A Brief End

The three of them talked as they made their way to the Moonwell.

The Moonwell still appeared normal. Its water was clear and transparent, and nothing could be seen within it. But when the three focused their senses, they could all detect a faint trace of dark energy lurking and writhing at the bottom of the well, like a venomous snake lying in wait, slowly growing stronger with time.

Kale said gravely, "What do we do now? Can it be purified?"

Laria shook her head. "With my abilities, I can only suppress the dark energy in the well for now and stop it from spreading. I can't cut off the source of the corruption at its root."

Kale stroked his chin, then suddenly thought of a solution. "What if... we destroy this Moonwell and build another one somewhere else, sparing no expense? Couldn't we avoid the corruption that way?..."

Laria pondered for a while. "It won't work. That powerful evil creature has already extended its dark energy through the ley lines and into the nearby underground network. At this point, forget digging another well—even if the entire village moved, any new Moonwell built on this land would eventually be corrupted."

She paused, her voice growing heavier. "And even if the villagers leave, we still have to deal with the corruption here. If we leave it alone, that evil creature will completely drain the remaining energy from the Moonwell and corrupt the entire area. That would directly put this land under the demons' control."

Kale asked, "Then what do we do?"

As the three of them spoke, Salomon came rushing over on a Saber, looking disheveled, with two Warriors behind him.

He glanced at them and asked urgently, "Have you seen that demon?"

The three exchanged glances.

Kale asked, "Which demon do you mean?"

Salomon briefly explained what had happened with Sain.

Kale laughed. "There's no need to look for him. Priest Laria already killed him. By the way, we should thank you for delaying him on the way. If he'd reached the temple early, the consequences would've been unthinkable."

Laria and Lilin understood, too. If Salomon and Kale hadn't acted in time, who knew what might have happened to them?

They both thanked Salomon.

Sain's bewitching spell had disgusted Salomon. He'd waited until the spell on Brook wore off, then angrily gone looking for Sain to settle the score. When he heard Sain was already dead and that he'd even helped earn them a victory, his spirits lifted.

He laughed heartily. "It was nothing. The real credit goes to Squad Leader Arenia for her excellent planning."

As everyone recalled how the events involving Sain had unfolded, they realized that Arenia's advance preparations had completely thrown off his plans. They couldn't help but admire her.

As they spoke of Arenia, they all began to worry about the battle at the valley entrance and discussed going there to help.

The sounds of battle in the distance gradually died away, followed by a burst of cheering.

The group exchanged glances.

Salomon said, "Could we have won?"

Lilin nodded. "Probably. From the sound of it, people are starting to return to the village."

Laria smiled. "The Moon Goddess has already felt the glory of this victory. Let's go applaud them."

The others' faces lit up. They all dismounted and escorted Priest Laria toward the village entrance.

Kale followed along with them.

By then, the Moon Goddess's light was almost gone, and dawn was beginning to break on the horizon.

At Moon Plaza, the group joined the villagers who had gathered there to welcome the victorious troops.

Everyone in the troop looked utterly exhausted, but their faces were smiling in the morning light.

Their smiles infected the crowd, and the villagers began cheering and applauding of their own accord.

That night, under Elune's watchful gaze, the troop had defeated a powerful enemy and protected their home. They deserved everyone's applause.

After basking in the applause, they were personally blessed by High Priestess Laria.

Arenia, who had been worried about Laria's safety all along, finally felt her heart settle when she saw that Laria was safe and sound.

Soon afterward, Arenia dismissed the troop. The Warriors happily hurried home, eager for food and rest.

But Arenia, as their leader, had no time to rest. She could tell from the expressions of Laria and the others that something bad had happened in the village, something she didn't know about.

Then Arenia brought Linda and the others to the Moonwell in the Temple Garden, along with Laria, Kale, Salomon, and Lilin.

Arenia jumped down from the Stag, walked around the Moonwell, and turned to ask, "What happened here? Why has the Moonwell been corrupted?"

The four of them looked at one another. In the end, Kale, who knew nearly everything that had happened, explained the whole story in detail: the truth behind the Furbolg attack, Sain's identity as a Satyr, the plot to assassinate the priestess, and how the Moonwell had been corrupted.

Arenia was surprised to hear it. She hadn't expected that a Satyr had been plotting against the High Priestess behind the Furbolg crisis.

Fortunately, she hadn't acted recklessly when she arrived. She'd proceeded carefully and taken precautions. Otherwise, if the High Priestess had fallen, the consequences would have been disastrous.

Arenia considered this, then said, "Salomon, you did well."

Salomon bowed. "It was my honor, Squad Leader."

Arenia turned to Kale. "Kale, you did well too—so well that you exceeded my expectations."

Kale followed Salomon's example and bowed. "It was my honor as well, Squad Leader."

Arenia nodded. "I'll report what you both did, and you'll receive the rewards you deserve. Now, let's discuss what to do about this."

The group exchanged glances. They looked at the Moonwell before them, unable to think of a solution, and turned to Laria. After all, she was the authority on matters involving the Moonwell and divine power.

Laria thought for a long while, then said, "The best way to solve this now is to track down the source of the corruption and purify it."

Kale said, "That's certainly one way, but how do we find it?"

Laria smiled. "It was indeed difficult to find the source of the corruption before, but now I've thought of an easier way."

"If that evil creature can connect to the Moonwell through the ley lines, I can try to use the Moonwell to track it down. Once we know where it is, we can send an elite force to destroy it and solve the problem here once and for all."

Kale frowned. "Wouldn't that be risky?"

"There is a risk, but it's within my control. It will still take time, though."

Arenia asked, "Priest Laria, are you sure you can do this?"

Laria sighed. "I can't guarantee success, but it's the best option we have right now."

Arenia thought for a while. "In that case, Priest Laria, begin your plan. This time, I'll assign people to guard you at all times. I won't let you be disturbed again."

Laria nodded slightly, then hurried into the temple to meditate.

Arenia turned her head toward Salomon. "Salomon, choose a few people you trust and continue patrolling the village. If you spot anyone suspicious, act immediately. If you can't handle it yourself, make sure to send a warning first."

"Yes, Squad Leader!" Salomon replied, then left, his steps noticeably lighter.

Next, Arenia instructed Lilin, "The wounded in the temple, as well as those injured in this battle, are your responsibility. Also..." She paused, her voice heavy. "We lost four Warriors in this battle. They had no family, so I'll leave the funeral arrangements to you as well."

"I understand," Lilin said.

After Lilin left, only Kale, Arenia, and Linda remained by the Moonwell.

Seeing this, Kale asked with a smile, "Squad Leader, do you have any assignments for me?"

Arenia glanced at him and smiled. "You don't have anything to do for now, but I suggest you get some rest. We'll have important work to do soon."

Kale smiled and nodded. Thinking of Jinli, he asked, "Squad Leader, where's Jinli?"

"Jinli is a powerful Ranger. She seriously wounded the Furbolg Priest and dealt the Furbolg a fatal blow. She's gone to track down the Furbolg Priest now. Are you looking for her?"

What an impressive woman. She really managed to break through the Furbolgs' defenses and defeat their priest.

He'd originally wanted to ask Arenia about Jinli's use of Arcane Magic, but faced with her serious demeanor, he didn't dare bring it up. He could only wave his hand and say, "No, I'm not looking for her. I just didn't see her earlier, so I was wondering where she'd gone."

Arenia didn't think much of it. She then assigned Felicia and Sera, two sentries, to guard the temple entrance, and Linda and Luna to watch over the Moonwell in case anything else happened. After that, she left alone.