The Castle was enormous, easily covering ten acres. It had a courtyard, filled with run down training equipment that was covered in vines and bearing scorch marks. The garden was overgrown and the plants were choked out by weeds. The armory was filled with rusted iron weapons, most of which were completely useless now. There was a large tower off to the side, easily reaching a 50 meters in the air. The main building itself covered an entire acre and was extraordinarily grandiose, despite the hundreds of years it had been since anything living had entered the room. The sides were lined with massive statues that depicted warriors of extraordinary ability. The walls themselves were coated in gold, the paintings on the walls appeared to be priceless and the floor was made entirely of solid silver blocks.
At the heart of the main hall sat a throne. The most luxurious throne the Fell had ever seen, it was lined with silver, the top was encrusted with precious jewels, and the rest was made entirely of solid gold. Kneeling next to the throne was a massive figure that was at least fifteen meters tall wearing black and red armor, and holding an enormous war hammer almost as big as he was that appeared to be made of the same metal as the armor. The figure had its head bowed towards the throne and appeared to not be moving.
Janne had been walking for sometime now and needed a place to rest, Mid day he saw a castle in the distance and by nightfall he was wandering in a castle built for giants. He had killed a rabbit in the courtyard and carried it to what looked like a spectacular throne room. Janne took notice of the Statue kneeling kneeing near the throne and admired its craftsmanship. Shortly after he started a fire in the throne room a campfire to be exact. He was cooking next to his tent when he heard a noise behind him
A massive warhammer stopped an inch from Janne's face, and a metallic, impossibly deep voice rumbled, "State your purpose intruder, or be destroyed like the rest." The speaker was the figure that had been kneeling at the throne and in the light of the fire he appeared to have purple light streaming from the eyeholes in his helmet. His armor shone in the firelight and his voice gave away no emotion. The beings grip tightened on the warhammer as he awaited an answer. He felt as if he had been gone for a long time, as the last time he had seen this room it was in its prime, and he had had cracked armor.
Janne was in shock this titan was still one moment and up in the next Just thought i would sleep here for the night, i thought this place was abandoned He said in a shallow voice
Vahlok lowered his hammer and looked around searching for any other signs of life. He then sighed and began,"I've failed then... You're welcome to stay if the siege is over, tell me though, do you know the name of this castle?" He asked, hoping he wasn't in stasis for too long. He sat down and set his warhammer down very gently.
No idea Janne admitted The sign outside Was so rusted i couldnt even make out the engravings On the sign near the entrance Janne said What are you a golem?
Vahlok looked around at the place he once called home, he then spoke with a touch of sorrow in his voice, "This is Castle EmberCrest, the greatest castle in all of the fell. And I was the Captain of the Guard Force. To answer your question, No, I am not a golem, He pointed towards the many statues, "Those are dormant golems, created by the mages of the castle, I was a human once." He sighed and looked at the throne and began to reminisce of all of the memories that happened in this room.
Wait you where human? Janne asked Just how long ago was this? also why is all of the gold still here i would have thought rouges would have taken them by now He said
"Yes, A human I was, and I still consider myself to be human, at least in some ways. I don't know how long ago this was but it looks like a few hundred years."He paused and scowled, "Rouges could not even hope to steal the treasures of this castle. There are anti-theft spells around here strong enough to last another thousand years at least."He regarded the man sitting in front of him, What about you? What brings you so deep into the fell?
All of the silver and gold trails on the ground led to here and i thought i would sleep in a golden castle for once in my life He said as he gave a nobel bow and held out his hand Janne is my name What do they call you he asked around this time janne noticed the cracks in the titans armor how did you earn those cracks Janne inquired
He grasped Janne's hand lightly in his massive gauntlet and shook his hand, "My given name is Vahlok Kendaar, As for the cracks, they come from exerting myself too much, most of these came from chucking a building at a giant dragon. They heal on their own, but they take a long time to do it. If you wish, you may spend the night here, If the fell is anything like how I remember, its not always the safest. He then thought of something, "What is your profession Janne?
Throwing a building at a Dragon?? Janne shook his head Im a traveling priest of sorts, i help people that need it no matter what the problemHe said courageously The farmers and village folk who i helped have taken to calling me the Dark knight because of my armor He put his hand on his chestplate The armor itself is cursed in nature and feeds of me like a parasite, and makes pain more intense janne sat for a moment in silence But enough about me, is there anything you need help with Vahl? Janne liked the new nickname he had come up with
He stopped and thought deeply about what he could ask the traveler. He eventually asked, "Have you ever heard the the names, Tuz, Stav, or EmberCrest?" It was a long shot, but if anyone knew about the three of his friend's descendents, it would probably be an adventurer.
