Throne Of Cards 30 – Tactics And Tenacity

Don't play games with the gods unless you absolutely have to. If you do have to, try to make certain you're not the one being played.

Excerpt from 'Interview With An Assassin'

After the terrors of the previous room, Dekaras was rather relieved to see that this next one seemed to be entirely empty. Well, not entirely empty. There were no monsters present, which was good, but there was an object standing in the middle of the floor. It was a dark cube, vaguely resembling a table, but there was a glass dome covering it and it was radiating magic so strong it felt like a dull throbbing through his bones. It didn't seem to be doing anything though, at least not yet.

"Careful," Edwin warned. Clearly, he had picked up on the same aura. "Whatever that thing is (And I will determine that with ludicrous ease given just a moment) it is undoubtedly dangerous."

"And it's bound to be part of the next 'test'," Zaerini said with a sigh and a shake of her head. "Helm really needs a new hobby. Maybe knitting, or crosswords."

"Don't remind me of hobbies," Edwin said and shuddered briefly. "At any rate the magic is extremely strong but currently inert. I will need to examine it further."

"Sure, just be careful, won't you?" The redhead gave the others a surprisingly stern look. "That goes for the rest of you as well. Let's not touch anything and set it off by mistake."

Dekaras wasn't planning to – well, he was curious about the supremely powerful magical artifact of course. After all, who wouldn't be? But he really didn't want to do accidentally incinerate or petrify his companions, so he promised himself to be very, very careful and considerate. He even kept his hands tucked behind his back as he sidled up behind Edwin, just to make sure he didn't give in to temptation. The wizard was standing slightly bent over, one hand on each side of the contraption, staring into the dark glass with a look of intense concentration on his face, but he wasn't casting any spells so it would probably be safe to bother him. Why bothering Edwin in particular was so supremely satisfying he didn't know, but it seemed to fulfill some deep need within.

"Are you done yet?" He asked, peering around the tall man's elbow. Edwin emitted a small squeak and startled visibly.

"Don't…by the eternal fires of Kossuth, can you please not do that?" He said in a voice equal parts frustration and fondness.

"Why?"

"Because it brings up memories of certain other tests I had to take around your age if you must know, and…and my teacher had a tendency to sneak up on me at just such moments as I was being distracted or losing focus (I still believe the claim he made to want to instill 'grace under pressure' in me was just an excuse.)"

Dekaras pondered this for a moment. "Maybe he was bored?" He suggested. "I think I probably would be, waiting around like that." He looked up at the solemn wizard. "You miss him a lot, don't you?"

Edwin swallowed hard. "Yes," He said. For a moment it looked as if he was about to say something else, but then he shook his head. "And if he were here, which of course he is not, he would be the first to tell me not to put a child in danger. Do step away and let me handle this."

"I'm not touching anything, see?" the boy insisted. Why did this feel so important? The magic was fascinating of course, but that wasn't all. There was something…something he could almost grasp, like a memory slipping away. Poppy said in her letter there were things I don't remember. Is Edwin one of them? It was no use, whatever the memory was it wouldn't be forced out. He looked into the dark glass instead, hoping the distraction might help him sneak up on the memory from behind. "Is that a containment field?"

"Yes," Edwin said, sounding a little curt but not dismissive. Something was affecting him, but Dekaras didn't think it was the test. "Yes, it is centered on the dome, but I have yet to determine what, if anything, is inside."

Dekaras tried to have a look, but firstly he wasn't tall enough to see very well across the dome covering the table and secondly it was very dark and blurry inside, even with magesight. There was definitely something in there, but the details escaped him. As he walked around the table, trying to get a better view, he found something else though. There was an indentation in the surface of the dome, where something was clearly intended to be fitted.

"Ah," Edwin said, nodding approvingly at the find. "Yes, I think we have found the proper keyhole for our rather ostentatious key." He turned to Zaerini. "Hellkitten? Would you bring me that hideous contraption, please?"

"But Eddie," The redhead said, grinning widely. "I don't think we even brought your manicure set?" Then she laughed and held her hands up in a placating gesture. "Sorry, Dread Wizard, couldn't resist. Here you go." She brought over the glittering crystal skull she had emerged with from the previous test. "Want me to do the honors?"

