Fable - Ask Unshattering the Eye

[Minerva]

It was humid.

That much was obvious as hair stuck to her forehead, sweat accumulated under her shirt, and the deep blue gemstone she wore glistened in the heat. They'd received their orders and a briefing, this would be unlike any of the jobs they previously attempted. Captain Laiza had grilled that much into each of them.

The team wasn't just trying to track down some little trinket that could level a city block. Nor were they looking for a glass vial that could imprison souls. The item they sought today was The Shattered Eye. A legendary artifact so dangerous that it could completely subvert the laws of magic themselves. For centuries the Inheritors had whispered about it, trying to find it in the mass of murmurs and whispers of archmages, only to come up empty.

But now, after eons had passed, some rogue mage had been a fool. They finally had a solid lead on the thing.

Some elven mage who was nearly two centuries old had come to acquire the item and was planning to use it for some huge arcane effort. The Inheritors had become aware of this after the mage had, foolishly, sent dozens of informants to gather as much intel about magical artifacts as possible. This had, in turn, triggered the attention of their own agents in the field.

But none of that mattered at the moment. It was so very humid.

"This sucks," Minerva said to Laiza after pulling the canteen from her lips. "How much further are we traveling?"

"Not long now. The tower is supposed to be at the crest of the Eagle's head."

Which meant another half days march through hills. "Fiiine." Madeleine turned her attention towards Gunther, the Source they'd dragged along for this mission. Typically they left Sources behind in Rytghosh but securing the Eye had been considered one of the most important jobs the Inheritors had even undertaken. It seemed prudent to send a powerful Source who could recharge the Summoner's arcstones if the situation called for it. "You doing alright, skin and bones?"

The scrawny scholar frowned and refused to answer her. She'd learned long ago that the man didn't much care for her antics.

 

[Rak]

Rak rode with a face of complete disinterest.

Not because he didn't care for his companions, the mission, or really anything else related to what they were enduring, but because of time.

He was a sworn night.

A summoner of his families Arcarmor, a student of ancient and hallowed ways. He had trained for years and decades to be where he was now. This job was sacred. At the core of their very people. This was why they were still here. Why they were created.

But it was droll.

There was no arguing that.

Every mission was retrieving one artifact or another. Rak couldn't recall a time that things had been more interesting. That he'd been able to challenge for a true fight, that he'd been able to show his strength before the clan.

He knew these missions were important. Knew that at the end of the day what they were going mattered, but the sense of boring that hazard over the whole thing was almost painful. "Don't pay no mind to her."

Rak called to the Summoner who carried the weight of his armor.

"She's just jealous." Maybe he'd get some enjoyment poking fun.

 

[Minerva]

A snicker roiled through the air as the small group of Summoners and a single Source continued onwards. Madeleine wore a wide grin at Rak's barb before letting a chuckle of her own permeate the thick, humid, air.

"It's true. I am jealous." Her admission was coated in a sarcastic tone. "Every night when we hunker down Gunther is reading his little novellas while we stand watch."

Defensively Gunther chimed in by proclaiming, "I'm researching the Eye!"

That was it. She'd gotten him. Her grin grew as she prepared to go at the Source once more, twirling the knife of insults that Summoners got used to after years on the road. Unfortunately ,she was unable to continue her little game. Captain Laiza had apparently seen where this exercise was going.

"Minerva, enough! If you want to chitchat leave Gunther out of it."

She'd made an art out of testing boundaries and being a general annoyance but even Madeleine Nokk'Orokk knew better than to disobey her commander. "Yessir. Ignore Gunther, got it."

An audible groan came from more than one member of the team though before anyone else could protest she continued having a bit of fun.

"So, Rak, what kind of defenses do you think we're gonna see when we get to this wizard's tower?" They'd seen all manner of oddities and defenseworks in their time as Summoners. Probably the most eccentric mission she'd been on with Rak had been the time when a necromancer somehow stumbled upon a memory orb. Zombies were annoying, yet easily felled, but there was something truly unsettling about zombies who shouted about their lost loved ones.

 

[Rak]

Rak let out a chortle, his head shaking as Minerva continued to tease the poor Source. He couldn't really blame the man for giving in, even accidentally. His sort didn't tend to join them on these trips, and they often take too well to the travel.

Sources preferred staying home with their books, doing their research.

