Chamber [Short story, ch.4] [Magick Untold]

I knew such spells existed but damn, that seems a bit overpowered to be able to move that fast! I could barely keep track of him as he ran into the house!

"Ugh, now I have to wait... I wonder what it was he had to warn Rumala of and how is it for my own safety?! I have so many questions to ask him. Like, where did he learn that spell? I only now shitty support magick. I'll be useless if we have to fight a monster."

"Now then don't say that Josay, support magick is extremely important for the beginning, middle, and end of battles."

"You really think I can be of use?" Why is he so nice to me, I even whipped an apple at him today.

He just killed the moment with that face. Why does he have to ponder that after saying such things?

"Of course I do! In a solo battle you would be utterly useless but, with some offensive magick you're great!"

No shit. I need to learn some offensive magick from him during our random adventure we are being sent on. "Thanks Danos, can we go to your house yet?"

"Yup, I even prepared a bed for you to sleep in while we wait for news on our expedition."

No way I could hide my shock at that! "You really prepared that fast and you warned Rumala of whatever too? That spell is really something!" He even made a bed for me!!

Waving his hand so violently like that...he doesn't need to deny my compliment so vehemently.

"No no no, the spell isn't mastered yet; I can only use dragon speed right now."

"Eh, dragon? Is that what you said in your spell?" I am even more interested in finding out how he learned a dragons spell. I heard such spells were lost with the disappearance of the dragons themselves!

"Well part of it was but, anyway, that's not important right now. When we get into the house, keep a firm hold of my hand. I am going to use teleportation magick to get us from the entrance and to my room. If we can, we will avoid all the other people here."

Ehhhhh? Why does he have to hide me from people at a party? It can't be...

"Have you never brought a woman home or something? I have never been teleported by magick anywhere! I'll get sick or something I know it!"

"No you won't, it will only take a seco—"

"Why do we have to use teleportation anyway, can't we just run for it?"

"Uh, no, not exactly... my room has no doors so that I can have privacy. I am the only one in my family that can use magick good enough to use teleportation."

That is so cool! "But I still don't want to do it..." Why are we going to his room right away anyway?

"Too bad, now then grab hold, we're here."

"No waiii..." Fuoosh

• • •

"Oh dear mother of all babies. I said not to do that!" I was close to tears from that, it felt like my body was being wrenched away to a far away place and being compressed at the same time. How can people use that all the time! Now he has a smug face, he probably knew full well what it is like the first time someone teleports!

"Pfft. You'll get used to it in no time considering we will be traveling together."

"Whatever! Just give me more warning the next time!"

"Like you did with the apple?"

What a pest. This guy, this trip is going to suck with him if this keeps up! Why does he look so confused about something in his own room? "Oi, have you never seen something that is in your own room before?"

Silence. No one ignores me!

Thwump.

Josay karate chopped him right in the middle of his skull. Which felt like a brick.

"You shithead! Are you made of stone?"

Preparing for some sort of counterattack from Danos, Josay took a stance but he just looked pale and serious.

"Josay, when I struck you on the head I used this staff here. This staff also disappeared shortly after I did so, I thought nothing of it but now it is in my room and I can promise you I did not bring it here."

Josay and Danos both look at each other and then at the staff. Clearly worried about it, Danos starts to look closely at the staff clearly looking for some sign of who the owner of the staff is.

"Danos, do you think that it might be enchanted? I didn't get a good look at it as you nailed me with it but now, I can be certain it should have hurt a lot more than it did." That staff is strange, it felt like I was smacked with something covered in cloth rather than a blunt weapon.

The staff was a rosy color with intricate lines across it that, at a glance, would appear as simple age rings. The base of the staff was like new, it looked as if someone had only just finished making it. The top of the staff had a cone shape that closed off with a smooth round top.

After inspecting the staff for another few minutes, which felt like ages, Danos finally spoke. "This staff is definitely enchanted. It disappeared and reappeared in front of me without my knowing. The only thing I can think of is that Lyir hexed it to follow me but I cannot be certain."

Whatever, it's late, I've been running about all day, I'm hungry, I want to sleep. "Danos, we can worry about that stick tomorrow. I have not eaten a proper meal since arriving here this morning. Can you go downstairs and get some food for me?" It bothers me but I would rather him get me food than go through that teleport shit again.

No one noticed that as Danos teleported out of his room, the staff teleported with him as well.

• • •

"Rumala! I'm taking some food and Waiss to my room. Something came up so I have to investigate it!"

Danos swiftly weaved through the crowd that was at the house specifically for his party—or was it the Waiss—and teleported back to his room without noticing the staff the entire time.

"Food!" You never know just how hungry you are until you haven't eaten all day and finally see food. "Gimme, gimme! I'm starving here Danos."

Seeing this as an opportunity, Danos spoke. "Josay, while you're eating, I am going to step out to get some air to think about what we should bring on our excursion."

"Yeah, yeah, not like I can go anywhere without you teleporting me anyway."

Simple, Josay can be monitored while I am out. The last thing I need is for her to suddenly disappear while I'm out. "If I am not back soon, feel free to sleep on the bed."

