Specters' descent

The masked elf smiled as he watched how the obelisks and statues before them cracked then shattered into pieces, scattering dusts around the temple. The ground shook for a few more seconds before coming to a halt. He knew that such ruckus would have certainly gotten the attention of the temple's minister, but it doesn't matter, they still have the advantage of surprise.

"Listen up. I will now be teleporting you to various locations within Mu Astra. Kill anyone that you encounter and if you stumble upon a teleportation circle or any other room used for rituals then don't leave your position. Hold your ground until your comrades find you."

The elf closed his eyes and concentrated. He can't help but feel a bit excited about the circumstances. It will be the first time that they will be attacking a Mu and while he has been used to Crusdea's raids for more than a century already, testing his prowess against the temple would be a good challenge and experience. Besides he was also curious on how Mu Astra would affect his skills as a navigator. There's no saying how large amounts of mana and an assortment of enchantments would react to a teleportation en masse.

Elrich opened his eyes simultaneous with the quake. He already felt a sudden change in the flow of mana surrounding the temple but the stupor of the ale made him doubt himself. Now he's severely berating himself as he felt the continuous breakage of all the enchantments in Mu Astra. He splashed his face with cold water to awaken his senses further. In all his years as a minister, this was the first time Mu Astra was attacked.

The minister felt another set of enchantments being broken. There's no doubt about it. Someone powerful has just appeared and breached all of the temples magical defenses.

He quickly wrote two lines of runes on a parchment and started chanting. Upon finishing, he burned the paper with a candle then tossed it at the ground. The burning paper sizzled as it slowly took the form of an eagle. Elrich faced the flaming eagle and stared at its glowing eyes.

"Yule, Orion, Hugo, Maris, Bjorne, make your way to the teleportation circle and secure it. To those whose quarters are near Lyrus and his party, and Marcus, escort them to the teleportation ciricle…and lastly, to the others, defend Mu Astra." Elrich clapped his hands and the eagle turned into small glowing orange butterflies which then flew out of his room, passing through walls as if they were nothing. His familiar should be able to deliver the message faster in that form.

He pulled out a small wooden chest from underneath his bed and with a quick chant opened it. Inside the chest was a smooth crystal ball with purple wisps of smoke circling inside it. Elrich placed the ball on top of his wooden staff and with a few choice words, small vines grew from the staff and wrapped themselves on the crystal ball, securing it in place. The minister hastily put on a gambeson and a robe, and with a grim expression on his face, walked out of his room. It's time to welcome the intruders.

Lyrus awaken to a loud crashing sound as the walls of his quarters shook. The knight immediately sat up right, the effect of the liquor gone in an instant. That was no ordinary quake. Something was wrong. He opened the cabinet near his door and put on some padded armor and mail. As he was strapping his blade to his hip, an orange glowing butterfly landed on his shoulder.

"Lyrus, this is Elrich. Mu Astra is being attacked. My disciples will escort you to the teleportation room. Hurry." Lyrus turned his head, trying to find the source of the voice, only to realize it was from the butterfly. His instinct told him that the intruders were no ordinary trespassers, and so as an added precaution the knight slung on his hip a war pick and a couple of poisons that Roswell prepared for them when they were about to meet Heronicus.

The knight peered out of his room only for a bolt of lightning to whiz past the top of his head. What used to be the dimly lit halls of the temple are now flickering in various colors while the clanging of steel and the crash of spells echoed from all directions.

"sir Lyrus! I've come to escort you!" cried a bald male mage to the knight as the former sent a bolt of purple lightning towards his foe…a specter. Lyrus felt anger rising up his chest upon seeing who the intruders were. Without a second thought, the knight rushed to the black armored enemy and with his was pick and the help of a perfectly timed lightning bolt, killed the specter.

"Thanks…sir…Lyrus…these ones…are tough…spells are…absorbed." The bald mage panted and sent another lightning bolt, this time directly to the face of another black knight. The mage's words bothered Lyrus. Not only are the specters blending into the night and wearing durable armor, they can also now absorb spells. Just how powerful are they?

