Timestamp: 29th of Saun, 721
Location: Sweetwine Woods
"Onwards minions! Destiny awaits."
Cad was feeling enthusiastic. So enthusiastic in fact that he didn't notice the eye-rolls of the small group of people following in single file behind him. Two days ago his Revbell had activated, piercing the usual silence of his mansion with a urgent ringing that signalled the opening of a minor fracture somewhere on the island. Immediately Cad had stashed the item in a bundle of leather to silence the ringing, and rushed down to the nearest tavern to recruit some hired muscle for his expedition, promising them high pay for a simple, one-off mining job. Only six people had accepted, which was less than Cad had been hoping for but perhaps the best he could get on short notice, and along with a cheap sellsword who his employees had insisted he hired for protection the party had set off in a horse-drawn cart in the direction the Revbell took them.
The location the Rev-bell drew them towards was Sweetwine Woods; an interesting, but comparatively harmless, part of the island known for its abundance of strange wildlife. When the trees grew too numerous for the cart to travel through Cad had left them behind and led the team onward on foot, holding his magic bell before him like it was a gift from the gods themselves and watching it for the slightest increase to suggest they were drawing nearer to their target. Such was his focus that he’d already tripped over roots and face-planted in the mud about five times, much to his employee’s amusement.
It was after many hours of walking that the group finally arrived at the destination, and none of them could have mistaken the sight for anything but the work of the supernatural. A shell of sunlight, the kind you could visibly see peaking through the curtains in a dark room, hung in a sparkling shell like a wall directly in front of them, but there was nothing around that could have cast it in such a peculiar shape. A few of the miners muttered whispered prayers to various Immortals and regarded the light with wariness.
With cautious steps, Cad approached the light and tentatively poked his finger in it. As his fingertips prodded the light nothing happened, and so emboldened by this Cad pushed the rest of his hand through, then his arm, and once it was clear that he wasn't about to spontaneously combust stepped through with his whole body.
"It's clear. Come on through."
As his employees caught up Cad strode forward to have a look at the place, squinting at the harsh brightness. The shell of light expanded like a bubble around a sizeable gorge, through which a gentle, sparkling brooke babbled, and was covered in a dense brush of verdant plant life. The sunlight was unnaturally bright; not dangerously so, but enough to be uncomfortable, and seemed to come not just from the sky but from millions of tiny pricks of light that flittered in the air like fireflies. Holding a hand out to one of the pricks of light, Cad found that it melted into nothingness like snow the moment it touched him. The lights seemed to be made of pure light energy.
"Any sign of danger?" One of the miners asked, sticking close to the mercenary who had drawn his sword in anticipation.
"Looks clear to me. Nothing dangerous here, just distortions of the light." Cad replied flippantly. "I'd assume that shell of light marks the entrance to the foyer, and judging by the shape of it the heart itself is underground. We should be safe this far away from it." He pointed down into the gorge, where a few bright orbs of light were glowing in its walls. "Look. There's some wells embedded in the walls. A solid day or do of mining and we should be able to harvest quite a number of them."
The rest of the miners approached to peer down into the gorge, and Cad waived an arm imperiously. "One of you set up the tents and gather wood for a fire. The rest of you grab your pickaxes and follow me. We start immediately."
A groan arose from somewhere in the group. "Can't we take a rest first? We've been walking for ages."
"No time." Cad replied dismissively. "The more time we waste, the less wells we gather. Look alive minions! Let's get started."
When Cad say "we", he in fact meant "you." That was why while the miners laboured away with their pickaxes, knee-deep in the water of the stream and chipping furiously away at the wall of earth and stone, Cad stood a paces away holding the bag of the few wells they'd dug up doing what he did best: offering encouragement.
"Keep it up men! Put your back into it!" Cad called out.
"You could help you know." One of the miners shouted back.
"And deprive hard working minions like yourselves of your jobs? Nonsense. Stable employment is the backbone of the economy."
One of the miners tutted and sneered, swinging his pickaxe roughly at the wall, and all of a sudden a bang thundered out across the gorge. The miner was thrown backwards in a blinding flash of light. Everyone dropped their pickaxes and ran over to him.
"What happened!"
"I think he struck one of those well things we're diggin'."
Damn it boss! You didn't tell us these things exploded!"
"I said to be careful when removing them didn't I."
The injured miner groaned, indicating that he was still alive, and Cad cautiously rolled him onto his back to examine his injuries. There was a lot of blood and a number of deep cuts that needed immediately attention, but sparkling amidst the viscera was glowing dots of light: shrapnel that had embedded itself into the miner's flesh.
"You two, take him to the campsite. I'll give him emergency first aid. The rest of you finish digging up the wells you're currently working on. And be careful not to hit the wells damn it!"
The two miners he'd gestured to hoisted the injured one up and carried him away, while Cad left the rest of the grumbling group behind and led the way back to the camp, pushing aside a curtain of vines to let the carries pass.
Strange. Had there been this many vines around the gorge a moment ago? He could have sworn there hadn't, but he must have been mistaken. It wasn't like vines appear out if nowhere after all.
