“The strongest oak of the forest is not the one that is protected from the storm and hidden from the sun. It's the one that stands in the open where it is compelled to struggle for its existence against the winds and rains and the scorching sun.”
-Napoleon Hill
==Zidaun==
An archway passed behind me as I entered a circular room. The building was larger inside than should have been possible, though I felt no trace of mana or disorientation. We descended and the surroundings slipped away in a moment of inattention. Whatever power crafted the interior of the space or moved us, was too subtle for me to detect.
The room was dim, but not shadowed. Each area of the room equally lighted by an omnipresent light. The light had no source that I could discern. The walls, floor, and ceiling were the familiar black basalt from the Starlight Grotto, rough and studded with tiny crystalline flashes of color.
With the source-less light, and the basalt too rough to reflect, the illusion of being surrounded by stars was enough to almost make me dizzy. My feet and extra senses assured me of the solidity of the room, as did the other things present inside it.
To the right was a familiar doorway, with the number five inscribed on it.
Another teleportation room? Probably…
In the middle of the room was a joyful sight for any adventurer, another chest. The wood was a deep polished brown, with bands of gleaming bronze. It was not locked, and I couldn’t sense anything special about it, except some of what was inside it.
Directly forward, past the chest, was a door. The door was a mix of metals, used to depict a forest. Verdigris leaves adorned copper trees, while a golden sun hung in blue steel sky. Shadowed patches of dull iron contrasted with polished sections that reflected the light. A path of silver wended between the trees, disappearing from view.
To the left was a hexagonal column about waist high on the closer end, from there the top rose in a forty-five degree angle. It was identical to columns we had seen previously next to the altar, though this held only a single impression in the surface.
Gurek had already seen the chest as was waiting anxiously for me to give the approval to open it.
“There is something with mana inside it,” I said.
Gurek sighed, but stood back from the chest, allowing me to extend a tendril of stone to open the chest. Simultaneously, I made a barrier of stone, prepared for a trap.
Nothing happened, the chest opened without issue.
The tendril reached in and pulled out a small glowing blue stone, which I identified reflexively, and my identify skill leveled up. I blinked with soft surprise, it had been some time since it had improved.
Mana Crystal
Color: Blue
A stone capable of storing mana. Glows more intensely the more mana it contains. Fractures explosively if too much mana is added. Comes in different colors.
“Just a mana crystal, but my skill improved.” I said and the others relaxed before offering me their congratulations.
Nothing could stop Gurek, however, and he almost immediately rushed up to hold the crystal, taking it as I allowed the tendril and wall to return to the floor. He admired it for a moment, the cut of the facets glittering as it turned, before he put it away. The money that was contained within vanished with equal promptness.
“If those are common loot,” Inda mused, “we will get a lot of people interested in the dungeon. Mages of various sorts, craftsmen, emblemists, plus nobles will want them for jewelry. There are various places to mine them, but a blue that pure is rare.”
“White is the most common, right?” Firi asked. “The church uses a lot of those in decorating.”
“Yeah,” Inda said, “though technically those mana stones are clear, their light is white though.”
Firi just nodded amiably.
“Just another thing to report,” I said, with a slight smile.
I pointed over to the column.
“I want to find out what that thing does, but we need to get back to my people really quick. I can tell them to start back into the dungeon, since the changes were not huge. Let the other team back into the dungeon, too.”
The others nodded, willing to let me take care of my duties.
Lucky to have them.
Thankfully, with the magical transportation behind the door, it took only minutes before we had gone, dealt with a few commands, and gathered into the room again.
I walked up to the column and placed the crystal token into the indentation.
A flare of mana behind us made me whirl around, but no threat appeared. Instead the chest dissolved away. In its place was a pedestal of marble chased in silver, forming the design of a lady kneeling, her cupped hands upraised in offering or supplication.
A moment later mana flared again as another object formed. It grew from where it touched the pedestal, gleaming lines of metallic crystal extending outwards.
A moment later a sabre lay on the flat surface of the pedestal. The blade, a thin line glittering with a razor sharp edge, had the metallic hues of polished steel, though the blade was slightly translucent. Only the edges were truly see through, a distorted and faded image of the table showing. The hilt, guard, and pommel were made of the same material, though the handle was wrapped carefully in leather.
