Trial and Flame

by Kevin Murphy

  The legend Mina uncovered was historically referred to as Hadens’ Sacrifice due to the tragic end of its heroes, but the tale seemed to hardly include any information at all on the Hadens. It mostly conveyed a dark hour in human history—emphasizing the dire circumstances of man. Relic hunters had even given the legend a more colloquial name. They dubbed it ‘The Felling.’ The tale was one of triumph at any cost.

  A very long time ago, there was an empire with a name so synonymous with success that it needed not be mentioned. Through a cruel twist of fate, that enormity of success is precisely why its name was never properly recorded in any surviving accounts of the story. There was plenty of information on an old empire which had been considered the peak of prosperity famed for uniting the entire continent of Validesh known as the Valin Empire—so, many easily assumed that the empire mentioned within the story must be Valin, but critics of that theory warned that there was no hard connection to be found. It was just as likely that The Felling’s empire never existed at all.

  The story’s mighty empire had been beset by a calamity in the form of a single, power-corrupted being—a creature named Fell—which had transcended the bonds of mortality through its quest for ever-increasing power. Fell, a mage rumored to have been a man once himself, ensnared the minds of men and marched them en masse to his lair in the mountains where they would patiently stand in neat rows to be flayed, experimented on, then consumed.

  At first, those with any sort of power believed that the existence of Fell was merely a rumor designed to spook the peasantry, but over time the creature killed so many through its foul harvest that its existence could no longer be denied. Fell’s consumption eventually grew more efficient as it gained more power, and the creature needed to be dealt with. An imperial bounty was placed on the creature’s head. When no one could collect despite dramatic increases in the reward, official hunting parties were formed and went missing. Raid after raid was mounted against the corrupted mage, but all attempts to slay the fiend failed. It had grown far too strong through its long period of constant, undisturbed feeding.

  Mankind’s attempts to stop the evil being seemed to only whet its appetite further. Rather than grow sated, the villain’s hunger was stoked as it feasted on the extra lives sent to try and stop it. Then, with a better understanding of its power, Fell sought to slake its thirst by bewitching larger and larger numbers to march themselves to their demise. It was clear that the empire needed to try something new, so the emperor beseeched the gods themselves on behalf of his people.

  The emperor met directly with one of the 10 gods—though which one is never mentioned. When appealing to the god for aid, the emperor spoke of mankind’s mistake—of how they had waited until it was too late. He insisted that Fell needed to be stopped by divine power before the creature became so fearsome that even they could not stop him. Rather than aid his people, the emperor’s words had disastrous effect. The deity was incensed by the emperor’s insolence. The gods were well aware of Fell’s growing influence, but they scoffed at the presumption that a lowly creature could ever match their deific might through any means. Mankind could find their own solution.

  For the next half-year, the realms of man were plunged deeper into darkness. When mankind could not take it anymore—and well beyond the date that they should have done so—they swallowed their pride and sought the help of the dwarves. To their great relief, the dwarven master craftsmen had a solution. Though in true dwarven fashion, the solution came with a hefty cost.

  Along with the highest magics wielded by man, the dwarves forged an orb with one simple, incredibly powerful ability. The orb emitted a heat that swelled hotter and hotter indefinitely the longer that it was held. If it could be held onto long enough, it could theoretically kill anything—mortals, fiends, and gods alike. The problem was that for the orb’s power to continue to grow, it needed to be held at all times. If its contact with bare flesh was ever interrupted, the orb’s state would reset, making the weapon a horrible double-edged sword.

  Though there were several others among their ranks, one clan in particular is remembered as the volunteers who took the brunt of the burden of the orb upon their shoulders. That clan was named House Haden, and their decision to do so was seen as a selfless one. Until then, they were among the few families in the land that had been mostly untouched by Fell’s hunger.

  The greatest mages of the realm focused their magics on shielding the Hadens’ minds as they marched to Fell’s mountain dwelling. As they approached, House Haden passed the orb from person to person to keep its strength growing. It wasn’t long until the artifact became so hot that its wielder wouldn’t survive even a second of its touch—which is where the legend of Hadens’ Sacrifice earned its name.

  The Hadens made it their final act to receive and pass along the orb before its heat consumed them—receiving the sphere from a dying clansman, only to fall while passing it on to kill the next. Through a miracle which many suspect can only be explained as intervention by the gods that had seemed to have forsaken them, House Haden managed to pass the orb straight to Fell where it was shoved into the creature’s chest—melting through any magical defenses which the fiend had prepared. Fell was slain along with the entire adult line of House Haden.

  The party listened to Mina as the story drew to its close. The legend was one of overcoming odds, but it was also one of tragedy, of loss, and of suffering. The group was not filled with hope as they anticipated the upcoming challenge.

  “So then,” said Cline. “This room is marked ‘perseverance,’ huh? Do you think we’ll face peril like those guys in the story?”

  “Seems like it,” Roth said with a sigh as he walked to the door. Despite his apparent reticence, he moved to the opening quickly. “Well, we’d better get it done with. By the looks of it there’s only one chamber after this one.”

