Previously, the man had claimed that it had been forty-two years since the last time someone had visited this cave. This meant that, at the very least, someone had been aware of his existence up until fairly recently. That, and the fact that the barrels of food had been replenished at that time told Alistar that whoever this person was, they had likely been involved with whatever plot was at play here. If this man was truly speaking of Saint Limnin himself, then either the legendary saint still lived to this day, or more likely, somebody in the church had inherited this terrible secret and had been acting upon it up until several decades ago.
“Let’s say for a moment that I can actually help you leave here. How might I manage that?”
“Magic crystals,” said the man, his voice full of confidence. “So long as I retain my sanity I’ll be free to use magic, only I won’t have any of my own energy to draw upon. So, I’ll rely on the magic crystals you bring me to break the curses that I’ve been shackled with. After that, I’ll take some time to recover my own energies, at which point I’ll break the seal on this cave and then I’ll finally be free to leave here.”
“Magic crystals are very expensive. I can’t even afford a single high-class one, let alone the amount you’ll likely need to get out of here.”
“Go fetch that rug, will you?”
Alistar grimaced as he stared at the disgusting object, which reeked of stale urine and old excrement. Evidently, even in his crazed state the man had used the thing as a privy whenever he had been able to make a movement.
“Oh, come off it. Are you a man or not?”
Alistar dragged the rug over with a twisted expression, unrolling it only to be met with a great surprise. Several bags clattered against one another as the fabric was unfolded, an old sword and a dulled dagger sitting in their midst.
“Every time I’ve regained my memory, I’ve added to the waste on this dirty old thing. This way, those greedy dogs of the church would never think to check inside of it.” Reaching out with prodding hands, the man lifted one of the bags only for its bottom to give out, which prompted a large amount of golden coins to rain down upon the floor. These were oval in shape and of strange design, imprinted with the likeliness of an unknown man.
“There should be around a thousand golden crowns there. Surely enough to purchase the magic crystals that we need.”
Alistar had never seen so much gold in his life, the coins gleaming in the firelight despite the heavy layers of dust that covered most of them.
“I hate to say this, sir, but I’m not sure that I’ll be able to use these.”
“And why’s that?”
“Because I’m afraid no coins like these exist anymore. If the people that locked you up in here happen to come across some of them, won’t they grow suspicious?”
The man’s rising excitement seemed to seep out of him. “Quite sharp, I see. How old did you say you were?”
“I’ll be fourteen in about half a year.”
The man let out a sudden laugh that contained a hint of his earlier insanity. “One of us is five and a half centuries old, while the other is hardly older than a decade. This would make quite the comical play.”
“Play?”
“You know, re-enactments of fictional stories. Do they not have those anymore?”
“I wouldn’t know. I was a slave up until a few years ago.”
The man grew downcast. “Slavery’s returned to the world? I’m sorry to hear that, boy. Truly.”
It was an odd feeling, being pitied by such a person. Alistar wasn’t fond of it.
“Okay. Change of plans. If Dalia founded this kingdom and you’re her descendant, then that makes you a part of the royal family, yes? Then we just…wait, how did someone like you come to be a slave? Did something happen to her descendants?”
“Just me and my mother. I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Okay, well, is it possible for you to take this gold to one of your relatives so that they can melt it down and re-mint it?”
“Maybe. Though that might draw too much attention to us.” Realizing that he was being drawn into the man’s pace, he gave his head a shake and said, “Hold on. I didn’t say I would help you for sure. I’ve got my own worries, and…” Struck by a sudden thought, he said, “Actually, I just might be able to help you, but I won’t do so for free.”
“Naturally. What do you have in mind?”
“There’s someone I want to save, a friend of mine that’s still in the crystal mines to the west of here.”
Again, the man laughed. “Quite ironic, that. What we need more than anything are magic crystals, and the first place I’m to go after I’m free is a magic crystal mine?”
“So you understand what I’m getting at?”
“You want me to help you save this person.”
“Can you?”
“If you can get me out of here, it won’t matter who stands in our way. I assure you, saving your friend won’t be a problem.”
“Promise me that you will save her, then.”
“I promise that if you can help me escape here, then I will return the favour by saving this friend of yours.”
