“Here we are,” she says, sweeping her hand towards the mountain as if it has some secret entrance.
“Okay, so what do we do, press our hands against the mountain and a crack forms for us to walk through?” I ask. It seems like the most logical way to cross into a magical cave.
“Um, no. You move the tree aside and walk through,” she says with a sigh.
She takes the tree by the trunk and pulls it back. Behind it, a crack runs along the mountain, no more than five feet tall. A faint green glow comes from within, but the way the mouth of the cave curves, I can’t see what lies inside.
You have found the entrance to the Cave of Enlightenment. Enter at your own risk.
“Well, are you going or not?” she asks.
Not waiting for my response, Carter and Florian enter the cave. I follow them and Kindra pulls up the rear.
The glow intensifies once we turn the first corner and my jaw drops open. Hundreds of crystals adorn the cave walls, jutting out in every direction and emitting their own light. A rainbow emanates as strobes of amethyst, azure, and cerise dance along the walls and ceiling. A tiny spring sprouts beneath our feet and trickles into the depths, where glowing minnows lead us onward.
“This is beautiful,” I say. Neither of them respond. I don’t blame them. In all the worlds I’ve traveled to, I’ve never seen anything quite like this. It feels like there is a presence in this cave that filters into my very being.
Out of nowhere, two balls of light appear in front of us. They remind me of the light in Priscilla’s parlor where her magical herbs grew. The brilliant orbs float through the air, cycling through colors every few seconds. Light projects so fuzzily around it that I’m not sure if the ball is pure light or if there is a creature inside. Whatever it is, my analyze skill doesn’t work on it.
The two orbs float in and out, up and down, and bounce against each other. They swim by me and then Carter as if analyzing us. One stops in front of Florian and simply hovers. When he reaches out to touch it, it zooms away the moment his leafy finger is about to make contact.
The movement of the orbs is fascinating, mesmerizing even. I feel myself losing sight of everything else in the cave and honestly, I don’t care. Something skitters in the darkness, but it doesn’t distract me. The orbs are all that matter. We follow them through the cave system, left, right, left, center, on and on until I could not find my way out if I tried.
Then suddenly, we stop. The tunnel we have been following opens into a cavernous room. A dozen or so new caves open all around us.
The orbs begin circling in a rapid vortex, almost blending together as they swirl. My head begins to clear, and I realize just how out of it I was. Was that part of the plan, to get us so far into the mountain that we couldn’t replicate the process if we wanted?
“Hey, where is Kindra?” I ask. She’s no longer with us. I don’t know where we lost her, either. She could literally be anywhere.
“I don’t think she is supposed to be here for this,” says Carter.
The orbs descend. One in front of each of us. This time, they are a solid, unchanging color. Carter’s is green, and mine a dull violet. The brightness of them dulls and intensifies as they move slowly ahead of us like a beacon waiting for us to follow.
“I think this is how we get magic,” he says.
“We? This was supposed to be your quest. I was never promised magic.”
The violet orb returns and gently pushes against my chest.
“I don’t think you have a choice.”
I watch as Carter follows his orb into one of the tunnels. He disappears inside it and the tunnel sits in darkness once again. My orb waits patiently in front of a tunnel on the other side. Alone with no way of knowing how to exit, it looks like I have no choice but to follow.
Whatever, let’s do this.
I step into the tunnel. It’s much darker than the others with the only source of light coming from the violet orb leading the way. Several rocky formations protrude from the wall, so I take my time navigating each step, careful to avoid being impaled.
“Do you have a name?” I ask. The orb doesn’t respond, but flickers slightly. “Hell, I don’t even know if you are a sentient being.”
The orb glows brighter and floats back towards me, colliding with my head in a quick, fluid motion. A sharp pain draws to my forehead.
“Okay, I’m sorry! Geez. I’m not exactly fluent with the magical creatures of this world. You’re sentient, I get it. Lead the way.”
What a testy little ball of light. I make note to keep comments questioning its cognitive abilities to myself in the future.
