Quest Once upon a time there was you [Nya and Abashai]

[Tarot]

The Powercure resonated with Lucas' voice coming from the inside. He sounded relieved at their professed optimism; he had, after all, gambled everything he had - more than his very life, his immortal soul! - on their success. "You can leave the Cube wherever you deem it safe, but you must remember that the power of an Outling such as I is deeply tied to a place. You made us capable of attaching ourselves to reality and changing it, but once we uproot it may take us many years to reconnect with another place. Now that I am inside the Cube and my connection to the Bloodsink is severed, I am no longer an unstoppable guardian. I'm just a mildly annoying voice of conscience from a scrupulous lab assistant who lived centuries ago. Which is a lot closer to who I really am, I suppose." He didn't really want to douse water on their enthusiasm, either, but he felt he needed to pour a dose of realism. "You should also keep in mind that Areesa couldn't have known a cataclysm was coming. I know little of it, myself, having been here all along and having only minimal awareness of what goes on outside this cave. But for sure the world must have taken quite a blow. The intruders I have faced all these years were wielding rather primitive magic, showing a certain regression from Areesa's times. I expect there to be exceptions, of course, but the average level of magic users has probably decreased drastically. If you calibrated the toughness of your defenses for a magically advanced society, the obstacle will seem that much greater to a less sophisticated period in history." He hesitated, wishing to give some good news together with the bad. "But you can relearn, of course. Areesa was proficient at multiple magics. Her staves commanded a fortune on the market, both over and under the counter if I may add. Jefrek's talents ran in a very different direction. You see, there used to be many kinds of mages in Alahea, filling many roles within the circles of wizardry; I expect these distinctions to have blurred now. Jefrek was more of a broker. Let me explain. Mages have always been secretive creatures, unwilling to share, jealous of their discoveries. But suppose wizard A knows a certain item of knowledge that wizard B needs. Likewise, wizard B has something that could be of use to wizard A. Normally, negotiations wouldn't be easy. You can imagine how these things go. Rivalry is ferocious; magical power is entwined with political power; even assuming good faith, the other party could be insane from overgiving. As the need arose, some wizards specialized in brokerage. They were known as Witnesses. They weren't overly powerful in their own right, but they were well-versed in many theories, so they would not be scammed. They abstained from personal magic altogether, so there would be no doubt as to their sanity. They protected their reputations fiercely, and were considered utterly reliable and trustworthy. Commonly marked by Yahal or Tyveth, they'd even sacrifice their own voices to reassure their clients they would not be divulging their secrets. And so, they acted as go-betweens, negotiators, brokers of magical lore. A wizard could approach them with a problem, and they would know who might be able to solve it, and what might be required in return. Witness Jefrek maintained an impressive network of acquaintances; I think, if only he could remember even a little portion of what he once knew, that'd give your quest a major jumpstart." Lukas paused. "He also broke neutrality for Areesa, but that's something you need to remember on your own. Possibly somewhere that's not here?" Considering the resources of the ones who also desired the Powercube, it wasn't safe to linger in the Bloodsink much longer, really. Not without Lukas' powers as a Guardian.