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A Tale by Michael DeAngelo<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Spira hopped down from the window, landing on the warped wooden floor, kicking up dust and dirt as she caught her footing.\u00a0 The other windows, still retaining their tempered glass after many years, seemed to catch the light from far above, leaving the wooden temple alight.\u00a0 It was the perfect way to see how badly time had treated the rest of the building, with nature reclaiming some of it in places, while decay and rot had taken others.<\/p>\n Spira thought of that balance, of life and death, and hummed when she thought that she and her companions were perhaps bringing more of it into the place.<\/p>\n There were, after all, the remains of some very old people said to be there.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you see, Spira?\u201d she heard from outside.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t see much,\u201d she replied, whispering as though she knew that the place was owed some reverence.\u00a0 \u201cIsn\u2019t that why we brought Olarind?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou were the easiest one to lift through the window,\u201d she heard then.\u00a0 The man\u2019s voice was coarse and strong, and he cared not for limiting the power of it, even knowing where they planned to venture.<\/p>\n \u201cOnly by a bit,\u201d she muttered.\u00a0 \u201cHe weighs as much dry as I do after a pouring rain.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIs that so?\u201d Olarind said as he appeared in the window, balancing upon the ledge.<\/p>\n \u201cYou always sound so prim and proper when you speak,\u201d Spira said.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I am an elf,\u201d he stated matter-of-factly, as though that was reason enough for his measured words and even tone.<\/p>\n Spira placed her fists on her hips and tilted her head to the side.<\/p>\n \u201cFine then, half-elf,\u201d he said, not bothering to hide his dual lineage.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd while you only weigh a tad more than me,\u201d Spira said, \u201cyou\u2019re the same age as me, so your whole \u2018sagely\u2019 act doesn\u2019t weigh as much as either of us.\u00a0 Besides, didn\u2019t you just figure out you were part elf within the last couple of years?\u201d<\/p>\n Olarind squared his jaw as he stepped onto the temple floor, the boards beneath his feet creaking under his weight\u2014in a way that it hadn\u2019t when Spira had walked upon that same spot, she noted.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t remind him,\u201d the next member of their troupe said as he hoisted himself up into the window.\u00a0 A crack resounded as he balanced there, and while he looked as though he could care less about the old building\u2019s weaknesses, Spira winced at the sound of it.\u00a0 The burly, red-haired fellow in the window thought she was reacting to something else, though.\u00a0 \u201cAh, don\u2019t worry about it so much.\u00a0 Getting out of the military was a godsend to this one.\u201d\u00a0 He punctuated his statement by dropping down into the temple.<\/p>\n Spira guffawed when the building held fast, and the man\u2019s heavy boots didn\u2019t crash right through the floorboards.<\/p>\n \u201cA godsend?\u201d Olarind wondered, his voice losing the stately sound he had forced earlier.\u00a0 \u201cI wouldn\u2019t say losing all my friends and a means of living was a godsend.\u201d<\/p>\n The older, red-haired fellow puffed out his chest.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t forget, a peaceful nature was what had people questioning your heritage in the first place.\u00a0 And I found you a place to live far from Peritas, where you wouldn\u2019t be harassed.\u00a0 That doesn\u2019t sound an awful lot like \u2018thank you for all your help, Paulson\u2019 to me.\u201d<\/p>\n Olarind rolled his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cYes, you found me a place to live\u2014an abandoned cottage off in the woods.\u00a0 I have to grow my own potatoes and turnips.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRight, and you love nature!\u201d\u00a0 Paulson grumbled and waved his hand, absconding from the conversation.\u00a0 He turned around and reached one of his wide arms through the window, locking hands with the final member of their group.\u00a0 \u201cCome on then, Takarno.\u00a0 And mind the horns when you\u2019re on your way up.\u201d<\/p>\n Spira caught herself staring as their final companion filled the frame of the window.\u00a0 She knew better than to gaze, slack-jawed, but she couldn\u2019t wrench herself from the sight of Takarno.\u00a0 He was a fellow who had earned his sagely demeanor.\u00a0 And he had seen much worse than Olarind could have dreamed of.<\/p>\n \u201cTake solace in knowing you so easily found your new home, child,\u201d Takarno said.\u00a0 \u201cMy people were all driven out,\u201d he reminded.<\/p>\n The old minotaur dropped from the window with almost regal poise.\u00a0 It was as though the robe that covered his back had somehow found its way beneath his hooves, for he made no sound upon the wooden floor.<\/p>\n Olarind offered up a subtle nod.\u00a0 \u201cBlessings can be found in unforeseen places.\u201d<\/p>\n Spira noticed that the measured cadence had returned to the half-elf\u2019s voice then and failed to hold back a grin.<\/p>\n \u201cAlright, enough of all that,\u201d Paulson said.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re here for some treasure we can line our pockets with, not to sit around and play at whose had a worse time these past few years.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe duration of my life is not merely \u2018a few years\u2019,\u201d Takarno quietly countered.<\/p>\n Paulson grumbled as he moved forward, but Spira was there an instant later.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d she asked.\u00a0 \u201cYou brought me here to make sure that you didn\u2019t walk right into danger, and that\u2019s what you were just about to do.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s right,\u201d Olarind stated.\u00a0 \u201cYou don\u2019t hire a thief and expect them to wait about.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not a thief, I\u2019m a locksmith,\u201d Spira said, in a tone that indicated that she was quite tired of having to make that distinction.\u00a0 \u201cAnd I could certainly benefit from a half-elf who has been learning magic in his free time.\u00a0 There isn\u2019t exactly a lot of light in here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUnderstood,\u201d he replied.\u00a0 \u201cThat is something I can help with.\u201d\u00a0 He grasped toward his hip, pulling on the woven rope that hung from there.\u00a0 In a moment, a tome sat within one of his hands, while a finger on the opposite one traced the words on the pages or flipped to later ones.\u00a0 \u201cAh, here we go,\u201d he said.\u00a0 Under his breath, he muttered an ancient chant, and none of his companions could tell whether the words were spoken in the common tongue, or in elvish.\u00a0 Either way though, only a few moments later, light emanated from the pages of the tome, filling the room with a glow that a dozen torches would still have had difficulty competing with.\u00a0 The area around the tome wasn\u2019t so awash with light that it blinded those near Olarind, and the other three adventurers nodded, intrigued by the magic in use.<\/p>\n Spira set to work, looking about at the pews that lined the temple.\u00a0 Most had fallen into disrepair, collapsed into the floor, or broken at their foundations.\u00a0 But a pair of them, the closest to the pulpit, stood standing, and as she drew closer to it, she sensed just how odd that was.\u00a0 She knocked on them, understanding that they were sturdier than the rest by far, as though they were made of stone, and just covered with a wooden fa\u00e7ade.<\/p>\n She waved down Olarind, beckoning the half-elf toward her.\u00a0 \u201cTilt your book this way,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cSomething isn\u2019t right about these things.\u201d\u00a0 She pointed her finger at the benches as though she were touching them, but she knew better than to attempt a tactile test.\u00a0 Spira tilted her head then, and grabbed Olarind\u2019s arm, tilting his hand until the light fell upon the pew in a way that confirmed her suspicion.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026and this slot\u2026\u201d she muttered, stuck in her own thoughts, and offering up no explanations to the rest of her group.\u00a0 She knelt down, and pointed at another spot on the pew that was worthy of her attention, and then followed through with a folding motion with her other hand.\u00a0 Spira hummed when she rose once more, and she peered over toward the pulpit.\u00a0 Reaching back again, she moved Olarind\u2019s hand back and forth, and she smiled at the sight of the glimmer near the floor.<\/p>\n Olarind looked at the other two adventurers, and shrugged in confusion.<\/p>\n \u201cAlright.\u00a0 Thankfully, I get to prove my worth right from the get-go,\u201d the eager locksmith and trap-spotter assured.\u00a0 \u201cPaulson, can you get me a piece of wood that\u2019s about, oh, this wide?\u201d she asked, bringing her hands about a foot away from one another.\u00a0 \u201cAnd then after that, I need everyone to take two big steps back.\u201d<\/p>\n Paulson aided her as requested, providing a hunk of debris that looked like it might crumble in his hands before he could ever transfer it to her.