Ch4-3: The Sealed Cave
“Come on! Let’s do it!”
“Edhan, no…”
“Why not? You’ve done it before, haven’t you?”
“Yes, but…”
“You’re not scared, are you Miss Rydia?”
“No, of course not!”
“Then let’s do it!”
“Now who’s the teacher and who’s the student here?” the young caller frowned.
“That’s a good question,” Edhan smirked in reply.
“Don’t get feisty with me, young man!” Rydia smirked back.
“Forgive me. It’s a dragon’s nature.”
The girl gave a soft clicking of her tongue in mock frustration. By now Rydia was well used to Edhan’s quipping comments and playfully arrogant tendencies. After all, she had been his mentor from a very young age.
Needless to say, the two of them had become close during that time. It was hard to find one of them without the other. Especially since Edhan fancied himself as an esteemed guardian over his favorite teacher. Not that she really minded his company. Due to his dual-nature of forms, he was the closest thing that Rydia had to a human friend in the Underworld.
And as much as she liked her home in the Land of Summoned Monsters, there were times when she found that she did sorely miss the companionship of others like herself. And during these times, there was one face in particular that came to her mind…
“Weeeeeeelll?” Edhan jabbed her gently in the arm, breaking her line of concentration. He then began to tug at her robes, pulling her towards the entrance of the Sealed Cave. “Let’s go! Let’s go!”
“Edhan… I said no.”
His face fell. “Why not?”
“Because it’s dangerous.”
“But didn’t you tell me that you defeated most of the creatures in here before?”
“That was a long time ago. And I had a lot of help.”
“Ohhh… I see…” his tone turned somewhat jealous. “So you’ll go in with your Overworld friends but you won’t go in with me! Don’t you think I’m strong enough to fight at your side? When will I finally get to see some action?!”
“That’s not what I meant and you know it,” she frowned in return. “The Sealed Cave is a sacred area. A Crystal sleeps within. It’s not the sort of place you go to hunt down monsters for training.”
“You people and your Crystals,” Edhan snorted.
“If you had lived through the Crystal War, you wouldn’t be talking like that,” Rydia waved a finger at him. “Besides. The Sealed Cave gets its name from the fact that it is sealed. I’m pretty sure the Dwarves put the seal back up once we returned the Crystal to its chambers. So we probably couldn’t go inside even if we wanted to.”
“What… is there some sort of key or something?”
“Yeah, actually, there is,” she nodded.
“And who holds the key to opening the cave?”
“The Dwarven princess… why?”
“Because it sure looks like the door is wide open to me.”
Rydia turned around despite the fact it was probably just another one of his made-ya-look jokes. Her green eyes focused upon the door to the Sealed Cave only a handful of yards away. The heated gasses in the air shifted and wavered, making her vision blurry. A trickle of alarm sped down her spine as she visually traced the darkened area where the door should have been.
It looked wide open to her, too.
“It can’t be…” Her feet made a pattern of sound upon the solid mass of magma as she strode towards the cave. “Why in Shiva’s name would they have released the seal?”
“We should find out!” Edhan followed, a mischievous expression drawn across his face.
The caller stopped short just within the doorway of the cave. Cautiously she ran her fingers along the side of the smooth mouth. She drew back with a start as the stone hissed, burning and smoking at the touch. Her face grew troubled as she leaned in for a closer inspection.
“Edhan…” Rydia’s voice wavered. “I think… someone forced this seal open.”
“What do you mean?” His cheerful expression faltered and faded into a true concern.
“I’m not sure… but it doesn’t look like the seal was opened by natural means,” Her eyes shimmered in the fire light. “And if someone’s broken in… that can only mean…”
“They’re after the Dark Crystal?”
Rydia pursed her lips.
Edhan was already on his way towards the door.
“Wait! Where are you going?” she demanded.
“Inside, of course! If someone is after the Crystal, we’ve got to stop them.”
“With what army?”
“We’re plenty strong!”
“I don’t know…” Rydia frowned. “Whoever did this was powerful enough to force the Dwarven seal. That’s no little thing.”
“Well… what do you think we should do? Just stand by and let them take the Crystal?” Edhan scowled.
“No… but…” the caller paused, staring into the mouth of the cave.
That’s when she felt it. A prickle of energy ran through her body. Rydia stiffened, hand gripping the whip at her side.
A voice echoed off the rocks, the sound growing in magnitude as the sound rebounded, “It is wise to take precaution, little girl.”
Edhan gave a short hiss, his violet eyes flicking sharply towards the shadows near the lava pools.
Knowing that the young dragon's senses were far better than her own, the caller turned on her heel to peer in the direction in which he was looking. Raising her voice, she gave a shout towards the rising heat-mist, “You would do well not to run now that we know that you’re here!”
“Run?” the scoff slid back through the brine. It was accompanied with a low throaty laugh. “You’re the one that should be running, human-child.”
