“Can you read that?” asked Dorian, pointing up at the strange lettering.
I nodded, “It means ‘Repository of Quintessence’.”
“And that means?”
“I’m not entirely sure. The word ‘aystrylin’ is related to aythar, but it refers to it in a more personal or unique sense. It could be used to mean personality, spirit, or mind, depending upon the context. We only have a short phrase here, so it’s hard to guess at the exact meaning,” I explained.
Dorian sighed, “Forget I asked. How do we open it?”
“Let me study it for a moment,” I told him, knowing that would only irritate him more. I ignored his impatient stance and focused my magesight upon the steel door.
Of course it was enchanted, but this was an enchantment I understood much better. In function it was related to the type of enchantments I used in crafting the armor worn by the Knights of Stone, it hardened and protected the metal that the vault door had been made of. It also included an identity spell, which in this case seemed to be very specific. I got the distinct impression I would never be able to satisfy the requirement that the identity spell was looking for. In all likelihood it was looking for a familial identity, such as being a member of the Gaelyn family.
“I don’t think I can open it with anything short of brute force,” I told Dorian.
He grinned. “Well I have plenty of that right here,” and so saying, he drew his sword again.
“No, wait!” I said quickly.
“What?”
“You might break the sword,” I replied.
Dorian looked at me quizzically. “In eight years I’ve not encountered much that could damage one of your specially crafted blades, or even dull them. Why would this be an obstacle?”
“That door is similarly enchanted, and there’s a hell of a lot more of it,” I said quickly.
Dorian was dismayed. “So what do we do, if you can’t spell it open and it’s stronger than me and this blade… we just pack up and go home?”
“You aren’t the only brute force we have available,” I said wryly. “Go back up topside and wait for me. In fact, move back up the hill a bit. I don’t want you too close, just in case.”
“Why’s that?” said Dorian, confused.
“Because I might forget you’re here and kill you by accident,” I answered frankly.
“Oh,” he replied, and without further argument he left. Before he had gotten beyond earshot he called back, “How will I know when you’re done?”
I grinned mischievously, “You’ll know.”
I kept my magesight trained on him until I was certain that he had reached what I thought should be a safe distance… around a hundred yards or so. Once I no longer had that worry, I focused on the steel door blocking my way. It was almost ten foot tall and a little over twelve foot in width, but it was part of a large steel encased chamber that extended beyond visible sight and into the bedrock. The room it guarded was approximately twenty foot on each side and entirely protected by similarly enchanted steel. I couldn’t tell how thick the walls were, but I’d have guessed they were anywhere from six inches to a foot. That’s how I’d have made them.
Before I did anything else, I strengthened the shield around myself, making it as strong as possible. Once I began, it probably wouldn’t matter, my instincts should protect my physical body, but I could never be entirely sure. The earth wasn’t human and its priorities weren’t always in line with my own. After that was done, I opened my mind as fully as possible and listened, letting my mind drift downward, deep into the stone below and around me, feeling the heartbeat of the world.
Over the years since my battle with Celior, I had done some experimenting and refined my skills as an archmage, acquiring hard won confidence and quite a bit of finesse. Still there was always risk involved. This time I didn’t allow my personal body to change except for slowing its metabolism so that I wouldn’t need to breathe… I merely encased it in a protective sphere of solid granite. Claustrophobia might have been a problem if I were still strictly human at that point, but by then my true body had expanded far beyond the small bit of frail flesh surrounded in stone.
The enchanted steel ‘box’ now seemed like a small thing, enclosed and resting within me. It hadn’t been included within my new self-image, and consequently felt something like a foreign body embedded in my flesh. Flexing, I shifted the bedrock surrounding the steel chamber and began moving it upward, toward the sky. The underground halls and tunnels that we had entered through collapsed as the earth heaved and if I had been still in my normal frame of mind I might have been glad that Dorian was no longer within them. As it was, he was merely an afterthought for me now.
As I lifted it, I also applied a downward pressure on one side, attempting to create shear forces strong enough to crack the enchanted room. It resisted at first, but the enormous stress created was too much, and the steel cracked along the seams on one side, releasing a small explosion of magical force, as the enchantment failed. Careful to avoid damaging it further, I shifted the earth and stone above it aside and gently lifted the shattered steel chamber toward the sun.
Once it was there, I brought up the granite sphere that contained my human body, opening the stone to show it to the sky as well. The most difficult part was next, but I managed to remember it, barely. Focusing upon the human resting on the ground above me, I began the difficult task of compressing and reducing myself, trying to become something less than I was. It was uncomfortable, almost painful, and for a moment I almost rebelled at the idea. Deep within though, some small part of me was insisting… let go, return to what you were.
And then, as simply as that… I did. Opening my eyes I sat up and blinked at the bright sunlight. Dorian was scrambling toward me, not quite able to run across the broken and uneven terrain.
“Are you alright?” he yelled, in a worried tone.
I nodded. “Yes, things worked out more or less as I intended.”
“As you intended?” he said incredulously, and in a voice that was a few decibels louder than I thought was strictly necessary.
“I’m right here. No need to yell.”
“You were underground in the middle of a damned earthquake!” he shouted at full volume. “And this is what it sounds like when I’m yelling! Can you tell the difference now?!”
I stood up and gave him my best ‘calm down’ look. “For a fellow who spends his days hunting undead monsters, you are remarkably prone to overly dramatic expressiveness,” I told him.
He opened his mouth for a moment and then shut it again. He then repeated that action a time or two before finally replying, “I’ve gotten somewhat used to that, but every time we go somewhere you manage to find a way to push the boundaries far beyond my comfort zone.”
“Well, I’m sorry,” I said at last. “I thought you knew what to expect when I told you to move so far out. I forgot you were mostly unconscious when I fought Celior, weren’t you?”
“It wasn’t one of my best days,” he agreed.
I gave him a sympathetic look before clapping him upon the shoulder, “Let’s go see what we’ve uncovered.”
The steel chamber was lying some thirty yards away, shining in the sun. It had cracked open fully along one side, causing one wall to split away, and allowing a large amount of loose dirt to enter the long sealed interior. The enchantment had dissipated once the integrity of the steel structure had been breached. Stepping through the wide opening, I used my magic to clear away loose earth and debris.
It appeared that the room had once contained a number of marble pedestals, but as to what had rested upon them I could find no trace. The floor had been covered in a heavy red rug, though it had been twisted and torn loose by the upheaval. Only one thing stood out in my magesight, glowing with a gentle magical radiance, a small alabaster figurine. It was small enough to fit easily into the palm of my hand, and it had the appearance of a human nobleman. Even as small as it was, the detail and artisanship were incredible, it was an almost perfect sculpture, and I felt as if I could probably recognize the subject if I were to meet him in person. In fact, the face seemed familiar to some degree.