\u00a0 Spira took hold of it though and slung it across the chamber.\u00a0 Even from afar, her three companions could see as a wire was displaced by the wood falling upon it.\u00a0 The benches reclined, and a sound like the cutting of air became apparent in the room.<\/p>\n The burly, former soldier folded his arms across his chest.\u00a0 \u201cHow\u2019d you know those hidden blades would be there?\u201d Paulson asked as the benches reverted back to their original position.<\/p>\n \u201cPart of being a locksmith is looking for the things that don\u2019t make sense.\u00a0 A lot of times, people don\u2019t want their items found, and they go to terrible lengths to ensure that the things they care about are always protected.\u201d\u00a0 Spira spun her fingers about as she indicated toward the pews again.\u00a0 \u201cI think about this whole temple as one big treasure chest that someone really doesn\u2019t want us to find.<\/p>\n \u201cAlthough\u2026\u201d she went on.\u00a0 \u201cEven as tucked away as this place is, someone would have found their way here.\u00a0 And not just anyone would have been ready for a trap like that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo, you\u2019re saying that someone must have found this place before us?\u201d Paulson asked.<\/p>\n Spira nodded.\u00a0 \u201cFinding the temple would be the easy part, if anyone had ventured down from the crater.\u201d\u00a0 She walked across the room then, paying attention to her steps to ensure there weren\u2019t any other traps along the way.\u00a0 As she reached one of the windows, she looked through the glazed glass, finding one that was colorless.\u00a0 There, in the distance, she could see the opening far above, where the sun shone through, although the stained glass obscured her vision enough that she couldn\u2019t see the long stretch of rope that would help the group return to the world above.\u00a0 \u201cDepending on the light, you could even see this place from up above,\u201d she went on.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d find it hard to believe, after all this time, that none had found the place.\u201d<\/p>\n Paulson folded his arms across his burly chest.\u00a0 \u201cWell, I did hear word of it through a missionary at the temple in Peritas,\u201d he admitted.\u00a0 \u201cBut they said they didn\u2019t come inside.\u00a0 Perhaps they didn\u2019t even venture down into the crater.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA wise decision,\u201d Takarno said then.\u00a0 \u201cThere are far more dangerous things that reside on Ippius than weathered traps.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWeathered they may be,\u201d Spira admitted, \u201cbut they have retained their edge, I\u2019m sure.\u00a0 Whoever built them knew that there would be people looking to pilfer the place.\u00a0 What I\u2019m surprised about is that the wires are still intact after all this time.\u00a0 And that\u2019s to say nothing about the bodies.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat bodies?\u201d Olarind wondered.<\/p>\n \u201cExactly,\u201d Spira replied.\u00a0 \u201cWith a trap this refined and deadly, I would assume it\u2019s claimed at least one victim.\u201d<\/p>\n Paulson hummed to himself and ventured nearer to the wire.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s not be too hasty in our speculation.\u00a0 There are plenty of things that could have happened.\u00a0 The longer we spend chatting, the darker it will be before we go down into the lower levels of the place and find our bounty.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd the greater the chance that someone discovers our presence here,\u201d the old minotaur warned.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t worry, Takarno,\u201d Paulson said.\u00a0 \u201cNobody knows we\u2019re here.\u201d<\/p>\n That did seem to placate the minotaur somewhat, and he drew his focus toward the pulpit.<\/p>\n Paulson glanced at Olarind and Spira then as well and waved them over as well.\u00a0 As they made their way toward him, he drew his sword and balanced it against the floor, just a few inches from the wire that would set off the trap.<\/p>\n Spira shuddered at the sight.\u00a0 If the sword toppled, or Paulson lost his balance, that could have been it for the lot of them.\u00a0 She shook her hands and forced out a delicate breath, but hurried along, stepping over the wire with an exaggerated motion to ensure that Olarind knew to do just such a thing as well.<\/p>\n A moment later, Paulson joined the companions on the other side of the wire, and the lot stepped beyond the pulpit.<\/p>\n \u201cAlright, so the rumors are that some of the first men were buried here ages ago,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cWell, there\u2019s no burial chambers here that I can see.\u00a0 That must mean that there\u2019s something hidden.\u00a0 And no one is going to go through all the trouble to plant a trap like the one we just saw unless it\u2019s protecting something.\u00a0 So, let\u2019s all keep our eyes peeled for\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGot it,\u201d Spira said.\u00a0 She pointed to a bookshelf against the back wall, and began moving toward it, her digit seeming like an arrow flying through the air.\u00a0 As she reached the shelf, her finger brushed up against the spine of an old tome.\u00a0 The other three in her group noticed what had caught her attention then: the book had been put in its place upside down.\u00a0 \u201cIt looks like this was always the secret book, too,\u201d she went on.\u00a0 \u201cLook at the title: The World Below<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n Takarno passed a glance to Paulson then.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re certain she hasn\u2019t been here before?\u201d<\/p>\n The burly human smiled with pride.\u00a0 Bringing Spira along was a choice well made, and he was content just to watch her unravel one clue after the next.<\/p>\n \u201cAs best I can tell, there aren\u2019t any triggers associated with any traps on this side of the room,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cThe lot of you might want to take a step back and another to the side, just in case.\u201d<\/p>\n Her three companions did as they were requested, offering up some room, without venturing too close to the wire drawn across the floor beyond the pulpit.<\/p>\n Spira slid the peculiar book from the shelf then, and when nothing happened, she let her shoulders drop a little.\u00a0 She turned to Olarind, and pointed at his clerical manuscript then, and the half-elf hurried to her side.\u00a0 Without being pressed, Olarind allowed the light of his gods to shine through the pages, illuminating the rest of the bookshelf, including the recess where The World Below<\/em> once sat.\u00a0 There, in the back of the shelf, a small switch had been fashioned.\u00a0 Spira reached inside, squeezing her narrow hand between the other books, and depressed the switch.<\/p>\n A moment later, the bookshelf lurched forward, sliding away from the place it looked like it had been set within.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll be,\u201d Paulson said.\u00a0 \u201cFinding the temple might have been a touch easier than it should have been, and folks may have laid eyes on it over the centuries.\u00a0 But I\u2019ll doubt it if anyone besides the person who flipped that book and the four of us have ever ventured below the surface.\u201d<\/p>\n Spira grabbed hold of the bookshelf, and slid it out, the piece of furniture rotating into an open position that displayed the descent the quartet was bound to take.\u00a0 For there, before them, was the entrance to an old stone stairwell, darkness spilling up from the catacombs below.<\/p>\n \u201cWell,\u201d the youngest adventurer in the group said then, \u201cwhat are we waiting for?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n *\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201c\u2026and they were never able to figure out why, but they would leave behind these tracks that looked like a wagon had pulled them.\u00a0 It never seemed to be to anywhere specific though.\u00a0 Just these big ol\u2019 rocks in the middle of nowhere in the desert, looking like someone had gone and moved them in their sleep and moved on before they woke up, none the wiser for why it happened.\u00a0 Folks have come to call them \u201cdragstones\u201d, although to me that sounds a bit more akin to a dragon than I\u2019d want to call them, especially since they\u2019re so close to the Dragon\u2019s Bane Mountains.\u201d<\/p>\n When Olarind reached the bottom of the spiraling stone staircase, he practically ran ahead, and only slowed when he remembered the rest of the group would likely benefit from the light of his tome.<\/p>\n Besides, the sight before him had his heart in his throat, and he doubled back toward the stairwell.<\/p>\n \u201cAlright then,\u201d Paulson whispered as he reached the catacombs then.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s cut the chatter.\u201d\u00a0 He turned about just in time to stop Olarind from running into him, and he grabbed the lad with a steady hand.<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t have to whisper,\u201d Spira said from up above.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s not a library.\u201d\u00a0 Even as she spoke though, she could feel the reverence that emanated from her companions.\u00a0 When she followed Takarno into the open corridor below, she understood the apprehension the others were saddled with.