Janne sat in silence I did hear the name Embercraft once or twice when i was in southern serendipity He said This was a few years ago when i first stared traveling Are they his friends? Janne wondered
He began to say,"They were my comrades in arms, centuries ago. Those are their clan names, their descendants would be found bearing those names." His voice became tinted with sadness, "I am to guard the castle until they return, which has been an extremely lonely job. "
Janne had begun eating the cooked rabbit You know you don't have to stay here He took another bite I mean there are no spells restricting you here right? If not whats stopping you from Going out and looking for them?
Vahlok stopped what he was doing and looked at Janne. "Someone needs to guard the castle. In Case it ever happens again. By it, I mean a dragon invasion. Are any of those happening right now? If not, I will join you in your travels. But if we find any leads on them, I will take my leave."He paused, Would you care for a spar? I would like to see the abilities of my new comrade."
Janne shook his head Haven't seen any dragons around in 10 years Janne unsheathed his sword and got a Holy spear ready in his shield hand Im always up for a good fight He said as he jumped back Have at you! He said sternly as the match begun
Vahlok caught the blade within his two massive gauntlets, saying,"In That case, I will follow you, I assume the world has changed much since I have been absent." He shifted his stance and hefted janne at a nearby wall. He then cracked his knuckles and opened his palms, ready to block any attacks.
Janne was flung against the wall as heard a sharp crack and a Sea a pain followed it One or two broken ribs He thought he valued up to the giants palms and struck as hard as he could Creating a small crack in the goliath's palm
Vahlok's Left hand became wreathed in a dark, blackish purplish flame and he slammed his palm into Janne's torso. He then looked at the crack in his palm,"You know... This is going to take a while to repair.He gestured to the warhammer, I'm trying very hard not to kill you, if I was, I would use Gunaariik, my hammer." He then looked at the ceiling which depicted a majestic war scene. "Tell me, Have you even struck down a dragon in your lifetime?"
Janne now an indented in one off the walls oped his visor to spit up a tooth and some blood. Cant say i have Janne was now staring at the ceiling as well Id wager all of my ribs are broken and im bleeding into my lungs He thought he would listen to what the giant's story while his armor healed him
He pried Janne gingerly from the wall and set him down on the floor by the fire. "The dragons came from out of nowhere, They scorched nearby cities and destroyed my home, I slew dozens and my comrades slew hundreds, yet there were still too many. Eventually they had to flee and i was left behind to guard their escape, and protect the castle, yet out of anger I managed to kill the second in command of the dragon army, It was a hulking beast, but it was brought down in a single move. Unfortunately that one move nearly killed me. I was unable to help as the dragons killed everyone inside the castle except the nobles, who had already left."
Janne laid on the ground still healing Do you Have any Idea what could have happened to your fellow guardsmen ? Where could they flee from dragons Janne wondered
"I have no clue as to where they went, or how they managed to flee, but I am very thankful that the majority survived." He looked at the man laying on the ground and noted how his armor had taken the entire assault and had remained unblemished. "Say, what is the nature of your armor?"
Cursed, its cured armor Janne said has he felt his ribs re arranging themselves It makes pain more intense, but has a nice healing factor and my sword scales with my pain Janne sat up but fell back down as his chest wasn't done healing Good for fighting but horrible for everyday living Janne admitted
"What is the origin of this armor?" He asked questioningly, as he himself wore enchanted armor, and was curious as to how he had acquired it.
Dunno, i just found it near a bunch of junk in the basement of the church i grew up in. Janne said A demon had felled the town guard and i had to don the armor to fight it Janne remembered And its been hell ever since
"A demon?" After the demon had been mentioned his attention had been piqued. Demons were far and few between in Vahlok's time. They were not very feared, as they hadn't amassed much power.
Yeah a nasty one at that Janne said as sat up on one knee It would have killed me if i didn't find this armor, or hell i guess it found me he admitted as he scrounged around for water to wash the taste of blood out of his mouth There are a lot of nasty ones, some even killing whole kingdoms, some even ruling kingdoms Janne said in a deafeated tone
Vahlok laughed, a deep metallic sound. "Demons ruling kingdoms, ridiculous. Why do the humans not crush them out of existence?" To him the idea itself was just absurd. Demons were things to observe, or to hunt. They were not feared in his time. They were widely hunted and eradicated.
