by Sever Bronny
“I don’t sound like that—!”
Bridget didn’t let up, accenting with a classic Leera eye roll. “ ‘You guys get all the good stuff and I just get to light up stupid puddles!’ ”
“And I don’t do that … eye roll thing … do I?”
“We don’t get to tease you often,” Augum said, playfully splashing her face.
“Oh you—” She dove and went after him underwater, and soon the two of them were play wrestling. Except Augum quickly found himself scrambling out of the pool—she was an exceptionally better swimmer and could have easily pinned him if she wanted to. Not to mention she could cast spells underwater.
“That little cheat, did you see that—?” he said to Bridget as Leera patrolled the edge of the pool like a shark. “Shoved me underwater like a rag doll.”
Bridget had a hand on her chin and a big smile on her face, seeming to take great pleasure in watching them. But then she heaved a big sigh and returned to the map.
“Loser,” Leera sniped with a grin. “Anyway, going to sniff around down there some more with Unconceal.” As she dove down, Augum strode over to Bridget.
“You’re doing that frown thingy again. What kind of trouble should we expect?”
Bridget tapped the room after the next one. “The 3rd degree room worries me. We’ll be using our First Offensive. Look at all these carved figures. We might be in for a fight.”
Augum examined the figural etchings. They were plain except for lines radiating from their heads, and they looked like they were standing in water. “Yeah, maybe, but they’ll be dummies or something. I wouldn’t worry about it too much.”
“Unless we have to fight them underwater.”
“Oh. You have a point.” He slapped her back. “Come on, we’ll worry about it when we get there.”
It took a bit of convincing to get Leera to stop playing. She whined like an eight-year-old, only relenting when Bridget said, “Shtop horshing around already, ve have vork to do.”
The next obstacle was a dive straight down into murky and freezing water—a deep one, so deep Augum’s ears felt like they were going to burst. Except at the bottom they swam up against a gate and had to immediately resurface.
“I think that’s an arcane portcullis,” Bridget said, gasping. “But I couldn’t see anything down there, even with my lit palm. Water’s too murky.”
Augum unsuccessfully tried to stop his teeth from chattering. “There might be a secret lever.”
“It’s a pass gate of some kind,” Leera said. “I have an idea. Be right back.” She took a deep breath and dove.
Meanwhile, Bridget and Augum exchanged a worried look, each trying to stay warm in the frigid water by rubbing their shoulders.
“Just like I thought,” Leera said after surfacing some time later. “Have to cast all the 1st degree spells to get by. Give me a moment,” and she dove again, but this time she took so long Augum had to dive after her, meeting her on the way back up. She was pale when she broke the surface, gasping for breath.
“Gate’s up, but that was hard. We have to go, don’t know how long it’ll stay open.”
They took a deep breath and dove. Barely visible at the bottom were a series of sharp iron spikes Augum recognized as the lowered top of the gate. Leera allowed him and Bridget to pass first. As soon as she swam through, the gate slammed shut behind her with a dull clang. Augum realized the horror of it—if Leera had passed through first, he or Bridget would have been impaled. It was enough for him to lose a breath underwater, making the swim all the way up on the other side quite the chest-burning exercise. The last few feet were especially agonizing—Augum and Bridget both ended up choking on water.
“This is getting harder,” Bridget gasped after they surfaced. “And more dangerous.”
Leera scoffed as she hauled herself out of the pool. “Lightning one is probably much worse. Bet you that’s where the deaths really mounted.”
“After seeing this, I don’t think I’d want to go through it,” Augum said, noticing something shiny on the ground behind Leera. He hauled himself out and grabbed it. “Look at that, a gargoyle coin.”
“Must be for successfully passing through the portcullis,” Bridget said, taking the coin and stuffing it in the snakeskin money pouch tied to her waist. “Now we know this part is tied to the arcane library and the labyrinth. No wonder there’s a secret passage to the maze later.”
Augum glanced around the room, using his lit palm for light. He saw the silhouettes of dark braziers, probably unlit for some time, as well as a series of black pools. He got up and strode over to one of the iron receptacles. Nearby on the wall, he spotted an etching of a miniature brazier inside a square.
