“There is nothing adventurous about caverns…”
* From the Journal of Eratus Riverwood
The sea-side breeze whistled past my face. Unlike the last time I had walked among these plains, it was more comforting than freezing.
That wasn’t the only difference. The hills weren’t the gray and black landscape that I remembered it to be. The sun, approaching its highest point in the sky, shone upon the landscape, sending rays that glimmered off blades of grass and illuminated the flowers blooming from the green slopes. It had to be either Spring or Summer, if seasons even worked the same.
Unfortunately, plant-life wasn’t the only thing basking in the day’s warmth. Insects, scores of buzzing nuisances, were out in force. I didn’t have many fond memories of them back in Azeroth, especially during the summer months. I distinctly remembered the bumps and boils left by Alteran mosquitos on my skin when they did their rounds around the camps near Southshore. It was also then that a few enterprising mages from the city of Dalaran would set-up shop, selling tubs of magical insect repelling paste, which was a hot commodity among soldiers during those months. Surprisingly, even more so than beer.
Fortunately, none of the insects seemed to be bothering with me. There actually was a visible distance that they kept from my body, as if something about me was deterring them. It certainly wasn’t anything I was doing intentionally. I wondered if it had to do with the fact that I wasn’t part of this world. It was a common rumor that flies and mosquitos favored certain body-types and races, in the same way men and women favored certain foods. Maybe the fact that I wasn’t from here meant I wasn’t to their taste?
They certainly however, seemed to enjoy the local denizen walking ahead of me. I could see them swarm around him, buzzing in and around. Taoran Hawkwind waved at and slapped the insects in an understandable but ultimately futile gesture. He cursed several times under his breath as he tried to keep the prying creatures away.
Thankfully, he didn’t seem to have noticed that they hadn’t been going after me at all. It was just another thing that could draw more unwanted attention to myself. In fact, he hadn’t looked back or talked to me since we left the gate.
All of which was troubling. I had little to no idea about the upcoming job that we were about to face.
I set all my concerns to the back of my mind. The only thing that mattered was that the pay was enough to get me into the Chantry library.
The city was several miles away now, the walls and vagrant camps were long hidden behind the rolling green hills of Ferelden. All of which meant we were in the middle of nowhere. We had been walking for quite some time, enough for me to feel the blisters and skin chafe on my sore feet. However, my new boots held, and the pain wasn’t as sharp as with my old pair. I made a mental reminder to thank the red-headed elf for her help, and see if I could get her help anytime I ever needed to procure more supplies. It was always helpful to have a local point of contact. I think Shianni was her name.
The wind blew past my face, in a welcoming gesture of relief. The sun was starting to reach its peak, and the heat from its rays and my own physical exertion was causing me to build up a sweat. The leather plate-mail armor that the blacksmith Wade called a brigandine was lighter and less temperature-sensitive than plate, but it was still heavy and wasn’t exactly comfortable. At least I wasn’t marching around in the Badlands, where the sun could literally kill by boiling you inside out.
We trudged along, and at some point, we had drifted off the gravel road and onto a grassy trail. The terrain grew more treacherous. Grass shot up to our knees, dirt gave way to mud, and trees rose up around us in rising density. I could hear water trickling from nearby streams and creeks, and soon enough, we were in a small forest.
I didn’t know how Taoran was navigating without getting lost, but he must have had a damn good sense of direction, because he didn’t hesitate or stumble as we traveled. A rocky outcrop, really a couple of large boulders, caught my eye ahead. As we got closer, I could make out the figures of people below it.
There were six of them. Three were huddled together and crouching by a tree, while the rest stood around, waiting. Even from this distance, it was easy to tell that one group was subordinate to the other. The ones by the tree wore rags, beige tunics and pants with rips and tears. Their faces were turned away so I couldn’t tell their expressions, but the fear from their bodies was all too visible.
The others stood by the rocks, facing those huddled around the tree. They wore black cloaks and their heads were obscured by hoods, giving them the impression of a ghostly specter. It was the same group of people that we had escorted several nights ago.
I didn’t see the bald man, and given that the Lorekeeper hadn’t spoken up to warn me of a nearby mage, I assumed that meant he wasn’t here at all.
They were silent as usual, and didn’t seem to be participating in any kind of conversation. Even with the sun out, their clothes concealed everything. I couldn’t even see their eyes through the V-shaped slits of their helmets. All of it contributed to giving them an air of inhumanity.
The shortest of three cloaked figures dipped its head in our direction. It strode towards us, maintaining a straight poised posture, as if to say that it hardly deemed us a threat. I noticed the familiar golden bow strung along its back that glinted off the few beams of sunlight peering from the forest canopy.
“The Master told me that you were entertaining another attempt,” Deverra said, facing Taoran, then looked behind us. “Where are the rest?”
“Another attempt?” I asked.
“We tried to get the task done once,” Taoran replied. “It didn’t quite work out as expected.”
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“I believe I have asked you a question,” Deverra said, her voice fidgeting in annoyance. “Is this all you have brought?”
Taoran turned back toward her. “Yes.”
She didn’t respond, not immediately. I couldn’t see her eyes through her helmet, but it was obvious that she was appraising us. As if to make the determination as if we were worthy to continue.
“Very well. If the master trusts your judgment on these matters, then I so shall I. Come.”
She turned and we followed her as she walked back towards the boulders. Along the way we passed by the rest of her cohort.
The fear that I sensed from afar was all but confirmed in the faces of the men huddled together. They were like deer sticking together, their eyes darting at the watchful eyes of the wolves around them. Then I began to recognize some of their garments. The haphazard clothes that were essentially a bunch of sewn patches. These were the same men who attacked us before on the road.