'Elrich, you still there?" Lyrus turned his head and saw the orange butterfly still on his shoulder.

"Yes…what is it?" Even the minister seems to be struggling, as Elrich's gulps of air was clearly heard by Lyrus.

"Tell all your disciples to salvage whatever armor or equipment they can get from the black knights and use it against the latter." If their foes have the advantage in weaponry then all they need to do is use their weapons and equipment as well.

"It is done. Now hurry and go to the teleportation room." Elrich replied. Lyrus looked over to the bald mage and saw that the latter have conjured balls of fire to surround them. With a nod, the two made their way down to the temple grounds.

Lyrus can't help but be amazed though as ice bolts, golems, animated statues, flame wisps, and familiars filled every hall of the temple. However, while the numerous spells were a sight to behold, most of them were just shrugged off by the specters. The black knights would simply stand up after being hit by a spell and continue fighting. Now he knows why accounts of Crusdea's avant-garde described them as 'otherworldly'.

"Lyrus, thank goodness you're okay bud." Freid grinned as Lyrus and Clavis, the bald mage, met up with Freid and Leane. Lyrus was about to pat his bestfriend's back but Freid quickly dodged the gesture.

"I really wouldn't do that if I were you. Look." Freid flashed a quick wink to Lyrus before charging towards a group of specters heading to their direction, carrying Valkief with him. Lyrus was about to join his friend but Leane held him back, the female mage smiling cheekily, like she was about to commit a mischievous deed.

Lightning erupted from Freid's body as one of the specters made contact with him. In a matter of seconds, the whole group was laying on the ground, smoke emitting from their bodies. Lyrus' and Clavis' mouths hanged open while Leane started laughing.

"Like it? I had Leane recite the first line of Valkief's enchantment for me since she's more proficient in magic. Now my body emits lightning." The knight gave a thumbs up at Lyrus and the others, obviously seeking approval. Lyrus groaned and chuckled. Even at a battle Freid never loses his temper…and sadly, his dry humor.

"Wait." Lyrus stopped Freid and the others as they turned around a corner and start their way towards the teleportation room. The three gave him questioning looks.

"You go ahead of me. I'll go back to Heronicus' room. I might have missed something."

"Are you mad?" Freid asked.

"No, I'm desperate. Besides I have Elrich's familiar with me to guide me." Lyrus replied before dashing off towards the opposite direction, picking up a specter's shield and helmet along the way.

While it may have been easy for Lyrus and Clavis to reach Freid and Leane, navigating his way towards Heronicus' room was a totally different matter. It felt like the specters knew where he was heading, with their numbers increasing as he neared the room. Even Elrich was forced to provide the knight with a better companion, transforming the orange butterfly into a large stone gargoyle to help Lyrus clear a path.

As the knight emerged from another corner, a familiar sight greeted him, mages lying on the ground with pained expressions and black veins covering their bodies. A few yards ahead, Lyrus saw the masked man about to open the door to Heronicus' room. He quickly unbuckled the belt containing Roswell's poisons from his hip and threw it at the man.

The sound of shattering glass and clay vials echoed within the halls of Mu Astra as the various colored gases spread outward, forcing the masked elf to retreat a bit. Taking this as his cue, Lyrus took a big gulp of air and charged towards the miasma, Elrich's gargoyle in tow. He casted Etrunr at the direction of the elf to force the latter to retreat further away from the door as the push generated by the spell blew the poisons outward.

Lyrus hurried inside Heronicus' room, locked the door and as an added measure, blocked it with the half-elf's bed and desk. He heard the sound of rock crashing as the gargoyle fought the masked man outside. He knew it would only be a matter of minutes before his foe comes crashing inside. Without a moment to spare, Lyrus continued his search, hoping to find something.

