“Donum,” Lynnria called from behind me, “are you sure this is a good idea? I felt my charm trigger when that blast went off the last time, and here you are, going bigger!”
“It’ll work,” I assured her, though if I were honest, it was mostly for myself.
I had a feeling I was not going to get another chance at this, and not just because of its potential to explode in my face. The creaking sounds coming from out in the labyrinth were certainly not getting further away. Doggedly, I returned my attention to stacking the mound of moist soil she had summoned as high as I could up against the crystal’s base.
“Unless you’d like to volunteer an alternative?”
She made a dissatisfied sound in her throat. “Can’t you at least try asking Mia? She might be able to warn you if you’re doing it wrong.”
“I have tried,” I said absently. The pile now nicely appointed, I began smoothing a nice and flat surface for myself. “No idea where she’s gotten off to.”
“But… doesn’t she live inside you? How can she not have heard that explosion?”
I dipped my head to one side. “Hard to say for sure, but I’d imagine she’s exploring.”
“Exploring what? Your memories?” she pressed. “Doesn’t that bother you?”
I was about to answer with something flippant. That topic was almost completely shrouded in mystery, so it was not as if I could actually respond intelligently. What was more, given her little fetish for mind-reading, it could not have been more obvious that she was just digging for anything that might keep me from my task. However, the question brought me up short.
Now that she mentioned it, the idea did not worry me anywhere near as much as it probably should have. I felt an inherent sort of trust for Mia that seemed to operate entirely separate to the normal set of rules. So the notion that she might be rummaging around somewhere within my memories felt… natural. Something that she should, in fact, be making a concerted effort toward, if only to help her understand me better.
Plus, it was not like I had much of anything to hide. My life had been relatively uneventful… prior to coming to this world. I had experienced my share of minor glories and failures, my bullies and friends, good times and bad. I was hardly wealthy, but I would not consider myself poor, either. I had never been in therapy, nor experienced any significant traumas. To some, that might qualify me as quite the lucky bastard, but from my own perspective, I was just some guy. Totally normal in most respects.
Maybe a tad lonely at times.
Although… now that I thought about it, there was a certain stigma to being too much of a loner as a man. But then I shrugged. If Mia wanted to start digging around, she could not blame me when she uncovered the inevitable. I had been a bachelor for quite some time, after all.
“I guess not,” I admitted, feeling mildly surprised by the answer. But that was a topic for another day. I was done. “Alright. I’m going to try again. Best duck for cover.”
She grimaced unhappily. “Couldn’t you at least wait for her to come back, though?”
The wooden creaking sounded again, further to my right than it had been but closer all the same. The golem was progressing through the maze quickly now.
“No, Lynnria. I don’t think I can.”
She nodded reluctantly before stepping closer. “In that case, good luck. Again. Please don’t die.”
With that, she set to placing a second charm on me. I attempted to follow her movements this time, but there was a certain uncanny blur to them whenever I really focused there, obscuring it from my eyes. This was a symbol I had not earned, indirectly or otherwise.
Even so… there was something bothering me about the way her fingers were moving. I could not quite discern what it was, though.
Something to think about later…
In a twinkling, she was done. And as her footsteps retreated down the corridor, I turned to face my destiny.
I felt like Gandalf at the bridge of Khazad-dûm… which might have been touch melodramatic on my part, but there was a degree of truth to the sentiment. Now was my moment. Either I did this, or I was finished. We were finished. Crushed between the wall of starvation and the fists of a wooden automaton.
Everything was riding on how well I could convince whatever powers that be to interpret a single Word the correct way. I needed to project absolute confidence. I needed to put on a show. I needed the music to swell with a background chorus screaming in Latin…
But…
All was quiet. There was just me. The cold rocks at my feet. The deep shadow angling away from me into the darkness beyond. And Arx. My source of light. My fortress. My lover and my salvation. Silently waiting from within her tomb.
I took three quick strides forward and paused there to look imperiously down at the little mound of sand. Like it was beneath me. Mine to command.