"You may as well," Edwin said, eyeing the skull with distrust. "But be aware, the magic in this area is very strong. There is, indeed, a containment field, and I do believe I detect a spell of transportation which is not unexpected in this place. However, there is also something else, an enchantment I can only describe as highly complex. (Enough to escape me thus far, but certainly not for long.)"

"Well, we're running out of time," Zaerini said. She frowned, but there was a very determined set to her mouth. "If Odren didn't lie about everything, the 'Imprisoned One' is close to escaping so I think we'll have to risk this." She turned to the others. "Everybody ready? We don't know exactly what will happen but given it's another of Helm's little setups I think it's safe to say it won't be immediately lethal but almost certainly nasty." There were a few nods of assent and words of affirmation, and then the half-elf stepped over to the table. "Here goes nothing," She said, carefully slotting the skull into its intended space.

For a few seconds, nothing at all seemed to happen. Then, the crystal skull began to glow, with a blue light so bright it was almost blinded. Dekaras didn't want to shut his eyes, he wanted to see what was happening after all, but he did have to squint. The others were blurry outlines against the searing light, and their forms seemed oddly distorted, rippling and crackling with jarring flashes of static.

"Skull of the Warrior detected," A calm, clinical voice spoke from everywhere and nowhere at once. "Initiating boot sequence." By now he did have to close his eyes, the light was that bright. A hand grasped his. Edwin, he thought, and as much as he figured it would probably have been better for the wizard to get ready for battle, he still held on gratefully. "Optimizing player configuration," The calm voice went on. "Detecting temporal anomaly, query override?"

Dekaras didn't know exactly what 'anomaly' meant, but he did somehow feel certain it was something to do with him, and that it probably wasn't something nice. Before he had time to ask any questions about it though, the voice went on.

"Query denied," it said. "Superuser 'Watcher' directive to proceed. Directions given to optimize configuration. READY, PLAYER ONE?"

The last few words boomed very loudly inside his head, causing him to startle. I don't know, he thought in response, not wanting to commit himself just yet. You haven't told me what to be ready for, which is pretty illogical if you expect a proper reply, don't you think?

There was a moment of silence, and then the voice spoke again. It sounded different now somehow, deeper, more masculine, more like a real person and also faintly amused. FOR A TEST OF WITS, ABILITY AND RESPONSIBILITY, it said. WHAT SAY YOU…YOUNG HERO?

I suppose I am, Dekaras replied. And I'm not a hero. Heroes tend to take stupid risks and even if they don't get themselves killed they always end up in trouble somehow.

OH, MY MISTAKE, the voice said, sounding entirely too amused now for the boy's liking. I DO HUMBLY BEG YOUR PARDON. AND NOW FOR THE GAME…I MEAN TEST. There was a sound in the background, as if somebody was whispering to the speaker. SHUSH, EREVAN, DO NOT INTERRUPT. THE BOY IS PERFECTLY SAFE AND WILL DO WELL AS LONG AS HE REMEMBERS THE TENETS OF THE WATCHER. RESPONSIBILITY, DILIGENCE AND PROPER PREPARATION. There was another brief interlude of whispering. AND A TWISTED SENSE OF HUMOUR…NO. NO, DISCOUNT THAT ONE, IF YOU PLEASE. A whisper of a sensation, as of a ghostly hand patting him on the head. GO ON NOW, CHILD. THE TEST OF TACTICS AWAITS.

There was a strong surge of powerful magic, enough to make the inside of his skull ache, his eyes burn and his stomach twist uncomfortably. When it subsided, everything seemed just as it had been before, apart from one very significant thing.

Where is everybody?

There was no sign at all of his companions, they were all missing without a trace of them to be found. At first, he waited for something else to happen. Maybe the others had been whisked away by the magic, but he was bound to be taken to the same place, right? Nothing seemed to be happening though, and the sense of vague discomfort grew stronger and blossomed into keen worry.

They wouldn't just leave me behind, would they?

No. No, that was a stupid thought. For whatever reason, the others had all gone to a great deal of trouble to bring him along with them. They'd tried their best to keep him safe too, even when it wasn't really necessary and even when they knew he couldn't contribute hugely. That went for Edwin especially. He didn't think the others would abandon him either, he was fairly sure of it even, but he knew that Edwin wouldn't, without a shadow of a doubt. It was a strange certainty, for quite some time now he'd been equally sure that all grownups were untrustworthy at best, hostile at worst.