He imagined their days were even more routine than his. A life that would probably make him want to cut his own throat. "Oh I'm sure it'll be the usual fare, Minnie."

Rak answered his fellow Summoner. Returning the annoyance she had offered their companion with the further twisting of her nickname. "Probably some labyrinth on the ground floor."

Wizards did love their labyrinths.

"A construct or two." Rak let out a heavy breath. Even saying it out loud somehow made it sound boring. It had been so long since they'd actually had a challenge. The last few artifacts they'd been sent after had been cakewalks, and this probably wasn't going to be any different.

He'd not heard of the 'Shattered Eye', though had he, Rak might have approached the next few days differently.

"Maybe the Wizard will even be there!" The Orc added with false enthusiasm. "That way we'd at least get a monologue."

 

[Minerva]

One of the key things to keep in mind when you bantered with other Summoners was to not let anyone know that something bothered you. It was one of the best ways to pick on Sources or new recruits they had to drag along on these missions. But for the experienced Summoners it was something you learned incredibly fast or you became a pariah.

'Minnie.'

That one though, well, it caused her to bite at her lip. "A monologue would be a great change of pace," she finally offered as she waited for Rak to finish. "Much better than those flesh-eating flies," a wide smirk took over her face, "without my arcarmor I would've been a desiccated husk."

She didn't bother to look towards Gunther and see if he was nervous.

They'd already had to stop more often than usual due to the overweight half-orc, half-elvish, Source that was accompanying them. He was certainly the least athletic Source she'd ever traveled with but that actually made it more fun to mess with him. Not that she disrespected the other caste, to the contrary her own father had been a Source, but if you didn't have a bit of fun you'd end up going crazy on this kind of mission.

Captain Laiza let a sigh escape, "no one here is going to become a desiccated husk. We'll grab the Shattered Eye and we'll all leave in one piece."

"Of course," Madeleine offered, "we'll just barely escape with our lives this time." The sarcasm that flowed from her words was more than obvious.

Gunther cracked once more. "Do you guys even know what this thing does!? It breaks the laws of magic! It takes the cost of magic! This thing is," he heaved in oxygen heavily as Captain Laiza shot him an angry glare.

Minerva lifted a brow as her smirk grew even larger. "Hold-up-a-second," words were jumbled into a mush, "this mission is actually going to get interesting?"

 

[Rak]

Rak tried to stifle the chuckle that was growing in his chest as Minerva continued to dig Gunther's grace.

He felt bad for the man, he really did, but he was biting into the other Summoner's cheese as though there were no mouse trap behind it. Didn't they teach these Sources anything? It was like they'd been so buried in books no one had ever bothered to tell them about the world.

Much less the bastard Summoners who ran around in it.

To cover the grin on his face, hiding it from both Minerva and Captain Laiza, Rak scratched at his beard. Letting out a 'cough' as Minerva gave it one last push.

All sign of amusement almost instantly snapping away within him as Gunther broke and finally let spill what Minerva had been digging for. Both of Rak's eyebrows rose almost instantly, his expression flickering from shock to that of a small child who had stepped into a Candy Dragon's hoard.

"Break the laws of magic?" Rak repeated almost awestruck.

"Lagrot be praised!" Out of instinct he offered Minerva a quick friendly crack on the shoulders. "Imagine what a mage could with a thing like that. A real challenge!"

Gods it had been so long. "We may actually die!"

The words were said without a hint of irony.

Battle, according to the ancient traditions of his Clan, was the greatest pursuit a warrior could have. Battle with certain death?

Even better.

 

[Minerva]

A grin practically wrapped around Minerva's face.

Her dad had claimed some orcish heritage, his skin a sickly green tinge to it though it was apparently from a clan steeped in magical leanings as he'd just been a scholar and Source, as her grandfather before him had too. Thus, the idea of dying wasn't very appealing to her although she understood Rak's enthusiasm.

"A challenge would be great," she said whilst taking the the heavy pat on her shoulders from her orcish companion with grace. "It's been so long since we faced anything resembling dangerous."

Gunther began to stammer but was quickly interrupted by Captain Laiza. It was rare that the orcish commander would raise her voice but when she did all of them listened. "No one is dying," the she-orc bellowed with authority, "no one is going to take this lightly. We get in there, we cut down whatever moves, we take the eye, and then we all go home in one piece and have an ale." She half turned in her saddle, her one longer tooth jutting from the front of her upper lip as she nodded towards Gunther, "in and out."

