Quest The Price of Return

[Nasir]

Cresting the hill Nasir looked down at the small village of Felsworth.

An old stone wall surrounded village, a mark of times that had long since passed. Two guards stood at the gates, their leathers worn and old, spears crooked. At the very center of the town stood a tower, standing over the other structures. At it's very peak shone a soft light, a pale and soft glow that enveloped and looked over the town.

"There." Nasir said to his companion.

The Dark Elf came to a stop, looking down at the town before letting his gaze briefly flicker towards Callisto. Felsworth was well known around these parts. A city of devout belief. Every man, woman, and child believed in the Divine, the tower at the center of the city acting as a temple. Daily prayer was a ritual here, and the people would gather to offer their thanks to the divine.

It was said that in return to the Divine protected them.

The eerie blue light that faded over the town was a mark of that. An odd sort of magic that Nasir did not recognize. He could feel it, even standing this far away, yet it's substance alluded him. Fingers curled slightly. "It is said that those who pray to the divine are protected by the tower."

Just what that meant no one really knew. Bandits avoided Felsworth, murder was unheard of, and crime was seemingly non-existent. It almost made one wonder why they bothered having Town Guard at all.

"There is a stone within the tower." Nasir explained. "It is what holds whatever protects this village. Once I have that, you may do as you please with the village."

Just as they had discussed.

 

[Callisto]

It was warm across the southern edge of the Savannah. The grasses moved whimsically in the breeze, like waves lapping at the shore. Chrys had decided her more typical clothing was appropriate, given the very likely need to convince guards to allow them to enter Felsworth. The sort of apparel that allowed her to move around comfortably and pull attention when her natural charm just simply wouldn’t do. As she stepped forward to view the village, her satchel clinked with quartz and other precious stones. Some were empty and some were full, throbbing with light. She couldn’t depend on the arcane intersections to draw from in a place steeped so profoundly with magic that conflicted with her own.​

​

Her arms folded over her chest as she listened to the figure, describing the powers that flowed freely from the small village. She listened and with everything she could, managed to conceal her thoughts that were heeling heavily towards contempt and derision. She could not doubt the power that emanated from the village. It was palpable, forming goosebumps across her exposed skin, and left a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. ​

​

But she suspected something far more nefarious than just ritual prayer.​

​

“Hmm…” Chrys uttered softly, lifting her sulfur gaze to the Dark Elf. When they had discussed this matter and the value of her efforts, she had led the figure to the conclusion that simple obtainment of souls with her shards was enough.​

​

That was not the case. In her many years of life and tutelage, she had only ever read of his kind through dusty manuscripts and tomes. Simple human souls were dandy and even more enjoyable when pulled from the pious. But to have the opportunity to see something like this in action, to have just an inkling of hope that she could shave off a sliver of Drow Soul. She shivered at the thought of it and hugged herself tighter, playing off the reaction as if it was a response to the gentle breeze.​

​

“As I please with the village?” Her lips parted to a thin smirk. He was a large figure compared to her and while the temptation to crane her neck and look up at him was always there, she resisted the urge. “What is it you imagine I want with them?” Her tone shifted from soft to piercingly accusatory. The Sorceress drew her gaze back to Felsworth and sighed.​

​

“Oh nevermind. Have you conjured a means of entrance into Felsworth? Or shall we just test our luck and hope the guards are imbeciles, forced on the watch as punishment for insubordination?” She narrowed her gaze. “One of them is bursting at the seams. Maybe he stole a few too many pieces of bread.”​

 

[Nasir]

"I don't particularly care." Nasir stated in answer to her first question, blue eyes flickering down to the witch for a moment before he turned his gaze towards Felsworth.

The Town itself seemed quiet enough, though as night began to fall townsfolk began to stream from their various homes and houses. One could see them as torches were being lit and held up, the light shifting through the streets.

One by one they made their way towards the Tower. "Nightly prayer."

Nasir explained simply in answer to her second question, pausing as he lifted a finger to point.