Well, maybe I was wrong. I never said I can't ever be wrong, did I? I think I'm allowed to be, at least once in a while.

However, this presented another worrisome problem. If the others hadn't left him behind, then where were they, and how could he get back to them? The strange voice had said something about a test, a test of tactics. He glanced at the dome across the mysterious table again, and now he noticed that something had changed. The containment field was still there, but its surface wasn't as murky as it had been. Rather, he now had a bird's eye view of what seemed to be a maze of sorts, a dark place with many winding passages. He couldn't see where they all led, the table was too big to view at once and the maze was still rather dark, but he could make out the closest rooms. And there, there was some movement, something small, like ants. Dekaras leaned in closer in order to see better, and then his eyes widened and he uttered a rather complicated string of Thayvian words which Edwin would probably have been mortified to learn had been picked up from him.

It wasn't ants he had seen, or any other insects for that matter. No, it was his lost companions, shrunk down to miniature size and standing about in a room at one end of the maze. He could clearly make out Zaerini's red hair, and Edwin's equally red robe, and now he knew what he was looking for he could see all the others as well. He didn't think they had seen him – he wasn't even sure if they could see him from down there.

It's an illusion spell, isn't it? It has to be. It can't be real. And what am I supposed to do now?

"Player One, your task is to advance your party through the maze and successfully reach the other side with minimum loss and maximum gain." It was that first voice again, the calm and not quite human-sounding one. "You will have full access to inventory and abilities and may adjust them to some extent. Be aware that in order to offer a suitable challenge, limitations have been imposed in terms of appropriate scaling."

Dekaras wasn't sure he liked the sound of that. "Are my friends all right?" He demanded. "They'd better be, or I'll be unhappy with you. I think you probably wouldn't like that very much, would you?"

As threats went, he knew it was an empty one, it wasn't as if he could do much to a disembodied voice. Still, the point had to be made.

"Your companions are alive and unharmed, so far," The voice went on, sounding entirely unconcerned. "Their continued wellbeing depends on your own further actions. It is suggested that you think things through carefully and play to your best ability. Good luck."

The voice fell silent, and though he waited for it to speak again, it did not. It seemed he had no other choice but to play this game, and to play it well. At least he liked games, and tended to be pretty good at them, but the stakes never had involved anything like this before.

Well, I can't stand around here forever. That won't help them at all. Where do I start, though? Couldn't that stupid voice at least have given me some instructions on how this is supposed to work? Or am I supposed to just wave my hand and make things happen with magic? We're all out of luck in that case.

No, that couldn't be it. The game was magical, but he didn't think you'd have to be a mage in order to play it. After all, this was a temple to Helm, not a school of wizardry. There had to be another option. He didn't see any controls on the table itself, so perhaps it would react to verbal commands? There was nothing for it but to try, preferably with something that wouldn't cause any disaster if he got things wrong. What had the voice said? Something about how he could adjust abilities and…

"Inventory," He said in what he hoped was a firm voice that didn't betray any nerves. The magic surged across the table again, and something appeared in the air in front of his eyes, a clear and vivid image. It seemed to be lists, detailing what the people under the dome were wearing in terms of equipment, both magical and otherwise. For a moment the boy forgot his concern about the safety of his friends, and simply stared in wonder at the intricate illusion, so clear and yet so complex. Most of the lists seemed fairly straightforward, but then a detail stood out to him and he frowned in puzzlement.

"I wonder what a Codpiece of Contraception is." He said out loud. He promised himself to ask Edwin for an explanation as soon as possible. But first, he had to get the wizard safely out of the maze, and the others as well of course. How hard could it be? Dekaras grinned with glee as he looked at the wondrous, magical toy in front of him, and he flexed his fingers in preparation. He might not have set this game up, but that didn't mean he couldn't have fun playing it.

"Where are we?" Imoen sounded startled, rather than frightened, and her blue eyes were sharp as she looked around. "Where did the magic thingy go?"

"I…don't know," Zaerini admitted, wondering to herself how soon it would be before Edwin went off on a rant about a mysterious arcane artifact being labeled thus. Then she scanned the group and although nobody seemed to be harmed, she soon knew that Edwin would have far worse to worry about.

