"At the center of the great war of the Old Ones was always a huge city, an Axial City. Beginning with En Saro'ket, a different city rose to this point each cycle, becoming the pinnacle and epitome of knowledge, faith and power - only to fall whenever the cycle reached its tragic end."
from the Ring Prophecy
Third Market Day of Decadre, 126 HR
Morânia, Naghûl, Lereia, Jana and Kiyoshi stood around the round floor hatch in the sunken temple, waiting anxiously for a response from Sgillin, who had gone ahead to scout the passages beneath. Fortunately, it didn’t take long before they heard the half-elf’s voice.
“I think you can come down. But keep your weapons at the ready. Who knows what’s lurking deeper in these passages.”
Kiyoshi tied the rope to the crab’s left front leg with a professional knot and then began his descent.
Before Lereia followed him, she took one last look at the apparatus. “I just hope no one steals it.”
“I hope so too,” Jana replied. “I’m not comfortable with this whole matter. Let’s just hurry up.”
Another two hundred steps and they found yet another archway and received an eleventh symbol, featuring a smaller circle inside and three lines pointing to the right. Finally, they passed a third water barrier, and a twelfth symbol appeared on their arms. In this one, the circle was open on the right and left, and inside were two smaller circles. Furthermore, the right half of the circle was dark and the left half was light.
“That seems to be some kind of non-magical force field,” Naghûl observed. “Extremely fascinating.”
Sgillin picked up a small stone and threw it at the shimmering wall, but it bounced off.
Lereia, on the other hand, pointed to the relief above the archway. “Look at all these circular symbols. Some of them are the same as the ones on our arms. But not all of them …”
Indeed, a whole series of symbols, sixteen in total, were carved above the archway. They compared them to the marks on their forearms and realized that all twelve were also visible above the archway. So they were still missing four symbols. In addition, arranged in a semicircle above the round symbols, was an inscription in an alphabet unknown to all of them.
Sgillin turned to Kiyoshi. “Can you read that, dragonling?”
“If you’re asking whether this is the Old Tongue, dear Sgillin-san, I must remind you that our gifts don’t work here,” the young soldier replied seriously. “What I can say, however, is that it is not the alphabet of the Old Tongue.” He paused briefly, then tilted his head slightly. “What do you mean by dragonling?”
“He was alluding to your dragon heritage,” Naghûl explained.
“I understood that much,” Kiyoshi clarified. “I’m just trying to figure out whether it is a veiled insult or a title of honor.”
“It’s a title of honor,” Sgillin replied. Although the half-elf was often in a playful mood and liked to make ironic remarks or tease a little, his statement sounded sincere this time. He seemed to genuinely mean it in a respectful way.
Kiyoshi thought about it briefly, then nodded silently, apparently accepting Sgillin’s statement.
Morânia let her gaze wander back to the inscription above the door. “Perhaps that’s Arendur’s script.”
“We could ask Pax about it once we activate her,” Naghûl suggested. “Jana, can you copy that for later?”
The sorceress nodded and carefully transcribed the unfamiliar letters into a book with waterproof pages. Meanwhile, the others looked around the cave, but apart from the second passage leading away from it, nothing unusual was visible. Since they didn’t have all symbols for the door with the force field, they followed this tunnel.
After a few hundred paces and two turns, Lereia paused and listened intently, her ears twitching slightly. “Do you hear that, too?”
They listened, but only Sgillin’s hearing was sharp enough to pick up on anything as well. The half-elf nodded. “I can make out faint voices.”
“Apparently, we’re not alone here,” Lereia said quietly. “There are several people, and they seem to be standing behind the next corner.”
“Should I sneak ahead and take a look? ” asked Sgillin.
“In that case, better not,” Morânia said. “If they spot you and you’re too far away from us, it could get very dangerous for you. Let’s keep going together, but very quietly and carefully.”
