A5G

Into the Land of Twilight

There was a survivor, though badly hurt and not completely right in the mind. Potential concussion aside, knocking him out was the right thing to do. The last thing they needed was having to chase a deranged porter through the darkness of this accursed forest.

"I carry some healing potions with me, Lady Roxas. For emergency." Engelbert stated from the back of his line, blade held close to his armored shoulder. Tapping into his inner reserve, his awareness spread in a sphere around him as the familiar disconcerting feeling of overlapping perception flooded his senses. Each person in the vicinity "lit" in varying intensity based on their constitution and mana pool, the trees and grasses and various critters taking a dimmer but still distinct shape. And as the sphere expanded...

Im mendë ola mawt kein
Adh im mendë hinnan túlie lyen
Im mendë meinas uta yenā, Im mendë nendur itya seldënya
Im mendë anuir na leyan

"Ah bollocks- It's coming!"

An ethereal figure glided into view above the treeline, an elf pale as porcelain clad in tattered white dress, pristine white hair trailing like wisps of gossamer. She continued that mesmerizing song, its haunting notes echoed through the woods as if a hidden congregation was singing along, waving and beckoning the party to come forward. Come closer. It's such a tantalizing offer, and so reasonable. If one couldn't trust this mysterious singer, then who could be trusted? She's so serene, so peaceful. It couldn't hurt to come along. Just for a short while. Surely no harm could come from that?

Into the Land of Twilight

Whatever danger that was present, it seemed to be satisfied with the captives and already departed. Engelbert seriously questioned about the porters' wisdom, to not only get drunk in this place but also to be lured out of the camp by this... shrieker. Whatever that was. But well, he suppose that lot hadn't experienced any real danger and thought it's just some old forest or something despite all the warnings. Foolish, but nothing that could be done to change that. At least they'll learn from the experience if they survived somehow. He didn't like their chances.

"I'm coming. If there's the slightest chance that those poor souls are still alive, we have to attempt a rescue. It is only right."

If he needed a break at all Engelbert certainly showed none of it, still as energetic as usual. Cant help it really - he's simply built different than most people.

Into the Land of Twilight

The dagger offered no resistance to the magical veil, the already dark glass taking a completely vantablack shade that drinks in the light. Just upon picking it up it's quite evident that the effect was greatly muffled, like it was a distantly morbid thought instead of a constant near-physical urging to slaughter. Moreover, though it was difficult to tell with the skull's influence being so much louder, upon leaving the immediate vicinity the voice seemed to be even more distant as if despite their opposite voice the two artifacts were still inevitably linked and affected each other when they're in closer proximity.

Or perhaps it's just an illusion of the mind. Nevertheless, the hazard seemed much smaller now.

Into the Land of Twilight

Whether it was her stronger magical background or by the simple expedience of being mentally prepared, the skull's whisper didn't smash into Fia quite the same way like the noblewoman a moment earlier. Still, there's significant difference between hearing about it and actually experiencing the effect. Her perception of the world itself warped, color taking a slightly more monochrome tint that wavered at the edge of her sight, indistinct echo of a primal chanting that was more felt than heard, the skull and dagger standing out by being the only thing that remained indifferent to the warping effect.

The mental effect was much more insidious, soft caress that would be easy to miss if one wasn't prepared or focused too much on the immediately perceived distortions. It was a soft caress at the back of one's mind, subtly trying to guide and change her value, to make death seems like the most appealing goal she could strive to. Fia could block it out without too much issue right now, but it's a constant effort to do so. If a mage of Theriadore's caliber had to erect a containment field to study the artifact for prolonged period, perhaps similar display of prudence was a wise thing to do.

Nevertheless, directly handling the crystal skull didn't cause any notifiable change. It was lighter than it looked, the inside hollow like a disconcertingly perfect replica of someone's skull down to the slightly assymetric nature of a natural one. Wearing it as a necklace would still be cumbersome, but not impossibly so.

Meanwhile, the dagger contained a more direct hungering for life upon touch. It was similarly easy to block, not dissimilar to ignoring the pounding of a light headache, but the black glass itself hungered to be wielded. Fia could see the herself slicing forward, feeling the grisly sensation of the glassy edge biting into exposed jugular, the warmth of lifeblood spraying on her face...

...a blink, and the image was gone. Only the ravenous hunger remained, contesting the skull's pull to plunge it on oneself instead of on others. The balance was tenuous, but perhaps that's how the previous wielders remained sane? For some time, at least.

Into the Land of Twilight

"Indeed? And I presume it is not healthy to approach for some reason." Engelbert nodded in understanding, getting a clearer picture of the issue. For that though, the solution felt rather simple. "If we only need to transport it, could we enclose it in a box? Or failing that, tie it to a long pole and carry it that way. In the camp we can mark or fence the area we use to store the thing so that no one carelessly approach it."

