Where is that damned mage? Nexis thought as he sat in a dimly lit study, the sickly, green glow within the walls faintly illuminating the stone desk before him. The large parchment he was working on was covered in intricate, octagonal designs with runic writing inside of each of the sixteen rings.
Reaching out through the halls of Pyrdredd with tendrils of mana, he found Ardrin still working in the laboratory with the remaining hegraphenes. His brows were furrowed, though what exactly was going through his mind was something he couldn't identify.
Ah, I see he's still in the process of developing their bodies to accommodate Ethereal and dark mana. I was surprised Lady Kalia volunteered to be the first when we began this entire process, as she never seemed to agree with Lord Gravar on the topic of working alongside me, he thought as he retracted his mana.
It's of no consequence to me whether she's had a change of heart, even more so now that most of my former power has returned. However, even with all my planning, recruitment of allies, and regaining a form that no longer suffers from the Wardens' curse, this is the final step. The problem is that I still need Ardrin's assistance, though I can sense his willingness to aid me has faltered lately, he thought with a sigh.
"Such a waste of potential," he said aloud as he rose from his seat, shaking his head as he did so. He quickly rolled the parchment up and brought it with him as he left the study. Using mana to float along the long halls that led to the Great Hall, he reached the area near his throne and outstretched his hand behind him. "Come forth," he commanded, pulsing outwardly with dark mana.
Within an instant, Ardrin appeared in front of him with a frustrated look on his features. "You know I don't appreciate being summoned that way," Ardrin said with a frustrated sigh. "I don't care what you appreciate. Need I remind you that you're still in my debt?" Nexis asked in a darkened tone.
Ardrin bit back a snide remark, deciding it was better not to put Athar and the others at more risk of discovery than they were already. "What do you need, then?" he asked, hiding the exasperation in his voice.
"I've finally been able to complete the designs for the device that will allow me to return to the Between," Nexis began, dropping Ardrin's stomach as soon as he heard the words. "What do you mean?" Ardrin asked with a slight discoloration of his face.
"The curse the Wardens placed on me when they first banished me here made me unable to write anything down, as the passage of time for my body was different than that of the realm around me, ruining every piece regardless of what methods I used," Nexis began, turning to face him.
The Wardens' curse also affected his ability to write? Just how powerful are they? Ardrin thought, finally grasping the weight of his words.
"However, now that I've broken away from that decrepit form, I am able to do everything, to feel everything. You have no idea the value of what you've brought back to me, which is why I will now require the payment of your debt for sparing Athar's life," Nexis added, taking a step towards the mage.
"And what will happen after I've repaid my debt to you?" Ardrin asked with a raised eyebrow. "Come now, Ardrin, we've worked together for centuries at this point. Do you really think I would simply abandon one of my most prized associates?" Nexis asked with an unnerving grin across his face.
"Do you really think I believe that for a moment?" Ardrin asked. "After all, it's all you've ever done to anyone who's ever helped you," he continued, taking a step forward. The grin was quickly wiped away from the Undergod's features and was replaced with a menacing scowl.
"Watch your tone, Ardrin," he said darkly. "I do not know where you draw this arrogance from, but disobey or disrespect me again, and there will be consequences, and not just for you," he continued, stepping forward again to come face to face with Ardrin to the point where their noses almost touched. They glared at each other for a few tense heartbeats when Ardrin finally relented and averted his gaze with a tongue click.
Damn you, Athar, he thought, maintaining the protective barrier around the words in his head.
"Very well, then. What do you require of me?" he asked, hiding his frustration. "I'm glad you've finally come to your senses," Nexis began, turning away from him. "Before I summoned you here, I completed the design for the portal, though it will take some time for the construction to be completed," he continued, walking up the steps that led to his throne.
"However, given that the Wardens are constantly watching this realm, I must build it discreetly. That's where you and your little troupe of enhanced hegraphenes will come into play," he said, using mana to quickly destroy his throne by casting it off to the far side of the Hall.
"You want them to build it for you?" Ardrin asked bluntly. "Well, when you put it that way, it almost sounds like I'd be making them my slaves," Nexis said with a disturbing chuckle. "I simply need to borrow their abilities of wielding kataki. As for you, well, I'll need you to act as the aqueduct for the mana once inside the dome," he continued, kneeling down as he began to push mana into the floor.
What does he mean by borrow? Ardrin wondered as he watched a large number of tendrils of dark mana racing into the floor.
The platform where the throne once stood began to reform itself by splitting in two, then bending and growing outward in countering motions to create a large, circular platform. At the center of the platform, a circular ring of stone was caving in on itself, revealing the pointed tip of a kataki obelisk.
Shit. Did Gravar build it for him? Where was I when that happened? Ardrin thought, trying to hide his surprise.
"You mean to use them to build the portal for you," he said, finally understanding his master's intent. "Correct, and by the time the Wardens have realized what I've done, it will be too late," Nexis said with a malicious grin on his face, turning to face Ardrin as the obelisk began to rise behind him. "But how long will it take to complete it?" Ardrin asked, taking a few sharp steps up to the top of the newly created platform, marveling at the sight of the large obelisk.
"Ten thousand cycles," Nexis began gravely, getting a shocked look of surprise from Ardrin in response. "I don't suspect it will take any less time than that. After all, I'll be heavily reliant on the amount of kataki those hegraphenes of yours can produce in a cycle," he continued, looking up at the obelisk as it halted just before its tip touched the ceiling of the Great Hall. "I see," Ardrin said, putting a finger to his chin pensively.