I follow the orb along the pathway, wondering what might lay in store. What kind of magic I will choose and what I will do once I have it. I’ve always been partial to fire spells. They look the coolest, but then again, water spells might be nice as well. Truth be told, I’ll be happy with anything. I can’t even begin to imagine what it will be like to learn magic in full-immersion.
The tunnel empties into a smooth, obsidian cavern. The walls are black as night and gleam with the reflection of a small pool in the middle. Glowing minnows swim in circles in the pool’s shallow depths. Everything feels slick and wet, even though the rock is hard and dry.
The orb floats down near the water. It hovers above the pool for a moment and then submerges. Tiny ripples spread across its surface. I can still see the faint violet glow in its depths.
I guess I’m supposed to get inside.
I remove my clothes and dip my toes in. I expect it to be cold, considering the weather outside, but the water is warm, almost hot. It relaxes me the moment I climb in. My feet touch the silty bottom and the water reaches up to my shoulders. The minnows nibble at my toes, and I let my back rest against the pool’s edge.
For a moment, I lose sight of the orb. The minnows begin to swirl rapidly in the pool’s center. So fast that they almost become a blur. They contract closer together until they are the size of the orb. Their glow flares in and out, igniting the pool in a rabid display of light. And then they disappear and the cavern goes dark.
I sit in darkness. Complete darkness. I lose track of time. It could be minutes or hours. The only sounds I hear are my raging heartbeat and the splash of water as I move.
A small swash of purple light shines in the depths of the pool. It grows more vibrant as the orb rises and stops just below the surface. Slowly, deliberately, it moves close to me and I feel uneasy.
The orb presses against my body. It’s cold. Much too cold to have just spent all that time in the warm water. It presses harder and dematerializes. The orb becomes one with my body and an electric madness flows through me. Power courses through me—real, true power—and then everything goes black.
Chapter Nineteen
Adventurer, you have unlocked the magical secrets of The Broken Lands. Based on your actions, both inward and outward, the gods have determined you an Enchanter. Enchantment magic is both complex and ancient. You will learn just how complex in time. Your magic is forever entwined with the items which unlock it, for without items, your magic has no power.
Level 1 Enchanter: You may enchant items with your mana, giving them special characteristics or abilities. Enchantments are broken when an item is destroyed, discarded, or mana depleted. Power of enchantments are dependent on your level and mana usage. Items cannot contain more than one enchantment at a time.
Skill: Enchanting Eye. Focusing on an item will provide possible enchantment paths.
A soft glow returns to the cavern. The minnows drift aimlessly through the pool. The orb is gone. Inside of me, I suppose. Perhaps it was the embodiment of magic.
I’m an enchanter. I’m not sure of the full ramifications of that, but the system said it was based on my choices. Just like everything else in this world, apparently. If enchanting is anything like in Pangea, then it means I can use magic to make my items stronger.
I search for my pack in the dim lighting of the cavern. The meta
l of my shield catches the light and I spot it in the corner. I focus on the shield and a wall of text appears in my vision.
Item. Steel targe shield. +5 armor. 9 lbs
Possible enchantments:
Block: Shield blocks next physical attack. Cost: 50 mana per attack.
Featherweight: (Permanent) Weight of shield decreases by 90%. Initial cost: 100 mana, then 5 mana per minute while active.
Both of those are cool. The Featherweight skill in particular would make it much more maneuverable and raise the offensive potential a great deal, but that’s almost half of my mana on one enchantment. If I were an assassin or a warrior who made all of my items featherweight, that would be a heck of an advantage in a fight. One hundred mana to permanently unlock that isn’t bad either. The only issue is the constant mana drain while the enchantment is active. Hopefully, I can find a way to increase my mana pool. I wonder if those are the only two options, though. Are there other possible enchantments that aren’t being shown to me?
