Knowledge and Power

[DragonSong]

"Yeah, I see it." She lifted her hand that held the fireball, looking from side to side. "Okay, which way? Left or right?"

Her instincts were saying left; she could feel a breeze from that direction, maybe a way out. But she would defer to him in this, at least for now.

[Razor-D-Belphe]

Orcus felt the wind too, but couldn't be sure that the book would be in the same direction as an exit. He divulged this to Kiara.

"I can't focus my ability right now, and even if I could, the book may be out of my range. We could split up. What do you want to do?"

[DragonSong]

"No way in hells am I leaving you down here by yourself," Kiara sighed after a moment, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Okay, fine. Which way do you think it is?"

[Razor-D-Belphe]

"...If the purpose of the ruin is to protect the book, then it would be hidden in the deepest part, far from the exits. Right seems like the logical choice. But this isn't your quest. You really should go left." Orcus said. "Your dragon must be worried about you."

[DragonSong]

"Kit's a big boy. He can handle it." She sort of hated saying it, but she knew she had to see this through. She didn't really know why, she just knew she had to.

That happened sometimes, feelings she got, flashes of intuition. Maybe it was the fey heritage, she didn't really know. But somewhere between the golem and this tunnel, she realized she needed to help this man find his stupid book.

"Okay. Right it is." She started down the path.

[Razor-D-Belphe]

Orcus sighed. "Fine, suit yourself." he shrugged.

They turned right at the fork and moved on. The corridor seemed to slope down deeper into the earth. After a few minutes traveling in silence, Orcus spoke again.

"I think I feel a bit better. You don't have to hold my hand."

He was a poor liar.

[DragonSong]

Kiara glanced back over her shoulder and snorted. "Yeah, sure, buddy." She kept her grip on his hand as they continued slowly down the tunnel.

Without his "sensing" or whatever, they were going pretty much by the dim light of the fire in her hand. And she honestly wasn't sure exactly how long she could keep that up.

[Razor-D-Belphe]

They came to an open chamber. Glowing crystals grew out of the walls, bathing an altar in bluish light. And on that altar was a single thin book, bound by a strap.

[DragonSong]

Well great.

That was probably it.

Kiara took a step back, keeping her grip on Orcus's hand. "There's a pedestal kinda thing," she told him. "About ten feet ahead. A book is sitting on it."

[Razor-D-Belphe]

Orcus nodded. He stepped forward and tossed his scimitar within a few feet of the altar. A hail of arrows fell from above onto that spot.

"Was that a trap? That sounded like a trap." Orcus said.

[DragonSong]

Eyes wide, Kiara grabbed Orcus's shoulder and dragged him back a few steps. "Um, yeah. Definitely a trap."

She peered carefully into the room, raising her flame-lit hand to see if a little light might offer a different view.

[Razor-D-Belphe]

The light showed that the book sat om some manner of mechanism built into the altar.

[DragonSong]

"Yeah, so..." Kiara rocked back on her heels. "Looks like there's some sorta...contraption built into the altar or whatever? But I am not interested in going near that thing."

She tilted her head to the side, judging the distance, and glanced at the fire in her hand. "Whaddya think my odds are of torching it from over here?"

[Razor-D-Belphe]

"Fair. Be my guest." Orcus invited.

[DragonSong]

Alright then. With a short breath, Kiara threw her hand out, index finger pointed toward the altar. The ball of fire in her palm turned to a thin spindle of flame that jetted from her finger to strike her target with a rather understated fwump.

[Razor-D-Belphe]

The book was engulfed in an instant, and released a bloodcurdling cry as it burned, writhing like a living thing. Thick black smoke poured out as it was incinerated, and took on the form of a face twisted in pain before dissipating. All that was left were ashes.

The mechanism the book had rested on raised itself. The entire ruin started rumbling.

"Oh dear." Orcus said wearily.

[DragonSong]

"Oh, fuck!"

Kiara dove back into the tunnel, grabbing Orcus by the shoulder and dragging him along behind her as she ran back the way they'd came.

She didn't know what was happening, but she was getting out of here.

[Razor-D-Belphe]

As they raced through the corridor, pieces of stone began falling from above, and chunks of floor began sinking beneath their feet. They sped down the other path at the fork in the road, felt it slope up, came to a stone staircase, and eventually came to a stone door above their heads. Wind was blowing in from behind it.

"The exit?" Orcus asked.

[DragonSong]

"I sure as shit hope so!" Kiara shoved him in front of her, glancing back over her shoulder as the tunnel collapsed behind them. "Go go go!"

[Razor-D-Belphe]

Orcus raised his arms above to push on the door and apply a burst of magic to unseal it.

"The seal's undone, but the mechanism is broken. I'm not strong enough to open the door by myself. Help me." Orcus said, straining hard.