"Karak," Ardrin said over his shoulder, casting a protective barrier over them as he grabbed another crystal support structure. "Yes, my lord?" the daemon hissed as a thin string of spit dripped onto the laboratory floor.
"Did you finish what I asked you to do?" Ardrin asked bluntly. "I did, my lord. I altered the crystals to the configuration you requested, though their purpose is still a mystery to me, my lord," the daemon replied briefly. "Excellent. Their purpose will show itself in time," Ardrin said, motioning the daemon over. He took the crystal from Karak's clawed hands and placed it into its support structure.
Perfect. I'm genuinely surprised that he managed it at all, and on such short notice, Ardrin thought as the crystal began to hum with charged violet mana.
"Now, do you have a report on the whereabouts of our experiment? I know I should have asked you earlier, but time is, once again, not on our side," Ardrin said as he reviewed Devyr's work on the runic lettering intently, making sure that nothing was causing any sort of interference.
"I do have a report. Two, actually," Karak began humbly. "Go on," Ardrin said, turning to face the creature. "Liagon's alternate seemed to serve us well but not well enough. The rune-laced kataki armor Lord Gravar made for him couldn't withstand one of the elf's attacks, though it did manage to make it all the way inside Myrdin Palace," Karak said with a bow.
"Did it find what we were looking for before its death?" Ardrin asked. "It did, my lord, but therein lies the second part of my report," the daemon began. "It would seem that the Benevolent Ring did not house the Realmwalker Blade at all," it continued, almost flinching in expectation of its master's response.
"What?" Ardrin asked, a genuine look of concern written on his face. "It is true, my lord. I intercepted a raven carrying a message destined for the Master of Codrean that loosely explained as much. It said that they required his help with something, but the message provided no further details," Karak replied, lowering his head just a little bit more.
If they're asking for his help, then it would be reasonable to assume that the power once housed within the blade is no longer there. Since he was the one who retrieved it, it stands to reason why they would go to him for assistance, Ardrin thought, feeling the weight of Karak's words beginning to settle in his mind.
"You're sure that's all there was in the message?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. "I am, my lord. There was nothing hidden either, as I couldn't detect any other traces of mana other than what was being used to help guide the raven's flight," Karak replied.
Ardrin sighed as the inner workings of his mind began to rummage through any information he could recall. When he found nothing that would be immediately useful or that made enough sense to him at that moment, he clicked his tongue in frustration before smacking his fist on the nearby workbench.
"Very well. I thank you for both the report and your discretion with this matter. It would be difficult to explain things if you were discovered sneaking around Caegwen, after all," he said with a single, firm nod. "M-my lord, you do not need to thank me. I-I am, but your humble servant," Karak said, obviously taken aback by his master's response.
"I know, but having spent enough time with Athar has made me realize that while I may be your master, I don't believe I have ever been nice enough to thank you for your hard work," Ardrin replied with a half-hearted grin. Karak's twisted features held an obvious amount of shock written on them.
"Y-you do not need to thank your servant, my lord. You broke me out of this hellscape and allowed me more freedom than I ever could have hoped for if I stayed here under his rule," the daemon said, trying to maintain his composure. "Well, there is a first time for everything, I suppose," Ardrin said, turning away momentarily. "However, I must ask you to return to Valdis as soon as possible," he continued. "Do you not require my assistance anymore, my lord?" Karak asked as respectfully as he could.
"I do, but I cannot risk having your mana signature present when he returns from his work in the dome. If he finds out you were here, it would spell the end for all of our efforts now that he's nearly back to his former strength," Ardrin replied, allowing the weight of his reply to hang above the daemon's head momentarily. "Of course, my lord. I will patiently await your return," Karak said with a final bow before taking his leave.
As soon as the Karak left the laboratory, Ardrin furrowed his brow and began to copy the runic structures over to the remaining crystals as he released the barrier. A few of the augmented hegraphenes turned to observe the creature as it left but kept whatever opinions they had of it to themselves.
"I see you've returned from your training, Niashin," Ardrin said, having sensed their presence. "We have, mage, but where is Devyr?" Niashin replied, glancing around the laboratory for a few heartbeats, prompting Ardrin to resummon the barrier immediately.
As soon as he did so, the hegraphenes immediately felt a wave of unease come over them. "Lady Kalia's daughter has been ensnared in a trap that I could not pull her out of. She is currently with the Undergod inside the dome, though what she's doing in there, I have no answers that would ease your rage," Ardrin replied with a shake of his head.
"That's impossible! She would never have fallen for such a cheap trick," one of the other hegraphenes blurted out. "It wasn't so much a trick as it was sheer, overwhelming power, Buruz," Ardrin replied curtly to the young hegraphene, who was about a head shorter than Niashin. "Did he somehow discover that Devyr was Lady Kalia's daughter?" Niashin asked, taking a step forward.
"No, but he certainly knows she's shown an interest in Athar, whom he's already using as a final bargaining chip against me," Ardrin replied with evident frustration. "However, he's as crafty as he is powerful, so I'm sure that he must have found something out over these last forty cycles that he's been in there," he continued.
"Egeshe krag," Buruz muttered to the others that stood beside him. "Why haven't you told us about this before?" Niashin asked bluntly. His anger flared momentarily, but it was immediately abated after receiving a scowl from Ardrin.
"I didn't tell you about it simply because Lady Kalia has not yet emerged from her training with my nephew. Without them, we simply do not have the power to go up against him," Ardrin replied, leaning on the workbench immediately behind him.
"You're saying that our fates lie with that boy?" Niashin scoffed as he crossed his thick, armored arms. "I am," Ardrin replied sternly. "Why have you been giving us these augmentations, then? Why risk our lives for your experiments if that boy is so important?" the hegraphene asked, his frustration beginning to flare as he spread his arms out beside him.
I can't afford to let my mana flare. If I do, there's a good chance he'll sense it and immediately question why when he returns, Ardrin thought with a deep breath.
"That boy is important to my plan, yes, but what is more important is getting rid of the hold Nexis would have over you," he replied gravely. It was Baruza's turn to scoff this time, earning him a sharp glare from Niashin in quick response. "Are you saying that he has a way to control us and that your experiments were meant to help with that?" Niacin asked with squinted eyes, the thin, golden tendrils darting across them.
"In a manner of speaking, yes," Ardrin began with a nod. "However, it is not control that he has over you; the fear of death keeps the creatures around him in line. My experiments were made to rid you of his influence, but he thinks I did it so you can wield Ethereal mana in service to him. If he can make his return, that is," he continued with a shrug.
"Does that mean we're still unable to wield Ethereal mana?" Niashin asked bluntly. "As long as the barrier emplaced by the gods remains around this world because of him, yes," Ardrin replied solemnly. "Is that why the boy is important? Can he wield Ethereal mana here?" Niashin asked curiously.
"No, but he is a Wraithborn, which is why Lady Kalia has taken it upon herself to train him in her own home. It's also why I had Irun bring him here," Ardrin replied. "But you said he'd only gained access to that power after drinking that tincture. How could you possibly have known that even before he drank it?" Baruza asked, stepping out from behind Niashin.