The two guards seemed to at once look towards the sky, the sounding of a bell quickly following. They looked at one another and then nodded, ducking their spears beneath the archway of the gate and turning to head into the city.

As they walked two ramshackle doors closed behind them.

"They believe their Divine will protect them." It was an extremely foolish thought. Nasir himself had abandoned the gods of his people long ago, just as they had abandoned his people.

Yet these people still believed, so much that all they left to guard their city was a flimsy wooden gate.

 

[Callisto]

The Drow was a man of few words. Though his initial response did return just the shadow of a smile on her lips. A genuinely positive reception to what she found in his like-minded mentality. They evidently made quite the pair, callous appraisal and mutual indifference.​

​

Her gaze followed his gesture amidst his second answer, trailing off to once more return to the notion of the Divine. This time, she couldn't hide the scowl.​

​

"They depend a good deal on this protection." She finally offered as most of the nightly torches had moved through the various archways and congregated towards the center of town. "Foolish for them. A benefit for us." Uncrossing her arms, she plunged a manicured hand into her refined satchel. Withdrawing a stone of quartz, she rubbed it between her hands and concealed the orange glow.​

​

"Paupers or Kings...they all make for fine sources." She whispered and inhaled. The light escaping her fingers from the stone dimmed to near darkness. She sighed and nodded towards the village, moving to walk towards it. "A strong breeze could knock those doors down." Shrugging, she looked over her shoulder to the Dark Elf.​

​

"Truly a feat in modern security."​

 

[Nasir]

Nasir felt a smile tug at his lips for just a brief second. "Indeed it is."

He couldn't help but be reminded of the stark belief of his own people. How they suffered under the yolk of the gods, how they worshiped and knelt at the thought of their return. Disgust coated his tongue, and slowly he shook his head.

They would know the truth in time.

"I think." His fingers tightened into a fist, memories of his exile fresh in his mind as he peered down at Felsworth. "It is time we show them their mistake."

The echo of the bell could be heard throughout the city. Torches were lit everywhere now, and it seemed almost every citizen had made their way to the tower itself.

Nasir took a step forward on the road.

The prayer itself would last nearly half of an hour. They wold have time to reach the village and break through the gates. Then he and the Witch would learn what protection this 'Divine' offered.

 

[Callisto]

Chrys didn't care all that much about proving that these people had made a mistake. The truth was that they had and they would pay for it with substantial commerce. And given her techniques, they likely wouldn't have the faculties to understand the exchange. But she'd be a liar, which she was, if she didn't accept a certain amount of pleasure in hearing the way the Drow spoke of reckoning and righting apparent wrongs.​

​

She hadn't quite put her finger on it but there was a chip on the large mans shoulder, one that anchored his momentum in the forward direction of Felsworth. As it were, their indifference towards one another tended to mask answers to trivialities such as this.​

​

"Mhm." She uttered as they continued down the gravel path, slowly approaching the village. As they did, Chrys instinctively placed her quartz adorned hand along her bare stomach. A certain ache crept into her and she placed the blame on the blue aura. ​

​

She exhaled slowly as they continued to walk, her other hand floating out in front of her. "They do have a defense spell, not unlike a ward of some kind. I can't seem to absorb it." Which wasn't an uncommon thing. There were plenty of spells that she couldn't absorb and redirect. It often depended on the power of the caster, the length in which the spell had been active, and what magical sources were being used.​

​

"It won't stop entry." She stated firmly. "But what other properties it has, it will be difficult to determine until we are in the thick of it." She shook her head, using their pace as a means of distraction. "Whatever it is, it certainly isn't divine."​

 

[Nasir]

Nasir felt no nausea as they neared the town, but instead pinpricks of needles began to roll across his skin.

The sensation was not painful, though there was a certain unpleasantness to it. His ears twitched involuntarily as they stepped towards the gate. The odd feeling of sharpened points being driven into his flesh increased as they came to a stop in front of the desiccated wood.

A grimace formed on the Drow's face as he inspected the doorway. It was clear that the gate had been built ages ago, perhaps in a time where Felsworth did not yet hold it's divine protection.

