Chapter 8: Time for the fugitive to give chase.
Soon-Yi immediately felt faint due to the awful stench. After the bout of dizziness receded, she couldn't help but swear, the unholy words emphasizing her foul mood and making her ears burn, from anger or shame she was still unsure and didn't really care. While her sight was blurred due to her ill-prepared and sickening arrival in the sewers, she bent over, heaving and retching herbal tea and whatever delicacy she had previously with Lady Wei. She then tried to put her hand on the wall to steady herself but, in the darkness, misjudged the distance. In a split second, she was on her hands and knees, deep in the murky mud.
Thankfully, this part of the sewers was almost dried up. Otherwise, even her head would have been in the filthy water. Now, she still managed to keep her head, down to her chin, out of the abomination. Her slippers, most of her jewelry, her outfit probably down to her undergarment were all ruined and sticking to her body. It felt utterly disgusting. In her mind, she couldn't thank her maid enough because her elaborate hairdo, high on the top of her head, remained unsoiled.
As she tried to stand back up and slipped again a couple of times, she felt under her fingers the shape of a well-known object. Without the slightest doubt, it was Xian's medallion.
This discovery calmed her nerves and she managed to stand, her noble bearing and elegance for all to see. Even though there was no witness, her dignified and queenly demeanor, befitting to her high status as the only Great Mage in Selnan, could not be mistaken underneath her gruesome looks in the middle of a rather grisly location.
Heedless of all superficial predicaments, she attempted to clean the medallion. She was now clear-headed enough to observe her surroundings and surmise that Xian was long gone. A raging battle between her son and some magic users took place in these sewers, it was obvious but only the aftermaths remained. The heat was still suffocating, even though it probably already cooled down somewhat. The foul smell of charred bodies mixed with the indescribable matters laying at the bottom of the sewers, now fully in the open air due to the water evaporation could testify of the huge blazing fire that broke out in this very place, only a few moments ago.
It had probably been a matter of minutes but everything had already ended. The enemies, a couple of mages according to Soon-Yi's guess, as well as Xian were nowhere to be seen. And Xian lost his medallion after activating it. Now, Soon-Yi couldn't track down her son, and most of all, she was unable to reinstate the restriction on his magic power. Even though the devastated sewers took a lot of damages, it was far from what she expected to see, had Xian gone out of control. However, her worst fear was probably bound to happen elsewhere, without the restriction embedded in his medallion, Xian was sure to go berserk.
Soon-Yi tightened her fists. Her physical strength, however, could not be compared to Xian's and even though she felt useless, frustrated and she wanted to shatter the now worthless medallion, she didn't manage to do it. She really felt like crying but her pride prevented the tears from leaving her eyes.
Now what ? Worrying would lead nowhere, she needed to think and come up with a rescue plan as soon as possible. She intended to chase after her son and follow him even in Hell, or worse, in Aliker where they would face their worst nightmare, without a doubt.
A renewed determined look in her eyes, Soon-Yi cast several light balls to observe this part of the sewers in every nook and cranny. She really wished to be thorough in her analysis, the tiniest clue could become the most treasured piece of information. She prided herself not to overlook any detail, she taught Xian as much, how could she renounce her own advice ?
After some careful but painstaking investigation, she managed to identify the corpses. They belonged to two different groups. In the first one, including the soldiers in the part where she arrived, most of the clues led to the Eastern Duchy of the Selnan empire. They were the ones that brought the mages who fought Xian. The other group of bodies were further away and didn't seem so burnt. They were probably long dead. The blood everywhere in this second part was clotted. Even the bodies were colder but it was difficult to estimate the events in the heat. If they were not charred, they would be cooked or dried out. Time or duration didn't really mean anything anymore.
In any cases, as the corpses were in a slightly better state, Soon-Yi could observe their injuries and she was adamant : Xian had nothing to do with them directly or indirectly. On closer inspection, she was sure they came from the neighboring kingdom of Lysania, located south of Selnan, the renowned dragon kingdom. What could the citizens of the powerful dragon's abode want with Selnan, or Xian ?
It was a mystery. Nevertheless, Xian was sure to be delighted, had he met with these soldiers of Lysania as he revered anything related to dragons. Moreover, Soon-Yi herself entrusted him with the task of going to the southern kingdom of Lysania to confirm the tales of a once-in-a-millennium dragon eggs massive hatching and spy on the hatching process and ceremonies. Of course, she secretly dreamed of possessing her own dragonling but it was far too unrealistic and she couldn't possibly make such a whimsical and dangerous request to her own son.
During her investigations, her magic power recovered somewhat. It was strange that her own injuries, which were on the verge of being life-threatening again, now that Xian's healing spell had been forcefully removed, felt slightly better. Little by little, together with her gradual magic recovery, Soon-Yi had dutifully cast low level healing spells, stabilizing her body condition.
Nevertheless, several hours had passed before she could fuel enough magic power in her teleport device to get out of this place. She selected her target for teleportation in the Eastern Duchy of the Selnan empire. It was not too far away and she knew exactly were she wanted to go.
Her destination was the Caucel mansion where one of her few true friends resided. Arthur Caucel was a decent mage himself, he could help her heal her injury and recover her magic power faster. They knew each other quite well, so she wouldn't feel ashamed to knock on his door in her current messy state. She even trusted him with her precious magic core, his research and conference were famous and highly praised. She sincerely hoped he could help her mend her core quickly. Even if it was unlikely for her to become crippled with this level of damage, she wouldn't feel at ease until her core was safe and sound again. Casting strong spells with an ever so lightly scraped or cracked core could be dangerous for a mage. A slight weakness in the structure could lead to a core implosion. Such a frightening perspective could make anyone think twice before engaging in a battle.
