Shards of Old

This time the arrival was not so bad - for once the gravity did not make my stomach churn, nor did it even change. As I jumped through the hatch-like portal, I emerged from the ceiling of some room and even managed to not fall straight on my face. Progress.

The woman next to me was also standing straight, her landing was even better than mine. Honestly, it was pretty impressive.

The place we arrived in was also familiar. We were back at her house - the bedroom to be exact - same place I got pushed into the portal some time ago, and where I almost burned down her garden.

-Ah. Brings back memories - I said to myself, looking around.

Just as I spoke I suddenly heard a loud yelp - for a second I thought I accidentally stepped on a dog or something, but it was just Il that immediately ran from me as far as it was possible and hid behind the bed.

-Good to see you too, oh great portal wizard - I said, bowing mockingly. - I bet you did not expect to see me again after last time.

But it was Melle who answered instead.

-Stop. You are not helping right now.

-Neither she did last time, I dare say she was the main issue.

-Stop.

I shrugged.

-What? I would like an explanation at least.

-Ehhh… - she turned towards the girl. - Honey, I think you remember this man.

I saw her head move behind the bed in nodding motion.

-He’s telling me that when you teleported him last time, he ended in some remote forest, not even close to the place we agreed on. Do you know what happened?

There was no answer.

-I know you did not do it on purpose, no one is blaming you…

-I am.

-Shut the hell up!

-Ah fine, whatever. I am gonna wait outside, good luck with… whatever this is.

I left the bedroom and sat down in the main room, gazing around at all the weird herbs and ingredients she had hung up in the room. Besides some obvious ones like spices and garden vegetables, I could not name any of them. Wondering how and what she’s gonna need, I waited for a good couple of minutes, when she finally emerged from the room.

-She said she is sorry and has no idea how that happened.

-Aha, yeah, sure.

-Oh come on, I am sure you did not land far off. It probably was just some slight miss…

-Slight miss? Very funny. I landed on a secluded island, without any boats, in the middle of the forest. That is definitely not a slight miss.

-You keep saying that, but I don’t know the place…

-Well that would be the two of us. Whatever - I sighed. - I didn't think you’d actually just go back here… Really, this is your home?

-Yes, what of it?

-Nothing, I was just hoping that we would land somewhere close to the city so I can leave you to it and just go on my way later, but this…

-Yeah, no, I live pretty far from civilization. That’s the point. I warned you.

-Too bad. Well, I guess I’ll be going back with you then. In any case, you got what you needed?

-What? No!

-Then get to it.

-Don’t rush me. First of all, I, I mean we, still need to wait for Il to recharge after teleporting us here, you can’t just use this spell back to back like that.

Ah right, I forgot about the distinct lack of mana capacity of people here.

-And anyway, we still need to get going to actually go and collect the water.

-I assume you don’t mean regular drinking water…

-Obviously. We need mana infused water. Luckily, there is a source of it not far from here. Give me a minute and we will be on our way.

After a few minutes, she was ready. She brought a small bag, not that different from the one the herbalist had, besides it being twice the size of that one.

-Shall we?

We left her house and the garden and started going through the forest towards the mountains.

-You have any light source or we are gonna walk in the dark, being slapped by the branches left and right?

Before I finished the sentence, she already pulled a glowing crystal. It gave out barely enough light for us not to trip over some random tree roots.

I sighed.

-I assume we are not gonna meet any people, are we?

-Definitely not.

-Put this thing down then. Usc fi mynu.

I summoned the light orb. I made it similar size to that of the crystal, but the light it gave out was maybe ten times that of that excuse of a light source she had. I had to shrink it even more so we wouldn’t get blinded.

-Ah! - she yelped in surprise.

-Don’t act like that. You know very well what I am capable of.

-I do, but it is still surprising every time I see it with my own eyes.

I rolled my eyes and decided to change the subject.

-So where exactly is that source?

-In the cave not that far from here. I think you are familiar with that one.

-I am what? Wait, don't tell me…

-Yeah, you guessed it. We are going to the caves that you “supposedly” traveled through.

-Well I did, but I…

I stopped mid sentence. There actually was a lake in the caves.

-You want to collect the water from THERE? Is that water really that special?