<\/p>\n There, embedded in the walls of the place, were dozens of skulls\u2014perhaps hundreds, as the corridor gave way to shadow where Olarind\u2019s book could not quite shine.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, this is horrifying,\u201d Spira said, matter-of-factly.<\/p>\n \u201cI do not have a warm place in my heart for humankind,\u201d the minotaur said, \u201cbut there is something about this place that chills it colder than I\u2019ve ever felt before.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDo you think they were placed in there like that?\u201d Olarind asked Paulson, the only one brave enough to draw close to the nearest wall.\u00a0 \u201cOr do you think they were just\u2026disembodied heads that rotted away.\u201d<\/p>\n Paulson squared his jaw as he glanced at the heads that were closest to eye level with him.\u00a0 \u201cNo, this far down, you can feel it in the air, it\u2019s not ripe for rot.\u00a0 Whatever would have been put down here would have been mummified.\u00a0 And if there was flesh, there would have been rodents, and they would have plucked them right from the walls.\u201d<\/p>\n As Spira marched up beside him, he pulled a wineskin from his belt, and pulled out the stopper with his teeth.\u00a0 After taking a swig of his own, he held it out to the young locksmith.<\/p>\n She was already waving her hand though.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t partake.\u00a0 I have to keep steady for locks and traps.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFair enough,\u201d he said, finally matching her volume.\u00a0 He looked at Olarind then and tossed the wineskin to him.<\/p>\n The half-elf caught it with a clumsy hand, tottering the drink and his tome for a moment before properly balancing the pair.\u00a0 In that time, Paulson\u2019s gaze fixed behind him, and he turned to see what had caught his attention.<\/p>\n \u201cTakarno,\u201d the burly redhead said.\u00a0 \u201cDo you think you can help me with that?\u201d<\/p>\n The minotaur turned about then as well, and spotted the torch that sat within a sconce, just outside of the stairwell.\u00a0 It was wrapped in old linens and looked just as likely to crumble away as catch fire.\u00a0 Still, Takarno was not known to be conservative with his magic.\u00a0 He reached into his satchel, and pulled out a stack of flattened scrolls, peering through them until he spotted one of the ones that would help Paulson achieve his goal.<\/p>\n \u201cOlarind, I shall need your light until I can create my own,\u201d the wise old minotaur said.\u00a0 \u201cCome this way and illuminate these words.\u201d<\/p>\n Eager for any additional light to fill the corridor, the half-elf hurried to his companion\u2019s side.\u00a0 His tome\u2019s brilliant radiance shone upon the parchment, showing the words that the minotaur had previous inscribed there\u2014a language that Olarind was unfamiliar with\u2014as well as a picture that depicted the intended effect of the spellcraft.\u00a0 Before Olarind could inquire about the contents of the scroll, Takarno held it out, and read the words, a glance at the parchment unnecessary, as he had reminded himself of the chant he had once written.<\/p>\n \u201cOotevin y’atwa, kuvnyen tao okatadi.\u00a0 Avayaheytai atto tiaskai.<\/em>\u201d\u00a0 As Takarno spoke, his already wise and powerful voice seemed enriched by the magic he called upon.\u00a0 An otherworldly force empowered him, giving his lyrical intonations an echoing quality, which had even Spira looking this way and that as though it was too loud for comfort.<\/p>\n At once, a speck of orange light cast up and off from the parchment, landing upon the torch at the wall.\u00a0 In an instant, flames engulfed the linens, giving Paulson a tool which he could use to help brighten the catacombs.<\/p>\n Just as quick as the fire set upon the torch, so, too, did it seem to eat away at the scroll in Takarno\u2019s possession.\u00a0 He remained unflinching, even as the parchment faded away to ash around his fingers.\u00a0 He needed not worry, for the flames did not linger long enough to hurt him.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat was that?\u201d Olarind asked.\u00a0 \u201cWhy did your codex just go up like that?\u201d<\/p>\n Takarno hummed for a second.\u00a0 \u201cYour book is a connection to your gods, and you use it to retain a stable relationship with them.\u201d\u00a0 He let his words hang there for a moment, as though he wanted to ensure the first of his lessons had been well imparted.\u00a0 He tilted his head to the side then and looked down at the remainder of his stacks of parchments.\u00a0 \u201cMy work is chaos.\u00a0 The aether is unstable by nature, and we are not meant to keep it in perpetuity.\u00a0 Once my scrolls play their part, the magic returns to whence I called it forth.\u201d<\/p>\n Olarind nodded, unwilling to press the conversation forward.\u00a0 The lad sent the old minotaur an impressed gaze as he stepped aside.<\/p>\n Spira was quick to fill in that gap.\u00a0 She was behind Takarno as he turned about, and he flexed his legs hard enough that he almost hopped in the air as a reflex.<\/p>\n \u201cThat was the minotaur language, was it not?\u201d Spira asked before Takarno could right himself.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve never heard it before, but it truly has some beauty in it, doesn\u2019t it.\u201d<\/p>\n As Takarno relaxed once more, he closed his eyes and bowed his head to the girl.\u00a0 \u201cTo be honest, it is a language that I do not hear very often myself. \u00a0It almost seems strange to speak it. There are not many of us left in the archipelago.\u00a0 The prospect of being found did not sit well with my people.\u00a0 Being discovered would not mean a polite request to find some new home hundreds of miles away.\u00a0 But my grandfather was too old and too proud to venture far from where he\u2019d placed new roots.\u201d\u00a0 Takarno let silence fill most of the gaps of history, but he looked back to Spira, always trying to figure out the last pieces of whatever puzzle she tried to solve.\u00a0 He sent her a sympathetic gaze, then.\u00a0 \u201cI have no one left to practice the old language with.\u00a0 When I pass, I may have been the last one in Ippius who spoke it.\u201d<\/p>\n The girl bowed her head then as well, more in solemnity than as a show of respect.\u00a0 \u201cIt is a tragedy what happened to your people,\u201d she said.\u00a0 She corrected herself a second later, though.\u00a0 \u201cWhat was done<\/em> to your people.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGreed will always drive those to seek more than they have, and more than they need.\u00a0 If anything, there is a bright spot in what I\u2019ve seen in these twilight years of my life.\u00a0 When I was younger, the thought of sharing an adventure with the three of you would have been but a fever dream.\u201d<\/p>\n Spira offered up a beaming smile.\u00a0 \u201cI know it\u2019s no consolation for what was done to the minotaurs, but for what it\u2019s worth, I\u2019m glad you\u2019re here with us.\u201d<\/p>\n Takarno shared in her positivity then.\u00a0 He stepped forward and placed his hand on her far shoulder, the pair taking time to find their way along the corridor.<\/p>\n Far ahead, the two who bore the light took care to watch their steps, and the walls around them.\u00a0 The skulls continued to lead the way, and whenever the torchlight passed a column of them, Olarind could not help but hurry his steps, drawing closer to Paulson.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you think this place might be the tomb of Arthur Ipparius?\u201d the young half-elf wondered, trying to draw his thoughts away from the more macabre surroundings.<\/p>\n Paulson shook his head emphatically.\u00a0 \u201cFirst off, I don\u2019t think Arthur was real.\u00a0 I think that was just a fairytale we were told as children to make us feel pride for driving out the lagano.\u00a0 I also think Argos still uses it to paint those of us in Peritas as descendants of Norkoth.\u201d\u00a0 He waved his hand of that notion though.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s neither here nor there, though.\u00a0 Even if Arthur, Iona, and Norkoth were real, all of this seems to predate them.\u00a0 It may even be older than the culling.\u00a0 If it is, it could prove that humans found their way to Arthica in greater numbers than we\u2019d ever believed.\u00a0 These could very well be some of the first men.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe Kalistrazi?\u201d Olarind wondered aloud.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve heard of them?\u201d Paulson asked.\u00a0 \u201cThey talk about them on the mainland a bit more often than here in Ippius.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve had more time on my hands these days,\u201d the half-elf reminded his former compatriot.\u00a0 \u201cYou really think this place could be nearly a thousand years old?\u201d<\/p>\n Paulson flattened his lips and gave a shake of his head.\u00a0 \u201cI think calling them the first men gives off the idea that they only existed outside the caves and mountains for a few years before they passed.\u00a0 But I\u2019ve heard that some of them went on for decades, maybe even a century after the fact.\u00a0 They say the same thing that gave them their powers gave them longevity.\u00a0 Not all of them, mind you, but some.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd this could have been made in that time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt could have indeed.\u201d\u00a0 He chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cCan you imagine?