The landing settles into hush. Ozone lingers in the air, mingled with ash from far below, while the faint slit in the wall keeps pulsing like a slow heartbeat.
Erma feels the silver-green scales on the knights answer his own fading strength, a tethered drain that pulls at his core with every breath.
Erma
The spell is not free. It is feeding them, and taking from me.
Errisa
You feel thin. Do you want me to hold the landing while you gather yourself?
The Elder Knight
We can stand watch. Name the cost, and we will know it.
The silver-green sheen on the knights steadies as they wait, not pressing him, only watching. Below, the road rumbles faintly, distant and unreached.
Errisa
Rest here, or draw from the stone. Either way, tell us what your body needs now.
✓ Quest Accepted
Stabilize Erma's form
“I say im fine, i ask errisa to hurry to the younglings.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled -2)
Erma
I am fine. Go to the younglings.
Errisa
As you wish. I will be swift.
Errisa turns at once, wings brushing the narrow stone as she pivots toward the glowing slit. The silver-green sheen on her scales flickers once, then steadies as she commits to the return.
The Elder Knight
That answer costs you less than your pride, at least.
The Scarred Knight
He is still holding the shape together. Barely.
Erma's claws scrape the landing, black frost webbing along one talon before fading. The knights do not move to stop him, but their life force gives another faint pulse through the tether as they keep watch.
The Elder Knight
Rest after this, if you can. We will hold while she runs.
“I catch my breath”
SUCCESS (Legendary Health, rolled +0)
Erma eases his weight down into the landing stone and lets the breath leave him in a slow stream. The black frost on his claw thins to a rime, then melts away as the pulse through the tether steadies.
The Elder Knight
There. That is better than arguing with your own ribs.
The Scarred Knight
He settles into himself when he stops fighting the shape.
The knights keep their posts, but their shoulders loosen. The silver-green sheen on their scales holds, neither flaring nor fading, while the Legion Commander remains still by the wall, listening without lifting their head.
The Elder Knight
We have both seen enough lords turn their power into a burden for everyone nearby.
The Scarred Knight
You are doing the harder thing. Staying.
Errisa vanishes down the hidden stairs, and the dim torchlight below licks at the slit in the wall. The mark Erma burned into the stone sits pale against the dark, steady as a seam sewn shut.
The Elder Knight
Rest while the watch is quiet, Erma. We can carry the vigil for a little longer.
“I relax and gain composure”
SUCCESS (Legendary Health, rolled -2)
Erma lets the stillness take him. His shoulders lower, his breathing evens, and the tightness in his chest loosens into something he can hold.
The silver-green sheen on the Elder Knight and the Scarred Knight stays bright, but the strain behind it eases. For a few heartbeats, the tether feels less like a rope and more like a bridge.
The Elder Knight
That is the face of it. Not force, just balance.
The Scarred Knight
A guardian who can rest is harder to break than one who never stops.
By the wall, the Legion Commander keeps their head bowed, listening in silence. The faint slit of light stays steady, and the mark Erma burned into the stone glows pale and clean in the dark.
The Elder Knight
Take the quiet while it lasts, Erma. We will keep the stair.
Erma settles fully, composed at last, but the shift costs him. A thin veil of black frost creeps back over one claw before melting away, and the knights feel the tether draw just a little more from them to hold him there.
Quest Complete
Stabilize Erma's form