“What was that?” Alaric’s ears twitched as the sound in the far-off distant caught his attention. It was not so much the sound but the pulse of pure mana that pulsated out from deep within the forest. He stood up from the picnic that he and Salem had set up under a large willow tree. Pulling the braided branches back, Alaric’s nose sniffed the air. “Did you feel that?” He returned his attention to Salem. Salem was a friend and guildmate. Lately, the two had been spending more time around each other. It was nice, something he wasn’t really used to, truthfully. Besides Salem, Lumi was his only other friend within Paradise Dawn. It wasn’t much, but it was everything to him.

With a concerned look, Alaric walked back through the willow’s branches towards Salem. “You felt that right?” He asked with a stern but inquisitive tone. A pulse raced out again, and Alaric shifted his posture to face outside the leaves once more. “Salem, what is that? You’re more magically gifted than I am. Surely, you felt those pulses.” Animals squealed and squawked, racing from the direction of the mana beating. Something had spooked them. It must be why Alaric could sense it too. It was a primal fear. He felt as if whatever was causing this was something that should not be messed with.

An echoed beat out. Alaric’s attention immediately snapped. His helmet, Henaes' Helm, pulsed an echo of the mana beat. Not only that, there were two beats. Salem’s staff matched the helmet’s tune. Henaes' Helm was a twisted gift from The Void. It had called to him that day on the island. When he and Bron delivered that medication, he had gifted it the items he had and it had given him the helm. Perhaps a similar tale could be told for Salem’s staff. Had The Void returned? What could an insatiable power like it want in the Worth Woodsea?

WC: 337

Eelzad's arrival was announced by the rustling of leaves and the stride of a confident man just as Alaric's tension reached its peak. With a sense of almost theatrical bravado, Eelzad broke through the hanging branches of the willow and emerged, his charismatic grin glistening in the sunlight.

"Ah, the sound of adventure calls!" Eelzad proclaimed, brushing off a few stray leaves that clung to his cloak. Amidst the ominous pulses that had unnerved the wildlife - and Alaric as well - his eyes sparkled with a mixture of curiosity and thrill, clearly undisturbed by the ominous pulses that had unsettled them.

"Alaric, I'm meeting for the first time but you look capable, Salem, I had a drink with," he began to say to each of them, nodding with familiarity and respect as he addressed them. He continued, his voice carrying the weight of his experience and the buoyant excitement of a mage who thrives on the unknown. "It's not every day that the forest itself plays such a haunting melody. You're right to wonder," he mused as he spoke.

Eelzad stepped closer to the duo, clasping his hands behind his back with a relaxed yet poised posture as he strided closer to them. "These pulses I'm feeling, they're powerful mana, yes? Perhaps a call to action, perhaps a challenge from the depths of the Worth Woodsea itself." As he looked into his eyes, it seemed as if they glinted with excitement at the prospect of a new quest. I've met many such mysteries in my travels. They often lead to the discovery of unknown magic, the discovery of ancient artifacts, and even sometimes the encounter with formidable foes.

He turned his gaze in the direction of the disturbance, his expression contemplative but full of anticipation as he looked at it. There is no denying that the Void is an insatiable power. Its energies are indistinguishable and often leave a signature in the ether that echoes like ripples on the surface of a pond.

"What better adventure could we ask for than to delve into the unknown, to confront or perhaps harness such power? Besides, what are guildmates for, if not to face the shadows of the world together? More importantly, the drinking and storytelling afterward. Let's continue to make our legend here."

WC: 390

Salem had a frown on his face. He felt the pulse from his staff. It reacted to his mate's helm but the pulse he felt was too familiar. His staff was giving off the same vibes as when he dealt with that plight in Caelum. It was definitely the taint of the void coming to play. His staff was a void item but was meant to restrain it. It helped him be sensitive to such things. One thing was certain. He did not like it.

The fact that Eelzad popped up took him by surprise. Still it was not bad to have his follower around. He would be able to test his potential and see what the man was capable of. Where they were going could be considered dangerous. It would be a great way for them to all grow and gain power.

“It is most likely the void and we need to move. Whatever it is happens to be in our territory. Which makes me happy that you are here Zaddy. You can help us check out the issue and take down any dangers.”

Salem made sure he did not say meet shield but he had the thought in his head. He grabbed his gear and made sure he was ready. He took a second and spoke aloud.

“We need to get used to you Eelzad. Alaric and I have a certain understanding of each other. Stay close to me and you can consider it as working as my guard. Alaric if it moves take it down, if it is down move on.”

The Fairygodfather would start moving to the source of the disturbance at a brisk pace. The forest would seem to be helping them as a path was formed. It made traveling a tad bit easier. When they would get closer Salem would get that disturbed feeling. He cast the strongest full body defensive spell on Eelzad. He used the second strongest on himself and left Alaric out of the casting. The man was hard to take down and Salem would just use healing magic as it was needed.

WC:352

Alaric’s posture changed when he picked up the scent of somebody approaching them. He tensed his body and positioned himself between Salem and the unfamiliar scent. He was ready to pounce as a man theatrically appeared from the brush. He greeted the two of them as if he knew them. Alaric’s face scrunched up with confusion over the encounter. “Who the fuck are you?” Clearly, Alaric was not known for his filter. Alaric turned back towards Salem. “Who the fuck is he?” Salem seemed shocked to see this strange man appear but not one to miss a beat he brushed that awkward encounter off. Salem did seem to have an idea of what was going on, no surprise there. He was pretty quick to catch on and always seemed to keep his cool.

Urgh, okay. If you think it's best. Alaric said begrudgingly. He went and gathered his things from the surrounding area. “Who is this guy and do we really need him tagging along?” He muttered under his breath as he was near Salem but his back was turned to Eelzad so that he would not hear him. He gave Salem some glances, waiting to see what he did. Realizing that Salem was more concerned with the mana pulses than the stranger, Alaric geared up and was ready to head out.

The trio pushed through the deep green forest, following the trail of pulsating magic. It was eerie. The forest was humming to life with mana but it was not natural. At least, it did not feel natural to Alaric. They approached a large rip in a mountain, a cavern that seemed to still be opening. While it was not visible, Alaric could almost see the aura of mana radiating from the cave. It was that palpable. Salem wrapped the trio in his unique barrier magic and Alaric felt the nerves that had started to build wash away. Why did he need to be nervous? With Salem covering his back, Alaric could run wild and dangerous.

As they approached, the sound of something inside caused Alaric’s ears to perk. “What’s that sound?” Before he was able to get a response, a flurry of winged shapes blasted from the cavern. They raced through the trio, their wings slicing into Salem’s protective barriers. Alaric grunted and clapped his hands before him. A magic circle appeared and dozens of explosions rippled throughout the entrance. Clearing the swarm that had just assaulted them. He could hear more of them, deeper in the cavern. “Alright, stick tight.”

Alaric was the first one inside. As he entered, he expected his eyes to have to adjust to dimmer lighting but was shocked to see it was as bright inside the cavern as it was outside. In fact, it did not even feel like it was a cave at all. It was open aired and spacious. It looked like the forest they had just came from but a bit fuzzier. Like it was vibrating. There was so much mana racing through here, it must have been twisting the space itself. Alaric wasn’t too sure coming inside this space was the best choice of action. He hoped Salem knew what he was doing.


Wc 553
Twc 890