\u00a0 If we\u2019ve happened upon a Kalistrazi tomb, and can prove it\u2026 Well, whatever we find here could buy us a palace.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRight on the water,\u201d Olarind dared to imagine as well.<\/p>\n \u201cFor each of us,\u201d Paulson said, the torchlight and illumination from the half-elf\u2019s tome setting his widened eyes aglow.<\/p>\n A different sparkle caught his gaze a few moments later, however.\u00a0 After trekking down the length of the macabre corridor, they drew close to the end.\u00a0 While sturdy wooden doors began to interrupt the long stretches of skull-fixed walls, it was the open area at the end of the hallway that called to Paulson most fiercely.\u00a0 Even from afar, the torchlight and magical radiance landed upon piles of gold and gems and other treasures.<\/p>\n Before he realized it, Paulson\u2019s pace increased threefold.<\/p>\n \u201cHold it!\u201d he heard then.<\/p>\n Though Spira\u2019s voice was a bit higher pitched, and she was far younger than he, Paulson still felt authority in her command.\u00a0 He stopped in his tracks, and turned sharply to his side, waiting for her and Takarno to arrive before him.<\/p>\n She paused and peered down the hall, finally understanding why her companion was so eager.\u00a0 Spira turned though and looked at the fellow who had brought the group together.\u00a0 An arching eyebrow demonstrated a bit of disappointment there.\u00a0 \u201cYou don\u2019t think it\u2019s rather suspect that the only way forth that doesn\u2019t have a doorway is showing piles upon piles of riches?\u201d<\/p>\n Paulson had to stop himself from countering with a protest.\u00a0 He knew right away that she was right.\u00a0 There was bound to be some sort of trap.\u00a0 Unless\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cWell, what if the blades upstairs were the only protection that they thought they needed when they created these catacombs?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s possible, but you didn\u2019t bring me here to watch out for one trap,\u201d Spira said.\u00a0 \u201cYou brought me here to spot all of them.\u00a0 Let me at least look.\u201d<\/p>\n Paulson knew that she was right, and he swept his hand out to invite her to take the lead.<\/p>\n Spira didn\u2019t stop there though.\u00a0 She reached up and plucked the torch from Paulson\u2019s hand then.\u00a0 She held it toward the floor, trying to see if any of the carefully crafted stones seemed especially different to the rest.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are you looking for?\u201d Paulson asked.<\/p>\n Humming to herself, Spira crouched low.\u00a0 \u201cWell, typically a type of trap isn\u2019t going to be used twice.\u00a0 We already saw a wire trap up above, and the only way to see down here is with a light source, and that would typically show a reflection in the wire.\u00a0 I\u2019m thinking perhaps they went with a pressure plate of some sort, but nothing tells me that they went that route.\u201d\u00a0 She looked to the columns of skulls that still lined the corridor between the doors.\u00a0 \u201cWait.\u00a0 Alright, you lot, take a few steps back, and Paulson, you take the torch again.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are you up to, Spira?\u201d the burly redhead asked.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve been thinking that the skulls are just a ghastly decorative style here, but what if there\u2019s a functional reason for them as well?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSuch as?\u201d Olarind pressed.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, if it was me developing a trap, I would have it so that there was some sort of light that crossed from a skull on one side to the other, and if the beam was broken, it would trigger whatever danger you could fashion.\u00a0 Go on.\u00a0 Let me stand in the darkness a moment to see if my suspicion is correct.\u201d<\/p>\n Though confused, her three companions obliged, taking the torch and the tome, and heading back the way they came.\u00a0 Spira looked back at them, waving them back farther.\u00a0 If she could still see them, the light they cast might have gone too far.<\/p>\n But then, a quiet noise sprang up from the darkness.<\/p>\n \u201cHuh,\u201d Spira said.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s nothing that I can see.\u00a0 Sorry to have you stretch your legs a bit.\u201d\u00a0 As the group returned to her, she nodded rhythmically.\u00a0 \u201cLet me take the lead.\u00a0 If there was a trap that I missed, it should be on me to trigger it, not any of you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou didn\u2019t miss anything,\u201d Paulson assured.\u00a0 \u201cThey only thought they needed the one trap up there.\u00a0 This place isn\u2019t exactly on a map, and it\u2019s remained hidden for all these years.\u00a0 I think the worst is behind us.\u201d<\/p>\n Spira handed the torch back to Paulson, but stayed close to him, her gaze darting back and forth as they neared the end of the corridor.\u00a0 Eventually, even her focus drifted toward the treasure which was piled against the back wall of the last chamber.<\/p>\n The most plentiful riches were the heaps of gold coins.\u00a0 There wouldn\u2019t be enough room in anyone\u2019s backpack to carry as much as they wanted, and Spira could tell that Paulson was excited about the prospect of a return trip to collect as much as they could get their hands on.\u00a0 But interspersed with the coins were faceted gems, beautiful goblets, necklaces of pearl and malachite, candleholders, bowls, jars, and dozens of other attractive items that would certainly fetch a fine price at the market in Peritas.<\/p>\n As attractive as all the coins were, it was the mural painted onto the wall above that caught Spira\u2019s attention soon after.\u00a0 Old as it was, she was unfamiliar with the style, but it seemed to evoke a feeling of heroism, of mighty deeds and quests achieved.\u00a0 She was so taken by the art, that she didn\u2019t realize that there were a trio of sarcophagi in the chamber.<\/p>\n Paulson couldn\u2019t take it any longer.\u00a0 He broke out in a cheer, and leapt into the air, turning about to see the mirth that his other companions shared.\u00a0 This was it\u2014they knew.\u00a0 After that day, nothing would ever be the same.<\/p>\n While Takarno shuffled past, Spira reached out and grabbed Olarind by the crook of his arm.<\/p>\n \u201cHey!\u201d he grumbled. \u00a0\u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI need some light up there,\u201d Spira said, pointing toward the mural.\u00a0 She brought the half-elf\u2019s attention to the artwork, but also the letters that were etched into the wall there.\u00a0 While the rest of the walls had been fashioned out of old, uneven material\u2014likely whatever stone was already present underground\u2014the mural was achieved atop finely hewn stone.\u00a0 Just above where the rest of the wall transitioned, words that she could decipher were present.\u00a0 \u201cI can\u2019t tell if that\u2019s an unfamiliar language, or\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just weatherworn from age,\u201d Olarind suggested.\u00a0 \u201cHere.\u201d\u00a0 He unhooked the tome from his hip and handed it to his companion so that she could use it to discern the writing above.<\/p>\n As he drew near to Paulson, already digging through the piles of gold, he let out a guttural grunt of satisfaction.<\/p>\n \u201cCan you imagine?\u201d Paulson asked.\u00a0 \u201cA palace by the ocean?\u00a0 Well fie on that.\u00a0 We\u2019re going to have enough money that we could buy Risolde out of the castle if we want.\u201d\u00a0 He leaned back then and glanced at his minotaur friend.\u00a0 \u201cTakarno, we\u2019ll build walls around your entire island.\u00a0 You\u2019ll never have to worry about being found out there.\u201d<\/p>\n Olarind turned around then and passed Spira a bit of a smirk.\u00a0 \u201cYour days of thievery are long behind you now.\u201d<\/p>\n For a moment, Spira seemed deaf to the comment, for she was so taken by the sight of the art and the message associated with it.\u00a0 Whether she was conscious of it or not, she said \u201cI\u2019m not a thief,\u201d back to them, with very little conviction behind the statement.<\/p>\n While the others filled their bags with gold and trinkets, Spira continued to gaze at the mural.\u00a0 It depicted what looked like three great heroes, each represented by a separate section of the wall.\u00a0 On the left, a woman with a chalice seemed to float in the air, holding a sword in her free hand, which pointed toward the ground below.\u00a0 In the center, a man held a tome atop his outstretched hand, with magical energy emanating from it.\u00a0 On the right side, it looked almost as though the artist had failed to capture the proportions of the hero correctly, for their limbs looked longer than they ought to have been.<\/p>\n Shrugging off the strange art, Spira returned her focus again to the statement of the mural, holding Olarind\u2019s tome aloft to better read it.<\/p>\n \u201cA promise for her people.\u00a0 A pledge to the world.\u00a0 An oath for all time.\u201d<\/p>\n Each sentence looked to represent the hero depicted in the art upon the same wall.\u00a0 A chill ran up Spira\u2019s spine when she read the ancient writing, and she stepped back reflexively upon pondering on it.\u00a0 As the light shifted, she could see that there were smaller words etched beneath the previous words.<\/p>\n \u201cParasca Valerica.\u00a0 Hara-Alecsandrai.\u00a0 Thun-Sorin,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cTheir names?