Nasir's fingers twitched one palm opening as the other press into it. He let out a breath, and then pulled his hands apart. A line of purple and black flame birthed itself from his grasp, a length of string that seemed to snap and rebound as any fire would.

The Drow gripped it with the edge of his fingers, and then like a whip cracked it forward.

A snap rang out as the beam holding the gate in place suddenly split into two. The heavy wood let out a thunk as it fell onto the ground behind the gates and the doors slowly creaked open.

As soon as the act was done the needles stabbed further into his flesh, almost this time. "It does not want me here."

Nasir grunted.

 

[Callisto]

She lazily aimed an upturned hand towards what remained of the door and shook her head, feigning some form of disbelief. "Yeah, I can't imagine why." She didn't disprove of his methods. Quite the contrary. She preferred the bull by the horns approach over tarrying and trying to play at some form of clandestine entry. Either they would have busted through or walked through the guards and she imagined, as far as ingress went, this was as close to harmless as possible.​

​

For that, she was burdened with a mighty sense of dissatisfaction. But it was water under the archway; she would get what she wanted, eventually.​

​

Moving her hand towards the Drow, she paused and resisted touching his skin. "It does seem to be responding to you defensively." She found that intriguing. Cavitation was belching outwards in the blue aura around the Drow, like the air-streams formed from the rudders of a ship in the ocean chop. It hadn't held that characteristic prior to their entry, which suggested it could have been a response to the exertion of magic.​

​

And the fact that it was responding held some credence to either the autonomy of the aura or its conjuring by a cognizant party. If it was the latter, then their presence was known. And yet there was no physical response or alarm to the door being broken.​

​

"It may not want you here. But it doesn't consider you a threat either." She whispered sardonically, stepping over the broken debris and entering the outer walls of the village. The streets were lined with grouted cobble that was well maintained. And every corridor she spied was empty, lit by dancing fires held in wrought iron torches. With cages on the torches to contain the fire, shadows of the bars cast uneven light in every direction.​

​

"Does the aura bring you discomfort?" She asked quietly, turning to face the Drow as she surveyed the various properties.​

 

[Nasir]

"Like needles pressed to my skin." He saw no threat in answering her question. They were here to take whatever was causing this, and if the information could help with that Nasir saw no gain for himself in keeping it.

His lips thinned slightly, but he stepped forward through the archway.

The needles that had been pressing against his skin continued, though they did not dig in further as he walked passed Lady Carmine and into the streets. His gaze flickered at the abandoned buildings, a sneer pulling at his lips.

Not one person was left to remain on watch, not one sentry to alert of any danger. How could they hold such confidence? How could they find it within themselves to rely so heavily upon simple belief? His fingers tightened into fists. "Perhaps it does not yet comprehend our purpose."

Nasir offered by way of analysis.

Felsworth was a good deal more built up than many villages he had seen.

Most of it's buildings were made of quarried rock and stone, the roofs made of sturdy timber and thatch. It was clear that nothing here had ever been burnt down or marred by the passing raids of bandits and maurauders.

"This way." He gestured down one of the thoroughfares. "I am eager to meet this divine."

 

[Callisto]

She wasn't looking for any clues into his character or his weaknesses. But the idea of his discomfort, so long as it wasn't debilitating, wasn't an unattractive thing to ponder on. In this particular regard, it may have even tempered her frustration that was a result from the lack of response in the village.​

​

"Well, if it becomes too much. You will let me know." She responded to his first answer, failing to drop the tone that would have suggested this was a request, and then set to task on deciphering his second comment. His deduction may have been correct though it would suggest some sort of sentience regarding the aura and its power. The very idea was an insult and the implication that the Divine, or whatever else was masquerading about as a godly entity, could be guiding this was equally unsatisfactory.​

