The metal pieces of Arzoth's sword clattered to the floor, leaving only the hilt in his hand before he released it. However, his eyes remained fixed on the unknown threat ahead. Expecting the worst, he narrowed his eyes as a green light pierced the darkness between the trees. The silhouette of a magic circle appeared, and it was the same familiar energy Arisa had disappeared into earlier.
Arzoth braced himself for whatever was to come, but when he saw a familiar figure emerge from the magic circle, he froze. It was Tashi, the mage. She came forward, her face now fully visible, her eyes bore into Skor's deeply injured body and his wound. For a moment, she didn't utter a word.
After a brief pause, she finally said,
"We need to take him to the demonic realm this instant."
Her voice was cold yet calm, matching her expression. She turned around before walking back to the magic circle, which was still open, expecting everyone else to follow. Arzoth helped Skor up to his feet. Despite being so badly injured and wounded, Skor still managed to keep himself in some semblance of control and strength, which even in this state radiated off him through his unwavering composure.
The small cat-like creature followed Arzoth past the magic circle like a shadow. Once passed, the magic circle closed down, leaving no trace of its formation in the forest.
****
The mage took Arzoth and Skor to a dark room with a large rectangular block of cement and a small table beside it. Some books lay scattered in the corner. The room belonged to Tashi, that was clear.
Arzoth's body tensed as the dragon's legs collapsed, blood loss overwhelming him. He noticed Skor becoming limp at his side. Carefully, Arzoth leaned forward to adjust Skor on the cement block. The dragon's breathing was shallow, and his cold skin was smeared with gore.
Tashi glanced at Skor and closed her eyes for a moment before opening them.
"He won't make it…" Her voice was calm but laced with sorrow. Her eyes darted toward Arzoth and said, "His mana has decreased beyond help. He can't keep up with the poison spreading. His mana is not enough to do so."
Arzoth furrowed, "Is there no way a healer can heal him?"
Tashi sighed, "The poison can be healed with a certain portion, but… even if he did survive the poison, lack of mana will kill him."
"Then we give him the mana."
Tashi's eyes widened for a brief moment as she said, "Are you perhaps talking about the mana portion? But that's sacred…. demonic realm doesn't have access to it! Because we never needed it, everyone is strong here, but right now…"
Tashi sighed, her eyes scanning Skor for more injuries. She noticed the purple-blue color spreading across his pale skin, covering most of his skin. Any normal poison would not have shown such a reaction, but this poison was far from normal.
Tashi wasted no time covering Skor's body in the magic circle, which would stop the passage of time for his body. It wasn't much; it was just an act to buy some time.
She looked at Arzoth and said, "This poison is faster and more deadly than any normal poison. This magic circle will buy us some time, but it won't last long…"
Arzoth listened carefully while Tashi continued, "The mana portion is found only in the sacred parts of the human realm. Demons and other A-type system users are forbidden to use them. This pact was made between all creatures because we don't need it, and we neither want it to get exploited."
Arzoth said, "We can sure try to bring it here…."
Tashi said firmly, "No. We never back down from our word!"
Arzoth didn't say anything for a moment, losing himself in his thoughts before he said, "What if we make one? I am sure magic crystals will have mana in them that can be extracted."
Tashi said, "That can be done, but it will take days to make one drop of mana portion, and time is one thing we don't have."
"The extraction can take place in the Vyrmire forest," Arzoth suggested.
Tashi's eyes widened in surprise as she said, astonished, "That's a great idea, this way the extraction won't take much time. Once Skor has the mana portion, the poison will get defeated on its own. I'll get some demons to go get the magic crystals before we begin the extraction."
"No," Arzoth protested. "I'll do that, you can gather the healers in the meantime."
Tashi nodded and said, "Alright, once you have it, send it through the help of your system."
Arzoth furrowed, "My system?"
The small creature, who had been silently watching every move since it started following Arzoth, finally spoke in its familiar voice, "That's me."
Arzoth's head snapped toward the voice, his brow furrowing even more. The cat-like creature, unmistakably, had the same feminine, impersonal voice as his system during their conversations. Could this imply he had succeeded in embodying his system despite having a C type? Having been in the forest, the idea no longer seemed as impossible as it once did.
Before Arzoth could react, Tashi's teleportation circle consumed the two figures, making them disappear in it. The bright green light blinded Arzoth's vision for a brief moment before he found himself standing in front of the destroyed Crystal cave. The once mysterious place now looked haunted, with its half-structure reduced to dust. Magic crystals shone brightly like glitter in the sand.
"Do not touch them directly!" the creature instructed.
Arzoth looked at the creature, his system, as he discovered, who had followed him yet again. He remembered Tashi's words clearly as they still loomed in his mind.
Arzoth's system met his gaze head-on and said, "Call me Kya. Never imagined I would have to introduce myself."
Arzoth took a deep, shaky breath as if trying to wrap his head around the new dynamic unfolding before him. He was about to say something, ask anything, but then he heard some faint footsteps around the Crystal cave. His eyes shot up at the small figure at a distance.
"Arisa!"