They slowly approached the bend, careful not to step on loose stones or bump their backpacks against the damp walls. After a while, Morânia, too, heard the soft voices of two, perhaps three people, talking in hushed tones. When the next bend was just a few steps away, Morânia and Kiyoshi placed their hands on the hilts of their swords, while Sgillin carefully drew an arrow from his quiver. Slowly, they ventured up to the corner. The passage ended a short distance further at an open archway and led into another cave, somewhat smaller than the previous one, but equally defined by the ruins of Arendur. On the opposite wall was a second stone archway. A silvery-blue barrier shimmered in front of it as well, and above the archway, sixteen circular symbols and the strange letters were carved into the stone here, too. Two people stood in front of it: a slender githzerai with yellow skin and braided hair, and a black-haired half-elf whose dark cloak almost blended with the shadows in the gloom of the cave. Morânia frowned. Could these be Imogen and the Shadowknave? She hadn’t been present on the Plane of Fire or in the Abyss, but the two matched the description the others had given of them. A quick glance at her husband and Naghûl’s grim nod confirmed her fears. The others had apparently recognized them as well. Fortunately, Imogen and the Shadowknave had their backs to the tunnel and were intensely focused on the force field. They could now even make out what the two were talking about.
“I can’t work miracles, my dear,” the githzerai retorted sharply. “And I mean that quite literally here.”
A white cobra now reared up hissing beside Imogen, where it had apparently been lying flat on the ground until then.
“Marvent is getting impatient,” growled the half-elf in black leather armor, but took a step back from the snake as a precaution.
Morânia looked at the others and could tell from their expressions that they were all in agreement: retreat before they were discovered. Very quietly, they moved back down the tunnel, past the bend, then past the next one, until Lereia and Sgillin could no longer hear the voices of the two Illuminated.
“That’s all we needed,” the tigress said with a soft hiss. “I don’t like this. We ran into them in the Abyss, too, and Sarin said they were behind those shadow thefts as well.”
“What now?” Jana asked in a whisper. “Are we looking for a fight? They’re definitely not alone here.”
“We have to take them to Sigil and put them on trial,” Kiyoshi stated with the unmatched stubbornness that had earned the members of his faction the nickname Hardheads for good reason.
Naghûl promptly sighed at the suggestion. “That’s going to be difficult. Would they even fit in the crab?”
“We saw Imogen and the Shadowknave,” Lereia said quietly. “Those two would fit in. Ambar said a maximum of eight people.” She didn’t sound particularly convinced by the plan, though.
“But what if there are more of them?” Jana objected.
Morânia shook her head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea either. Some of us have already been injured, and we can neither cast spells nor heal. And as Jana said, those two certainly aren’t alone down here.”
“Wait here for a moment,” Sgillin whispered. “I’ll try to see more and test something while I’m at it.”
Before anyone could stop him or even raise an objection, he had already disappeared into the shadows. Morânia cursed under her breath. Why did this man always have to go off on spontaneous solo missions without discussing them with the group first? But it was too late to hold him back, so they had no choice but to wait quietly in the tunnel between the two caves. It didn’t take too long, however, before Sgillin reappeared.
“I just sneaked through the archway briefly to catch a glimpse of the rest of the cave,” he explained. “There are more people in there. I saw at least three guards a little further back. If we attack them, we’ll probably have to kill them. Personally, I wouldn’t mind taking them out. But as Morânia said: A fight here could be quite risky without her prayers and without Jana and Naghûl being able to cast spells. But there’s something else: You get four symbols at the archway leading into the cave.”
“Four?” Naghûl raised his eyebrows in disbelief. “That’s the first time anyone’s gotten more than one.”
This gave Morânia an idea. “A suggestion,” she said quietly. “Now that Sgillin has all the symbols: Let’s return to the first cave with the force field. Sgillin, at least, can probably pass it now. He could have a look at the other side; maybe that will help us. I suspect the Illuminated can’t open this force field any more than they can open the other one. Otherwise, they surely would have done so already.”
Lereia swished her tail restlessly. “You think only the Chosen receive these marks?”
Morânia nodded. “Somehow, Arendur’s ancient architecture may still be able to recognize the Chosen. Either that, or the Illuminated simply haven’t discovered the cave near the Pinnacles yet, the one where we repaired the crab. They obviously didn’t come here through the temple, but by some other route. Otherwise, Sgillin would surely have discovered their tracks somewhere in these tunnels.”
“Yes, that’s true,” whispered the half-elf. “With so many people, I would definitely have found something.”
“I’m in favor of Morânia’s suggestion,” Naghûl said quietly. “Sgillin should try to pass the door with the force field.”
Lereia tilted her head slightly. “I agree.”
Jana nodded, and after a moment’s thought, Kiyoshi also made his decision. “I second that suggestion. Afterwards, we can return and try to arrest the two leaders of the Illuminated and bring them to Sigil.”
Morânia couldn’t tell whether he was truly planning this or if it was just an attempt to convince himself that he was still capable of fulfilling his duty.