A round of cheers and grunts from the other Summoners followed, a chorus of cheers that Madeleine herself joined in on. "You gotta admit though Cap, this is exciting. It's been so long since we faced something that could actually kill us."

"Aye. It's going to be fun as hell."

Not even Captain Laiza could push down the giddiness of facing a real challenge.

 

[Rak]

Rak was grinning from ear to ear, his whole day having been turned around in the span of just a few seconds. What was to be yet another boring nothing of a mission turned into something that might actually be turned into a tale!

It had been so long since he'd gotten the chance for something like this.

The giant Orc practically wiggled in his saddle as they continued their journey, taking his turn to be the annoying summoner. "So Gunther."

He could practically hear the Captain groan as he started up, but since he offered genuine questions on the fight ahead of them she did not immediately tell him to be quiet.

That was how the rest of their journey went. A few question on the Eye, Gunther admitting to his lack of information on the wizard that now supposedly held it, and then the more classical banter between Summoners continued.

Eventually the cadre of Inheritors reached the end of the road, so to speak.

The group came to a cliffside leading into a deep ravine. One could see into it for nearly five miles, and at the end stood a massive Black Tower that jutted into the air. Huge rocky outcroppings surrounded the tower serving as natural walls, and a massive gate clung to the sides of the ravine to further protect it.

Rak pulled his horse to a stop just a few feet short of the cliffside, peering at the empty canyon which lead to their query.

"That's a death trap if I've ever seen it." Rak remarked a little bit too eagerly.

 

[Minerva]

”You scared?”

It was rhetorical, of course, everyone except maybe Gunther knew that Rak was practically buzzing at the thought of rushing through the canyon and barging through the front door. Hacking away at whatever life stood before him.

The black mage’s tower at the end of the two cliff’s passageway was ominous.

A fitting place to die in a fable but this wasn’t some story that grandfather’s told around a campfire. This was reality. Every summoner knew the risks that laid before them.

Captain Laize rubbed at her chin. Far more introspective than a typical orc she was far less likely to rush into unnecessary danger. It was why she got more high-profile retrieval missions than the other Captains and why she only picked Summoners she knew would follow her commands. “We form up around Gunther. We got slow. At the first sign of danger summon your arcarmor.”

Laiza turned and looked towards a particularly stocky half-orc, half-elf, who wielded a giant crossbow upon his back. “Genoe, summon your armor now and alert us if you pick up on anything.” The half-orc nodded and placed a hand upon his chest. Genoe had been particularly fanatical after his first mission and being the only survivor he never spoke of what happened.

All anyone knew for sure was that he had gotten his arcstone sewn into his very flesh so that he would never be parted with it. His arcarmor, a suit that had been named ‘Moth’s Bane’, granted him not just the typical defenses and reflexes it granted others but also a keen sense of hearing and sight. He was often used to warn the others when he was joined up on a mission.

He clasped at his chest, a brilliant crimson light shone, and then his image was slowly replaced by a figure wearing worn brownish platemail that covered him from head-to-toe. He grasped at the large crossbow upon his back and the rest of the Summoner’s formed a circle around Gunther, drawing their own weapons in kind.

They took their first steps into the rocky terrain of the cliffside trail towards the tower. Leaving their horses tied to a dead tree just by the entrance.

 

[Rak]

The half-orc let out a scoff at Minerva's jest, his head shaking as he leaned in towards her. "I'm terrified, Minni."

He said with a wide grin as he practically threw himself from the saddle.

Rak's boots hit the dusty earth of the cliffside with a loud thud.

Shoulders rolling and arms stretching outward as he let out a loud groan. His grin never disappearing he went through a quick series of exercises. Hands running over his muscles as he prepared himself for the fight to come.

As Genoe called upon his arcarmor, Rak's fingers wrapped around the shrouded blade tied to the side of his horse. As the others formed up the young half-orc began to strip Sojourn of the bandage which ordinarily served as it's scabbard.

It was an unwieldy, massive thing, almost as large as Rak himself.

The bandage concealing it a humorous difficulty in drawing the weapon.

