Page 25 of Wizards & Weavers
Braiden had expected a room of crudely carved rock, or a rough cavern. But this place? He wouldn’t have minded spending some time here. The haven was clean, almost comfortable.
Soft snoring came from the alcoves around the room, each providing sufficient space for a sleeping roll or even a small tent. A campfire made of real flame crackled quietly in the center, built by adventurers to keep warm and prepare meals. The haven also had a long table and benches for communal dining, a small altar space for those devoted to prayer, and a well of replenishing water.
Augustin held a finger to his lips as they passed through. Braiden quietly appreciated the campfire’s heat and sweet smell of woodsmoke. The wizard paused to point out a large barrel filled with adventuring odds and ends.
“A donation box,” he whispered. “No shame in borrowing something to help you survive. Take only what you need, leave something to help another.”
Braiden peeked into the barrel, spying an old iron sword, a weathered wooden staff, and a serviceable shovel. It cheered him to find this bit of kindness in a dungeon, of all places.
The wet chill of cold earth pierced Braiden’s body as they emerged from the haven. Before them, mostly darkness. No more courtesy torches from this point on.
Elyssandra reached into the depths of her cowl, pulling out another pin from her hair, this one tipped with gleaming blue gemstones. She incanted a spell in a low whisper, then gave the sprig a little twirl. It floated from her hand, its berries bathing the cavern in a ghostly blue glow.
Braiden gasped. Tunnels. Everywhere. The passage didn’t just travel in a straight line. That would be too easy.
“This is incredible,” Elyssandra breathed.
“This is much bigger than I expected,” Augustin said.
This is terrifying, Braiden thought.
“But how?” he asked out loud. “The kabooming from before — the explosion, I mean. This is what it created?”
“And it opened up passages to whatever awaits below,” Elyssandra said.
“There are magical forces dwelling deep within the earth,” Augustin said. “Pockets of arcane power scattered all over the world. And when some of them intersect, the intermingling of the elements can have extremely volatile results.”
Braiden looked around at the honeycomb of passages. “And this is how far it went? Who knows where all these different corridors even lead?”
Augustin shrugged. “Some go to the surface. The cave mouth we came through just happens to be the most convenient form of access. It’s like an anthill, if you think about it, radiating outward in many different directions.”
But which path to take? Which didn’t lead to a dead end, and which led to the proverbial queen’s chamber? Treasure. Gemstones. Riches.
Most important of all: where had the blast really come from? Was it like an earthquake? Would there be aftershocks, too?
“This explosion that started it all,” Braiden said. “Could it happen again?”
Augustin tapped the end of his nose. “Now you understand my concerns. What if the energies that created this place are not yet expended? What if a second blast occurs while adventurers travel within?”
Braiden glanced at Elyssandra’s face. She must have looked as pale as he did. A thin trail of sweat dripped down his nape.
“But no need to worry just yet,” Augustin said. “Lightning, in this case, isn’t likely to strike twice. The pressure has been released. There are openings up to the surface now. Should the elemental forces build up again, there’s a way for them to escape in a non-destructive manner. Well, theoretically. For now, we must find out what the merging of those elements has actuallycreatedin the dungeon.”
And then Braiden recalled the things he’d heard at the tavern, the posts he’d read on the questing board. Hadn’t the Gwerenese party talked about rocky creatures hurling stones through the air? And quite a few notices on the board were looking for rare gems and minerals.
“That must be it,” Braiden said. “Elementals.”
Chapter
Ten
Elementals.Of course. It seemed so obvious now. Rocky creatures that liked to throw stones — quite a few monsters could fit that description.
Golems, for one thing, humanoids of hulking stone, but those were normally created by powerful summoners. Gargoyles existed, too, but why would they wander underground? They much preferred to spend time up on rooftops and parapets.
The four elements formed the building blocks of many schools of magic. Not the school of magic that Braiden and Granny Bethilda shared, but for someone like Augustin, they were absolutely essential. An experienced wizard could merge the elements to create astounding magical effects.
But just as Augustin described, when conditions were correct — as they appeared to be in the crucible of the Weathervale dungeon — the elements themselves could merge to become sentient, independent creatures. If the Gwerenese were right, these elementals were dangerous, too.