​

"Perhaps they can't discern their asshole from a pock..." She indicated with a painted finger nail to the edge of her elbow. "Right here." Chewing on the inside of her cheek, she followed the Drow and shrugged. She had considered making a comment that was a bit more off color regarding his dark complexion, the whisper willow ice of his eyes, and the too often underestimation of a woman dressed like a strumpet on the prowl for a bit of clink. But she thought better on it and pocketed it for a future endeavor to get under the clearly impentetrable exterior of this Dark Elf.​

​

Coming up to his side, she took a step outward and was greeted with one of the doors of the small homes swinging open. A woman exited and looked towards the duo with surprise. That disappointed Chrys. She had been hoping for something a bit more.​

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"Uhh..." The chestnut haired girl managed out, finally. "New around here? Are you late for the prayer as well? Come on, then. I'll show you the way."​

​

Chrys didn't immediately respond. She was too busy figuratively picking her jaw off the cobble, abashed in the shocking daftness of this young girl.​

 

[Nasir]

The ignorance was almost insulting.

His fingers twitched, and itch floating across his palm. He wondered if it had gotten this bad back home. If the priests had wormed their way into the minds of his people so far that they would trust even outsiders.

The thought made him want to vomit. His head shook, deciding that such things were not of his people, but the simpler folk. It had to be. A plague that spawned only in the lesser races.Humans. So eager for their own demise.

Nasir glanced down at the Witch, wondering if her expression was anything like his own.

After a second the Drow cleared his throat. "Thank you."

Almost as soon as he said the words he could feel the pressure of the needles slackening on his skin. Almost as though whatever had forced them against him had suddenly been 'fooled' by the simple agreement to follow the girl to prayer.

His lips thinned. Was this aura connected to the people somehow? Could it see through them? Hear?

"The needles have slackened." Nasir commented in a whisper to the Witch as he fell into step behind the girl.

 

[Callisto]

Chrys wasn't happy that she had been surprised by the Drows response to the young woman. She figured she had him pegged, for the most part. But it seemed he had a particularly clumsy and furtive way, when the time called for it. And as far as experiments went, his response helped to fill in the gaps.

"I know." She leaned over, whispering ever softer as they stepped behind the girl. The footsteps against the cobble were enough to drown out her delicate tone.

But she had noticed it as soon as he spoke the words. Not in reference to his pain or discomfort, but more to the nature of the aura around the town. It had been dipping inward, tracking their movement and honing in on the large figure. But now, the bubble had nearly sprung back to leave Kethann almost entirely unmolested by the Divine antagonism. Almost.

It had to be autonomic, she thought, as they continued behind the chestnut hair girl. She was wearing a rather dull and conservative dress of auburn with a waist cinch embroidered in reflective gold, catching the light of each torch that passed them by. Chrys had noticed a charm against the girls neck, made of gold chains with a golden pendant. It was inlaid with a large emerald.

The sort of emerald that was, from the cursory inspection, perfect for enchantment. But it stood currently unhindered.

"Excuse me, young lady?"
"Oh..." The girl turned to look over her shoulder, not stopping.
"My husband and I haven't been here long, you are right about that." Chrys' tone softened in clear duplicity. A thing even a simple creature could have sorted out. But this girl was beyond simple. "But we've heard so much about the nightly prayer. Do you know how long it tends to last."
"Oh it can go on all night some times. Its wondrous. Truly a marvel. I cannot wait to see the look on your face when you see the congregation." She flashed a toothy smile, filled with pearly white teeth, and waved. "Come on. The faster we walk, the sooner we can join in."

 

[Nasir]

The girl had not been jesting about walking faster. Her feet began to patter over the cobble at an almost run. Nasir himself found himself struggling to keep up for a second, his stride increasing quickly to match pace.

They walked for nearly ten minutes, the tower in the center of the city drawing closer. It seemed to loom down over them, and at this distance Nasir could make out nearly every detail of its facade. The stonework was exquisite, even by his own exacting standards. Rounded and carved granite made up most of the tower, marble columns and carefully carved statues decorating the upper levels with icons of religion and representations of the divine.

Atop it all he spotted a crystal caged in marble and stone.

