Song of Shadow and Light (BxB)

Chapter 11

Kaelan led Thaddeus to the relic, holding onto the warrior's hand the whole time. Keeping up the protection spell was making Kaelan feel exhausted. They were so close to their goal, but they still needed to get out of this castle and back to the portal. Kaelan wouldn't be able to keep up the spell the whole time. He could feel his power dwindling. For a cleric who was supposed to be the most powerful of them all, Kaelan was mad at himself for barely being able to keep up such a simple spell.

"There's no way you'll be able to take control of another bat demon to get us out of here, is there?" Kaelan asked, knowing well that Thaddeus wouldn't be able to do that again any time soon. His powers were still too unstable to do that again so soon.

"Apologies, sweetheart, but that was a one time trick for this realm. If you're tired, I will gladly carry you." Thaddeus shot him a smirk.

Kaelan rolled his eyes. "If you're carrying me, then how will you fight off the demons?"

"I'll improvise. Besides, getting you out of here safely is all that matters to me." He gently squeezed Kaelan's hand.

His actions and words made Kaelan blush. Why did Thaddeus have to act sweet to him now? Kaelan wanted to deny his protection. He didn't want Thaddeus to get hurt for him, even if it was the warrior's job to make sure that the cleric was safe.

As they reached the top of the tower, Kaelan pushed open a door that led them to a small, circular room. The room was dusty and dark, with items and furniture thrown all over the place. Kaelan could sense the relic close by. In this room that seemed to be abandoned, Kaelan was surprised that the demons left something so important there. They should have been protecting this sacred relic with their lives, yet it was left alone in this room with no one guarding it.

After a glance around the room, Kaelan saw something shining from the cracks in one of the dresser drawers. He opened it up to find what he was looking for. Kaelan reached inside and grabbed the necklace. The relic was a small green gem wrapped with string. Kaelan put the necklace around his neck and placed it underneath his robes. He couldn't destroy it now, but he needed to keep it safe until they reached the portal again.

He turned around, ready to flee this place with Thaddeus. He glanced behind the warrior when something caught his eye. A small demon was trying to sneak up on them and it looked ready to pounce at Thaddeus. Before it had the chance to attack, Kaelan quickly pushed Thaddeus out of the way. As he tried to dodge the creature himself, the demon dug its claws into Kaelan before sinking its teeth into his leg.

Kaelan let out a small cry of pain and dropped the protection spell. He hit the creature with his staff to get it off of him, then Thaddeus stabbed it with his sword. With the creature dead, Thaddeus quickly kneeled beside Kaelan's leg to check the bite mark. The wound was bleeding, but it was nothing major. Once they returned to the mortal realm, Kaelan should be able to heal it with no problem.

But Thaddeus seemed more worried about it than the cleric. He didn't say anything at first. Instead, he took out that small book that he kept in his pocket. He opened it to one of the pages and skimmed through the words.

Eventually, he said, "We need to get you back to our realm. Now."

He didn't wait for Kaelan's response on the matter. Thaddeus picked Kaelan up, onto his shoulder. With one hand he kept Kaelan secure, while with the other he held his sword.

Kaelan, uncomfortable with being hauled over someone's shoulder like this, protested, "Thaddeus, put me down! I can walk just fine on my own. Besides, the protection spell fell. You shouldn't exert yourself or else you'll take in too much of the toxic fumes."

"I'll be fine. We need to get you back. It'll be quicker if I carry you, and if you start feeling strange, then let me know," Thaddeus said.

"Why? What did that book say?" he asked.

Kaelan knew that Thaddeus was hiding something from him. Thaddeus knew that Kaelan was quite capable of healing himself, so his reaction to a small bite made no sense to the cleric. Even though the demon was a plague demon, Kaelan was not worried about his well-being. He was more worried about Thaddeus, who was now exposed to the toxic fumes of this realm. If Kaelan started to feel off, he knew that it was only because of the plague. Being the divine cleric should fend off the worst of the sickness without Kaelan having to heal himself. Thaddeus wouldn't be as lucky.

The warrior seemed reluctant to answer. He didn't answer the question directly, but instead responded, "If we get you back to our realm, then you won't need to worry about it. I'm just hoping that your divine power actually protects you from this."

"You're overreacting, so put me down. Nothing is going to happen to me. Some stupid plague isn't going to tear me apart." Kaelan attempted one more time to get Thaddeus to let him go, but it was to no avail. The warrior had no intention of putting him down.

All Kaelan could do was hold onto Thaddeus as the warrior fought through any demons that tried to delay their escape. Being unable to fight in this position was inconvenient. If a demon got too close to Thaddeus' back without him noticing, Kaelan was able to use weak light magic to fend them off. It wasn't enough to kill the creatures, but it could stun them to get them off their trail for a moment. Since Kaelan currently held this realm's sacred relic, the demons would be attracted to him. They would try to stop them from escaping to prevent their realm from collapsing.

As Thaddeus carried Kaelan out of the castle, the cleric began to feel odd. He didn't feel sick, but he could feel his body heating up. The feeling started in his leg where he was bitten. It burned, most likely due to the poison that the creature injected into him. Was this the feeling that Thaddeus asked him to tell him about? Kaelan tried to pay the burning sensation no mind. He knew that it was due to the creature biting him, and he would get better once they left this realm. After destroying the relic, a quick healing spell should make him feel better.

But the feeling was unlike any Kaelan had ever experienced before. Not only his leg, but the burning feeling was starting to spread throughout his body. This was the first time that Kaelan had ever been poisoned. He had been scratched and bitten by demons before, but those were regular demons and not plague ones. Since his body was in a weakened state, his divine energy wasn't automatically healing him. As the feeling got worse, he hoped that Thaddeus would get him out of there quickly.

After cutting down a few more demons, Thaddeus checked on Kaelan while continuing to run towards the exit. "Are you still okay, Kaelan? Any symptoms?"

Kaelan was not feeling okay. "Just . . . get me the hell out of this realm. I feel like I'm burning up."

"We're almost there, just hang in there for a little longer." Thaddeus quickened his pace.

Even though Kaelan wasn't doing well, he was amazed by Thaddeus' stamina. He didn't know how this man could run through a castle while carrying Kaelan on his shoulder. Thaddeus didn't seem to break a sweat either. It was no wonder Azai recommended this man as his warrior. He was a capable fighter, as well as quick on his feet.

Kaelan felt as though he lost consciousness for a minute. One moment they were still running through the plague realm, and the next he was opening his eyes to see the portal in front of them. Thaddeus had finally slowed down, but barely. Kaelan also noticed the cuts and tears in Thaddeus' clothes, but he didn't seem to sustain any injuries.

Before exiting the portal, Thaddeus placed Kaelan on the ground. He had to hold onto him to keep the cleric steady on his feet. "Kaelan, can you destroy the relic?"

Kaelan weakly nodded. He felt like he was about to pass out again. What was this poison doing to him? It was taking away what little energy he had, and he felt like his body was on fire. Regardless of how he was feeling, he needed to complete his task. He reached inside his robes and pulled out the necklace hanging around his neck. He gripped the small gem and with what little power he had left, he focused all his energy on destroying it. The white light encased the palm of his hand, and then shattered the gem.

That was the last thing that Kaelan remembered as he lost consciousness.