"Your lifespan?"

He blinks, a little taken aback. 

"Yes, I can convert my own lifespan into mana," he says. "It's not a trick everyone knows - most die if they get to that point - but it's a good last resort." He doesn't really see the problem with it, so long as he's not too free with the ability. So what if he lives 300 years instead of 350? It's still far more than most. 

Though, considering that Zephyrinus comes from a place where most people are immortal... 

"...I would rather live a shorter life than lose my brothers," he tries to explain. 

"Which I understand." He says sincerely. "It's still jarring when you have a limited amount of it."

He huffs, "I can understand that, but - 300 or 350, I'll still live too long. It will be different, if your world allows us access to those pools. But then, perhaps being able to change forms as you do would reset my lifeforce, as well. Wouldn't that be a trick." 

"A very interesting one. Even if it doesn't you could spend all the lifeforce for a form before sacrificing it."

He hums, "Yes, a great improvement either way." 

"In the meantime, I'm not quite at that point. I lost roughly 30 years once, fighting a powerful enemy when I was nineteen. I should have somewhere in the realm of 315 years left.

"I take it you are, in fact, uninjured, then?" He adds, coming back to his earlier question. He gives the other a quick once over. 

"That's far more than someone in a single shape can survive where I am from. And I am."

He still wearing his ice-armor, during the fight it got some cracks and there is even something that might be a bit of stone lodged on the armor's stomach, but it's mostly pristine now.

Good. 

"Yes," he says, "I must not have mentioned it - some Artefacts gift their wielders with an amount of life on bonding. Most often between 200 and 300 years."  

"Are they cumulative? And could an artifact bond to someone and then unbond for the solo purpose of giving them a boost of life?"

He shakes his head, "No, the life is tied to the Artefact - if you unbond an Artefact you are left with only the amount you had when you were bound, and rebonding does not reset that amount. You use up that which the Artefact offers first of all - including when drawing on it for mana. If I were to unbond the Nomad," not that he ever would, "I would have roughly thirty-five years left, given my original total was roughly eighty-five." 

Nod.

Oh no he's sad. 

"Hey," Jaim leans forward from his place on the floor, reaching out to brush his fingers against Zephyrinus' hand. "You're going to fix it, yes? Don't worry. You'll get back home, and then you can come back and help us change things here. We can test whether my lifespan resets, then. Perhaps we'll discover a way to give your people mana, as well." 

This surprises Zephyrinus a little. But pleasantly so. "That would be great. But you should laid down a bit."

Oh good. 

He laughs a little, "You may be right, but where?" He asks, gesturing around them at the destroyed upper level of the CC - the wrecked furniture, the charred, soaked, ice-cold floors, splintered wood, and rubble littered everywhere. His pants are already soaked and streaked with soot, he has no desire to lie down in this. 

Three of the four soldiers who had arrived with Zephyrinus and the healer have since transported the enemy mages Zephyrinus had captured down the stairs - still encased in ice, in the cases of the two who had still been awake. The healer is focused on Ilek, and the last guard - one of Jaim's elites - will not be leaving their side for anything.

"Unless you wish to carry me to wherever they have set up the field hospital, I may simply have to wait. Conversation is a good way to pass the time, until then."

"Well, the important part is for you not to make unnecessary effort."

He hums, still smiling, "This barely takes anything," he counters, "And conversation will keep me awake. I really do not wish to fall asleep here - I'll catch some sickness. Besides, I wouldn't want to leave you with no one to talk to," he says, somewhat forgetting that he could just take the runestone and talk to someone else. He may be getting a bit loopy at this point. 

"I can deal with not understanding people for a bit, but I will keep you company then."

The healer straightens, "We can move him safely now, sir," he tells Jaim. He's a little shaky - there has been a lot of injured today. He taps the guard, "You'll have to lift him, Corporal, I'm very nearly drained." 

The corporal carefully spins a thread and slides it under Ilek's torso, incanting a spell which causes it to flatten out evenly under his body. He lifts off the ground. 

("I can walk, you realise," Ilek grumbles. He is ignored.)

"General?" The healer asks him.

"Go ahead," Jaim says, sobering somewhat, "I sincerely doubt I will be able to make it farther than down the stairs - my physical reserves are quite drained. Just send up someone to float me out to the field hospital." 

They proceed down the stairs. 

"This is going to be a nightmare to clean up," Jaim sighs. "We're going to have to call for reinforcements from the capital, and the nearby forts. Well, I say we - it's likely I would be wise to take Ilek to Fort Helen as soon as he is well enough to travel."

"I can try carrying you both down stairs, but I wouldn't recommend given your condition. Am I going to need to evacuate the fort?"

He nods; this is reasonable.

As for the question, "Evactuate it in general? No, this is a very good location for a fort, they will be rebuilding it, and in the meantime what is left of the walls makes better shelter than anywhere else. You, yourself? If you choose. I expect Ilek and I will either stay through the reconstruction or leave for my fort in the next two days. You remain welcome to come with us." 

"I am not sure. It might not be a good idea to stray too far from where I came from, but it might be worthy to go search for people that can give me a better insight on how to get back."

"Well, most of the greatest magic experts of our world can be found in one place. You could examine the portal more extensively over the next few days, and then visit Sanctuary. If anyone should follow you through, I can have the Commander send them on to you." 

Nod. "How far is the Academy from here?"

"The actual location is a secret - the Academy is within Sanctuary, and the only way to get there is through the portal in the Guardian's city, beneath Tianitok, Cialin's capitol. The capitol is a week and a half away by horseback, using the roads, in good weather." 

"Do you think the path is safe enough to travel if I ever need to fly back here in a hurry?"