A platform surrounded it, a man standing facing the outside. No wind touched him even at the top of the hundred meter high tower, his flowing white ropes standing still as he held his arms up and high.

Nasir watched him as they walked, his gaze focusing on his features as though he were trying to draw some recognition. Magic sat thick within the air, growing more and more present as they drew closer. Only a block away something touched the edge of his ears.

It was unclear at first, and then as they moved it grew louder and louder.

The girl seemed to almost happily chirp as they turned the final corner. As soon as they cleared the edge of the stone building a breath taking sight came into few. Surrounding the base of the massive granite stone tower were hundreds of people. All of them prostrate on the ground, all of them whispering a prayer of some sort that echoed so loudly it nearly stung the ears.

Nasir came to a stop, his eyes beholding the lowered masses bowing before their Divine.

 

[Callisto]

With their pace, Chrys was glad for the foresight that drove her to not wear her favorite set of heels. It wasn't uncommon for Enchantresses of her position or title but, by the Gods, she would have flung those things into the gutter by this point. And these weren't the cheap sort of shoes one just threw away.​

​

As they finally came to a slowed pace, Chrys sighed in relief and placed a hand on her hip. But her relief was short lived as her focus followed that of the Drow, to the massive tower and ornate decorations. The busts and full sized sculptures of deities, the particular level of craftsmanship from tower root to tip, and the shear power flowing freely from the structure; for a moment, it clawed at her and birthed a deep and infernal anxsiety. It was unsettling that a place, so far removed from locations she considered refined, would have a monument of such fashion.​

​

It felt unnatural.​

​

She lifted a hand to pick at the air as they walked. Like she was ensnared in the tethers of a massive spider web, her fingers plucked at strings that were clearly not there. Except they were. They existed within the interconnections of magic, fortified and latticed around the tower and extending out beyond the village. She hadn't seen it upon initial entry and she could only assume it was because of proximity and magical concentration.​

​

Then the people came into view and breath caught hard in Chrys' chest. She was starting to believe they were getting this all wrong. A fact she would likely never admit.​

​

"I don't think the power comes from the tower..." She held herself near the Dark Elf but got the distinct impression she needn't speak quietly. These people were in a different world. "I think it comes from them." She nodded to those in prayer, wondering if this Divine had beaten her to the punch. If her theory was correct, every entity in this village was used goods. And she wasn't certain she had a particular need for sloppy seconds.​

 

[Nasir]

With the way that magic practically filled the air Nasir couldn't help but agree with the Witches observation.

His gaze swept over the crowd, watching as the girl who had been leading them practically jumped to her knees and prostrated herself before the tower. Another voice joined the chorus of a thousand. Lips thinned, and slowly he looked up towards the tallest reaches of the tower.

The man standing atop the highest platform had his eyes closed now, a look of creeping ecstasy drawing upon his features. A medallion sat upon his chest, the same sort of gem that had been worn around the girl's neck.

"So it must be." The Drow commented with a grunt.

Then he began to stalk forward.

There was no point in standing around gawking. They had a theory, and that theory needed to be tested. Nasir slowly stepped forward, the sound of his boots drowned out by the chanting prayer. His foot fell by the side of the girl, and then carried him further.

As soon as he took a step beyond the prostrated girl the needles returned.

They pressed gently at first, and then as he moved further and further between the lowered massed they dug in. Each step towards the Tower was an inch of pain.

 

[Callisto]

She, evidently, did not view this revelation in the same light as her traveling companion. Quite the contrary. Her search, based on their spoken agreement, had ended here with these people. What more could she want from this village than the souls of these poor bumbling and senseless idiots?​

​

But then she wondered on the true purpose of the stone. Was it just a charm of some sort, bolstering this mans ability? Was it amplifying his ability to source magic directly from life essence and mental acuity? Or was it being used not as a sink, but as a resonator for the spell - propelling out the defensive ward and showering the village in this strange protection?​