  “Hey, wait up—” Dakkon began to say, but stopped as Roth placed his hand on the door. The door slid sideways into the left wall. Ahead was the first room that seemed perilous even before they entered into it.

  Wary to place themselves in danger, but now on the clock since the door was open, the party glanced into the room which was empty save for two central pedestals—one of which held up a raised orb. With no immediate threat in sight, they hurried inside, and the door slid closed behind them.

  The group approached the pedestals cautiously, but they didn’t see or trigger any traps. Atop the left pedestal, a metallic orb of about the size of a small bowling ball rested atop three metal prongs.

  The right pedestal had the same three metal prongs and was wholly identical to the left in all other aspects save for the lack of the metallic orb and a discrepancy in carvings at the top of each pedestal—just below the three metal prongs.

  The image on the left pedestal portrayed itself with nothing atop the three prongs, while the image on the right pedestal depicted the ball atop its three prongs with straight beams of light streaming out of it in all directions—just as the orb had appeared within the hero’s hands on the mural just outside of the chamber. The party took their time making sure nothing else was hidden in the room to aid them. It appeared that it was simply them, the pedestals, and the orb.

  “You guys don’t think that could be the orb from the story, do you?” Cline asked.

  “No way,” said Melee. “That orb would have to be incredibly valuable. What’re the odds we’d find it here?”

  “Where better to hide a powerful artifact than in a tower of trials?” commented Roth with a shrug. “But, if it is that orb, I really doubt we’re walking out of here with it. It’ll probably kill us if we try—or maybe it’s just a copy that’ll simply turn to dust like the gold and gems did in the last room.”

  “If that is the same orb, perhaps we need to hold it as it juices up, then drop it on the second stand?” Dakkon thought aloud.

  “Unlikely,” Mina said. “If it was the orb from the story, it shouldn’t retain any heat once it leaves contact with ski
n. It shouldn’t be able to glow as depicted without someone touching it.”

  “Maybe it’s just the artist’s own rendition? Either way, we can find out with a touch,” said Roth. “There’s no telling whether or not it’s a trap to do so, though.”

  “Bah, there’s nothing else in this room,” said Melee. “Go ahead and poke at it.”

  Roth looked a little anxious to do anything of the sort, but eventually he moved up to the orb. Holding out his right index finger, he made contact with it. For a second, nothing seemed to happen. Then, suddenly, the sphere began to hum. Roth reflexively pulled his hand away from the item and the humming stopped. “It got warm,” he said.

  “Well, at least we know it’s not a trap designed to kill us if we don’t persevere in holding onto it,” Mina said with a sigh.

  Cline gulped uneasily. He had failed to consider that particular avenue of peril.

  “Looks like the orb mimics the one from the story,” Dakkon said. “Pick it up for a minute and see if it cools instantly when dropped.

  Roth picked up the orb and held it for 30 seconds as it hummed—at which point he had to set it back down as it had become too hot to hold. Right after Roth dropped the humming orb, it quieted and Melee immediately touched it.

  “Cold metal,” Melee said.

  “All right,” said Dakkon. “In that case, I’m gonna go out on a limb and suppose I can’t just dump heat magic into it. Still, it’s got to be worth a shot. I’ll put a heat node on one side—tell me if it heats up on the other.”

  Dakkon placed a hotspot on the front of the sphere, indicating where it was to the rest of the party. Then, he poured his mana into heating it.

  After 30 seconds of heating, Melee placed her hand on the other side of the orb and shook her head. “It’s chill to the touch.”

  Dakkon immediately dropped his concentration on the ability. “Figures,” he said.

  “Well, how’re we supposed to know when the sphere’s at the right heat to put it on the other pedestal?” Cline asked.

  “I say we just move the orb to the second pedestal and heat it there,” Mina said. “That way we won’t have to fuss about passing it around—it’ll just be right there to trigger the trial’s end whenever we meet the conditions.”

  “Sounds like a good idea providing that’s not what triggers the trap,” Roth said. He picked up the orb and held it for around 20 seconds. “Catch,” he said as he tossed the ball to Dakkon. As it left Roth’s fingers, the orb ceased its mild humming. When Dakkon caught it, it was cold to the touch.

  “Just passing it through the air cools it back down, too,” Dakkon thought aloud.

  “Bummer, no hot potato,” commented Roth. “Well, go ahead and plunk it on that pedestal.”

  Dakkon felt like potentially triggering a trap was an unnecessary risk that could be avoided—still, Mina was right. They had no idea what temperature they’d need to get the orb to, and having it sit where they assumed it needed to be was a good way to address that. The orb hummed and grew hotter in his hands. After a reluctant sigh, Dakkon stepped forward and tried to place the orb atop the second pedestal—but found that he couldn’t. As though he were attempting to press the north poles of two powerful magnets together, the orb slipped away through the air when it came near to docking. Then, the orb grew so intolerably hot that Dakkon chose to set it back down on its original stand.

  “I couldn’t move it over,” Dakkon said. “Magic of some sort.”

  “Obviously,” Melee said, waving her left hand around, dismissively. Despite the fact that they were standing in a magical world, Dakkon found the way that she could discount new, unknown magical forces so easily a little disconcerting.