Sgillin, however, nodded eagerly at Kiyoshi’s words. “Exactly. Imogen mentioned stalling Marvent because she needs more time. I don’t think they’ll get away soon.”
So they returned to the cave where they had discovered the first archway with the force field. The silvery, shimmering wall still stretched between the doorposts.
Sgillin first looked at the sixteen marks on his forearm, then at the sixteen circular symbols above the archway. “Well then,” he murmured. “Let’s try our luck.” Cautiously, he held out a hand, and sure enough: his fingers didn’t bounce off the shimmering veil like the small stone he had thrown earlier. Instead, they glided right through it, as if the force field were nothing but cool water. The half-elf hesitated for a moment, then took a bold step forward.
Holding her breath, Morânia watched as the sixteen symbols above the archway lit up one by one. First one, then two, and finally all at once. Warm, amber-colored light flowed through the circles carved into the stone, as if ancient veins were being filled with life again after millennia. A deep, barely audible hum filled the cave, and at the same time, Morânia once again felt a tingling sensation on her left forearm. When she rolled back her sleeve, she was astonished to see that four more circles had appeared on her skin. For a heartbeat, they glowed with the same golden light as the symbols above the archway, before their radiance slowly faded and they remained visible as black lines, just like the other marks.
“By Lathander …” Morânia whispered.
She heard gasps of surprise all around her. Naghûl, Jana and Kiyoshi were also staring at their forearms in surprise. Only Lereia couldn’t see the marks beneath her fur, but it stood to reason that she, too, had received them.
“All four at once,” Jana remarked quietly.
Kiyoshi nodded slowly. “Apparently, just one of us had to receive the complete set of symbols and step through this door.”
Fascinated, Naghûl’s gaze wandered back and forth between the glowing symbols above the archway and the new symbols on his arm. “Very well,” he said. “Then we’d better find out what’s being so well protected here.”
Cautiously, they followed Sgillin through the archway, and as they had hoped, the force field let them all pass while remaining intact. The cave they now entered was significantly more spacious than the previous ones and so high that its ceiling was barely discernible in the dim twilight. In many places, the remains of what had once been a magnificent structure jutted out of the rock: half-collapsed colonnades, wide staircases and massive archways. Amidst the mud on the floor, large paved areas of dark green stone were still visible, as were intricate mosaics, some of which were surprisingly well-preserved. Broken obelisks leaned crookedly against one another, and several large statues jutted out of the ground, some already half-sunken, some reduced to torsos and others nearly intact. Unlike the rest of the caves, this area was illuminated by crystals that were still active and had survived in some of the facades. In the middle of the cave lay a still lake, its black surface reflecting the pale glow of the crystals like polished glass. Thin wafts of mist glided silently across the water and gathered around a small rocky island in the center. When her gaze fell upon this island, Morânia’s heart skipped a beat. For there lay… a dragon.
Its scales were a deep, rich blue reminiscent of the night sky shortly after sunset. Even in the dim light, they appeared as though they were made of cut sapphire. However, it was neither a chromatic nor a gem dragon, but rather resembled a cross between a metallic dragon and a lung dragon. Its long body lay curled up on the rock, with no visible wings, while the mist lazily swirled around its claws and tail. It held its head high and had apparently already spotted the approaching mortals. At the sight of the dragon, Morânia stood rooted to the spot, and the others had also paused. They scrutinized it as well, alert, fearful, unsure whether they should expect an attack or whether the dragon had peaceful intentions. But the majestic creature showed no aggression whatsoever, merely surveying them with a calm gaze. So they slowly approached the shore of the lake, reverently, hesitantly, unsure whether their approach was welcome and permitted. No one spoke. Even Naghûl, who usually had words for every newly discovered wonder, remained silent. The sight of the impressive creature was so sublime that it demanded respectful silence. When they were only a few steps from the shore, the mighty dragon straightened up even further. Its golden eyes observed the group, as if it had been waiting patiently for an unimaginably long time for those who would one day reach its resting place.
“Ah, yes …” The dragon’s voice, obviously male, echoed through the cave, deep and melodious. “So the time has come. The end of the cycle, it has begun.” Knowledge and a hint of regret resonated in his tone. “As it has always been, so shall it be this time. Not even a visionary - others would say a mad heretic - like Tolumvire could change this.”
None of them was able to reply. Encountering the majestic dragon here was overwhelming enough in itself. That he was now speaking to them about Arendur and Tolumvire, about the Prophecy and the end of the cycle … What else could they do but stare at him in awe and bewilderment?
