Chapter XI

  The next morning Aria, Darius and Tristan gathered down in the Library once more. They hadn’t had much time to talk during dinner the night before, so the pair were taking turns catching Tristan up on the details of the Battle of Feldon. Tristan was taking notes with a quill pen and parchment as the do told their story. Every so often, he would stop to ask a question or two.

  “So you say that Morsteck claims to have caused the earthquakes around Feldon?” the scholar asked.

  “Yes.” Darius answered, pausing to think for a moment. “I know it sounds strange, but I actually believe him. He caused one right before he left.”

  “How?” Tristan asked leadingly. “I mean, exactly, what actions did he take to cause it?”

  Aria jumped in before Darius could answer. “Well, he raised his sword in his right hand above his head, and something around his wrist glowed for a moment as he lowered the sword. Then the earth started to shake.” She looked over at Darius for support. “That’s pretty much it.”

  Tristan ran his fingers through his white beard as he considered. “Hmmm, something around his wrist glowed....” he stood up, and began rummaging through a stack of books piled on one of the tables near his workbench. Finding the book he was looking for, he returned with a heavy leather-bound volume and placed it on the workbench.

  Gently, almost lovingly, Tristan turned the delicate pages of the old book while searching for the correct passage. “I know it’s in here somewhere.... ah! Here it is.” He read through the passage several times, re-acquainting himself with the subject while they waited.

  “It looks like Morsteck may have somehow found one of the Elems.” the aged scholar told them with a serious look on his face.

  “Elem?” Aria asked puzzled. “I remember hearing that word in the recording yesterday. What exactly is an Elem?”

  Tristan turned back to the book and flipped back a few pages before holding the book up for them to see. The book showed an illustration of an intricate-looking gauntlet of some sort. On the opposite page, there was another illustration. This picture was of a man standing on a hill overlooking a battlefield. The man’s arm was raised over his head. On his wrist a gauntlet was glowing, and lightning was crackling overhead.

  “The Elems were ancient Atlan devices.” Tristan told them. “The records say that these devices could control the forces of nature: fire, water, ice, wind, earth, plants and animals, etc. Each Elem could control one individual aspect of nature. According to our history and legends, there were only a few Elems in existence. If I were to guess, I’d say Morsteck has found an Earth Elem.”

  “The history lesson is nice.” Darius said, as he stood up to anxiously pace the floor. “The real question here is: How do we stop him?”

  “Under the circumstances, I’m not sure you can.” The aged scholar told them gravely. “You see, the Elems played a key part in the Great War. Jareal and the Unknown Hero both were Elem Keepers. they supposedly used their Elems to shatter the gateways between the worlds."

  "After they disappeared, there was a time of chaotic upheaval among the people left here in Aralistra. Not many records remain from that time, but I remember reading one scroll that speculated that the Wastelands to the west of the Barrier mountains were caused by an Elem being overloaded."

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  Aria stared at Tristan in horror. "The wastelands cover a good half of the continent!" She exclaimed. "Most of that area is still uninhabitable."

  Tristan nodded. "After that, the history of the Elems stop. I think that the few Atlans that remained were afraid that in the chaos that followed the Great War, someone might use one of the Elems to gain control, and try to conquer Aralistra. The Elems were supposedly unstoppable.”

  Darius snorted. “Obviously not completely unstoppable. The recording yesterday said that the Enemy had killed at least one of the Keepers and had taken his Elem.”

  “You may be right.” Tristan said, thinking for a moment. “Everything I’ve read about them indicates that the device uses a lot of energy from the wearer. Until the Wielder gains proficiency with the device, he is left pretty weak after each use. That may be why Morsteck fled the battle after causing the quake instead of waiting to see the results.”

  Aria got up to look at the book a little closer. “You said that there were multiple Elems. Could my Uncle have the others?”

  “I seriously doubt it.” Tristan said, flipping through the pages of another book. “After the Great War, the Elem Keepers in Aralistra supposedly hid the Elems in different locations.” He looked over at the Crystal Reader on the workbench. In spite of his tinkering, they hadn't been able to see any more of the messages stored in the stone. “If we could find any more of the record crystals, they might provide some clues to the locations of the Elems.” He pulled the crystal from the reader and showed it to them. “If you ever find any other crystals like this, please bring them to me at once.”

  Aria took the stone and examined it. The stone was a flat rectangular crystal about two inches long by one inch wide. It had been cut with facets like a gemstone, and seemed to glow with an inner light. As she examined the gem, one of the facets caught the light and ancient runes appeared on the surface of the stone. She noted a crack in the gem that Tristan had speculated was causing the corruption in the records.

  “Where would we find these things?” Darius interrupted, his mind still on stopping Morsteck.

  “This stone was brought to me by one of the dwarf miners. He claimed to have traded with one of the nomads that wander in the Wastelands, west of the Barrier Mountains. The stones can sometimes be found in the ruins left from the Great War, but I suspect that more of them could be found in the Under-Realms.”

  A chill ran down Darius’ spine at the mention of the Under-Realms. “What makes you say that?” he asked. “All that ever came from those dark passages were more creatures, and more death.”

  Tristan smiled. “After your original exploration, Count Lotch demanded that a second, larger group explore. Only two people escaped, but they discovered that there are areas within the Under-Realms that are protected by barriers similar to the ones sealing the entrances. Most of these are guarding doors that no one seems to be able to open, but a few rooms contained evidence that the Atlans once occupied the Under-Realms.”

  “Come to think of it...” the old scholar mused, “that may be where the Earth Elem was found. The two explorers that survived were Morsteck and Halgon.”

  “That may also explain where they learned the secrets of explosives used at Feldon.” Aria added.

  "Yes, about those." Tristan mused. "I know of natural methods for achieving small explosions. Some plants like the infernus fruit will erupt into flame when overripe, but an explosion such as what you described is an art lost to us long ago."

  "The dwarves may still know how." Darius speculated. "They cut into the mountain's rock somehow."

  Tristan shook his head. "The dwarves have their ways, but they are much more controlled in their mining. What you described seemed seems more like it was thrown together hastily."

  Tristan nodded. “King Kyphen has spies in Trideria that may be able to discover more, but they’ll have to act quickly. I'm sure that Morsteck and Count Lotch will act quickly to avoid any evidence being discovered now that they have been thwarted.”

  The sound of soft footsteps approaching interrupted their conversation as Nancy arrived to inform the group that the noon meal was ready.