The Summoned
The Dark Plane: Beneath Troop Camp 51
"And just what do you think you're doing?" the booming
voice resonated along the walls - the effect of which was to make it sound
as though it were coming from all directions at once.
Seeker bolted upright faster even than Asa.
The aged wizard's face had turned an unhealthy white. Before Asa
could utter a question, the voice rang out again.
"Who do you think you are?" The voice no longer
echoed, instead it originated from a man, standing in front of the entrance
and looking irately toward the two intruders. "And why are you taking
my treasure?"
Neither man spoke, and finally Asa decided to take
the initiative. "Ahh... sir? We are just two travelers, and
we need this to get where we want to go."
"Hmm.... Sounds fair." The man still
regarded them annoyedly, but also seemed to be thinking. "And what
about your friend?"
"I am known as Seeker." Seeker said.
Some color was slowly coming back to his face, but his voice was still
trembling. Asa found it hard to keep from being nervous - if that
man frightened Seeker, then it should terrify him.
"Don't I know you?" The man demanded.
Seeker didn't reply, but it seemed as though no reply was needed.
"Yes, yes, you're that child that came in with Luther the other day!"
"You remember me?" Seeker said. He didn't
even recall having seen the guardian before, but the man must have somehow
become aware of him.
The guardian nodded. "Yes, but you probably
don't know who I am. I am called Staft. My apologies for accosting
you like that - the rod belongs to you, child. Your predecessor left
it in my care, in the event that you might need it later. I was merely
guarding it, and you seemed like ordinary thieves to me."
"An... understandable conclusion." Seeker
seemed to have regained his former stature. He lifted the rod from
the container, examined it for a moment, and then handed it over to Asa.
He turned back to Staft, and then hesitated. "If you do not mind
my inquiries, sir Staft, how did you become the guardian of this rod?"
Staft moved from his previous post at the entrance,
and walked over toward the duo, sitting down on a seat that Asa hadn't
noticed was there before. "I suppose you think it's because I read
one of these books. Well, that's not quite true. I did read
one of the books, but it wasn't the curse that locked me away in here.
You see, I read the book before there was a curse."
The man smiled as he noted the others' surprise.
"Yes! One thousand, two hundred and seventy-four years ago, it was
- give or take a century. Everyone was learning magic, it seemed.
We all hoped to somehow relearn what Xanek had taken with him when he left.
We thought, you see, that the higher path was the way. I, however,
could not even master basic magic. I was better outfitted to be a
knight, or at the very least a squire. But such an "inelegant" approach
was very, very frowned upon at the time. So my parents sent me to
an oracle. Donovan was his name - supposedly, he was the most powerful
wizard ever to exist, besides the triad of course. He
attempted to school me, but not even his advanced skills could do the least.
I was an idiot, simply put.
"So Donovan took me here. This library existed then,
in just as good condition as it does now. There's some sort of preservative
force at work, though Donovan claimed that not even he could detect it.
Donovan brought me here because he was too proud to admit defeat.
He had not used the books himself, for fear of being transformed into a
demon. He couldn't care less about my fate, so he had me read.
"It didn't take me long to learn the secret.
Higher path magic is deceptively simple to use, once you know how to access
it - and these books spare no detail. Before Donovan had realized
it, I was suddenly more powerful than he. More powerful than anyone,
as a matter of fact. Right up there with the triad itself.
"You might be asking why the power didn't turn me
into a raging, senseless demon. The answer is simple: It did.
Surrounded by a glow of raw power, I journeyed out and laid waste to villages,
towns, entire armies. There was nobody who could stand against me;
Donovan hadn't shared his discovery of the library with anyone - again,
his pride prevented him from doing so. I razed nearly the entire
continent before something was done.
"Donovan, deciding that the needs of his species
was more important than his own survival, read the books. The power
did not consume him - though at times I wonder what it did to his mind.
While being just as powerful as the triad, he was nowhere near as sophisticated.
He didn't know how to manage his power. It took him a week of battling
with me before I was subdued. With the last of his energy, he brought
us to this library, and placed the curse.
"That none who have read a book of the Higher Path
should ever leave. That is the curse. Since the both of us
had read the books, we had to stay. I and Donovan did battle for
centuries, until I came to my senses. I still don't know how I did
it. I suppose that, after time, my mind had simply learned how to
deal with the power within me. I came to my senses, and Donovan told
me what had happened. I personally didn't - and don't now - remember
it. Donovan was my companion for a long time, until he simply...
vanished."
Seeker seemed thoughtful. "Do you suppose
that he undid the curse? That he simply decided he no longer wished
to be bound to the cave?"
"No, Donovan didn't have that kind of power.
He expended most of his ability in containing me, and setting the curse
itself. I don't know what occurred to him."
Staft turned to Seeker. "Then, a little while
ago, your mentor came here. Luther, I believe his name was.
He said he required my help. I... I hadn't had anyone to talk to
in hundreds of years. I'm afraid I probably rattled on for hours
to the man, like I'm doing to you now. But he always listened nicely
and respectfully, and so I agreed to do him the favor. He said you'd
come back for it - apparently, he had some sort of vision, as he foresaw
your companion there.
"I had a few visitors in between now and then.
Soldier-types - they weren't interested in talking at all. They were
trying to take the very thing I was supposed to guard. I... dealt
with them." A sly grin passed over the guardian's face. "One
even read the books - imagine his surprise when he couldn't leave.
I decided to get rid of him before he could become a demon."
Seeker thought for a moment. "So that's what
Luther was doing... he knew this day would come." he looked back
up at Staft. "Did he say anything else?"
Staft nodded. "Yes - he seemed to have a message
for you. 'To create the guardian, you must do for him what I once
did for you' was what he told me."
Seeker's eyes closed. "Yes. I thought
that might be necessary."
"Uh-huh." Staft agreed. "But neither
I nor your traveling companion over there understand what you're talking
about."
"It's nothing important." he said, his eyes opening
and glancing toward Asa. "If you have nothing further to tell us...."
Staft smiled. "Growing tired of me already?
No, you must have something you need to do. You seem like people
with a purpose." He rose to his feet. "Very well then.
But... if you should have some spare time, stop by again... please?"
Seeker nodded. "I will, sir Staft."
With that, Seeker lead a very bewildered Asa out
of the cavern, slowly moving up the way they came.
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