I try to focus on the shield. On things I wish it could do. The dark tunnel to my left reminds me that I am going to have to find my way out of here. It would be a hell of a lot easier with a light. I push my mental energy into the shield and it starts to glow. I focus my thoughts more and the glow switches to only the front of the shield. I push harder and the glow ignites the cavern.
Congratulations! You have created Shield of Light! May it guide you through the darkness. This is a permanent enchantment costing 100 mana. Do you accept? Y/N
I accept.
One hundred mana disappears, then it slowly begins regenerating. It replenishes at a snail’s pace compared to other worlds I’m used to.
Congratulations! You have learned the skill: Innovator. You can now create unique enchantments.
Ha! That was awesome! I run my arm through the handles on the back of the shield and it lights everything in front of me. Not to mention it might come in handy blinding an opponent in a fight. I focus on the shield and the light goes away. I change my focus and it switches on and off like a lightbulb. I can even control the brightness, all the way from a dull glow to eye-scorching.
I find my clothes and dress. There is no way I’ll be able to find my way out of this mountain on my own, but I have to try. Somewhere out there in this maze of rock and rubble, Carter and Kindra are trying to find their way out as well.
Before I go, I focus on my sword and two enchantments show up beneath its stats.
Item. Bronze short sword. +3 damage. 1.5 lbs
Possible enchantments:
Venom: Each attack deals a bonus 1% poison damage per second. Stacks up to five times. Initial cost: 100 mana, then 10 mana per attack.
Twilight Blade: (Permanent) Sword gains 5% lifesteal per attack. Initial cost: 100 mana, then 10 mana per attack.
It’s not much of a choice which one to pick. With only one small piece of bread to heal me, I need the lifesteal in case I run into any creatures on my way out. My mana will be incredibly low after I make this enchantment, so I’ll need to make sure I put the rest of my mana to good use.
My stat page shows that I used up two hundred of my mana enchanting the two items. Mana regenerates at twenty mana per minute. At its current rate, I could regenerate to full mana in ten minutes if I don’t attack anything. That’s practically unheard of in Pangea, where mana can regenerate in a tenth of that time, sometimes less. If everyone else’s mana works the same way, it will mean magic works a lot differently here. There will be no spamming spells. Everything will have to be well thought out and planned.
I walk through the cavern towards where I imagine the most logical escape route is. Nothing looks familiar. Crystals catch the light of my shield and refract upon the ceiling and walls. Its stunningly beautiful, but offers me no guidance.
At each fork, I take the farthest tunnel to the right. It’s a bad decision, but what else can I do? I try to look at the map Priscilla drew me, but it shows nothing inside the cave. Not even my own location. I’m going to need a miracle to get out of here.
While I walk, I continue to test out my enchantment abilities, but I make sure not to accept anything. There are spells that turn the floor to ice, the walls to mirrors, and even the option to create imaginary barriers. I’m going to be able to have a lot of fun with my magic class. With my innovator skill, there won’t be anything I can’t do if I have the imagination and mana.
I take the tunnel to the right and two eyes reflect my light in the depth of the cavern. They stare at me, unblinking.
Now is not the time to fight. I run back the way I came.
The thud of heavy paws racing down the stone floor carries through the tunnel. Why couldn’t it just leave me alone?
By the sound of the creature’s gait, I can tell I’ll never outrun it. I turn to fight and right as I do, something heavy crashes into my shield. Light refracts around the cavern. Through the creature and beyond. A crystal bear stands on top of my shield, pinning me to the ground. It swats at my head and I barely dodge the blow. Shards of crystal poke out from its back like a porcupine. The light from my shield ignites the bear in a blaze of glory. Its eyes are a dark, soulless obsidian.
I try to push the bear away, but it weighs too much. My muscles burn as I push them to their limits, barely holding the shield at bay from crushing my body. Each second that passes, it becomes harder to breathe.
“Ungh.” I try to roll over, to gain any sort of leverage, but it doesn’t come. Not knowing what else to do, I focus on my pack that’s trapped between my back and the ground. I don’t care what enchantment options it has. A bottomless pack doesn’t interest me right now. I need the bear off me before it rips my head off!
