The Scholar had long known, since the moment he had witnessed Vishnamitra’s corpse-like form in the arena that the cause was poison, not sickness. All the symptoms pointed toward a lethal dose of a slow acting agent derived from the Oleander flower. Oleander was not immediately toxic, not in small doses, often it is one of the concoctions used to build up immunity to poisons within Temrenosian guard recruits.

What was surprising was the length of time that Vishnamitra’s body had lasted, normally one would perish after a few weeks at most. It was unknown how he had ended up in such a state, but the Scholar had long since suspected the arena doctor as having poisoned him. The doctor’s untimely demise following Vishnamitra’s “sickness” coupled with the fact that he had been on the cusp of earning his freedom pointed toward Xeander as the mastermind. A move not wholly unlike his stunt with the Grey Leopard in the arena.

“Ready old friend… I can’t promise this won’t hurt, but I do not have time to be picky with my methods… So, if you can hear me, sorry in advance.” Caedyrn kneeled next to the comatose man, in his hand was a hollowed-out fang of a Perlaxi. The creature was a large aquatic lizard native to the Basiane river in the Jormani forest, their fangs used to effectively deliver paralytic venom into their prey.

As the waters around Temrenos was ripe with the beasts it did not take much time to discover a use for their fangs, the Scholar himself designed the initial prototypes. The ultra-fine point of the fang could safely penetrate the skin and create an airtight seal around the puncture wound, usually it would deliver venom, but it had been repurposed for use with medicines. This was particularly useful when a patient was unable to intake orally, and at this moment the Scholar was prepared for something similar.

Within the fang was a blended liquid, its purpose was as a stimulant, it had been used before to jump start the heart and retain that elevated state for a limited time. Those cases usually involved victims of drowning, poisoning, and heart stoppages. In Vishnamitra’s case, his body appeared to be in a semi-hibernative state, if awoken the poison would begin to flow once again and it was unlikely that he would last much longer than an hour or two.

The original plan was to use this method in a location where the tools to treat the poison in his bloodstream were available, however the situation had changed drastically. The Scholar’s eyes drifted over to the youth lying next to the comatose man, his body was shivering, oozing a black tar like liquid from his fingertips. His situation grew worse with each passing minute and the only one that the Scholar knew of that could deal with it was the man lying to his right.

“Sorry.” Mumbling one last apology the Scholar plunged the fang close to Vishnamitra’s heart. Maatilani and Caedyrn watched and waited, one second passed, then two, and just as thirty seconds passed a loud gasp could be heard throughout the wagon. The man’s emaciated form shot up, eyes darting left to right, up, and down, eyes colored by confusion and fear. It was when they came to rest upon the boy lying next to him that he finally calmed, his breathing stabilized, and he finally recognized the other figures in the wagon with him.

Vishnamitra’s eyes naturally focused in on the man kneeling next to him, it took a few seconds for him to adjust and then his eyes widened, “Caedyrn… Is that you? H… How did you find me? Are you a slave too?” Caedyrn didn’t use words, just a light hand on his shoulder and a smile. Vishnamitra strong as he was, broke down, it was clear that it had been a long time since he felt truly safe. Only now when he knew he was surrounded by friendly faces from the past, he reached out with hands that were not much more than skin and bones. Grasping the hands of both Caedyrn and Maatilani, placing his forehead upon them and thanking them with tears streaming down his cheeks.

“My friend, there is not much time for you left. I’m sure you can feel it… and before I shamelessly request your aid, I want to give you one last gift.” The Scholar did not wait for his friend to respond, he simply scooped up the man who could not have weighed more than two sacks of wheat. Vishnamitra’s clothes and body were filthy, he could barely hold himself up, yet Caedyrn cared for none of this. He carried the man into the waning sun, allowed him to feel the warmth upon his skin, to see the forest, rivers, and mountains, to experience the freedom he had lost decades ago.

“Apologies, I remember how much you looked out towards the seas back when we were fighting in Medea. Sadly, all I can do for you is this one river, hopefully the mountains and river make up for it.” Although Caedyrn tried to smile, it was obvious that he was not happy, the sight of his old friend in such a state and what he needed weighed upon him.

“T…Thank you brother… I will remember this sight when I return to the cycle. I am content now, there is no need to be angry. It was my choice to stay behind that time, it was my duty to protect my family, I could not expect you and the others to come save me from a world away… Thank you for giving me this at the end, for that I am grateful.” Vishnamitra struggled to speak through the tears, it was a mixture of joy, loss, pain, and acceptance that rested upon his sickly features. It was clear to anyone watching that he had made his peace, and that there was no longer any fear held within his eyes.

Both men understood their time was short, thus they opted to waste no more of it and headed back into the medical wagon. Vishnamitra was placed upright in what he called a lotus position, leveling both his hands and resting them upon the boy. As he concentrated a soft silver glow emanated from his hands, the glow dispersed the tar like substance in its vicinity, but it remained within other areas. “I can only disperse this dark energy for a short time, it will always return to fill the void left behind. It is as if it has a mind of its own… I can even sense voices… pained voices. I do not know what kind of horror made this, but it is not natural.”

“Dark energy… mana extracted from the souls of countless victims. The black blood and regenerative abilities the soldiers spoke of… I believe they may have been experimenting… an attempt to create an Erehema, a dark blood warrior.” As the Scholar discussed his theory regarding the corpse of the giant, his eyes naturally drifted and fell upon Maatilani.

“Did someone else create a formula? Was it stolen?” Vishnamitra’s tone was anxious, it was clear that everyone in the room was aware of what was being said. Speaking in a hushed tone the Scholar responded, “No, this is altogether different. The basis for their transformation is mana, not an alchemical formula with mutagenic properties.” As he stated this Caedyrn removed the purple crystal from his pouch, thick leather gloves creating a barrier between his flesh and its angular surface.

“I can sense power from that thing Caedyrn… dark power. However, I know you are not going to like this, but I think I can use that and the other two you have hidden away.” The tense smile on the Scholar’s lips quickly flipped in the other direction as his friend’s words sunk in.

“No, No, nothing good can come from this thing. I only collected it to study it, you cannot seriously be contemplating using it. Let alone upon your only student… Did you not say he was like a son to you!” This was one of the few times that the Scholar gave the semblance of an emotional outburst, it was clear that he held some animosity toward the subject of the crystals, but he would not say. He understood their danger and their function, this spoke of a fundamental understanding, as well as an understanding of what they faced.

“Then help me! We have time, together we can come up with a way to siphon off this dark energy and save the boy. I cannot do it alone! It was your intellect that assisted me in breaking through the bottleneck of my cultivation. I would never have reached the sky stage if it wasn’t for your assistance. So, help me find a solution now… I know you know more than you let on. I will not pry into your secrets but use them to help me… to help him!” Vishnamitra shot back quickly, he was aware the Scholar was able to help, but something held him back. A reluctance in dealing with the thing that he held in his hands, which was diametrically opposite of his normal pragmatic, rational, and calculative approach to things.

Eventually Caedyrn agreed to discuss it and attempt to devise a solution, the two would work together. However, the anxiety could be seen on both their faces, neither was sure, but only knew something had to be done.