"Captain, are you okay?" Mars yells out from the ground still receiving care from Amy.
"Yeah I'm good." Arthur yells back.
As he walked back to his group Garrett gave him a good look up and down making sure he truly is ok.
"What do we do now?" Amy asks looking up at Arthur.
"Completing the exam is our first goal." Arthur looks around the group.
"But to do that we got to go through Elias and the rest of them. I don't think they've left yet as from what I can tell Elias bloodline lets him teleport anyone he has marked. Meaning they could have teleported back to the ruins giving them ample time to set up a trap once again. And since the apex of the forest was that panther we don't have any real challenge left except what's left of Harold and Tommy."
"So you're saying all that's left is Elias Harold and Tommy?" Garrett asks for clarification.
"Exactly." Arthur then glances at the group. Mars wincing as Amy finishes wrapping his arm. Angela was already on her feet but was running on fumes. Garrett was clearly shaken up from his hands faintly trembling.
"Rest first before we head out, recover what little stamina you can and mana will then make haste in ten." Arthur sits down beside a tree sighing a breath of relief.
Turning to the trail Arthur looked pass it as if trying to see the ruins themselves.
Ten minutes passed in relative silence.
Amy during the wait went around to those providing aid. She gave a second pass on Mars's arm reinforcing what she set. She also gave some work to Garrett's hands to take the edge off and gave care to Angela who was suffering mana exhaust.
"Thank you." Angela says softly after Amy provides help.
Amy took the remaining five minutes to rest herself sitting quietly along a tree.
And without further ado the ten minutes were up.
"Y'all ready?" Arthur looked out to his group.
"Yes, captain." Mars replied as the rest of the group nodded.
"Alirght. Follow along."
As they walked the trail Arthur made sure to stay vigilant keeping his eyes open to any threats. Everyone stayed quiet as they walked down the trail with nothing but the sound of the forest for them to hear.
As they walked Mars quietly tested his arm making small movements with it. Flexing his fingers, rotating his wrist and gauging what he could get away with before it got worse.
'Not much but better than nothing.'
Angela too was visibly improving with each step, the mana exhaustion that had left her pale slowly fading away.
By time the trees began to thin out her face had returned much of their color.
And before they knew it the canopy opened to the blue sky.
Lay out below the ruins sat at the heart of the forest, broken stone walls chest height and lower, archways still standing even though it looks like it's been here for centuries.The Flagstone pushed up through the soil in uneven patches. The afternoon light fell across it all flat and pale and undisturbed.
"Alright." He turned to the group. "I could run another mana detection scan but after last time I'd rather not tip off our position." He paused. "Here's what I'm thinking instead."
—--
Arthur walking straight through the main archway alone walks like he was taking an evening stroll.
The interior was open around him with there being no roof letting the sun shine its afternoon light into its ruins.
He continued down the ruins until he reached the center where he could see it. Upon a pedestal the artifact was plain to see its golden color etching clear to see. It was shaped like an idol used in ancient rituals.
He took a breath.
'Come on then.'
He raised his wand and released a mana scan.
His glyph expanded outward like before and once again he felt a rune lighting up marking his location.
And from the walls three shadows form from thin air.
'So that's how Elias' bloodline works. It's not just teleporting, it's whenever his runes are used they teleport whoever he marks.'
The three shadows solidified into figures. Elias in the center, Harold and Tommy on either side both visibly fresher than they'd been in the forest clearing, the teleport having given them enough recovery time to stand straight. Harold's knee was still wrapped. Tommy's ribs were still tender from the discharge. But their eyes were sharp.
"What are you doing here?" Harold can't help but point a finger confused as to why Arthur is here alone in the center of the ruins.
"Yeah you should be still outside why the hell did you not mana scan outside of the ruins to find us?" Tommy too is confused.
"Really guys you think I was so dumb to scan again after you made me fall for it once please I'm not stupid. And as to why I'm alone, let's just say I have a proposition for you."
Elias narrows his eyes. "Go on."
"You see you guys really did a number to my squad mates especially that panther. Destroy Mars' arm so much there's no way he can fight and forcing Angela's strongest move made her weak and unable to fight so that leaves me Garrett and Amy. And well I'm low on charges after our first brawl."
"Then we should just jump you and take you out now." Harold ignites his body in flames.
"Wait." Elias holds out a hand stopping Harold.
"What? What are we waiting for, you heard him. He's low on charges. We can get him if we all fight him."
"Yeah but in battle he faked being low there as well and remember what happened? You got destroyed so don't be rash. Continue" Elias turns back to Arthur.
Arthur in return produces a small flat disc no bigger than his palm from his coat pocket. The surface was covered in inscription lines so dense they overlapped each other creating a multiwork layered piece.
"Recognize this?" He asked.
Elias' eyes narrowed at the sight while Harold and Tommy looked at him confused.
"This is a compression rune." Arthur says. "This to all rune and glyph users known as a mana bomb. Now this one is a little bit on the smaller side but this is just for showing. As along these ruins I have inscribed over 20 large versions of this exact rune."
"Impossible you would have run out of mana first before you could charge them all." Elias says, his eyes staring down Arthur.
"Oh and how would you know?" Arthur smiles, returning the stare back.
Silence
Nothing seemed to move as the two were locked on each other.
"If you don't believe me, just do a mana scan. I didn't bother to hide anything." Arthur grins.
Elias immediately pulls out what looks like an idol, his tool of choice for channeling his mana.
A pulse of blue light grows in a sphere around Elias, his eyes widening as it leaves.
"Elias, is it true?" Harold looks on at Elias, his eyes begging to know.
"It is true, if those go off forget the ruins the whole center of the forest will go up with it."
Harold's and Tommy's eyes widen hearing the news.
Arthur grins deeply his smugness rubbing off him
"You know I could just teleport us out of here, so why should we even care if you set it off your just dooming yourself." Elias says.
"You can teleport? That's news flash to me? Are you really sure you can do that? How about you give it a try."
"Easy." Snapping his fingers like before he tries to teleport except this time nothing happens.
Elias' expression, one that was once smug and relaxed, widened in fright, the reality of what was happening settling in his mind.
"You mad man, do you realize what you're doing! You're going to kill us all including yourself. And besides that you think the academy won't retaliate against your family after what you do!?" Elias yells at Arthur cold sweat running down his face.
"Who said I'm killing myself? I happen to have a certain life saving amulet right here." Pulling out
an amulet Arthur jiggles in front of Elias Harold and Tommy teasing them.
"You bastard." Tommy says, clenching his teeth.
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