Not again. I swear he's even more slippery like this than as an adult, it's like trying to keep hold of a wisp of smoke.

Edwin had indeed noticed that the youngest member of the group had gone missing and was already searching frantically. Rini had to catch hold of his sleeve before he ran off into the intricate maze in which they now found themselves. "Woah," She said, "Hold up, love. We don't even know if he's in there, and even if he is it'll do him no good if you get lost too."

Edwin sighed deeply. "I am beginning to understand more fully the lectures Father gave me on certain occasions when I'd wandered off on my own as a child," He said. "This is by far a worse place to get lost in than the Outer City of Pyarados however, and I…" At that he broke off, and a very peculiar expression crossed his face. Rini was just about to ask him what was going on when she felt it as well. The sensation was difficult to describe, but the closest she could imagine was that if her mind had been a book, somebody had just rapidly turned all the pages. Not reading every word, no, just…skimming the surface.

"What…" She started to say once she got her breath back, but then she was interrupted.

"Do not be alarmed," said a calm, slightly mechanical voice from nowhere. "This is the Test of Tactics, and Player One is familiarizing himself with the controls. We should soon be ready to begin."

Somehow, that didn't sound very reassuring, and it seemed her companions agreed with her.

"Player One?" Viconia asked in a curt voice. "Controls?" The priestess had a tight grip on the handle of her mace, and there was an ominous look in her eyes that didn't bode well for whoever was responsible for their current predicament. "Viconia De'Vir suffers no man's control."

"That will not be an issue," The voice said. "Look up."

They all did, and there was a chorus of intermingled gasps, yelps and oaths, depending on personal preference.

"Minsc is feeling most confused, baffled and bewildered," Minsc said, scratching his bald head. "Why has the lost little boy suddenly become an enormous giant little boy? Even Boo is surprised, that is why he asked me to add the word 'bewildered' for he normally never is."

"Search me," Rini said, still staring upwards. "I'm just as clueless as Boo is about this." The maze they were currently in, with its multitude of identical narrow corridors, didn't have a ceiling it seemed. How this could be when they were still in Watcher's Keep, she did not know. Or are we still in Watcher's Keep? This keeps getting weirder by the moment. There was a dim, distant darkness high above, that didn't seem like the open sky, but rather like an enormous cavern. And between them and the nothingness of empty space stood Dekaras, looking down at them curiously. He was, indeed, the size of a giant, or so it seemed. If he could hear them, he showed no sign of it, perhaps their voices weren't audible at this range. "Wait a minute," She said as a nasty suspicion took hold of her. "Suppose…it's not that he's grown large. Suppose…it's the other way around? Suppose it's we who have been shrunk?"

"This is all highly offensive," Sarevok grumbled. "I am Sarevok, the Terror of the Sword Coast, very nearly the ruler of Baldur's Gate and very nearly a god as well. I am NOT a child's plaything to be toyed with or run through ridiculous mazes for his amusement!"

"It is not for his amusement," The impassive voice spoke again. "The Player has a task to perform in order to win the last key needed to open the seals. He will delegate tasks as he sees fit, administer skills and equipment, and hopefully guide you safely through the maze."

"Hopefully?" Imoen interrupted. "What do ya mean, hopefully?"

"If he should fail, you may all die," The voice said, sounding entirely unconcerned about this prospect. "You may be happy to learn that he sat through the entire tutorial. You would be amazed how many people simply leap into it, planning to 'learn as they go along' and promptly die to the first monster they encounter. And now, it seems we are ready to begin. Good luck and have fun." The last was said in such a dry tone that it could have sucked all the moisture out of a raincloud.

At first, Rini noticed nothing different. Then, there was that peculiar feeling again, but this time all over her body. She swallowed hard at the sensation that her skin was tightening around her and choking her and that her brain was a crawling heap of ants. Suddenly it was over, and she felt the same as always – mostly. She was wearing two swords where there had previously been just one, the second one was a blade she vaguely recognized as having picked up during her travels and storing away for later. There was something about a speed enchantment I think – being able to attack more quickly? Other than that it hadn't seemed all that powerful, so she'd pretty much forgotten about it. Her gear seemed otherwise mostly unchanged, but the spells she had previously memorized seemed a little different. Two fireshields? No wait, one fireshield and one frostshield. And that one, I'd forgotten I'd scribed that one, that's a…

Her thoughts were interrupted at that point by Sarevok's outraged exclamation. "Look at this!" He bellowed. "Will you just LOOK AT THIS! This monstrosity is an affront to nature!"

