Jaune Arc was never the strongest, but he had the will and determination to pursue his goal no matter what he faced. Though that all changed when after saving the bully who made his life miserable, he decided to reveal that Jaune faked his way into...
"I can definitely make it up there," Jaune said to Blaidd as they gazed up at Nokron. The two stood in the Siofra River, an underground realm beneath the Mistwoods. After Jaune's proposal to Ranni, they had negotiated a deal that suited both sides. Ranni was willing to reveal the location of her former body and hand over the keys to access it; in return, Jaune must retrieve something of vital importance to her plans. She then introduced Jaune to her loyal followers—Iji, Blaidd, and a sorcerer named Seluvis—and explained how he would be working with them moving forward.
"And how can you get up there? I've already tried all the gateways, and none of them lead to the city. It seems impossible to reach," Blaidd said back. Since the meeting at Ranni's Rise, Blaidd had been buoyant about how things were progressing. That meeting had been quite a shock—Ranni revealed that Jaune would be aiding them as part of her deal with him. Blaidd knew his mistress and stepsister well enough to realize she intended to maximize this opportunity. She hoped that by having Jaune spend more time with her and her servants, he would become more comfortable and eventually join them as a permanent ally. Blaidd also noticed how Ranni was acting during the meeting; she addressed Jaune as her equal, signaling her high regard for him. With that in mind, he was determined to support Jaune and help foster a closer bond between him and Ranni, seeing this as an opportunity not to be missed.
"Impossible for you, but not for me," Jaune said as he used his magic to ascend toward Nokron. As he neared the top of the bridge, the whispers suddenly materialized and blocked his path, preventing him from advancing further. Jaune attempted to circumvent them, but they always obstructed him, stopping him from reaching Nokron. After several frustrating attempts to go around them, Jaune finally relented and flew back to Blaidd.
"Do you have any ideas to solve this issue?" he asked. Blaidd hesitated, wanting to ask what had happened when he saw Jaune fly up, suddenly halt mid-air, and try to navigate around an invisible barrier before retreating. But he chose to hold his questions, noting the irritated and annoyed expression in Jaune's eyes that clearly said, 'Don't ask.'
"I might have one," Blaidd replied cautiously. "I recall Seluvis acting like he might know something about this problem. That spiteful rat is probably enjoying himself watching us struggle with it." His dislike for the sorcerer was evident; he had grown increasingly wary of Seluvis, suspecting that one day he might betray them like Darriwil, using Ranni for his own ends rather than supporting her.
"Do we have any other options?" Jaune groaned, reluctant to seek out Seluvis. He had met the man once, and in that brief encounter, he had instantly disliked him, just as everyone else did. It felt like dealing with Varré all over again, only worse.
"I'm afraid not. I'll keep searching this area to see if I can find anything else. You should go and do what you believe is best. However, I must warn you to be cautious when talking to Seluvis—he rarely gives a straightforward answer on the first try. If either of us uncovers anything, let's reconvene to discuss it." Blaidd nodded to Jaune before walking away to explore the Siofra River further, hoping he might have missed something.
"Guess there's no other choice," Jaune sighed, reluctant but knowing they had no alternatives. With a quick Shadow Exchange, he appeared at the Three Sisters, just outside Ranni's Rise. He approached the tower on the right, recalling Seluvis had mentioned residing nearby, and that he detected a scent unique to that tower. As Jaune stepped through the front door, his suspicions were confirmed—standing before him was Seluvis in the flesh.
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