-Yes.

-May I ask why?

-I thought such a powerful mage would know after the first glance.

-Can you not? - she was clearly messing with me.

-Just kidding, just kidding. - she chuckled. - Truth is, I am not so sure myself. I once, accidentally stumbled upon that pool of water. It looked clean and I was thirsty, so I refilled my waterskin with it. Not long after, I realized that I found something unusual - I felt a surge of energy so strong that it was hard to control. For the next couple of days I was basically unable to use magic, since every spell was magnitudes stronger than it supposed to, and controlling it proved very taxing.

-So that “poison” you fed me was from that water too?

-Yep. Speaking of, you really did not feel any ill effects after that? No problems?

-What, you want to make something that will work on me?

-Don’t be ridiculous - she puffed at me. - Yes, let me ask you how to make poison that would work on you, makes sense. If you have not realized that yet, I want you to help me. For that I need you to trust me.

-Well, you can always try threatening me again…

-You really think I am that stupid?

I shrugged.

-Don’t know how trying again would make someone stupid, maybe stubborn. Not like it would work anyway…

-See? In any case, no I am not talking about that. I am just curious, that’s it. I think you can understand that.

True, I honestly would’ve done the same in her shoes. Exploring and explaining new magics was kind of my job, not to mention it was not the first time I was put in a similar situation. To be honest, she was definitely taking it better than expected. After all, besides that initial attack, all she did was try to cooperate with me and figure stuff out. The least I could do was to do the same.

-Have you ever seen something like that before? - I asked. - I mean, the sickness like this.

-Mana starvation? Yeah, it’s not that uncommon. But for the treatment to not work like that… It’s quite unusual. That is the first one for me.

-See, that’s funny. It’s not for me.

-Oh? - she looked at me curious? - What does that mean?

-Not that long ago I stumbled upon a man in a similar situation. In a coma, supposedly with mana starvation. He’s treated but it doesn’t work.

-Really? Your friend or something?

-Hardly. Just a stranger I met, that’s it, but that’s not what I am concerned about. You see, from what I know they’ve been out cold for a long while, without any change, even though I know there have been plenty of attempts at reviving them.

-So that’s what you wanted the potion for…

-That’s if it actually works - I nodded. - I must admit, I had my doubts about that, but since it’s supposed to use that water… It actually might work.

-I thought you didn’t believe me.

-It’s not the matter of believing or not. I am very well aware about what that water is and I can see it actually working. Although I might have some other ideas…

-Other ideas? Now you are making me curious.

-Don’t get your hopes up. It’s just… Well, let me ask this: Do you know why the water you want for this potion is so rich in mana?

-A weird question. I do, of course.

-Then you are probably wrong.

-Pfff. Of course. Listen, even though you are capable of using different types of mana, that does not make you an expert in every category.

- I am not saying I am. Although on this topic I am pretty sure I know better. You said it yourself, you don’t know what exactly there is in those mountains.

-And what, you do? I still don’t believe your stupid story. What, you are some dwarf who awakened after a thousand years deep in the mountains? Even if that was true, the cave layout can change after that much of the time so…

I laughed out loud.

-Dwarf? Naaah, come on, do I look like one?

-Maybe? To be honest I never had the pleasure to meet one.

-Neither did I. Who knows, maybe next time I use your kid’s portal I will end up in a dwarven city. I’ll send you a postcard or something.

-Oh give it a break already. She said she’s sorry.

-Really? Because I have not even heard her speak once, especially to me.

She suddenly looked concerned.

-Yeah, I know. That’s a slight problem…

-You bet. You can’t just be her interpreter for the rest of your life. Even if you do, I am pretty sure she will outlive you, what then.

-I had a more immediate future in mind.

-Who said I didn’t?

-Is that a threat?

-Oh come on, I am joking.

-Eh, see, that is half of the problem. Acting like this won’t help you gain her trust…

-And who said that I want to win her trust?

-You better want to, being a bodyguard who is not trusted by his boss is kinda pointless, isn’t it?

-Ah, that. I think I am pretty far from that yet. Haven’t even made contact with the adventurer’s guild or whatever… I have not been to the city proper, to be completely honest.