According to Carnatia, the skull demoralizes people. It's a bit of a vague term, how badly would it went? Could've easily range from a moment of adrenaline rush to someone outright breaking down in a catatonic state. "Say, Lady Carnatia, how do you know about its effect? Did someone approached it already?"

Into the Land of Twilight

Engelbert lingered in the library for a bit, first to make sure that the slagged and now slowly cooling golem wasn't gonna get back up and another to scan through the various shelves. The latter he gave up quite quickly after seeing all the books in elvish, which he couldn't even begin to decipher. For all he knew it could be a collection of what the once proprietor of the building considered raunchy novellas. Not taking risk at that. He should be moving on, especially after sensing something particularly unpleasant in the next room.

And thus he checked out where most of the others had went, sparing one last glance to the golem. Still unmoving, good enough.

"-artifact collected from Sarkazan general, very befitting of that misbegotten race. However, I find it strange that Theriadore or Lukman would even pick it up and place it here for safekeeping. Now I think about it some more and then I think, maybe not... There was a reason why it wasn't donated to a museum or any of our research facilities. We elves abhor anything that works against the Creator's Law, and the only way I can imagine why it is here is because Varenheim was at war, and we were desperate."

Clanking in, the knight caught a portion of an intriguing conversation. Sarkazan artifact, wasn't it? he had seen a fair share, but something that a high-profile mage like Theriadore considered dangerous should be very potent. Or at least, it would be back at the time the elf still lived. Not like he could tell if the changes over the last two millenia was positive or negative. Looking at the defenses, a single golem felt lacking but on the other hand the more magical measures probably had mostly withered away so he couldn't quite tell.

"Jolly ho, comrades! I see some happy faces around, I presume the findings are bountiful." The bow and polearm was noticeable, for one. As for the so-called Sarkazan artifact... likely that oddly clean skull in an otherwise very dusty room that people are notably standing some distance away form. "What did I missed?"

Into the Land of Twilight

One moment there was nothing, but the moment she stepped through a certain distance it's as if a curtain in reality parted. A wavering distortion filled Carnatia's vision, the phenomenon much stronger near the center where the skull sat inconnuously. Its eyes seemed to aglow with spectral fire that irresistibly attract attention, accompanied by an odd feeling of the relic malevolently staring back despite the skull was placed facing away from her. All her fear and insecurities rose back to the surface, festering doubt gnawing at the mind, and with it the rising urge to turn her rapier around and just fall onto it...

...understandably, the spooked noblewoman hurriedly stepped back. And just as disorientingly instant as it appeared, the influence abruptly ceased once she went out of a certain range. It looked to be around two and a half meter. She'd notice that she had pocketed the gemstones at some point, the mana crystals presumably used to power the golem and the facility in general. It had lost much of its charges after lying out in the open for a while, but one can still extract a decent bit before the stuff crumbled.

Thinking back for the last few seconds, she recalled that her body was on autopilot to follow what she had intended to do while her mind took off to a different direction. She had taken the gems and poked the skull and dagger with her rapier once, the material itself feeling not much different than regular crystal and obsidian but the magic contained within was simplistically primal yet potent nonetheless.

"Ah, my apologies. Seems that the containment structure failed at some point." The translucent elf reappeared beside Carnatia, notably outside the skull's area of influence. "It is a side project of mine. My brother acquired this interesting piece off an overly ambitious Sarkaz general at one time. You can find my notes on that matter next to it, though unfortunately my effort to destroy it have come short. I was trying to see if I can crack what makes them work, you see. It took a score of mages to even leave a dent on the accursed thing, thankfully for something so unnaturally durable the effect is quite... limited. Regardless, it still kills the fire of determination of those who comes near it, breaking hope and lets sprout doubts. I cannot stop you from taking them, but please treat it with care. If possible find a proper wizard or enchanter and hand them my notes, perhaps someone can finish what I started." At this moment, not the slightest remain of the so-mentioned dents can be seen on either object. If the ancient mage truly meant it, destroying the artifacts would be a tall proposition... not like it couldn't be utilized in the meantime.

"As for the obsidian dagger, it is much straightforward. Blood never seems to dry if it rest on the glassy surface, and after given some time resting inside the skull anyone slain with it will temporarily rises again under the limited command of the wielder. Uncouth and barbaric, but I shan't judge."

After that string of commentary, the illusory elf shrugged before disappearing again. And now, there's the dillema. Take the figurative double-edged sword, or leave it for the next person to reach this room in the future? It certainly can be useful if utilized properly...

Into the Land of Twilight

The sixth sense for outlying wealth quite easily aligned to the two most prominent display on the mage's workshop, namely the pair of weapons placed on opposite side. One was the exquisite polearm that even at a glance was obvious to be the work of a master artisan, the scars of battle only adding to its appeal. The other was as if a direct opposite, a bow whose subdued simplicity seemed to shine in betrayal of its apparent quality despite the light layer of dust covering its surface. Both looked no worse for wear, as if they hadn't stood in the same place for almost two millenia. Elf-made items certainly had longevity.