Cad was feeling enthusiastic. So enthusiastic in fact that he didn't notice the eye-rolls of the small group of people following in single file behind him. Two days ago his Revbell had activated, piercing the usual silence of his mansion with a urgent ringing that signalled the opening of a minor fracture somewhere on the island. Immediately Cad had stashed the item in a bundle of leather to silence the ringing, and rushed down to the nearest tavern to recruit some hired muscle for his expedition, promising them high pay for a simple, one-off mining job. Only six people had accepted, which was less than Cad had been hoping for but perhaps the best he could get on short notice, and along with a cheap sellsword who his employees had insisted he hired for protection the party had set off in a horse-drawn cart in the direction the Revbell took them.
The location the Rev-bell drew them towards was Sweetwine Woods; an interesting, but comparatively harmless, part of the island known for its abundance of strange wildlife. When the trees grew too numerous for the cart to travel through Cad had left them behind and led the team onward on foot, holding his magic bell before him like it was a gift from the gods themselves and watching it for the slightest increase to suggest they were drawing nearer to their target. Such was his focus that he’d already tripped over roots and face-planted in the mud about five times, much to his employee’s amusement.
It was after many hours of walking that the group finally arrived at the destination, and none of them could have mistaken the sight for anything but the work of the supernatural. A shell of sunlight, the kind you could visibly see peaking through the curtains in a dark room, hung in a sparkling shell like a wall directly in front of them, but there was nothing around that could have cast it in such a peculiar shape. A few of the miners muttered whispered prayers to various Immortals and regarded the light with wariness.
With cautious steps, Cad approached the light and tentatively poked his finger in it. As his fingertips prodded the light nothing happened, and so emboldened by this Cad pushed the rest of his hand through, then his arm, and once it was clear that he wasn't about to spontaneously combust stepped through with his whole body.
"It's clear. Come on through."
As his employees caught up Cad strode forward to have a look at the place, squinting at the harsh brightness. The shell of light expanded like a bubble around a sizeable gorge, through which a gentle, sparkling brooke babbled, and was covered in a dense brush of verdant plant life. The sunlight was unnaturally bright; not dangerously so, but enough to be uncomfortable, and seemed to come not just from the sky but from millions of tiny pricks of light that flittered in the air like fireflies. Holding a hand out to one of the pricks of light, Cad found that it melted into nothingness like snow the moment it touched him. The lights seemed to be made of pure light energy.
"Any sign of danger?" One of the miners asked, sticking close to the mercenary who had drawn his sword in anticipation.
"Looks clear to me. Nothing dangerous here, just distortions of the light." Cad replied flippantly. "I'd assume that shell of light marks the entrance to the foyer, and judging by the shape of it the heart itself is underground. We should be safe this far away from it." He pointed down into the gorge, where a few bright orbs of light were glowing in its walls. "Look. There's some wells embedded in the walls. A solid day or do of mining and we should be able to harvest quite a number of them."
The rest of the miners approached to peer down into the gorge, and Cad waived an arm imperiously. "One of you set up the tents and gather wood for a fire. The rest of you grab your pickaxes and follow me. We start immediately."
A groan arose from somewhere in the group. "Can't we take a rest first? We've been walking for ages."
"No time." Cad replied dismissively. "The more time we waste, the less wells we gather. Look alive minions! Let's get started."
When Cad say "we", he in fact meant "you." That was why while the miners laboured away with their pickaxes, knee-deep in the water of the stream and chipping furiously away at the wall of earth and stone, Cad stood a paces away holding the bag of the few wells they'd dug up doing what he did best: offering encouragement.
"Keep it up men! Put your back into it!" Cad called out.
"You could help you know." One of the miners shouted back.
"And deprive hard working minions like yourselves of your jobs? Nonsense. Stable employment is the backbone of the economy."
One of the miners tutted and sneered, swinging his pickaxe roughly at the wall, and all of a sudden a bang thundered out across the gorge. The miner was thrown backwards in a blinding flash of light. Everyone dropped their pickaxes and ran over to him.
"What happened!"
"I think he struck one of those well things we're diggin'."
Damn it boss! You didn't tell us these things exploded!"
"I said to be careful when removing them didn't I."
The injured miner groaned, indicating that he was still alive, and Cad cautiously rolled him onto his back to examine his injuries. There was a lot of blood and a number of deep cuts that needed immediately attention, but sparkling amidst the viscera was glowing dots of light: shrapnel that had embedded itself into the miner's flesh.
"You two, take him to the campsite. I'll give him emergency first aid. The rest of you finish digging up the wells you're currently working on. And be careful not to hit the wells damn it!"
The two miners he'd gestured to hoisted the injured one up and carried him away, while Cad left the rest of the grumbling group behind and led the way back to the camp, pushing aside a curtain of vines to let the carries pass.
Strange. Had there been this many vines around the gorge a moment ago? He could have sworn there hadn't, but he must have been mistaken. It wasn't like vines appear out if nowhere after all.
