Shards of Felwyn

Decay

"One cannot cast spells in Cors?" Lysander asked, tilting his head. "Tell us more."

"I'll tell you more after you agree to allow me to tag along." She responded, playfully. "I'll answer any question you raise."

"Am I supposed to assume that both your boats and information are free?" Elias asked, dully. He was not amused and didn't appear to be afraid to show that.

"Not exactly." She stretched the words as she nodded her head from side to side.

"It is impossible to provide services without fees." Elias said as he begrudgingly complied with the girl. "Very well, tell us what you desire."

"My friend, Elarra. She was imprisoned in Cors recently." The girl winced as she spoke, as though she already knew what their response was to be. "You look like experienced adventurers and some of you appear to be magic users as well. If you assist me in freeing her, I will guide you around Cors and help you locate your Prince." A vacuum of silence consumed the room.

"You wish us to break an accomplice of yours out of prison?" Lysander asked, incredulous.

"Not an accomplice!" The girl responded angrily. "A friend. She was arrested for casting a spell! If you believe that magic is a crime worthy of imprisonment, you are truly mad."

"Is performing magic illegal in Cors?" Elias asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, yes, but-"

"Did your friend know of this before doing what she did?" Elias continued, a frustrated look forming on his face.

"It's hard to find someone in Cors who doesn't know that, but-"

"I think we've heard all we need to." Cosmo interrupted sternly. "We'll give you the rest of the money we have on hand for the boats, but I don't feel inclined to go to jail for two criminals."

"Wait!" She cried out, only receiving the attention of Cosmo and Lysander. "Prior to her arrest, Elarra and I were on the cusp of uncovering something great." Elias and Molniya begrudgingly turned around once again, hardly listening.

"Which is?" Lysander inquired, seeming to be the only one curious enough to ask. The girl sighed, reluctant to reveal what she knew. After pondering the idea for a moment, she spoke up.

"That a mysterious, primordial force is causing the Hinterland Wastes to fall into a state of putrefaction. Each day, the flow of mana grows weaker and more irregular. What is left standing today may be nothing more than rubble soon if nothing is done."

"This is information that we have already been made aware of. You must think us stupid to fall for that scheme." Cosmo's eyes narrowed, looking at the girl with frustration. The thought of Varren investigating Cors for the Divine Prism while he remained on the mainland talking to this girl made him feel not too keen on wasting his time.

"Elarra, however, knows why it's happening." The girl smirked as Cosmo, Lysander, Elias, and Molniya's eyes returned to her. "She did not keep me privy on the details, mainly for the fact that I would not understand much, but I know two things. One, that the strange force has been dubbed 'The Decay' and can be felt by magic users who know what they're looking for. Two, she claims that, after extensive study of this residual arcana, the energy is crystal-based."

"What does that mean?" Lysander asked, intrigued by the girl's story.

"It means that whatever this Decay is, the center of its power is coming from some type of extremely powerful crystal conduit." At this, the four looked at each other with the same thought in their minds. The resemblance between what the girl had described and a Divine Prism was uncanny.