The hilt, guard, and pommel together formed the image of the Mirage Dancer. The hilt and guard were a delicate tracery of feathers, the large feathers forming the two sides of the hilt, while a thin delicate tail formed the guard before ending in the spherical body of the beast. The way the crysteel was formed cast subdued rainbows across its surface.
Off to the side, almost unnoticed, was a suitable sheath.
Crysteel Sabre – The Whirling Dancer
Material: Crysteel
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Effects: Mana Imbued
This sabre is made of an advanced material: Crysteel. Flexible and highly resistant to damage the sabre is imbued with mana.
“A crysteel sabre, imbued with mana,” I said. “It doesn’t actually say what that is though, but it has a name. The Whirling Dancer.”
Inda walked up to the sabre reverently.
“It’s beautiful,” she breathed.
We all smiled as Inda gently stroked the blade.
“I assume that you will want it, Inda?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
“Yes,” she took a moment to straighten up, “I would like to keep it.”
She lifted the blade, making a few experimental slashes and thrusts, before she buckled the sabre onto the opposite side from the other one. It would be a reserve weapon until we could get it checked out by a proper smith. That would allow us to establish its proper value, as well.
Inda was practically glowing as we prepared to enter the other door. I had retrieved the crystal token, and its number had dropped by one. Of course, it had a number in the thousands by now, since I had sacrificed so much that had been brought by my people. We tried the token again, but nothing happened.
The door opened, revealing an earthen tunnel. Roots cradled the tunnel, large and mediums roots acting as living archways, while tiny roots sprouted from everywhere. Most were compacted against the interior, but some descended from the ceiling like hair. The tunnel contained no lighting, only the light from the room behind showed us the way.
With light stones soon in hand, we walked down the tunnel, which was a short distance, but twisted several times. Soon we turned around a last curve and could see light in the distance.
The tunnel ended with two large curving roots to either side. Thin leafy stems dangled from above, covering the exit in a shifting layer of green. We pushed through the green and emerged onto a forest path, a spot of light reaching us through the trees.
You have entered the:
Wandering Woods
I let the others know the name while I identified a few nearby plants, checking for anything dangerous. Despite my improved skill, it still wasn’t particularly good for plants.
The plant covering the exit was a curtain willow, its long arching branches were thin, but multitudinous, and so covered in greenery that the trunk and upper branches were almost completely hidden.
It was the only willow I could see, making use of its elevated position to reach toward the sky. The other trees, despite the path’s slight downward incline, soared above the willow, and thus towered over us. Most of the trees had green leaves, in a variety of shapes and sizes, though even the lowest branches were out of reach. A quick identify revealed species of oaks, birch, and many others.
A lonely sun hung in the sky, its light warm and radiant, casting cheerful light across the entire scene.
So strange to have a warm sun.
My footsteps were muffled by the soft dirt of the path, the soil giving way beneath my boots as we moved forward, releasing the smell of fresh churned earth. Wind blew gently through the trees in a susurrous of shifting leaves. Insects, hidden in short grasses and shrubbery, made their own chorus of clicks and chirps. Far off, the cries of some unknown animal echoed through the woods.
Gurek walked in the lead, though I stopped him after only a moment.
“Pitfall trap,” I said, pointing.
Honestly, pointing out the trap was probably unnecessary, a thin layer of cloth over the pit was covered in the same dirt of the path, but the cloth’s natural color was an off-white, and sections of it were clearly visible ahead.
Gurek approached the trap carefully. He lifted the cloth, the dirt cascading off it onto the forest floor and into the pit.
The pit’s edges were irregular, sections of dirt falling into the pit. Roots from the trees crisscrossed around the edges of the pit. One was cut off where the pit had cut directly through it, leaving sap to ooze in streaks down the edge into the pit. The pit was six feet deep. Deep enough to be potentially dangerous, though that would mostly come from an unexpected fall. The soil at the bottom was soft enough to prevent any other injury, but getting out could be a pain for some, especially with the crumbling edges.