Their confusion was clearly noticed, for the dragon now laughed softly, a sound like the muffled peal of a great bell. “Your confusion, I understand it well. Chosen of this cycle, I greet you. I am the Guardian of Arendur, and I have been expecting you.” The gaze of his golden eyes now rested on Kiyoshi. “I see that the bearer of Hope is among you. A descendant of the ancient dragon kings, yes … The Watcher. How fitting that you found your way into the Guardian’s chamber. Carry hope in your hand as well as in your heart, and always know that your noble lineage may one day spare you your destiny.”
The young soldier, a descendant of a brass dragon himself, was clearly - and understandably - quite overwhelmed by the dragon’s words. Too much so to come up with a fitting reply. So he bowed low to the majestic creature, but said nothing in return.
The dragon, however, now turned his gaze towards Lereia. “And at his side, the Creator. In surprising form you stand before us, Chosen. Immerse yourself deeply in your gift; it may one day decide the fate of the cycle … unless another one does.”
Lereia twitched her ears and listened reverently, but she, too, merely bowed her head in response. Morânia, standing beside her, now watched with a pounding heart as the dragon turned his head towards her.
“And beside her, the Envoy,” he said solemnly. “Your face reflects the pure soul of heaven that you carry. We have not spoken to one another for a long time, and you slumber deeply. But when you awaken one day, you will turn a world upside down.”
Morânia looked at the dragon with fascination, but also in awe. His words sounded overwhelming, too grand and too significant to grasp at that moment. Her thoughts and feelings burned brightly, like flickering flames. And yet she knew that the guardian dragon’s words had etched themselves indelibly in her memory. She would have to reflect on them thoroughly - but not now. So she, too, simply bowed her head at his words.
The dragon now turned his gaze towards Jana. “And the Prophet has come as well. You see parts of what I am guarding, too - the eyes and ears of the Chosen for past, present and future. But compared to what you see today, just imagine what will be revealed to you one day: the secrets of creation itself.”
Jana nodded silently and bowed low. In stark contrast to her otherwise sometimes headstrong nature, she now appeared reverent, even humble, and did not speak a word.
The dragon’s gaze, however, now turned to Naghûl. “And at her side, the Seeker. Oh, if only you wanted to see everything you find! But to your eyes will be revealed what the gods themselves have hidden. One day you will see the fate of the cycle … and, hopefully, be able to interpret it.”
Naghûl nodded, silently and in awe, and was clearly torn between staring at the dragon in admiration and bowing his head in reverence. Now only Sgillin remained, and the half-elf visibly tensed as the dragon’s gaze turned to him.
“And … the Traitor.” To their collective astonishment, the majestic guardian laughed a little, but it sounded neither threatening nor mocking but rather knowing. “O rider in the night, roamer in the shadows, wanderer between all boundaries and ages. Your role has always been the most difficult, the most hidden and the one that frightened the others the most. And yet so important. And you will play it. Yes, from the depths of your heart, and ultimately – hopefully - prevail.”
Sgillin had been holding his breath and now exhaled audibly, clearly relieved not to be confronted with a reproach or a grim insinuation.
The dragon now raised his head a little higher and let his gaze wander searchingly through the cave. Then he looked back at the group. “The others, I do not see them, yet they have awakened. Not at your side in this room, but at your side in every other respect. Inseparably bound by fate, time and reality. You are the Chosen. It is not your calling to ask what must be done. You will do what is necessary; this is your responsibility and destiny. You are the Vārya, which in the Old Tongue means chosen and, for a long time, will be the only word in that language known to everyone. And now, come to me, nocturnal rider, to receive what I have been guarding for you for so long.”
Morânia’s gaze, like that of everyone else, turned to Sgillin. Since the dragon had just addressed him as rider in the night, it stood to reason that he meant the half-elf. The ranger himself still hesitated, but after everyone waited and looked at him, he nodded. With a few steps, he approached the very edge of the shore and then placed one foot in the lake. He cautiously walked a short distance and found that the water reached no higher than to his knees. So he waded slowly towards the guardian dragon enthroned on the flat rock pedestal. Morânia admired Sgillin’s composure and calm in the face of the majestic creature as he stepped onto the small island. Only his slightly trembling hands betrayed how deeply the dragon’s aura and presence affected him. The Guardian of Arendur now looked at a stone pedestal beside him that Morânia hadn’t noticed before. On top of the natural pedestal, nestled in a hollow, lay a light-gray object the size of a chicken egg, though seemingly perfectly spherical. With the claws of his right foreleg, the dragon gently lifted it from the pedestal and handed it to the ranger. The orb hovered brieflis above Sgillin’s open fingers and then settled into his palm.