-I would recommend getting a move on. I mean, we are not in a rush since we are still hiding here, but sooner or later I would like to return her to the city. I like living here, but I don’t think she shares my sentiments.

-I would - I replied, annoyed - but somehow I ended up…

-Yeah, yeah - she waved her hand - I know. I get it. Give me a break…

I sighed.

-Sure, whatever. Let’s get back on topic. So, as I asked previously, why do you think that water is so special?

-I assume it probably is running along some leyline deep beneath the mountain.

-And why would that make it so potent then?

-What do you mean “why”? Because why wouldn’t the leyline influence it?

-Because it’s a leyline, that’s why. If what you are saying was right, every single river would be abundant in mana because pretty much every single stream intertwines a leyline at some point.

-True, but that doesn’t mean that’s not possible. You are right, leylines and water streams intersect quite often, but that does not mean that every water has to be infused - you need either prolonged exposure or the intersection has to be close to the actual body of water where you are taking the water from - since in any different circumstances mana would just dissolve away into the atmosphere, or would get absorbed by some tree roots or something.

The spring we are going to is most likely one of those.

She was not exactly wrong… but I did not feel like explaining it to her if I didn't have to.

-Well, we will see when we get there. Speaking of, I think we are close, right?

-True.

Indeed, we were pretty close to the mountain range - I had to strain my neck pretty badly just to see the tops - mostly because it was so large, but the distance definitely did not help. The forest also finally started to thin out a little, although as I remembered correctly it stretched to the cave and beyond. Still, it was better than the constant jungles I had to travel through all the time. Soon enough we were standing before the very familiar cave, or maybe it was a mineshaft, hard to tell.

-Want to lead the way? - she asked. - Since you supposedly were here, it should not be a problem.

I just glared at her.

-Alright, alright, just joking, calm down. But I would be thankful if you could dial down the light a bit.

-Why? You don’t want to scare the dwarves or some crap?

-Yes, the earth fairies are gonna get scared and I want to catch a few on our way in. No, this thing is going to be blinding when we go inside.

-You’re really in a joking mood - I muttered while reducing the power of the spell even more. - Is that enough? Or maybe you should just use that poor excuse of a light source that you brought instead?

-Nope, I am good. Let’s go.

And so we started delving deep into the mountain. The path looked exactly the same as when I was there last time, to the point that I was able to see the marks I made on the walls and the rocks I displaced. I think she also noticed that, because every time we passed by one of those spots, her eyes widened for a second.

After maybe five of those spots I finally couldn’t help myself and asked:

-Why are you so surprised? I told you I came through here.

-Yes… I can see… - she replied with a hand on one of my marks on the tunnel wall. - But still, I can’t believe it…

-What, you thought that I just walked out from here without marking the path? - I asked, knowing fully that it was not why she was still in denial.

-No… I still can’t understand how you ended up in those tunnels… I thought I knew all about them…

-Ehe. By the way, what exactly are those? Some old mine, or what?

-It really looks like that, right?

-Well, sort of. It’s a bit too clean for it to be a natural cave, that’s for sure. After you told me that you used them I thought it was your secret passage of your making or something…

-Hah, I wish. But you might not be far off…

-Oh?

-I used to come here with my husband…

-I was not talking about THAT type of secret passage - I interrupted her mid sentence

-Oh shut the hell up, we were going here to get that infused water as well.

-Of course you did.

She glared at me annoyed.

-And he kept saying that this corridor could not be made by any non-magical means.

I gazed around, trying to get a feel for the mana in the area.

-Well, I can’t feel a thing. He was either talking bullshit or…

-Honestly, I thought so at first too. But the longer I knew him, the more I realized that he knew a lot more than I was aware of. He had a lot of secrets.

-I can see that - I muttered under my breath, thinking of the necklace I had and all the commotion it caused. - I also didn’t even manage to finish my sentence.

-Wha..?

-I was saying, he was either talking bullshit, or whoever made those tunnels was very skilled.

-What do you mean? - she looked at me, confused.

