When Nina woke them up it felt, and looked, as if she had just closed her eyes to rest. Her morning meditation to gather power for the day was more difficult than usual but she had expected as such. Packing up their small camp took a short time and soon they were on their way eating a special type of bread that had been prepared for their journey. It was a thick hearty bread with nuts and berries and special spices prepared by the elves.
A few bites of it could fill the belly of an adult and it tasted good but Rose had a want for steak and dune roots above all else. Thinking of the vine-like plant that grew in the sand made her wish for her books and simple life. That sort of comfort food would have to wait until they returned. She doubted she could get it in the elven city anyway; they were mainly vegetarians from what she had seen.
The tired day turned in to a tired night and soon the days began to bleed together and they slowed their progress to rest more and gather their strength before the true test of their journey. While the week did pass slowly it was not nearly as slow as she would have liked. On the final day the ruins loomed before them from atop a slight rise in the forest floor, it came as both a welcome and unwelcome sight.
~~~~
Nina had climbed up into a tall tree to survey the distant overgrown stones. The sun coming over the horizon had given her quite a view of nothing. To Rose, something about looking at those ancient stones told her to turn back and return from whence she had come. They had come too far though and too many people were depending on them for a ray of hope. The trek through the hilly area brought them to the outer wall of their destination.
Before them stood a massive structure made out of stones as large as a man, they were bone white and sealed together with a reddish mixture. Through the years plant life had grown among and around the stones, choking them with a thick coat of green. Where a gate once stood were the shards of a once-strong wooden door now rotten and lying to the side of the main street. Every building was built in the same manner, tall square buildings with sloped roofs and missing doors. In the center of the ruins stood what looked to be the foundation of a great keep of some sort. As they walked through the door Rose felt a strange sensation come over her. “There's our destination, I can feel it.”
“How can you be so sure?” Liostro questioned her with an arched eyebrow.
“I can feel it somehow, it's hard to explain.” Rose noticed that Liostro had drawn his blade at some point during their approach. The naked black sword glinted almost hungrily in the overhead sun. Rose took a cue from him and drew her sword only, keeping her other hand empty. She wanted a hand free for casting her spells.
As Nina walked on she noticed that the cobblestones under their feet were still almost fully visible, a thought occurred to her. “If this place is so ancient, why hasn't it grown over more? There are a few trees, some plants and vines but mostly on the outside.”
“I think it's some sort of protective magic woven about the place.” Rose looked around at the large square buildings as they walked and reached out with her senses trying to get a feel for the city. Something unseen but familiar was all around them. “The same wards that protect your city are all around us.”
“In this place? Why would elven magic be protecting this city? It's not a city built by the elves.” Nina looked around as if to make sure then turned back to Rose and Liostro who were walking in front of her. She pulled her sword and dagger from their sheaths and held them low before her.
“It's puzzling but it may explain why the artifacts are here, maybe someone put them here for protection?” Rose speculated while shrugging her shoulders. Steadily they were approaching the base of the ruined keep and as they got closer Rose felt the reassurance that this was the right direction for them to take. The foundation was still partially intact so they could not see above the half-crumbled walls of the place but the main door led into a courtyard that was clear of debris. Confused, Rose turned around to view the stones around them and gasped. The stones were all cut at a circular angle as if sheered upward and out giving the impression that the top half of the keep had been cut off and removed. “Curious.”
“Very.” Liostro piped in suddenly as she started approaching the stones. “But can we get the artifacts and get the hell out of here?”
“Honestly I second that.” Nina nodded her consent to the action.
“Alright, I'll worry about it later.” Rose followed them as they began heading toward the interior of the keep and the main entrance. The archway was carved with gargoyles and other ghastly figures, which also gave purchase to the fact that this city did not seem elven in make. As they crossed the threshold Rose looked around the broken room to find herself standing in some sort of foyer, large and open. The stone benches around them had shreds of rotten fabric still hanging here and there lending to the fact that the city was old. As they walked through the stone-floored room into the next area Rose noted that this place had a look similar to the council chambers of the elves. An eerie feeling washed over her while they were walking toward the far side of the room. “Nina, do you see what I see?”
“I do, this place is just like the council chamber back home, spitting image.” Nina was looking around in wonder just as Rose had, taking note of the lack of differences between the two. “I don't understand, still.”
“We can ponder it later. Rose, where do you think we should go now?” Liostro was obviously getting agitated but she did not know why.
“Below us, directly below us.” She looked down at the stone floor and then around the room, spying a staircase down to the far left of their position. “There.”
The underbelly of the keep was a far cry from the open council chamber. It was damp and dark, uncomfortably so. Nina conjured a cluster of floating lights using a bit of the magic she had stored for the day. The stairs spiraled downward for a little while finally coming to rest at a small chamber. The chamber had four pillars; one in each corner stretching all the way to the top of the ceiling and every one of them was carved with the visage of hundreds of small heads screaming in eternal agony. They were of a strange red stone and the floor was a shining black looking as if it were brand new.
