Delver Magic I: Sanctum's Breach by Jeff Inlo (read novels website .TXT) đź“•
"Yes, yes," Consprite said quickly. He turned a pen in his fingers. "This is very true. We would not waste time or effort in the less lucrative areas. Any delver worth his salt would surely give us a great advantage." He looked up with a nod of acceptance. "I heartily approve."
"I oppose the measure," Cofort said sullenly. "I do not trust delvers. They always require large payments and no one can ever really tell if they do what they say they do. No one can follow them, no one can check up on them."
"I realize that delvers are expensive," Consprite admitted candidly, "but that's because no one can do the job they can do. I realize that it is difficult to check on
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“Well, that doesn’t leave us many options. According to my friend here, this mountain was designed so digging is out of the question. He said that even the dwarves couldn’t reach it through tunneling.”
“That is also true.”
Ryson continued to press the spirit for answers. “You aren’t leaving us with any choices here. And you still haven’t answered my question. I’m not even sure how to destroy this sphere, but even getting to it is going to be a problem. It might be impossible.”
“It is not impossible.” Shayed spoke with certainty as she revealed the only true option available. “You must reach the sphere by using the path which was originally created to entomb it. You must travel down the five tiers. This is a path that the sphere will not be able to block.”
“It’s already blocked,” Ryson exclaimed. “According to elflore, the people that buried this thing put in their own measures to prevent anyone from doing exactly what you want us to do. I don’t even know what’s down there.”
“That is why you must prepare for this quest. You must gather representatives from the five races responsible for entombing the sphere.” She took a moment to turn her spiritual presence toward the inspiring view of the land. Her words became musical in their conviction. “What has been broken must be mended. What has been forgotten must be remembered. What you need to know and what you must have, all awaits you. It is a time unequaled in history, a time when all powers can unite for a common goal. There is much at stake, for both sides.”
Her form circled back to the on looking elf and delver. “If this task frightens you, and well it should, there are other aspects which must bring you strength. You are not alone. Not you, Ryson Acumen as a delver, and not you, Lief Woodson, as an elf. Do not speak of the barriers in this mountain as unbreakable. What barrier is stronger than the line between life and death? I have crossed that barrier to seek you out, to alert you to what you face. If I can do that, can you not cross the barriers placed within this mountain? And what of your appearance here? You wish to overlook the guiding forces which have certainly had a hand in this, but these forces still exist. If it is their will that you succeed, then all of the magic in the sphere doubled, even tripled, could not stop you.”
Ryson exhaled deeply. It did not sit well with him, this concept of divine selection. It made him feel more like a pawn. He wished to believe he was here of his own choosing or of mere coincidence. He attempted to clear his mind. He looked around and again his senses seized that which was around him. He felt the warm sunshine on his face. He smelled the clean air. As he inhaled, he noted a slight charge, the presence of magic, and he realized the air was not as pure as he thought. Finally, he turned to his companion.
“It sounds as if we have no choice.”
Lief looked deeply into the face of the delver. “Do you truly believe her words? Will you accept this task?”
Ryson spoke as if condemned. “I know she’s not lying. I don’t know why. But yes, I believe her and yes I’ll accept this task, even though it seems impossible.”
“That is good because I know she is Shayed. I knew it when I saw her. We must do as she asks.”
“I’m not arguing.” Ryson forced a smile, hoping to reassure the elf before turning back to the ghostly apparition. “I’ll do whatever I can. It might help, though, if you give us an idea of what to do first.”
“It gives me strength to hear that,” she answered with a great smile. “You must leave me for now, you must realign the five races that once fought together to defeat Ingar and the magic casters. An alliance is needed once more, and that is where you must begin. You must seek the dwarves, the algors, and the humans. Once you have gathered what is necessary to begin the quest, return to this spot. I will be waiting for you. Go now, you have much to do.”
“We shall go,” Lief spoke with authority. He even bowed deeply. He spoke as if chosen for hero’s quest. “And we shall return.”
Fool’s quest was perhaps how the delver saw it, but Ryson kept his thoughts to himself as Lief uttered a determined vow before they both descended Sanctum.
“We shall go first to my camp and I promise their assistance as well as all the elves. We shall destroy the sphere.”
Lief and Ryson descended Sanctum and made a hasty return to Dark Spruce Forest. Again, at Lief’s request, they traversed the forest by climbing through the branches. This time Lief took the lead, and he sped through the trees without hesitation. His back to the delver, the elf set a boisterous, ambitious pace. Taking longer leaps, avoiding thick pines which might slow their path, and moving with fierce determination, Lief blazed a southerly trail through the thick umbrage.
Ryson did not have to strain his abilities to maintain stride, but he noted the unyielding desires of the elf. He wondered what Lief might do if he was unable to keep up. He sincerely doubted that the elf would wait or even look back, so resolute were his movements.
