What I'm really interested in, however, is to find out what the Odi researched in this facility. If Nalrond's story is true, we might find clues about how to solve the problem I would have in common with the undead if I ever decide to body-swap.
'Retaining my own physical skills and mana core is no small matter. Maybe this mess is actually a blessing in disguise. Our only issue is to get rid of Dawn and seize everything relevant before the Kingdom searches the lab.'
Lith used the tower Sentries to scout their surroundings and search for secret passages while keeping an eye on the enemy. Dawn's spawns were taking it easy, checking every nook and cranny for their prey before moving forward.
The Bright Day believed that after interrogating Nalrond, Lith would have killed him since it was what she would have done.
'Breaking Nalrond should take Lith enough time for me to find him. Even if somehow that dumb hybrid knows about the exit and reveals its position to the Ranger, the traps I've left behind will make short work of the other cursed object's human host, leaving them helpless.
'Without a body or an energy source, the lesser members of the family are unable to move. I want to learn who they are and what they know before turning them to the Kingdom. I have now the perfect scapegoat to make up for this mess.' Dawn had a smug grin at the idea of dooming Solus to a fate worse than death.
'No matter what they tell the humans, no one will ever believe a word they say.'
***
A couple of hours later, Lith woke up Nalrond and they left the cave. The enemies were getting closer and Lith wanted to keep enough lead to always have the time to check his surroundings.
Nalrond was forced to take point because Lith didn't trust the hybrid. Yet he couldn't afford to dispose of such a precious asset. Nalrond's clan had learned from Dawn everything they knew so he could offer Lith insight about the enemy's strategies.
"Baba Yaga's horsemen are different from anything else you might have faced before." Nalrond said. "They are smart, powerful, but most of all they are immortal. No one has ever managed to destroy one of them, yet they are not conceited.
"Dawn has never underestimated her enemies and always takes her time before making a move. You have only two advantages over her. First, she's in competition with her siblings, so after being trapped for centuries, she must be in a rush to make up for the lost time.
"Otherwise I can't explain why she kept that dirty poor Ranger instead of swapping him for someone more influential."
Lith had trouble keeping his poker face intact. Nalrond's ignorance about society was baffling.
'Dawn made the best possible move. If she picked someone like Marchioness Distar, I doubt that it would have been easy to corrupt her as Dawn did to Acala. A powerful mage would never trust a sentient unknown artifact.
'Also, the Marchioness has a family and a truckload of responsibilities. Any odd behavior wouldn't have gone unnoticed and Dawn would have wasted most of her time filling paperwork just not to betray her presence. Acala, instead, is a blank slate.
'The only thing Nalrond is right about is Dawn being in a rush. There's no other way to explain why she wants to lead the Kingdom to these ruins. Odi remains have been declared state secrets, hence discovering one is bound to boost Acala's status and give Dawn access to most of the rare ingredients she needs for her research.
'Sure, she'd lose any piece of knowledge she has overlooked, but the Odi also offer her the perfect explanation for the presence of the odd undead Acala has allegedly discovered.' Lith thought.
"Your second advantage is me." Nalrond waved his hand, revealing the presence of several arrays that covered most of the corridor in front of them.
Lith had already spotted the traps with Life Vision, but he wanted to check the hybrid's skills and how trustworthy he was.
"How did you know about their presence and how can such powerful formations remain active even without mana crystals to fuel them?" Lith asked.
"I can sense the unbalance in the elements that this kind of arrays create. As for their power source, there's your explanation." Nalrond pointed his finger at several runes that were unknown to Lith.
On top of that, once he and Solus started to study the array's composition, they noticed that the runes Nalrond highlighted had no sense, occupying the empty spaces between the magic circles.
"Normal arrays are comprised of all elements and their effects depend on the runes they are inscribed with." The Rezar said. "Elemental arrays, instead, are forged out of a single element. They are less versatile in their use but at the same time, they are easier to sustain.
"Those runes are actually power foci for Dawn's mana. She can keep them active as long as she provides them regularly with light energy."
'Fuck me sideways. That's probably the reason why both Xedros and his son are so skilled as Wardens. I wonder if it's something exclusive to light magic or if all elements can do the same.' Lith thought.
"Do you know how to deactivate them?" He actually said.
"Yes. These are arrays that my people developed based on Dawn's teachings." Even though Nalrond was focused on prolonging his life until he found a way to escape, he couldn't hide the bitterness in his voice.
In his eyes, by using his people's magic for her own ends, Dawn was tainting all the good memories Nalrond had of them. He waved his hand again, making several runes move out of their place without disrupting the formation.
"What the fuck?" Lith blurted out.
"If I deactivated the arrays, she would notice just as if I triggered them. This way I have just blocked their mana flow. We can pass the formations without alarming Dawn nor leaving any trace of our passage." Nalrond stepped inside the array yet nothing happened.
The missing runes prevented it from activating without losing its structural integrity.
"We used this kind of elemental formations to protect our village from outsiders. They are not as good as permanent arrays but they have no maintenance cost and are safe for children.
"Even those with no talent for magic can deactivate them with first magic as long as they know what runes have to be moved."
Lith followed him closely, leaving to Solus to remember the sequence of gestures necessary to alter the arrays while he kept an eye on their surroundings. The stone corridors were filled with metal plaques that pointed them the way, but also reminded him of the horrors of Kulah.
When the stone was replaced by metal, a cold shiver ran down Lith's back.
'Damn, if I meet a single golem, I swear to Newton that I'll desert the army.'
Lith's worries were dispelled a few steps later when he noticed that the artificial lights didn't work and that the entire place had been ravaged by time. The metal was completely rusted, alternating green and red patches that screeched at their passage.
The humidity had formed small pools of water from which mold had spread to the seams between the metal plates. Lith channeled Invigoration through the mold, using it as a conduit for his breathing technique and examining the full floor before even taking the first step.