And trying extremely hard not let how ridiculous I felt show on my face. Over and over, I kept telling myself that this was magic. It responded to my Charisma. Confidence! Confidence!
In one smooth motion, I dropped to one knee, though my injury screamed at me in doing so. Then I carefully extended an arm.
“Hear me,” I said. To no one. Or everyone. The world, perhaps.
I let the echoes of my voice die away before continuing on… and to give me the space to think. Okay. We need to start this properly. What would a wizard say in a situation like this? Uh… right! Pompous introductions.
“I am Donum. Chosen of the Fourth Child. Bearer of a fragment of the Lady of Power herself. Hear my voice!”
I paused again. That had come off pretty well, I thought. There had been a certain stage-like ring to it. Somewhat proud of myself, I twisted my arm, and with a single, deliberate and precise stroke, I let my fingernails dig the rune into the soil.
The intrinsic quality.
I rose to my feet and retraced my steps backward, making sure to appear unhurried despite the glow already beginning to build within the rune. But it had not exploded yet which was encouraging.
Alright, man. We’ve on a roll, now. Just keep calm and project authority.
Head held high, I focused my gaze upon my target. “I imbue upon this hateful rock—this crystal prison—an intrinsic quality. A new state of being.”
The glow had already developed to an uncomfortable level and was rapidly increasing in intensity. It seemed the sand could only hold the inevitable at bay so long. Or whatever powers were listening had limited patience. Either way, I needed to hurry!
Struggling not to panic, I thrust my hands into the air. Whatever it was I was going to say, it needed to be good. Something… cool.
“By the Power of Grayskull!”
Seleroan
Hey there, gentle reader.
Enjoying the content? Well, why not drop by my Patreon? It helps me keep this show running, and allows me to afford great things like editors, cover artists, and food!
But more importantly, there's those all-important advanced chapters, Patreon exclusive character art, and even the occasional poll to influence the direction of the story.
Come on down! We'd love to see you.
“Donum,” Lynnria called from behind me, “are you sure this is a good idea? I felt my charm trigger when that blast went off the last time, and here you are, going bigger!”
“It’ll work,” I assured her, though if I were honest, it was mostly for myself.
I had a feeling I was not going to get another chance at this, and not just because of its potential to explode in my face. The creaking sounds coming from out in the labyrinth were certainly not getting further away. Doggedly, I returned my attention to stacking the mound of moist soil she had summoned as high as I could up against the crystal’s base.
“Unless you’d like to volunteer an alternative?”
She made a dissatisfied sound in her throat. “Can’t you at least try asking Mia? She might be able to warn you if you’re doing it wrong.”
“I have tried,” I said absently. The pile now nicely appointed, I began smoothing a nice and flat surface for myself. “No idea where she’s gotten off to.”
“But… doesn’t she live inside you? How can she not have heard that explosion?”
I dipped my head to one side. “Hard to say for sure, but I’d imagine she’s exploring.”
“Exploring what? Your memories?” she pressed. “Doesn’t that bother you?”
I was about to answer with something flippant. That topic was almost completely shrouded in mystery, so it was not as if I could actually respond intelligently. What was more, given her little fetish for mind-reading, it could not have been more obvious that she was just digging for anything that might keep me from my task. However, the question brought me up short.
Now that she mentioned it, the idea did not worry me anywhere near as much as it probably should have. I felt an inherent sort of trust for Mia that seemed to operate entirely separate to the normal set of rules. So the notion that she might be rummaging around somewhere within my memories felt… natural. Something that she should, in fact, be making a concerted effort toward, if only to help her understand me better.
Plus, it was not like I had much of anything to hide. My life had been relatively uneventful… prior to coming to this world. I had experienced my share of minor glories and failures, my bullies and friends, good times and bad. I was hardly wealthy, but I would not consider myself poor, either. I had never been in therapy, nor experienced any significant traumas. To some, that might qualify me as quite the lucky bastard, but from my own perspective, I was just some guy. Totally normal in most respects.