Rydia balled one fist. If there was anything she couldn’t stand it was when someone treated her like a child. Long purposeful strides carried her across the magma flotsam towards where the lava gathered. Her long green hair billowed back by the blasts of heat that threatened to turn her back.
A figure rose, stepping out to meet the caller from behind the pillars of ruddy rock. A pair of cold, blue eyes flickered from under a sweep of blue and green hair. The flame light reflected from plated armor, bathing it in a bloody hue. From the silhouette alone, it was obvious that the figure was a woman.
The caller wasted no time, flipping her whip out with a sharp demand, “Where is the Dark Crystal?”
A slow smile spread over the woman’s face. As she drew closer, Rydia could see the dapple of red playing off the honed edge of her spear. Primal designs streaked her face in war-painted arrays.
Rydia’s face darkened as she repeated, “Where is the Dark Crystal?”
The woman leaned back, spiking her spear into the surface of the rock. She began to chuckle in a deep, mocking sound.
“Who does she think she is?” Edhan growled under his breath. Lifting his chin, he barked, “I, Edhan of the Land of Summoned Monsters, demand you to answer the question!”
The laughter stopped as the stranger leaned forward. “Is that so?”
The red-haired man stood his ground, face stern.
“Edhan, is it?” She strode forward slowly. Her smirk grew once again, “From the domesticated tribe?”
“Domesticated?” he growled.
“Ah… yes… you’ve given yourselves over as being pets to the humans.”
“Pets!”
“Quite a shame, I’d say. Such power… but you choose to remain dormant in your underground realms while the humans caper about on the upperlands.” Her eyes glittered coldly, “Or have your people grown so weak that you actually fear those parasites?”
“I beg your pardon?” Rydia snapped.
“Silence! I am not talking to you, low-life!” Her spear lifted in one fist.
“Too bad! Because I’m talking to you!” the girl stormed forward, a challenge ringing in her tone.
“Truly?” The point of the blade leveled at Rydia in one smooth motion. “You must be the Underworld caller that I’ve heard word of.”
“I am,” Rydia faced the spear without the slightest hint of alarm.
“A confident little louse, aren’t you?”
Edhan snarled, “Come on, Miss Rydia! Let’s sho–”
“Edhan,” the caller interrupted. “Go guard the head of the Sealed Cave.”
“What!?”
“I’ll take care of this,” her tone was no-nonsense. “Just make sure no one comes in or out of that cave. We still have the Crystal to protect!”
His mouth opened to object. But one look at Rydia’s face was all he needed to realize the girl was in no mood to hear arguments.
“This is against my better judgment,” the young dragon grunted as he turned and made his way back towards the mouth of the cave.
The stranger made a clicking sound with her tongue. “Now that was stupid. You send away the one edge you might have had on the situation.”
“You really think you’re that good?”
“I know I am. And there’s a vast difference between thinking and knowing.”
“Let’s see it then,” Rydia lifted her hand in front of her, heat gathering in slow pulses of soft green light, outlining her fingers. Static energy began to crackle, tracing and leaping from the tops of the stone pillars around them.
“I don’t usually waste my time on your kind… but it seems like you need a lesson in humility,” the smirk on the woman’s face grew. Just a quick flick of the wrist in Rydia’s direction sent a bolt of blue energy streaming from her fingers at the caller.
“Shiva!!” All concentration shattered, the girl flung herself out of the spell’s reach. Rolling to her feet, she began to ready a second attack. This time it was an ice spell.
Just as her own energy began to gather, the stranger brought both her hands up over her head. With a powerful downward thrust, glaciers of ice began to storm down upon Rydia. The caller gave a startled cry as she fell back under the weight of the frozen stone. Staggering and stumbling over the hardened magma, the girl fought to drag herself behind one of the pillars and out from under the artic torrent.
Breathing heavily, Rydia pressed her back to the stone. Her hands were shaking slightly. Somewhere within the battle of magic she had lost track of her whip.
“Well now, little girl. Is that all the famed caller of the Underworld has to show?” the woman’s mocking laughter burned in Rydia’s ears.
Frantically, the caller fought to formulate some manner of battle plan. It was obvious that this woman was doing nothing more than mocking her. The frightening thing was the matter that the stranger could cast the same level of magic that Rydia could… only at twice the speed.
And it seemed to come as no effort at all to the woman.
“How can she possibly cast so fast?” The girl whispered to herself, “I need something to distract her…”
Rydia’s eyes slid toward the direction in which she had just dismissed Edhan. Suddenly, she really wished he was there to help. He might have been able to keep the woman busy as she got a few spells in. At this point, nothing she could cast would be fast enough… the higher level spells were far out of the question.
The caller’s brows drew down in quiet determination as she began to gather energy around her for one last try. Summoning magic was her strongest skill by far… and something she was more than confident that her opponent could not match head to head. Hopefully it would be enough to catch the stranger by surprise and even disarm her confidence to make way for further attacks.