Gurek shook the cloth free of dirt.
“Looks like good cloth,” he said.
“I should have identified it before you touched it,” I said, shaking my head. “Sorry, still getting used to having something more useful.”
Sheet of Fabric
Material: Linen
‘Rough’ cloth from the dungeon. The lowest quality the dungeon is willing to offer, this linen is equal to the standard product of a professional weaver.
Interesting. Either my connection to the dungeon is giving me additional information, or hiding the dungeon’s nature is going to be impossible.
For a moment he considered what would happen if that was the case…
What the hell would we do if the dungeon refuses to be quiet? If it wants to talk to everyone?
Well…
I know what I will do; whatever it wants.
I shook my head. These were thoughts for another time.
“It’s linen,” I said, “and the quality is good.”
“Hmm…” Gurek muttered, “you think that we might find some flax in the dungeon?”
“No idea,” I said, shrugging. “It’s not even really awake right now. Still absorbing what we gave it. Language takes time to assimilate properly.”
Firi shook his head sadly and sighed.
I shot him a pained smile.
Wish I could just tell him everything, it would be so much easier.
Thinking about the dungeon gave me a subtle feeling of worship and gratitude.
My god is worth it.
We moved on, following the path as it twisted through the woods. Whatever barriers that surrounded the woods were invisible from here; the trees blocked any sight that went more than a couple hundred feet. Occasional glens of thicker growth blocked sight even further, though we did see lone weathered columns of stone occasionally.
Traps appeared at irregular intervals, and we collected the cloth each time. Sometimes it was a few feet, other times it was a good two hundred feet without any traps. The traps were all fairly obvious, though some had rocky bottoms or were deeper, slightly raising the potential level of danger.
Finally, we encountered something different as we entered a forest clearing.
The sun, halfway down the sky, cast beams at a sharp angle into our eyes as we entered. My improved eyes only struggled a little to see through the glare, letting me see the far edge of the clearing clearly where the path reentered the woods.
The large trees cradled the clearing in long shadows that reached toward us from the far side. The path continued through the clearing, crossing a wide burbling stream as it passed through. The grasses of the small meadow were short, sprinkled with wild flowers, except where they grew in riotous perfusion by the banks of the stream. A single tree grew on the other side of the stream, several bright fruits visible in the branches.
I identified the fruit tree and all the large grasses, looking out for monsters.
Aritz Tree
Plant
Has edible fruit.
Spiked Cattail
Plant
Morning Rush
Plant
Golden Iris
Plant
The list went on, but I found nothing other than plants.
That didn’t mean the plants couldn’t be dangerous. Plenty of plants had various forms of defenses, magical or otherwise. Most of those would only cause issues if we messed with the plant, however.
“Anyone else feel like this is a trap?” Inda said softly.
“Yeah,” Firi muttered. “It’s been too peaceful.”
They weren’t wrong. With the exception of the rather lackluster traps, it had been no more than a pleasant walk.
We grew tenser as we neared the bridge, expecting something to attack.
The wooden boards of the bridge creaked lightly as we walked on them, but I could tell the bridge was sturdy, and the boards did no more than flex lightly. The intricate carvings on the posts of the bridge, depicting flowers and grasses tangled together, were no more than a passing thought against the anticipation.
We heard a sound, like the fluttering of leaves, but growing louder into a dull roar, coming from all around us.
We tensed, each of us darting our heads back and forth, keeping as much of the clearing in view as possible.
Specks of color appeared amidst the trees, weaving between them in the air, moving too swiftly to see clearly at first. First there were dozens, then hundreds, then thousands, and then finally they burst into the air above the clearing from every direction, spiraling in the air above us.
“Holy shit,” Gurek said.
They flew through the air and were shaped like giant flat wings made of supple skin attached to an equally flat body. From there the details varied, some had heads that resembled a fish pushing out from the front, some had additional fins, and others had long tails, and still more had combinations. Their colors were just as varied. I saw some that were a solid blue, quickly noting other solid colors, and then more that had wing-edges dappled in white and pink, and there were far more patterns in the swirling kaleidoscope of color.
I frantically tried to identify as many types as possible.