However, what the knight expected to be a few minutes became a few seconds as before he can even start to rummage around the room, the door burst open, sending both the desk and the bed hurtling towards Lyrus. The furniture hit him squarely on the side of his torso, knocking the wind out of him and breaking some ribs in the process. He writhed in agony on the ground as the masked man stepped inside.

"Did you really think that a simple familiar would be able to hold me at bay?" Black wispy tendrils sprouted from the arms of the man and wrapped themselves around Lyrus, lifting the knight up while slowly crushing his body.

"Etru��nr." Lyrus gasped in between breaths. Thankfully, the spell's effectiveness wasn't hampered by his inability to speak normally, as with a flash of light the tendrils dissolved, and the masked man was tossed almost outside. Anger surged within Lyrus and casted the spell once more, this time with the intention to kill his foe. However, nothing happened, not even a light or even a push. As such, the masked man was able to wrap Lyrus once more with the tendrils, particularly tightening it around the knight's throat, and heavily bruised torso.

Lyrus felt his consciousness slipping away. Is this the end for him? Is he destined to die in a cramped and dusty room? As his sight continued to darken, he made out a pile of rocks slowly forming itself behind the masked man. Realizing what's happening, he chanted Etrunr once more, this time focusing on the thought of blowing the man as far as possible from him.

Light erupted from within the room as the man was thrown outside. Instead of tumbling a few yards away though, a pile of rocks met the elf's back and immediately wrapped around his body. It was Elrich's familiar. Frustrated with the way things are turning out, the masked elf broke the spell holding the familiar completely with a shout. Lyrus was faster though, slashing at his foe before the latter can regain composure.

Sparks flew as the blade connected with the man's mask, and a gust of wind made Lyrus fall flat on his back. The mask, however, shattered, exposing the face of the mysterious foe. Golden yellow eyes, skin as white as silk, and a pair of pointed ears revealed themselves to the knight. The masked man was an elf.

Lyrus struggled to get up as the elf before him started chanting. He didn't like the sound of the being's spell especially considering that the incantation was a long one. As he pressed the palm of his hand on the stone floor of Heronicus' room, he felt a wobbling sensation. Looking around he saw that his hand was resting on a protruding stone on where the half-elf's bed used to be.

The elf was about to release the curse on to Lyrus when he saw the knight lift one of the cobblestones on the room's flooring, and picked up a notebook.

"'Is that ---" but the elf felt a stinging pain on his right arm as a fireball crashed on to his side, sending him tumbling a few yards away.

"Thaleus!" The elf turned his gaze to see a heavily-bandaged man standing near him, wielding a sword covered with glowing runes.

"I'll hold him off, you join the others." Ruiri ordered Lyrus as the former has started materializing runes around him once more. Lyrus contemplated on helping Ruiri but he knew that getting the notebook as far away from the elf is the best thing to do. While the knight hasn't read its contents yet, he knew that the thing must be of significance considering that Heronicus made an effort to conceal it.

Lyrus nodded and uttered a quick thanks before leaving Ruiri and the elf named Thaleus together. He knew he was no match for Thaleus but he also believed that if there's anyone who can stand up against the latter it would probably be Ruiri.

"I didn't expect to meet you here." Thaleus smiled as the bandaged man sent bolts of flame and ice towards him. The elf swatted the attacks easily by summoning his tendrils. However, he knew Ruiri. Small tricks won't work on the man, and so Thaleus drew his sword and charged.

"I see you're not underestimating my skills anymore." Ruiri smirked as he too rushed forward to meet his foe, sword glowing with a large number of runes affixed on it. He has hone his runeblade throughout the years, allowing him to literally break spells by slicing with a sword or any blade while enchanting his weapon at the same time. While he can fight on par with a member of The Exiled, combat with an elf is a different matter especially if the elf is a sage.

Without the guidance of Elrich's familiar, it took Lyrus another hour or so to find his way to the teleportation circle. By then things have already taken a turn for the worse, a large number of the temple's mages have already fallen while the specters showed no signs of decreasing. Fortunately, a few other disciples managed to clear a path and escort the knight to the room containing the teleportation circle.