“Anyone remember the runeword for a brazier rune?”
“I think it’s the same as for a torch or fireplace,” Bridget replied.
“Which is?”
“Firemente. And don’t forget to visualize the flame.”
He placed his lit palm over the rune, visualizing the flames roaring. “Firemente.” The brazier burst to life. The girls scampered over to warm themselves.
After they were sufficiently warmed, they explored more of the cold and damp cavern-like room, discovering that each of the dark pools had a submerged statue, the stone heads just barely visible below the surface. The last pool, the one abutting the wall, was too deep and dark to see into.
“Well, here goes nothing,” Leera said, jumping in before Augum could tell her to be careful. He watched as her palm light faded, finally disappearing altogether in the black depths. He swallowed, wondering if he should go after her to make sure she was all right. What if something attacked her down there?
Time passed and he and Bridget exchanged anxious glances. Suddenly there came a deep thrumming sound as if someone cast Slam underwater, followed by bubbles. He was about to jump in when he saw Leera’s pale light. She soon surfaced, gasping.
“Had to fight some stupid fish while using all my 2nd degree spells.” She rubbed her ears. “You should hear how loud my Slam is underwater. Unbelievable. Anyway, gate’s open now. This one’s an even longer dive, so prepare yourselves. There’s some writing on the wall I have to read first though. Just need to … catch my breath.”
She soon dove again while Augum wondered what she had fought down there. Something told him it was more than just “some stupid fish”.
Leera resurfaced a while later. “All right, here’s the thing—the underwater area ahead is some kind of maze. I have to use Unconceal to get us through it. But it’s really dark down there so you’ll have to stay close. Oh, and I don’t know how far it is, so conserve your breath.”
Great, Augum thought. They were already burdened by these heavy necrophyte robes, which acted like sails underwater. Now it sounds like they will be blind too.
“Maybe we should take a portal back,” Bridget said in a weak voice.
“Bah, it’ll be fine, just stay close to me. All right, hop in and get ready.”
Augum and Bridget slowly got in the ice-cold water. It didn’t seem to bother Leera, but Augum and Bridget’s teeth instantly began to chatter.
“One final thing,” Leera said. “Whatever you do, don’t panic.”
Bridget made a small cringing noise.
“You’ll be fine, it’s not that scary. All right, deep breaths now—!”
Bridget and Augum exchanged a last worried look before taking deep breaths and diving, palms lit.
It wasn’t long until the ear pressure was unbearable. Augum almost lost his breath when he glimpsed a giant fish with rows and rows of sharp teeth, impaled by a spear. The fish floated upside down amidst the inky darkness, staring at them with dead saucer-like eyes. He and Bridget quickly swam past, then through the sharp portcullis that slammed shut behind them the moment Leera swam through.
Before them were the dim outlines of three small tunnels. Leera extended her hand and said in a surprisingly clear voice, “Un vun deo.” Augum noticed her palm stayed lit—she was chronoca
sting underwater, an impressive feat. After a moment of concentration, she began to swim down the central tunnel, Bridget and Augum following closely.
The tunnel swerved before coming to a fork. Leera chose the left one. Suddenly she spotted something ahead and gestured for them to swim back and take the other tunnel. Augum glimpsed a set of black spikes before turning around, trying not to panic about the fact he was quickly running out of breath.
Back at the fork, Augum and Bridget allowed Leera to go first. She zoomed ahead, pausing at something that had flashed. She swam through then indicated for them to advance slowly. Bridget scooted through the obstacle next. Augum felt his insides go even colder when he spotted the flash of a blade swish through the water. He noticed a bone on the tunnel floor and let loose a bubble of air. Bridget was frantically waving for him to hurry. He timed his move and shot through successfully, but felt himself turning purple as they swam on through the ever-tightening tunnel.
This was it—he wasn’t going to make it out of here alive. He started frantically pawing at the tunnel, feeling a flesh-withering panic take hold.
Suddenly his light flickered out.
