As one, the group moved out walking through the twisted catacomb in utter silence, the only sounds their footsteps on the hard stone floor and their breathing, still laboured from their prior exertion. Onyx’s own breathing remained faint, but steady as Delde carried him in her arms, cradling him close to herself. They trudged down the passageway to the crossroads where they first entered the level, at which point Dal went on ahead of the others down to the unexplored archway leading south, down to the promised chamber of rest. The gnome returned moments later nodding his head towards the passageway he had just come from.
‘It looks fine. As fine as anywhere down here gets I suppose’.
There was a tired gloominess to his voice that sounded strange coming from Dal. He was always so energetic, so gleeful about everything. Delde couldn’t blame him for being solemn though, the illusion, combined with the fear spell they had just experienced was more intense than anything she had felt before. If anything, it would be bizarre for him to not be more subdued. She just hoped that it wouldn’t be a permanent change to his personality.
Walking down the short passageway, after a sharp bend they reached a comparatively small chamber, although still large enough to comfortably fit all of them within. The room was dominated by a large silver fountain that emerged from the far wall, quietly burbling crystal-clear water. Instinctively Delde looked away from the pool of the fountain, but as the water was constantly moving due to the flow of the fountain it lacked the mirror like quality of the reflecting pool, calming her worries. Above the fountain was an inscription:
‘KASSEN’S LEGACY LIVES ON WITH HIS PEOPLE. DRINK AND BE REFRESHED’.
After what they had been through none of the group looked too eager to drink any of the water, regardless of how pure it seemed. Everyone began to unpack their things to rest up for the evening, save for Adriana who gently took Onyx from Delde and began to carefully bandage up his wounds. With nothing better to do and looking to keep herself busy while Adriana cared for her familiar, the wizard unpacked her own things whilst looking around the chamber.
Aside from the fountain there were two stone benches beside sitting next to the other walls. There were no other adornments to the chamber. Despite its spartan appearance Delde found it to be the most relaxing chamber she had been in since entering the lower level. The constant crushing presence that was so dominant throughout the rest of the level was staringly absent here. There was an almost tangible feeling of a weight being lifted from her shoulders as she sat on the hard stone floor next to her open pack.
Examining the room with more scrutiny led Delde to notice other curious details. Such as the fact that this chamber appeared have been spared the worst of the damage that afflicted the other rooms on the level. The walls, ceiling and floor were all intact with no signs of cracks, chips, or even wear apparent. Then there was the fountain, it was made of silver but showed no trace of tarnish on it, and she was certain that the townsfolk who arrived at the crypt never reached the lower level to prepare it for them. The room was also almost absent of any dust or mould that was prevalent throughout the rest of the crypt, the air inside tasted almost fresh to Delde’s tongue.
No, there was definitely something about the chamber that seemed to be protected from the darkness that enveloped the rest of the crypt. She wasn’t sure what it was, but the signs were clear.
Just as Delde was about to examine the chamber with the aid of her detect magic cantrip Adriana stood up and caught her attention. Onyx lay curled on the floor, half mummified with bandages, but he seemed to be breathing a little easier now. As Delde walked over to them his tail twitched and he gave a subdued, but happy meow of acknowledgement as she knelt next to him.
‘I have done the best I can, but I confess I am unused to performing care such as this. I have bandaged Onyx up as best I can and put his back left leg in a splint, that’s all I can do for now. I think that he is doing better but as I said I am not used to doing this, but I imagine that he would rather be with you right now than me’.
Onyx nuzzled into his mistress as she picked him up and carried him over to where she had set up her bedroll for the night. A rota for a watch order was set up as they gnawed on dried jerky and fruits for a final meal before going to bed. It tasted bland and unfulfilling compared to what they had been eating on the journey so far, but no one complained. After their shared experiences of the day, nobody had the drive to do much more than collapse onto their bedroll once they were done.
Delde lay back on her bedroll and tried to relax.
She couldn’t.
In what she saw as a great irony for as tired as she was, she simply couldn’t calm her mind to the point where she could drift off into the sleep she so deeply wanted. Instead, she watched Onyx lying next to her, who in contrast had slipped away to sleep with practiced ease. She smiled at him. His quiet snores, his twitching paws and tail. They all spoke of a familiar that was relaxed in a pleasant dream. If it wasn’t for the mass of white bandages covering him, contrasting with his jet-black fur, she could have thought that it was just a normal day for Onyx. She envied how easily he was able to put the days trauma behind him. Perhaps it was the blissfulness of ignorance.
