Chapter 3 Part 14

Something strange was going on. After two more days of travel, they had not seen the mountains of the oracle getting any closer. At first, Avery thought it was an optical illusion. But, after a third day of marching through the woodlands, there was still no sign of progress, Armegon and Ultrecht agreed that there was some kind of magic at work.

They debated for some time on how to bypass what they assumed were the Oracle's defenses and also to not lose their way or significantly hinder the quest. By the morning of the fourth day since having left the road, they had decided to risk a telelocation spell. they knew it was risky. They had been warned by Mager, that those kinds of spells drew unwanted attention. But time was getting short and circumstances were starting to require that they start taking some chances if they had any hope of ever returning home.

Ultrecht suspected the mountains they were seeing were illusionary, so they would need to use a very high-powered spell to teleport into an unknown place safely in conjunction with a scrything spell. In addition to alerting their enemies to their wherabouts, another unwanted possible outcome of the spell was a displacement in space, which would add time to their journey. It was not as likely, but they were dealing with a new world and their magic had not been thorougly tested yet. So they had to assume the worst. If they did get displaced, it would be better that they were all together rather than seperated, so it was decided to risk only one casting and move the whole troop together.


When everyone was ready, Ultrecht drew a large circle in the snow, and with a little help from Avery, marked the four cardinal directions with glyphs and runes. He then directed everyone inside the circle and began to chant. Armegon waited a moment while holding a bowl of clear water. Then he approached Ultrecht and the two mages peered into the depths of the bowl. Within the confines bowl, Armegon struggled to scrythe and summon a vision of the far distant cliffs with his mind. When the lock was completed, Ultrecht's voice changed slightly.

The pack animals nickered and became fussy at the crowded lack of space, but the party members calmed them as the spell began to turn the world around them into a blur of color. It was all over relatively quick. In just a few moments, they found themselves in a small glade near a cliff wall. Leading north into a small canyon was an overgrown trail.

Without even a word of discussion, Samson lead the way into the rock. The twisting passage he followed was long and narrow, but navigable. Surprisingly, the deeper they moved into the side of the cliff, the more they found signs of stonework and construction.

About two miles into the side of the mountain, the canyon came to an end at a mammoth pair of stone doors. The doors were situated under a weather worn archway decorated by a handful of glyphs of some unknown meaning. "Well," Samson said aloud to himself, "I guess this is the place."
"No handles or locks," observed Keeneye. "I wonder how we get in?"
"Knock?" Norwind suggested.
"Get serious," Keeneye chided.
Samson sized up the stone slabs. "Armegon," he asked, "do you think you can blow a hole through these doors?
"Of course he can," Ultrecht said quietly, "but that might have a tendency to upset whoever or whatever occupies this hall. Besides, we don't need to use any more magic for a while. We may have given ourselves away already. Let's not make tracking us any easier than necessary."
"Okay," grumbled Samson. He went over to the doors while everyone else stood in a little huddle discussing levers and traps. Samson Okmar reached into a pouch on his wide belt and withdrew a pair of gauntlets. He put them on and then worked his fingers into the crack between the doors. “This should have been Seymore’s job.” He muttered quietly. Bracing his legs, he bowed his head, summoned all his energy and strained against the massive doors. He could feel their strength and the magical bond that held them closed. Driven by his need to get Seymore and the others safely home, he pitted his strength against the doors and their enchantment until there was a low groan and the crack opened a little wider.

The sound of the door moving attracted the attention of the others. While they had been standing around talking, Samson had taken the initiative. "It would seem," Armegon said in open admiration, "that Samson has decided our next course of action for us."

Samson wasn't listening to the others. He concentrated on the task at hand. He had managed to make a little headway with the door and had paused to get a better grip, when the enchantment that opposed him slowly began to force the doors together again. "Ultrecht," he growled through clenched teeth.

The mage came over and felt the stones to sense the nature of their enchantment. "I can counter this," he said at last.

Together they worked; mage and warrior bent their minds and backs as one to the task. Samson's enhanced strength supplied the force while Ultrecht wove a very slight and minor spell. Ultrecht did not oppose the adversary enchantment--that would be folly--he simply fooled it into thinking that the doors were still closed.

As Samson moved the doors apart, bit by bit, Ultrecht prevented the enchantment from activation. In this way, the doors were soon far enough open that people could move into the building's interior.

