Knight Quests: Alert (Legendseekers Part IV)

"TROIA!!! N-" 

Pantalaimon and Troia stood in the tunnel of the corrupted Villain's den within the Corrupted Lands, desperately attempting to escape with two corrupted xyns hot on their heels. The both of had made it this far; Pantalaimon refused to leave Troia to be fed to the wolves if they weren't there to help her fight. Troia had thrown a Telestone at them, enchanting it to send them back to Moonreach-

-And it succeeded. The teleportation spell of the telestones had already begun their magic, as much as Pantalaimon didn't want it to. Pantalaimon's world turned a searing eye-blinding white, and in mere seconds, they felt their body dissipate into nothingness.

In seconds, they had arrived back in Moonreach.

Their heart pounded in their chest. The once-bitter air of corruption back in thr corrupted plains now stang from the coldness of their surroundings instead. Their magicava felt as if it was about to burst with wind magic roiling inside, ready to be released at anything that would threaten them.

Their horns flared with levitational magic to being Troia's unbroken telestone to their chest, and the stone, too, began to glow brilliantly from their magic.

They hadn't realized how raw it made their throat feel to cry out in sheer desperation with the last of the energy they could muster. "Take me back to Troia's side!" They cried. "I can't leave her behind!!!"

But instead, despite all the magic they were pouring into their telestone, it began to drain in color, and sizzled with brilliant purple and magenta energy; the same as the eggs, and the villainous xyn's mask in the cavern. And in an instant, it shattered into dust, leaving behind nothing but glittering white dust behind.

Nothing was left. They couldn't go back.

Pantalaimon didn't know if the feeling of their heart pounding against their chest would ever stop. Try as they might, they couldn't move an inch. Their faerie halo, perched on their horns, stopd frozen perfectly still. 

Pantalaimon stared, breathless. It wasn't until just a few moments later that they realized their front legs had buckled on them. They felt their torso sink down, and so did their faerie halo, teetering off the perch of their horn- then and their faerie halo collapsed to the ground in exhaustion. 

The periphery of their vision faded to a blur. They could only feel their heart's thump-thump gradually slow from a thundering pound to a crawl. It only took seconds for everything in Pantalaimon's world to turn dark; and then they couldn't feel or think anymore.

———————————————

"Are you awake?" A voice, somewhere close by, gently asked them.

Pantalaimon felt their muscles stir. Instinctively, struggled to lift the lids of their eyes, heavy were they to rise. The  cotton pillow against their head and cool sheets under their body told them that they were lying in an infirmary cot.  When they turned their head, they saw several Lullay healers stood by their side, concerned. And behind them were numerous other xyns being treated by Lullay healers, too.

Many of the patients had drained significantly of color, and their halos were already fading out of view. All of them laid silent, sleeping or too weary to to move. The healers that attended them were equally as exhausted- but they had no choice but to carry on with their duties. 

Pantalaimon gritted their fangs, struggling to support their chest and rise on their forelegs. "Please let me go!" They begged to the nurses. But their voice was hushed- they couldn't strain to raise it. "I need to go back Corrupted Lands! Troia- no, all of Lunerest- we're all in grave danger- I have to alert someone, anyxyn-"

 Their forelegs, feeble like a newborn Leafawn, gave way beneath them, and they collapsed again on the cot. Other nearby patients that were awake glanced in their direction at the brief disturbance, but said nothing, resuming their rest.

The Lullay healer beside them shook their head quietly. Their horns glowed a soft gold with Soothe magic, and Pantalaimon felt some semblance of peace try to wash over the anguish and desperation that wanted to boil to the surface in their breath. Pantalaimon wanted to resist the Soothe magic's effects; in fact, they hated it now; this wasn't what they needed to feel if they needed to save Troia. But their proximity to all of the horrific corruption back in the den had done it's job, and they could only sink back down in pain. Their cleam sheets and pillow were of little comfort to them now. 

The Lullay healer spoke to Pantalaimon quietly. "We need to administer treatment to you now; please give us time. The stress is worsening your condition. You can tell us what's the matter as soon as you're better."

Pantalaimon could only whine, softly in response. Their faerie halo could not even lift it's own wings as it laid, limp, next to their snout; Pantalaimon shut their eyes as they dismissed their halo, and the golden faerie gradually faded away to nothingness in a glimmer of fairy dust. 

The only thing that Pantalaimon could feel now was how stifling it was to be captive in a room of xyns that were too sick to move, before everything went dark again.