— Alright, here I go! — He raised his hand and lowered it, pointing forward.
"SOUL GEM I ACTIVATE YOU!"
Rix pointed the Soul Gem towards a polished stone pedestal that had a shadow gem on it, his legs spread apart and flexed.
They are in the training center of the Silk Fingers Guild headquarters.
...
Kael and Grok stood still without reaction.
— HAHAHAHA! Kid, it seems that's not how it works. — Grok let out a laugh as he joked with the young man.
— Well, we can check with Finn if he has any idea how the Soul Gem really works. — Kael spoke with his hand on his chin, maintaining seriousness while trying to think of a solution.
— This is the fifteenth time I've tried to use the Soul Gem to enhance my shadow gem, but it's still the same as always. Do you think Finn has any news? — Rix looked at Kael.
— Well, it's been 2 days since Master Silas gave us direct orders to prepare for the worst, so I believe he must have some updates. — Kael spoke with confidence in his companion's capability.
***
Meanwhile, in Master Silas's room.
— Master Silas, I think I understand how the Soul Gem amplifies the powers of elemental gems. — Finn entered the room, excited and euphoric.
— Wonderful! Sit down, tell me what we need to do to use its power. — Silas pointed to the chair in front of his desk.
Finn sat down reluctantly, as if his excitement wouldn't let him stay still.
— So, I translated a few more passages that made me understand a ritual that involves sacrifices...
— Sacrifices? — Master Silas interrupted Finn with astonishment.
— No, sir. Until then, I hadn't fully understood this passage precisely because of that, but I found a page that explains what kind of sacrifice it is. — He adjusted the collar that was tight around his throat in his euphoria. — From what I understood, we need two identical elemental gems, and then the Soul Gem will fuse them into an evolved gem. It seems this new gem will be exponentially more powerful than the previous one.
Finn rubbed his hands, clad in his white gloves.
— So in this case, what we will sacrifice will be the elemental gems, more precisely two of the same type to make a more powerful one.
— Understood. We need to test this theory immediately. As you already know, we don't have much time. Go to the training wing and inform Kael and Grok. They are helping Rix with the Soul Gem.
Finn stood up hastily from the chair while nodding that he had understood.
***
Finn arrived at the training wing, out of breath, his glasses slightly crooked on his nose and his magnocle swinging attached to his clothes.
He saw Rix trying once again to activate the Soul Gem, pointing it at the pedestal, while Kael observed with a calm and patient gaze, and Grok was sitting on a wooden bench polishing his mace.
— Finn! What is it? — Grok asked with his loud voice, echoing with concern through the room.
— I... I discovered it! — Finn could barely catch his breath, but his eyes shone with excitement. — About the Soul Gem and the elemental gems!
'Is it... safe?' — Rix felt a shiver run down his spine, anxious for Finn's revelation. — 'I'll put it away for now to pay attention to the details' — he placed the Soul Gem in his green leather pouch, resting his hand on its relief.
Kael approached with a serious expression.
— Speak, Finn. Master Silas must be anxious for news. — Kael spoke in a low but anxious voice.
— Well, Master Silas already knows. I just came from his room, and... — Finn adjusted his glasses. — Well. — He began explaining, his voice gaining firmness as excitement about the knowledge overcame the fatigue of the run.
— In the ritual found in the Book of Ancient Shadows, the idea of sacrifice is not of life, but of raw energy contained in smaller elemental gems. That is, we need two identical elemental gems, understood? — Finn gestured with his hands, showing the concept.
— Two shadow gems, for example. The Soul Gem serves as a catalyst, uniting their essence and creating a unique, higher-level elemental gem. The book says the power is exponential!
Rix's eyes widened.
'Unite gems for a higher level with exponential power?!' — His mind raced with possibilities. He thought of the shadow gem in his hand and the Soul Gem in his pouch.
Could he make his shadow abilities incredibly stronger?
Grok let out a low, impressed whistle. — Two gems become one... and it gets much stronger? Now that's a good deal!
— The book mentions different levels of evolution, — Finn continued, having caught his breath. — Combining two common elemental gems creates a level I elemental gem. Combining two level I ones creates a level II one, and so on. But the ritual requires the Soul Gem to work, meaning it is the key.
Kael was thoughtful, his hand on his chin. — That's immense power, Finn, but it's also a risk. The book says using the Soul Gem attracts attention, doesn't it? A fusion like that must be like a beacon for anyone looking.
— Yes, Kael, the risk is high. — Finn's excitement lessened slightly, replaced by caution. — Especially now that the Order of Scribes knows the book is being used, we should be more careful.
Rix approached, tightly holding his shadow gem that he had taken from the pedestal. — So, what do we do, try it? We need to find out how strong we can become... right? — He tried to find a reason to test the fusion, his eyes anxious to see the result.
— We have some elemental gems in the warehouse, — Kael analyzed aloud. — Some shadow gems, some force gems... But we need to see if they are suitable for this fusion.
While Kael considered the logistics, a strange silence fell over the training wing. The usual noise of the guild headquarters—footsteps in the corridors, distant voices, the clinking of equipment—seemed to diminish. A sense of unnatural quiet for the always active Silk Fingers hideout began to settle in.
Grok, whose hearing was incredibly sharp despite his appearance, furrowed his brow. He stood up from the bench, his relaxed posture disappearing and becoming a combat stance.
— What was that? — He murmured, looking at the entrance of the wing, his muscles tense.
Rix and Kael stopped too and listened attentively. The silence outside was getting deeper, more unsettling.
It wasn't just the absence of sound; it seemed as if the very air was being compressed, a heavy energy increasingly taking over the place.
— Silas had already ordered us to prepare for the worst, — Kael said in a low voice, as his hand slid discreetly to the dagger in his belt. — Something isn't right. — He stated with a worried voice and expression.
Suddenly, a muffled alarm sounded in some distant part of the hideout—not the usual "invasion!" alarm, but a high-pitched, distorted sound, as if magic was being torn apart.
*PIIIIIII Zzzzzzzt!*
— Alarm! — Rix exclaimed, his heart pounding.
Before they could react completely, a loud and distinct sound echoed from the main corridor leading to the training wing.
*RACH!*
It was the unmistakable sound of metal being cut by something incredibly sharp or powerful, followed by quick and accelerated footsteps.
— They're invading! — Grok roared with a fierce voice, picking up his mace from the floor. — They came for the book!
Kael drew his two gray metal daggers, with a tense expression, but keeping a focused gaze. — Rix, stay back! Finn, go back to the office! Protect the book!
— But... — Rix began, adrenaline surging and wanting to stay and help.
— GO! — Kael ordered firmly, knowing that Rix, despite the training, wasn't ready for what was about to happen.
Finn, despite the terror on his face, firmly grabbed his magnocle with his right hand, seeking comfort to forget the fear, and ran towards the office, where the Book of Ancient Shadows was stored.
Rix hesitated for just a second, looking at Kael and Grok who positioned themselves at the entrance of the wing, their faces determined and ready to face whatever came.
Then, he turned and ran in the opposite direction, towards the office, his hand grabbing the Soul Gem through his pouch.
The sound of fighting and the invasion began to echo behind him, with screams, the clanging of metal, muffled sounds of magic, and he could only think of one thing, something he was trying to avoid believing.
'The Order of Scribes found us and I'm still not ready to protect my friends!' — Rix ran down the corridor, tears welling up in his eyes, and unleashed a furious cry of indignation at himself...
— DAMN IT AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALL!!!