\u201d<\/p>\n She glanced at her companions then, seeing that they were not so content with just the treasures that lined the floor.\u00a0 Instead, they turned to the sarcophagi, starting with the one on the left.<\/p>\n \u201cWait, what are you doing?\u201d she asked.\u00a0 \u201cWe already have more than enough.\u00a0 We don\u2019t need to disturb the dead any further.\u201d<\/p>\n Paulson raised an eyebrow at the statement, but Olarind wore a mischievous grin.\u00a0 \u201cIf they\u2019ve got these treasures outside their coffins, imagine what was buried with them.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTakarno?\u201d Spira pressed.<\/p>\n There was something about the way she asked that seemed to appeal to the old minotaur.\u00a0 He gave a weary nod, and stepped away from the closest sarcophagus, returning to stand beside the girl.<\/p>\n With an otherworldly gasp, the stone slab atop the leftmost casket slid to the side, as though centuries of death and decay were finally able to escape after trying and failing.\u00a0 Paulson\u2019s eyes went wide, reflecting the light of the torch and the tome.\u00a0 The burly fellow wasn\u2019t frightened, but excited, and his companions realized why just a moment later.\u00a0 He reached into the sarcophagus and pulled out a magnificent sword\u2014the same one that was represented in the mural, it seemed.\u00a0 Olarind spotted the other item that the woman was buried with, the gilded chalice, which was even more opulent than the image depicted.\u00a0 Gemstones were fixed between colorful inlays, and the half-elf legs wobbled at the sight of it.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is it,\u201d he said with a chuckle.\u00a0 \u201cThis is how we start our own empire.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd this isn\u2019t even everything,\u201d Paulson said.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ve got all those rooms out there, and two more coffins.\u201d<\/p>\n As far from them as he was, Takarno was able to see the tremendous avarice in his companions.\u00a0 He looked at Spira, who gave him a worried, knowing glance.<\/p>\n \u201cPerhaps we are being too hasty,\u201d the minotaur warned, softly.<\/p>\n If Paulson and Olarind heard him, they made no acknowledgement of the statement.\u00a0 Instead, they moved to the next sarcophagus, sliding the stone slab aside. \u00a0Their eagerness betrayed them, and the lid fell off the top of the tomb, cracking into smaller pieces.<\/p>\n Spira shuddered and took a reflexive step back then.\u00a0 Even Paulson and Olarind seemed to pause for a moment, distracted by the cloud of dust that burst into the air from the damaged sarcophagus.<\/p>\n But as soon as the cloud dissipated, they scavenged like vultures again, reaching in to pluck the treasures away from the desiccated corpse that had been interred there.\u00a0 The tome that was represented in the mural was lifted from the sarcophagus\u2014a leatherbound book with a beautiful golden circle upon it was held up, but it seemed to pale in comparison to all the other riches in the tomb.<\/p>\n As Paulson lay it back down, Spira thought for a moment that she saw an iridescent reflection cast out from its face.\u00a0 It made no difference though and did nothing to stay her worries.\u00a0 And as they reached toward the third sarcophagus, she could hold her tongue no longer.<\/p>\n \u201cStop.\u00a0 We don\u2019t need any more than we already have.\u201d<\/p>\n Olarind shrugged and began to push on the slab.\u00a0 \u201cWhat are they going to do with it?\u00a0 We can change our lives with all of these.\u201d<\/p>\n As the stone slid aside, Spira couldn\u2019t ignore the subtle differences between that coffin and the other two.\u00a0 It seemed to move soundlessly to the side, there was no eagerness shown on the faces of her greedy companions.\u00a0 Still, Olarind wouldn\u2019t be dismayed, and he plunged his hand into the darkness, trying to fish out whatever treasures lay hidden there.<\/p>\n He grimaced, for he felt the corpse within, and did not seem to be finding anything of value.\u00a0 His brow furrowed a moment later, and Spira and Takarno, looking on, froze in anticipation of what he\u2019d found.<\/p>\n A cry rang out from past Olarind\u2019s lips then, and he pulled his arm from the darkness, only to find that several of his fingers had been lost, a grievous wound marking their absence.\u00a0 Blood poured from the site of the injury as he stumbled backward, and he looked ready to faint at the sight of mangled hand.<\/p>\n Paulson gave him a firm shove forward then.\u00a0 \u201cGet over there, lad,\u201d he urged.<\/p>\n As the half-elf passed the coffin, a hand reached up out of it, slimy, fleshy fingers gripping the edge.\u00a0 The person who had been buried there sat up, greasy, black hair cascading down a face that looked like all the skin had been torn off.\u00a0 Instead, it looked as though only musculature remained, however the undead fellow\u2019s vascular system, still under the fleshy outer bit, revealed that might have been a misinterpretation.\u00a0 While Paulson stared at the fallen hero in fear, the haunting being stared back, through milky white eyes.<\/p>\n For a time, it looked as though the creature was content to only study the crypt robber.\u00a0 But then, it opened its mouth, its jaw unhinging far wider than a normal person\u2019s could, and it let out a blood-curdling wail as its tongue\u2014easily a foot longer than was to be expected\u2014slipped out of its mouth.<\/p>\n Reflexively, Paulson brought his hands to his ears.\u00a0 Whether it was his sudden movements, or an evil streak that was always present in the risen dead, the monster sprang out, reaching forth with its hand.\u00a0 Jagged fingers extended much farther than they should have, growing until they were the length of spears.\u00a0 Without warning, the monster jabbed them through Paulson chest, drawing a scream from him.<\/p>\n \u201cGo, child!\u201d Takarno warned Spira as Olarind shuffled their way.<\/p>\n Hearing the sounds of their fleeing, the woken dead turned about, pulling back the horrid lances that impaled Paulson.\u00a0 Spira could finally see him in all his grisly glory.\u00a0 The fellow shifted unnaturally, spurs and spikes seeming to protrude from his body, along his joints, his spine, even atop his head in what looked like devilish horns.\u00a0 As he stepped forth, Spira shifted the tome in her hands, and the light blinded the undead hero.\u00a0 Another bloodcurdling screech erupted from him, provoking Spira to turn on her heel and run.<\/p>\n She knew that there was very little chance for her to outpace the monster, especially if it could elongate its limbs, and stretch them into deadly weapons. \u00a0Without being able to even see the spiral stairway at the far end of the corridor, she knew her chances of survival were bleak.<\/p>\n Spira couldn\u2019t think about that much longer though, for she was grabbed around her side then.\u00a0 She let out a frightened cry.<\/p>\n It occurred quick enough that Olarind\u2019s tome spilled to the floor, and just striking the ground seemed to diminish its power.\u00a0 That left the chamber that Spira was pulled into feeling much eerier and foreboding.\u00a0 As she calmed herself, she realized that it was Tarkano who tugged her to safety, wrenching her into one of the side chambers that they\u2019d passed by earlier.<\/p>\n As her adrenaline subsided, time, which felt as though it had raced forth like lightning, began to slow.\u00a0 It was as though she was watching everything unfold from underwater.<\/p>\n \u201cBloody hell,\u201d Olarind cried.\u00a0 \u201cThose were my favorite fingers.\u201d\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t meant to say something so whimsical, but the shock had him unable to put words to sound with any manner of elegance.<\/p>\n Takarno leaned against the door, putting his heft against it.\u00a0 Perhaps when he was younger, he would have seemed as though he\u2019d had the strength to hold out whatever foul creature was out there.\u00a0 But in his old age, it looked almost as though a strong wind could have blown the door open and bowled the minotaur over.<\/p>\n Fighting past her anxiety, Spira looked around the room, realizing that it, too, was meant to be an interment spot for the dead.\u00a0 Holes in the wall were fashioned that were larger than the holes that held the skulls in the corridor outside.\u00a0 Instead, old wooden coffins sat in those cavities.\u00a0 Spira breathed quick and ragged, worrying about any other risen dead that might have been waiting for them in those coffins.\u00a0 While her mind raced, it led her back to the monster outside. \u00a0From there, she replayed the final moments of her friend in her mind.<\/p>\n \u201cPaulson,\u201d she lamented.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t let grief take you,\u201d Takarno warned.\u00a0 \u201cYou must keep your heart strong if you mean to survive this day.\u201d<\/p>\n Almost as soon as his words were spoken, a flesh-colored spike pierced through the area where the door met the frame.\u00a0 It was just above Spira\u2019s head, the girl\u2019s slightly diminutive stature proving to be her saving grace.<\/p>\n Takarno was quick to act again, shoving her aside.<\/p>\n \u201cQuick, give me something to bar the door,\u201d the minotaur cried.\u00a0 Spira was too shocked by the dead hero\u2019s attempt to break through the room, and the half-elf was distracted by his pain.<\/p>\n But Takarno would not have any of it.\u00a0 \u201cOlarind, get me a damned coffin.\u201d<\/p>\n The firmness in the minotaur\u2019s voice twisted the hurt half-elf from his state, and he growled as he looked around to find the closest coffin.