On a closer sense a lesser tingle came from a workshop desk at one side, the chaotic clutter of personal items strewn on top. It was as if the mage simply up and left one day, leaving his work and items unattended in a manner of someone who expected to be gone for a few hours. A sturdy metal strongbox stood unlocked, some kind of precisely cut red gemstones arranged within. A bulging pouch sat against it, the few coins that spilled out dulled by layers of dust. Finally, roughly at the center of the desk and off to one side amidst a bunch of tools and lenses, sat the last prominent curio of the room.

It's an eerie skull carved from a single piece of large crystal, occultic lines made out of gold symmetrically lining its surface. Upon closer inspection no scratch or other mark can be seen, beside a strangely jagged and uneven slot at the center of the forehead. A chain protrude from the top, as if the entire thing was meant to be worn as some sort of macabre necklace.

By its side was a simplistic hiltless dagger made out of pitch-black obsidian, the shape a perfect fit for the skull's slot. Reflections on its glassy surface seemed to move on their own when the observer's attention was focused elsewhere, but it's probably a trick of the eye.

If anyone's attentive at all, they'll notice that not a speck of dust accumulated on either objects.

Into the Land of Twilight

Engelbert carefully lifted his foot off the now defunct golem, the layer of leather sole of his boots burned to reveal the metal underneath. The armor encasement was very thorough, but metal wasn't quite the multipurpose material. His balance was slightly off and he clanked loudly every other step, but at least he fared better than the now very slowly cooling remnant of his foe.

"All things considered, I suppose that went well." He's a bit subdued, somewhat blaming himself for not stopping the golem despite the low likelihood of it succeeding. Looking to help with the fire revealed that Fia had extinguished it more efficiently than a cadre of men with buckets, so that's one less thing to do. As for healing the injured... Roxas got it covered. Shrugging, Engelbert clattered to retrieve the sword that was discarded halfway through his sprint toward the golem.

"Are we cataloguing this library, or shall we move to the next room? I recall daytime is allegedly quite dangerous here, we dont have that much time." Said the knight at their boss, sword now secured where it belong. Sunrise was still a few hours away, but there's a lot of books to go through not to mention more potential security measures. His attention momentarily shifted to the golem. "We can probably borrow the hammer to force entry if the door isn't opening."

Into the Land of Twilight

A barrier hummed to life, its translucent surface promising safety within its embrace. Some were already enveloped within, others ran inside without a second thought, but several made different judgment or plainly was too far to reach it in time.

The golem was unmoving, between damaged or immobilized limbs and divertion of power supply, making it an easy - if no less dangerous - target to strike. Magic flowed into Carnatia's rapier, forming a layer to break other magic as it flashed forward to truly finish the target. The physical world darkened to her sight, the energy coursing through the golem coming into visibility for a single moment, mana travelling in a single direction through the vein-like pathways. A single point of convergence was centered at the head before it went toward the shattered crystal through a large channel, one that was partially damaged from the shot a moment earlier.

The bladepoint struck at the convergence, smashing apart and blocking the core from fueling more energy into the destructive beam. Yet for a single dangerous moment the upsurge of energy found a different outlet, sparks of electricity travelling up the rapier and burned her grip just as she ripped the sword out with a flourish. As color returned to the world, however, so did an entirely different set of premonition.

Even though it's nowhere near full charge, the golem had determined that it wouldn't get any better chance and fired through the damaged focus. Fractured beams blasted out of the shattered eye, its size and intensity varied according to the shards. Not all of those was directed outward either, the head smoking and rapidly glowing orange as temperature increased.

Most of the beams splashed on the barrier, the protective dome rippled but held against the assault. Some struck across Tillius' shield, painting angry orange lines that slowly faded into black scorch marks over its surface, Gray Flame safely hidden behind. Carnatia did her best, twisting and turning to avoid the worst of it, but there's simply too many to dodge. A leg took the first hit, the momentary stagger scoring more burned gash on her limbs and torso, overwhelming her senses... then it all stopped.

Engelbert had reached the golem, his armor glowing with pale blue lines oddly similar to the golem's surface from earlier as he took the brunt of the energy beam. It only lasted for a few seconds, the knight managed to wrench the golem off-balance and toppled it to the floor face-down where it continued blasting impotently. An armored foot stomped the head to keep the construct from rising, fighting off an increasingly weakening struggle until something finally gave and the golem abruptly powered down.

Silence reigned, save for the merry crackle of the flame eating up that one bookshelf nearby. The golem's head was partially liquefied, as was the floor right underneath it. If the focus hadn't been broken and it was allowed to fully charge the beam attack... they've probably gotten through the fight remarkably well, all things considered. Even the collateral damage was minimum, the barrier coincidentally managing to protect the exposed half of the ancient books from the final attack.