Midsummer day would be the last one we wanted to spend in the sunken citadel. We thought that we found every treasure hidden away, killed every monster that was slithering through the dark corridors, and disabled every trap. But just in case, we spent one more day to examine all the walls thoroughly, searching for secret doors.

There were also the magical wells we had already seen on the first day when we arrived here, but we never got around to investigate them properly. Now Beldrak had the time and the determination, and he found some very enlightening inscriptions.

“You have to say 'Fire' to one of the wells, and 'Death' to the other. And then they work their magic. The only thing is, you have to say it in Draconic.”

“I happen to know a certain gnome who speaks passable Draconic, and passes the time in a nearby village,” Jim volunteered.

While he was away, I found a real secret door, at last, one that we never actually discovered before. It was the entrance of the citadel no less, and it could be opened by twisting one of the torch keepers on the wall.

For all the trouble we went through to find a secret door, it was quite disappointing though. It only held two chained skeletons, which I naturally hacked into pieces, and a small amount of silver coins, which I pocketed in one of my newly sewn actual pockets.

Beldrak had more luck, or at least he said so, he found a sword-hilt that belonged to a fellow named Durgeddin. He was some famous smith apparently, and even the hilt of a broken sword could fetch a price if it were his work.

The wells proved to be the most interesting of all. Erky Timbers arrived back to the citadel around noon. He was not particularly happy that we yanked him back to the fortress again.

“You know, I have better things to do than your bidding!” he complained. “I am a priest, and I am doing Adaron's work! And also, in a few days, I have to go back to Trapper Port, but I still haven't found any companions for the road, so I have no time to do this and that every time you remember I exist!”

“Is that the sound of ungratefulness?” I asked Beldrak.

“It sounds like that to me.”

“We saved his life, and yet...”

“And yet...”

“He berates us, even though we only asked for a tiny favour.”

“We risked our lives to save him, and here he goes, saying he has no time for us.”

“It is as Jim always says. There is no limit to the wickedness of human nature.”

“I am not a human, though...”

“That is inconsequential,” I cut him off. “What important is that we are understanding.”

“And forgiving,” added Beldrak.

“And kind,” said Jim, rolling his eyes. “Just stop torturing the poor man, will you?”

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“We won't hold it against you that you desert us in our need,” I continued.

“We don't ask you to repay your debt,” said Beldrak.

“Not that a debt like this could ever be repaid,” I interjected.

“So you are free to go. Farewell, ungrateful soul, may we be of use to you again, just to be cruelly discarded when in need ourselves.”

“Fine! Fine! Fine!” Erky shouted. “Show me your stupid wells! But I swear this will be the last time!”

----------------------------------------

“So, what should I do?” he asked later as he was standing before the first well.

“Say 'fire' in Draconic,” I instructed him, then took a few steps back just to be safe.

“I am starting to have regrets about this,” he sighed. “You do know it's Midsummer day, and you yanked me here from a merry festival, right?”

“And so the truth comes out,” said Beldrak gravely.

“The villain shows its true colours,” I said.

“ ‘I have important things to do!‘ ,” mimicked Beldrak.

“Like drinking ale, and dancing with pretty girls,” I shook my head in disappointment.

“ ‘Fire‘ ,” I assume that was what Erky sighed, because the well gurgled, grumbled, and then spat out a fiery red glass.

“Potion of Fiery Breath!” said Beldrak after examining it. “Truly a useful accessory for someone in our line of work.”

“I will keep watch on it,” I said, then pocketed the vial. “Now let us go to the other...”

“Just a moment, please,” said Erky. “That potion is worth hundreds of golds. What do I get from it?”

“Greed is very unbecoming of a priest of Adaron,” said Beldrak.

“It is unbecoming of human beings in general,” I added.

“But I am not hu...”

“Anyways, since our gratitude, and the knowledge that we will remember you fondly for diligently paying your debt towards us, seems not to satisfy you,” I continued.

“We might discuss options of financial reimbursement,” finished Beldrak.

“Not for the potion of Fiery Breath though. We do not change our terms of employment retroactively.”

“That would violate at least half a dozen laws,” pointed out Beldrak.

“You guys are the worst,” said Jim.

“You can keep the vial from the other well,” I offered.

“But we can buy it from you for a hundred gold coins if we think it's worth it.”

“Hundred and fifty,” said Erky.

“We accept. But remember this, I foretell that our good heart will be our undoing.”

“You see the future very clearly, Arnold. I can tell this since I am a wizard who specialises in divination.”

“You are? You never told that before.”

“I am telling it now.”

“You know I learnt a lot of augury from my father as well! Maybe we can compare our..”

“On the day,” Jim cut me off, “when you die because of your generosity, I will mourn you with real, genuine tears. Of joy. Now let us go to the other well, and let the poor man go back to his festival.”

If I weren't a man of noble soul and standing, I might have taken offence from Jim's words.

We lined up again before the other well, Erky right before it, we three in a distance we judged safer for our health. The well was very much like the other, but instead of an ornamented red dragon, this had a black dragon as a water sprout.

“ 'Death.' “ I assume this was what Erky said in Draconic, because the well gurgled, grumbled, and then puffed a thick, black fume. The little priest started coughing, wheezing, and we had to go into the smoke and yank him away before he suffocated.

“This,” he said after he could breathe again, “must have been the shittiest Midsummer Day I have ever experienced in my life.”

“Here,” I said in a sudden fit of generosity. “Some consolation price.” I handed him a whole gold coin.

“Don't spend it at once,” added Beldrak severely. “Profuseness is not looked upon kindly in a priest of Adaron.”

“I would like to change sides!” shouted Jim. “Any goblin, dragon or undead remaining here, I want to change sides!”