Yet as the last scraps of rags fell away, it was easy to see why the sword was covered in such a way. It's black and faded blue steel almost hurting the eye to look at, the strange waves which ran through it's length almost absorbing the very sunlight from the air. None of the other Summoners let their eyes linger on the sword, nor did they comment it.

They were all well used to the blade, and only Gunther gave it a curious look. Though he was smart enough not to say anything as the troupe began to descend into the cave below.

"Don't think there's anything, Captain." Genoe said, though the caution in his voice denoted a measure of insecurity that they were all familiar with.

Though he saw nothing, it was always obvious to them when The Bane was hesitant. It usually meant that things were too quiet, and that something was about to go wrong. Rak's eyes slowly scanned the cliffside as they continued to walk, watching every corner and edge with an almost paranoid eye. "Something doesn't feel ri-"

A shimmer suddenly erupted above their heads. A slow, rolling wave that rippled through the air and left a net like lattice in it's wake.

 

[Minerva]

Just before they trekked forwards she let out a laugh. "Shakin' in your boots?"

The ground here was uniform. Almost too uniform. Every step seemed to kick up an even amount of dust and grime.

It would be obvious to all of them (even Gunther for once!) that this landscape was terraformed by a mage with considerable talent. Though for what purpose they'd have to wait to figure out. Madeliene had been on expeditions where a mage had turned an area to swamp so that he could use lightning magic to attempt to electrocute invaders.

She'd seen a witch transform a locale to ice just so she could melt the surface and attempt to refreeze it. It would've caused hypothermia to most anyone else but Summoner's arcarmor allowed them to escape with ease.

Why a mage would want a uniform terrain though? That was lost on her.

"Above!" her words rang out as she was diving to grab Gunther's shirt collar. In one violent motion she shoved the Source towards the ground to keep him safe as the lattice grew closer. It's criss-crossed shape looming above as it rushed downwards she positioned herself between a section of the energy attack that she deemed safe.

Then, she pulled Gunther upwards and held him straight.

In a quick motion the arcane energy passed into the ground and not only erase their footprints but also dissipated. Minnie looked around only to see carnage amongst one of their members.

"AAUUUGGH," Genoe croaked. Either he was too foolish, too slow, or too bulky to avoid the arcane assault from above. One of his arms had been severed and blood coated the ground near him. "My fuckin' arm!!"

"We push forward?" It was a question posed to Laiza. She nodded and gestured towards Genoe.

"Go to safety. If we don't make it out you report back."

Madeleine caught the Summoner who'd just lost an arm for them with a look of seriousness. "We're going to slaughter every defiler who lives in that tower," her face remained serious, "I promise."

 

[Rak]

Rak moved with a surprising litheness for someone his size. Darting between the latices and pulling his sword close to himself so the magic did not cut.

A scream echoed out.

Most turned their heads, but Rak didn't. Instead his stance shifted, the sword snapped up into his hands and fingers wound around the hilt. Eyes flickered around the canyon, watching and waiting for an attack to come. When none landed upon them Rak motioned with a single hand. "Move!"

He shouted to the others seconds after Laiza gave her command.

"Before it comes again!" There was no telling what would happen next, there never was with these sorts of magical traps.

Every Wizard had a different design, a different layout in his head. Once he and Minerva had assaulted a fortress whose walls had been coated in a slime which unbeknownst to them had been extremely flammable. It was only their arcarmor that had saved them from that particular mess.

As it always did.

Taking two quick steps forward, Rak grabbed Genoe's other side. "Come on."

He told the man, hoisting him half onto himself and beginning the mad dash towards the gates. Above them, energy seemed to crackle again, and unbeknownst to them something began to move on the far side of the canyon.

 

[Minerva]

Minerva looked on in awe as Rak refused to let Genoe run back, the hulking orc grabbed their spotter and rushed at the gate. Without any words, without any delay, the rest of the team followed the charging orc’s lead.

They moved at a rapid pace and were synchronized like a well-oiled machine.

Or at least, they would’ve been synchronized had Gunther not been present. To his credit, the Source was lithe on his feet and moved quicker than Madeleine had anticipated but his movements were clumsy and both Laiza and herself were having to constantly accommodate for the mage’s missteps.

Eventually their luck with the man ran dry as he lost his footing and tumbled face first into the canyon’s sand. “Aughg!”

