Quest Deep Within (Eridanus)

[Cascade]

30th Summer 512 AV Northern Suvan Sea, along the coast of Cyphrus The darkness of night had just approached, and the ship was sailing somewhere along the Northern coastline of Cyphrus. They were roughly ten days away from reaching the city of Syliras. Eridanus had found two sailors, a man and a woman, to transport him and his companion to their destination. These two hired hands were currently out on the deck, keeping watch and sailing forward The young woman, who had introduced herself as Gianna, was pointing towards the land. “The caverns are over there,” she said audibly. The woman then reverted to whispers as she conversed with her partner. During parts of their conversation, they would look back and glance at the Ethaefal. Finally arriving to a decision, the man named Joffrey turned around to address Eridanus. “Ser, you are versed in magic, are you not?” he asked, straight to the point. The reason as to how he would arrive to this conclusion was not apparent. “If yes, may you do something for us? Have you ever heard of the Visai Caverns?” Gianna spoke up now, cutting of any more of her partner’s words. Assuming that Eridanus had no idea what they were talking about, she explain, “The Visai Caverns are located near here, and we need someone of your… talents to help us.” She pointed towards the coastline. Because of the time of day, the caverns were currently invisible to the eye, but she seemed to know what she was gesturing at.

[Eridanus]

The seas were unusually calm, and Eridanus quite enjoyed the smooth sailing journey. Nira'lia was in the depths of the ship resting, but he could not stand being in the cramped confines of the insides for too long and chose to feel the wind snapping at his hair instead.

The two sailors that he found who were willing to transport them were having a hushed conversation, and upon their proposition he narrowed his eyes. He supposed to had the reason to be suspicious when he recalled how he met the two.

When Eridanus and Nira'lia decided to cross the Suvan Sea to investigate the konti's dreams, they had intended to find a merchant ship and possibly buy passage, or work their way, into it. Instead, they found themselves being approached by two sailors. More interestingly, the sailors claimed to be moving in the same direction, and did not ask for any fees to be paid. It was an offer too good to be true, but Eridanus accepted anyway, for it was urgent that they had to leave as soon as possible and there were no other opportunities to do so.

Perhaps this was the true reason why they were being offered board.

"I have not heard of these... Caverns, Joffrey. Regardless of what you heard, I do not claim any mastery in the arcane, but I do dabble a little in it to understand its significance."

Turning to Gianna, he asked, "This is the real reason why you offered me passage, yes? The hope that the leader of the Order of Transcendence would offer the sufficient skill-set to do so?"

Gazing up ahead, he could already feel the latent wanderlust within him being activated. He had settled down in Alvadas after centuries of travelling, but deep within the wanderlust was the adventurous streak that had been kept satisfied by the various calamities that visited Alvadas upon his arrival, season after season.

It was this sense of excitement and danger that maintained his interest.

"In what form do you require my assistance?"

[Cascade]

Joffrey frowned at his answer. It seemed foolish to him that the leader of a mage guild would claim not to have mastery in the arcane. In the end, he chose not to believe in Eridanus’s words, simply assuming that the man was being humble. Gianna reacted just as similarly. “Perhaps,” Gianna replied with a shrug, although what Eridanus had said was the truth. They needed a mage, and of course they would assume such from the leader of the Order of Transcendence. “Joffrey, steer towards the cavern.” The man nodded and pulled some ropes around, slightly modifying the position of the sails. Then he stepped behind the wheel and the ship’s direction was altered. It was going towards land now, towards the place that Gianna had been pointing to earlier. “We wish to get deeper into the caverns, and you will see why we need your assistance once we are there,” said the woman. “Think of this as the price you will pay for your transport.” They weren’t giving him much of a choice.

[Eridanus]

Eridanus shrugged, for he would have wanted to explore the caverns anyway. The mouth to the entrance beckoned ominously, and truth be told, he was getting excited at the prospect of adventuring, discovering and exploring.

As the boat moved towards the little island, he began drawing on the djed from within him, making sure to shape and smoothen it so as to cover his entire body firmly. He weaved it quickly as they sailed, first programming it to absorb djed, then requiring the secondary instruction to restrict all biological access.

Relishing in his ability to expand his shield, he continued the task of programming the djed construct, weaving in resistances to bladed weapons, blunt weapons and projectiles such as bolts or arrows. There might be other threats, but he could not know for certain. The shield was meant to be an added precaution anyway, more than a crutch.

Waiting for the boat to dock, he retrieved his long swords, placing them in the weapon harness strapped on his back as he stepped down from the boat.

"Shall we?" He said, gesturing towards the entrance of the caverns as he walked into the darkness.

[Cascade]

Gianna stepped off the ship and followed Eridanus. After tying the ship securely to some a rock, Joffrey went after them, two oil lamps in his hands. He handed one of the lamps to Gianna. These lamps were the only source of light against the darkness that seemed to swallow them. “Look…” muttered Joffrey as he illuminated one side of the wall. There were paintings drawn in blood, and he couldn’t figure out what they meant. Gianna eyed the paintings as well, and like Joffrey, she gave no indication of recognition. There was an eerie atmosphere to the cave as they went deeper. At one point, Joffrey stepped down on something which shattered under his weight. When they brought the light to it, they saw the old remains of an animal’s skull. All along the side of the caverns, various other carcasses laid to rest—even those owned by men. Somewhere in the depths of the cavern, there was echo. The insane laughter of another man bounced against the walls and disappeared into whispers. “That is the sole resident of these caverns,” explained Gianna. “It’s best that we avoid him.” They continued to walk, with the resident’s voices continuing to echo now and then. The resident didn’t seem to realize that there was currently someone else in the caverns with him. “They call him Alarous,” whispered Joffrey. “He was once a renowned wizard… right before his own magic drove him insane. Eridanus, does it not frighten you that the same thing may happen to you?”

