Chapter Eighteen: Escape!
"Maxim! Maxim!"
Someone was calling to him. The warrior opened his eyes slowly. It was Selan, his beloved.
"Are you okay?" Selan asked him.
Maxim nodded. "Yes." He forced himself not to look at Iris's fallen body. "Iris had something she wanted to tell me before she died. That's all." He took Selan's hand in his, enjoying the feeling of her gentle warmth against his.
"Ungh…" The party members all turned at the sound, which sounded like a zombie hauling itself out of its grave. "Good gods!" M'hana muttered, pulling the flattened cookpot off of her head. "How long have I been out of it?"
"Only for the entire battle," Artea snapped. "You lazy sneak thief!"
M'hana dropped the cookpot to the floor. "Shut up, you foppy elf! If I didn't need Providence to get out of this stinking hell, I would cut your ears off!" She drew a gleaming dirk from out of her sleeve.
"Hey, hey, you two!" Guy intervened. "Don't kill each other this close to our departure."
M'hana complied with sulky silence. Artea rolled his eyes.
Suddenly a chill raced up Maxim's spine. He could hear voices that sounded suspiciously like the Gades, Amon, and Daos. However he could not sense any ki from them. "Artea," Maxim whispered. "Do you hear that?"
The elf nodded. "Erim wasted much of her strength pulling the Sinistrals from battle just before they died," he said. "Perhaps she was the most mortal of all of them," the elf reflected.
Maxim sighed. "What should we do about them?" he wondered. "I can't sense any ki at all. Does that mean that they're dead?"
"Might as well be, I suppose," Lexis said. "If they aren't solid, they can't fight anyone, right?"
"I don't know," Selan pointed out. "They killed me while they weren't 'solid' and nearly dropped Doom Island on Parcelyte." She cupped her hands around her ears and shuddered at the disembodied voices.
"Good point," the scientist said. "So what do we do about them?"
Maxim was just about to suggest that the party combine energies into the reborn Dual Blade when the eerie voices ceased altogether.
"I don't hear them anymore," Guy said. "This is getting creepy. Do you suppose they just died without us?"
"That must be it," Lexis said. "They were all pretty weak when Erim hauled them away from battle."
"Let's just get out of this place," Dekar said. "There's not much they can do trapped down here, since the stairs don't go up, right?"
In the end, the parties were fortunate that they both had found Providence. They exited in two parties, one with Tia, Lexis, Dekar, and M'hana (so that the elf and the thief would not kill each other, as Guy put it). The Doom Island Four comprised the second party. When they emerged in the interior of the cave, the warping room became uncomfortably crowded, owing to Guy's setting off Providence too soon ("I've always wanted to experiment more with magic!").
The Cave Corpse, the old man who charged a fee for entering the cave, gasped when he saw the first party emerging. "Well I'll be damned," he said, goggling. "You brought out more people than you brought in!" He looked at Tia meaningfully. "And you look a little stronger than you did when you came in, young lady." Tia did not have a chance to answer the old man, as M'hana had stormed up to his enormous table.
"You swindling old crook!" the thief growled, her dirk flashing. "I ought to cut you to ribbons!"
"Whatever for?" the Cave Corpse asked sociably. He seemed quite accustomed to her accusations.
"First of all, for bad lighting! Do you have any idea how many stairs I feel down? How many treasure chests I tripped over because it's so damned dark down there?" Her voice rose.
"Would you shut up?" the Cave Corpse asked, getting annoyed. "You're going to discourage my other customers!"
M'hana paid his words no heed, speaking louder, if anything.
By this time, the Doom Island Four had managed to make their way out of the warping exit. The Cave Corpse turned positively green when he saw Maxim and Selan. "Hey, hey now!" the old man snapped. "Your party should have a bill for coming up with extra persons!"
"Feh! What a load of bull!" M'hana scoffed. "You're a userous old coot, you know that?" The old man bellowed at her.
Artea looked back at them and rolled his eyes. The rest of the party looked similarly unimpressed. Then it was as if a sudden inspiration had hit the elf. "Let's go, everyone," he said.
"What about-" Guy started to say. "Ohh," the warrior said, suddenly understanding the point the elf was trying to make.
"She'll never miss us," Artea promised as the party exited the cave. He had planned on making a hasty escape to Elcid or some equally distant place where the thief could not follow. However, the sensation of sunshine and the gentle breeze on his face drove the words to Warp right out of his mind. The elf closed his eyes, breathing in the clean air thankfully. "Isn't it heavenly," he whispered.
The other party members appeared similarly affected by their return to the surface.
