-= January 4, 795 TR =-

Shard and Aphiron awoke to the peaceful chirping of birds and rustling of leaves in the wind. They got up and rolled up their bedrolls, stuffing the things into their backpacks and putting those on. Xanthos greeted them after he noticed them awaken.

Ah, good morning my friends. I see you are awake again. I assume you shall want to leave as soon as possible?"

"Yes, I don't want to waste any time in finding Necronis, or his trail might disappear before I can find it again. Could you tell me where he is, Xanthos?" asked Shard, as he quickly ate some fruits he had gathered the day before. Xanthos replied.

Yes, I can sense great concentrations of mana, though I am not accustomed to trying to sense creatures with great stores of mana at their control. But, from what you say, this Necronis is a powerful black mage, and I should be able to give you a rough estimate of where he is, though I could be wrong. You said that he's probably the most powerful black mage in Phaema, and if that's true, then I should be able to pick his essence out from among the lesser sources of black mana. But, if you're wrong, and he is not quite as powerful as you think, then I may be sending you to someone far more powerful..... And I do not wish you to die to someone who may be too powerful for you to handle. So are you sure that you want to go? Are you sure you can handle whatever black mage I find, even if it is not the one you have been training to fight?

Shard thought for a moment, then replied "Yes, I am willing to take that risk. I am as sure as I can possibly be that Necronis is the most powerful black mage in Phaema, if only because I was sent back from the dead to destroy him. He must be. And if he isn't, then, well, I'll try my best to slay whatever black mage you send me to, and then I'll come back and ask you to try again, and again, and again, until I've killed all the black wizards more powerful than Necronis, and can finally find him and slay him too. I must try, at the very least. It is why Aphiron and I have been resurrected for, so we must have faith and try."

Very well then. I shall try and locate him.

Xanthos closed his eyes and sank into a quiet, trance-like state. The sigil upon the old treefolk's chest glowed bright green for a moment, then faded back to its normal, faint glow. Xanthos opened his eyes again.

I have located the largest living source of black mana that I could. It is somewhere near the south-eastern edge of Loebar, the dwarven nation. I cannot be any more accurate. You will have to search for his trail around there. Now go, and good luck in your quest.

Shard and Aphiron thanked Xanthos and then left the small clearing, heading in the direction of Loebar. It would probably take them about a week to reach the location, and then Shard would complete his quest by slaying Necronis.

~ /\/\ist Phantom ~
Arkhandus, Blue Mage
Shard, Sword Mage
Aphiron, Novice Warrior
Necronis, Lord of Undead
Traug, Troll Mage