Alistar’s heart began to beat at a rapid pace. Was there a chance that this man was the key to saving Kaila? He forced himself to calm down, not wanting to lose his sensibility in the face of empty promises, however alluring they might seem.
“What happens if you forget all this by the time I return here again?”
“You’ll have to explain things to me, I’m afraid.”
“And if I can’t?”
“It should be fine, so long as I teach you a couple of spells.”
Growing more uneasy, Alistar said, “What kind of spells?”
“No need to be suspicious. It’s just an advanced memory preservation spell, and a mind cleansing spell, simple tasks for one with as much energy as you.”
“How do they work?”
“It’s like this…”
Wary though he was, Alistar listened to the man’s explanation with interest as he memorized the magical theories behind the two spells. The mind cleansing spell was fairly straightforward, a healing spell that lifted the fog around an unhealthy mind for a set amount of time. As for the other spell, supposedly it was possible to seal several minutes’ worth of memories in the target’s mind that could be drawn upon in the future through a simple reactivation of the same technique, sort of like leaving an energy imprint though including with it an enchantment of sorts. Upon reactivation, whatever had been going through the target’s mind at the time of the initial casting would resurface to the fore of their thoughts.
“It’s imperative that you use the mind cleansing spell first, or our efforts will be wasted. Once you do, I’ll return to my true self for about half an hour, during which time we’ll be able to communicate just as we are now. No matter what, you can’t allow me to die in the meantime, else both spells will disappear from my body and all hope will be lost. Since that’s the case, you’ll have to stop by every now and then to drop off some food and water for me to subsist off of. Understand?”
“Do the spells wear off once I reactivate them?”
“No, they’ll be permanent. Whether I’m sane or not, that’ll be fully within your control, at least until I break the curse of weakness and cast my own mind cleansing spell. At the grand level, my mind will be permanently cured.”
“Grand level? Surely you don’t mean grand magic?”
Supposedly, the number of people on the continent that were capable of using such spells could be counted on two hands.
“Don’t worry about that. What we need to focus on is our plan here. Now, we need to hurry up and have you learn those two spells as quickly as possible. I could lose my mind at any moment, so we can’t waste any more time.”
Staring into the man’s misty, glazed eyes, Alistar felt a sudden surge of anxiety. What would his friends say if they knew what he had been up to in recent days? He was currently sitting within an independent space that had been created by the most sophisticated of magics, and was in the midst of striking up a deal with the tortured madman that had been sealed inside of it.
It can’t be helped, he thought, conflicted. No matter how much progress he made with his training over the next year and a half he would have a very difficult time rescuing Kaila on his own. Since the day that he had left Crystellum, he’d been fully prepared to sacrifice his life for the sake of preserving Kaila’s, so what use was there in hesitating at this critical juncture now that fate had granted him an unexpected chance at success?
“Okay,” he said after a brief pause. “I’ll help you, so long as you help me afterward.”
Knowing that this man might have been misleading him for his own benefit, Alistar stood up and retrieved the bag that he’d brought the previous week, along with the one from today. The other two bags of golden coins broke in the same fashion as the first one, though he planned to gather these up and store them within their sturdier counterparts. This, however, would have to wait until after he learned the two spells that the man had mentioned, so without further ado he cleared his throat and asked to begin with his lessons.
Whatever happened from here on out, Alistar was fully prepared to bear the consequences if it meant that he would be able to save Kaila from the endless torments of Crystellum, tragic sufferings that she likely faced at this very moment. If at any point in their future interactions the man gave Alistar reason to mistrust or suspect him of any malicious or manipulative thoughts, he would erase all knowledge of this cave from his memory and leave him to rot here for the rest of his days.
“Thank you, boy. You won’t regret this.”
“I hope not,” he said quietly, more to himself than to the man. “Which spell will I be learning first, then?” When no response came, he said, “Sir?”
“Who’s there?” The man scrambled backwards, causing the coins atop the rug to jangle together. “Come to steal the rest of my things, have you? Well, you tell Limnin, you tell him…”
Alistar’s stomach sank as he realized that things wouldn’t be as easy as he’d thought. Taking a deep breath, he introduced himself yet again, determined not to let go of this heaven-sent opportunity.