"It is as beautiful as I remember it," Selan sighed, looking at the green hills which gave way to dark, craggy cliffs, which in turn, overlooked the crashing blue ocean. "Maxim, isn't it wonderful to be alive again?" She spread her arms as if to embrace the sunlight.
Maxim smiled the smile that Tia knew from all their time together. "Yes," he said, putting his arms around his wife in a gentle embrace. As he did so, Tia felt none of the old pain in her heart. It was as if the wound had at last begun to heal. When she looked away from Maxim and Selan, Tia saw Dekar looking at her with longing in his eyes. She remembered the kiss he had given her in the cave. Though she did not return his feelings, she knew that what he had told her about happiness that had saved her, Maxim, Selan – the entire party, in actuality. She conveyed these emotions with a glance. Dekar looked a little sad at first, and his hand went to his wound. Then at last, he smiled back at her, a smile of forgiveness that seemed to welcome her to his side if ever she wanted to be there.
"So where do we go from here?" Lexis said at last. The other six party members looked at the scientist as he asked his question, each person with varying expressions of wonder and confusion.
"I suppose Lexis has a point," Maxim said. "You have completed your quest."
"For which we thank you," Selan said, bowing. She elbowed Maxim. "Even leaders thank the people who help them, dear," she said with an edge in her voice.
Maxim coughed. "True," he said, his eyes merry. "Thank you. I suppose it goes without saying that the two of us can never repay you."
"The world can never repay the two of you," Artea said. "Particularly those in Parcelyte."
By this time, the sun was low in the horizon. Dimly the party heard shouts from the opening to the Ancient Cave. It sounded as if a brawl had ensued inside.
"I guess I will answer my own question then," Lexis said. "We all have our own lives to which to return. But we should not forget about one another. Fate has brought us together for a reason and may reunite us again, be the time peaceful or not."
"Right!" Tia agreed. "And with Thom's pigeons, we can all stay in touch!"
"Thom?" Maxim said.
"Pigeons?" Selan said.
Artea laughed at the sight of the confused couple. "I know what you mean, Tia. For now, everyone, I can warp people where they wish to go."
"Me too," Selan chimed in.
"I have a Warp Spell handy myself," Lexis said.
"I'll come with you two to Parcelyte," Guy said to Maxim and Selan, who exchanged conspiratorial looks. "Did I tell you that Jesse and I broke up?" Tia heard him say as Selan, Maxim, and he warped away.
"Lexis, can you warp me to Dankirk?" Dekar asked.
"I can," Lexis said. "Let's stop off in Gruberick's shrine and get these wounds of ours healed."
"It's only a scratch…" Dekar protested.
The scientist and the strongest man in the world vanished in the crystal bell chime, leaving Artea and Tia alone with the purple horizon. "Well, Tia," Artea said when the sun had at last spread its veil of glittering stars. "Where would you like to go?"
Tia thought for a moment. She could choose to go anywhere in the world. The elf had the power to take her there. Yet at the moment she wanted nothing more than a little rest and clean clothes for a change. "Would you take me to Elcid, Artea?" she whispered, not certain why she felt compelled to do so.
The elf nodded. "Are you certain? I can take you anywhere you wish."
"Adventures are all well and good," Tia said, "but one at a time is more than good enough for me."
Artea smiled. "So be it. Warp!"
In mere seconds, Tia and Artea were on the outskirts of Elcid. The city was a shadow against the darkness, though a few lights shone in places. Never had the night smelled so very sweet, like iris and priphea cloying on the breeze. Tia remained at Artea's side for several minutes, simply looking on the beautiful little city she had dreamed of in the cave. "Artea," she said at last. "Where are you going to go now that this journey is at an end?"
Artea did not speak for some time. When he did at last, his voice was thick with pain. "I cannot go back to Eserikto. I fear what my kin will do if I return with my mission a success."
Tia's heart went out to the elf. "You could stay here in Elcid," she offered, knowing, even as she did so, that he would never consent. "It would be different from what you are accustomed to, but…"
"You are kind, Tia. However, I have no wish to live amongst humans. I will find solace in the wilderness."
"Will we ever see you again?" By 'we', she meant the Maxim and his other companions.
"Possibly," Artea said. "Lexis had a good point when he said that fate seems determined to reunite us. If fate sees good to do so, then yes, we shall meet again."
Tia frowned. "What about spontaneous effort?" she persisted. "Surely one of the Doom Island Four would exert more of it than that."
Artea laughed, a gentle, silvery sound. "If the desire ever seizes me to emerge from solitude, you six will be the first people I seek out. How's that?"
