Swordborn

Chapter 17: Stone

Jitmit leans over a cauldron, hands planted on the rim, staring into an image formed upon noxious broiling liquid. A door appears beside him, and Coral steps out of it.

"We have a problem," Jitmit says. "Look."

Coral stares into the cauldron, and sees a field of blue haze, where a dark monster lies curled. Layers of brown flesh wrap around the creature, long appendages fold into the layers, blending into the mass, making it hard to tell where one starts and another stops. White jagged spikes protrude from the mass, resembling bones that grew through thorny skin.

"The necromorph," Coral whispers, barely able to speak.

"Yes," Jitmit replies, "the manliken sleeps in the void."

"It's been so long since I thought of it. I forgot this demon existed."

"As did I. Strange that we should both forget such a thing."

"It is. What caused you to remember?"

"I keep a list of the amulets I craft, upon which I record what kind of amulet it was, and to whom it belongs. I was going down the list, inspecting the voids within the Battle Mage amulets for astral decay, and when I got to your name I saw not one, but two amulets assigned to you. I couldn't figure out why you should have two amulets, yet I had a clear memory of giving you a second amulet about a year ago. But I also know you've had the same amulet for eleven years, which I placed around your neck the day you became a Battle Mage.

"I summoned a doorway and stepped into the void of the first amulet under your name, and there I found a sleeping monster. I had no idea how it got into the nether, or even what it was. Luckily I was able to leave before it woke.

"Then I remembered. I saw a flash of images, as if they had been held back by a psychic wall. I remembered you coming to my study a few days after returning from your quest with Lerrind. You told me you had trapped a demon in your amulet during the fight with Zigios. You brought me a vase with the amulet inside, and I gave you a new amulet, the one you now wear."

"I remember!" Coral exclaims. "Like a shadow has been lifted form my mind. Was it the monster's dark magic that made us forget?"

"That seems likely, though little is known about the Demons of Null. Perhaps they possess psychic abilities that transcend the boundaries of the nether. As you know, the voids within the amulets are little realms, and this would be the first time I've seen magic escape their confines without a door or portal."

"Where is the amulet now?" Coral asks.

"Hidden in my study. I recall us talking about hiding it in some distant plane, getting it far away from Terra. Then I forgot."

"Should we get rid of the amulet?"

"It's too late. I fear the temple is being watched by the dark wizard, and should we travel out of the land of mortals the wizard will surely follow. Unfortunately we must keep the amulet hidden here, and hope that none discover its terrible secret."

"Is it safe to talk about?" Coral asks, glancing around the study suspiciously. "Is the dark wizard listening?"

"We are safe. Many enchantments safeguard the temple. But if we open a door out of Terra it will create a ripple in the cosmos, and those with superior magical ability would detect such a disturbance."

"Is the creature safe where it is?" Coral asks, "Will it remain imprisoned within the amulet?"

"So long as the void doesn't decay we can hold it there indefinitely. But if someone with a Battle Mage amulet learns of the necromorph they can access the void and release it into the world."