It was too small for the animals inside. So, as Keeneye and Norwind unloaded them. While they sorted through their packs for the supplies they would need Marlena spoke to each of the beasts in their own language. She told them to roam the wild as they saw fit, but to return once a day for a week. Then, if no one met them by the end of that period, they were free to leave. When everyone was inside and the animals were trotting away, Samson let the doors close again.

They stood within a foyer or reception hall of some kind. Light was being provided by a small crystal sphere in Armegon's hand that glowed with a cold, brilliant light. Armegon had created it some time ago and usually carried it in an inner pocket of his robe. It became quite handy at times.

The room was bare except for the huge doors behind them and an archway on the north side of the room. "It is a safe bet that our entrance has not gone unnoticed," Norwind said as he took in their surroundings. "Especially if this oracle's ability is genuine."

"Right," Samson said as he slowed his breathing. The effort of holding the doors open had taxed him somewhat. He gestured grandly towards the elf. "You have the lead Norwind,” the big man urged. “Watch out for traps."

"Listen up," the monk said as he stood next to the archway. "I'll take the point. Keeneye will follow with Samson. We will keep two abreast. Marlena and Ultrecht will follow next with Avery and Armegon bringing up the rear.

No one argued. It was the most logical formation for moving through unexplored areas. The two elves had the sharpest senses, and the quickest reflexes. Norwind had done a fair amount of research into mechanical devices and was good at spotting traps. Keeneye had been a thief once and was likewise good at spotting things that were out of the ordinary.
Samson was by far the best fighter in the group, and his powerful sword would make him their first line of defense should they run upon some trouble. Marlena and Ultrecht were not fighters, and so were in the middle of the defensive perimeter with Armegon and Avery providing the rear guard and carrying the bulk of the supplies.

Everyone made ready. Keeneye threaded his bow and Samson drew Libra. The sword throbbed very lightly. Armegon and Avery shouldered the majority of the supplies on harnesses with quick releases. Armegon passed the crystal stone forward to Norwind who hefted a quarterstaff.

Cautiously, Norwind probed the space around the archway with his staff. He half-expected to discover a wire or to have a dart shoot across the way, but nothing happened. Still not satisfied, he pressed down on the floor with the staff. They were in a room with only one exit. If there was to be a trap, this was the logical place to put it. Yet, the floor remained solid as stone.

Norwind took a deep breath and stepped through the arch. Nothing happened. He turned and motioned for the others to follow and then proceeded cautiously down the corridor. About fifty feet ahead, he saw a door. He motioned for the others to halt, and he moved closer to inspect the area.

With his friends safely out of range for standard traps, he examined the door. The door opened away from him, so there were no hinges or scrape marks to tell how long it had been since it was last used. Likewise, there was no way of knowing if there was a switch on the other side that could trip as the door opened. There was no sign of a needle or barb or dust on the handle, so he lightly ran his hand by the door without touching it. He felt a light breeze coming through the gap between the door and the wall. This indicated that the door did not lead to an enclosed room, or if it did, the room was ventilated and probably often used. Norwind listened intently but heard not a sound. He could not find any indication of a trap, but there was something odd here that he couldn't quite put his finger on.

He was just about to push on the handle when he saw it. There on the handle was his breath. When he had listened at the door, he had inadvertently breathed on the door handle. His breath had frosted and now the handle was encased in ice. The handle was super cooled to cause someone's hand to stick solid to it. That was probably to hold a victim in place for some more nasty fate to be triggered.Norwind went back to the others and informed them of the situation. It was generally decided to avoid the door and return to it if their venture was otherwise fruitless.

For two more hours, Norwind led the adventurers through the tunnels and corridors. They found several rooms, which appeared to contain nothing of value or importance. Finally at an intersection, while they were debating which direction to proceed, Marlena put her hands on her hips and sneered, "So where is this great oracle we have been told about?" As if in reply, there was a great deep booming sound that came from the very walls all around them. It echoed and reverberated for several moments until it died out.

Keeneye observed that it sounded uncomfortably like laughter. He was about to share this observation with his fellows when he suddenly found that he was standing alone in a room dimly lit by a torch on one wall. "Great," he said sarcastically. "This is all I need. Here we go again."