For as tired as Delde was she just couldn’t find it in herself to fall asleep. Every time she closed her eyes she saw the illusion from the reflecting pool, herself turning into a zombie and killing her friends. It felt awkward to think of them as friends, Delde didn’t want to project a relationship where there wasn’t one, but she had to admit, if only to herself that they had quickly become close to her heart. She tossed and turned as this thought ran through her mind. It was foolish to find herself becoming so invested in a group of people so unlike herself. She had her own goals and desires in life and the only reason that they had spent any time with each other was because they were obliged to due to the town’s tradition. If it hadn’t been for the “Quest for the Everflame” they would never have even said a word to each other. Actually, the others might have spoken with each other; Dal and Igmar had a rapport with each other and Baye and Dal were siblings. Adriana was a social butterfly who had been trying to assess if Baye would have been willing to travel with her when she left Kassen. The only person who would never have had any chance of interaction with them would be her.
Sighing in frustration Delde sat upright in her bedroll and took a swig of water from her waterskin. There wasn’t that much left in it, but the presence of the fountain abated any fears of running out of something to drink. She looked about the chamber, more to give herself something, anything else to focus on other than the turmoil in her mind. There was very little light illuminating the room now, with Adriana having disenchanted all of the light cantrips she had created other than one that was kept inside their half-shuttered lantern. It was their cleric who was on watch duty for the moment, which meant that she was sitting on one of the stone benches watching the empty doorway for any signs of movement.
‘Are you having trouble sleeping?’
‘…Yes. It’s not that I’m not tired, I just can’t find it in myself to…’
‘Relax?’
‘…Maybe. It’s more that I keep going over what happened. How I should have done better but didn’t’.
‘I am feeling the same way if I am honest. That’s why I volunteered to take the first watch for tonight. Although I suppose I don’t know if it is night just now; being down here for so long, I have lost track of time and the cycle of day and night. I suppose that is not a good thing for a cleric of the goddess of the sun to confess to’. A heavy sigh burdened by stress and doubt came from Adriana and she seemed to deflate somewhat before Delde.
‘I don’t think anyone could blame you for that, we can’t even feel fresh air down here let alone see the sky. Nobody can judge time down here, and I doubt your goddess would want you running outside every few hours to check the sky when we’re meant to be rescuing people’.
Adriana smiled at Delde in response. It was a thin, weary looking expression, different from her normal beaming look, but she did seem genuine.
‘Would you care to sit next to me and talk for a while? I doubt we will have any intruders interrupt us and it would help pass the time. It may even help us both decompress from the day’s events’.
Delde looked down at Onyx by her side. At some point he had woken up long enough to slip over to lie down on the small pillow she had been resting her head on. He appeared to be fast asleep once again and she had no desire to force him awake with him being in such a poor condition in part because of her own failings. She slipped out of her bedroll and pulled her blanket over the cat as she walked over and sat next to Adriana.
‘Thanks for helping with Onyx, he’s doing much better now thanks to you. He should be alright until tomorrow – Will you be alright with using your magic to fully heal him in the morning? I know that you only have a limited number of uses of it each day and I know that we need to be conservative with our resources now that we’re getting closer to the source of the necromantic magics down here and if I had the ability to heal him myself I would, but…’ Delde took a deep breath of air and calmed her emotions. ‘He is very dear to me. And he only got so badly hurt because he was trying to defend me. I would like to do what I can for him’.
The cleric sitting next to her smiled in that effortlessly graceful way that Delde was now used to, and she seemed to regain some of her confidence.
‘Of course I will heal him. He is a fellow member of our party is he not? And it is only right for a cleric of Sarenrae to offer succour to all who need it, even if they are an animal’.
‘Thanks Adriana, and thanks for saving my life today by the way. I’ve been so caught up in everything that happened that I never properly said thank you for that. If you hadn’t cast that spell I wouldn’t be here right now, neither would Onyx’.
