Chapter Ten

The Basics

The others caught up to Rada at the last entrance to the room. She did not wait for them to get in their usual formation but held a newly lit torch high and marched straight ahead. The group followed her down the hallway about 20 feet. It had the same sound dampeners only spaced much closer together and opened up into a room about 40 feet wide and 50 feet long with an exit exactly opposite to their entrance.

This room was also covered in piles of dust and debris. These did not stop Rada from marching straight to the middle of the room and halting. When the others had caught up to her, she turned to Faeloswien and said, "Dear Elf our next path is hidden from us. But you can find it for us."

Faeloswien bowed slightly to Rada and then moved to the wall. Reaching out her hand and running her fingers along the wall, she began to make a circuit of the room. Keeping her eyes closed and humming an old melody she stepped lightly and went completely around the room once and then returned to the party.

Going back to Rada she looked at her and said, "There is a hidden door in the east wall. Should I open it?"

Rada replied, "Thank you Faeloswien. I believe we will find it is not locked just difficult to see." She then strode off with Faeloswien at her side to the east wall. Rolo and Lyndon exchanged a glance and followed along. Trevor and I did not wait at all just tried to keep up with what was going on.

Once Rada reached the wall and the spot Faeloswien showed her she placed both hands on the wall and pushed. The wall gave way inward with only a puff of dust falling down and rising up. Beyond a 10 foot by 10 foot room with a clean floor and single piece of furniture was revealed.

The now familiar looking gold and ivory pedestal standing in the middle of the room had a book resting upon it. While Rada lead the way, all of the party gathered around the pedestal and the book. They could see it was not an ordinary book of leather and parchment. Overall the entire book stood 18 inches tall and 12 inches wide. It had to be at least 5 inches thick. The cover is solid gold and of course had the same design as on the medallion and shield. The pages looked to be made of silver. It did not have any inlaid jewels but when Rada opened the book to the first page the red lettering appeared to be an ink made with rubies.

Rada looked at Trevor and Faeloswien and said, "You are both skilled in languages, can either of you read this?"

Faeloswien shook her head with barely a glance. Trevor leaned close and began to mouth some very strange syllables. After a particular set he suddenly yelped and stopped."

Rolo could not take the standing around and acted, "Wizard what is wrong?"

Trevor instead smirked and pulled out the wand he had found earlier. He said, "I was sounding out some of the lettering, I still am not sure what is says, sorry Rada, but when I finished one word, this wand began to warm up. I believe the word is the trigger to get the wand to work."

Lyndon grinned and asked, "Well what does the wand do?"

Trevor grinned back and said, "I have no idea. I just know what to say to make it work now."

Lyndon gave him a confused look but it was Rada who spoke, "That is all we need for now." Picking up the book which despite the look of it did not seem to weigh very much. Rada then said, "Come we will find a place to try the wand soon." Then she turned and headed back out the hidden door.

I waited a moment before leaving and grabbed friend Lyndon's arm before he could leave. Lyndon looked down at me wanting to know what I wanted. Once the others were out Graic said, "She may be a cleric and our friend but we know nothing of this Ramat she now appears to follow. For all we know Ramat destroyed this place and is now looking for some new sacrifices."

Lyndon took a moment to digest what he'd heard. Then he clapped his stout friend on the shoulder and said, "I do not know enough about this Ramat to give you an answer but I do know our cleric. She would not allow anything to hurt her charges. I say we trust her and see where this takes us."

I sighed and said, "Very well, but I've got my eye on you to my trusting Sergeant."

When the two troopers caught up with the rest of party, they had already exited the former library and were down the next hallway. This one went 30 feet into a room which was more like a large corner then a room. The hallway entered in one corner of the 20 long by 30 foot wide room. This floor was clear but this is not what captured the groups' attention. On the far wall a large mural of gold inlay showed a heart stopping scene.

In the center of the mural knelt four males and four females, one of each race around a pedestal. It looked like the same pedestal they had seen in the room with the demons. The difference was an ornate spear was standing up in the middle of the pedestal. The spear's blade was casting off beams of light. Each of the beams was striking an undead or unnatural creature surrounding the group of humans. Zombies, skeletons, ghosts, wraiths, ghouls, vampires, and all manner of demons were being hit and destroyed by the beams.

The entire party just looked at the scene on the wall for a few minutes. Not one of them moved anything but their eyes as they attempted to take in all the mural on the wall was trying to tell them. Finally Rada spoke, "This shows us what we must do to cleanse this place of the evil which has befallen it."

I curtly replied, "I seem to have left my spear back in the barracks, you don't happen to have a spare around do you?"

Lyndon clouted me in the back of the head and said, "This is a mission of faith my stout friend. If we need a spear then we shall find one."

Rolo said, "Cleric Cimitato this mission to find a dog has gone through many changes. Is this truly what we must do next?

Rada turned toward her captain and said, "Yes. Once we put the Spear of Ramat back into its pedestal then the demons will be destroyed and the truth revealed."

Trevor's look at Rada was one of deep confusion. He could not decide what had happened to the woman he loved. The only thing he was sure of was that he would follow her and try to discover if his feelings for her had changed.

Me? I was still dazzled by all that was happening around me. "So cleric do you have any idea where Ramat keeps his spear when he's not shoving it into great scary monsters?"

Quiet until now Faeloswien answered, "There is a hidden door in this room. Over there." She pointed over to the west wall.

Rolo looked at her and then the wall and then back to her and asked, "How do you know that?"

Faeloswien answered, "Once you have found one secret door others are easier."

Lyndon realized he was standing closest to where she had pointed and moved over and found and opened the door. He then turned back to party.

Rolo just adjusted his helmet and said, "Everyone line up and let's go see what we can find."

Everyone began to move. There was more energy in their steps. They could all feel the end was coming and wanted to meet it quickly.