Day 8 (continued)
The party, minus Lavender, leaves the amphitheatre. Temerity is fiercely angry, while Theren is deeply upset by the loss of Lavender. They travel along a dark hallway that seems to go on forever. The silence is punctuated by the dripping of water and the clopping of Temerity’s hooves. Aurius whimpers with fear. They walk for half an hour or more with no end in sight; no light before them and the light behind dwindles to nothingness. In absolute darkness, Orion has to hold Temerity’s tail to find his way; Theren and Temerity can make their way using their dark vision.
Theren and Orion suddenly become rooted to the spot with fear in the blackness, an icy feeling filling their veins. Temerity conjures hellish light with his lute when he realises that Orion has stopped. Only his anger prevented him from succumbing to fear. He plays an inspirational lute routine and Orion slowly blinks out of it, but Theren stays fixed. Temerity’s fury wins over better judgement and he knocks Theren out with his lute, carrying the unconscious warlock over his shoulder. Theren is heavier than he appeared and Temerity staggers about, bashing into the walls of the passageway. Orion steadies him.
They continue on for about another hour when a pinpoint of light appears. Theren awakens and punches Temerity in the face, remembering the lute to the head. Temerity drops him and the two argue ferociously until Temerity points out the light. Theren glowers and stomps off towards it.
Lavender awakens in a pool of light, floating in spite of her armour. The water is ice-cold, but she is surprised to find that she isn’t cold. She is aware of her surroundings but is immobilised. There are rocks around her and she can make out twisted faces in them. She isn’t sure if she is imagining them; they are fleeting and ephemeral, but she feels like she knows them. Whenever she tries to focus on them, they vanish before she can get a proper look at them. As she tries to sit up, her armour constricts around her and prevents her. She takes a deep breath and tries not to get angry. After a few moments, she calls out, asking where she is, but her voices echoes back to her without reply. She tries asking the faces who they are; they continue to flash but they do start moving, as if talking. She closes her eyes and focusses on her breathing, praying to Auriel for guidance.
Theren and Temerity reach the end of the hallway. Temerity, in his continuing anger, does not spot the precipice and plummets 30 feet down. Orion and Theren manage to prevent themselves from falling down the sheer drop. Temerity casts featherfall on himself to prevent serious damage. He finds himself standing amongst rocks and rubble. Looking back up, he sees that the other two, with Aurius and Guido, are still on the ledge above him. Theren glances back and the amphitheatre is directly behind him – the lengthy hallway has vanished. Above them is something large and circular, suspended by golden chains. In the centre of the depressed chamber is a crater. Theren starts to get annoyed, feeling that the place is trying to mess with his mind. Temerity tells him to blast the chains holding up the circular structure. Light bursts from Theren’s hands and hits the chains, with no effect. Theren realises that he must cause more damage before anything will happen. He tries again and a crack appears in the chain.
Lavender feels ripples in the pool. Around her, the faces begin to look more and more panicked. She realises that all of the faces are people that she knows: family, comrades, Theren, Temerity, even Guido. All of the faces are fearful and Lavender feels her anger growing. She uses it to force herself to sit upright. Looking around, she takes stock, but it’s so dark. She swims to the edge of the pool and pulls herself out. The faces have now disappeared. She finds herself on a suspended platform. She looks over the edge, but it’s a mammoth drop
Theren tries another blast, but this one is completely repelled. Temerity feel utterly useless, which stokes his anger further. He begins to play a heavy metal thrash. Theren feels the inspiration flowing into him and tries again, but still is unsuccessful. Temerity suggests sending Runcible up to investigate. Through Runcible’s eyes, Theren sees a pool on the platform and a crawling Lavender. He watches as she gets back into the pool. He cannot believe his eyes. Lavender tries to dive down through the pool but the freezing water locks her joints and she cannot move. Theren breaks out of his reverie and tells Runcible to help Lavender. She is able to move again and swims to the middle of the pool. The faces remain but are more fleeting than before. She recognises Runcible but doesn’t know what to say to him. She explains that she’s in a pool and asks after everyone else. Runcible bobs a yes. Aurius, down below, tilts his head, as if sensing something. Lavender explains that the water keeps freezing her but that she will try and swim down to the bottom to see what happens. Runcible acknowledges the message.
Temerity looks down at the rubble-strewn floor. There appears to be withered saplings around the edge of the crater but also small sprouts from the ground. Moving the rocks from around one of the shoots, he discovers that it looks like an alpine tree. While Temerity is distracted, Theren whispers to Aurius and asks if he can head the lady. Aurius replies that the lady says the word friend. He starts calling down to Temerity that he can hear the lady saying friend to him. Temerity realises that this means Lavender.
Meanwhile, Lavender has reached the bottom of the pool but cannot see anything. Outside, Theren tries another tack and shatters the chains. It doesn’t break them, but Lavender feels the shatter. Temerity’s rage has calmed a bit since speaking with Aurius. He notices a crack in the bottom of the platform and fires at it with his crossbow. It pings off. Theren sees and follows his example, launching an attack on the crack. It separates and water starts to drip through. Where the water hits the floor, white and green begin spreading. Temerity stands beneath the droplets and one hits him, causing damage. He instead holds out his canteen to catch the drops.