\u00a0 He was not so worried about what might be inside as Spira was, but when he went to grasp one with his battered hand, he grunted in pain and confusion.\u00a0 He quickly turned and used his other hand, tugging with all his might.\u00a0 The coffin was old and crude, and whatever was once inside no longer held the same weight it once did.\u00a0 It would still allow Takarno some respite though, and Olarind was quick to fumble it awkwardly into place.<\/p>\n The minotaur let go of a sigh of relief then, the noise growing richer as the creature\u2019s spike withdrew from the door.<\/p>\n Like an axe splintering wood though, it came back through, piercing the center of the door, dangerously close to Takarno.\u00a0 The minotaur gasped and hopped away, just in time to dodge a slash of the bodily weapon.<\/p>\n \u201cAnother,\u201d he bade, waving Olarind on.<\/p>\n As Olarind grasped another of the lower coffins on his side of the chamber, Takarno hurried to the rows of coffins on his side of the room, pulling one out of a higher recess.<\/p>\n In time, the door was firmly blocked, and Takarno collapsed against the wall opposite the entryway.\u00a0 He never took his gaze from where the coffins met the door.<\/p>\n By then, Spira had wrestled away her shock, and attempted to help to move more coffins into place.\u00a0 A bit too short to reach the top row of caskets, she bowed her head, and fell to the floor as well.<\/p>\n Olarind took up a spot beside her, breathing in erratically through clenched teeth.<\/p>\n \u201cSpira, I need your help.\u00a0 I can\u2019t stop the bleeding.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you need me to do?\u201d she asked.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m no healer.\u201d<\/p>\n He nodded but grasped a handful of his robe then.\u00a0 \u201cI need you to tear away strips of my outfit.\u00a0 Long strips.\u00a0 I have to wrap my hand before I lose enough blood that I pass out.\u201d<\/p>\n Spira fumbled for her equipment, first reaching toward the hip that a small hand crossbow hung from, before reaching for the opposite side, where an equally diminutive knife was situated.\u00a0 She began by working at the bottom of Olarind\u2019s robe, tearing an exceptionally long rotation of the linen that he was able to use.\u00a0 Spira helped him to wrap it tight, but then sat staring at the blood that found its way to her hands.<\/p>\n She would have remained fixed on it as well, had the undead hero\u2019s spikes not pierced through the door again.<\/p>\n \u201cThe knowledge that it remains out there is of some relief,\u201d Takarno remarked wearily.<\/p>\n \u201cIt would be better if he were in here, and we were out there,\u201d Olarind said, forcing himself to stare at the ceiling, so that he would not blanch at the sight of the blood soaking through his wrappings.<\/p>\n Takarno nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYou heard what Paulson said,\u201d he remarked, and the mere mention of their fallen companion\u2019s name sucked the air out of the room.\u00a0 Still, he went on.\u00a0 \u201cNo one knows that we are here.\u00a0 If we mean to find a way out, we\u2019ll have to discover it on our own.\u201d<\/p>\n Every time the minotaur spoke, it seemed that the creature outside tried that much harder to push his way into the room.<\/p>\n \u201cThun-Sorin,\u201d Spira said then.\u00a0 \u201cI think that was his name when he was alive.\u00a0 He swore an oath of some sort that must have upheld through his death, and now he\u2019s become the monster he is.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe is indeed a frightening thing,\u201d Takarno said, and as he spoke, Olarind\u2019s eyes grew wide\u2014in anger\u2014and the lad held up his hand to show the wound he\u2019d incurred.\u00a0 \u201cThis world was lucky that he was locked down here, because if he ever\u2026\u201d\u00a0 The minotaur\u2019s words trailed off, and he looked toward the ceiling then as well.<\/p>\n Spira realized that he looked beyond the earthen roof above their heads, to the world above.\u00a0 She gasped, realizing what they had done.<\/p>\n \u201cHe cannot be allowed to climb the rope to the rest of Ippius,\u201d Takarno insisted.\u00a0 \u201cWhile I have no doubt that some of your sorcerers could find some means to stop him, he would slay many before that occurred.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow are we to prevent that then?\u201d Olarind asked.\u00a0 \u201cI doubt he\u2019d return to his coffin if we asked.\u201d<\/p>\n Takarno hummed and looked past the injured half-elf.\u00a0 A few moments later, he nodded.\u00a0 \u201cSpira, come sit beside me,\u201d he said as he waved the young lady over.<\/p>\n She skittered over to him, her pace only quickened when Thun-Sorin\u2019s blade came through the door yet again.<\/p>\n \u201cWe cannot trap him in these catacombs again,\u201d the minotaur conceded.\u00a0 \u201cThese doors all open inward, so we could not even hope to block him inside one of these rooms if we dared to try.\u00a0 But we can keep him down here.\u00a0 Once you make it to the top of the steps, you can close the bookshelf on him, ensuring he is never a danger to the world above.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut how do we get him in a room if we\u2019re trapped here?\u201d<\/p>\n Takarno bobbed his head, eager to tell the next part of the plan.\u00a0 \u201cIf my suspicions are correct, the next room ought to be just like this one: rows of hollows, carved to hold the dead, just like they were here.\u00a0 If they are positioned the same way\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Spira\u2019s eyes widened as she understood his plan.\u00a0 \u201cWe could dig into the next room and try to escape from there.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe door from that room leads to the same corridor,\u201d Olarind protested.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re just trading one tomb for another.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRight,\u201d Takarno said.\u00a0 \u201cOne of us has to trap the fallen hero in here, with us.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd who would do such a thing?\u201d Olarind asked.<\/p>\n The minotaur said nothing for a time, but Spira realized what he intended.\u00a0 \u201cTakarno, you can\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI would never be able to race to the end of the hall,\u201d he assured.\u00a0 \u201cAn escape attempt would be wasted on me.\u00a0 But the pair of you?\u00a0 You could make it out of this foul place.\u00a0 You could warn the others above, and they would listen to you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t leave you here,\u201d Spira said, tears beginning to wet the rims of her eyes.\u00a0 \u201cEspecially after what happened to Paulson.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe alternative is us all joining these ancient people in this dismal crypt.\u00a0 Please, Spira.\u00a0 You were the one warning all of us.\u00a0 You knew better than any of us what dangers could lie in the shadows of this place.\u201d\u00a0 He squared his jaw and looked at Olarind then as well.\u00a0 \u201cAnd you, child.\u00a0 You\u2019ve lost enough already.\u00a0 It is time for you to go home.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAll the treasure\u2014everything we sought to come here for\u2014trapped out there with him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYour life is worth more than whatever you had hoped to gain here,\u201d Takarno said.\u00a0 He breathed out an anxious sigh then, and reached into his satchel, once more taking all the parchments out, and holding them in his hand.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll need some of these, in order to distract the monster.\u00a0 But Spira, I want you to take the rest.\u00a0 As I said earlier, I might be the last one to speak my people\u2019s language on the archipelago.\u00a0 Take my voice so that it may live on.\u201d<\/p>\n She then sniffled and set her head on his shoulder.\u00a0 The tears were freely falling then, for she knew she was speaking to a hero in his own rights, someone who should have been interred in a place like the one they were.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you should need to use these scrolls, they have been fortified by the aether.\u00a0 Do you know what that means?\u201d\u00a0 He gave her a gentle push to ensure she could make eye contact with her.\u00a0 \u201cIt means that you can say the words that activate the magic here.\u00a0 They\u2019ll work for you as well as they would me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut I can\u2019t speak your language,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe not now, but some day,\u201d he said with a weary smile.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re a smart girl.\u00a0 I know you\u2019ll go far in your life.\u00a0 It is not meant to end here.\u201d\u00a0 Takarno leaned over, and gave her a warm embrace, before struggling to his feet, and helping her arrive at hers.\u00a0 \u201cI shall begin making some noise to keep his attention on this door.\u00a0 You two, start digging.\u201d<\/p>\n Spira swallowed away the tension in her throat and blew out the solemn air that infected her lungs.\u00a0 Olarind was standing then as well, and he held up his battered hand.<\/p>\n \u201cI think you\u2019ll need to handle this task,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cBut I can hold up the tome and offer you some light.\u201d<\/p>\n She nodded, readying her knife once more.