“I don't like the look of this room.” Nina said while looking around like a tourist.
“It feels wrong.” Rose hesitated to step down onto the floor but seeing Liostro striding across the room to the single door forced her to go along. She set foot down on it and sighed in relief when nothing bad happened. The center of the floor had an intricate circular carving with turns and twists that overlapped and looped over each other in several ways. The craftsmanship was astounding. Taking a path around the carving Rose approached the door. The surface of the portal was of the same stone as the floor with skulls carved in the manner as the pillars. They were all resting in holes of varying sizes. The skulls ranged from human sized down to a few that would fit in the palm of their hands and they were all out of order.
“So we just rearrange these right?” Liostro said as he reached out to grab one.
Rose quickly grabbed his arm before he could touch one of the skulls and looked him over; wondering what had spawned the change in his attitude. He had gone from being cautious to being reckless all at once. For a moment she stared at him and searched his eyes. “Who are you?”
“What? You know me.” Liostro said in a shocked tone.
“Very good acting up until now.” Rose backed away from the impostor and looked over to Nina, wondering if she was the same. Rose drew her other blade and squared off with the two of them, ready to shape magic if she needed to. “What's going on here?”
“You are a resilient one my dear, quite the fighter.” A deep bass voice sounded from Liostro's throat. “I'm surprised you keep resisting me.”
“Too fast, Liostro is a cautious man.” Rose aimed her blade at whoever was posing as Liostro and her dagger at Nina. “He would never jump into something without thinking first.”
“You knew something was amiss though.” The othe
rworldly voice challenged her.
“I did, even before his behavior.” Rose nodded and waved her sword in a dismissing gesture. “So let’s cut to the chase, who are you and what do you want from me?”
“My name is of no consequence and even if I told you I doubt you would remember it. It's taken me weeks to get this deep into your mind actually. Quite a feat for someone so unskilled as a mentalist.” The poser suddenly looked at her menacingly and snarled as the world began to darken and go black. “No, you will not escape my grasp!”
~~~~
In the distance she could hear the soft plopping of water-on-water, it was a steady drip that soon revealed an echo as well. Every inch of her body ached as if she had not moved in some time. Though her eyes were open she could not see anything, complete blackness ruled her surroundings.
It was natural for her to feel panic because she could not move her arms or legs. Every struggle resounded off the unseen walls around her so she decided to remain quiet for the moment. Once she had gathered her wits she thought back to something Leonidus had taught her, the ability to shape her magic. Since she could not move her hands she had to concentrate hard. It took a long time with many failures for her to finally form the magic properly and slide what felt like lenses over her eyes. Slowly the room took shape and she found herself tied to a rather uncomfortable stone chair.
The area around her was nondescript; stone walls carved smooth with nothing in the room but her and the chair but she could not see behind her. She had guessed that the door to the room was back there from the sound of the dripping water echoing about the room. Rose stopped to gather her thoughts. Her clothing was still intact but she did not have her weapons or pack. Her shoes had also been removed for some reason. As she looked down at them she noticed that the chair was actually built into the floor, as if the room had been carved from one big block of stone.
Fearing someone would hear her she kept her mouth shut and tried not to move much while she began to think. It would take some effort to get out of whatever was restraining her. It felt rubbery and slick but tight against her wrists. She could still feel her hands though so it wasn't so tight that she couldn't move her fingers around. Her legs were secured as well.
Rose rocked her shoulders back and forth trying to slip the bonds off of her wrists, a sharp pain greeted her but she ignored it. For a long time she endured the piercing discomfort that shot up her arms but she finally succumbed. Her struggling ceased and she sighed as quietly as she could. Once she felt the pain subsiding she tried again, grunting as inaudibly as possible as she felt the stinging discomfort starting again. It felt as if something was digging into her wrists. It must have been a while before she was able to finally free her hands. A wet plopping noise resounded throughout the room.
Rose brought her hands around and stared in horror at circular wounds carved into the flesh of her hands and wrists, they seemed to be superficial so they were closing before her eyes. Leaning down she gasped and almost retched if her stomach didn't feel empty. Secured to her legs was a dark purple creature that pulsated and writhed, it looked like some sort of tentacle with circular suckers on it. As she peeled the thing away she noted that it had small bone protrusions on each of the orifices supposedly to penetrate flesh. She pitched the wiggling appendage away and fought the urge to scream.
Rose took a few seconds to calm down and stood up slowly, instantly she felt a bit of dizziness and the tense feeling in her muscles signifying that she had indeed been stationary for some time. Her natural healing was making short work of that though. Rose turned around to find the entrance to the room covered by a stone lattice. “How did they get me in here if the door is built into the room?”
“Magic I suppose.” Her whispering was still louder than she had intended but she approached the door anyway, looking through the holes between the thick stone bars longingly. She did not think she could affect something so large in a short amount of time. Movement outside caught her eye and she quickly returned to the chair, sitting down where she had been. As an afterthought she grabbed the wiggling tentacles and tried to put them out of sight in front of the chair legs.