‘Y-yes, you are welcome. But I do not need any thanks for my actions! I only did what any member of the faithful would have done in the situation, I am just sorry that I did not act sooner. The spell, the magical defence you called it? I was completely overwhelmed by it… I… ran right past you’.
‘I was affected as well though. So was everyone. You at least remembered that you could cast spells to help fight the bats off. I didn’t realise that until after you had already cast yours. Speaking of which, I was really impressed with your spellcasting. For most of our journey you’ve only cast the equivalent of cantrips or used your ability to channel positive energy, but that was an actual spell. One of the first level if I’m not mistaken? It looked equivalent to the arcane spell known as “Burning Hands”. I’d like to talk some more about your spellcasting if that’s alright with you. I don’t know much about divine spellcasting, but I’d be interested to learn more about it from you if that’s alright’.
Delde was already feeling in better spirits now that she was talking about a subject she was interested in, that being magic. She had been looking for a chance to learn more about divine magic for some time now, recognising that there were similarities between the two from what she read but never having a good opportunity to do so. Now seemed as good a time as any to the wizard but looking at the cleric she saw that she seemed… reluctant, almost embarrassed to speak.
‘I… I must confess I am not an expert on the subject myself even though I am capable of casting divine spells. Father Prasst has given me tutelage in the fundamentals of it, but… I am a follower of Sarenrae not Erastil, there is only so much that he could teach me. In many ways I am still learning about my own magic and how to cast it. That I why I so rarely make use of it’. She looked down at the stone floor. ‘Were I more capable, more knowledgeable, then I could have contributed more to the group, perhaps even prevented that foul enchantment from afflicting us so… I should be better than I am…’.
Looking at the forlorn cleric, Delde felt empathy towards her and for the first time since they had interacted felt that she understood her, at least partly. She put her hand on her shoulder and thin, but supportive smile.
‘I won’t pretend to understand all the nuances of your situation, but I can empathize with it. My father and all my siblings are sorcerers, this means that their understanding and utilization of magic is instinctive in nature. To them, the only barrier between them and their proper casting of a spell is a lack of will… Unlike me’ She sighed, feeling a weight around her both grow and lift the more she talked about something she always kept inside. ‘I’m not like them. I can’t just will spells into existence. The only reason that I can cast spells is because Holgast was willing to teach me how to become a wizard. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be able to do anything’. She sighed again, this time in frustration. ‘I don’t understand what makes me different from my siblings, why I can’t weald magic the same way they do. Because I want to! I’ve always wanted to!... But I can’t’. She gave a deflated sigh now. ‘I try to not let it bother me, but after what we just went through, I can’t help but wonder… If I was a sorcerer like the rest of my family, would I be more powerful than I am now? Would I have been able to resist that magical trap? I won’t pretend that I fully understand how you feel, but I think I have an idea… And for what little it’s worth I think you’re doing well as a spellcaster’.
Silence stretched out between them. Delde worried that she had said too much. Or not enough. Or she’d said entirely the wrong thing. This was why she didn’t interact with people.
‘T-thank you Delde. Sincerely… thank you. It is nice to know that I am not alone in feeling… inadequate at times. And just so that you know, I think you are a very capable spellcaster. I admit I do not know much about your siblings or father outside of their reputations, but from what I have seen of you, you appear highly capable in your own right. And while you may believe that a sorcerers innate spellcasting ability is an advantage, I believe that your being a wizard has been much better for the group as a whole on our journey. As you had to learn and study to develop your craft you have become a very learned person, and your wide breadth of knowledge has been of great help to us. You were the one to identify what the wood golem was and how to best deal with it. And I have found it most reassuring to have someone else to rely on when attempting to identify the various forms of undead within this crypt. You were even able to identity the magical defence after you recovered from its affects’.
‘It would have been better if I’d noticed it before we triggered it’.
‘Yes, but at least we understand now what it is we suffered from rather than continuing to puzzle over it. And now that we understand that it is a sort of trap, we can take efforts to avoid it when we cross through the chamber tomorrow’.
‘I… suppose you’re right. Thanks Adriana, I appreciate your support. I suppose everyone has room to grow and develop. It’s just frustrating that it takes time to get to the point where you want to be at’.
‘Indeed’.