“I … I thank you, Venerable One,” the half-elf managed to say as he accepted the sphere with a shaky hand. “Thank you on behalf of all the Chosen.”
The guardian dragon nodded to Sgillin and to the rest of the group on the shore of the lake. “This is your first time here but not your last. Next time, however, you will take a different route, I suppose. Perhaps we will meet again.” Then he glided almost silently into the water, which seemed to be much deeper behind the small stone island than at the spot where Sgillin had waded through. After just a few moments, he had vanished beneath the surface, and the silvery wafts of mist gathered once more where he had submerged.
In awe, still overwhelmed, they watched the dragon disappear. Still, no one spoke a word. Sgillin, his knees visibly wobbly, went back into the water and waded towards the shore. Looking a little pale, he returned to the group. As the others gathered around him, he held up his right hand, which held the mysterious orb the dragon had given to him. It shimmered slightly and looked almost like a giant gray pearl.
“What is that?” Jana asked in a whisper. “What did he give you?”
Sgillin took a deep breath. “I have no idea. He disappeared before I could ask him. … Wait, something’s happening. This thing is getting warmer …”
Everyone stared at the orb in Sgillin’s palm. It was changing … First it vibrated slightly, and then luminous blue streaks flowed around it. The half-elf gasped sharply, clearly unsure whether he should keep holding the orb or put it down. But before he could decide, the surroundings changed, just as if Jana were taking them into a vision.
Morânia looked around and realized that they were apparently still standing in the same place. This time, however, it wasn’t a huge cave, but a large hall. She recognized the crumbling statues, the collapsed colonnades and the floor mosaics half-covered in mud. But now they were all intact and shining in their former splendor. In addition, strange appliances were scattered everywhere: intricate-looking mechanical devices fitted with various crystals. Members of many different peoples were rushing back and forth, some of whom completely unknown to Morânia. Where the guardian dragon had sat, there was a platform, and standing on it was an older human man in dark red robes, who was apparently giving various instructions. He possessed a powerful presence, seemed self-assured, confident and composed. He was holding something in his hand … a wand, a scepter? Morânia couldn’t make it out clearly.
Then it was over, and they found themselves back in the cave. The vision had been brief, yet striking and intense, like a nocturnal landscape made visible only for a moment by the harsh flash of lightning. Morânia rubbed her temples and looked at the orb that Sgillin was still holding in his open palm. It was dull gray again, as if nothing had happened.
“Well, it wasn’t me this time,” Jana finally assured.
Sgillin shook his head, still dazed. “But it was still a kind of vision, wasn’t it?”
“It certainly felt like one,” replied Naghûl, taking a few deep breaths. “And I think it was something from the distant past.”
The half-elf lowered the arm holding the orb slightly. “Could you see what the guy was holding in his hand?”
“It seemed to be some kind of wand or scepter,” Kiyoshi said. “But unfortunately, I couldn’t make it out clearly.”
“Could that have been Tolumvire?” Lereia wondered. “When he tried to protect Arendur from destruction?”
Naghûl nodded. “That’s what I was thinking, too.”
Morânia now examined the gray orb a little more closely, and an idea occurred to her. “Could this perhaps be the Memory Stone?”
Lereia pricked up her ears. “What makes you think that?”
“Lady Juliana described the stones as orbs. We don’t know much else, but what if what we saw was an ancient memory? Stored in the stone?”
Jana’s eyes widened. “Then that would be one of the Seeker Stones …”
“Exactly!” Morânia felt excitement welling up inside her. “And the archbishop also said that these stones could point the way to the swords they belong to.”
Sgillin whistled softly through his teeth. “And one of the swords is called Memory …”
Morânia nodded. “Right! We could try to see if the stone leads us somewhere.”
“Maybe if one visualizes the sword while holding the stone?” Lereia mused. “That sounds a bit naive, I know.”
“Not necessarily,” Morânia said with a smile. “Didn’t the soul compass work that way, too?”
“That’s true,” Lereia replied. “And since Lady Juliana showed us pictures of the swords, we know what they look like.”
Sgillin nodded. “Good idea. Should I give it a try?”