"Oh, I don't know," Viconia smirked. "It rather suits you."

"It is PINK!"

"More of a light magenta," Rini said, trying to smooth her brother's ruffled feathers before he attracted every potential monster in the labyrinth. "But it is a very nice suit of armor otherwise. Look at those enchantments, you could probably take a hit from a giant and not even stagger. And it's got protection from elemental damage too, I'd forgotten about that."

"It is still pink," Sarevok growled, eyes glowing dangerously. "And I can't take it off, it's stuck to me. And it has engravings of bunny rabbits all over the breastplate. Not to mention the helmet."

Rini looked at the helmet, feverishly biting her lip in order not to break down in hopeless giggles. The helmet was, indeed, shaped like a monstrously large rabbit head, with Sarevok's face glaring at her from out the gaping maw.

"Well, it's an extremely fearsome bunny!" She insisted. "If I saw it looking out at me from around a corner I'd probably faint with fright. Maybe even die."

"I'm going to kill him when we get out of here," Her brother stated, knuckles tightening around his sword. "Slowly and with extreme prejudice."

"You can't do that, Big Brother. He's only a child."

"A spanking then? With a flail, preferably."

"No! Besides, he's only trying to help by keeping you well protected. I'm sure he's not teasing you on purpose." She deliberately avoided looking at the others as she said that, because she wasn't entirely sure she could keep her face straight. Behind her she heard Edwin cough suddenly and she felt pretty certain he was thinking the same thing she was. Face. Straight. You can do it.

"I seem to have undergone little change," Viconia mused. "Some variations in my spell selection, but nothing entirely unexpected."

"Well, divine spells aren't his field of expertise," Rini said. "He probably decided to go with what was suggested, more or less. What about you, Eddie? Anything major?"

Edwin sighed, rubbing his temple with his fingers. He was wearing his normal red robes, as well as his staff, but he was looking almost as disgruntled as Sarevok. "My spells…" He moaned. "I had them all organized just the way I preferred them, and now…."

"Uh oh. That bad, huh? But he knows about magic, how bad could it be?"

"My Fireballs!" Edwin spat. "They've all been replaced with…with…"

"With what?"

"Skull Traps," Edwin said, grinding his teeth. "I probably haven't mentioned it, but it so happens to be an old point of contention between us. He has always insisted that Skull Traps 'scale up better' as a mage becomes more powerful."

"Ok…do they?"

Edwin simply muttered something under his breath that sounded like 'not the point'.

"Well," Imoen said, "Once we get out of here it'll all get back to normal, right?"

"Let's hope so. Speaking of which, shall we?" She tried to move forward but found herself entirely unable to enter the labyrinth. "Oh. I get it. Not until we get marching orders, is that it?" Then, there was the sensation of a switch being flipped inside her head, and she suddenly found herself grouped up more tightly with her friends, the tall forms of Sarevok and Minsc flanking her. "Now what?"

"Obvious as always, little sister," Sarevok said in a smugly superior tone that made her kind of want to smack him in the mouth. "You must gather your party before venturing forth. Even a child knows this."

Meanwhile, Dekaras was eyeing the labyrinth with a certain sense of apprehension, chewing his lower lip thoughtfully. The first sense of elation at getting to play with all these interesting magical items and spells had rapidly faded. These weren't toys, after all. They were his friends, and if he got something wrong, he might get them killed. He'd taken his time and tweaked some things he hoped would be helpful, but now he couldn't delay any longer. "North," He said, pointing at the appropriate doorway, and then he watched. It was true, he really was the one in control for now, as uncomfortable as that felt. Taking care of himself, that was one thing. Taking care of others, making decisions on their behalf, that was…something else. But I have to. There's nobody else who can.

