"No, he is a separate agent," Keru explained, flitting over to Yan's vambrace. "An old threat in the Foglands."
"Seriously, is no one concerned about the talking bird?" Kelgan muttered, more to himself by that point.
"So he's made his move?" Cal asked. She gingerly stretched her limbs and winced at some accumulated soreness. "How many Arcids were there?"
"Three. Two now," Felix said. "They're tough, and so are their elite troops. Reforged, they're called, big warriors in ice armor."
"So not just a monster horde, a monster horde around giant ice golems?" Evie rubbed her temples and helped Vess sit up as well. "I just woke up, but I'd like to go back to sleep now, please."
"The Archon is driving this attack," Zara confirmed. "But DuFont is allowing it. We have to destroy her first before we can address the bigger threat."
"Assault her how, exactly?" Vivianne asked, and Yan nodded in agreement. "She's holed up behind, apparently, some serious defenses."
"We can" Zara started, but Felix interrupted.
"What is the Bloodmoon?" he asked.
"Vellus' moon?" Vess said, confusion visible on her face. She stood up and conjured one of her silver spears to lean against. "It is Lost, yes? Not seen in an Age at least."
"Why?" Zara asked, her bright eyes boring into his own.
For a brief moment, he was tempted to tell Zara about Vellus and her...offer. But that was a conversation he didn't want to have in front of so many others. He forged on with what he meant to say.
"Because apparently its coming again, and the Archon is planning around it. Something big." Felix shook his head. "I don't know the details, only that he built the Arcids and the Reforged for battle. I" Something struck him. "That's right. The plants."
"What?" Harn asked.
"The Archon, in his Domain, he had like herbs growing in this garden. They mentioned it, in the Memory. All of the plants were something to do with..." He thought a moment, his feet pacing down the aisle of the Healer's Ward. The events were beyond his Keen Mind Trait's limit, but his powerful Mind pulled the information with only a little effort. "Dark Murmurs, as well as the Bloodmoon. Things that enhanced their effect. Does anyone know what they'd do?"
Aenea looked up from tending her husband. "Dark Murmurs? Did you see Aram Leaf? Ceskin Gourds?"
"Yeah, I remember seeing those. A lot of others too, like Bellock," Felix confirmed. "Blossoms that emitted small puffs of fire, moss covered in thorns, red tear shaped fruit. The whole place smelled like blood, honestly."
"A symptom of producing too many alchemical herbs with a concentrated purpose," Aenea said. "A purpose that seems entirely dedicated to the Dark Murmurs, though..."
"What? What do you know, Aenea?" Cal asked.
"Dark Murmurs is a rare Status Condition afflicting an Aspect directly. It infiltrates the Body and breaks it down. It is not easy to counter, but it is also a hard effect to produce. What you're saying, Felix, is that this enemy has gathered huge stores of it? That is worrying and indicates he plans to use it offensively."
"A poison that breaks down Bodies? How is that fair?" Evie complained.
"Offensively? How?"
"That's the thing, it is extremely hard to cultivate the required reagents and even more difficult to weaponize it. More confusing is the presence of Bellock, which disrupts Dark Murmurs. Why would they grow that as well?"
"An antidote for their people?" Alister suggested.
"The Archon doesn't care about his people, so long as he gets what he wants," Felix said with certainty. "It has to be something else."
"I'll think on it," Aenea promised.
"Think quick. We haven't much time. We have to take this fight to DuFont," he continued. "The Arcids are already searching for Teine, and they came here for me and you, Cal."
"They're after the Authority," she guessed.
"No, they can't take it. They're monsters, right? They just don't think we deserve it." Felix gestured back outside, still pacing. "This horde? Like Zara said, it's just the beginning." Felix explained. "We have to stop the Arcids before they kill DuFont."
"If they killed DuFont before the Challenge period was over, wouldn't the Authority flow to you or whoever else had the most Contribution?" Atar asked, looking up from his quiet conversation with Alister. "Why don't we let them?"
"No," Vess said. "DuFont dies before she's Challenged and it is lost, all of it. If Felix or Cal can Challenge her before they kill her, then maybe. At least according to the annals my father had me read."
"So it's a race ta kill an Inquisitor," Harn grunted, his scarred face widening in a smile. "I'm in fer that."
"If all she can do to us so far is drop our defenses, then she's limited in what she can do," Felix guessed, and Zara nodded. "She's lacking either capability, control, or knowledge to use her Authority. That means we have a chance here, but taking on her stronghold is gonna be tough."
"We just gotta be smart about it, yeah?" Evie grinned and picked up her heavy chain. "Lucky for us, we got two things she wants."
Cal and Felix traded grim smiles. He looked around at everyone, meeting their gaze before nodding.
"Let's go knock on her door."