Chapter 253 - Job Well Done

The knight wiped his blade clean on Griffonage's tattered robe before sliding it back into its sheath. The squire, still catching his breath, leaned on his sword, taking in the wrecked room. 

The cauldron's contents had cooled into a dull, lifeless mass. The once-brilliant crystal, now little more than melted slag, had lost all power—first drained by Griffonage, then completely consumed by Sonder.

The knight turned to her, offering a respectful bow. "You have our thanks, Pale Lady. Without you, this fight could have ended very differently."

The squire straightened, grinning widely. "More like we'd be the ones lying in a heap. That was incredible! You just took his magic like it was nothing." 

"I was just trying to help," she said, unsure how to respond to such praise.

The knight gave a firm nod. "And thanks to you, Griffonage will trouble the world no longer." He gestured to the wizard's body. "We'll take him back to the castle. The king will want proof of his demise."

The squire wrinkled his nose but nodded. "That's going to reek by the time we get there."

The knight ignored him. "You should come with us, Lady Sonder. The court would be honored to celebrate your deeds."

She shook her head without hesitation. "I appreciate the offer, but no."

The knight studied her for a moment, then inclined his head. "I suspected as much. You don't seem the type for feasts and ceremony."

The squire sighed. "Your loss, then." 

Vell, who had been silent until now, spoke. "Just so you know, the crystal is useless now. So there's no point in taking it or coming back for it. Most of its mana is gone—melted down, absorbed." He cast Sonder a knowing glance. "Mostly by you." 

The knight accepted this with another nod. "Then we leave it. Our task is done." He turned to Vell. "And you? What will you do now?" 

Vell adjusted his sleeves, his expression thoughtful. "For now, I'll accompany the Pale Lady. And, if you don't mind, allow me."

He raised his staff, tracing a sharp arc through the air. A shimmer of light followed his movement, expanding outward until a portal yawned open before them. 

"This should take us back to where the tower's entrance was," he said. "Considering we still don't quite know where we are." 

The knight regarded the portal for a moment, then nodded. 

"Thank you, dark mage." 

Without further hesitation, he turned to his squire. "We move."

Griffonage's corpse was wrapped in a tattered rug from the lair's floor before the knight lifted and carried it single-handedly. With their mission complete, the knight and his squire departed.

Sonder and Vell lingered.

"You could have let it go," Vell mused, watching her. "Dispersed the magic into the air."

Sonder met his gaze, more confident than ever. "I could have." 

But she hadn't.

She turned and stepped toward the portal.

Vell smiled and followed. "You'd make an excellent anti-mage."