“Sure, go ahead,” Naghûl agreed. “Just imagine if we were to find the sword, too!”
The half-elf now fixed his gaze intently on the gray orb and seemed to be recalling the image of the double-bladed sword, which according to the archbishop was supposed to be the sword Memory.
It took a while, but then his eyes suddenly widened. “Indeed, something’s happening …” Very slowly, he took a step forward, as if the stone were pulling him.
The others watched him intently but said nothing so as not to disturb his concentration. Sgillin took a few more steps towards his backpack, which he had set down before wading through the water. Finally, he stopped right in front of the backpack and furrowed his brow in confusion.
“Your backpack?” Jana asked doubtfully.
“That’s where I’m being drawn,” Sgillin confirmed, equally puzzled. “Quite clearly. That’s strange.”
Although the half-elf was often in the mood for jokes, Morânia was certain he wasn’t joking this time.
Naghûl stepped in for him instead. “You have Memory in your backpack?” He raised his eyebrows in mock surprise.
Morânia smiled. “You could have just told us right away,” she joined in on her husband’s joke.
“Damn, you caught me,” Sgillin replied with a grin. Then he opened the flap of the backpack. “But I have an idea.”
He handed the gray orb to Morânia and then rummaged through the backpack, pulling out an object that looked like a collapsible metal measuring tool. “An unfolding portal,” he explained.
“Aha!” Naghûl nodded approvingly.
Jana, on the other hand, eyed the thing skeptically. “An unfolding portal? What’s that supposed to be?”
“A portable portal, so to speak,” the half-elf explained. “When you unfold it completely, you can activate it with the right key. Krystall gave it to me for this mission as a kind of last resort. You can only activate it once, and it’s a one-way portal. If the stone points that way, the sword might be on the other side.”
“Where exactly does the portal lead?” Naghûl asked.
“According to Krystall, it leads to the Beastlands,” Sgillin explained. “Specifically to the layer Krigala, near the town Signpost.”
Lereia nodded. “That sounds pretty good, doesn’t it?”
“That sounds very good, actually,” Naghûl agreed.
Sgillin now placed the unfolding portal on the ground and looked at Morânia. “Does the stone still point there?”
Morânia held the orb carefully in her open palm, just as Sgillin had done, and concentrated on the picture of the sword Memory that Lady Juliana had shown them. And sure enough, she felt a slight tug, as if the stone wanted to lead her straight to the unfolding portal, even though it wasn’t even active yet. “Yes,” she confirmed. “It still wants to go there.”
Lereia walked around the unfolding portal on the ground, as cats often did when they wanted to examine something. “Should we call the Arendur mission off then?” she asked.
“Good question.” When Morânia stopped concentrating on the sword, the stone’s tugging faded. “The question is also, what exactly was the mission in the first place?”
“The Keeper’s Library, right?” Jana said. “And information about the Prophecy.”
“Right,” Naghûl said thoughtfully. “But we don’t have found a library yet …” He paused and slapped his forehead. “Pax! Pax might be the library!”
Morânia nodded. “Exactly. Or the Memory Stone itself, in a figurative sense. At least we now have a mimir from the age of Arendur and probably one of the Seeker Stones. Actually, that’s a good result.”
“Definitely,” Sgillin agreed. “Maybe we should be content with that, be glad we’ve survived this far and return to Sigil.”
Kiyoshi thought for a moment, then nodded solemnly. “If Naghûl and the venerable Lady Morânia-sama are correct in their assessment of the mimir and the Memory Stone, then - in my humble opinion - the mission might be considered complete.”
When Jana also nodded in agreement, Lereia turned her head towards the entrance of the large cave. “All right, how should we proceed? Go through the portal right away? Try to overpower the Illuminated, grab the crab and then leave? Or just grab the crab and leave?”
Naghûl sighed. “As much as I’d love to send those Illuminated leatherheads to hell … I’m afraid that would be a very risky battle, and one that could result in heavy losses.”
“I agree,” Morânia said. “I’d say: quietly and carefully back to the crab, and then through Sgillin’s unfolding portal into the Beastlands.”
Lereia nodded. “Yes, we’d better take the apparatus back with us. We don’t want to give Imogen and the Shadowknave an advantage with it.”
Jana and Kiyoshi agreed as well, so Sgillin packed the unfolding portal back into his backpack. After one last glance back at the stone island in the misty lake, they set off on their way back to the apparatus of the crab.
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played August 11, 2013
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