Page 16 of Gift from the Source
But only this room. Ahead of me, the next two are still shrouded by the haze of my sight and I assume the original layout for the others.
I couldn’t care less about how dark and daunting this square space really appears without the discoloring from my sight. What steals all my attention is the magic in the air, changing the floor’s appearance.
Right smack in front of me, maybe two feet away, a tile shifts and rising out of the new makeshift hole is a glowing green cube that’s surrounded by a smoke-like fog.
“Holy shit,” I hear the whisper, followed by some tussling, then next thing I know, Oakly’s hands are gripping my arm beside me, and her eyes are bugging out of her head as she stares at the contraption in front of us.
“What is it, Oak?”
There’s no point in fussing at her for not waiting. It’s safe for everyone to enter now, and obviously, her curiosity slash archivist mind got the best of her.
“An Acidiate Cube. Mystara Hollow creation. It was an experiment gone wrong. They were attempting to utilize the tar that seeps from their trees to create an ever-lasting binding. It would’ve been a remarkable tool for any number of things that require sticky, stretchy texture. Or it could’ve been solidified to use as mortar for buildings. But something about their process went wrong, resulting in this green slime that basically burns and eats away at anything it touches. The supply was incredibly small, and the cube was created to hold the mishap,” she states robotically, spitting out the facts.
The proof of the recollection spell activating in her mind is obvious as she shakes her head out and the staring stupor she was in breaks. A wide smile splits out across her face before pure mortification bleeds into her features.
“You four would’ve been burned beyond repair,” she whispers, turning to look at Tillman, Ry, Lyker, and Trex, and my throat closes.
“Well, that didn’t happen, so let’s move on,” I say, lacing my fingers with hers for a second before attempting to take a step forward, only for her to yank me back.
“We can’t leave it.”
“What?” we all shout.
“It has to come with us. This can’t be left for the wrong hands to get. If replicated…” she trails off, shaking her head.
“Firecracker,” Ry growls, stepping closer to us.
“She’s right. We need to take with us any and all relics we come across. It’s too dangerous to leave behind things with such unknown power,” Gaster states, stepping up beside us. “Very good eye, my girl. Remarkable recollection. I’m so proud of you.”
The death glare Oakly was shooting Ry melts off her face as she grins under Gaster’s praise and her chest poofs up at the affirmation.
“How the hell do the two of you suppose we bring this shit back?” Ry asks.
The twinkle in his eye tells me he thinks he’s got the two of them in a bind now, but he’s sorely wrong. I’ve already read both their thoughts. They’ve got this shit planned out to a T.
“I’ll extract the relics and place them in Gaster’s pocket dimension. He’ll encase them in a protective covering until we can get them back to Elementra and place them in a more fortified room.”
“We have a new secret room to create, girls,” Gaster says excitedly, shooting the two of us mischievous smiles before winking over at a grunting Corentin.
“Oakly, please—”
She silences Ry’s words with a finger to his mouth before pushing up on her toes and replacing the digit with her lips. “Trust me. I can do this. Everything will be okay. This is what I live for, Ry.”
A long, agonizing minute passes as he stares at her, but finally that hard mask crumbles under her doe eyes. “What can I do?”
“Gloves, please. Make sure they’re fireproof. Well, slime proof, I guess,” she says, smiling, holding her hands up for him to coat in his element.
Like they’ve practiced this a thousand times, which I know they haven’t, Oakly and Gaster step up toward the Acidiate Cube with laser focus and fascination. He opens his dimensions, while she cautiously picks it up, holding still just to make sure nothing happens.
Gaster coaches her every move, and she follows the instructions to the letter. It’s mesmerizing to watch. Petrifying yes, but I can’t begin to express the pride I feel in this moment for my best friend. She’s glowing with excitement at this discovery.
Not a part of her is scared because this is truly what she lives for.
“Very, very good, Oakly. We’ll repeat this process with each relic,” Gaster says, pulling her in for a hug once he closes his dimension.
The rest of her Nexus surround her, both praising and looking for any sign of issues, although we all just witnessed how she perfectly executed that.
“What’s next, Primary?” Caspian asks, coming to stand beside me. He’s glaring at what’s in front of him, but there’s nothing to see except the cold brick hallway.