[Eridanus]

The ethaefal glanced at the strange paintings as the trio passed by them. Written in blood, the physical essence of mortality, the paintings made no sense whatsoever. Yet, he could feel that there was some inherent pattern in them, some order to that madness. The same order that made the paintings so reasonable to the insanity that created them.

With the laughter his breath quickened, and his hand involuntary twitched towards his long swords, but the sailor's explanation stayed his hand. Indeed, it would be best not to startle the strange inhabitant of this unknown cave.

Then again, if they were to avoid the wizard, what could the sailors be looking for? Was there something else they needed to face, or was he merely the insurance for them in the event of a confrontation with that wizard? Without witnessing the man's prowess or an in-depth inspection with Auristics he had no idea what the wizard was capable of. The disciplines he knew, and the level of mastery, all these was unknown.

He did like unknown variables. There was too much uncertainties for comfort.

"I..." The sailor's comment brought him back to reality, and he responded with a shrug. Of course, his philosophy was much more complex, but this was hardly the time and place for a discussion of such ideas.

"Where are we going? I need details on what we're going to face, and what we're going to do," The celestial child replied instead, changing the topic to a more urgent one.

[Cascade]

With a shrug, Gianna realized that it wouldn’t hurt to tell him about why they needed him. She gestured towards nowhere in particular as she explained, “Somewhere in here, there’s a dead end. A small chamber where Alarous resides… and there’s a wooden portal which may only be opened with a mage’s assistance. That’s why we need you. What exactly is on the other side, we can only guess.” The laughter became louder, and it no longer came from ahead of them. Instead, it resounded from the walls behind them, and judging from the volume of his voice, it seemed like the crazy wizard was getting closer to them. The caverns were a maze of different paths, and while the mage was not in his right mind, he seemed to easily get from one point to another. “Does he know we’re here…?” Joffrey asked. “Unlikely,” Gianna replied. “But we have to hurry. If he isn’t at the chamber, then we’re lucky. Wait…” Joffrey raised the oil lamp and the light showed that they had arrived at a fork of pathways. They looked identical, and with just bare eyes, there was no way of knowing the right way.

[Eridanus]

Eridanus cursed silently as the laughter began to get louder and louder. The maze of caverns and trails was tough to navigate, but somehow the mage was able to get closer to them. He was not even sure if the mage really was ignorant of their existence and was merely playing with them.

"Hold on," He whispered as he tapped into the well of djed from within his soul. They had to get this right the first time, or they might end up confronting Alarous, which was exactly what they intended to not do.

Pooling magical energies in his eyes, he sought to see through the twisting walls, penetrating each layer of obstacles as he did so, in an attempt to use his modified X-Ray vision to find the correct path.

Simultaneously, he searched for the two sailor's auras in order to remember their characteristics, as well as searched out for the approaching mage's one to glean any information regarding his abilities and prowess, as well as his proximity to them.

[Cascade]

Upon taking a look at the two sailor’s aura, Eridanus would find that they were somewhat average. Neither of them had traces of magic upon them, and they stared back at the mage, confused. Further back, he would find the strange aura of Alarous. It was a mayhem and intense magic and mental instability, further proving that that the crazy mage was not to be trifled with. Alarous’s aura seemed to emanate strongly even throughout the layers of walls. And amidst the twists of paths and walls, there seemed to be an open space which radiated much magic. It wasn’t too far, but it was clear that this was what they were seeking. It was the chamber that had been mentioned. “He’s getting closer,” said Joffrey with panic in his voice. The laughter of the mad mage was indeed getting louder, and Eridanus would see that the figure was fast approaching. Without warning, Gianna pushed the two men forward. With Eridanus’s guidance, they quickened their pace to a run as they searched for the chamber. All the while, the mad mage’s resounding laughter echoed and followed them. When they finally found the chamber, Joffrey gave a yell as their feet and legs met cold, murky water. Flashing the light around, they saw the pool beneath their feet. The chamber itself was wide, much wider than the paths that had led them there. “What are these…?” asked Gianna, her eyes trailing over every inch of wall and stone. Glyphs of varying size and complexity rested everywhere, though the portal she had mentioned was nowhere to be seen.

[Eridanus]

The information processed from the mad mage's aura flooded his senses, and the vantha knew for sure that any contact with the man would not quite end up looking cheery. With urgency, the group rushed towards their goal, with Eridanus leading the way from his strange mixture of auristics and navigation.

His heart thumped louder with trepidation as the laughter got louder. It was as if the wizard was toying with them, letting them feel the dread of imminent doom while taunting them with his presence. Yet, he could not know for sure, for insanity was a whole new area he would rather leave untouched. His experience in the Acumen Asylum more than assured him of that.

As they entered the strange room, he uttered a silent urgent word, "Halt!", stopping the rest from approaching further. The symbols that covered the area reeked of danger, and he knew enough of glyphing to be wary of them.

Surveying the glyphs throughout the room with Auristics, he sought to zoom in and inspect traces of magic on the complex symbols, using the information processed from their auras combined with his knowledge of glyphing and magic in general to discover their use and purpose.

His eyes moving quickly as he sought to process as much information as possible, he knew that they had to quickly attempt to confirm a safe path through, failing which they had to create a safe path, in time before the wizard caught up with them.