People have been too passive with this coming age Janne admitted They would rather Let a demon rule them or hire someone else to take care of it rather than take up arms themselves Janne stood up now and started walking around The churches stopped hunting them as well He said
He sat there wondering what the world had come to, and just how alienated he had become from the world."At least there are still knights fighting for justice, right?" Vahlok's hopes were dwindling by the minute. The way he figured the world would be corrupt and a horrid place.
There are some in connolith, but they are too busy killing each other in a civil war to focus on other matters Janne said as he sheathed his sword. From most peoples eyes there is nothing to gain by fighting them. Honor and justice are foreign these days He said as he sat back down
He nodded solemnly, "It wounds me so that justice is not practiced in the world anymore. What is your mission currently Janne?" He said, curiously, "Are you a practitioner of justice? He picked up his warhammer and rested it on his shoulder. "If not, I understand. Justice is a heavy burden to bear, in any situation." He sat down and glanced at Janne, waiting for a response from the armored man.
I try to help people in need Janne said I Fight for what is right ,but i have had to do some nasty things in the name of justice Janne said sorrowfully I dont have a mission, i travel to where i am needed Janne said to the goliath
Vahlok looked down to the man who stood before him and said, "I shall leave to search for people in need, I think the world could always use more men to uphold justice, especially if things are as bad as you say they are."He said determined. He began to walk towards the main door as the sunlight poured in, shining off the gloriously decorated throne room. He looked back to the man, Will you come with me, to uphold justice?"
Janne laughed as he picked up his belongings I would be honored He said has he ran up beside the goiliath as they walked out of the castle together
As they were walking out of the castle Vahlok asked, "Uhh do you know if there are any towns around here?" He then laughed, a deep metallic sound, and began to say,"I suppose the geography has changed, I have no idea what awaits in this new world. But it excites me to be active again."
Janne couldn't help but to Laugh. He then patted the giant on the leg, Yeah there is a township not too far to the north. We can cut through the woods if you want to arrive faster. Though Janne wondered how they would react to his new ally attempting to enter a town. He shook his head we will cross that bridge when we get there.He thought. Those woods are the reason i I slept in the castle you where in. There are packs of shifters in those woods. He said to Vahl
"Shifters? Oh, The Changemen. They are not two threatening if you just keep to yourself and don't give any mention of trying to horn in on their goods, Shifters still rob people right? It matters not, you have me!He held up his warhammer threateningly. He walked into the woods, holding his weapon in both hands, fearless and ignorant of what was to come.
Janne nodded in agreement. Surely they wouldn't come out and waste their lives fighting Vahl. He was going easy on me and broke all of my ribs while telling a story! Janne thought as he looked at vahl's massive hammer. Even if i blocked that my bones would be shattered He thought again. He heard a howl behind them. Janne's visor clicked as it came over his faceHe Got company Big guy! He said
Vahl turned towards the sound and swung his hammer in a broad arc as a shifter in the form of a dire wolf leaped at them, the hammer hit on the long side and sent the shifter flying off into the deep woods. He then held up his left arm, wreathed in a black flame and blasted the shifter before he landed, charring its broken body. "So the shifters have changed a bit since i was gone, they seem to be quite territorial nowadays. At least in these parts." He said, he then hefted his hammer over his shoulder and continued walking.
Janne watched in amazement as this high ranking shifter was blown away. We should bolster here shifters nowadays never hunt aloneJanne said as he readied a Holy spear in his off hand. What was that flame that charred that wolf in the air Janne asked as he was covering Vahl's back
"It's a symbol of my rank, at Castle EmberCrest, once you become a high ranking official you get inducted into The Circle of The Inferno, and are bathed in sacred flames until a hidden power within you is unlocked. For me it is Shadow Flames. Others were gifted with better abilities, but I find mine to be handy enough." He kicked an oncoming shifter who was in the shape of a small wyvern, shattering its skull and cracking or fracturing nearly all of its bones.
