Cycle 6
While most of the survivors relaxed and took their time soaking in the healing spring, one of the tinkerer, Jawn, skirted around the perimeter of the circular chamber. He was biting the jagged nail on his thumb the entire time, scanning every nook and cranny with incredible accuracy. No door, no window, no way out. He muttered under his breath. Despite his best effort, he could not find an exit anywhere, was the group doomed? NEIN!
Rebounding with a burst of energy, the blond-haired man madly darted around the chamber. He used his intense focus to look for clues in the magical symbols etched into the floor and the wall. His tenacity eventually paid off as he discovered a hint that led him to the very center of the room, where the water collected into a shallow pool people are resting in.
Rolling his sleeves up, Jawn cut right through the water, splashing people on the side, eliciting irritation from the resting adventurers. He ignored the plebeians’ moans and whines as he approached the icy wall Caccu had forged from the water. After a brief incantation, fire spewed from Jawn’s palm, melting away part of the wall, revealing a half-naked girl on the other side. Just as let out a scream, he boiled the water between them, turning the liquid into a blast of hot steam to make her go away. “Begone, I don’t have time for you!”
With the little problem taken care of, he dove headfirst to the bottom of the pool. With one magical touch, the chamber became filled with life. Loud sound could be heard all around the enclosure as a powerful source of magical energy gathered at the center of the room, manifesting in the form of a bright blue orb in which a number was displayed: 0 / 12.
From this orb, streaks of magical energy began lighting up and branched outward in a magitech pattern, according to how they were laid out by the original architect. When these branches reached a certain point on the skirt of the room, twelve bigger spheres appeared around the room.
Eureka! The man thought to himself as he dashed toward Caccu with a fiendish expression of pride on his face.
There's no exit in this chamber, it's entirely closed off. But, I found the way out and I think this is it. With a 90% certainty, I think this is a teleportation device that should get us out of here!
I told nya bunch to rest, didn't I? Is this thing really a teleportation device? If it is we could end up anywhere, magic ain't that simple... But it's nyot like we have any other choice.
The question is… how does this device operate? I can only guess…
Magitech often has the instructions in the form of the spell cast on it to make it work. Nyot sure if the same goes for ancient stuff like 'dis though... Hmm. I can't read much on the stuff on it, but maybe the spheres need to be activated, so the one in the middle teleport us?
Jawn entered one of the 12 spheres floating around the room. It appeared to be holographic, seeing as how he was able to walk inside like nothing existed in that space. The sphere glowed brighter once he went into it.
Hey, I see an iconography here, I think it needs another person! Come in.
Caccu was reluctant but she entered as well. The iconography within the sphere changed, signifying that they had met one of the conditions.
Oi, oi, I see words here in some kind of language. Wait I have seen this magical language before, I think it says… uh… the, avatar, frostfire? The Avatar of Frostfire. Wait, what does that mean? What is Frostfire?
Hmmm, I see nyow. Ignia sarlea erla serla! Aghara rahmdra arada maradra!
She cast one orb of fire and one of ice in each hand, mixing both shortly after.
And then nyou do this. That's how you get frostfire. Double casting...
Jawn turned into a block of ice in was burning on the outside. Despite being unable to speak, he was able to changed his facial expression into that of someone in intense pain. Just as his skin began turning purple from the frostfire effect, Caccu yelped in surprise before she snapped her fingers, cancelling the spell "Okay, we know how 'dis thing works nyow. Sorry about that, buddy." This released him from his icy prison.
Jawn quickly fell to his knees and began to gasp for air as he padded fire all over himself to revert the effect of being burned by ice. After this demonstration, the sphere seemed to stay permanently lit even when both of them stepped out of it. The orb in the center of the room changed to: 1 / 12.
They had discovered how to activate the orb, now it was just the matter to repeating the same process among the 11 other spheres. After Caccu tended the Jawn for a bit, she stood up and headed back to the group of adventurers and spoke in her usual peppy voice.
Alright nya bunch! Did nya git some good rest? I hope so, cause we'll have to work through some stuff to get outta 'dis place.
So here's the deal. Each one of 'dese big round magitech orbs have some weird images in them. They should give ya a rough idea of what you need to do. Basically, you do what it asks, and the orb lights up.
We have to git all 12 of them to light up, it seems, and then we'll be teleported. I went through all of them with Jawn and they are:
- Avatar of Frostfire
- Entwined Warrior’s Soul
- Dormant Phantasmal Nightmare
- Conflagration and Repentance
- Unquenchable Pride and Envy
- Converging Love and Hate
- King of Gods
- The Weaved Tapestry
- The Hero’s Beginning and End
- Flash before the Fall
- Two Sides of the Same Coin
- The Birth of the Beast
To light 'em up, nya do a magic, perform an action, take out an item, thinking certain thought, or being someone that fits one of its criteria. The idenya is to combine these things together to fit the riddle. Since we can't do everythin' by onyeself, we'll have ta work in pair, alright?!
