The Battle of Euangelion: Reborn

Chapter 18: Chaos in the Caves

In Sage's Chamber, Phoebus' ax pierced the rock a few feet above the cliff where the artifact was shining. He pried the ax loose and started screwing in the second hook he needed to support the rope attached to his body harness while creating an elementary pulley system. Just in case the hooks would fail, he also made use of some of the sharp-edged rock in between. He tested the support by descending a few inches, tensing the rope, and gently kicking his body away from the chamber wall. It was successful.

Now he could abseil his way down to the artifact.

Aurelia was still on the ground and positioned herself underneath the cliff, ready to catch the artifact if it escaped Phoebus' grasp and fell. The orders were clear, it needed to be retrieved in one piece.

"Remember to use the chisel when working around the artifact, we can't risk damaging it with the ax," she reminded Phoebus.

"I know I know," Phoebus rappelled down until the artifact was level with his shoulders and anchored his back against the wall by turning around and securing his legs against the cliff. This made it possible to partially lean over the cliff and support his torso on his left arm leaving the right one free to feel how tightly the artifact was planted in there. He grabbed hold of the object's black glass sticking out from its calcified edges and attempted to give it a wiggle.

"It's really stuck in there," he said before letting go and removing his light-emitting crystal which he had partially tucked in his sleeve and balanced it on the cliff. Thereafter he retrieved the chisel and mallet from the satchel dangling over his shoulder. He moved his left arm a bit forward to hold the chisel in place and carefully started hammering it with the mallet.

"I wonder how it got here," he thought out loud as he chiseled around the object's fossilized exterior. Judging by the rocky surroundings' deterioration, it's clearly been there for a very long time.

After a few minutes of chiseling, the artifact had been loosened up like a tooth ripe for pulling. Phoebus put the tools back in his satchel and began wiggling the object again. This time it liberally moved along with Phoebus' hand, so he began giving it a few small tugs. He finished with a more forceful pull and was delighted to see the object finally being disconnected from the cliff.

"I got it!" he yelled down to Aurelia who had grown just as ecstatic after witnessing the glassy artifact glinting in his hand.

At that moment a loud thundering noise trembled the wall Phoebus was anchoring himself against. He quickly lost his balance and was forced to grab onto the rope. The trembling continued and practically shook the artifact out of his hand. It fell 50 feet before landing in Aurelia's arms. The impact knocked her off her feet but she and the artifact were both still in one piece.

"Phoebus get down from there!" she yelled as the trembling still hadn't subsided. He grabbed his crystal and rapidly started roping down the wall. By the time he got to the bottom, the trembling stopped.

Aurelia ran towards him holding the artifact in one hand and swinging the vacant one over his neck. He lifted his eyes and observed the still wall.

"What do you suppose that was?" he asked after Aurelia released his neck.

"I don't know. Maybe it was because of the artifact?" She reminded them both of what was in her arms. They examined the oddly shaped object from all angles up close, but other than noticing that it was either entirely made of or entirely covered with black glass, it still remained a mystery.

"If that's the case, we need to find Rufus and Alexis and get out of here," he emptied out all of the tools that were no longer necessary and placed the glassy artifact in his satchel. Aurelia gathered up all her scrolls and dove for the tunnel first at Phoebus' command. She still had to help him get through to the other chamber, but a different kind of resolve seemed to have gotten hold of him this time around and they both crawled through relatively quickly.