Bridget turned around, her eyes magnifying when she saw him. She scrambled his way, grabbing his sleeve and yanking him along, desperate to catch up to Leera, whose light seemed far ahead now.
Augum’s vision began to darken. He felt a black tunnel of unconsciousness closing in as his heart thundered in his chest. There was nowhere to go, no way to breathe. He was suffocating and panicking.
Bridget kept tight hold of him. She grabbed something ahead. Whatever it was jerked them along so abruptly Augum expelled the remainder of his breath, instantly inhaling water.
The last thing he saw before losing consciousness was a distant light blinking out.
Increasing Difficulties
Augum jerked awake gasping and choking out water. Leera and Bridget were holding him. His chest felt as tight as a drum and he could barely breathe.
“Oh, Aug, I’m so sorry,” Leera was saying over and over, clutching him close.
“He’s all right,” Bridget repeated, letting go, herself gasping for breath. “He’s all right, Lee. Shh, it’s fine.”
Leera gently kissed his forehead before squeezing him tight. “Thought I lost you. I’m so sorry.”
“I’m fine,” he said in a weak voice. “Just need … a moment. What … happened?”
Bridget thumbed back at a dark pool. “Leera saw that we were in trouble. She swam ahead and found an arcane underwater winch. She sent the chain back to me using Telekinesis.”
“We’re … lucky …”
“At least we got two more coins,” Bridget added with a pained smile.
Leera brushed wet hair aside from his forehead. They sat there catching their breath and getting their bearings. They were in a low-ceilinged cavern. Sharp stalactites dripped water into puddles on the pockmarked ground. There were no braziers to warm up beside, but there was a small area of the wall carved with a portal rune.
“Spooky,” Leera whispered. “Wonder how long it’s been since anyone’s been here.”
“Historically, fewer and fewer would make it to the next room.” Bridget squinted at the distant dark walls. “This is the 3rd degree room, isn’t it?”
“I think so,” Leera replied.
“Then where are those figures that were on the map?”
“Must be hidden or something. Or maybe they attack us after.”
Bridget stood. “Keep your wits about you.” She took a few steps and froze, shaking a feeling off. “Just got attacked by a Fear spell. Prepare your Mind Armor.” She raised her foot. “There must be hidden invisible traps.” She took another few measured steps before suddenly stopping and wincing again. “Yup, there goes another one. A Confusion attack. Don’t know where it’s coming from.”
Leera was still holding onto Augum. “You fighting them off easily? How’s the strength of the attack?”
“I’d guess it’s 5th degree.” Bridget took another few steps, once again stopping and wincing. “6th degree Deafness. Close one. I’m going to see if I can make it to a wall.” She jumped from puddle to puddle, suddenly dropping to her knees and screaming.
Augum and Leera scrambled to their feet and raced over, dodging the stalactites, and immediately encountering numerous mind attacks. Augum successfully warded off Confusion, Fear, and Deafness with his Mind Armor, but failed against a strong Blindness attack that instantly blacked out his vision. He froze in place, lest he compound his misfortune with other failures.
Leera reached a whimpering Bridget. “I got you, Bridge, I got you …”
“That was a very high degree Fear attack,” Bridget finally said in a quivering voice. “It was a cliff. I … fell. I fell!” Her whole body was shaking. “Horrifying, just … horrifying.”
They waited a bit to calm down and recuperate.
At last, Augum’s blindness dissipated. “All right, we’re supposed to cast Object Alarm, Object Track, and our First Offensive to get by this room, right?”
“But on what?” Bridget craned her neck without walking anywhere.
“I see a gargoyle rune on that wall there.” Leera jumped over the puddles all the way to a distant wall, wincing when one of her feet touched the edge of a puddle.
“It’s the puddles!” Augum said. “I saw your foot touch that one. That’s what’s triggering the attacks.” He tested the theory by carefully walking over without touching a single puddle, and had nothing attack him. Bridget promptly did the same, meeting them at the inscription.
Augum placed his shining palm against the gargoyle rune. It did not light up.