Adriana nodded her head in agreement, brilliant smile beaming out as normal.
‘Out of curiosity Delde, do you have any recommendations on how to grow as a spellcaster? I understand that we both gain our magic from very different sources, but there are some parallels from what I understand. I would be most grateful to learn of any advice to improve my own development if you have any’.
Delde seriously considered what Adriana asked of her. She was right in that they both had very different sources of magic, she doubted that there was much that she could take from her studies as a wizard that would be directly transferable to training as a cleric. But there was something that she had learnt since entering the crypt with the rest of her friends.
‘I think the quickest way to grow and develop your ability as a spellcaster is to make more active use of your spells, especially in stressful situations like combat. I’ve spent years studying how to cast magic in Holgasts tower, a safe and secure place to study and practice. But it’s only since coming here and using my magic in dangerous, real-life, practical situations that I think I’ve made rapid growth. I suppose part of it may have been that I didn’t have many opportunities to practice offensive spells in the tower, but I think a more significant element of it is that in a life-or-death situation you are forced to grow. Back in Kassen I was safe, I never had to worry about what happened if I didn’t get a spell right, or if I misremembered something. Out here, something like that could cost me my life, or somebody else’s. Out here, there’s no room for error… It’s terrifying, but at the same time exhilarating… Sorry, I’m making myself sound like some sort of battle maniac aren’t I?’.
‘No, I think I understand what you are saying. I suppose it comes down to the old saying “practice makes perfect”. And it stands to reason that the most effective practice is the kind that forces you to push yourself to your limit. I suppose I should make use of my spells more frequently… It is just…’.
Adriana clasped her hands together as her fingers squirmed amongst themselves.
‘I find it difficult to act flippantly with my spells. No to say that I believe that you are flippant with your magics! It’s… It’s just… The magic I possess is gifted to me from the goddess Sarenrae herself. Every spell a tiny fraction of her most magnificent power, and she chooses to grant it to me. I feel that I must treat this trust, this investiture from the goddess with the upmost respect and use it responsibly. It makes it difficult for me to use it casting spells to train. What if some great need occurs later, once I have finished training and I have no magic left to wield in the Dawnflowers name!? I, I find such thoughts greatly troubling’.
‘Well, it’s all the more reason to make more liberal use of your magic in here then, isn’t it? After all, defeating the undead and helping rescue innocents from their clutches is well within Sarenrae’s purview from what I understand. I’m sure your goddess wouldn’t be upset at you for casting your spells in a situation like this, and like I said, it will help you get more comfortable wielding magic’.
If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.
‘I suppose you are correct; it is just something that I will need to get more used to, another thing I need to learn’.
Delde let that hang in the air for a moment. She had the impression that Adriana had more to say but wasn’t sure how to encourage her to talk, or even if it was her place to do so.
‘It is just… ever since we arrived here, I have felt at a lost for what to do. When we set out originally, we had a clear goal and a clear means through which we were to fulfil it. Now though? I am uncertain as to how I should best go about our newfound quest. It… it is not that I do not wish to press forward I do. But I am unsure as to what would be the best way for me to do so. Should I take a more proactive role in leading the group? Should I be more reserved in my approach? I have my beliefs, my convictions and I consider them important, but I do not know how to properly exercise them. And in such a situation as we are in now, I do not want to make things more difficult than they already are’.
Adriana’s brow was furrowed in obvious concern. This wasn’t something Delde had ever given any thought to before herself, she just lived her life the way she lived it, but she thought that she could see the quandary before the cleric at her side. Adriana wanted to uphold the virtues and teachings of her goddess but didn’t know the proper way in which to go about it.
‘I’ll admit that’s not an issue I’ve had to deal with a lot, but I think that the best thing for you to do is to just use your own best judgment. You were saying before how you were hesitant about wielding your magic because it was from your goddess, right?’
She nodded in confirmation.
‘Well then it goes the other way as well, doesn’t it? If Sarenrae chose to make you her cleric, then I would assume that she trusts in your judgement. Almost everyone in the world worships he gods to some degree, but hardly any are clerics. If you continue to have access to divine magic, then that means that you’re doing something right in your goddesses’ eyes. And if you do make a mistake? I can’t imagine that the Dawnflower expects perfection from all of her followers all of the time’.