They did not converse as they had done on the previous trip through the forest, though there was much Ryson wished to know. The delver caught glimpses of Lief’s expression and decided not to start a debate over the soundness of Shayed’s request, or to question the validity of ghosts in their world. Only the sounds of their travel broke the silence. For now, even the squirrels and birds seemed to avoid them, as if the elf’s fiery determination was a danger to be avoided. The silence, the unanswered questions, the resulting loneliness; all served only to lengthen the trip.
They traveled on for the rest of that day. Ryson’s only diversion was to map their movements in his mind, taking stock of small landmarks that scouts without his powerful senses would surely miss. He calculated their length of travel, but while they crossed a great portion of the forest, it remained evident that their journey was far from its final destination. Ryson was aware of the breadth of this forest and his calculations placed them a good distance from its heart.
They did not break at night, but continued through the dark. When the first light glowed in the east, this section of the forest resisted the sun. The woods became thicker as branches from neighboring trees intertwined to make continuous bridges. Leaping from one tree to the next became unnecessary. Lief continued to lead and he stepped with a quick pace over the sturdy branches. Their journey continued throughout that morning, and the elf moved as if the long travel meant nothing to him. It became apparent that he wished to reach his camp as soon as possible. He would accept no delay.
As any good delver would, Ryson made mental notations of their direction, the grade of the ground below, and of different passages within the trees. Remembering the threat of the undead and of the goblins, such a practice became more than scout related. If retreat became necessary, he would be more than able to choose a path within the forest which would yield the greatest safety. He took notice of all that surrounded him. He sniffed the air, he put an ear to the wind, and he constantly watched for even the slightest shadow of movement. Late in the morning, he noticed such signs and he whispered an urgent warning to his companion.
“Lief! Get back here. Something’s ahead of us. Five trees up and over to the right. Ambush.” The volume of his words was soft to conceal their meaning to the intruders, but his tone was harsh, filled with alarm.
Lief did not stop nor did he whisper his response. He turned his head and replied openly without fear of being overheard. “Do not fear. It is the guards of my own camp.”
Before Lief could continue, several elves jumped upon him. They quickly disarmed him and took hold of his arms and legs. Such was his surprise; he lacked the ability to escape before they had firm hold. As his eyes widened with fiery emotion, he roared with anger.
“What are you doing?! It’s me!” Outraged, he spoke as if the action defied explanation. “Free me at once! Have you lost your minds?!”
The other elves kept their grip firm. They would not release him even at his roaring insistence.
Ryson quickly ascertained the situation. His head bobbed to the left and right, then above. He saw movement circling about. They were tying to outflank him. Without hesitation, he scampered further up the tree.
As he bolted, two elves from opposite sides leapt for his position. They did not expect the speed of the delver and were left to grip only open air. Undaunted and believing their own skills more than a match for their quarry, they recovered and followed.
Ryson paid little mind to those climbing after him. He continuously peered to neighboring trees. He quickly spotted another guard standing in wait off to his right. He leapt to his left to a clear tree. He climbed even higher and soon outdistanced the two following him. With a higher perspective, he paused for but a moment as he scanned everything below him. He pinpointed the locations of several more guards, and in an instant, he chose a path which would lead him to the ground.
Six or seven elves closed upon the delver with overconfidence. Secure in their abilities to scale the trees, they believed the chase over. In all of their past encounters, a treed opponent was a captured opponent. They could not expect what would happen next, and they gasped at the blur in which the delver moved.
Ryson shattered the elves’ confidence as he dove downward with matchless speed. He leapt quickly from branch to branch, descending the trees as if they were nothing more than a staircase or a smooth and even ramp. Within two blinks of an eye, he was upon the ground, a position where no elf could catch him.
If his speed confused the elves when he moved through the trees, it blinded them now. He danced around the forest floor, making quick turns and using the cover of thick trunks. Dashing in zigzagging fashion, he would not reveal his true direction. The tree-born elves had no chance of following.
Lief continued to struggle against those that held him, yet even he was silenced by the maneuvering of the delver. After his companion appeared to retreat, he found his voice and yelled out in anger.
“You fools! He was here to help!”
One of the elves which held him snarled with his own anger. “How can he help? You brought a human to our camp.”
“He’s not human, he’s a delver,” Lief insisted. His own determination boiled over, and with a mighty twist, he broke free. He faced the leader of the guards with obvious malice. “Fire upon you! Do you know what you’ve done? Do you have any idea what’s going on? If he is gone, it may mean the end of us all.”
Lief was about to strike out at the elf captain when Ryson’s call from far below checked his anger.
“I haven’t left,” the delver called out.
An elf low in the bough of a nearby tree caught a glimpse of
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