Tia touched his arm gently. "Don't be a stranger," she said.
Artea bowed and set off for the forest behind Elcid. Tia watched his shadow stretch long in the moonlight. When she could no longer see the elf, she turned back to the sleeping town. She walked to her house, savoring the quiet and the absence of monsters. For a moment she lingered upon the bridge, watching the silver light of the moon dance in the ripples below. The hush of placid slumber held the town in thrall. Tia felt that even if she were to shout, it would not awaken anyone or disturb the stillness. She withdrew her key from under the mat and opened the door to her house. The aroma of Ami's wonderful cooking reached every corner. Tia's mouth watered as she shut the door. She made a mental note to swipe some of Ami's food when she arrived in the morning. She smiled when she thought of how her friend would react to find Tia home after all this time. How long had it been, for that matter? Tia peeled off her grimy dress, envisioning Ami's reaction to the cave dirt crumbs caked all over the floor. And what would Ami think of the ruined dress for that matter? Tia yawned and pulled on a white nightdress. There would be ample time for washing and combing her hair when she had rested…when the sun had risen. She fell into a dreamless sleep.
The next morning, Tia was roused by Ami throwing her arms around her neck. "Ami?" she croaked, groggy from sleep.
"You came back! You really came back!" Ami whispered. Tia opened her eyes, still sensitive to the light, and saw that Ami was crying.
"Of course I came back," Tia said, sitting up slowly.
Ami continued to carry on as dramatically as if Tia had spent an eternity away from Elcid. "Oh I've missed you, Tia!"
"I've missed you," Tia replied, hugging her friend back at last. Realizing that there was no more sleep in her, she got up. "Ami, could you do me a favor?"
"Yes! Anything!"
"Make me some food," Tia said. "I smelled it coming in last night…"
"Oh, you poor dear," Ami said. "You really should see your reflection in an honest mirror. You look as if you've starved while you were on your adventure!" She held up an ivory-backed mirror for Tia's inspection. Tia looked at her wan reflection hesitantly, remembering her dream about the mirror. However, her reflection moved just as she did, even when she waggled her tongue like a demon. Ami laughed at her antics as she set a pot of water on the stove to boil and began to prepare the food for that day. Tia busied herself with combing out her hair. To her surprise, it smelled musty, just like the cave. If she closed her eyes, she could almost see the torches, glinting like distant stars in the darkness. When she had bathed to her content, wallowing about in a tub of hot water and washing her hair, she made short work of three plates Ami filled for her, plates of eggs, sausage, bacon, rice, and fresh bread and butter. Ami goggled at Tia's appetite, clucking over her like a mother hen all the while. Finally when Tia had satiated her wolfish appetite, she pushed her chair back. "Ami, I cannot thank you enough for your help. Without your insight, I am certain that the weapons shop would have lost all its business. And I am positive that I will never be able to repay you for continuing while I was away."
"Oh Tia," Ami said wistfully. "You've changed since you were away."
"How so?" Tia asked as she put on a new frock, one of china blue that brought out the azure of her hair.
"Something restless inside of you seems to have been tempered. Your eyes aren't always drifting to the horizon now." Ami began to prepare the next batch of breakfast bread, which she flavored with her own dash of cinnamon.
"It won't last," Tia promised with a little laugh. Ami looked up at her, surprised. "I just want to take a little rest before I go on my next adventure…whatever and wherever it might be."
"Next adventure?" Ami echoed in disbelief. She sighed. "Tia, Tia, Tia," she chided as she measured out the cinnamon and sugar.
Tia gathered her filthy dress in a crumpled heap. She wondered if she would ever be able to scrub it clean of the dirt and evil smell of grave soil that had seeped into its very fabric. Even then, she thought, there are rips that might never be repaired. She sighed. I suppose I could burn it, she thought. Somehow the evil of the ancient dungeon seemed greater in contrast with this realm of sunlight and fresh air. Still pondering the cave and all the strange things that had transpired there, Tia found herself wandering outside, the dress in her hands. Then she remembered the other person she wanted to see in Elcid besides Ami. Thom! This time I'll have a story to tell him, she thought eagerly. She walked to the shrine. The few people that she encountered cringed at the smell of her dress. Tia hardly noticed them, however.
