Down in the quarry, new faces mingled with the Iksharis. With Talien captured and the remaining Gorleans slaughtered, Kilij's spellswordsmen had taken over the site.
'Gods, he died fast,' Fladd remarked, watching the mercenaries pry their comrade's lifeless body from the jagged quarry wall. 'Hope you're not too torn up about it.'
Kilij shook his head. 'We live and die. He knew the risks – we all do.'
'Good,' Fladd replied with a shrug. 'No hard feelings, then.'
Near the massive doors, a circle of hooded maegis launched relentless waves of magick. Ghostly blue spells surged and struck the metallic frame, their ethereal glow illuminating the cracked stone. But the doors stood firm, unyielding.
Meanwhile, Talien's unconscious form was dragged up the steps, bound in shackles of an unsettling design. Their alien contours pulsed faintly, suppressing any hint of his lingering magick. Two mercenaries bore his weight, their movements careful, as though even in this state, the high maegi posed a threat.
'Will those hold him?' Kilij asked, his brow furrowed. 'Can he still cast?'
'Not with those shackles,' Fladd replied confidently. 'They're made for the likes of him. You can rest easy.'
'Rest easy?' Kilij spat, his frustration evident. 'Nothing's gone right so far.'
Fladd grinned. 'Ah, but that's the beauty of improvisation. In the end, we got the high maegi.'
Kilij's glare sharpened. 'After what, exactly? After he nearly killed all three of us? After the ghost fish almost tore us apart? Or is it the part where you failed to open the very doors you promised us access to? Shall I go on?'
All eyes returned to the sealed doors, their unyielding presence making Kilij's words weigh heavier. As long as the barrier of Talien's magick remained, no one could enter the ruins — a critical step in Fladd's plan. Killing the high maegi wouldn't guarantee the barrier's dissolution, leaving them at an impasse.
Kilij's impatience, palpable and growing, did nothing to ease the tension.
'You don't have a backup plan, do you…'
'How could I have foreseen that the man would seal the entrance like this?' Fladd retorted. 'I won't be held accountable for that.'
With a sudden motion, Kilij seized the academy master by the collar of his robe. 'I don't care. Find a way in, or I'll take what I'm owed right now.'
The mercenary leader's glare shifted to the captive Talien, still slumped in his bonds.
Fladd, remarkably composed for once despite the threat, responded with a steady voice. 'Unhand me. We'll find a way. But it will take time.'
'You'd better –'
Before Kilij could finish, a maegi descended from the cliffside above, landing with deliberate flair. He fell to one knee, bowing before his leader.
'Leader. We've tracked where the emerser retreated.'
Kilij's scowl deepened. 'Why in the depths would I want to go anywhere near that thing?'
'B–Because it may be the answer to your problem,' the maegi said, his tone unsettlingly calm as he nodded towards the ruined entrance.
The mercenary leader followed his gaze, suspicion flickering in his eyes.
'Explain.'
The kneeling maegi lowered his head further. 'It would be simpler to show you, leader.'
Without waste of time, the spellswordsman led the two powerful maegis away from the quarry, guiding them across the sands. They followed his foot trail in the desert until they reached a massive hole, its jagged edges revealing a dark abyss below.
Peering down, they could clearly see the unfamiliar landscape beneath – a vast network of winding tunnels, partially collapsed from the emerser's violent passage. Luminescent creatures, now exposed to the glaring sunlight, drifted aimlessly in the open air.
'The emerser did that? Why?' Fladd asked, his brow furrowed.
'No idea,' Kilij replied. 'Was that why it appeared earlier? Was it trying to break into the ruins?'
The academy master stroked his chin in thought. 'Perhaps. If not for Talien's light, it would've devoured us and likely started down in the quarry.'
'Guess we owe the bastard some thanks.'
'I wouldn't go that far,' Fladd muttered. 'Our last encounter with him, and yesterday's, left plenty to hold against him.'
The two stepped closer to the edge, observing the eerie depths below. Tunnels twisted through the ground like veins, broken apart by the emerser's destructive force. The pale glow of the subterranean creatures flickered faintly, their movements sluggish in the foreign atmosphere.
'Anyone gone in yet?' Kilij asked, his eyes narrowing.
'No, leader. We awaited your command,' the spellswordsman answered promptly.
With a decisive wave, Kilij summoned his warriors. Twenty-four hardened fighters approached, their presence exuding fearsome resolve as they knelt before him.
'Go down and spread out. Kill the Gorleans – only them. The Iksharis are our allies in this, but the students don't know that. Avoid any contact with them.'
'Understood, leader!' they answered in unison.
'Take anything of value – gold, artefacts, anything worth your time. But your primary objective is the extermination of the Gorleans. Your secondary task is to secure anything valuable from the ruins. Is that clear?'
'Yes, leader!'
'Good.' Kilij's lips curled into a sly grin. 'Fan out – and happy hunting. But for Gods' sake, watch out for that ghost fish while you're inside.'
The mercenaries descended swiftly into the tunnels, vanishing beneath the earth as the shadows swallowed them whole.
'No objections to my orders, academy master?' Kilij asked, his back still turned to Fladd.
'None at all,' Fladd replied with a sly smile. 'Think of it as a gesture of goodwill.'
'Planning to linger here?'
'I'm afraid not,' Fladd said, resting a hand on his prisoner's shoulder. The high maegi stirred, slowly waking up and groaning weakly as the touch jarred him. 'I'll be returning to the academy with this one. And you?'
'I'll stay, naturally,' Kilij replied. 'Might even get my hands dirty.'
Fladd chuckled. 'That restless already?'
'Not yet,' Kilij said dryly. 'But I have a feeling the boredom will creep in soon enough.'
'Good. If you happen upon him, make it torturous before you finish him. I want his head delivered to me.'
Kilij's grin was cold. 'Consider it done.'