-See, I am not particularly versed in earth magic, but… you technically would be able to make something like this - I gestured around us - without that much of an effort. You don’t need earth magic to do that, for example you could use water to straight up cut through the rock, or mix water and ice magic to slowly crack it away. You could even straight up melt it with either fire or lightning. The issue is, if you used any of those methods, you’d leave a massive amount of traces behind, including a lot of mana infused rock, that would not disappear for a VERY long time. So if someone who made this used one of those methods, it had to have happened literally tens of thousands years ago. Maybe even more, who the hell knows.

-And what, the earth magic would be different? That probably would be the most invasive method…

I shook my head in disappointment.

-For a wife of, supposedly, a smart man, you don’t know much about magic, do you.

She puffed, but did not interrupt.

- No, quite the opposite: because you are not destroying anything. It is always far easier to destroy than to create, but to compensate, the creation is a lot more, let’s say, environmentally friendly. Don’t get me wrong, you still leave some residue behind, but it is far less persistent, to the point that instead of millenniums we are talking days.

-That’s… actually interesting… - she looked genuinely curious - To think earth magic has that much of a difference…

-No, no, it’s not the earth magic - I corrected her - it’s not the element that is the key factor - it is how you use it: creation and destruction. I only mentioned earth magic because we are literally inside a large rock. If that was an iceberg, the same thing would be correct for ice magic. Although then melting it would be far easier… Well anyway doesn’t matter, you get my point.

-Sort of… I still don’t know how making a hole is creating, though…

-Because you are not “making a hole”. You are melding a path, changing the shape of the rock. That’s probably why the surfaces are that smooth…

-What happens with the excess material then? There had to be a lot of it, right?

-Probably less than you’d expect. Mountains are rarely just a solid block of rock, they often have a lot of cave-like structures that are not connected to anything. The place where we are going was most likely one of them. Besides, when I passed here before, I saw a few holes, sort of like vents that probably lead somewhere as well.

-I guess that makes sense… but is that even possible? It would take a lot to make something like that…

-If one person can make a full-ass castle from a mountain in a day, why not?

-Are you for real right now? I swear I can’t tell when you are joking or not…

-I guess it probably was a bit over the top comparison, but…

-What are you even talking about? - she turned to me, confused.

-Emm, hello, Red Edge? I had some time to read up so… But you’re right, that was probably just some kind of myth or another religion… They had bunch of tomes on that for some reason…

-Stop confusing me!

-Okay - I sighed. - The Red Edge, the place that we teleported from, was supposedly created out of one large chunk of stone by one man some time ago. I read it in a book dedicated to the history of their guild… order… whatever they are, you probably know better. I admit, it sounds a bit improbable, so I assume it was not just one person, although the place looks like indeed it was made out of one large piece of stone, meaning earth magic had to be involved. Kinda similar to those tunnels.

-I never heard of that story… - she looked genuinely surprised.

-Well, you live literally in the middle of the forest, nowhere, so that is not a surprise.

-First of all, fuck you - she said offended.

-Come on, I spent what, two weeks or so, in this country and I already know more about its history than you.

She didn’t even flinch at that comment.

-I have you know, I also have a house in the capital, as I said already! No matter! - she puffed at me, which looked stupidly out of place for a person of her age. - Besides, I used to be an adventurer! I would’ve heard the story about something like that for sure!

-I dunno. It was in their library.

-I guess you can find secrets in all sorts of places.

-Ah yes, the school library, the best place to hide your secrets. I could think of worse places.

-Like what?

-Like your head, because I swear there is a lot of empty space in there. Why in the hell would anyone hide a story like that?

-Okay, I would recommend for you to not antagonize your employer. Might end poorly for you.

I rolled my eyes.

-What are you gonna do, tie me up with plants? Because I can’t see any down here. Come on, I am joking. You said it yourself, you never know when I am serious or not.

-I swear…

She did not finish the sentence, instead she stopped suddenly, without a warning.

-What?

I didn’t even have to ask, really - one glance was enough to see why. We were standing in the entrance of a large cavern.

-Ah, we are here.

But as I said that I realized that something was wrong. It was quiet. There was no sound of dripping water that was prevalent last time I was here.

Curious, I sent my light orb forward and up, lighting up a bit more.

Instead of the lake there was now a big empty cave with a shallow dry pit.

-I want to ask if you are sure that this is the right place, but… - I looked down and further towards the end of the cave - …but I also know that it is.