When she reached the bird keeper's spot, he was nowhere to be found. The birds' cages were all opened. Many pigeons had stayed inside. Some, however, were cooing from the treetops. Tia knew that Thom often opened the cages at night to let the birds out. However, she had never known him to simply leave them alone like this. She settled down with her back to one of the trees. She could wait for him, she supposed. Minutes stretched into an hour. The heat and the soothing coo of the birds, combined with the sweet scent of yellow summer grass, lulled Tia to sleep. When she awoke, the shadows were long and dark. Still there was no sign of Thom. Tia yawned. Then she sat up. Where had the bird keeper gone? She remembered that he was an older man. Could he have died? Her heart ached at the thought. Because of him, I was able to go on the adventure to the Ancient Cave, she thought. He just can't be dead!
Just as sorrow was about to wash through her veins, she heard the rustle of wings above her. Snow white feathers danced down through the still air. A rather hefty envelope bearing a thick red seal bounced off of Tia's head. The bird perched on the edge of its fellows' cage and cocked its head intelligently. Tia read the envelope. Tia of Elcid. Her heart pounding, she cracked the seal. Who could have sent it? It was not Artea's spidery elven script. The letters were far bolder and grander as if they had been formed with thicker, heavier fingers than the elf's lithe, delicate ones. Tia unfolded the parchment, noticing that it exuded a similar musty scent as her dress.
Tia,
If this letter finds you, then it must mean that you have survived your adventure in the Ancient Cave. My congratulations to you! Do not ask me how it is that I know of this journey you undertook. I will admit to this. I did not read the letter the elf sent to you. Omniscience is an odd thing at the best of times. But I digress. You have likely noticed my absence by now. Please forgive me. I am impetuous, even though I am old. I am, however, in no trouble. I am simply being where fate demands that I must be. Please try to understand. (And I resent your thinking I had met my demise while you were away! I'm not that old!) I leave you my birds to love and care for. If you choose to accept them, I promise you, they will be a constant source of joy and adventure for you...right here in Elcid. They are good traveling companions, I might add, if the horizon beckons to you. Please keep them in my memory. And keep your eyes open. I might well return…one day…when the time is right. Only fate, as the scientist is fond of saying, knows for certain.
Yours,
Thom
PS: No matter what anyone tells you abut your strength, always remember that you were able to overcome the greatest weakness within yourself. That is a measure of character of which few, if any people can boast, even the great hero of Doom Island, Maxim. I have enjoyed knowing you. You are, as I imagine many people tell you, an intelligent, sweet young woman with a pure heart. What is more, however, (and do remember this) your internal strength surpasses that of many who are more powerful in body. Never forget that in your own way, you are strong.
When she finished reading the letter, Tia clasped it to her chest. How odd, she thought. It was as if he knew everything that transpired while I was away… Even as her mind pondered the mystery, tears of mingled joy and sorrow streamed down her cheeks.
{****}
Maxim and Selan were received with great fanfare in Parcelyte. People regarded their return from the dead as no less of a feat than defeating the Sinistrals. And though Maxim and Selan protested that they lived only through the efforts of their friends, they were immortalized in countless stories as the "reborn lovers." When they managed to get away from the prying public eye, Maxim and Selan spent many quiet hours together with their son Jeros. Jeros squealed with happiness the first time Selan's aunt put him into his mother's arms. Even Guy, who was freeloading with Selan and Maxim in Parcelyte for a while, could not dim the couple's happiness. Each day they found new marvels to bring tears to their eyes and new ways to express their tenderness for one another. Guy remained with Maxim and Selan for several months after their return from the Ancient Cave. Though he claimed to be looking for a job, both Maxim and Selan knew well that their friend was training for his duel with Dekar which would settle once and for all who the strongest man in the world was. Neither Maxim nor Selan minded Guy's presence however. He was a cheerful reminder that not every blooming flower was cause for weeping, however jubilant.
Dekar remained in Dankirk, working as an elite guardsman for the king and training as a swordsmaster in his spare time. He aspired to become a teacher and pass on the lore of the strongest man in the world, including his famed Blast Master attack. His fellow guards at Dankirk castle noticed a change in the warrior after his return. Never before was he one to ponder deep questions. Now, however, his eyes would become distant. If he were pestered about it, as he invariably was by inconsiderate guards, he would occasionally speak chilling truths regarding various meanings of life. However, on the surface at least, he wore a façade of shallowness that based merit on strength. When his fellow soldiers would visit houses of ill repute, Dekar would deign to accompany them. It was often joked, perhaps with more accuracy than these young men realized, that the strongest man in the world was pining away for a woman.