Previously, the man had claimed that it had been forty-two years since the last time someone had visited this cave. This meant that, at the very least, someone had been aware of his existence up until fairly recently. That, and the fact that the barrels of food had been replenished at that time told Alistar that whoever this person was, they had likely been involved with whatever plot was at play here. If this man was truly speaking of Saint Limnin himself, then either the legendary saint still lived to this day, or more likely, somebody in the church had inherited this terrible secret and had been acting upon it up until several decades ago.
“Let’s say for a moment that I can actually help you leave here. How might I manage that?”
“Magic crystals,” said the man, his voice full of confidence. “So long as I retain my sanity I’ll be free to use magic, only I won’t have any of my own energy to draw upon. So, I’ll rely on the magic crystals you bring me to break the curses that I’ve been shackled with. After that, I’ll take some time to recover my own energies, at which point I’ll break the seal on this cave and then I’ll finally be free to leave here.”
“Magic crystals are very expensive. I can’t even afford a single high-class one, let alone the amount you’ll likely need to get out of here.”
“Go fetch that rug, will you?”
Alistar grimaced as he stared at the disgusting object, which reeked of stale urine and old excrement. Evidently, even in his crazed state the man had used the thing as a privy whenever he had been able to make a movement.
“Oh, come off it. Are you a man or not?”
Alistar dragged the rug over with a twisted expression, unrolling it only to be met with a great surprise. Several bags clattered against one another as the fabric was unfolded, an old sword and a dulled dagger sitting in their midst.
“Every time I’ve regained my memory, I’ve added to the waste on this dirty old thing. This way, those greedy dogs of the church would never think to check inside of it.” Reaching out with prodding hands, the man lifted one of the bags only for its bottom to give out, which prompted a large amount of golden coins to rain down upon the floor. These were oval in shape and of strange design, imprinted with the likeliness of an unknown man.
“There should be around a thousand golden crowns there. Surely enough to purchase the magic crystals that we need.”
Alistar had never seen so much gold in his life, the coins gleaming in the firelight despite the heavy layers of dust that covered most of them.
“I hate to say this, sir, but I’m not sure that I’ll be able to use these.”
“And why’s that?”
“Because I’m afraid no coins like these exist anymore. If the people that locked you up in here happen to come across some of them, won’t they grow suspicious?”
The man’s rising excitement seemed to seep out of him. “Quite sharp, I see. How old did you say you were?”
“I’ll be fourteen in about half a year.”
The man let out a sudden laugh that contained a hint of his earlier insanity. “One of us is five and a half centuries old, while the other is hardly older than a decade. This would make quite the comical play.”
“Play?”
“You know, re-enactments of fictional stories. Do they not have those anymore?”
“I wouldn’t know. I was a slave up until a few years ago.”
The man grew downcast. “Slavery’s returned to the world? I’m sorry to hear that, boy. Truly.”
It was an odd feeling, being pitied by such a person. Alistar wasn’t fond of it.
“Okay. Change of plans. If Dalia founded this kingdom and you’re her descendant, then that makes you a part of the royal family, yes? Then we just…wait, how did someone like you come to be a slave? Did something happen to her descendants?”
“Just me and my mother. I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Okay, well, is it possible for you to take this gold to one of your relatives so that they can melt it down and re-mint it?”
“Maybe. Though that might draw too much attention to us.” Realizing that he was being drawn into the man’s pace, he gave his head a shake and said, “Hold on. I didn’t say I would help you for sure. I’ve got my own worries, and…” Struck by a sudden thought, he said, “Actually, I just might be able to help you, but I won’t do so for free.”
“Naturally. What do you have in mind?”
“There’s someone I want to save, a friend of mine that’s still in the crystal mines to the west of here.”
Again, the man laughed. “Quite ironic, that. What we need more than anything are magic crystals, and the first place I’m to go after I’m free is a magic crystal mine?”
“So you understand what I’m getting at?”
“You want me to help you save this person.”
“Can you?”
“If you can get me out of here, it won’t matter who stands in our way. I assure you, saving your friend won’t be a problem.”
“Promise me that you will save her, then.”
“I promise that if you can help me escape here, then I will return the favour by saving this friend of yours.”