“Let me try.” Leera placed her hand and the rune lit up crimson, along with an inscription which she read aloud. ‘ “Object thy will track. Wrong thou shalt be not’.” Soon as she finished reading, a wooden ball popped into a small hidden cavity in the wall. Below it was another hole, this one empty. Leera placed her hands over the ball. “Vestigio itemo discovaro.” Then she placed it into the other hole, where it rolled away. A moment later, five balls rolled out of nearby holes, each plopping into a puddle.
Leera breathed a sigh of relief. “Something easy for once.” She used her hand to guide her to the correct ball. As soon as she picked it up, she winced. “Ah.”
“Mind attack?” Augum asked.
“Strong one. That actually stung.”
“Looks like you beat it though.” All the balls had disappeared and a new inscription lit up on the wall, along with a fresh ball in the top hole. Further, a new hole appeared where there was none before. Leera carefully returned, navigating the puddles, to read the new inscription. “ ‘Thither this here ball, alarmed it thus be, finds itself, thitherto thou goest, and open thine door, but before thy bell in thee head ringeth true. Hearken thy spirit, for thenceforth through thy door a most wicked fiend awaits’.”
Leera grimaced. “What gibberish did I just read?”
Even Bridget had to re-read the inscription to herself several times. “I think you enchant the ball with Object Alarm, then a door will appear. As soon as the alarm goes off in your head, you’re supposed to open the door.”
“Which means something will have picked it up,” Augum said.
“And we’re supposed to fight it.” Leera sighed. “Hence the First Offensive use. Fine.” She placed her hands over the new ball. “Concutio del alarmo.” She took a breath. “Might as well see if I can follow it too.” She concentrated another moment. “Vestigio itemo discovaro,” before releasing it into the new hole. They followed the sound as the ball slowly rolled along inside the walls, being sure to avoid the puddles. At last, it thunked against the foot of a particularly flat area.
“It’s just behind here,” Leera whispered, inspecting the wall. “I see grooves.”
“There’s the handle.” Augum pointed at a jutting rock. “Don’t pull on it yet though, wait for the alarm.” He braced himself, ready to cast his First Offensive. Bridge
t joined him in an attack posture.
“I smell smoke,” Leera whispered, hand pressed against the rock. “And the wall’s getting hot.”
“Look at the seams,” Augum said, watching as a red glow formed the outline of a door.
“Getting hotter,” Leera said after placing her palm on the handle. “Get ready …”
There was a flaming groan from the other side.
“Now!” she shouted, and flung the door open. The trio was immediately greeted by what appeared to be a wall of fire, except it moved! The thing roared flame that nipped at their sodden robes.
They stumbled backwards from the heat of the fire. Augum immediately felt his mind under attack as he stepped into puddle after puddle. He had to be sharp to ward off the multiple mental incursions. Bridget, who had struck her head on a stalactite, was not so fortunate—she suddenly stretched out her arms. “NO! I’m blind—!”
“Don’t move, Bridge!” Augum slammed his wrists together. “ANNIHILO!” A thick bolt of lightning struck the towering inferno creature, but it seemed to do no damage at all. The beast started coming for them, each step evaporating puddles with a hiss.
Leera slammed her wrists together. “ANNIHILO!” A jet of water shot at the thing, snuffing one of its arms with a loud hiss. Embers and coals fell to the ground as it roared, a guttural sound that sent licks of flame shooting out of its black soot mouth.
Augum shoved at the air before him. “BAKA!” but the fire beast took only a small step back. “Leera—hit its legs!” he shouted as he made his way to Bridget.
Leera slammed her wrists together. “ANNIHILO!” The fierce water blast instantly snuffed out one of its legs with a hiss. The thing toppled to the ground with a guttural roar, but continued to crawl forward. “ANNIHILO!” but she happened to have stepped into a puddle resulting in a wild miss that nearly took Augum’s head off. Wincing from a mind attack, she backtracked to avoid the creature’s fiery swipe—right into another puddle. “Gah!” she said, holding her head with one hand.
“I gotcha, Bridge!” Augum said before grabbing her. She had been hunkering in her blind state, arms sweeping like insect antennae.