A look of contemplation replaced the concerned expression on Adriana’s face as she took in Delde’s words. In truth the wizard wasn’t sure if she was correct in her assessment of the situation, or if her advice had any merit whatsoever, but it appeared to give the cleric something to consider at least, and she didn’t seem offended by what she said.
‘Thank you Delde. I mean it. It was nice being able to talk about these things. I confess they have been weighing on my mind ever since we entered the crypt and I feel… better having spoken about them with you’.
‘I’m not the best at talking or… more social things, but I’m glad that I was able to help you’.
The two carried on talking for some time until Dal awoke for his turn on watch. They both went to their beds and Delde fell asleep with relaxed ease, holding onto Onyx as she did so. She found her dreams to be pleasantly devoid of any of the horrors she had faced, instead she dreamt of far-off vistas that she had only ever read about. She slept with a smile on her face.
When she awoke in the morning, or what they accepted as the morning in the skyless world they found themselves in, Delde once again saw everyone busying themselves with work. Dal was cooking something for breakfast while Igmar and Baye were performing maintenance on their arms and armour, Adriana was already in the middle of her morning prayers. The first thing that Delde did was look at Onyx and check on his condition, during her sleep he had escaped her tight embrace, but he remained lying next to her.
He was brighter than he was the day before and slightly more mobile, although it was clear to even her untrained eyes that her familiar was still badly injured. Some spots of his pristine white bandages were stained red with blood that had seeped from his wounds in the night, but fortunately it appeared that his condition had not deteriorated during the night. A not inconsiderable part of her had feared that she would wake up next to his cold dead form. She was immensely happy that that was not the case.
She couldn’t see and obvious way to contribute to the group’s activities, so Delde began her typical morning preparations and rituals to prepare her spells for the day. She was frustrated that she currently lacked any means by which she might dispel or otherwise disrupt the magical trap that she knew they would need to deal with today, but she tried to not let that bother her. It would be more important to properly work out what spells in her repertoire she would be more likely to need to call upon.
With a grin she fingered her wand of mage armour. At least that was one spell she didn’t need to worry about preparing. It was also her sole defensive spell, so her remaining options came down various forms of offence. After a little consideration she dismissed her burning hands spell as an option. Adriana was just as capable as she was of casting it and there were several forms of common undead, such as the skeletons, that were resistant to such attacks. She had several options remaining to her, magic missile was an easy selection for her, but she wanted to keep some variety in her options. She selected two other spells for her final choices of the day. She hadn’t cast these spells yet in her journey, and in truth she didn’t have much in the way of experience with either of them, but after what she had took Adriana last night it would have felt hypocritical of her to not follow her own advice. Besides she mused, there were other means of offence outside of simply inflicting damage to one’s opponent.
A thought sprang into her mind, and she decided to attempt something.
Delde took out the scroll that had been gifted to her by her mentor earlier in the crypt and began to study it. The scroll detailed the spell known as “Web”, a spell of the second level, something that was beyond her capacity to cast. Or rather it was. As Delde studied the words, the formulas, things began to make sense to her in a way she doubted that they would have even a few days ago. During her adventures, such as they were, she had gained a better understanding of how magic operated on a fundamental level. It was difficult to put into words, but she imagined it was like how an artisan who constantly worked on his craft would naturally over time learn little… tricks? Intricacies? Secrets of the trade? When the scroll described the manipulation of arcane energies and its manifestations, she had a far better understanding of it now thanks to her more recent, practical experience. Delde lacked a complete understanding of what it described, but she felt confident enough in herself that she began the process of scribing the scroll to her spell book and memorising it in turn.
The process looked simple, straightforward, easy even; but mentally it was greatly taxing for the young wizard. All the other spells she had studied for months before attempting something like this, with access to resources to help her with the process. Now she had nothing but herself, her will, her resolve. Beads of sweat gathered on her brow and her face slowly contorted in expressions of focus and frustration. Unseen by everyone else magical energies gathered around her writhing and twisting as she manipulated and bound them to herself. Her breathing became tense. Onyx sat upright and alert at her side despite his wounds. Then there, in the depths of an undead infested crypt which she had no desire to travel to a few days ago, in a fraction of the time it took for Delde to learn her first spell of the first level, she learnt her first spell of the second.
