Lazybones
Adventurer
Chapter 25
“Is that it?” Bredan asked. “The stone?”
“Yes,” Quellan said.
“How do you know?” the smith asked.
“It fits the description,” Glori said. “And what else could it be?”
“Didn’t the wizard say it would be hidden?” Bredan asked. “That the cult used misdirection?”
“It’s really the stone,” Quellan said. “I’m not sure how I know, but I can feel its power. It’s… remarkable. It feels like… home.”
Kosk shot his friend a dubious look. “Keep it together a bit longer,” he said. “What are we going to do about that?”
He pointed, and the others realized that they had missed an obvious feature of the room in their intense initial reaction to the sight of their goal. There was a design marked into the floor, a circle roughly five paces across in the middle of the room. This one looked like it was sketched onto the stone rather than engraved into the surface, marked with what looked like some sort of reddish chalk. The runes that made up the design were not in any language any of them knew, but their previous encounters in the shrine made them only more ominous.
“We should deal with that before we try for the stone,” Kosk said.
“We can easily get around it,” Glori said.
“Don’t you remember what happened with those demons?” the dwarf persisted. “How much do you want to bet something awful pops into that circle when we touch the stone?”
“It may not be that simple,” Quellan said. “This one is obvious, unlike the other. It could be breaching the circle that summons the guardian. Or it could be set to trigger on contact with the stone… but the circle could keep the thing in check. Summoning circles are often set up like that, to protect whoever is conjuring from the effects of the planar breach—or from the creature that comes through it. Planar bindings can often have wildly unpredictable effects.”
“So what you’re basically saying is that we could be screwed either way,” Kosk said.
“That seems to be the theme of this place,” Bredan commented.
Kosk glanced at him then returned his focus to the cleric. “Look, you’re the expert when it comes to magic stuff,” the dwarf said. “Just make a decision.”
Quellan paused a moment. “Leave it be,” he said.
They made their way slowly around the perimeter of the room, checking for any sign of traps or other dangers that might be a bit less obvious than the summoning circle. Glori strummed her lyre and again sent out her dancing lights, letting them drift around the room to brighten every inch of the walls, floor, and ceiling. But their searches found nothing amiss, and they finally ended up in front of the altar.
The magic stone was set upon a small pyramid of metal struts that was partially embedded into the substance of the altar. The artifact appeared to be simply resting there, without any catches or bindings that they could see. It was difficult to examine it closely, as every subtle shift and movement of the torch caused a fresh cascade of reflected light to scintillate off its uneven surface. A search of the altar uncovered no obvious mechanisms either on top of or under it, though they already knew that the Eth’barat had been accomplished at keeping such things hidden.
“All right, let’s get this over with,” Kosk said. He started to reach for the stone, but Glori stopped him with a hand on his arm. “Let me do it,” she said. “I’ve got the least fighting ability of anyone in the group. If something does pop up you should all be ready to deal with it.”
“Nobody thinks less of you because you’re not a fighter,” Bredan quickly said. “At least I don’t.”
“As long as someone does it,” Kosk muttered. He took his staff and headed around to the far side of the altar, where he could keep a close eye on the rest of the room. Quellan and Bredan moved to flank the bard, leaving enough distance to maneuver if it became necessary.
“It’s a good plan,” Quellan said. “Whenever you’re ready, Glori.”
She nodded and double-checked to make sure her lyre and bow were out of the way. She put the torch down on the edge of the altar, pausing just in case that triggered some kind of trap. But nothing happened, other than the scintillations within the crystal shifting again. She took a deep breath, and after one last glance at the others she reached out and took hold of the stone.
As soon as her fingers contacted the crystal there was a flash of light and smoke similar to the teleportation effect from the room outside. The smoke cleared quickly to reveal another creature.
This one was smaller than even the demons they’d battled before, though like them its flesh had a soft, runny look, like a candle that had been left too close to the fireplace. But this one was otherwise completely different; it had wings that it flapped wildly to keep it aloft, and its flesh was the bright orange of an open flame. That similarity wasn’t limited just to its color; its arrival was accompanied by a rush of heat that they could feel even from five steps away.
No sooner had the creature appeared that it flapped its wings and lunged forward. But it hit something, an invisible barrier that rebuffed it. It let out a thin screech and regarded them with an angry look. None of them missed the fact that the barrier coincided with the chalk circle etched into the floor.
When the mephit appeared Glori’s hand had clenched reflexively around the stone and she yanked it back. The artifact came free easily, but as she jostled the metal stand they could all hear a clear and decisive click from somewhere inside the altar.
That ominous sound was followed a moment later by an echoing snap from directly above them. The companions looked up just in time to see a trapdoor that all of them had missed swing open on the ceiling. Two oblong objects fell from it, plummeting toward the front of the altar, right toward where Kosk was standing.
The dwarf reacted faster than any of them. He lunged out and snagged one of the objects from the air. It was a clay jug, sealed with a stopper rimmed in wax. Even as he secured it in his arms he tried to swing around and intercept the second, but he was just a scant instant too slow. The second jug struck the front edge of the altar and shattered. Its contents, several hundred metal spheres each roughly the size of a grape, were launched across the room. They bounced off the altar, the floor, and the companions. Others hit the ground and rolled, quickly covering almost the entire floor of the room.
At least a dozen crossed the chalk circle that was keeping the summoned mephit penned in.
The creature reacted immediately, flapping its wings again to launch it forward at the adventurers. But even as they lifted their weapons to fight it the thing opened its narrow jaws wide and unleashed a gout of flame that engulfed the entire space around the altar.
