Chapter Six The Pilgrimage
Potions and mixtures litter the counter space of the inner chamber. Much of the room appears to be nothing more than an apothecary.
“So did you assume the Order would be okay with you blowing up this entire wing?” the Seer chuckled. “Or were you just so terrified of little Akni?”
Even Laline couldn’t hold back the urge to smirk. Though Haga’s ego is bruised, he is just glad to be on this side of the door. Kerei takes the next few hours to explain the history of his position. Since the Magi age, an elemental Seer has been serving the Ianralei Order. Only a Hume can take this role as inscribed by law. Dusting off the pages of an old book, Kerei hands it over to Haga.
“Now that we are all caught up though, you must be wondering about your condition?” the Seer mentions. “Archons were people who were bestowed immense powers of Archana. The problem is this amount of Mana can be unpredictable.”
Haga is suddenly reminded of the elder mages, as they mentioned the same condition. “Could they have made it to Bukose and the border of Tamria.”, he wonders.
“Listen!” Kerei’s fist slam on the table forcing Haga to regain attention. “The more you use the power, the more unstable it becomes. The Seer’s role was once filled by such a person. Archons would undertake a pilgrimage to control their powers. Three artifacts must be recovered from ancient elemental beings that may, or may not, exist anymore.”
The Seer begins sorting some maps and continues explaining, “Further south of here, deep within the dunes, you will find the shrine to Oguran. It is said that these beings were once people, but they vowed to protect the elements and guide fellow atronochs long ago.”
Laline and Haga return to their rooms to pack for the journey ahead soon after hearing the details. Deciding to start with the closest artifact, then to Malamore Lake, and finally the Felfire base. Early the next day, they both meet at the entrance of Ianralei.
“We still don’t know if these beings are just going to give us these things. Best to be prepared for just about anything.”, Laline warns.
“Mastery of the elements is difficult without a point of focus. This staff has held your focus since you first laid eyes on it.”, Karei says while handing his staff to Haga. It was made of a darkened wood. The top held a fiery red jewel and the whole thing looked to have been charred by some ancient battle.
“Be careful with that antique.” cautioned the Seer as he walks them out of the tower. “It is older than I am, and that is all I know.” Akni the Imp was also waiting outside the tower walls. It was eating some sort of pastry, and appears to no have interest in a farewell.
“Akni tells me that he has been on this pilgrimage before and will help you collect the artifacts when the time arises.” the Seer states. “He also says you two will probably not survive, but he is usually wrong about things like that.” both he and the imp chuckle slightly. With that said, the two set forth into the dunes.
The journey south through was grueling. Laline’s salve helped a little but didn’t deal with all the sand. After more than half the day, the two finally see something in the distance. It was the shrine of which the Seer spoke.
Carved to look like a massive creature made of stone, the temple looked to have been abandoned for ages. It was nearly dusk by the time they reached the structure to examine it more closely. Located at the feet of the massive statue is an altar of sorts. The Seer had claimed it was where ancient rituals were once conducted.
There was an entrance just beyond the altar, but they recalled the books the Seer gave them might have some details on what to do next. One of the books provided read like a fairy tale for children “A night in the Oasis” it was titled. A story about a young woman who was alone in the desert. Then the moon fell in love with her when she sang, and it created an oasis for her to live.
“I don’t understand?” Haga tells Laline as they look at each other puzzled. “Are we supposed to sing to it?” he asks.
The darkness of the night has already settled, and they can hear some noises in the distance. Some beast of the dunes has come to inspect our their presence. Without much time to prepare, Laline and Haga get ready for a fight. The dunes and sand part like water as a large wyrm emerges. Without hesitating, Laline shoots an arrow into the wyrm, piercing the beast in the side.
The wyrm cries out in pain, but then begins to chase Laline. “Now is your chance!” She yells while sprinting towards the entrance of the shrine. A magical presence from within the temple suddenly awakens like it was responding to her entering.
Focusing mana with his new staff felt significantly more potent to Haga. With a swirling motion of his hand, the mage unleashes his focus at the wyrm. Sand and wind begin to engulf the surprised beast. Though he had never experienced this amount of mana before, the very elements felt in his control. As if to be responding to his thoughts, a cyclone rages. A wall of sand ejects whatever was once chasing Laline and the beast was gone.
Then, like being stabbed by a dagger, Haga feels a sharp pain in his abdomen. Falling to his knees, his focus is lost. The wind and sand slowly dissipate and Haga struggles to catch his breath. Feeling himself for wounds, the pain felt after casting the spell was unbearable.
For several minutes there was only the sound of the sand and winds settling. “Did Laline make it into the shrine?”, Haga muttered to himself.
A stone barrier now covers the path to the entrance. Staggering to his feet, Haga makes his way to the wall. There were ancient markings and carvings all around, but nothing he understood. Puzzled and still suffering from the phantom pain, Haga situates his pack before the entrance.
“I suppose we have been separated.”, he whispers as he sits with his back against the wall.
Chapter Seven The Eye of Oguran