\u00a0 He extended his leg, offering the girl a spot to step up from.\u00a0 A moment later, she was in the earthen cavity where one of the coffins once sat.\u00a0 The light from Olarind\u2019s tome lit up the dirt around her then, and she could see the end of the hole.<\/p>\n Takarno began moving the coffins, slamming them against one another to produce a cacophony that would retain Thun-Sorin\u2019s attention.\u00a0 Spira started to chip away at the sturdy earth one piece at a time, throwing little piles of it behind her as best she could.<\/p>\n The risen Kalistrazi sent another terrifying screech into the air, and Spira froze, clenching her eyes shut.<\/p>\n \u201cKeep digging,\u201d Olarind bade.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s frustrated.\u00a0 That means Takarno\u2019s plan is working.\u201d<\/p>\n She squeezed out an unsteady breath, and did as the half-elf instructed, digging her knife deeper into the earth.\u00a0 While she was worried that her tool would break, she was surprised to feel less resistance only a moment later.\u00a0 The light of Olarind\u2019s tome showed that her last endeavor had cut away the dirt between the two cavities.<\/p>\n A new hope ignited within her, Spira reached through with her hand, pulling away bits of dirt to enlarge the gap.<\/p>\n Behind her, a loud thump resounded against the door.\u00a0 Takarno gasped, and Olarind looked away, moving the tome as he did.<\/p>\n \u201cOlarind, I\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s breaking through the door,\u201d Olarind said.\u00a0 \u201cSpira, you have to move faster.\u201d<\/p>\n Panicking, she rolled to her back, freeing both of her hands for the task.\u00a0 She began plucking palmfuls of dirt, knocking some down, and scattering it about.\u00a0 Some made it into her hair, but she was lucky not to have anything obscure her vision.\u00a0 Before long, she was certain she had made enough space to crawl through\u2014if not for the coffin on the other side of the earthen wall.<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t move this thing,\u201d she said, struggling as she did.<\/p>\n Spira cried when she felt a hand wrap around her ankle and tug her back into the other room.\u00a0 Olarind caught hold of her and helped to land her safely on her feet then.<\/p>\n She was surprised by the chunk of wood that had been splintered away from the door.\u00a0 She could see Thun-Sorin\u2019s frightening face, his milky white eyes peering into the chamber.<\/p>\n \u201cK\u2019puo vuxtas, k\u2019puwoe tov aepa yth pouta yov<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n Spira turned just in time to see Takarno read off the last words of a scroll, and watched as it disintegrated into the air, a bluish tint to the fading parchment.\u00a0 At once, a frigid air filled the room, coming to a point just before the minotaur\u2019s outstretched hand.\u00a0 A ray of blue energy shot forth then, blasting against the door, and forming a layer of ice atop the gap that Thun\u2019Sorin had created.<\/p>\n \u201cThat won\u2019t hold him forever,\u201d Takarno said.\u00a0 \u201cGo!\u201d<\/p>\n Spira turned to see Olarind already climbing into the gap that he had pulled her out of.\u00a0 She offered her assistance, helping to push him into place.<\/p>\n A fierce growl rang out from within the hole then, and then a loud thud on the other side of the wall.<\/p>\n Takarno moved at once, throwing the coffins aside to create a louder cacophony in their chamber.\u00a0 He pushed one closer to Spira then and offered her an assuring nod.<\/p>\n She dared not waste the time that the minotaur gave to her.\u00a0 Spira hopped onto the coffin, and then jumped into the hole, watching as Olarind squirmed out through the other side.\u00a0 Light filled the other chamber, the half-elf\u2019s tome still casting enough radiance to make it look as though it was a place filled with hope.\u00a0 Spira hurried along as well, taking Olarind\u2019s hand when he offered it.<\/p>\n Once she landed on her feet there, she could see that the blood that soaked through his makeshift bandages dripped to the floor.\u00a0 But they had no time to reapply them.<\/p>\n She ran toward the door, but Olarind reached out, keeping her from charging through it.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d she whispered.<\/p>\n \u201cNot yet,\u201d he bade.\u00a0 \u201cIf we go too soon, this is all for naught.\u201d<\/p>\n Though everything in her was telling her to run as fast as she could, she understood the rationale behind the half-elf\u2019s words.<\/p>\n Together, they listened as the noises on the other side of the earthen wall continued to ring out.\u00a0 And then, they stopped.\u00a0 They heard Takarno grunt, and groan, and move about in the room, and knew that Thun-Sorin had made his way inside.<\/p>\n \u201cOotevin y’atwa, kuvnyen tao okatadi!\u201d <\/em>Takarno cried.\u00a0 <\/em>\u201cAvayaheytai atto tiaskai!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Spira recognized that chant as the same one that the minotaur had said earlier when he was lighting the torch for Paulson.\u00a0 A roaring flame in the next room confirmed her suspicion, and she heard as the risen hero cried out in fear or pain.<\/p>\n \u201cNow!\u201d Olarind pressed.<\/p>\n Together, both of them pulled the door open\u2026<\/p>\n \u2026only to see a large figure waiting for them in the corridor.<\/p>\n Paulson\u2019s eyes went wide as theirs did, but he reached forth at once, covering their mouths with his hands, grimacing as he did.\u00a0 When he was certain they would contain their voices, he stumbled back, gnashing his teeth as he reached toward his injured shoulder.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d Olarind said.<\/p>\n \u201cHow is this possible?\u201d Spira asked.<\/p>\n \u201cI hid in the sarcophagus as he pursued you lot,\u201d Paulson said.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll smell like dead Kalistrazi for a fortnight.\u201d\u00a0 He looked past them then, realizing it was just the two of them.\u00a0 \u201cTakarno?\u201d<\/p>\n He was given his answer when the minotaur howled out in pain then.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can\u2019t let his sacrifice be in vain,\u201d Spira insisted.\u00a0 \u201cWe have to get out of here.\u201d\u00a0 She didn\u2019t wait to hear if there would be any protest, heading back down the corridor to the far end where the spiraling stone staircase waited.<\/p>\n Paulson hesitated for a moment, knowing that it was at his request that Takarno had ventured there with the rest of them.\u00a0 A quiet grumble was all he could muster before he took a few steps after Spira.\u00a0 But when he didn\u2019t hear Olarind behind him, he spun about.<\/p>\n The half-elf hesitated longer, staring the other way, to where their lost bounty no longer sparkled, the torchlight long before dying out.<\/p>\n \u201cLeave it, lad,\u201d Paulson said.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s no way for us to get to it.\u201d\u00a0 That was all that Paulson dared to warn before running back the other way.<\/p>\n Olarind lingered there a moment longer, wondering if Thun-Sorin would be distracted enough by Takarno to sneak by and retrieve his fallen backpack.<\/p>\n Another cry rang out from Takarno, one long note that rang out in the horror that preceded death.<\/p>\n It ended more abruptly than it began.<\/p>\n Olarind knew that his companion had fallen.\u00a0 Clicking his tongue, he ran back the other way, hurrying after Paulson and Spira.<\/p>\n As he ran, the half-elf could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, and he realized that other footsteps rang out in the hallway behind him.\u00a0 He turned then, his tome illuminating the opposite end of the corridor.<\/p>\n There, he saw Thun-Sorin.<\/p>\n By reflex alone, he stopped in his tracks, and swung out with his hand.\u00a0 A divine light radiated forth, striking against the undead Kalistrazi.\u00a0 Thun-Sorin halted, stunned by the golden slash that drew from the aether.<\/p>\n Olarind\u2019s eyes grew wide as he realized he\u2019d inflicted what seemed like pain on his foe.\u00a0 He moved forth again, calling upon the light of his gods, and sending another trio of slashes in rapid succession.\u00a0 Thun-Sorin screeched, and withdrew, back into the shadows.<\/p>\n The half-elf grinned, counting his blessings, for he hadn\u2019t considered such a victory possible.\u00a0 He turned about and ran again, knowing that he would likely have to call on the gods again.\u00a0 But knowing that the undead could be turned back toward the darkness instilled Olarind with hope that he had thought lost.<\/p>\n He heard the telltale thump of the monster\u2019s approach again, and he turned around.\u00a0 However, when he brought up his tome to light the corridor, he couldn\u2019t see the Kalistrazi anywhere.<\/p>\n Thinking it was just his mind and his nerves playing tricks on him, he turned again.<\/p>\n Thun-Sorin dropped from the ceiling, his milky white eyes drawn close to Olarind.\u00a0 Without pause, he reached out with his sharp, clawed fingers.<\/p>\n Olarind\u2019s cry rang out through the tunnel.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n *\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Paulson waited there at the top of the steps for a moment, but he knew as soon as he had heard Olarind howl out that there was no saving the lad.\u00a0 He stepped past the threshold then, into the temple that they\u2019d found their way to earlier that day.<\/p>\n Spira had already carefully navigated her way past the wire she had warned them about earlier, and she had her hands upon the window that would lead to salvation.