A smile of profound pride formed on her face and Delde stood up from her daily ritual, triumphant and satisfied.
Of course, to everyone else all she had done was just stare a parchment for a couple of hours and copy it into her book, albeit in a very intense manner. Hardly something worthy of cheers and celebrations. Everyone else was finishing up packing away their things and getting ready to move out. They had even finished their breakfast, a simple porridge, with Delde realising they had left a small bowl of it next to her. Dal was just finishing up cleaning out the cookware. She had been so engrossed in her undertaking she hadn’t noticed it. Not wanting to look lazy or arrogant Delde hurriedly packed away her things as well, although in a much less ordered way than she would normally have seen as acceptable. She did this between large spoonful’s of porridge as she hurriedly tried to enjoy the meal. As she ate, she realised how hungry she was and what started as an attempt to clean her bowl for civility’s sake became an act of the famished. She also changed into the dark purple robes that she had worn on her first day of the journey, multiple castings of the predestination cantrip failing to permanently remove the smell of blood, mould, damp and dust that was now infused to one of her favourite sets of robes. She hoped that she’d be able to find someone back in Kassen that would know how to clean them properly.
Once she was finally done, she looked at the rest of the party, who were all waiting while acting like they weren’t waiting for her, something she appreciated them doing. She picked Onyx up in her arms and walked over to the rest of them. She didn’t want to immediately bring up Adriana healing her familiar before they discussed their plans for the day, but she also didn’t want to leave the chamber before that.
‘Before we get to planning what we’re doing today, I’ve just got to say something’. Dal stood before the group with a seriousness that Delde understood now was rare for him. ‘I’m sorry I didn’t spot the magical trap thing that went off yesterday. I’m the one who’s meant to notice things like that and warn everyone, I messed up and I promise that I’ll catch something like that again next time’.
‘I think your being too hard on yourself Dal. I’m the one most knowledgeable in arcane matters and I never warned you that it might be a potential threat. I also failed to overcome its effects or even realise that I was being affected until it was all over. If anyone should be apologising, it should be me’.
‘To be fair Delde I also failed in my duties to protect everyone. Being a cleric of Sarenrae I should have – ‘
‘Aw right, aw right. Ah think we aw get the idea noo. We’re aw sorry aboot whit happened and we’re aw gonnie make sure we dinnie fall intae a situation like that again. Ah think ah can speak for everyone when ah say ah’m no proud o how ah handled maself back there, but ah dinnie hold onie one elses actions against them, nor think less o them. Agreed?’.
Everyone nodded and made sounds of agreement.
‘Ah think the mair important question noo is whit we plan tae dae. Delde? Adriana? Dae either o yie ken o a way tae destroy that spell, trap, whitever it is?’.
Delde glanced despondently to the floor before looking back up at everyone. She had wracked her brain to come up with some solution, but she had come up short.
‘No, I can’t think of anything that I possess that would let me deactivate or otherwise dispel the magical defence. The only solution that I can think of to do that would be to go back to Kassen and convince Holgast to accompany us back to deal with it. Or my father. But the time issue renders that a moot point’.
She now slipped a look towards Adriana, wondering if perhaps she had reached some alternative means of overcoming the magical trap with her approaching it from the perspective of a divine spellcaster. But the cleric shared her own expression of subdued personal frustration.
‘I confess I have no means of overcoming that foul enchantment either. If it was a haunt, or some form of spectral attack I could perhaps use my channelling powers to dispel it, but alas I have no ability to contend with this obstacle’.
An uncomfortable atmosphere grew in the chamber. If they had no means of disabling the magical trap, and there was no other means of heading deeper into the crypt then they would have to deal with it, one way or another.
‘For what it’s worth’. Delde spoke aloud, not really knowing what she was saying. ‘I could get a better understand of what we’re up against if I examined it with the aid of my detect magic cantrip. I couldn’t get a proper assessment of the defence when we fell victim to it for obvious reasons. But from what I understand on the subject, some magical traps are less effective than others; after effecting so many people it may be in an inert state right now, gathering power to reactivate’.