”Keeping going,” a firm hand reached down and plucked the man upwards, practically carrying him towards the gates.

“I, I think I’ve twisted my ankle!”

Without delay the zinfandel-haired warrior pulled the Source upwards and carried his abdomen over one shoulder. Gunther’s face pointed forwards as his legs jostled behind her as she ran. ”You’re a lot heavier than you look, skin ‘n bones.” Her words came between pants as she rushed onwards.

Truthfully, Summoner’s trained for day-long marches with weights significantly heavier than Gunther’s mass but those were at a steady, slow, pace. This was an all-out sprint with death ever present and the gates felt an eternity away.

”Genoe! Anything?”

If anyone was going to get an inkling of what came next it would be him, even with a severed arm. The squadron might need to summon their armor if an attack came and in that scenario every second counted, particularly now that they had to watch after Gunther.

 

[Rak]

Rak heaved his fellow Summoner as best he could. Running with the man at his side and half carrying him as the two rushed towards the black gates ahead. The half-orc could feel his battle brother shift at his side, the pain flickering through him as his arm continued to scream with pain.

"The-fuck me this hurts-THE WALLS!"​

He shouted just in time for Rak to turn his head.

For half a second the half-orc thought that a tunnel had pulled itself open or perhaps something disguised behind the stone would soon rush out. Yet within seconds it became clear that the problem was much worse, and much bigger.

The walls themselves began to move. With the sound of a rockslide and shattering stone the canyon walls crumbled and a section of each side seemed to break free. Pulling itself from the limestone rock and forming into two massive elementals of earth.

Rak opened his mouth to shout, and then one of the creatures swept it's arms forward.

Without thinking the half-orc shoved Genoe away from himself, throwing the man to the ground as fist of pure rock and stone smashed into him.

 

[Minerva]

They'd have to knock Genoe unconscious once this was all over. It's what she'd want if she were him. Until they could cauterize the wound, until they could get him some numbing agents for the pain.

That was all she could think of as he complained even as he yelled his warning.

It was almost too late for Madeleine, she thought he was just rambling about how much it hurt and her brain moved it into the category for noises to completely ignore. Instead she saw a physical manifestation of what he had tried to warn them of while dealing with a pain she couldn't possibly imagine.

"Fuck," she groaned as she dropped Gunther to the soil.

She saw the stone golem right as it was cocking a strike towards her face. It was almost as if time slowed down as the warrior from Uroghosh grabbed hold of the lapis lazuli stone that dangled from her neck. She grasped ahold of it tightly and in a sudden burst of bright cerulean light she transformed.

Within the blink of an eye she was made different. Plating that covered every piece of her, arcarmor that protected her wholly. None of it stopped the massive stone arm that came for her.

Her ears rang after the collision took place. She focused her bearings enough to realize that Gunther was safe and that Rak had been struck too.

"Are you alright!?" she cried out whilst drawing her blade and looking up at her own golem.

 

[Rak]

A flash of light flickered out from beneath the elementals fist. A flicker of brilliant red haze, and then the crumbling of stone called out as Rak's fist shattered the golems hands.

The Half-orc pulled himself up from the ground, Bastille now enveloping him. His sword had gone flying when he'd been struck, hands almost immediately reaching for the arcstone set into his gauntlet the second he had pushed his companion away.

He staggered as he stood, the elemental reeling from it's shattered fist and giving him just a few seconds of reprieve. "I'm alright!"

Barely.

It felt as though a mountain had fallen down upon him. Even with the arcarmor's protection, the strike had been enough to crack a rib. Behind the mask of his helmet, blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, but he paid it no mind as the Elemental reared and came smashing down with it's second hand.

Rak dashed to the side almost immediately, darting towards where Sojourn lay on the ground.

"HOW DO WE KILL THESE THINGS?!" The Half-Orc shouted as a wave of dust and debris clattered against the gray plates of Bastille.

Demanding and answer from no one in particular as he scurried towards his sword.

 

[Minerva]

Madeleine froze.

It only lasted a second but she knew as soon as it happened that she had committed the ultimate sin. Freezing the midst of a fight was a terrible action. It was a thing that every new recruit had to deal with but someone as experienced as her should've known better.

In a haze she reacted, perhaps clumsily, and sprung into action. "We smash it!!"

