You all stood around the fallen beast, almost dumbfounded that your combined efforts had succeeded. You turn to Zelnard, "I thought you didn't know many sprites. Shamana was the perfect call."

Zelnard smiles and shrugs his shoulders. "I know a couple. You're not the only one who has access to the library of the Arcanum," he bursts out enthusiastically, body still pulsing with adrenaline. "Kazrod has been there, and he taught me about Shamana and two other sprites. I also know there are many more, but they rarely keep the same form. My instructor was saying..."

"OK," you interrupt, remembering that you like Zelnard but more so when he is doing things than talking. Dushino, impervious to the social interactions going on, leans in to lay a hand on the blood-stained white fur of the snowbat. Ever focused on the task, he reflects, "It backed up to the wall of this area and it could have turned and escaped down that passage. It must have been protecting something."

"And from my studies, I am sure that a creature as elusive and shy as a snowbat would never stand and fight when as outnumbered as it was," added Kazrod. "It was as if it were possessed, under some sort of spell."

You all nod in agreement and walk around the back of the fallen monster. You are curious as to what the bat was guarding. Then you see it. Encrusted in an icy stalagmite is what you've been seeking: the page of the Book of Lyt! It is flat and clearly readable through the ice. With trembling fingers, you ask Dushino to fire the last eternal-ice arrow at the ice column.

He hesitates and looks at you. "You sure?" he asks.

"Trust me, it'll work," you smile, not really sure at all but eager to get your hands on the page. The same page that Delrona was holding and reciting from when she summoned that water beast that struck you down. Suddenly, the scene all came back to you. The rising water town Delrona was hiding in, the swing of the staff hitting you with almighty force. As you recall the horror of that moment, the stalagmite of ice explodes into dust from the arrow strike, releasing the page which falls heavily to the ground. You pick it up, unsure of what you should do with it. 

The cave around you rumbles and shakes from the loss of the ice column, and small rocks and ice start falling around you, then bigger fragments and more shaking. Dushino declares, "The cave is collapsing," and no sooner than he had uttered the words "run," you feel a blow to the back of your head and a weight of cold pushes you to the ground. You hear the words from Kazrod, "You check on the boy, he's bleeding. What about her? Is they going to make it?" Then Dushino, "I am not sure he's in a bad way." Then Kazrod "And her?" Dushino responded "She's out cold. No matter what we will honour them and return this page in their names." 

Then again you hear the words, "Watch out!" But this time it is in a familiar voice, not Dushino, but a voice you know very well, "Watch out!" But it is too late. You also hear the deep rumble of the command "Horos!" which whispers and echoes in your mind. There is a pull at the pouch on your belt. You see a red crystal spinning at your feet. You are falling toward the floor of the cave but also rising up and turning at the same time. Motion, time, vision all a blur. Then you open your eyes, your head sore and mind dizzy. Talik is above you, dodging the swing of the water snake. You turn your head to see Delrona high on the edge of the town in the sky. She is speaking and holding the paper in her hand, but as she utters her magical words, the page in her right hand waves and fades from the left back to her fingers, disappearing as she reads. She screams at the sky, "No!" And as she does, the giant of the water and its snake fall like a breaking wave back into the ocean. The spray from their descent fills the air with water particles and mist. Delrona, furious with what she has just witnessed, turns sharply and recedes back into a large building and out of sight.

Talik turns to you and asks, "What are you doing on the ground?"

You want to tell him, you want to explain what you have just done and your quest and... all you can think of is, "must have slipped," you respond as you get up and wrap your arms around Talik and squeeze hard. "I'm so glad you are alright!"

Talik seems confused and asks, "Did you hit your head?"

"Yeah, maybe some ice," you say, rubbing the back of your head.

"What?" he pauses, "Ice?" Talik now definitely confused, but his attention is drawn away from your awkward embrace and back to the tower where Haden, Drue, and Alster are pointing towards the town in the air.

"She's escaping," yelled Alster, but you don't care. You are so happy to see them all again and so happy to be you again.

You, Haden, Alster, Drue and Talik gather at the nearby shore where the battle had taken place. Delrona's tower village has slipped down and under the water, and no sign of her remains. You keep reaching out and touching your companions on the shoulders or grabbing their upper arms as you speak to them. "Are you alright?" asks Haden. "She hit her head," Talik informs the others by way of explanation.

"It's a long story," you explain, "and it all started with the stolen page of the Book of Lyt."

They all look at you strangely, much like Dushino, Kazrod, and Zelnard did when you mentioned the sprites, and it gives you a sinking feeling. "What is it?" you respond to their odd looks.

"The Book of Lyt is in the Library of the Arcanum. It has never had a page stolen from it," Drue states matter-of-factly. "Mister Minz would never allow that to happen."

You nod your head and quietly agree, "Right, of course," and decide to just be happy in the moment with your comrades again.

How did your understanding of Galmon's quest connect with what happened in this episode. Is it how you imagined? Respond in Thy Quests below. 

Next: E9Q1 Requiem