Janne threw a spear into a shifter wolf that rushed him. Janne counted the figures in the treelines We got 12 circling us and a few more sitting in wait Janne told Vahl. The darkness made it hard to see them from afar. Janne was forced to the ground as one rushed from the side. Biting his arm and tearing it out of place. Janne responded by Crushing its neck with his shield. Should we stay here or go on the offensive? He asked
He looked back and simply said, "Both," and with that, he moved his hands to the back of the warhammer's handle and slammed it into the ground, splitting a large crevice into the ground, causing all of the shifters on his side, along with a few trees to fall into the chasm. He then held up his left hand and blew a massive cone of Shadow Flame into the chasm, incinerating not only the shifter's flesh, but their souls as well. He then prepared to assist Janne if the need arises.
As vahl Pludged his hammer into the ground Janne was flung into the air from the quaking earth, catching himself on one of Vahl's Horns as he dammed these beasts to hell. He dropped back down and after the deafening flames quited down all was silent in these woods. Seems like you sent them Packing Janne said as he snapped his arm back into place Just how many tricks do you have up your sleeve? He asked
Vahl laughed again, saying "About a thousand years worth." He leaped to solid land and continued walking, unabated through the forest towards the town they were traveling to. He found a path through the winding woods and began to travel along it, hoping that the town wasn't too far away, and that they would reach it without any more issues.
Gawfy kept parallel to vahl. After following the winding paths they had finally arrived at their destination. The medium sized town was by no means a city but anything from small. The guards fled as Vahl approached the gates. After a hour and a half of Janne arguing with the captain of the guard they let agreed to let him in. We should consult the archives at the church janne said. There we might find something about your creed, but first let me take a quick peek into this Inn Janne asked
Vahl nodded and waited just inside the gates to the city, after a while, some of the people of the town became less afraid, and more curious, they came up to him with many questions and he gladly answered them all. He began to tell stories of his time as a guard, and of the battles he had been in.
A quick peek turned into a few hours as Janne found that the inn had a bar and had started drinking through his coin purse. After 3 hours of day drinking a townsperson had come in looking for " A man clad in black" as per the goliaths request. Janne dragged himself out of the inn. Alll right i think its aboutlt time we started looking at the churchh He slurred as he stumbed over his own words
When Janne came out of the inn, Vahl was in the middle of a story about clearing out a bandit hive with his comrades hundreds of years ago. His gaze fell upon Janne, and he realized that the man was drunk. He looked at Janne disapprovingly, saying "I thought you were just going in for a quick peek. Three hours later and you're drunk out of your mind." He shook his head, "Sleep off the booze, I'll be ready to go to the church when you're sober." With that he turned away and continued the story to the villagers who had more or less overcome their shock and were now in complete awe.
Janne walked back to the Inn after yelling A man isnt with out is faults ya know. Before Going into the inn And passing out on the bar. He must have had the worst luck. The next morning around 8 am janne was awoken by his bar stool breaking and hitting his hungover head on ground. After one loud groan of pain and wandered outside to find the goliath sitting near the church. lets go into the church now... he said very quietly
He stood up silently, "Lets" He opened the doors and stepped through the large doorway, even though he still had to duck. As he stepped in, he crossed his hand over his heart and looked up,"This is a holy place, it is usually best to show respect to the ones who are worshipped here." He put his hammer down gently by the alter and approached the priest with Janne by his side. He had decided to let Janne talk as Vahl was not the most comforting person to meet.
Janne walked in and showned the priest his necklace and and murmured a phrase. The priest shook his head and notioned for them to follow down through a corridor to a big door way upon opening the door The priest scurried back to the alter. The documents we are looking for are down in the catacombs. But no one has been there on so long anything could be waiting for usHe said as he started climbing downwards. The space was tall enough for vahl to stand up in.
As Vahl followed Janne his helmet constantly drifted through cobwebs on the descent, and he had to squash one particularly large spider. but for the most part, they reached the catacombs unharmed, upon reaching the bottom Vahl looked around and muttered, "Oo dii rah, that is a lot of dead people." As the walls were lined with cubbies filled with bodies, some wrapped, others just carelessly tossed into the holes in the wall.
We are in Fell. Thats what we call this place now Its just a graveyard of kingdoms. Janne said as he made his way down. there was an uneasy air about this place. Janne gripped his sword.
Vahl's hand erupted in purple flame, casting a purple light through the catacombs and painting the walls with a soft glow. "So I forgot, what are we searching for down here exactly Janne?" The purple light against his armor made it gleam darkly.