“Is that it?” Bredan asked. “The stone?”
“Yes,” Quellan said.
“How do you know?” the smith asked.
“It fits the description,” Glori said. “And what else could it be?”
“Didn’t the wizard say it would be hidden?” Bredan asked. “That the cult used misdirection?”
“It’s really the stone,” Quellan said. “I’m not sure how I know, but I can feel its power. It’s… remarkable. It feels like… home.”
Kosk shot his friend a dubious look. “Keep it together a bit longer,” he said. “What are we going to do about that?”
He pointed, and the others realized that they had missed an obvious feature of the room in their intense initial reaction to the sight of their goal. There was a design marked into the floor, a circle roughly five paces across in the middle of the room. This one looked like it was sketched onto the stone rather than engraved into the surface, marked with what looked like some sort of reddish chalk. The runes that made up the design were not in any language any of them knew, but their previous encounters in the shrine made them only more ominous.
“We should deal with that before we try for the stone,” Kosk said.
“We can easily get around it,” Glori said.
“Don’t you remember what happened with those demons?” the dwarf persisted. “How much do you want to bet something awful pops into that circle when we touch the stone?”
“It may not be that simple,” Quellan said. “This one is obvious, unlike the other. It could be breaching the circle that summons the guardian. Or it could be set to trigger on contact with the stone… but the circle could keep the thing in check. Summoning circles are often set up like that, to protect whoever is conjuring from the effects of the planar breach—or from the creature that comes through it. Planar bindings can often have wildly unpredictable effects.”
“So what you’re basically saying is that we could be screwed either way,” Kosk said.
“That seems to be the theme of this place,” Bredan commented.
Kosk glanced at him then returned his focus to the cleric. “Look, you’re the expert when it comes to magic stuff,” the dwarf said. “Just make a decision.”
Quellan paused a moment. “Leave it be,” he said.
They made their way slowly around the perimeter of the room, checking for any sign of traps or other dangers that might be a bit less obvious than the summoning circle. Glori strummed her lyre and again sent out her dancing lights, letting them drift around the room to brighten every inch of the walls, floor, and ceiling. But their searches found nothing amiss, and they finally ended up in front of the altar.
The magic stone was set upon a small pyramid of metal struts that was partially embedded into the substance of the altar. The artifact appeared to be simply resting there, without any catches or bindings that they could see. It was difficult to examine it closely, as every subtle shift and movement of the torch caused a fresh cascade of reflected light to scintillate off its uneven surface. A search of the altar uncovered no obvious mechanisms either on top of or under it, though they already knew that the Eth’barat had been accomplished at keeping such things hidden.
“All right, let’s get this over with,” Kosk said. He started to reach for the stone, but Glori stopped him with a hand on his arm. “Let me do it,” she said. “I’ve got the least fighting ability of anyone in the group. If something does pop up you should all be ready to deal with it.”
“Nobody thinks less of you because you’re not a fighter,” Bredan quickly said. “At least I don’t.”
“As long as someone does it,” Kosk muttered. He took his staff and headed around to the far side of the altar, where he could keep a close eye on the rest of the room. Quellan and Bredan moved to flank the bard, leaving enough distance to maneuver if it became necessary.
“It’s a good plan,” Quellan said. “Whenever you’re ready, Glori.”
She nodded and double-checked to make sure her lyre and bow were out of the way. She put the torch down on the edge of the altar, pausing just in case that triggered some kind of trap. But nothing happened, other than the scintillations within the crystal shifting again. She took a deep breath, and after one last glance at the others she reached out and took hold of the stone.
As soon as her fingers contacted the crystal there was a flash of light and smoke similar to the teleportation effect from the room outside. The smoke cleared quickly to reveal another creature.
This one was smaller than even the demons they’d battled before, though like them its flesh had a soft, runny look, like a candle that had been left too close to the fireplace. But this one was otherwise completely different; it had wings that it flapped wildly to keep it aloft, and its flesh was the bright orange of an open flame. That similarity wasn’t limited just to its color; its arrival was accompanied by a rush of heat that they could feel even from five steps away.
No sooner had the creature appeared that it flapped its wings and lunged forward. But it hit something, an invisible barrier that rebuffed it. It let out a thin screech and regarded them with an angry look. None of them missed the fact that the barrier coincided with the chalk circle etched into the floor.
When the mephit appeared Glori’s hand had clenched reflexively around the stone and she yanked it back. The artifact came free easily, but as she jostled the metal stand they could all hear a clear and decisive click from somewhere inside the altar.
That ominous sound was followed a moment later by an echoing snap from directly above them. The companions looked up just in time to see a trapdoor that all of them had missed swing open on the ceiling. Two oblong objects fell from it, plummeting toward the front of the altar, right toward where Kosk was standing.
The dwarf reacted faster than any of them. He lunged out and snagged one of the objects from the air. It was a clay jug, sealed with a stopper rimmed in wax. Even as he secured it in his arms he tried to swing around and intercept the second, but he was just a scant instant too slow. The second jug struck the front edge of the altar and shattered. Its contents, several hundred metal spheres each roughly the size of a grape, were launched across the room. They bounced off the altar, the floor, and the companions. Others hit the ground and rolled, quickly covering almost the entire floor of the room.
At least a dozen crossed the chalk circle that was keeping the summoned mephit penned in.
The creature reacted immediately, flapping its wings again to launch it forward at the adventurers. But even as they lifted their weapons to fight it the thing opened its narrow jaws wide and unleashed a gout of flame that engulfed the entire space around the altar.