Lefty then mumbled a few words and aimed a finger through his cage. A second later, a thick, black oil was oozing all over Calista’s hands and forearms. Because her manacles were secured to a chain that hung from a ring on the ceiling, she was able to bring her hands together. Squeezing her left hand, she disjointed her thumb to slip it free. Then, biting her thumb, she set it back in place before doing the same to her other hand. She dropped to the floor. Clutching her right hand, she popped her other thumb back into place.
By Yanar, that hurt. Now I just have to figure out where we are, where our gear is, and just how we’re going to get out of here. To her left, one of the orbs floated past a table, illuminating everything from beakers, vials, stirring sticks, a spoon, a small cauldron, and even a dagger driven into the wood. She crept over and pulled the dagger free. Now what? Lefty was still in a cage hanging six feet off the floor and she didn’t have the key.
Quickening her pace to stay within the orb’s light, she rounded another table stacked with scrolls, descended a flight of stairs, and stopped when she reached a set of tall shelves. Jars, bottles, books, and assorted ingredients, elements, and spell components were all laid out before her. What’s that? She picked up a jar with something moving inside it and as the next glowing gem passed overhead, she could see what looked like a cyclone trapped inside it. This could be useful.
The sound of the wooden gears grew louder until she rounded a pillar. There, planets, stars, nebulae, and other heavenly bodies rotated in the air before her. She could see each piece had been magically fabricated out of crystal, glass, and precious metal. Planets were glass orbs encased in metal with crystal continents. A nebula made of shaped crystal. An asteroid field made of rocks mounted on a web of metal wires. She was blown away by the intricacy of the device. Only an extremely high level and extremely rich character could possess such a thing. It’s a planetarium, she realized. Which makes me wonder what purpose he has for it here in this dungeon. Lefty said it was for tracking the stars, but what does Severin want to do with the stars?
Then she looked up.
Crystal-clear panels opened up into a night sky filled with stars peeking through the cloud. Oh my, we’re as good as free! If she could just reach the ceiling, she was sure she could find a way through the glass. Suddenly, after all the pain, fear, and torture, her plan for revenge didn’t seem so important.
Then a door opened and she ducked behind the pillar and carefully leaned out to see. There on the other side of the planetarium was the same snake haired woman who had brought her here, the one Tarkas had called Narene, and a hooded figure with a tall, black staff.
Her heart sank. If that’s Severin, there’s no way I can face him without my gear. The hooded figure pointed at the nearest orb as it stopped, turned, and followed him across the room to the empty manacles. Maybe I can make it to the door. Then the door opened again for two towering guards in full plate armor. Shit. I’ve never even seen those guys before. How in Wraath does he have guards like that in a place like this?
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Then a high-pitched, male voice cried out over the sound of the gears. “Where did Prisoner zero-one-twenty-eight go?”
Narene quickly replied, “I intended to leave a guard at the door, but Tarkas wouldn’t lend me any of his.”
The robed man swung his arm in the air. “You mean to tell me you didn’t think to bring your own guards?”
Narene pouted. “No, I thought that Tarkas would have her secure, but he was too busy with his own distractions to help me.”
“Tarkas is merely my chief inquisitor,” the robed man squeaked. “You are in command of the entire level! You should have taken one of your own. Or several. But you wanted something to blame on Tarkas because you know he hates you.”
Narene’s voice was calm and even. “You’re paranoid. I’ve made every adjustment I could. All of my guards are spread out across the lower levels looking for other interlopers. One of which, might I add, is that horrid little creature you insist on keeping around.”
The black robed wizard made a sound of disapproval. “I expected more of you, Narene.”
The gorgon’s voice was seductive. “What kind of more are you thinking?”
The wizard growled, “Find the escapee and you’ll find out.”
Something about this man is familiar. Something about the way he stands. The way he moves. The way he speaks. Staying low and out of sight, she left the pillar and crawled along the base of the planetarium. If I can just get over to this corner, I might be able to see his face. The sound of the wooden gears drowned out the voices as she snuck along the base of the machine. Reaching the corner, she stopped beside the table with the scrolls. Then she stuck her head around the corner and her heart stuck in her throat.
The black robed wizard had thrown back his hood and was locked in the embrace of the white haired woman. He had her pressed against the wall and his left hand had wandered up the slit in her dress while his right cupped a bare breast. However, that’s not what gave her pause. What stopped her was the man’s face. She had seen that face back when it had been level one, back when the player had been new to the game, back when she had first visited her boyfriend Blake’s apartment.
They hadn’t been dating long. A few months, tops. He had invited her over to his apartment and she had agreed under the condition that he try out her favorite game. It was her hobby, just a thing she wanted to share with him. She remembered walking him through the opening quests. She remembered him taking off his headset and telling her it wasn’t his thing. She had been disappointed but had told him it was fine.
It was fine.
It’s fine.
She heard the medusa let out a low moan of pleasure. She heard the troll speaking in a low voice. She saw a belt being undone. And then she saw nothing but red.
Taking the jar in her right hand, she drew back, wound up, and flung it with all her might at the couple. Just as the jar left her fingertips, Severin spun his mistress around as he pulled at her dress, and so the jar flew through the air, missed its intended target, struck the wall, and shattered.