She pushed herself backwards from a sitting position until her back was resting on a cavern wall. The gelatinous substance continued to ooze out of the doorway, spilling into the cavern. Bard stood over Aeron and for once had no words. He thought for a short moment and lifted his lute to sing some lyrics of calming, but Aeron, too familiar with the sounds of his instrument spat out a harsh threat. “I will break that to pieces if I hear a single note.” Defeated, he lifted his hands in the air with a shrug as she shook her head back and forth. He motioned with his hands and finally had to ask, “What is amiss?”
She pursed her lips together as her head continued to shake back and forth. She closed her eyes as a repetitive ‘mm-mm’ came from her throat. As if trying to calm herself she breathed in and out very heavily. Cock-browed, Bard looked at her odd display and back to the gelatinous blob ever so slowly making its way towards them.
He placed his hands on her face, cradling it as she continued to shake her head slightly. She was slightly calmer than she was moments ago.
My Almost-Impervious Adventuress is completely disarmed...I will risk your wrath. He lifted his lute again and took some steps back, out of reach. A song of courage, peace, and a smidgen of affection, he dictated to himself as he began to sing in elvish. As his song filled the air he noticed Aeron grimace and twitch every now and then, as if she was forcibly trying to resist his uplifting song, but he persisted until it seemed as though she gave in. Her breathing became steady and her heart slowed from a race to a walk. Finally, she opened her eyes and hung her head, Bard had helped her fears, but anger remained. Anger at him.
He tried to quickly change his song to counteract her growing rage, but she reached out so quickly he stopped to protect his instrument.
“I. Hate. Slime.” She almost breathed fire, or so he half imagined. Bard looked back to the ooze, which still had not reached them.
“My Agitated Adventuress, I clearly do not fathom the dread you feel.”
Her glare pierced through him and he forced a smile and spoke plainly, “Whatever is the matter?”
“I HATE slime, that is final. And what am I supposed to do, Bard, I cannot fight slime with a sword. Do you know what happens when you cut it, nothing. It oozes and consumes, that is its nature. It swallows you whole and digests you. Alive. Are you going to sing it away? What do you expect to do?”
Bard sighed, it was unlike her to be pessimistic or lacking a plan of any sort.
“Did you open the door?” She agitatedly snarked.
Bard nodded.
“Did you check for booby traps?”
“But of course!” He took mild insult to that.
“Opening and closing the door?”
Bard was about to nod when he remembered the clacking noise when closing it. His eyes wandered upwards and wobbled his head back and forth. “That….was an innocent oversight...but cannot be undone. Let us decide here and now, how badly do you want your treasure?”
She clicked her tongue and snarled under her breath.
“Very well, one of us shall distract the...creature, while the other will slip past it to obtain our precious cargo.”
With her initial fear dissipated Aeron tried to come up with a plan based on what they had on hand. As much as she hated to admit, Bard was much better equipped to sneak past it, which meant she’d be tasked to distract it.
“Bard I swear, if” She cut herself off, “This will come back to haunt you somehow. One day.” She stood up with her sword in hand. Cutting it would create smaller versions, but not really harm it. She needed something very hot to ward it away with, or some kind of talisman to imbue her sword with magic.
Rifling through her pockets and pouches she remembered something that Bard had procured from one of their last adventures. “Bard how much fire powder do you have?” He quickly started emptying his belongings on the ground, “I never used any of it, a full pouch. And I still have these magic powders.” She stared at the slime as it finally freed itself from the doorway completely and oozed its way closer to them. As it did the stench of brimstone finally seeped into the room, causing them both to gag. Bard’s eye began to water, it hadn’t been this strong before.
“Bard, you will have to give me some time to combine these into something we can use.” He nodded, grabbing his lute and short sword. Aeron’s turned her back towards the ooze and Bard, so he took the opportunity to satisfy a curiosity. Using his sword he jabbed the slime in a couple of places, and just as she had fussed, the slime was unharmed and undeterred. He sheathed his sword and threw rocks to change its course away from Aeron.
