39. Unease

Isabella and Richard entered the house after Dacrina. They found themselves in a room with a few chairs, a table, an old weathered down scarecrow, a big ticking clock, and a chest on the corner. Dacrina turned around and said:
- "Isabella, please follow me into the next room." - she looked at Richard - "please wait here, I will have to use my mystics separately." - Richard was unhappy, but Isabella looked at him to signal it was alright. He accepted it and sat down as the two went to the next room.

Dacrina closed the curtain on the room they entered. It had a table in the middle and one chair on each side. Dacrina signaled for Isabella to sit down. Then, she removed her apron, revealing a blue cloth with a red eye on it. She put her hand on her chest, bowed a bit and said:
- "Isabella, now I ask you to give me your hands. I will try to read into your heart and tap into the mystics of the world, to be able to give you the vision the world has to you." - Isabella gulped, took a deep breath and held both of Dacrina's hands.

Isabella felt like she had just woke up as she opened her eyes. She saw herself in her castle in Morirom, but seated at the throne was her father. He called her:
- "Come on, my eaglet, sit down next to me."
- "Sure, papa" - Isabella replied and sat down next to her father.
- "I really love you, I hope you will do well after I'm gone."
- "I will do my best, papa!" - she hesitated - "I miss you so much."
- "So do I, my dear eaglet. One day we will be reunited, but today, please do your best."
- "I will papa!" - Isabella was going to hug her father but in the blink of an eye he disappeared.

In another blink, she saw herself with Mazanlold, Richard and Caoilainn as they had discovered the pure sulfur. Richard said:
- "Did you really just taste sulfur? What if it was something dangerous?" - Caoilainn answered gesticulating:
- "Don't worry, mages have resistance and healing potions." - Isabella smiled as she remembered their first breakthrough. She took some time to take in the moment.

In another flash, she was back at Steeleets, at Mazanlold's house. They were on their most recent feast drinking some beer and eating some turkey. She took the opportunity to taste the food and drink again and it was as tasty as she remembered. Hearing the laughing of her friends put her at ease. Then, after some moments she woke up, staring at Dacrina's face.
- "Hmmm, I see, I think you've seen some of your memories" - Isabella was still a little dizzy and took her time before replying:
- "Yes, those were good memories. But why now?"
- "I don't know about the mysteries of the mystics, I just channel them. They wanted you to remember all that. Let's continue." - Dacrina stood out her hands - "please hold my hands again."
- "Okay." - Isabella did as she asked.

At the same time, Richard was alone in the living room, tapping his feet and moving his fingers around. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong, with Isabella, with Mazanlold, with Dacrina, or maybe even with him. Without many options, Richard tried to relax, to empty his head. However, that's when he noticed the ticking of the clock. It was a big water clock with loud cogs and Richard was unable to ignore as each tic and tac echoed inside his ears and inside his head.

Outside the house, Mazanlold prepared for battle and advanced in the direction of the altar. A sound and a rumbling stopped him. From the ground emerged a strange construct, sporting a body, two arms, two legs and a head, all made of rock, connected by vine like structures and scarred by time. Its head was long, smooth and had a eye carved on its center. Its torso had a a structure reminiscent of a red gem, also scarred by time.
- "Garw yagwglr hasjanhj?!" - a voice came from the construct.
- "What is that?!" - Mazanlold asked turning to Caoilainn who just opened her arms. The construct leaned down for a few seconds, then stared at Mazanlold and said:
- "Do you understand me?"
- "Yes, I do."
- "Language configuration complete." - the construct continued - "warrior, I am an automaton built to protect this altar, called Epitropos. If you wish to claim its prize, you must face me alone, with the weapons I give you and prove your capacity. If you defeat me, the prize is yours. If you break the rules, I am able to protect this altar or destroy it." - it paused - "and if you want you can walk away right now, unscathed. If you wish to continued, just know, I was created to fight to death."
- "I shall face you and destroy you!"
- "Challenge accepted." - from the ground the automaton picked up two stone axes. One of them he threw in Mazanlold's direction. Mazanlold picked it up. The construct continued: - "first prove you can handle an axe, defeating me in battle."
- "EN GARDE!" - Mazanlold shouted and jumped at the construct.

Mazanlold started with a hit to Epitropos right leg which it defended, but it took Mazanlold's next attack, on its left leg. However, Epitropos did not flinch in the slightest, starting and overhead attack which forced Mazanlold to skip back. The automaton advanced and unleashed a flurry of axe attacks. Even though they were fast, they were also very telegraphed, as Epitropos movements were discrete and mechanical, which gave Mazanlold more room to defend. At the end of the flurry, Mazanlold hit the construct's head, and again, it felt nothing. Mazanlold again jumped away.

Caoilainn watched with both her hands covering her mouth as the two continued fighting. However, after this last hit she shouted:
- "Mazanlold, hit the gem!" - Epitropos stopped and kept changing stances, forcing Mazanlold to advance. Mazanlold sent two lateral attacks, but without strength. Epitropos defended them and Mazanlold used the opening to send a strong right to left attack to its gem. Clang. The hit made Epitropos jump away.
- "Test passed." - it released the axe. - "Commencing next stage" - the automaton picked up two spears from the ground and threw one in Mazanlold's direction. - "stage started." - Mazanlold picked up the spear and went into his fighting stance.