Maybe a tad lonely at times.
Although… now that I thought about it, there was a certain stigma to being too much of a loner as a man. But then I shrugged. If Mia wanted to start digging around, she could not blame me when she uncovered the inevitable. I had been a bachelor for quite some time, after all.
“I guess not,” I admitted, feeling mildly surprised by the answer. But that was a topic for another day. I was done. “Alright. I’m going to try again. Best duck for cover.”
She grimaced unhappily. “Couldn’t you at least wait for her to come back, though?”
The wooden creaking sounded again, further to my right than it had been but closer all the same. The golem was progressing through the maze quickly now.
“No, Lynnria. I don’t think I can.”
She nodded reluctantly before stepping closer. “In that case, good luck. Again. Please don’t die.”
With that, she set to placing a second charm on me. I attempted to follow her movements this time, but there was a certain uncanny blur to them whenever I really focused there, obscuring it from my eyes. This was a symbol I had not earned, indirectly or otherwise.
Even so… there was something bothering me about the way her fingers were moving. I could not quite discern what it was, though.
Something to think about later…
In a twinkling, she was done. And as her footsteps retreated down the corridor, I turned to face my destiny.
I felt like Gandalf at the bridge of Khazad-dûm… which might have been touch melodramatic on my part, but there was a degree of truth to the sentiment. Now was my moment. Either I did this, or I was finished. We were finished. Crushed between the wall of starvation and the fists of a wooden automaton.
Everything was riding on how well I could convince whatever powers that be to interpret a single Word the correct way. I needed to project absolute confidence. I needed to put on a show. I needed the music to swell with a background chorus screaming in Latin…
But…
All was quiet. There was just me. The cold rocks at my feet. The deep shadow angling away from me into the darkness beyond. And Arx. My source of light. My fortress. My lover and my salvation. Silently waiting from within her tomb.
I took three quick strides forward and paused there to look imperiously down at the little mound of sand. Like it was beneath me. Mine to command.
And trying extremely hard not let how ridiculous I felt show on my face. Over and over, I kept telling myself that this was magic. It responded to my Charisma. Confidence! Confidence!
In one smooth motion, I dropped to one knee, though my injury screamed at me in doing so. Then I carefully extended an arm.
“Hear me,” I said. To no one. Or everyone. The world, perhaps.
I let the echoes of my voice die away before continuing on… and to give me the space to think. Okay. We need to start this properly. What would a wizard say in a situation like this? Uh… right! Pompous introductions.
“I am Donum. Chosen of the Fourth Child. Bearer of a fragment of the Lady of Power herself. Hear my voice!”
I paused again. That had come off pretty well, I thought. There had been a certain stage-like ring to it. Somewhat proud of myself, I twisted my arm, and with a single, deliberate and precise stroke, I let my fingernails dig the rune into the soil.
The intrinsic quality.
I rose to my feet and retraced my steps backward, making sure to appear unhurried despite the glow already beginning to build within the rune. But it had not exploded yet which was encouraging.
Alright, man. We’ve on a roll, now. Just keep calm and project authority.
Head held high, I focused my gaze upon my target. “I imbue upon this hateful rock—this crystal prison—an intrinsic quality. A new state of being.”
The glow had already developed to an uncomfortable level and was rapidly increasing in intensity. It seemed the sand could only hold the inevitable at bay so long. Or whatever powers were listening had limited patience. Either way, I needed to hurry!
Struggling not to panic, I thrust my hands into the air. Whatever it was I was going to say, it needed to be good. Something… cool.
“By the Power of Grayskull!”
Seleroan
Hey there, gentle reader.
Enjoying the content? Well, why not drop by my Patreon? It helps me keep this show running, and allows me to afford great things like editors, cover artists, and food!
But more importantly, there's those all-important advanced chapters, Patreon exclusive character art, and even the occasional poll to influence the direction of the story.
Come on down! We'd love to see you.