She dejectedly gazed at the collection of items and powders they had and each time she came to the same conclusion, they were useless to kill slime. She listened as Bard sang a musicless song of taunting while throwing rocks. Aeron wasn’t about to give up, If...if I do this, I have a chance. It is risky but it might be worth it...She took a few powders and mixed them in a pouch. “Bard, if you are insistent on throwing rocks at that thing then at least coat them with this.” She tossed the closed pouch to him and even though he did not know her plan, he knew to do as she said. Aeron hunched over the remaining supplies as Bard threw powder coated rock into the slime. Annoyed at the thought of her ‘plan’, she mixed the remaining powders and tore up strips of cloth.
Bard skipped as he continued throwing stones and just when he had come up with a new song to best memorialize their predicament he stopped to listen. He sighed under his breath and quickly trotted to the far side of the cavern where Aeron sat mumbling to herself.
With a half smile he tapped on her shoulder, to which she tried to ignore. “A-hem,” he ‘coughed’ as to draw her full attention to him. “As you can see, Bard, I am busy planning our disastrous triumph.”
His half smile downgraded to a forced one, “Well, my All-Understanding Warrioress, it seems as though our presence in this dark place has been discovered…” Aeron sat up straight, but was still turned away from Bard, “we will have company shortly.”
“...Bard.” Aeron put her hand to her temple, I knew this was doomed from the start… “To Underdark with it, bring them,” she spat annoyed. Bard, surprised, yet elated, took his up lute and dramatically strummed a note that resounded through the cavern and traveled into the halls. His nimble fingers authored a new, high tempoed song; no words, but a tune that would set the mood for an all out battle.
I live for moments like these. My Methodical Muse is always so particular in how she approaches a situation. I must admit that my more whimsical nature, at times, causes her carefully laid plans to, heh well….go astray. However, at times, she throws caution to the wind and it is in these times I have the most fun with my music.
“Stay behind me, Bard, I want them all to come to me.” Aeron positioned herself in the corner, but with enough room for him to move about and stay out of harm’s way.
Goblins began running through the two openings and the first few ran right into the gelatinous ooze and were immediately engulfed. In the confusion, no goblin tried to save them and after the following goblins realized what lurked in the room, were careful to avoid it. Aeron estimated around thirty goblins surrounding them as she tried to ignore Bard’s solo presto concerto. Their situation looked grim, but Bard continued to play his quick song with confidence as she settled on a risky plan.
“Bard, come here.” Still playing he promptly approached, “I am going to throw you towards that room and when you get inside, seal the door behind you.” Before he could open his mouth to protest, Aeron lifted a linen-wrapped ball in one hand and a flint stone in the other. Effortlessly she created a spark with the stone that lit the ball on fire and threw it into the goblin crowd. Before they could react she tossed three more and grabbed Bard by the arm. By the time they all exploded there was enough confusion and distraction to create the opening she needed to spin around with Bard in hand. Releasing him on the second turn she hurled him clear over the majority of the horde and Bard, without missing a beat, used a goblin’s head to vault himself over the ooze and to the secret door.
Aeron ran towards the direction of the ooze, hacking and slashing goblins in her path. Using their previous plight to their advantage, she kicked and pushed as many into the slime when suitable.
Before I encase myself in this small stone fortress I must be positive that my Strong Strategist is unharmed. I am not a coward and can fight when need be, but I have learned to trust her battle sense. Also, her heartsong tells me she will be victorious. Bard turned to the room, Besides, I should retrieve the prize she so deliciously desires. With the magic words he sealed the room, but only after one last look to Aeron, who had just rammed her sword’s hilt into a goblin’s face and quickly used his momentum to hurl him into the ooze.
He quickly ran down the stone hall and rounded the corner, but the room looked different than it had before. As he glanced around he realized all organic matter had disintegrated and his heart dropped, This is not how I had planned...the ooze must have been a safe measure so that no one would walk away with all the herbs that were once stored in this room. He sniffed about, the brimstone’s stench was still in the air, but much less potent. Bard walked to a corner of the room, This is where it once was...Hell’s Seal. But no more...he observed ooze residue on almost everything.
