. But do you think you can improve this weapon?" I extended the rapier to Iji.

"Ah…my old Frozen Needle. This is a weapon of my own make, forged for a Carian Royal of old. I needn't ask how or where you found it…that is none of my concern. The weapon has grown dull due to time - with the right stones, I can make it good as new. It is a special weapon…you will need special smithing stones for it."

"We should have some - here." Flynn pulled out the few brilliant white stones that we'd found thus far, assuming Iji's intent.

"Yes…I have some of slightly higher quality I can offer for the right price, but this will do well in restoring the blade. Give me but a moment."

For a being of Iji's size, it was frankly impressive how he handled the delicate blade with such intense care. The massive hammer he used to smith with was tens of times larger than the rapier itself - the 'Frozen Needle' as he called it. Still, the resultant work was flawless. The icy blade looked even more sharp, able to slip through cracks in an opponent's armor with ease - if not pierce through the armor itself.

"The weapon has a trick - the noble I made it for was never pleased with simple weapons. Hold the blade aloft for but a moment, and then thrust forward. That movement will draw out the true strength of the ice and let you strike at foes from afar."

Afar…interesting. I did as Iji said, experimenting for a brief few moments in the space near his smithery. Eventually with his aid, I got the technique right. The blade lit upas icy sparkles danced along the blade and then launched forward into a tiny, glittering projectile of ice.

"Yes…just like that. The weapon suits you, I believe. Its uncouth make is not so easily learned, but you wield it well. What are your names, if you don't mind? I imagine we will see each other again."

"I'm Resa. This is my brother, Flynn. We're looking to enter the Academy soon, but we're exploring Liurnia before then."

"Resa, Flynn, well met to both of you. I have warned you of the Manor's trap - but I can see in your eyes that you are not dissuaded. I have done what I can, told you what I know - do with it as you will."

"One final question, Iji." Flynn looked up at the giant, continuing. "Should we successfully enter the Manor, is there someone, or something, you'd like us to avoid?"

He shook his head. "No…the manor has fallen due to time. Should you reach its gates, you are free to explore as you see fit."

"Understood. Thank you, Iji."

"And safe travels to the both of you."

I looked at Flynn, shrugging. "Do you still want to try and go in? Despite, well…what we know now?"

He nodded. "It doesn't hurt to try…well, I'm imagining it might, actually. We're not looking to cause harm. Approach with weapons sheathed, and perhaps we'll be allowed passage."

It was worth a try…or so I thought. We saddled up on Torrent once more, riding off in the direction of the Manor. We made it maybe a third of the way before that snare presented itself - a row of blue sigils appeared high in the air, nearly masked by the sky above. From them came a rain of sorcery arrows, flying down in a line towards us. That alone was enough to spook Torrent, our mount bucking for just a brief moment by the eruption of magic flying in our direction.

Unfortunately, that pause left us with no time to try and avoid it. Searingly painful arrows cascaded down around all three of us, Torrent bucking so hard the two of us were thrown off her back. I looked up in the sky as another row of sigils were formed. I tried to scramble to my feet in time, but I simply couldn't. Another row of needles crashed down on us, and it was that second row that spelled death.

I came to my senses back at the grace near Iji. I didn't even want to look at the blacksmith - he'd given us ample warning, and we'd ignored all of them.

"Ready to try again?"

I looked at Flynn - he was already on his feet, shield in hand.

"Try again?"

He nodded. "It's like you said - the more something's guarded, the more it's worth finding. And that." He looked over at the Manor. "That's very well guarded."