​

The three options she pondered on, lifting her hand to her mouth as she watched the Drow, were stated in decreasing order of interest. But even then, it was minuscule. She had no need for protective wards and even less in crutches used to increase ones skill artificially. Her interest lied in things that would last, not vulnerable baubles to be held like festival decorations atop a monumental pine tree.​

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"Don't." She whispered sharply, doing her best to not draw attention. If the power of the aura was strengthened by absorption from these people, the connection between their resembling charms, then the aura was no doubt at its zenith. It was a fools errand or a stubborn mans task to attack when the enemy was its strongest. And now she was contemplating which definition properly characterized the Drow.​

​

She cursed beneath her breath, shaking her head. Pulling out a ring, simple in design but decorated in a large stone of humming obsidian, she ran it over her finger and flexed the hand. She wouldn't help the man just yet. Largely because he was being stupid. But that didn't mean she was prepared to lose him here, drawing attention to herself in the process, just because he had never leaned to take the long way around.​

 

[Nasir]

There was a fourth option that the Witch had not yet considered, but one that was planted in the Drow's mind.

The Stone itself was in control.

Such things were not unheard of in this world, though much rarer than simple trinkets and gems that could amplify ones own magic. Nasir had no reason to consider this theory over any of the others the Witch pondered, but he would test it nonetheless.

Fingers curled, and then slowly released. Blackened purple flames flowed over his skin. So small as to be unseen, they burned away at the needles stabbing his flesh. A torch put to a splint of wood.

As soon as his own magic flared he could sense the field growing in it's urgency. The needles came faster, harder, but his own sorcery bit away at what attacked.

Slowly he walked through the crowd, his boots falling between people that seemed to have squeezed themselves together tighter and tighter the closer they got to the tower. Nasir ignored them all, walking to the Granite structure until he stepped into a narrow gap between the masses and the Keep.

A doorway stood before him, a massive archway beyond which there was no gate but nothing could be seen.

Nasir looked back at the Witch, and then stepped through.

Disappearing into seeming nothingness.

 

[Callisto]

She watched the man, inspected the doorway from afar, and cursed him for even thinking of going into it. Those steal chip eyes were emotionless but easily predictable. This was particularly the case given his stalwart approach against the defenses of the tower.​

​

Just as he entered, she felt the magic around the tower shift and obscure, turning over spasmodically as the energy shifted to something not entirely dissimilar to aggressive. And the prayers didn't stop. Quite the contrary, they shifted and sped up like some early school child suddenly uplifted at the idea of reading quickly without truly comprehending the words. Their pendants, which it now appeared all were adorned, began to grow bright emerald. The strength of the lights showered the ivory tower in an eerie glow, moving rhythmically as the village people began to half raise themselves from the ground. Only to prostrate themselves once more.​

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"It's like a fucking field of moles..." She said as she gasped, clutching a hand at the golden necklace that hung low across her chest. She didn't feel pain like the Drow had, but suddenly she felt uncomfortable. Quite uncomfortable.​

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Chrys was a being of creature comforts. Warm baths, exalting perfumes, delicate confections, and endless wine. The only sort of pain she appreciated was the sort inflicted on others. But this discomfort wasn't pain. It was a tightness around her chest, like a troll arm had clutched out from the tower and wrapped itself tightly around her chest. And with every passing moment, every passing kneel from these babbling trifles, she felt the vice tighten.​

​

The obsidian stone, which was in actually an obsidian shell around a flawless ruby, ejected a field of red as the ruby burned hot within the ring. She would not be left in this particular sea, not when the field was turning against her. Instead of waiting here to see what happened next, she followed in the Drow's steps. Though there was a bit more haste in her speed as she felt time, and not proximity, was her current enemy. The scarlet shield formed a bit of reprieve as she click-clacked forward across the increasingly tighter space of cobble. Until there was nothing left but the fall and rise of villager shoulders.​

​

She hopped and placed the sole of her foot on a nameless back which, in turn, responded defensively. Hunching upwards, it sent her small frame sailing and coming to a graceful stop near the entry way to the tower. Looking back, the offended villager returned to their nonsensical movements.​

​

Releasing a hiss of frustration, she flicked her hands downward and out, as if knocking the dust free from a recent and rough horse back ride along a shrub blemished trail. Once satisfied, she entered the tower in the man's wake.​

 

[Nasir]

"Ah, so you decided to follow." Nasir said as he found the woman stepping through the gate that he had passed through moments before.