<\/p>\n Paulson slid the bookshelf back into position, hoping that it would keep the monster trapped below for another five centuries.\u00a0 He hurried then, remembering to heed the good advice that Spira had offered when they were in the room earlier.<\/p>\n Spira hoisted herself up into the window and turned to ensure that Paulson was quick on her heels.<\/p>\n That was when they both heard the tremendous thud against the bookshelf.<\/p>\n Paulson skidded to a stop, and turned about, watching as Thun-Sorin\u2019s tendril-like limb squeezed through the small gap he had made.\u00a0 Paulson turned and looked up at Spira then, and his eyes already told the story that he planned to tell her.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t,\u201d Spira said.\u00a0 \u201cIf you stay behind, it\u2019ll only be a matter of time before it gets to you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI can barely lift my arm,\u201d he said, lifting his hand toward the site of the injury.\u00a0 \u201cThere is no way that I would be able to climb that damned rope fast enough to escape our friend back here.\u00a0 But you can, Spira.\u00a0 You can make sure that nobody up above ever has to worry about the evil we awoke here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPaulson, I can\u2019t be the only one,\u201d she cried.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have to be,\u201d he said, beginning the short trek back toward the pulpit.\u00a0 \u201cWhen you get topside again, pull the rope up and destroy it.\u00a0 We don\u2019t want this creature to be able to follow you up.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPaulson,\u201d she croaked.<\/p>\n \u201cIt won\u2019t be long now,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cGo before he breaks through.\u201d<\/p>\n Spira couldn\u2019t budge though.\u00a0 As Paulson made his way back to the bookshelf, Spira wept, tears blinding her to the sight of the monster breaking its way through from the catacombs.<\/p>\n Thun-Sorin charged into the bookshelf, again and again, until finally it budged far enough from its track, and swung open with enough ferocity that it collapsed forward.\u00a0 The risen Kalistrazi spotted Spira, ready to make a quick escape, and he stomped forth, extending his hand toward her.<\/p>\n He couldn\u2019t stretch his limb far, for Paulson was there behind him, and he hopped toward him, wrapping him in a fierce bearhug.<\/p>\n \u201cRemember me?\u201d the burly redhead asked.<\/p>\n Though Thur-Sorin struggled against the hold, scratching, and chomping at Paulson, the would-be grave robber refused to relent.\u00a0 With his fate already sealed, the man ignored any semblance of pain as he walked the undead creature forward.<\/p>\n Spira understood what he was doing at once.<\/p>\n Paulson lifted his boot and slammed it down upon the wire that stretched across the area just before the pulpit.<\/p>\n The rearmost pews bent over, sending forth a pair of blades that cut through both combatant\u2019s lower limbs.<\/p>\n An otherworldly screech, and a harrowing cry rang out in unison.\u00a0 Spira clapped her hand over her mouth at the sight of Paulson\u2019s heroics.<\/p>\n Despite all the pain that he could no longer ignore, Paulson leaned up on his arms, making eye contact with the girl one last time.<\/p>\n \u201cGo, Spira!\u201d<\/p>\n She dared not waste her friend\u2019s sacrifice.\u00a0 Spira leapt from the window, tumbling as she reached the ground.\u00a0 She looked up, knowing that the climb to the world above the crater would be a tremendous feat.\u00a0 The descent took a long time.\u00a0 The ascent would take longer and would require all the strength she could muster.<\/p>\n She sprang forward, grabbing hold of the rope, and wrapping her legs around it.\u00a0 Before she had even stopped swinging, Spira began to hoist herself up, one hand after the other.<\/p>\n An excruciated cry rang out from within the temple, and the girl chose to let it inspire her to climb faster, no longer pausing to lament.<\/p>\n She thought of all that she had lost in venturing there.\u00a0 Three friends, with whom she could see many more adventures, had all fallen to the darkness.\u00a0 They had given everything to ensure that the one who hadn\u2019t strayed would not fall.<\/p>\n And Spira was determined to see their last wishes through.\u00a0 She climbed until her arms burned, and then she pushed past it, refusing to let weariness creep up on her.\u00a0 Spira looked up, seeing how close she was to climbing over the lush ledge that led into the forest.<\/p>\n But then, the rope began to swing again, and she nearly lost her footing.<\/p>\n Though she knew before she ventured a glance, she looked down, and her heart skipped a beat.\u00a0 There, at the end of the rope, Thun-Sorin began to climb as well.<\/p>\n His milky white eyes narrowed in the light of day, and when he was certain he had the woman\u2019s attention, he cried out, exposing his long, thin tongue, and separating his jaws in a monstrous, unnatural way.<\/p>\n Spira reached for her hip, fumbling for her knife.<\/p>\n Before she could get a grip on it, it teetered from her fingers, sailing down to the ground, far below, past the climbing Kalistrazi.<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d Spira said.<\/p>\n Her heart pounding, with no idea what to do, the treasure hunter resumed her climb, invigorated by the sight of the monster below.\u00a0 She began screaming with every foot she ascended, the noise helping to push her further than she thought possible.<\/p>\n Somehow, despite all her fatigue, all her pain, all her torment, she reached the top of the rope, and pulled herself atop the ledge.<\/p>\n Upon arriving there, she rolled to her back, just trying to get the feeling back in her appendages for a moment.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t know what to do anyway.\u00a0 Running wasn\u2019t an option, she considered.\u00a0 Thun-Sorin was impossibly fast for a dead man.<\/p>\n She rolled to her side then and felt the hand crossbow along her hip.\u00a0 But as she slid her fingers toward it, she felt the parchments that Tarkano had given her\u2014the last words of a minotaur in Ippius.<\/p>\n It came as suddenly and clearly as a bell, ringing in her mind.\u00a0 She remembered the words that the minotaur had chanted in the catacombs as though he was whispering it in her very ears.<\/p>\n Blowing out a steadying breath, Spira sat up, and sorted through the parchments, gazing at them all with narrowed eyes and a furrowed brow.\u00a0 Takarno had drawn pictures onto the scrolls as well, helping to differentiate one spell from the next.<\/p>\n Spira\u2019s heart fluttered at the sight of a flame upon one of the papers then, and she felt more empowered than she had ever been.<\/p>\n \u201cOotevin y’atwa, kuvnyen tao okatadi.\u00a0 Avayaheytai atto tiaskai!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n She gasped at the sight of the small spark that took shape before her hand, but she cheered as it roared forth like a dragon had breathed fire from behind her palm.<\/p>\n The rope ignited at once, and she finally felt ready to reach for her crossbow.\u00a0 At once, she had a bolt aimed at the burning, fraying rope.<\/p>\n She yelped at the sight of Thun-Sorin\u2019s head poking up from the crater.\u00a0 On reflex alone, she swung her crossbow toward him instead, and her finger brushed against the trigger.\u00a0 With a resounding twang<\/em>, the bolt fired, slamming against the creature\u2019s skull.<\/p>\n Thun-Sorin\u2019s fingers twisted, and he lost grip on the rope.\u00a0 He disappeared from sight once more, and a few seconds later, a sickening thud could be heard far below.<\/p>\n Spira hesitated but ventured to crawl to the side of the crater.\u00a0 She looked down, to the world below which she had escaped from, and saw the body of the fallen Kalistrazi.\u00a0 Thun-Sorin looked stranger than ever before, his body twisted and misshapen.\u00a0 The fall, it seemed, had finally put the hero to rest.<\/p>\n A crackling moan from below threw that notion into disarray.<\/p>\n Mangled limbs stretched and bent, and the monster labored to its feet then.\u00a0 Spira\u2019s eyes went wide, for it seemed nothing could send Thun-Sorin to the Nexus.<\/p>\n A quiet snap reported beside her, and Spira turned to see the rope separate.\u00a0 Over fifty feet of woven cord plummeted to the ground below.<\/p>\n While the monster hadn\u2019t been slain, he had, it seemed, been stopped.<\/p>\n Spira rolled to her back again, finally allowing all of the emotions she\u2019d held beneath the surface to spill out.\u00a0 She wept, knowing that no one should have experienced what she had, and that the world had lost some good people that day.<\/p>\n Far below, Thun-Sorin moaned and bayed, as though he was some helpless thing that was worthy of sympathy.\u00a0 Spira grimaced though, knowing the monster for what he was.<\/p>\n With the sun beginning to set in the west, Spira struggled to her feet.\u00a0 Home was far to the east, and she could think of nothing she would rather do than put some distance between her and the frightening creature who had stolen her friends from her.<\/p>\n A Tale by Michael DeAngelo Spira hopped down from the window, landing on the warped wooden floor, kicking up dust and dirt as she caught her footing.\u00a0 The other windows, still retaining their tempered glass after many years, seemed to catch the light from far above, leaving the wooden temple alight.\u00a0 It was the 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