Stories of Acoptia

Ch. 18 Thofrum Redbraid #2 - It stares back

The old book hit the floor with a thud, casting a cloud of dust into the air. It joined the numerous of its brothers and sisters - books that Thofrum had scanned and discarded onto the ground.

The dwarf slid another one out of the bookshelf, a red hardcover with letters inscribed on it - Bearly Attracted. He raised an eyebrow and opened it, quickly running his eyes across the pages. The story read like a cheesy romance book. Thofrum sighed, tossing it into the pile below him.

Moving his step stool, he hurled himself up and picked a hefty green book. He couldn't help but crack a smile and let out a curt cheer as he read the title Magical tools and objects - finally a lead. The dwarf lept down from his stool and walked toward the sturdy wooden table. It held the crystal ball on it - his object of interest. Placing the book down and opening it, the dwarf started his examination.

He navigated the myriad of pages, flipping back and forth through the book, searching for the mention of crystal orbs. After a few uneventful minutes, Thofrums' eyes finally struck gold. A passage about crystal orbs, detailing a short briefing of the historic usage of these.

"...the crystal orbs commonly used by mages for long-range intelligence gathering, some forms of communication, monitoring. As such, the magical objects made from quality materials and in the hands of a capable mage are a powerful tool capable of gathering information from any point across Acoptia..." the dwarf mumbled, reading the text, "To use - a mage must fuse a piece of their mana into the crystal while manifesting a precise location. When the object begins emitting light from within, it is ready for usage. Closing the eyes while in physical contact with the magical object will allow the person to witness said location as from a bird's-eye view."

Thofrum grumbled, leaning back. Squinting his eyes, the dwarf placed his eyes onto the magical ball. No visible light. Seemingly a dead-end. Shutting the book, he hung his head low. In the end, his search was for nothing. Looking around the room - scattered with books - the dwarf sighed.

"I suppose I will just clean this up later..." Thofrum whispered to himself, blowing the candle on the table, plunging the room into darkness as it had no windows.

As the light was snuffed from the chamber, something caught the young dwarf's eye. A slight shimmer on the very same table - it was coming from the crystal orb. Thofrum gaped in awe, dashing to it.

The light in the crystal was feeble, seemingly fading with every breath Thofrum waited. The dwarf lifted his shaking hands to the orb, stopping right above it. Apprehension and doubt crept into his mind, could he get in trouble for this? What if someone found out?

Shaking his trepidations away Thofrum inhaled sharply, grasping the orb in his palms. With another breath shutting his eyelids. He didn't know what to expect. His heart drummed loudly, he drew shallow breaths awaiting whatever happened next.

A moment passed, yet he saw nothing but the familiar darkness.

Another shallow breath - another second without any signs of change.

Just as the dwarf was about to give up, his view of nothingness was replaced by a view. His eyes were still closed, but he saw as if he was there, with eyes wide open. An expansive landscape: patchy, feeble grass, dead trees populating the ground, no animals or life in sight.

Thofrum wowed at the sight. It felt as if he was suspended over a faraway land, looking over it. An incredible sensation - making him beam with excitement. He had finally got to feel magical, just like the heroes of the novels he read.

A minute passed and his excitement started to subside. Replaced by something else - curiosity. Why had they chosen this location? It seemed barren and abandoned, so just what kind of discussion had happened? His thoughts were interrupted by something new - a sound. So far he had not heard anything, not even the wind, but now he could hear a noise. A low rumbling, it seemed distant, growing in volume.

Thofrum contemplated moving away from the crystal orb, abandoning his little adventure. The sound unnerved him. He felt a chill run down his spine, making his hair stand on end. But if he let go, this may be the last time he would ever get to experience magic for himself. That reflection made him prevail - find out what the sound was.

Slowly and ominously the rumbling grew in volume, becoming overwhelming. Then the view flickered, the dwarf's heart dropped, his breath getting caught in his throat. Shifting and flickering the image... changed.

The landscape was replaced by pale violet. Thofrum felt his palms sweat as he tried to remain calm. Maybe this was all just a sign of the running out mana in the crystal? A sign to open his eyes and move away?

"Amusing," a voice boomed out, seemingly all around him.

Thofrum froze, seizing his breath and movement. He wanted to move, to run, to let go. But he could not force his body to respond.

"Mortals are curious creatures. You seek answers, hoping what you already know to be true to be proven false... A false hope," the voice was calm and cold, making it all the more terrifying.

"Wh-what is this?" Thofrum managed to stammer out.

"It is too late now, you all tried to ignore the signs in false hope, in frail faith that I would not be back. That all would be fine. But now it is all motion and I. I am back." the voice echoed in the dwarf's mind.

The image moved - with a startling realization. The view he had been seeing was not a detached color. It was an eye - a giant pale violet eye stared back at him. The final straw - launching the dwarf out of his frozen state into pure panic.

Forcing his eyes wide open, Thofrum trembled, backing away rapidly. The crystal now shined violently, levitating. The dwarf stumbled, dropping on his back as he drew panicked breaths. Watching in horror as the orb shook. And then...

Cracked.

That was the last moment Thofrum saw clearly as the chamber lit up, blinding him. And a powerful explosion sent the dwarf soaring into the bookshelf. The back of his head clashing violently with the heavy wood dispatching him into forced slumber.