The two of them stood in what could only be described as another world.

Dozens upon dozens of staircases lined an area of nothingness. Splashes of color lined an eternal Abyss, marked with small platforms, bridges, and an ever leading climb that seemed to reach untouchable heights. A maze lay before them, it's extent seeming almost eternal from where they stood.

"This is old magic." He told the Witch. "Older than my people."

A frown touched his face as he slowly looked up towards the stairs.

There were no needles here, only a confusing path that seemed to have no logic. Blue eyes swept over the stairs and platforms, eventually setting on the three paths that stood in front of them. Each of them was marked with a statue.

One was a man who held a sword, one was of a twisted demon, and the last a Single tower which resembled the structure that they had stepped inside of.

 

[Callisto]

She felt metal in her mouth so overwhelmingly, that she nearly missed what the Drow was saying. That may have served her just fine considering the man had suddenly fixated himself on declaring certainties as some sort of revelation. ​

​

"Yeah, no shit." She uttered as she knelt over, one on hand on her knee, while the other pressed a finger into her mouth and searched around on the gums. Last time she had used that spell, it had left her bleeding like she had brushed too hard with baking soda. She expected far worse. She found nothing and found it particularly odd. Like someone had filled her mouth with coppers and only recently patted her on the back of the head to spit them out.​

​

Lifting her sulfuric gaze towards the Drow, ready to slap him him with an especially toxic verbal branding, her attention cut away to the world around them. The vice was gone and what remained were objects and structures that seemed to defy standard physical understandings. ​

​

Stairs and platforms, abyssal planes, bridges and archways, and a terribly gaudy sense of artistic latitude. She shook her head and pointed towards the busts and statues. "Maybe you could just knock those statues around with your fire, maybe trudge on in without any thought towards consequence? Hmm?" She gestured accusingly towards the statues, leveling a gaze towards the Dark Elf.​

​

"Or maybe we could think this one through for a moment?" She flicked her finger and observed it with passing focus. "I nearly broke a nail crossing that threshold." That was a lie. The truth was that her hand was almost entirely numb from the amount of energy that was required to repel that aura. But that wasn't something Kethann needed to know.​

 

[Nasir]

Nasir looked down at the Witch, frowning a moment. "I had a suspicion."

That was the only explanation that he would offer to her. Of course, she was right in that his actions had been foolish, but admitting that out loud was about as likely as a machine flying through the sky without the assistance of magic.

His head craned slightly as he peered above them, eyes following the pathway of the stairs as they moved and arched all around themselves.

After a moment Nasir returned his attention to the three statues. All of them were of the same quality, though their style was so vastly different that most mortals would never have believed they had all been created by the same artist. The Drow stared for a moment, focusing on the Demonic statuette standing in the middle of the other two options.

"Your thoughts?" Nasir asked, deciding to heed her word for now.

This place was a maze that turned in on himself. He did not doubt that the wrong path would lead to death or insanity.

 

[Callisto]

A smile crept across her face in recognition of the small victory. That man was taciturn and tight lipped, but what words he spoke gave much away. He was taking a moment to pause and consider the options. It was a step in the right direction.​

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"Well..." She finally uttered, taking a deep breath. "I imagine not a single of one of these statues will lead us to our desired goal." She still was unsure if his goal aligned with hers. "Had I a tower of such magnitude and power, I surely wouldn't devise a means for someone to enter it. In fact, I'm pleasantly surprised we survived that portal at all."​

