Swordborn

Chapter 18: Swamp

"An hour ago a hawk landed upon my window sill carrying a letter," says Jitmit. "Deep in the swamplands lies a fort where holy warriors guard a relic. Coral, if you please."

Coral takes the letter from Jitmit's desk and reads it aloud.

The Knights of Guasat beseech you, Jitmit of the Temple of Water, help us. We are under siege by an unknown evil. It strikes in the dark, killing with poison that blinds the eye and halts the breath. Many have perished, only two of us remain. The lizard stalks us, and if we brave the road we will surely perish. We ask you to honor the pact between the Sacred Order of Wizards and the Knights of Guasat. Send reinforcements. We are dying.

"It's the same monster that attacked you in the sanctuary," says Jitmit. "And it's clear that it does the bidding of its master, to gather magical objects, but for what purpose? I do not know, though I am certain if the wizard and mutant are allowed to complete their plan they will bring great misery to Terra, for that is their nature."

"The three of you are to travel west to the swamplands and give aid to the Knights of Guasat," Coral says. "This is the final challenge of the Battle Mage Trials."

"Did you find any information about the coins the dark wizard payed the goblins with?" Dayleth asks.

"No," Jitmit replies bitterly. "I searched every text in the temple, as far as I know the coins are from another realm. Those are the only of their kind that exist in the Kingdoms of Terra."

"What about the paladin you assigned to hunt the wizard?" Cain asks.

"He still hunts for them," Coral replies, "and I don't want to disrupt his quest. It could be that only the mutant stalks the swamps, so if the paladin can find the dark wizard, or keep the two apart it will help you rescue the knights. Also, you are the only person to have seen the lizard and lived, meaning you know more about the vile creature than any Battle Mage."

Coral looks at Cain, who is remembering his fight with the monster.

"Do you want another chance to destroy the mutant?" Coral asks him.

"Yes," Cain replies. "The thought that kept me going, kept me struggling for life while the poison ate my lungs, was that we would meet again. This time I'll be ready."

"Then you shall lead the party," Coral says. "Take this map and leave this very night. Ride hard until dawn, and you should reach the swamps by late morn'. The skies have cleared, and the road glows in the moonlight, so you may travel by cover of dark. Hurry, or there will be none left of this noble band of knights."

"Can you teleport us?" Sema asks. "Can you send us through a portal like you did for the other trials?"

"The mirror portals only work if there is a second portal on the other side," Coral replies. "And even if the knights had a portal, we couldn't teleport to it. The portals are connected in pairs, each pair using a set path through the Spirit Realm. It's like attaching a string between two mirrors, if there isn't a string, you can't teleport."

"What about teleporting with a Battle Mage amulet?" Dayleth asks.

"The Battle Mage amulets allow their wearers to teleport from somewhere in Terra back to the temple, or to the location of another Battle Mage amulet. The amulets are connected to each other by special miniature realms called voids. There is one void for every Battle Mage amulet, and anyone holding an amulet can enter any void, then walk through a door leading to the location of another amulet."

"If the dark wizard possesses a Battle Mage amulet, why don't we use the void to teleport to the stolen amulet's location?" Dayleth asks.

"We tried," Coral replies.