It felt disingenuous to suggest that the trap might be disabled but Delde felt compelled to not make the situation sound completely hopeless. She wasn’t lying when she said that it might no longer be functioning, but the reality was that the chances of that being the case were perishingly low. A magical defence was created specifically to keep people out, one that was disabled after it was activated was almost pointless. Perhaps if it was damaged, or poorly created it might function like that, but Delde didn’t believe that was especially likely, if the power of the magic defence was anything to go by it wouldn’t sputter out.
‘Sounds good. But what happens if it’s still workin’. Are we willin’ to try and get past it if it is?’.
Baye raised a fair point. The magical trap was potent and even if they knew it was there if they couldn’t disable it. Their only option would be to walk through the chamber again risking triggering it and hoping that they could withstand its illusions and enchantment.
Delde doubted that they could.
‘I understand that the chances of our success are slim if the magical defence remains intact, but I would encourage all of us to make an attempt at overcoming it, if only the once. We have come so far, conquered so many other challenges, do we not only owe it to Dimira but to ourselves as well to at least try? Would not any of us wish for someone else to make the attempt if we were in her situation? I do not suggest we run headfirst into death, that is not what the Dawnflower teaches. But she does encourage all to persevere in the face of adversity and be their best possible self. And in this moment do we not have the chance to make most profound difference? All I would ask of everyone, myself included, is that we try, even if it is only one more time’.
Adriana’s words echoed in the stone chamber, as her voice had risen as she spoke with more pride and confidence as she had gone on. Delde wasn’t sure if Father Prasst had given her advice on giving sermons, her father the mayor had taught her something about giving speeches, or if this was an example of her own innate talent at public speaking. Perhaps it was her own reaffirmed convictions shining through her words. Whatever the case Adriana’s words made the deadly task they were about to attempt seem just slightly more achievable.
‘I never said that I’m not willin’ to try. Just want everyone to be aware of the risks we’re takin’ here’.
Baye didn’t appear to be upset or frustrated that Adriana’s words seemed to have inspired everyone to make a second attempt at crossing the chamber with the magical trap. She seemed to be honest in her claims of just wanting everyone to be aware of the threat they faced.
‘Er, before we head out. Adriana? Could you please use your magics to heal Onyx now? I appreciate that you need to conserve your magic as much as you can and that you’ve already tended to him with your more mundane medicines, I do. But I don’t know how long he will last without either being healed with magic or getting professional care and I wouldn’t feel comfortable with him going into what will likely be a dangerous confrontation already injured’.
‘But of course! I would be happy to help!... But before I do, might I ask, has anyone drank from that fountain over there?’.
She pointed to the silver fountain with its pristine seeming waters.
‘Er, can’t say that I have. I just used what little I had left in my waterskin for cooking. I didn’t feel much like drinking any water in here after the whole viewing pool thing yesterday…’
It seemed like no one had partaken in it, despite its apparent purity.
‘This may sound strange, but Delde, could you try and have Onyx drink a little of the water please. I am not asking you to use him as a means of determining if the water is poisoned! It is just that as I was performing my morning ritual prayers to Sarenrae I felt a certain… aura from the fountain. I believe the waters within it may be enchanted with healing magics, though I am not certain. Regardless I am certain that the waters are safe to drink’.
Delde was tempted to check it herself using her cantrips to detect for magic within the fountain, but she refrained from it. She felt it would be disrespectful to so clearly doubt Adriana’s word, moreover she didn’t know how effective her cantrip would be at allowing her to detect and analyse magic from non-arcane sources.
‘You’re completely sure it’s safe?’
‘Oh yes, completely’.
The cleric swiftly walked up to the fountain and cupped some water in her hands drinking deeply from the clear water.
‘I am sure that the water is safe to drink, I simply wish to ascertain if it possesses healing properties. Onyx is the only one of us who still has injuries needing healing which is why I suggested that he drink from it, I would not willingly allow him, or any of us to come to harm’.
Her fears abated somewhat, Delde took Onyx to the fountain and placed his head close to the water. She wasn’t sure how she was going to convince him to drink as he much preferred milk to water and had no intention of forcing his head under, but to her surprise he willingly lapped up the water presented to him. Once he was done Delde sat her familiar down on the floor and looked to see if his condition showed any change.