Theren blasts again at the crack with agonising blast, causing it to split further. Temerity swigs what he has caught in his canteen – his stomach turns to ice. Excited by this, he continues trying to catch the water. Lavender is still underwater, searching futilely. She is running out of air and must surface. Theren blasts again but his frustration causes him to miss. Lavender prays to Auriel as she begins to drown.
Suddenly, she is no longer at the bottom of the pool. She sees a huge face. It is unsettling, like the uncanny valley. It’s huge and fills her vision. It looks proud, yet stern. When it speaks, cold penetrates her body. The face accuses her of trying to do everything alone. Lavender argues that it had to be one of them and she was the logical choice. The face replied that together the group was strong. Lavender listens as the face speaks but she does not agree with its words. She feels that she is the protector of the group and doesn’t want her companions to suffer. As if the face can read her thoughts it asks her to consider who protects the protector. Her reply comes easily, saying that other protectors do. She thinks of her grandmother, someone who she considered a protector – a lady who stood up against tyranny and injustice and wrong.
The face is benevolent in its sternness and states that sometimes sitting and being protected is harder than standing up and protecting others. Lavender solemnly understands. The face acknowledges that protecting and serving is in her nature. It reminds her that strength is required to protect but greater strength is needed to admit a need for protection. Lavender finds herself bathed in white light and forced from the pool. The crack at the bottom extends and bisects the platform. The icy water cascades down towards Temerity. Lavender gasps in horror as she begins to fall. Theren stares, powerless.
Springing to action, Temerity throws his gathered water onto a nearby shoot, which promptly grows into a shield, protecting him from the water. From beneath it, he casts featherfall on Lavender and watches as she floats gracefully down to the floor of the crater, which is now filled with water that has turned inexplicably to snow. The other saplings react to the water falling on them by growing suddenly into full trees and shrubs. One has grown up in proximity to the ledge on which Orion and Theren are still standing. Orion swiftly climbs down. Theren places Guido in his bag and persuades Aurius up onto his shoulders, then jumps to the tree and climbs down also.
The party reunites on the now snow-strewn floor of the crater. Temerity calls out to Lavender, pleased to see her. Theren looks like he wants to hug her, but doesn’t. Aurius bounces around her legs. She picks him up and snuggles him. Once she places him down again, Temerity scoops him up. She finds her cloak and refastens it. Theren pulls Guido from his bag and returns him to Temerity, who proceeds to issue treats to his menagerie.
Aurius begins racing around the glade and stumbles into a hole. He says it’s warm in there. Korako hops over to investigate. It looks like a nice little cave. Lavender unclasps her cloak once more and places it in the centre of the glade as an offering. Temerity calls them all over to go spelunking. However, when the enter the cave, they find that it is not deep but covered in moss and leaves. They all crawl in and take the opportunity to rest. Lavender mediates, finding herself very much at peace. Theren leans his head against the wall and drifts off to sleep. Temerity and Orion sit back to back, talking together. Temerity comments that Orion guided him in the dark and thanks him. Orion smiles to himself as Temerity moves off to repair his lute.
Once he has finished his repairs, Temerity uses the foliage around him to create a makeshift magic circle and places Korako in the centre of it. He meditates and sees an image of Korako with a racoon’s tail. He drifts off, dreaming of strange, mixed-up animals. The party rests after an eventful day.
Day 9
They are awakened by a screech. Lavender grabs her sword, Theren his staff, while Temerity screams about unnatural creatures. Lavender moves to the cave entrance and peers out but sees nothing. Orion pricks up and looks outside. He tells them to look at the grass. There are prints in the grass.
It is an invisible griffin.
Lavender clasps her shield and moves out into the glade. Temerity shouts out in delight. A stern voice replies, asking who it is that has been asking about invisible griffins. Temerity is overcome with joy. The griffin pushes him backwards. It challenges him, asking if he has been dragging their name through the mud with his accusations of misdeeds. Lavender heads back into the cave. Theren follows. He listens to the exchange with his Beast Speech ability.
Temerity asks to become an invisible griffin. The griffin replies that he is a buffoon before asking if they want a ride out of the cavern or not. Temerity calls to the rest of the party to come and ride on the invisible griffin.
Lavender is cautious and asks for clarification. Once reassured, they all pack away and agree to escape on the invisible griffin. However, they all end up arguing with Temerity. Theren intervenes, revealing his Beast Speech ability to the group for the first time. He asks the griffin if it can become visible to ease everyone’s nerves. The griffin acquiesces – it is wondrous and golden. Theren asks and discovers that its name is Mathilda. Temerity is unimpressed, as he considers visible griffins to be pedestrian. The griffin grabs his lute and ask if he values it. Temerity argues with the griffin until Lavender interjects. She mounts the griffin, followed by Theren and Orion. Aurius perches upon its head. As the griffin turns invisible, so does the party. It clasps Temerity in its talons, who in turn clutches Korako in his arms, with Guido tucked safely in his bag.
A voice tells them that their trust has been well placed. They burst through an illusory ceiling and into the brightness of a new day.