Despite her faux pas, despite her inaction, her call-to-arms was obvious. Deliberate.

Every single Summoner went through the same vigorous training. Constantly pressing themselves to be better, to be stronger, until their muscles bulged, until their hearts nearly gave out. They'd had to splintered wood and crack rocks during their forays into the life of a Summoner.

Smashing a few stones into dust should've proved effortless.

"We FUCKING smash these things into dust!" she declared as she sheathed her blade into its scabbard, no sense in dulling the thing over what lie before her. Instead she raised her arcarmor-plated fists and began throwing punches.

One at a time, all with the intention of leaving the mechanism before her into a pile of dust.

 

[Rak]

The earth elemental that Minerva struck shattered. Cracks appearing within the ancient stone as powerful blows from her arc armored fist began to break it apart.

Rak glanced over at her for just a few seconds, his steps stalling as the Elemental behind him began to chase the half-orc with thunderous steps. It's remaining hand reached out, moving to crush him with yet another blow.

He turned swiftly on his heel, and heeded Minnie's call.

Leaving Sojourn on the ground Rak launched himself at the massive golem. Rushing forward and darting through the construct's legs. His fist crashing into the things knee, the impact letting out a loud crack as the stone shattered beneath the blow.

The elemental wheeled back, struggling to remain standing.

Both golems now teetering as they faced foes neither had been designed for.

Another summoner rushed up behind Rak. His armor more like a boulder itself than any plate. He called out to Rak, grabbing the Half-Orcs attention. Within a heartbeat he shifted, fingers linking together as he caught the other summoners foot and launched him into the Elemental.

A massive thundering boom rung out as the creature's chest was caved in, it's already teetering form shifting and then falling with a loud crash. A wave of dust and debris exploding outward.

 

[Minerva]

After the third or fourth punch she stopped counting how many haymakers she was throwing. But eventually the rage of battle wore away and what had previously been a stone construct that intended to kill her was now nothing more but rubble.

Gunther rose to his feet, heaving oxygen into his lungs, "that was a close one."

"Not really," she released a chunk of stone she'd torn from the golem she'd been clobbering. "At least they were made of brittle canyon rock."

Had the mage they were dealing with used something more sturdy the fight likely would've been far more treacherous. Glancing over to the side she saw that Rak had tossed Brokbog into the things, a smart move.

"Shall we press on?"

It was doubtful that would be the end of the defenses and between Gunther and Genoe they'd want to maintain a steady pace.

 

[Rak]

With the dust settling, Rak stood heaving heavy breaths into his lungs. "Kress."

He swore, head shaking as he looked over towards Brokbog who was pulling himself free from the rubble of the golem. His armor was covered in a layer of dust, but the Orc tugged himself free and offered Rak a thumbs up.

A smile pulled at the Half-Orc's lips, knowing it would mirror the other man behind his helmet.

"The damned things weren't meant for us!" Rak called out as he stepped back over towards where most of the other summoners had gathered. Scooping up Sojourn from the ground and letting it rest on his shoulder. "Woulda squished you like a bug tho."

He told Gunther, the jest more than clear. "Aye, lets get on with it."

The Captain said, and as group they turned their attention to the massive black gates that blocked off the wizards tower from the rest of the canyon. Rak was the first to reach them, a frown plucking at his lips. Minerva came up behind him a few seconds later.

He glanced over at hre. "What do you think, Minnie?"

Rak teased.

"Climb em?" He doubted they would be able to smash through it. The odd Black metal in front of them was nothing he'd ever seen before, and there was no obvious way to unlock the gates either.

 

[Minerva]

It wasn't uncommon for the post-battle scene to be jovial. Summoners reveled in combat and after particularly brutal ones they often joked around, drank heavily, and endlessly mocked the foes they'd just slain.

Of course, many of those things couldn't happen until after they secured their prize and rather than combatants they found a gate blocking their path.

"Climb 'em? Be my guest," a hand gestured outwards towards the black metal.

Brokbog chimed in next. "Maybe we can dig underneath?"

A round of laughter from one or two Summoners followed. For her part, Laiza said nothing, simply studying the gate before she bent over and picked a piece of rubble from tone of the golem's off of the ground. In a fluid motion their captain cocked her arm backwards and flung the stone forwards, on a collision course with the fencing.