Alistar’s heart began to beat at a rapid pace. Was there a chance that this man was the key to saving Kaila? He forced himself to calm down, not wanting to lose his sensibility in the face of empty promises, however alluring they might seem.
“What happens if you forget all this by the time I return here again?”
“You’ll have to explain things to me, I’m afraid.”
“And if I can’t?”
“It should be fine, so long as I teach you a couple of spells.”
Growing more uneasy, Alistar said, “What kind of spells?”
“No need to be suspicious. It’s just an advanced memory preservation spell, and a mind cleansing spell, simple tasks for one with as much energy as you.”
“How do they work?”
“It’s like this…”
Wary though he was, Alistar listened to the man’s explanation with interest as he memorized the magical theories behind the two spells. The mind cleansing spell was fairly straightforward, a healing spell that lifted the fog around an unhealthy mind for a set amount of time. As for the other spell, supposedly it was possible to seal several minutes’ worth of memories in the target’s mind that could be drawn upon in the future through a simple reactivation of the same technique, sort of like leaving an energy imprint though including with it an enchantment of sorts. Upon reactivation, whatever had been going through the target’s mind at the time of the initial casting would resurface to the fore of their thoughts.
“It’s imperative that you use the mind cleansing spell first, or our efforts will be wasted. Once you do, I’ll return to my true self for about half an hour, during which time we’ll be able to communicate just as we are now. No matter what, you can’t allow me to die in the meantime, else both spells will disappear from my body and all hope will be lost. Since that’s the case, you’ll have to stop by every now and then to drop off some food and water for me to subsist off of. Understand?”
“Do the spells wear off once I reactivate them?”
“No, they’ll be permanent. Whether I’m sane or not, that’ll be fully within your control, at least until I break the curse of weakness and cast my own mind cleansing spell. At the grand level, my mind will be permanently cured.”
“Grand level? Surely you don’t mean grand magic?”
Supposedly, the number of people on the continent that were capable of using such spells could be counted on two hands.
“Don’t worry about that. What we need to focus on is our plan here. Now, we need to hurry up and have you learn those two spells as quickly as possible. I could lose my mind at any moment, so we can’t waste any more time.”
Staring into the man’s misty, glazed eyes, Alistar felt a sudden surge of anxiety. What would his friends say if they knew what he had been up to in recent days? He was currently sitting within an independent space that had been created by the most sophisticated of magics, and was in the midst of striking up a deal with the tortured madman that had been sealed inside of it.
It can’t be helped, he thought, conflicted. No matter how much progress he made with his training over the next year and a half he would have a very difficult time rescuing Kaila on his own. Since the day that he had left Crystellum, he’d been fully prepared to sacrifice his life for the sake of preserving Kaila’s, so what use was there in hesitating at this critical juncture now that fate had granted him an unexpected chance at success?
“Okay,” he said after a brief pause. “I’ll help you, so long as you help me afterward.”
Knowing that this man might have been misleading him for his own benefit, Alistar stood up and retrieved the bag that he’d brought the previous week, along with the one from today. The other two bags of golden coins broke in the same fashion as the first one, though he planned to gather these up and store them within their sturdier counterparts. This, however, would have to wait until after he learned the two spells that the man had mentioned, so without further ado he cleared his throat and asked to begin with his lessons.
Whatever happened from here on out, Alistar was fully prepared to bear the consequences if it meant that he would be able to save Kaila from the endless torments of Crystellum, tragic sufferings that she likely faced at this very moment. If at any point in their future interactions the man gave Alistar reason to mistrust or suspect him of any malicious or manipulative thoughts, he would erase all knowledge of this cave from his memory and leave him to rot here for the rest of his days.
“Thank you, boy. You won’t regret this.”
“I hope not,” he said quietly, more to himself than to the man. “Which spell will I be learning first, then?” When no response came, he said, “Sir?”
“Who’s there?” The man scrambled backwards, causing the coins atop the rug to jangle together. “Come to steal the rest of my things, have you? Well, you tell Limnin, you tell him…”
Alistar’s stomach sank as he realized that things wouldn’t be as easy as he’d thought. Taking a deep breath, he introduced himself yet again, determined not to let go of this heaven-sent opportunity.