Lexis Shaia astounded the members of his elite laboratory with ten full pages of varying theories regarding the strange nature of the Ancient Cave. He declared that exploration of this natural wonder was a higher priority than tinkering with impossible machinery. To this acclamation, much grumbling followed, particularly the mention that the laboratory was a scientific organization, not a bureau of archaeology. Lexis was undeterred, however, and presented several new studies in reality, dimensions, and magic as a science that could be undergone by study of his notes alone. And, the scientist added, the machines they were developing could be tested in the Ancient Cave, a splendid laboratory even stranger than the Shaia cave. His fellow scientists grudgingly agreed to read over his notes. Once they did so, a strange fervor overcame the lab to see the cave and all the wonders that Lexis had written about, including the strange phenomena of shifting space and vanishing stairs. Lexis took a team of sixteen scientists with him on a preliminary expedition of the cave. They all came equipped with notebooks and the like so they could determine which theories of the cave they would test first.
When the scientists arrived at the Ancient Cave, the Cave Corpse looked as if he would keel over and die from shock. "That will be…thirty gold for each of you…that's one hundred and twenty gold per party…that makes…" He scratched at his head, trying to do the math in his head.
"Four hundred and eighty gold," Lexis said quickly.
The Cave Corpse goggled at the scientist as he held out the gold. "Weren't you were before? Yes, I've seen you!" The Cave Corpse glared at Lexis. "You came in with that girl, didn't you! What are you trying to do here? Is this an investigation of sorts?" He looked angry and suspicious.
"Calm yourself, sir," Lexis advised him. "This is an investigation, but as you can see…" He added another twenty gold pieces to the considerable stack in his hand, "…you are the recipient of the profit." Despite his obvious reservations, the Cave Corpse snatched the gold greedily. "This investigation is of a purely scientific nature," Lexis said. "I assure you, you will be well-paid in each case."
"Science… this cave?" The Cave Corpse laughed. "G'haw! Suit yourselves, you young whippersnappers! But I warn you! This cave is beyond magic! It is beyond science! It is-"
Lexis entered the warp tile before he could hear the rest of what the old man had to say. As he expected, the cave proved to be an ideal ground for developing his theories and formulating new ones. During this trip down, Lexis even managed to isolate the components of Providence so he and his party did not have to worry in times when the orb could not be found. Lexis's entire team of scientists was impressed with the strange nature of the cave. Nightly discussions endured well into daily marches with none of the customary boredom that usually surrounded experimentation. While on the thirtieth floor, Lexis ran into M'hana. The thief, he noticed, no longer sported a hag's face, but appeared as young as Tia herself. She wore a shiny new cook pot on her head, and her eyes glinted with dedication bordering on the fanatical. When she saw Lexis, M'hana grinned. "It's nice to see that this cave called someone back," she remarked. "How's the elf?" she asked flippantly.
Lexis smiled and made a note at the top of his diagram which illustrated how the various floors of the cave might be connected to one another. "He's wandering," Lexis replied. "What are you doing in here after we warped you out?"
"Feh! It should be obvious to you, Mister Scientist," M'hana said with a smirk. "When we were on the one hundredth floor, all the Iris treasures disappeared. I guess it was the fault of that woman who ruined my old helmet. Anyhow, I figured that I might as well look around down here and see if the treasures made it back to their chests."
Suddenly inspired, Lexis flipped to the very back of the ponderous tome he carried and scribbled a note. The nature of Iris. If she were ever brought back together and then destroyed, what would happen to the Iris treasures that restore her?
"And," M'hana added with a little giddy laugh, "my instinct was right! Lookit!" She held the Iris sword under Lexis's nose. "How's that for intuition?"
"M..most impressive," Lexis said, pushing the sword away and wiping at his brow. "Good luck to you in finding the other treasures," he said by way of parting.
"Thanks," M'hana said. "Say…" she called after him. "You wouldn't happen to have any Iris treasures on you, would you?"
"No, of course not," Lexis said over his shoulder. "We are investigating the spacial properties of this dungeon. We cannot get weighed down with a bunch of useless junk."
M'hana tossed her head. "Your choice. Just thought I'd ask. Good luck to you too, figuring out the whatever you said it was," the thief called before disappearing into the shadows.
While Lexis and M'hana sought their fortunes in the moldering passages of the Ancient Cave, Artea roamed the forests and wild areas of the overworld. A peculiar melancholy had seized the elf even though he had resurrected Maxim and Selan without losing any of their other companions. He pondered the meaning of his discontent, even felt guilty about it for a brief period. One day, seated in a tall oak tree overlooking a rippling sea of green leaves, the answer came to him. He was experiencing sorrow for Eserikto, the most exquisite forest he knew of in the world and perhaps the one place in the world in which he could not go. Once he knew the cause of the gaping hole inside of him, the elf leaned his head against the bark of the oak, remembering and grieving.