Accidentally he stepped into a glob and his soft leather boot began to sizzle. Awkwardly he shuffled, bouncing about trying to both remove his boot and only step in areas where there were no large slime remains. “Well that was rather ungraceful”, he mused as he caught his reflection in a full length mirror. He looked at himself through the glass and straightened his back to make himself as tall as he could get. Stepping closer he noticed something off in the reflection, there were items in the mirror that were not in the room. “Interesting!” He ran to the glass, pressing his hands against it and looking it over. As Bard's fingers inspected the sides, his hand rubbed over an engraving, which Bard quickly set his eyes upon. He was grateful it was Elvish, “Know thyself and speak truth t…” The rest of the words were worn away. “Truth….nanu?” He had hoped the translated word would open the mirror to him, but he could not enter. He looked around the room for anything else that had been made by Elves, but he could not discern any. Dwarven, Goblin, and even Gnomish bounties were scattered around, but the mirror was the only Elvish crafted item.
Carefully he inspected the mirror, all around, but the worn engraving was the only hint to the mirror’s secret. Maybe, if I listen...Bard placed his hand on the glass, closed his eyes, and emptied his mind.
The sound of water dripping began to form in the darkness. Drip...drip...drip. The sound started as if far off in the distance and slowly became closer until he could almost feel them. A rippling of light illuminated his mind and disappeared as quickly, and quietly as it had happened. In Elvish words, a voice spoke into his mind.
“Do you wish to enter here?”
Yes, He thought.
“Only he who knows himself may enter.”
Knows himself? I am me, I am half Elf, half Gnome...I have no family, no one.
There was no reply to his string of thoughts.
I am Bard...myself...I am a listener of hearts, a wooer of the fairer sex...I...a different thought flashed through his mind. I am searching. That was true, but there was a gnawing at his own words, something did not seem right. I am...lost. There was an odd peace to the realization. I am lost. I have been lost all my life.
A rippling light illuminated his mind once again, but this time did not disappear.
“Lost child, you will be found. However when you are no longer lost is where you shall end.”
Huh?
“Enter.”
Bard’s hand slipped through the glass as his mind quickly jarred to and he passed through the mirror into the other side.
“Welcome.” Bard recognized the voice as the one who spoke into his mind. It belonged to an ethereal Elven beauty, tall, pale, and almost alien. “It is rare I am able to entertain and am grateful for your visit.” She wore a sad smile. Bard stood, mouth agape, staring up at her. “What is it you seek?”
“Hell’s Seal.” He managed to come out of his stupor, but she only smiled at his quick response. Shaking her head, she asked again, “What is it you seek?”
His brow furrowed, then released. “The one who liberated me.”
Again, she asked this time, placing her finger to his heart, “What is it you seek?”
He looked at her hand, “Love.”
She shook her head.
He sighed, trying to reach the core of himself. “Recognition, a home...acceptance.” He looked up at her, “Acceptance.”
She nodded, “Like you I am gifted; I see a person’s true self and at times their future.”
“Why are you here?” Bard tried to hear her heart song, but found nothing.
“I have no heart to hear, my body has long since passed. What you see is simply a visage of the past.” She sat gracefully on a cushioned chair. “This is my resting place.”
“So you are trapped here, in this mirror?”
She nodded, “But do not mourn for me, little youngling, I feel no sorrow for my lot. Like you, there is one I am fated to meet and I will wait until the appointed time.”
He lowered his eyes, it was hard for him to look at a creature of such purity; he felt as though his eyes would burn. “Is there a way to free you or take you with me?”
She lightly laughed, “I have not felt such concern for some time, in your short visit you have given me an invaluable gift.” She shifted, “You will not remember me once you leave this place.” Bard’s heart fell, the thought of her lost in time in this mountain's heart pained him deeply, personally.
“I will reward you with anything you ask, if it is within my power.”
There was only one thing he wanted to ask, “What is your name?”
She closed her eyes, as if she had not even remembered herself. “Is that what you truly wish from me?”
He nodded. Like a petal floating in the wind she rose and bent to his eye level, “I will tell you.” Gently taking his face into her hands she tilted his ear to her mouth, “Seharael.” Bard’s eyes closed as he tried to burn her name into his mind. “There may be a time in which you remember our meeting.” She took his chin and moved his face in alignment with hers. “If you do, remember this, that light will always pierce through the darkest of nights.”
She kissed his lips after her parting words and Bard’s mind cleared. When he opened his eyes he found himself looking away from the mirror towards the slimed room. Brow furrowed, he looked back at the mirror’s reflection.
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