But as Rydia stepped out from behind the pillar, she found her stance mirrored by her adversary. The other woman was also pulling energy within her and calling out to the waiting void… an act that was all too familiar.
“No…!” The caller’s eyes widened.
The woman raised her hand, the flickering shadows of a Summon rising to her command.
An unearthly howl broke the air, setting the hairs on the back of Rydia’s neck standing upright. A ghostly form wavered into view far above her head… fur and fangs and two chillingly dead-colored eyes. Though the summoned creature looked like a very large wolf, a pair of spectral wings held it aloft in sharp descent.
“Windham!” the woman barked. With a quick thrust of her finger, the creature bounded straight for the caller.
All chances of summoning fled from Rydia’s mind. She reeled back with a hoarse cry as the beast leaped in an ethereal arc, gleaming fangs ripping for her throat. The girl threw one hand up, stumbling as the weight of the beast bore down upon her.
A pale, white light cast over the world… a luminous silence flooded her vision. For a moment, she could not tell the difference between dream and reality. Everything grew hazy as the light swept across the hissing lava pools. When Rydia next looked up, the Summon was gone.
She had miraculously remained unhurt.
“Whaaaaat!?” the stranger barked, obviously taken aback at the loss of her creature.
Dumbfounded, Rydia rose to her feet. Her eyes strayed over one shoulder towards the source of the light, which was now slowly dimming. The Sealed Cave.
“Edhan!”
Forgetting the battle, Rydia broke into a run. She could hear the echo of the other woman’s footsteps rushing after her. But she did not care. All thoughts were turned to her companion, a fearful dread rising up within her heart.
As the caller slid around the side of the final set of pillars, she gave a sharp gasp. Skidding to a halt, her green eyes darted over the scene that played before her. Every sense within her body told her that something was terribly, terribly wrong. That’s when her attention fell on the Crystal.
A girl was holding the Crystal. Though she looked to be quite young, her hair was as white as moonlight strands. Her manner of dress was strange, unlike anything that Rydia had ever seen in the Upperlands. Her ahura was familiar. Yet it was certainly not human.
The most concerning thing was the Crystal the girl held between her hands. It was not the Dark Crystal. In fact, it was not a Crystal that Rydia recognized at all. It shimmered in an acutely aware light — much like the Crystals that Rydia had seen upon the Red Moon.
It was from this Crystal that the white light came.
Edhan was doubled over, held back against the side of the cave. A quiet halo of silvery Crystal-light outlined his body, keeping him from moving. Though he didn’t seem to be hurt, he also did not give outward signs of being conscious.
“What sort of power is this..?” the caller hissed softly.
The white-haired girl was staring at Edhan with a shaken look on her face. She held the strange Crystal before her in a defensive manner, somewhat like a shield. Her fingers trembled, cupping the power between them and keeping the stone close to her chest.
“Did you get it?” the woman’s voice demanded from behind.
Rydia turned with a hiss. She had been so engrossed with the Crystal that she had nearly forgotten about her assailant. Now, Edhan was out of the picture… An unknown Crystal had come into play… And it was two against one.
The caller began to back away.
The white-haired girl turned to look at her companion. Then her green eyes fell upon Rydia. A trickle of sorrow flickered behind their depths. Finally, her voice rose in an answer.
“I got it. Let’s go.”
“After I finish this one off.”
“No… No more bloodshed!” the white-haired girl pleaded with a pained face
The stranger gave a low-throated grunt. It almost sounded like a growl. “Then what would you have me do?”
“Let her go. We’ve got what we came for!”
“Do you not know who this is?”
The white haired girl shook her head.
“Rydia of Mist. The last of the human callers… and a close companion of King Cecil,” the woman answered quickly. “She is most certainly an enemy… and one we’d be better off not leaving alive.”
“If she’s only a human, is she really that threatening?”
“No…” a slow, dark smirk crossed the woman’s face. “But she might be an object of use.”
Rydia’s eyes widened. “What do you think you’re going to–”
“Bind her,” she demanded of the white haired girl.
“What?!” the girl choked.
“Bind her… and gag her while you’re at it.”
“I…”
“Either we take her or I kill her. But, I’m not letting her go,” the woman stated finally.
The white haired girl turned to peer over at Rydia. There was a look of reluctance as she lifted the shimmering Crystal between her hands.
Rydia stumbled back one step before the brilliance of the Crystal’s light exploded through her mind. Instantly, she could feel her limbs stiffen, her body no longer an instrument of her own mind’s control. Her vision sparked with multicolored spots, the light blinding her.
Helpless to speak or even move, she felt herself taken. A rough set of hands shoved her forward at a quick-stepping pace. Rydia had no choice but to walk.
Somewhere behind her, she could hear Edhan’s voice calling weakly, “Uhnnn… Miss Rydia?! Miss Rydia!”
Though she fought to break free of the power that held her, there was nothing she could do. Edhan’s calls began to sound further and further away… until she could not hear them anymore.