I didn’t know what the bald mage had intended, but I didn’t think that they were going to make it out alive. Surprisingly enough, they looked healthy. At least relative to the squalor and poverty that I saw in Denerim. Their faces had color which indicated they were well-nourished. I recalled that near all of the men were severely wounded, mortally so, by the end of the fight. Yet, here they were, lacking any signs of evisceration.
There were tools that were initially hidden from view, that I saw as we passed by. Pickaxes and shovels from the look of it. Excavation tools all caked with dirt. I guess this was what the mage had them up to. If so though, what exactly were they digging up?
The other two cloaked figures didn’t move but I could feel their eyes tracking our movements. I saw those men in action, and the vacant stares only added to a creeping sense of dread as we passed by. The feeling lingered even after we vanished out of sight, as Deverra led us around the boulder.
We came in front of a sizeable hole into the ground, probably about as deep as the average man was tall. At the bottom was a broken stone slab, the top inscribed with all manner of archaic characters I held little familiarity with. Beneath the slab however, was a black hole that continued into the ground. A tunnel.
This must have been what the men were working on. The feeling of unease only worsened as I guessed where we were about to go. The entire reason why I was stuck in this situation was because I ventured into a cavern. It didn’t go well that time, and I had no reason to believe it would go well now.
“What we are searching for can be found below,” Deverra said then pulled out two pieces of parchment and stretched them out in front of us.
“The artifact we are looking for is displayed here,” she said.
The first sheet had four images. A tome, a box, a jar, and a chest. Under them were written several words that was written in elvish but didn’t have any particular meaning. Gaxkang, Imshael, Xebenkeck, and something else that had faded away.
“And are we supposed to look for all of them?” I asked.
“There will only be one among the four. It is important to the master that the artifact is returned intact. We have also discovered the last known location of the artifact in question.”
I looked at the second sheet. It was a map of some sort. It described some sort of tunnel system, with a black smudge at the very top indicating the entrance, which was likely the hole that we were directly above. There were a series of caverns, halls, and rooms all leading down. The sheet was once part of a greater map because the system of rooms continued off the page.
In the middle of the sheet, someone had scrawled an X, as if to indicate this was where we were to go.
She wrapped the two pieces of parchment back up then handed them to Taoran, who raised a hand to turn them away.
“I won’t be needing that,” he said, then nudged towards me. “This fellow here will be journeying down alone.”
“What?” I asked.
“Yes,” Taoran said. “You heard me.”
“We only have so many copies of these documents,” Deverra said. “It would displease the master to lose any more.”
“And I I’m not going down that hole,” Taoran replied. “There isn’t anything worth it for me to try my luck in those caverns.”
He then pointed back to me. “This one however, is willing. He was with us before and I can attest to his abilities. I am quite confident he will acquire whatever artifact you are looking for.”
“Very well,” said Deverra. “But if you fail on your promise, then the master will not be pleased,”
She looked towards me. “Will you be willing to take on this venture?”
I thought about it for a moment, weighing all the risks in my head.
“Just a few questions,” I asked.
“Go on,” she replied.
“If it is really that important, why not take the venture yourself or better yet, why not go together?” I said. “You lot seem quite capable on your own.”
“There are circumstances surrounding us that prevent us from doing so, which is why we have looked to hiring “professionals” to do so in our stead.”
I looked at Taoran then back at her.
“So, I take it I will be going on this venture alone.”
“That is correct.”
I looked back in the hole. At least this meant I would be able to use the Light if any trouble came up, without worry of someone scampering towards the Chantry.
“Will I be rewarded my earnings once the task is complete?”
“Yes,” she said. “The money as promised is with us. We will exchange for the artifact once it is in your possession.”
“And why couldn’t you just take the artifact after I get it for you? Why pay me at all?”
“We are looking to establish a trust with your organization. Our purpose here is one that will require more services, provided you can accomplish them,” she replied, looking at Taoran. “You will merely have to take our word for it.”
“Right…,” I said, then turned towards Taoran. “You mentioned you tried this before. What exactly did you encounter that made you stop?”
“No idea,” Taoran replied. “I didn’t go with the team. They just never came back out.”
That wasn’t very reassuring.
If they had failed once, what were the odds that I would be able to take this on alone. Even if I could, what was to prove they wouldn’t just take the artifact and leave me for dead? If I made it out, I doubt it was going to be unscathed, while the rest of them would be well-rested.
At the end of it, I didn’t have much of a choice. Not if I was going to figure out a way out of this world in any meaningful amount of time. I ultimately put my faith in the word of these people. Whatever that was worth.
Besides, it wasn’t like I had faced too many things in this world that would have given me trouble.
“Very well,” I said, raising an open hand toward Deverra. “Let us get on with it then.”
“Excellent,” she said, then handed the scrolls over. I wrapped up the scrolls and tied it my belt.
“Alright,” I said, looking at Deverra and Taoran. “How long will I have to do this?”
“For as long as you require,” she said. “Bear in mind we will be watching the entrance carefully.”
I took that as meaning, not to try anything like running smart like running off with the artifact once I found it.
I slid down the hole to the broken stone slab.
The archaic symbols looked familiar, and then I realized they were not symbols but words. Words from the runic alphabet, specifically dwarven. I wasn’t by any means fluent, but I the words scrawled across were common enough during my time in Ironforge that I was able to recognize them, although never in this particular order.
Deep Roads. Entrance.
It certainly did look deep into the ground.
I took a large breath to ease my nerves, lit a torch with some flint, squeezed through the entrance and into the depths below.