Almost immediately Onyx began clawing at his bandages and trying to squirm out of them. Delde was going to stop him when she saw that some of the wounds beneath the bandages were gone. No, it was if they had never even happened, there were no scars, his fur didn’t even look matted or disturbed. With a joyous smile Delde helped him remove the remaining bandages and saw that all his injuries were completely gone. The cat pranced and pounced around the chamber in giddy glee and Delde couldn’t contain her happy laughter at how well he was now. A part of her had worried that he might have suffered permanent damage from his wounds. Watching him play now put all those fears to rest.
Eventually Delde regained her composure and stood up, attempting to regain her dignity. Fortunately, it appeared that her companions were more interested in watching Onyx play around than her reaction to it, so her respectability was intact. After her familiar had calmed down they all turned to each other to discuss what this meant.
‘So your saying that we were literally sleeping next to an infinite source of magical healing potions! Hells! Forget just rescuing Dimira, when we get back to Kassen we’re going to be rich! Why would anyone just leave something like this here in the middle of nowhere?!’.
‘Actually’. Adriana replied sternly. ‘From what I can tell the water only holds its healing enchantment for a short time outside of the fountain. I doubt that we could even get it out of the room, let alone the crypt, before it just becomes normal water’.
‘Oh. Well easy come easy go. At least we’ve got a way of healing ourselves now outside of Adriana and the healing potions we’ve got left. The way I figure it, so long as we make sure we can always get back to this room we really don’t need to worry that much about fighting now. I mean, we can just heal ourselves as soon as we need to and then run right back into whatever fight we get into right?’.
‘Wrong! Dinnie be daft Dal, we cannie just run headfirst intae battle an think we can ootlast whitever it is we’re fightin’. Fer one its mostly undead we need tae worry aboot doon here, an they don’t tire. Ever. Fer another thing even if we can keep using this tae heal ourselves we still have other limited resources. Delde an Adriana can only cast so many spells a day, after that they’ll need tae rest or get intae the thick o it. An if that dissnae bother yie remember this; just because yie can heal after a fight dissnae mean getting’ injured’ll no hurt ony less’.
‘Ugh, fine. I’m just trying to be positive and enjoy the fact we found the one good thing about this level. I’m not really going to just run about thinking I’m immortal or something’.
Delde pondered on something else Dal had mentioned. How had something as valuable as the healing fountain found its way into the crypt of Kassen? The most obvious answer was that the early towns people had installed or created it in the crypt in memorial to the founder and hero of the town that bore his name. But such an artifact would have been of vast value to a small frontier town back then, even now the benefits of such a source of healing couldn’t be overlooked. Having a cheap and effective means of healing would only increase trade through the town, along with ensuring that the townspeople would be better able to survive the hardships of normal life. The only other idea that occurred to the half elf was that this was another feature of the original underground complex that was transformed into a crypt. Delde didn’t know who the creators of the complex were, but if this was a magical device that they made, and it had endured all this time undamaged then they must have been masters of their craft. Which made the presence of the complex in the middle of nowhere all the stranger. Surly such a powerful and advanced culture would leave more traces of its presence in the area, wouldn’t it?
Curious if Adriana could offer some insight that she lacked, she turned to her and asked her what she thought of it.
‘Hmm. I admit I do not know the direct source of the healing properties of the water. I am sure that they do not come from Sarenrae, as I am certain that I would be able to determine that much. I do not sense any malignancy from the fountain though, so I believe that the origins of this gift are benevolent. Perhaps some other deity of good chose to bless this place for whatever purpose and the blessing has remained in place ever since. Kassen did die in a most righteous of manner, perhaps some deity witnessed it and saw fit to acknowledge him?’.
Delde hadn’t considered that possibility, but Adriana’s theory was just as valid as her own. The gods and their various messengers and servants were capable of such things, occurrences as Adriana had described were recorded facts. But there was no holy symbols or signs of who or what would have chosen to bless the fountain. Surly if such an entity had chosen to imbue an item with a fragment of their own power, they would want to mark out their presence and why they decided to do so, wouldn’t they? Writing it off as divine intervention and not looking into the deeper reasoning behind the decision felt… lazy, to Delde. But she had more pressing matters to attend to for the moment. The fountain it seemed would be yet another mystery she would need to come back to.