With those last words, Danos teleported out again, without realizing the staff was coming with him. It wasn't until he had stepped outside that he noticed the staff hovering just above the ground behind his back.

As if the staff had a mind of its own, it suddenly darted off as if in embarrassment at being suddenly discovered. Except, it came back after realizing some greater purpose it had.

The staff began to etch something into the dirt in front of the dumbfounded Danos. An arrow, pointing into the woods just behind the staff.

"Why would a random stick like you want me to go into the woods at this time of the night?" I should be careful here, this could be some sort of trap.

Danos began to follow the staff in the direction it had moved into the woods.

Muttering under his breath Danos made a few points as if to validate the reality of the situation. "I grew up in this neighborhood, I know this area better than I know the back of my hand. If someone is out to ambush me, they are going to have a horrible experience."

After some time had passed, the staff had brought Danos to a rock face. A cliff face that shot up sharply. It was the base of the national park in Shedeth.

"What. You wanted to show me a cli—"

While Danos was speaking, the staff had gone up to the rock face and tapped on it. Then, it hovered its way to Danos and tapped on him.

"What in the hell is this!" After being tapped by the staff, an ancient looking doorway materialized in the rock face directly in front of him. "Is this Dwarven make? Such clean lines...and the hidden entrance. What is this place?"

Not knowing what else to do, Danos started walking into the rock face entrance after the staff.

This is strange, I never heard of such a place existing in Shedeth. This could be something that the Shedeth are unaware of themselves!

Getting excited, Danos began to increase his pace. What secrets lay in wait within?

• • •

We've been going down this path for ages, what in the world is this cavern? We have also passed many side tunnels on the way. If it weren't for this staff, I would be off exploring every tunnel and likely be lost right now. Suddenly, the two dungeon explorers had come to a t-crossing.

"Staff, left or right?" Having given up on the thought of being ambushed, Danos had begun to talk openly to the staff as if it were Emcess on an adventure with him.

The question, triggered something in the staff as it had suddenly gone right and stopped about 17 Nurn. It then tapped the right side of the tunnel and then Danos like it had done at the beginning of the dungeon.

"Another doorway appeared in the rock wall! What is this place?" Danos was already on his way inside the doorway before finishing what he was saying.

Once passed the doorway, Danos noticed this room was very different in design compared to the rest of the tunnels. It was a room of strange design. It was a sphere with a semi-transparent floor covering the entire area. Below the floor, there was some strange purple crystal that emitted a bright light providing a light source for the chamber. Along the sides of the chamber, there were pulsing designs that depicted a language unknown to Danos. Despite the unique discovery of this chamber, Danos had ignored any other details because of what was in the center of the chamber.

A single pedestal with purple lights moving in a wave like fashion from its base to its peak. On the pedestal was a floating crystal. The crystal was jet black and opaque.

"What an ominous looking crystal. I wonder what purpose it serves by being so deep within this tunnel system. Even having a second hidden door?"

Seemingly uninterested in anything anymore, the staff had been going around the spherical room bouncing on the floor as it went. "I guess this is what that staff wanted me to see?"

Danos began to approach the pedestal when he noticed the crystal started to spin slightly. As he got closer it rotated until it pointed directly at Danos. But, that was it, all it did was point at Danos as if he were a magnetic force compelling a compass.

After dismissing the thought of it being an attack system against intruders, Danos walked closer to it until he was ready to touch it.

"For the staff to bring me here to this chamber it obviously wants me to either take the crystal or use it for something inside this chamber."

However, as soon as Danos touched the crystal the light emitting crystals below changed to nearly black. Having suddenly changed to a darker color, Danos' eyes had to readjust to the lighting. Before he could though, the crystals returned to their bright purple ambient lighting they were before leaving Danos blinded yet again.

When Danos was able to see again he was back in his room with a poorly postured sleeping Josay.

"She could at least cover herself. I mean, I can see her tits and everything. At least she is good looking. Fuck. She will have to fix that sleeping posture if I am going to be bringing Emcess along with us." I suppose I should get some sleep too but what the hell just happened? I am pretty sure I touched the crystal but then the lighting went nuts and I couldn't see well. I might be crazy but I swear the crystal disappeared after I touched it. Or did I absorb it?

Suddenly, Danos realized. "Oi, staff. Where did that staff go?" As if answering a summons, the staff poked out from behind a bookcase in the room. "Well, at least you teleported back with me somehow. I have no idea why you wanted me to see that crystal though?"

The staff did a strange back and forth wobble at that as if to indicate it wishes it could communicate better.

"Are you really just a staff? You clearly have some sort of intelligence that lets you think for yourself."

Despite everything that had just happened, Danos was not fazed in the slightest. This was one of two possible outcomes though, soon enough he would be in a panic asking what had happened, how it happened, and why it happened to him. For what purpose was Danos sent to that room to be blinded?

After all of the days' events, Danos started to nod off while leaning against the foot of his bed.

• • •

Because it had all happened so fast, Danos had not realized that the crystal he had touched had disappeared after he did so. Where it went is unknown at this point but it was a trigger for something that would change his life forever.