The Dao of Magic

84 - Discourse

Weird shadows all around, Tess is having the time of her life. Instead of sticking to the dank corners, she can - in this room - traverse all where the light normally reaches. She pops a hand from the middle of a large, square block, stabbing a slightly darker shade in the midsection. It collapses as the spear made from shadows attracts the very fabric the construct is made of and a dark crystal falls from the ceiling.

Instead of crashing and breaking, it disappears the moment it lands. Only Tess can see this though, and she guides the speedy piece of mana through the shadows, making it shoot out of her hand. Against the back of Ket's head.

"Catch."

Rubbing the back of his head, Ket looks at the smiling girl with an annoyed expression. "You are supposed to say that before you throw it."

"I didn't throw it though, I just re-routed its speed."

"Don't start lecturing me on technicalities, hurry up and kill those shadow things. You are the only one who can actually see in here."

Smile on her face, she lets the shadows all around swallow her. She winks just before her head disappears under the dark surface and Ket is barely able to prevent another fragment of solid mana crashing into his face.

The half blind group follows a grumbling Ket as they traverse the weird environment. Vox is constantly glowing, his shining exterior fighting the darkness pouring down from overhead. His pale face is even paler than usual. Occasionally, he puts the green gem in his free hand to his forehead, putting it away when they start moving again. He shifts his arm wrapped around his sister, brushing against Agenta's fur who is holding Ares up on her other side.

"I am getting worried, Ares has not said a single word since we left the resting area."

"She'll be fine. I can't image that Teach doesn't know what is happening right now." Replies Angeta as she sniffs the air. "A bit to the left, I smell fresh air over there."

"Lola, hold still. Why are you squirming around so much, whoops." Selis barely keeps standing as the shadows hide an uneven patch of floor.

"Do we have any Ascending Rose Extract Water from a divine source?" Vox asks as the group waits. Tess throws a few more mana crystals their way and they start moving again.

"Is that good eating?"

"No Bord, it's actually highly poisonous, but it might suppress her symptoms. What about a fragment of an Underworld Stream of Sapped Souls? That would be useful right about now."

"Do you see any underworld soul things around here?" growls Angeta as she kicks a square piece of floor from her path. The slightly glowing shadow under the cube disappears and she keeps walking.

"No, but I don't know what you all have in your rings. How about Moonling Dancing Grass of the Sickle?"

"Oooh, is that a white flower with sharp edges?" asks Selis.

"YES, please give it to me."

"I don't have any, but Tree was growing lots of them in the garden."

Incoherent sounds flow from Vox's lips as he curses under his breath. Ares joins him with a weak groan as she hits her shin against a triangular black rock.

"Lola, hold still. Walking in this darkness is hard enough without you acting up. What's wrong?" The small girl holds on to the struggling rabbit with all her might. The critter only calms down when they finally reach the entrance.

The shadowed stairway is a lot brighter than the previous room and sighs of relief can be heard as the group finally can see where they are walking again. Only Tess looks back at the room with a longing gaze while juggling some dark crystals.