​

It was a portal, though different from what was common in their plane of existence. Portals from their world could cross miles, unimaginable distances. But portals like this, they could do anything. An illusory spell that boggled the mind and left the victims comatose, staring dumbfounded at the sky as their bodies were picked apart by suddenly aggravated followers. A different dimension, one held within the other like a tight bubble, leaving no means of escape. Or even a transport into a place that had been there all along, hidden from plain sight. The sky was the literal limit.​

​

"No, I think we are meant to focus on these things because they catch the eye. We should be looking for a weakness in the spell, not some sort of door the caster left in his wake." She reached into her satchel and pulled out a used stone. Tossing it towards the tower, it disappeared in a shimmer. Not a moment later, it appeared behind them, bouncing against the floor. The impact was so profound and powerful that it shattered into a million glistening sparkles, strewn across the darkened floor.​

​

"Hmph...that might have been unfortunate."​

 

[Nasir]

Nasir considered the words.

Unraveling spells was dangerous work. It depended mostly on the magic used to cast the spell, but in his experience using sorcery to dissect the craft of another was almost always as perilous as the spell itself. Picking apart at the weaving of something like this could very well undo themselves as well.

Slowly the Drow looked around the chamber, his gaze flickering to the tower where the Witch had thrown the small pebble.

The first part of her theory was clearly correct, but undoing the spell was something Nasir was weary of trying. Unless they found a fool-proof theory on how to do it anyway. "Or."

He offered as a solution.

"We make our own door." There was a chance, slight as it may be, that they were no longer standing on the world of Arethil.

Such ideas were not entirely uncommon. After all the Pandemonium had shown that other worlds not only existed, but were connected to Arethil via the portal stones. It was rumored too, that his people had come from such a world millenia ago, a world where they had lived among the gods.

Until they were cursed and cast out.

"If we stand in a different world." He looked at the Witch. "Then it stands to reason there are different rules."

 

[Callisto]

That wasn't a bad idea, not at all. Of course, the enchantress wasn't likely to admit it such an enthusiastic way. The fact that she might concede her option for his would undoubtedly be enough.

"Well..." She turned, scanning the tapestry of stairs, bridges, and archways that hovered above them and spanned outward to the distance and beyond. "This place could be responsive to magic as much as it is to physical changes. Though if it were, one might assume it would respond immediately to us."

She craned her neck around, investigating minutia attached to various balustrades and banners, wholly out of place for a realm that seemed to hold little value for life and safety. But it seemed like certain pieces matched, like this could all be a puzzle. Perhaps this was someone's home once and with the proper sequence, it could reassemble itself into something livable.

Or perhaps she was just stretching, searching for things that didn't exist.

She plunged a hand into her satchel and withdrew another stone, accounting for the accruing deficit and the temptation of a recharge that stood at the end of the road. "Did you have an idea towards such creation? If you are capable, I may be able to ward against any reaction."

 

[Nasir]

Nasir was indeed capable of such a thing, though he was loathe to try it.

The old magics had a heavy price when it came to failure, and especially without the use of a proper catalyst. It was very likely that he could vaporize them both in his attempt. He glanced at her for a moment, and quietly he wished that they had grabbed a few of the Villagers on their way through. It would have helped. "I have the means."

It would be difficult, but the creation of a portal would be possible.

In Arethil such a technique would be used at the distance of only a few feet at most. It was common enough with his people. The creation of doorways that lead to closed off rooms rooms and hidden spaces often used by sorcerers and priests in the Undercity. Of course, these portals were often just doors secreted away with magic and only made to appear when needed. More than that would lead to what all other forms of teleportatiom lead to in Arethil; death.

Even his people had not conquered such limits.

Here though he suspected it would be different. At least if his theory held true. He could open a doorway, and if his magics held, direct it to wherever they needed to go.

The true issue was the catalyst.

The Witch would likely not volunteer herself if he asked, and thus he would have to use himself. Not unheard of, but dangerous if the Woman's protection did not work. If the spell rebounded he would suffer the backlash, and in a place like this such a thing would very likely mean death. A scowl touched his features.

"Let us create our path." Nasir said in affirmation of the plan.

Risk of death or not, he intended to conquer this tower.