Chapter 11: Magic and Steel
D'vin pulled Orvitho through the streets of the ancient city. When it seemed that they were not being followed, D'vin released Orvitho. Orvitho took off his shirt, and ripped off the bottom. He tied it around D'vin's left arm to stop the bleeding. D'vin sighed for a moment.
"Now why did you do something …hmmmm… stupid again?" Orvitho asked.
"Because they were going to hurt you," D'vin replied.
He licked Orvitho's right cheek to clean off the blood. Orvitho smiled, but then glared behind him. He clearly heard loud clanking footsteps behind him, but there was nothing in the shadows of the stone buildings.
"How long will that spell you cast last?" Orvitho asked.
"Not much longer. We should get moving," D'vin replied.
Just as the two were ready to get moving, a giant metal humanoid stood behind D'vin, and was preparing to attack. Orvitho knew that this metal warrior was called a Steam Centurion and what it was capable of. As the creature prepared to attack, Orvitho pushed D'vin out of the way. The Steam Centurion great metal spiked fist smashed through the ground, just barely missing Orvitho. The stone ground cracked and fell apart into a series of deep tunnels. Orvitho fell through along with the Steam Centurion. D'vin jumped in to save Orvitho.
D'vin fell closer, and closer towards Orvitho. Soon D'vin grabbed Orvitho's hand and pulled Orvitho up against his chest. The two were falling fast. D'vin quickly began to conjure up a spell. Orvitho held onto D'vin, in hoped that they would live through this. In desperation, Orvitho closed his eyes. In the midst of Orvitho's darkness, there was a loud crash, and then quiet. After a moment of silence, Orvitho opened his eyes to darkness being pierced by a bit of light from a small crack from above him. Orvitho pushed on what he thought was rubble, but it felt life flesh to the touch.
Why do I have this strange feeling that this has something to do with one of D'vin's spells? Orvitho thought.
He called out to D'vin. There was no reply, so Orvitho called again. This time Orvitho fell through a crack splitting apart below him. Orvitho landed on a cold hard yellow stone floor. Orvitho looked up to see D'vin the size of a giant.
"Why are my strange thoughts always right?!" Orvitho yelled.
"Because you can see the future," D'vin replied.
Orvitho just glared at D'vin. D'vin's feeble attempt at humor had failed to amuse Orvitho. After a long silence, D'vin apologized for dropping Orvitho on the floor, which in turn, was not what Orvitho was hoping to get an apology for. But it worked fine just the same.
"Can I ask a favor of you Orvithy?" D'vin asked sweetly.
"Don't ever call me that again," Orvitho stated coldly.
"Ok. Can I ask a favor of you Orvitho?" D'vin asked again even sweeter than before.
This time Orvitho gave in and agreed to help D'vin. D'vin pulled out a long stone poll from the rubble off to the side, and etched in the stone floor a drawing of a book cover with what looked like a stone in the centre.
"Can you find a book that looks like that for me?" D'vin asked sweetly.
Orvitho studied the drawing in silence. D'vin waited peacefully for a reply. After a moment Orvitho glared at D'vin.
"Why do you need me to find this book? You could easily just dispel yourself to normal size," Orvitho questioned.
"Well… um… We fell through a tunnel and I am stuck in the middle of this doorway," D'vin replied hoping that it would be enough to get ride of Orvitho's caution. Yet as usually it didn't work. Orvitho continued to glare at D'vin.
"Ok I forgot the counter spell," D'vin truthfully replied.
"What do you me you forgot the counter spell?!" Orvitho yelled.
D'vin looked as if he was about to cry. Orvitho sighed for a moment then apologized for yelling at him. D'vin smiled.
"Ok try not to get into trouble," Orvitho ordered.
"How could I get into trouble? I'm stuck in a doorway," D'vin joked.
This time Orvitho laughed as he left to help D'vin.
Orvitho walked for what seemed to be hours through the stone tunnels until he came to a room with a round stone door. Orvitho pushed the door open. Inside were thousands of crates, barrels, and shelves. The room appeared to be a storage room of some kind. Slowly and carefully, Orvitho walked into the room. First he checked to make sure no one was around to sneak up on him, then headed to the north wall where all the book were stored on shelves. He searched through the books for one that matched D'vin's description. After a few hours of searching through shelf after shelf, another problem arose. There was four books that fit D'vin's description, but with different coloured stones. Orvitho tool all four and ran back to D'vin. But before he left the storage room, he looked at a pile of crates that stood beside the door.
"I'm not here!" a familiar female voice called from behind the crates.
"Elisan you clearly stocking me, and D'vin!" Orvitho yelled.
Elisan jumped out from behind the crates. She wore a long black robe over leather armor.
"I'm not stocking you two. I'm just following you without permission!" Elisan argued.
"That means the same thing," Orvitho stated.
There was a long pause, which gave Elisan time to think.
"Crap, you're right," Elisan agreed.
"Now follow me," Orvitho ordered.
Orvitho began to head back towards D'vin. Elisan followed.
Meanwhile, D'vin impatiently waited for Orvitho to return. His fingers lightly tapped against the floor. After a few moments he heard the cracking of stones above him.
Orvitho come back soon they are starting to dig, D'vin thought.
D'vin looked down the tunnel in homes that Orvitho was alright. In a moment Orvitho and Elisan came running.
"Elisan! What are you doing here?" D'vin questioned.
"No time, which one do you need?" Orvitho asked haste fully.
"The one with the blue stone, sixth page from the cover," D'vin replied.
Orvitho did as he was told and wielded his new sword for battle. Elisan had a longbow ready to fire.
"We got lost and found some enemies that are following us," Elisan explained.
D'vin quickly reverted to his normal size, and readied a magical ball of lightning. The three waited for a minute for some of Maria's companions to come around the corner. D'vin launched his lightning spell at them, then Orvitho, and Elisan took care of any warriors that the spell missed. D'vin lead the way to an exit.
D'vin, Orvitho, and Elisan ran out of the tunnels and up a large flight of stairs. They came across some more bands of Maria's companions, but they were easily killed. Soon the stairs ended back at the Forgotten City. With a large metal gate insight everyone was slightly relieved. D'vin noticed an arrow that was flying towards them. Luckily, D'vin froze the arrow with a spell before it could hit any one. Maria held a bow made of glass. She prepared another arrow to fire.
"I have come too far, to lose all this gold!" Maria yelled.
She fired the arrow. This time D'vin's spell missed, and impaled Orvitho's left thigh. With Orvitho's pain, D'vin was getting not only serious, but also furious at the same time. He magically conjured a giant orb made of fire, ice, and lightning, and launched it at Maria. The magical orb destroyed the buildings in its path. Maria barely dodged it without killing her, but her right arm and leg were badly injured. The spell hit a large column shattering it to pieces. The roof began to collapse all around.
"This place is not stable since the nervarine defeated the evil here! RUN!" D'vin yelled. D'vin, Orvitho, and Elisan ran towards the gate. Maria couldn't follow fast enough to escape the falling stones.