Then it struck, a loud clang reverberating through the canyon. "Guess we can just climb it."

Minnie strode forwards, inches from the grate when a blur of light and motion formed in the exact spot the stone had hit. Then a burst of arcane energy followed and flowed through the entirety of the metal. It looked dangerous, perhaps even lethal.

"Alright, no climbing for us." They'd likely need to find a way around or through it without touching the contraption. "Wizards and their dumb enchantments." A sour face formed behind her arcarmor's mask.

 

[Rak]

Rak let out a sigh behind the helmet of his armor. His eyes flickering over the black metal that made up of the gates and drawing towards the cliffside around it. A frown touched at his lips, and he motioned towards the Captain. "Up and around?"

It was just about the only way that he could see going forward.

Scaling the cliffs to the top would be difficult, and doubtlessly not what any of them wanted to do, but at this point he didn't really see any other option.

"Minerva and I can get to the other side." Rak offered. "There's probably a way to open the gates from the other side."

If only two of them went it would be faster. He would have asked to go alone if he knew the Captain wouldn't have gone for it. Summoners were almost never allowed to go on a mission by themselves, even detaching from a larger group. Hard won lessons over the centuries had made it so there would always have to be a buddy at your side.

From the lot they had here, he knew Minerva and he could get up the cliff the fastest.

 

[Minerva]

"Sounds like a good plan to me," Minerva chimed in, letting their captain know that she had no objections to it.

"I concur," Laiza said quickly, "make it so. Be fast but careful."

They couldn't afford anymore injuries if they wanted to secure the artifact they sought. "Aye," and with that Madeline moved towards the edge of the canyon with Rak walking in tandem. It was a tight enough little pathway that they reached the cliff's face in less than a minute.

The redheaded summoner tiled her head backwards, staring up the various grooves and potential footholds that made up the climb. After a few seconds she identified a pathway that she thought could work for the duo.

A finger pointed eastward, near a slightly mis-colored clump of stones. "There."

It was the best place she could identify in a pinch and without waiting on word from the half-orc she hoisted herself up and grabbed the first of the natural holds she found. Right after a leg was raised and she began to ascend one motion at a time. The azure armored woman made quick progress, glancing down every now and again to ensure Rak was still with her.

"Not too different than the climbing courses back in Rytghosh, eh?"

 

[Rak]

Rak placed Sojourn on his back, the Arcarmor snapping the blade into place as he began to follow Minerva up the length of the cliff.

"Bit easier when no ones firing arrows at you." The Half-Orc noted as the two of them began to climb. The canyon walls proved easy enough to scale, especially around where the elementals had broken away. Where they found no foot-holds their armor took care to make one.

Despite the height of the cliffs, it took the two Summoners only an hour to reach the top. Minerva catching the edge of the cliff first and pulling herself up onto the Plateau, Rak following shortly after.

Heavy sabatons cracked onto the limestone rock as the half-orc heaved himself up, head almost immediately turning to regard the wasteland around them. The small plateau dropping off sharply into an even greater fall just a short few steps ahead. "Can see why he picked this place."

He remarked before turning and beginning to walk towards the wizards tower.

"Think he knows we're around yet?" Rak asked Minerva. "Spose he might have one of those...what do they call em? Scryers? Like that Sorcerer in Tel'Avin."

A chuckle escaped him. "Still one of the funniest things when you threw it at his head."

 

[Minerva]

"Good defensive position," she agreed with Rak's assessment.

All of it while taking in a breath after their climb. They trained relentlessly but a nearly hour-long climb still took a toll on the body and bother her burning muscles and cramping lungs would attest to that fact.

Her compatriot brought up the incident in Tel'Avin and she didn't bother to stifle the chuckle that emerged. "Yeah, those damn scryers." Her head shook, sapphire platemail clanking against itself as she did so, "if he does then he knows he's already lost."

Her words were confident and said with a straightforward tone as she studied the path downwards and the gate from the other side.

"So, uh, Rak?" In an uncharacteristic gesture her voice suddenly grew concerned, "I'm not seeing any controls from up here." They'd still need to slide down to be certain but as far as she could tell there may not be any way for them to open up the fence for the rest of the troops.

Eventually she found a path that looked smooth enough for them to 'ride down' using their arcarmor's boots almost like skates. "Wanna confirm it?"