Princess Ellen

Nahida does her best to explain Isaac’s condition to the royals and the elder. “Isaac’s body is frail. At present he lacks the strength for extended outings. Isaac has been housebound and bedridden for the better part of five years. I obtained permissions for physical therapy just this afternoon, but he will still require medicine to sustain his health.”

Everyone around them seems puzzled. King Harlan turns to the elder. “Father Alfred, do the scriptures say anything about heroes being summoned in this state?”

The elder shakes his head. “This is unheard of.”

The princess turns back to them. “That doesn’t change the fact that Master Isaac is ill! It is our responsibility to support him after summoning him in this condition.”

Nahida slowly releases her grip on Isaac. “He requires angiotensin-related inhibitors, a bronchodilator, and a corticosteroid.”

By the expressions on their faces, it was clear that not a soul here knows what she said. The King Harlan clears his throat. “I… can’t say I’ve heard of such medicines… but we can send for the best doctors in the Conference. In the mean time… we can offer you health potions. They won’t cure whatever ails him, but they could improve his day to day condition.”

Father Alfred nods. “I will contact the church healers and see if any of them have heard of such medicines.”

Princess Ellen stands up. “As the one who oversaw the ritual… I feel it is my responsibility to aid the hero personally. Lord Father, I beseech you, let me learn healing magic from Father Alfred!”

The king lurches forward, clearly planning to object, but bit his tongue. He thinks for a moment. He sighs. “Very well… You are right, we must take responsibility for the hero’s condition if we are to make such demands of him.”

Ellen stands, beaming. She curtsies. “Thank you, Lord Father!”

Nahida stands as well, cradling Isaac. “Isaac requires a place to rest.

King Harlan clears his throat again. “Ah yes, of course. We can prepare-“

“Take him to my chambers,” interrupts Ellen.

Everyone stares at the Princess wide-eyed.

“I’ll be preoccupied with studying healing magic for the time being, it wouldn’t be an inconvenience for either of us. Come! Nahida, was it? I’ll show you the way.”

Nahida complies and carries Isaac behind her. King Harlan tries to object, but they get out of earshot before he can get a word in.

Ellen leads them out of the circular chamber and up a long set of stairs. They soon come to the top of the stairs and emerge in the middle of a garden. There are flowerbeds about dotted with a wild array of colors. The ground between the flowers is grassy and dotted with smooth stones. Ellen skips along the stones and across a small wooden bridge. The bridge spans a little stream with some bulbous purple fish swimming in it. Isaac looks at the surroundings with pure wonder.

They enter a stone archway into a great hall with an ornate red carpet. Ellen leads them to the left along the wall of the great hall. Towards the middle is a passage that leads up a narrow set of spiraling stairs. At the top, there is a long, narrow stone walk suspended between the building and an external tower. From this height, the scale of the castle grounds becomes clearer. The country beyond of golden plains and rolling hills is plainly visible to the right, and to the left, a sprawling town is settled in the lea of the castle.

On the opposite side of the walk, a pair of armed and armored guards stand at attention. They are stationed at either side of a wood and iron door that leads into the tower. The princess opens the door and gestures Nahida in, much to the surprise of the guards.

Nahida complies.

They enter a large circular room. The walls are blue, and the color climbs gradually darker up the curve of the domed ceiling where at the center, it is nearly black. The ceiling is painted with golden stars, and crystal stars dangle from each.

A sizable circular bed with posts and delicate blue curtains sits opposite the door. Its positioning gives the room somewhat of a crescent shape. Ellen directs Nahida to rest Isaac upon it.

Nahida complies.

She approaches the bed and tenderly settles Isaac on it. Isaac sits up and observes his new surroundings. The bed is overrun with various plush creatures. Ellen hops onto the bed and crawls past him into the plush menagerie. She pulls from it a unicorn toy. “It isn’t much, but… unicorns are said to bless you with long life.” She presents the horse-shaped pillow to Isaac. Isaac hesitantly accepts. Ellen smiles warmly.

She hops off the bed. “Now, Nahida… you need to regain power, yes? Though you may lack will, you are also immune to the perils that affect those with wills. As such… you may be the perfect candidate for obtaining Pure Bixite.”

Nahida turns to Ellen. “Pure Bixite. Is Bixite impure otherwise?”

Ellen shrugs a bit. “More or less… What makes it pure compared to regular Bixite is how much of the stone is just glass, and how much is crystallized mana. Pure Bixite is what we call any Bixite with a mana makeup greater than ninety percent. If you could obtain a high enough purity Bixite, even you might be able to draw from it.”

“What is it that makes me suited for this task over a living person?”

“The leyline energies can negatively impact our bodies and souls. If a person is exposed to the energy for too long, it can damage them in ways that magic and medicine can’t heal.”

“And if I were to draw power from this Bixite, would that pose a similar hazard to those in my proximity?”

“Thankfully, no. The hazardous part is the energy released when Bixite is harvested.”

“So you mean to suggest that I retrieve this substance while Isaac remains here. I can not leave him unattended.”

“In that case, I can watch him.”

“Will you be able to treat him in an emergency? What are your credentials?”

“I will admit, I am no doctor. Having said that, I’ve always cared for sick animals and enjoy studying healing. If I were permitted, I’d be on the front lines of the abyss as a field nurse.”

“My options are limited. I have less than twelve hours of power remaining. How far would I travel in order to obtain this Bixite?”

“Oh… the Godfall is a half day’s trip south by horse…”

“I see. Then I will have to run. Once my primary power is exhausted, I will have five minutes of emergency power. Do you have a means of contacting me?”

“Oh, of course.” Ellen removes a pendant from around her neck. “Here. This is a treasure of the old royals.” She pulls it in two and offers half to Nahida. “If you have this, we can speak no matter the distance.”

Nahida accepts it.

“Oh, one more thing. I suspect you lack the means to harness the Bixite beyond just the will.” She strides over to a dresser and retrieves what looks like a small, spherical, silver lantern with no glass. Ellen offers this to Nahida, too. “This is a catalyst. Should you turn out to be capable of drawing power… this will prove useful in using that power. Place the Bixite inside of this catalyst when you find it.”

Nahida accepts this as well.

Isaac leans forward. “Nahida… please come back safe!”

Nahida turns to face him. She bows politely.

Isaac smiles to her.

Nahida adds ‘Return to Isaac in working condition’ to her list of urgent objectives.

With Isaac as secure as possible for the time being, Nahida steps out of the room. She removes her shoes and sets them down by the now very confused guard to her left. She strides back across the walk and down TG e stairs. As she does, she pulls up her dress and ties it up to about hip-height. Once down the stairs, she analyzes the area.

As she works to determine the way out of the castle, she also observes that being cut off from the network is a benefit to her in one way. The network would prohibit her body from movement and performance exceeding a certain level. With the network absent, she could move as far and as fast as her body was capable of.

She locates the exit, and once she is clear of the gate, she breaks into a sprint. For a second or two, she keeps an athletic human pace. She accelerates to greater and greater speeds until she bounds at absurd strides and pace, leagues beyond human capability. A group of riders is at full gallop out of the town, and she steadily overtakes them. They ride away to the east, and she continues her mad dash to the south.