Soon-Yi hoped her friend Arthur would be in his mansion and ready to help. She felt weary and dirty all over and was in dire need of comfort and rest. Hopefully in a couple of days, if everything went as planned, she would start to chase Xian again. She bet his whereabout were in the Eastern Duchy of Selnan, maybe she could gather more clues regarding his current situation...
A gentle light was emanating from a floating globe in Arthur Caucel's study. He was carefully writing the results of his last experiment in his ledger and copying part of some records from his daily log to describe his intellectual process. He felt he was on the verge of making a breakthrough and reaching a mind-blowing conclusion or at least an important milestone in his research. He was highly focused, to the best of his abilities. The room was utterly silent, except for the quill on the paper. Even the mice seemed to hold their breath.
Even though he was younger than Soon-Yi, he really looked like a spry and good-natured grand-father sporting one of the most dashing smile of his generation in all Selnan...when he wasn't immersed in his favorite research studies.
The usually easy-going and mild-tempered Arthur, however, couldn't help but be startled when his friend Soon-Yi burst in his study. He even swore and cursed, which seldom happened. To his credit, teleport spells or devices were not used anymore, being from Aliker's ancient magic lore which was lost when the kingdom fell. Nobody knew how to make the simplest of these numerous forgotten artefacts. Even the basic one in Soon-Yi's hands was highly sought after by the magic Research Academy of Selnan and only her status as Great Mage prevented the greedy researchers from seizing her teleport device.
Arthur was so shocked that he almost attacked. The magic aura emanating from the intruder was highly unstable so he immediately stopped his movements, his first concern not for his own safety but for the protection of the dozens of artefacts he collected worldwide during his entire lifetime. His precious collection, which included several priceless treasures, was carefully stored in the safeguard cabinet in the adjoining room. Even though the security was of the highest level, it couldn't prevent every hazard. Better safe than sorry was Arthur's motto. He was so very proud of his achievements thanks to his careful organization and dedicated and thorough planning. Magic researchers should definitely not be compared with mad scientists.
When the intruder appeared before his eyes, Arthur was so stunned he froze for a split second. The scene in front of him was truly unbelievable. He could clearly identify Soon-Yi and it was all the more unsettling. What or who could turn the most eminent and powerful mage in Selnan to such a sorry state ? He couldn't help but feel frightened and cold sweat started to slowly make its way down his back. In addition to her unsightly external aspect, she was heavily injured and her magic powers were utterly depleted, only a sliver of her former glory remained. With his skills, Arthur could feel magic elements seeping from Soon-Yi's abdomen where her main injury was located and he surmised that her core had been damaged.
He really felt for his friend, her current situation seemed dire, and at the same time, once his emotions settled down, he was thrilled that Soon-Yi came to him for help. He couldn't deny that he still had some deeper feelings towards her, even though his infatuation lasted for two centuries and he'd never once acted based on his one-sided love. It would be such a shame to lose a precious friend and ally. Right now, as he helped Soon-Yi, giving her many valuable magic stones and healing plants or ordering his staff, he had to admit that his friend being indebted to him was a really pleasant feeling. Moreover, he was looking forward to hear the whole story and his fingertips were tingling in anticipation of the research and experiments on her core.
Having such a perfect subject to further pursue his theory on the magic core, its manipulations and restore process would help him progress by leaps and bounds. Another great achievement was within reach, he was so close to a major success.
Soon-Yi felt relieved when Arthur volunteered to help her. The Caucel family was deeply rooted in the Eastern Duchy of Selnan. He was sure to provide her with fast and accurate information regarding Xian's whereabout. And with his knowledge on magic core, he might hopefully be able to improve her current state. She needed to be fully recovered but couldn't afford to rest for too long. Xian's life was at stake. She trusted her son and at the same time couldn't bear to have him out of her sight, in the midst of all kind of dangers and with his magic powers bound to go berserk without warning. In her current situation, she had to rely on someone and the best choice, her very first thought, was her dear friend Arthur. Of course, she wouldn't tell him but they had known each other for such a long time that words were unnecessary at this point. Between the two of them, actions always spoke louder than words.
After Soon-Yi rested a couple of hours, both mages met in Arthur's study. Soon-Yi felt comfortable and refreshed. She was clear-headed and focused when her friend helped her lay on the worktable he prepared for her. It was the best feeling, she trusted him completely and laid her magic, her life, her everything in his skilled hands. She gradually lost consciousness, gliding into a bottomless slumber. Her breathing became deep, calm and regular, her beautiful eyes were closed, her sharp and stern features had a gentler hue.
Arthur purposely ignored the warmth welling in his heart, however he knew he was nurturing an unreasonable hope. Over the years, his greed had grown. In exchange for his help, he intended to go with her and would certainly not take no for answer. At long last, he was willing to leave the Caucel mansion to follow Soon-Yi. He just wished to be happy by her side, lending her a hand in her endeavors. In the meantime, he could monitor the core he restored and maybe study the teleport device.
As he worked diligently on Soon-Yi's magic core, Arthur envisioned a good and fulfilling life, his own dream of happiness.
Meanwhile, unaware of her surroundings and oblivious of Arthur's wishes, Soon-Yi's heart and mind were full of Xian's image, every thread of thought aspiring to get him back. Nobody, not even herself, knew she could be so single-minded.
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