The first room seemed to be empty, but he made certain to direct Imoen to search for traps anyway, just to make sure. There didn't seem to be any, but there were a few healing potions stacked under a loose flagstone, so it wasn't a complete waste of time. Onwards, then, to the next room. There was something in there, waiting. A kobold, but a giant one, twice as tall as a man, and it seemed to have something dark and slimy dripping from its claws. A dire-kobold? Is there such a thing? He wasn't sure, but there was no time to stop and think about it. Trying to manage everything at once, he sent the warriors forward, letting the rest of the group hang back, and then hurried to get the first spell he could find off. Oh. Oh no. In his haste, he'd aimed the spell too close. While the Skull Trap did take a goodly chunk of the kobold's left arm off, making it screech with anger and pain, it also sent deadly shrapnel flying, hitting the people closest to it. They were too small, too far away, so he couldn't see the blood or the pain properly, but that didn't make it less real, and before his eyes another display lit up, glowing bars representing the health of the people below him, now dwindling. My fault.

There were voices in his ears now, shreds of clinging memory whispering and taunting. Failure. Disappointment. Let us all down.

He tried not to think about those voices normally, tried to hide them deep inside, but right now they were closer to the surface than normal and the haunting memories were coming back unbidden. The room. No.

He'd stepped through the door to the test of Courage not knowing what to expect, but there was no choice, was there?

Starving in the mountains, lips cracking from lack of water, hunger like a living thing gnawing the stomach. Purple clouds gathering, darkness in his eyes, but no rain to bring relief. Alone, all alone. Going to die here, all alone. Wanting to cry so there would be at least a little bit of damp on his cheeks. Not able to. Not again, not ever again.

That hadn't been the worst of it.

The Witches in their circle, sleeves of dark robes flapping, their magic weaving together into a strong net, far too strong to break through. A strange memory this, oddly…doubled? But one was strong and clear, the other murky, hidden. Pain, deep inside, worse than anything he could ever have imagined. Screaming, unable not to, but they wouldn't stop, and he could feel everything as part of him was ripped away forever.

That hadn't been the worst of it either.

The faces of his parents, normally loving, now so stern and cold. You have made us terribly disappointed. Have we not always provided for you, taught you right from wrong? How could you fail us so? Disbelief, shock. They were supposed to protect him, to keep him safe. Why was this happening? How was this happening? You have only yourself to blame. You have shamed this family, dishonored our name. You will be treated accordingly. Their backs, retreating, faceless shadows soon swallowed by the dark. Why? They were supposed to love him. Weren't they? I let them down. I must never do that again, not to anybody that matters. Never again.

The boy swallowed hard, trying to focus on his task. He'd passed that test at least, hadn't he? The voice, the odd faceless and somehow familiar voice had talked to him, shattering the shadows.

When the odds seem insurmountable, when the road is the darkest and most dangerous, you keep moving forward. Why? Because somebody has to. Love, and duty, child. You know this well.

His fingers sped across the controls, his voice barked out commands without pause, trying to stabilize the situation. Healing spells, protective spells, yes. Pull that one back, send that one around the flank. He knew what to do. You focus on what to do, not on what not to do. Failure is not an option. That was another voice, oddly familiar as well, though he couldn't place it. He didn't dare look up from the controls, but he thought he could see something out of the corner of his eye. His shadow across the floor was long, looming high as if it had a life of its own, a tall man moving with skill and purpose. Yes. You are almost there. Soon, it will be time to remember.

That was an odd thought, but he didn't have the time to stop and reflect upon it. He had a job to do, after all. And I never leave one unfinished.

"Well, we're alive," Zaerini said, trying to sound more upbeat than she actually felt. Not being able to control her own actions in a fight to the death was unsettling, to say the least. "No fatal injuries either."

"It was a close call though," Sarevok said as Viconia pulled a piece of shrapnel out of his cheek and neatly closed up the wound. "Though I suppose it should come as no great surprise that the boy's aim is as erratic as the wizard's."

"My aim is perfect," Edwin said with a smirk. "If you get singed, you may safely conclude that you were considered to be necessary collateral damage."

"Well, I hope the child views things differently," Viconia said. "I have only so many healing spells to spare."

To be certain, Dekaras seemed to be playing things cautiously. Imoen frequently found herself scouting ahead to peer around corners, and to deal with traps. There were a few monsters, but nothing too serious, not until Imoen reported that the last and presumably final room held not one, but two giant worms, one spewing fire, the other acid. It came as no great surprise to Zaerini that she found herself casting protective spells. Flames leapt from her red hair and danced across her body, then were followed by constantly moving swirls of extreme cold. They didn't cancel each out the way she thought they might have done but mingled together into a fairly attractive purple aura. Edwin using a scroll to protect against acid also came as no great surprise. What did come as a great surprise was what happened next. She was casting a spell she hadn't really used much, and an illusionary copy of her sprang into view, identical in every detail. The copy marched off to stand mutely in a corner, and she then found herself being walked into the room with the worms. "Um, guys?" She called helplessly across her shoulder. "Are you coming?"

