Sapphire walked around the outside of the ruins with the others in her party the next day. The news of the old Paladin’s passing had hit Otto hard, but he appeared to be trying to keep the subject off his mind by continually expressing his change of heart toward their new Riftling companion. She assumed this was a result of the first stage of grieving: denial.
“Now that I’ve thought on it, Aelyph, now that I really think about it, you’re all right . . . for a Riftling I mean,” Otto said.
Aelyph gave him a confused smile. “What the princesses said last night really affected you, didn’t it?”
“No, I’m serious.” Otto jogged past Sapphire to catch up with him. “I’ve realized that I have been very rude to you where you have been nothing but helpful to me on this journey, and for that, I would like to thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Sapphire smirked at Emerald and inclined her head toward Otto and his shiny, new disposition toward the Riftling. Emerald rolled her eyes and made an exaggerated smile in mock of this, making Sapphire giggle.
Despite his one-eighty, it’s definitely an improvement.
They moved east from their camp, skirting the ruined walls in their attempt to find an end to the ruins so they could continue north. So far, traveling had been smooth—even more so now that Otto wasn’t begrudging Aelyph’s every step. However, he continued to wear his suspicions out on his sleeve. Sapphire assumed being suspicious was just a part of his character. She was just glad that it wasn’t coming out as bitterness now.
“I say, you said before that you escaped the Midnight Tower ‘with difficulty.’ It would be capital if you could embellish on that story a bit more. Escaping from such a place would be a heck of a tale during such a mundane part of our journey.”
Aelyph looked down. “I’m not so sure—”
“Oh, come on, Spiky,” Emerald called. “Tell us a story!”
Sapphire turned to Emerald in confusion. “Spiky?”
“Well . . . he has horns,” Emerald said.
Sapphire sighed. “We really have to have a talk later about you giving people nicknames. But back on the subject, I would also like to hear how you escaped from such a place. You gave me the same answer that you gave the Midnight Queen.”
Aelyph bowed his head. “It seems to be unanimous that I tell it, then. Very well.”
They all drew closer to Aelyph as they walked, waiting for him to begin his story.
“The Oubliette in the Midnight Tower is the place closest to the Nether Rifts. Using it, minions of the Dark Consul can travel through spawning rifts to any place around Crystalia.”
Sapphire rubbed her chin. “It sounds similar to the Castle’s Crystal Chamber.”
Aelyph nodded. “However, there’s a cost to using the Nether to travel to places. If your heart is not corrupt, the process of using it can damage your mind to the point that it’s hard to control where you come out again. It seemed I was not fully corrupt, for when I broke out of my prison and used it, I lost my way in the Nether.”
Sapphire winked at him. “I had a feeling about you.”
Aelyph raised his palms. “That I used the Nether at all might show how desperate I was, but the fact that I did—and got lost inside—is the reason I’m still alive today.”
Emerald raised an eyebrow. “Huh? Getting lost saved your life?”
“I didn’t know where I was going,” Aelyph continued. “I was lost in the darkness. After Goddess-knows-how-long of traveling without my mind to guide me, I wandered into an even darker part of the Nether . . . and there I found this.” He hefted his Dragon Lance onto his shoulder. “I assume that the Midnight Queen had hidden the lance in the Nether so that no one could use it against Nightsong. When I touched it, it seemed to create a light in the distance. I don’t know if the light was real or just in my mind, but I followed it, and it eventually led me out of another rift.”
Otto nodded as though this had confirmed one of his suspicions. “That proves it to be a relic of the Goddess. Only such a relic could lead people to the light in that kind of darkness.”
“Perhaps,” Aelyph said. “I had heard of many holy relics in the past, but I had no idea which one this was . . . until I was attacked by Nightsong upon my escape. The lance seemed to be ineffectual on every other monster I came across, but when I was escaping the Nether Realms and the dragon attacked me, it seemed to be a lot more cautious than any of the other monsters. I had heard of a lance that could kill dragons with a single blow along with other abilities, and it was then that I knew I possessed that weapon.”
Emerald frowned. “Okay, so you had escaped, you found a lance, and you warded off a dragon. How did you end up so close to the Deeproot Tree? Even if your mind isn’t corrupt, you still should have been just as affected by its influence as you were by the influence of the Nether Realms.”
“You’re going to think I’m just naturally unfortunate . . .” Aelyph chuckled. “But while fleeing from the Midnight Tower, I ran into a Shadow Priest. As I said, the Dragon Lance only has a magical effect on dragons, and it didn’t stop the Shadow Priest from sending me back into the Nether. Maybe he thought that I would be brought back to the Midnight Tower if someone found me there.”
Otto ground his teeth. “Blasted kobolds!” He looked around to see the princesses and the Riftling staring at him. “Sorry, do continue.”
Aelyph’s brow furrowed. “Once again, when I entered the Nether Realms I lost my mind, and once again, the lance created a light that led me to another rift out into the light. I think . . . I think the light it points to is any opening in the Nether closer to the Goddess’s influence. By the time I caught up to the kobolds, I was close to the Fae Wood . . . So I can only assume that the light I was seeing the second time was the light of the Deeproot Tree.”
“Seems so if that’s where you popped out again,” Emerald said.
How Aelyph came to be with the Rangers was finally making sense.
“I do have to agree with you.” Sapphire said. “You’ve definitely had your fair share of bad luck.”
Aelyph shook his head. “But look at where I am now, leading two kind princesses and a Royal Paladin on a crusade to defeat the ones who imprisoned me. Despite the road I have traveled, I would say I am very fortunate.”
Otto halted. They were walking toward a dead end, a massive wall against a high cliff face that blocked their way north.
Emerald shrugged. “So . . . we have to go through the Acathia ruins now?”
Sapphire stuck out her lower lip. “It’s either that or go back east and risk being captured by the Rangers.”
“Maybe we should go around then,” Otto said.
“Oh, come on, Shiny. Where’s your sense of adventure?”
“We’re on an adventure right now!”
Emerald crossed her arms. “A boring one.”
Aelyph nodded. “Princess Sapphire is right. This wall will lead us all the way back to the entrance to the Blackroot Grotto, where the elves have surely tracked us to. If we go back that way, we will inevitably be caught.”
Emerald punched the sky. “Looks like we’re going in then!”
She ran on ahead and Aelyph followed her. Sapphire went after, turning back to see Otto still frowning at the entrance.
“Sir Paladin, are you coming?”
Otto raised his palm. “You’ve left me no choice. Let me say for future reference that I’m not fond of this idea.”
He came to walk beside her.
“Cheer up, Otto.” Sapphire tried to sound as consoling as possible. “I’m sure this is just an offshoot of the ruins. We’ll probably be able to pass right through without running into any trouble.”
Otto nodded. “I hope you’re right.”