  “The story said that once the orb was hot enough it broke through Fell’s magical defenses,” said Cline. “So, maybe once we get it hot enough we can just set it down?”

  Mina smiled, having come to the same conclusion. “Sounds about right to me. Okay then, I think we should strategize a little. It’s probably best for Roth or Melee to hold onto the orb—passing it back and forth whenever it gets unbearable. I can heal you guys up and Dakkon will keep you cool as a cucumber.”

  Roth and Melee agreed with nods. They were the right pair for the job, having the largest health pools by a sizable margin.

  “I’m not so sure that I can keep you guys cool through the heat of some legendary weapon,” Dakkon said. “I’ve had my cold shield blasted off me in the past. Still, I think I can contribute somewhat. I’ll make a large block of ice to keep your hands on when not in contact with the orb. It’ll suck, but probably less so than the burning.”

  Roth’s face twisted into a grimace. “Please do,” he said.

  Dakkon used his Dousebinders and thermomantic prowess to erect an obelisk of frost just a little taller than Roth was, and thrice as wide. He wanted to make sure that they’d have enough ice for their ordeal, even if that meant going a little overboard with the preparations.

  “Let’s do this,” Roth said once the preparations were in order. He reached forward and picked up the orb, then held it in his left hand as he rested his right upon the block of ice. After 30 seconds had passed, he switched the orb to his right hand then began cooling his left. “Good call on the ice, Dakkon. It helps!”

  “Glad to hear it,” Dakkon said with a nod.

  Roth grimaced as his hit points began to slowly drop. The orb thrummed with energy. Melee held out her hand, ready to take the orb, but Roth shook his head. “I want to see how long I can hold it,” he said.

  Melee let her arm fall and Roth swapped his hands again as he endured the burning pain.

  At about a minute in, the orb had taken on a minor, reddish glow and hummed a little louder. Roth was at half health. Mina took that as her cue to heal the warrior. She began her usual chant, but as she finished, Roth wasn’t bathed in blue light.

  “Drop the orb!” Mina shouted.

  Roth obliged. He tried to set the orb upon the second pedestal, but when it refused to be seated, he quickly set the orb back onto the first where it instantly dimmed and quieted.

  Everyone looked to Mina as she finished another chant, then a bright blue light covered Roth, rejuvenating him. Mina sighed with relief.

  “Thanks, Mina,” Roth said, “but, what’s the deal?”

  Mina looked thoughtful for a moment. “I couldn’t heal you while you were holding the orb. I’m not sure if it’s the orb’s doing or some aspect of the trial, but I’m going to need you to pass the orb at around 60 percent HP and I’ll see if I can heal you then. If we’re lucky, it’s just the orb mucking up any magic that would affect its wielder.”

  “Got it,” Roth said. “Should we start over?”

  “Yeah,” replied Mina. “Let me regenerate back to 100 percent mana. We may need it.”

  After a few minutes, it was clear that they were no longer regenerating health or mana. Dakkon felt that he should’ve noticed earlier, but he’d had little experience going hungry in a world where food was so inexpensive, tasty, and plentiful. They had been without food since the very first room had flooded. What hadn’t been ruined by water had been shoved into drain holes beneath the basins in a desperate attempt to stop them all from drowning. Mina would have to manage the remainder of her mana with utmost skill and care if they wanted to have any chance of progressing. Despite that, the lack of regeneration didn’t panic the party largely due to utmost confidence in their healer. Situations like this allowed Mina to display her brilliance. In matters of controlling variables, if it was something that could be managed, she would manage it.

  Once Mina had determined exactly how many casts of various healing spells she could muster depending on the situation, they began the trial again. Roth picked up the orb in one hand and rested the other on the pillar of ice—next to Melee’s. By the time the orb had begun to glow dimly, Roth passed it onto Melee who grimaced from the initial pain of coming into contact with it. The orb continued to glow. Seconds later—much to everyo
ne’s relief—Roth successfully received Mina’s heal.

  It was Melee’s turn to battle with the heat of the orb. The orbs humming grew higher pitched. Though it had only been heating for about a minute, the pain had become almost intolerable.

  “Wow, Roth,” Melee said through gritted teeth. “I didn’t realize you were such glutton for punishment.”

  Roth smiled at the odd compliment as he cooled both hands on the ice. “Just let me know when you need to switch,” he said.

  Dakkon tried to cool his teammates’ hands further, but the magic of the orb—or perhaps even the raw heat—made his efforts futile. Melee held the orb for 20 seconds before her health was just below 60 percent, then handed the orb back to Roth, who forsook his cool demeanor the second he grabbed onto the glowing red orb. What he was doing clearly hurt.

  Mina healed Melee as quickly as she could, and Cline stepped up to place both of his hands upon the ice obelisk.

  “What’re you doing?” Melee asked.

  “I can’t do much else,” Cline said. “So, I’ll help by passing the orb between you two. You won’t be able to do it one handed for much longer—judging by the looks on your faces.”

  Melee nodded that she understood.

  Dakkon saw that it was something which he could do as well, so he stepped up to the ice monolith on the side opposite of Cline. “Just keep it going around in a circle,” he said. “I’ll take this side.”