But no. They were all standing motionless, unable to follow her. Vadrak? Please tell me you've thought this through properly. The worms were truly huge this close up. They were reared up so that their flat faces were near the ceiling, and their mandibles were dripping fire and acid, leaving deadly pools on the ground. I guess if we were all in here it would be really hard to keep everybody safe. But how does he expect to keep me safe?

Then she was charging at the two monsters, dual swords whirling. The new sword really did speed things up, and they both bit deeply into the worms' cold grey flesh. She braced herself for the monsters to swoop down on her, but they just stood there, as if they didn't even notice they were being killed. The illusion spell. The illusion is so far away they can't even try to see through it and they aren't spellcasters either who can break spells. They can't attack me. The fire and the acid still could be dangerous, but her own spells should keep her safe, and now she noticed something else. Every time a drop of acid or fire struck her skin, her purple shield flared up, throwing fire and frost back ten times over at the worms. Even more interesting, her own blows seemed to speed the process up, perhaps through the enchantment on the new sword. Ooooh, cool! By now the worms were pockmarked with burns and creeping icicles, not to mention that they were being cut to ribbons. Eventually they shuddered, shrieked and dropped to the ground in two quivering heaps of flesh, not having landed a single blow on her. Nice moves, kid.

The others were moving into the room now, and she grinned when Edwin pulled her into a close embrace. "Not bad, huh?" She said. "Careful you don't get chunks of worm on you."

"I don't care," The wizard emphatically said as his fingers entwined in her hair. "Are you well?"

"Oh yes, not a scratch. Bet those worms felt pretty silly as they died, don't you think? I'll have to remember that trick, though it probably wouldn't work if the monsters were smarter. I think…"

And that's where she was shut up by her lover's lips on hers, and she forgot all about the worms for the moment. Once she came up for air, she noticed there was now something new present in the room. It was a stone pedestal which had seemingly risen out of the floor, and on top of it there was a glowing object. The final key. It floated into the air, landing neatly in her hand.

UNORTHODOX TACTICS, that vast, deep voice mused. BUT LEGITIMATE, TO BE SURE. AND EXECUTED WITH CARE TO MINIMIZE DAMAGE, AS SPECIFIED. THE TEST HAS BEEN PASSED.

"Oh, excellent," Viconia said with a brief roll of her eyes. "Does that mean we now get the pleasure of encountering some even worse monster?"

ER…POSSIBLY. BUT FIRST, YOU HAD BEST RETURN TO NORMAL SIZE. TELL THE BOY HE DID WELL.

The surge of magic was almost overwhelming, momentarily blinding her with white light. When it passed, she was mercifully normal in size again, as were all her friends. The key was still there, she was clutching it tightly in her fist. Dekaras looked up from where he was still standing near the controls, his dark eyes huge in his pale face.

"You're all right?" He breathed, giving her a tense, anxious look, much like Edwin had done earlier.

"Sure thing," She replied once again, making sure to give him a warm smile. "That was a clever trick, really."

He blinked in surprise, and she wasn't sure if he'd understood her properly. "I'm sorry I got it wrong at first," He said, speaking very rapidly. "I didn't mean to get anybody hurt. I'm sorry I let you down."

"Hey, it's fine." She hunched lower so she could look him properly in the eyes and frowned when he flinched. "Really. You didn't let us down. Nobody's mad."

"But I got it wrong."

"And then you got it right. We all get things wrong sometimes, all we can do is try our best. That's all anybody can do. Anybody who tells you otherwise deserves to get what those two worms got, got it?"

At first, he simply looked at her, digesting this. Then, she saw the corner of his mouth twitch slightly into a lopsided smile. Ah, what the heck. Risks are made to be taken. When she pulled him into a quick hug, he stiffened at first, but then she felt thin arms tightening around her back and knew that she was grinning like a lunatic. Yes, we all get things wrong sometimes. But this time, we got it right.