Pushing all but a fraction of my mana to my pack, I urge it to rocket me off the ground.
Less than a second later, an enormous pain sends the edges of my vision black and launches me and the bear into the air. We smash into the ceiling amid the sound of broken crystal. The bear lets out a loud yelp. I fall to the ground and stars dance across my vision. Panicking, I search for my sword amongst the rubble of broken crystals.
I find it buried to the hilt and dive for it just as the bear regains its senses. The bear swipes at me again, but this time, my blade slashes against its arm, deflecting the blow and replenishing a fraction of my health.
The tough, crystalline skin of the bear doesn’t take much damage, but the swing keeps my head attached to my shoulders. I get in a few more hits that clink off the bear’s hide, each hit replenishing my health by a small amount. The bear shakes its paws in anger and I step away.
The explosion of my pack and the attacks have depleted my mana completely. It’ll be close to two minutes before I have enough for another enchantment, so I do what I can.
I run.
Bringing my sword down with all my might as I pass, I hit the bear over the head. Any normal creature would be bloody and bruised, but not this bear. The sword clamors against a lilac ear and the bear’s obsidian eyes go lazy for a moment. I use the distraction to gain as much distance as possible while the bear is stunned.
Barreling down the tunnel, the light from my shield ignites the way. It doesn’t take long before I hear the bear’s footsteps thundering behind me.
Without enough mana to enchant more than a rock, the only option I have is to fight. Unless…
I sheath my sword as I run and pull my pack from my shoulder. Pulling out the bread and fairy dust, I uncork the vial and spread it liberally on my last sustenance. The dust glitters like sprinkles on a cupcake.
You have created a new item.
Sleeping Biscuit. Effect: eating this item grants immediate sleep.
The bear is right behind me when I toss the biscuit over my shoulder and hope for the best. A moment later, I notice that the only sounds are my own footsteps clicking upon the tunnel floor.
I come to a stop and listen.
Silence.
And then a deep rattling honk drones from down the cavern. It rises
and falls, repeating over and over.
It actually worked. The bear is fast asleep!
I could use the opportunity to get further away from the creature, but the experience is practically waiting for me while the bear slumbers away. This world is hard and painful enough. I need to take advantage of the situation. Now is not the time to be squeamish.
I make my way down the tunnel to find the slumbering bear face-down with a half-eaten piece of bread still hanging in its mouth. Potent stuff.
Bijou Bear. This rare crystalline creature is found near potent magical sources. Long believed to be a source of good luck, the crystal furs of these creatures are known to fetch a high price in magical markets.
Talk about good luck. Assuming I can carry the fur, it’ll make a great bargaining chip.
I’m normally not one to take an opponent unaware, but I don’t see any other way. If I leave the creature here, he could track me down later on. Considering I don’t know how the hell I’m getting out of here yet, the last thing I want is to die alone in this cave.
I lean my shield against the cave wall, casting the bear in light. I lift my sword over my head with both hands and prepare to swing. There’s something about the way the light travels through the bear, igniting the geometric patterns of its crystallized muscles, that makes the creature look regal. Like it’s carved out of stone.
The bear snorts and moves a paw. If I’m going to do this, I have to do it now. There’s no time to waste.
My sword crashes against the bear’s neck with a sickening crunch. Crystal shards splinter through the cave and the bear stumbles to its feet. Its obsidian eyes are barely open and it sways back and forth. I bring the sword down again, this time forming a crack along the bear’s neckline. It grunts in pain and I swing the sword again. The crack widens and the rainbow of color fades from the bear’s head, turning the crystal a milky white. The bear lashes out at me, but falls to the ground. I drive the sword into the crevice forming in its neck and pry with all my might. There’s a loud crack and my sword breaks in half, but not before the bear’s head tumbles to the ground.
Pangea Online: The Complete Trilogy Page 39