"Come inside, quick!" Elrich motioned to the knight. The minister was standing guard on the large iron doors of the room, a bunch of gargoyles surrounding him together with the corpses of numerous specters. Lyrus, together with the other mages hobbled inside, all sporting different kinds of injuries.

Freid, Leane, Marah, Roswell, and Marcus were already inside the circle when the knight arrive. All that's missing was Ruiri. Fearing the worst, Lyrus was about to leave the room once more when Elrich entered, Ruiri in tow. The man's heavily bandaged body was drenched in blood, eyes barely open. Mages immediately rushed to the injured man and performed healing magic.

"He-he's…coming. Thaleus is coming." Ruiri muttered before passing out.

As if reading the knight's mind, Elrich raised his hand and asked that everybody inside the room listen to him. "I'm sorry but we need to cut your stay short. My disciples will now teleport you directly to Noir." Elrich declared, evidently struggling to keep the smile he's showing to the group.

"But what about you?" Marah asked. She might not have known the minister that well since she was unconscious for the most part of her stay, but she knew that she greatly owes her life to the man.

"My disciples and I will hold our ground here…and…we ourselves would destroy Mu Astra. This place is too sacred and powerful. To let it be defiled and fall into the wrong hands would be sacrilegious. So thank you for visiting us and please say hi to Heronicus for me." Elrich grinned widely and hastily turned his back and walked away.

Lyrus wanted to come and help Elrich but his feet wouldn't move. Looking around, he saw that the other have accepted the minister's decision as well, simply bowing their heads as the mages started the chanting. Within the blink of an eye, the group was gone.

The next scene to greet their eyes would be the teleportation circle hidden within the palace of Noir. However, instead of rest, the group will be spending the next few hours preparing for battle, anticipating an attack from Crusdea. The attack would never come though, and a beam of light would pierce the sky, signaling the fall of Mu Astra, and the death of all its inhabitants.

Elrich removed all the spells he casted for the last few hours. He needed to concentrate. The minister, plunged his wooden staff firmly on the ground, and stood before the iron doors leading to the teleportation circle. The other mages should be preparing by now as well. The man closed his eyes and started to chant.

"Never thought I would get to fight a minister of Mu in my lifetime." Thaleus made his way to Elrich, killing the mages he would pass by. The disciples offered no resistance, continuing to chant as black tendrils would puncture their bodies or decapitate their heads.

"Never thought an elven sage would defile a Mu." Elrich retorted. He has finished the spell. All that's left is to gather the required mana and activate it.

The pressure inside the temple changed in an instant. Even Thaleus wasn't able to move as he felt cold air enveloping their surroundings, as if threatening to suffocate anyone who dares breathe it in. Soon, the elven sage was struggling to stand while Elrich, appearing to be unaffected, walked towards him.

"Us worshippers of the Mu would never resort to using curses so tell me, why of all the beings, would an elven sage like you use such magic?�� Elrich asked. Just a few more minutes. He needs to make sure that whatever mana present around them would be completely spread out upon activating the spell.

"Why? Because I'm cursed." Thaleus smiled at the minister's reaction as he felt his appearance slowly changing. Most of the time he would try to hold back the curse, ashamed that he has it but this time, he was thankful. Because without it, he wouldn't be able to move again and plunge his blade squarely on the minister's chest, stopping the latter from fully releasing the spell.

The elven sage looked at his handiwork, Elrich lied on the floor, eyes wide opened in horror, and black veins covering his whole face and body. While they may not have found Heronicus' whereabouts, the raid still yielded interesting results. With nothing more to do, Thaleus turned his back to the minister's corpse, black smoke coming out of his body, and teleported every specter away from Mu Astra. Light soon filled the whole temple, destroying it and everything near it, spreading out the large amount of mana throughout the whole of Elderone.