There is an archive on the old kingdoms down here. Janne answered. he sighed in relief. Now he could see around him. There are a plethora of etchings in ancient languages, so i'm thinking if some one left something behind from your time it ended up down here. Janne said softly I would have a better idea where in the archive it would be but the priest up there said they stopped sending folks down here about a year ago, They all turned up missing Janne said as he looked at the corpse on and in the walls. They had come across the archive door, But Janne could hear something inside.
Vahl braced himself pushed open the door saying, "Just how bad can it be... OH!"For inside the room there was a recent corpse that was being eaten by a horde of rats. Once the rats scurried away, the corpse was little but a skeleton.
Now thats strangeJanne said. That corpse look like it died recently, And regular rats are never that frenzied Janne said as he started to look around. Some one must be controlling them Janne said as he looked to vahl
Vahl nudged a rat out of the way and saw it immediately go back to the corpse. "It's someone close, I just know it."
Janne Pulled his sword from his sheath. He started knocking on the walls. After a minute of doing so Janne heard a soft Thwak. Vahl, Knock this wall down i think its a false wall. Janne said as he jumped back.
Vahl tapped in the wall that Janne had gestured towards and then abruptly slammed his gauntlet through the wall, the wall crumbled around his fist. There were small crumbs, recent. "I believe someone has been here recently, I'm pretty sure that's our guy." Behind the wall there were stairs that led down into an older section of the catacombs.
Janne jumped down to the older section of the catacombs. How many people has this fiend lured down here? Janne said aloud as he twirled his sword in his hand. Operating under a holy place, unforgivable! he thought as he gripped his sword.
They passed by books of witchcraft, and occult symbols as well as witchdoctor talismans and demonic artifacts. As they passed by a pentagram drawn on the wall Vahl sighed and shook his head. "A truly horrible thing to do. How honorless, how evil must one be to do something like this? He shifted his grip on his hammer and pressed on, deeper into the catacombs.
they made their way down to the bottom. As they opened the Doors to what looked like a library. There stood a man Scraggly and unkempt he was standing over a body. Behind him a golem erupted to life.looks like they where in for a fight
Vahl stared at the golem for a moment. He then dropped his hammer, making a crack in the floor. He cracked his knuckles and looked at Janne. "I've got the golem." He leaped into the air and tackled the golem into the ground and began to trade massive booming blows with the creature.
Janne Hopping into action flourished his blade and charged at the man. He had cast a Magic missile at janne. He hopped right into its flight path. Striking him right in the chest. He Then Took a swing meant to intimidate but ended up connecting.The mage fell to the ground wailing in pain. This struck janne as odd.
Vahl punched the golem in the head and put his knees on the golems arms, pinning it to the ground. He looked over to Janne and the fallen mage with a look of surprise. "What kind of mage doesn't have magical protection against weapons?" He then tore off the golem's head and dropped it to the floor as he stood up.
Janne knelt down to the man and searched through his things as he writhed. He uncovered a Letter Addressing some Members of a cult to meet Under this church. And it just so happened to be tonight. Janne Sighed and Grabbed the man by the collar of his shirt. Where are they meeting!? He barked and the bloodied man Pointed to a Corridor. Janne Then Hit him with the Butt of his Sword. Then knelt down and Healed the mans Wounds. He is out cold. Lets Get a move on he said as he Stood up.
Vahl's hands ignited with a black and purple flame and he slowly melted the golem's remains. He then directed the flames towards the books, turning them to ash. "Nothing of this cult may remain. Nothing." He then snapped his fingers and the man who was laying there unconscious burst into a dark black flame. There was no visible burn, but the man's eyes opened and went blank, and his tongue fell out of his mouth and he began to drool. "He will be fine, hid memories however, will not. Let us go now.
Janne nodded at the giants Words. Taking his eyes off of the Man he continued on. Till they found the Meeting place. It was a giant room With a stone bowl in the middle and Stone etchings all over the walls. 40 or 50 people where inside. They all stood up as Vahl crashed Down the Metal Doors that kept them safe from justice all of their years. Janne waited for Vahl to do somthing as the Room entered a Deadly stillness.
With a single swing of his mighty hammer, Vahl brought down three men. One of the men present cast a spell that deflected off of Vahl's armor and flew into a wall. Vahl threw his hammer at the man who cast the spell, blowing a hole through him and embedding the hammer in a wall. He punched his fists together and began to brawl with the men closest to him.