“I know you're awake.” A course, gravelly voice sounded out from the portal. “And I can see that you have shed your restraints. Stay where you are while I open the door.”
Rose heard a gentle hum for a moment then turned around and looked at the speaker. He was tall and muscular, looking exactly like a human but he had dark gray skin and pure white eyes. She knew he was looking at her though, he was not blind. His most amazing feature was a shock of dark red hair on his head hanging down past his shoulders and bushy red facial hair that covered almost his entire face. On his wrists and ankles he wore intricately engraved shackles that were chained together with plenty of slack but as he moved the chain dragging on the ground between his legs made no noise.
The tall dark-skinned humanoid motioned with his hand and the door reformed behind him as if it had never moved. It seemed to almost melt together, powerful magic indeed. “I am the keeper. You should not be awake; we have never had anyone wake up from the master's pull.”
“I'm different.” She said simply as she regarded the man that seemed to be a prisoner as well. His clothing was tattered and ragged as if it had never been changed. As a nervous tick she turned the ring she wore on her finger a few times. “It seems you are a prisoner here as well.”
“I have been here since I was a youngling.” He nodded his head in consent and held out the shackles as if presenting her a better visual. “I nourish and care for the prisoners here.”
“How did I get here? Where exactly am I?” She said softly, looking around the room as if she expected the answers to be carved into the walls. “Where are my friends?”
“You were brought in by the demons that own this place several weeks ago, you are deep below the earth and you were brought in alone and unconscious.” He stood there looking at her curiously for a moment. “I have never seen one of your kind before, what are you?”
“I was just thinking the same thing. I am a naarabian, and my name Rose.” She smiled and extended her hand for him, when he stared at it curiously she laughed. “It is a custom where I am from to shake hands when you greet another person.”
“Ah, well then greetings to you. My name is Ruckus, and I am a kurenai.” He shook her hand gingerly then leaned against the stone wall behind him. “I have heard stories about your kind, the ancients. I did not think any still existed. It is a shame I must put you back under.”
“Please don't.” Rose pleaded more than said. “Let me go, come with me!”
“I cannot. These shackles bind me to the service of my masters and it has been as such since they captured me when I was young. I do not even remember my own name, just the one they gave me because I created such a ruckus when they brought me here.” He shrugged his shoulders and stared at her for a moment.
“Talk with me for little while then first?” She said from her seat in the chair. “What are those things that were holding me?”
“They are called molluskids, they are a symbiotic parasite. Their venom enfeebles and keeps creatures in sleep. They help with blood flow and keep the host alive just as the host nourishes them.” He motioned toward the now-still creature with one hand. “When they do not have a host they lie dormant until one comes closer. Then they attach themselves and begin feeding.”
“You are a kurenai?” Rose inquired curiously. “I have never heard of your kind before this day, not even in my books and short-lived travels.”
“We are a peaceful, quiet people. We like to keep to ourselves most times. The only problems we had in the past were demons and the infernis elves.” He looked around the room for a moment. “Obviously I fell to the demon side of the spectrum when I was taken.”
“Rose, you are different from the others here. Many are bad people and creatures not fit to walk the earth anyway. I still say it is a shame to put you back under.” He lumbered toward
her. “Please do not fight, I do not wish to harm you.”
“What if I can remove the shackles?” She said quickly as he approached her. She closed her eyes for a moment and shifted them into the spectrum of magic just like Leonidus had taught her but when she opened her eyes she was blinded for a moment by the brightness of the room around her. The shackles in particular were very radiant. “I think I can remove them Ruckus.”
“Hope is something I shed long ago young one. Your pleas will do nothing for you.” He shook his head and subsequently his shaggy beard and continued approaching her.
Rose let her eyes shift back again and thought to her training with Leonidus. He had taught her how to control the amount of magic she absorbed and from where but she had never attempted to drain a magical item before. As he came closer she grabbed the chain between his shackles and forced her body to pull the magic from the enchanted items. It fed her slowly at first but steadily it grew to a strong flow. She reached her usual capacity quickly but she continued on, feeling the burning sensation within her body. Rose fell to her knees and sobbed softly against the growing intensity within her. “Oh gods it burns.”
“Stop! Stop this!” Ruckus shouted as a humming drone echoed through the room and threatened to deafen them both. “I will be punished!”
“No.” Rose replied with determination as she gritted her teeth. “You will be free.”
Finally the shackles unlocked and fell to the ground leaving a stunned Ruckus staring at her in wonder. The burning inside of her was intense but nothing like what had happened in the desert when she had gained her freedom. Rose grunted and bowled over clasping her midsection and looked up at Ruckus. “Can you lead me out of here?”
“Ruckus!” She yelled at him as he stared down at her in stunned silence. “Lead me out of here!”
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