Janne Started to get into a fighting stance but Saw Vahl Start Talking all of the men on and decided to sit this one out. He glaced over at The Bowl in the middle of the room. It was violently shaking. A Large Black creature Spewed forth from the bowl and stood upright.
Vahl, distracted by the creature from the bowl, immediately he was blasted in the face with a bolt of magic. Turning his attention to the mage in question, he immediately threw punch with all of his might, killing the man instantly. He was trusting the swordsman to get the black creature, as he was preoccupied.
While Morgan slept, he felt an unnatural force nearby, just below the ground.
Why can't I get some sleep for once without some mythological species showing up or ancient evil awakening? He was quite annoyed at whatever this thing was, and decided to go and give it a piece of his mind.
Lifting a hand in the air, he called the energies around him to form a large sphere of iron, and hurled it in the general direction of the energy he felt, then wandered over to see the result.
Janne Held up his shield As he charged at the beast. As he Did he cast a spear And Hurled it at the monster. A direct hit! Janne Jumped at the creature and took aim at the head. As he Did he noticed a Iron ball coming from the ceiling. He struck the Creature in the neck And started to teleport away. Just as he finished the spell he Jolted out and watched the ball Annihilate the creature. And saw another phase through the ceiling. Oh gods. Vahl we got another one! He yelled as he threw another spear at the Entity.
Vahl was fighting the last man in the room, he finished him off by clapping his massive armored hands down on the man's head. He went was retrieving his hammer when a massive iron ball bulldozed through the black creature in the middle of the room. He readied himself for the being that came from the ceiling and spoke to Janne, "Hold your weapons, let us see what this being wants before we strike."
A Morgan entered the room, a spear of holy magic slammed into him and dissipated. Huh. Looking over at where it came from, a man in an unusual black armor stood next to the crater where his iron ball likely landed. A bit of a distance away was a titanic metal figure of black iron, with a very demonic looking helm. Surrounding the were quite the number of corpses, all wearing similar clothing.
After a few seconds, the silence felt stiffing to him, so he called over to the two figures.
"Hey. Did I miss something here?"
As it seemed that the being would do them no harm, Vahl dropped his arms. He then rested the head of the hammer on the ground. "You didn't miss much, just a cleansing. Might I inquire your name? He began to walk around to the bodies, and held his hand over each one. Each body that his hand waved over was immediately engulfed in a dark purple flame as they slowly burned and turned to ash.
Janne trailed Off as Vahl talked to the what looked like Woman? Man? Janne couldn't tell. He Poked around Until he found a slab Of emerald with Old etchings on the face of it. He saw familiar etchings back at the castle. Vahl Take a look at this! He yelled as Looked at the slab.
"Ah yes, I'm Morgan. Pleasure to meet you."
He looked over at the titan's companion, the one who shot at him, glancing over a valuable looking tablet in his hands, and walked to the bowl in the center of the room. The force that had woken him up earlier was lessened, but he could still feel remnants of it within the room.
Upon seeing that there was no imminent threat from this strange being, laid down his hammer and walked over to Janne holding emerald slab. The dust coating it was thick, but he could make out vague markings that he recognized. He gingerly wiped the dust off, and the markings became clear to him. It was from the castle libraries, a rather infamous writing that described in detail, the summoning and control of some extremely powerful demonic forces. Vahl tapped the jade surface, and a small black wave of energy came from the symbols. He looked at Janne, "It's a good thing their ritual was interrupted. This guy would have been a lot more dangerous." He sighed and then looked back up to the being still floating. "It is a pleasure to meet you as well Morgan. I am Vahlok Kendaar, Head guardsman of Castle EmberCrest, and Wielder of DarkFire"
Yes Now we can Get back to looking for the archives. Janne turned to the other being And im Janne Dark Knight extraordinaire, Sorry about the Spear but it doesn't look like it did much damage anyway.
"Err, yeah, OK."
Morgan wasn't paying much attention to the two, deeply engrossed in the bowl, and the energies coming from it.
I wonder if... OK, bad idea. A series of carvings flashed upon the side of the bowl as he channeled mana into it and, surprised, he dropped it, with a loud crash as it broke upon the floor. Looking over a t Janne and Vahl, he forced a smile.
"I meant to do that," pointing at the broken shards on the ground as he spoke, "absolutely."