149 The Dark Stairway (2/2)
We finally reached the final step and found ourselves climbing up into a small cave with an opening that led straight into desert sand.
\”Varda, now!\” I yelled.
Varda slowed her pace. She allowed Shanks to get ahead of her before she turned around and planted her hands firmly onto the ground right at the edge of the opening of the steps.
A giant spider launched itself up to attack her but it was repelled by a well-timed firebolt from Aura.
\”I call on sand and rock and soil, won't you wake for me and start to toil. Wakey, wakey and stand tall, build for me a mighty Earth Wall!\” she chanted.
Like a lid of stone, Varda's earth wall shut the opening tight with barely enough space for the giant spiders to peek through.
I heard their angry cries from the spaces between Varda's door and walked over to one just so I could flip them the finger.
A spider web shot upward, but I dodged it just in time. Then I pulled out a canister from my pack, pulled on its pin, and then dropped it into the hole.
I walked away feeling immensely satisfied as the sound of an explosion hit my ears.
\”Was that a black powder grenade, Commander?\” Varda asked.
\”Yup,\” I answered, still feeling satisfied. \”Extra power too. Zarz designed it.\”
\”You couldn't have used that earlier, Dean?\” Qwipps complained.
\”Like I said, it had an extra punch I wasn't comfortable having us be close by to witness,\” I reasoned. \”But we got out anyway.\”
I glanced around at my party mates and their sweat-stained, dirt-streaked faces and thought they were a reliable bunch. Zephyra and Shanks too, and I was going to have to figure out a way to enlist them into the Foolhardies while they fulfilled their duties to the tower.
\”Alright, let's take five before we head out of this hell hole,\” I said as the smell of sandy cave air filled my lungs.
We spent the next thirty minutes tending to any cuts and bruises we earned during our speed run out of the giant spider shaft. Then we had a midnight snack of elf tea and elvish wayfarer bread, both delicacies that helped to energize a person for another long journey.
Incidentally, the bread tasted a lot like baked toast but with a hint of something fruity in it. Elf tea was always good, relaxing and warm to the throat as one chugs it down.
Ty woke up sometime during midnight snack. No doubt, his growling stomach had something to do with it.
He couldn't believe me when I told him how awesome his magic was. Of course, I left out the part where he scared us shitless.
\”I really saved everyone?\” he asked as he looked at the palm of his hands.
\”Yup,\” I said, slapping him playfully on the back with my hand. \”But maybe you don't pass out next time.\”
Aura came over and offered Ty a vial of one of our precious mana potions.
Ty reached out for the vial whose liquid content glowed faintly with its own inner light.
\”What is it?\” he asked.
\”You're about to get a kick out of this, Ty,\” I said, laughing. \”It's a mana potion like in those RPGs you love to play so much.\”
\”For real?\” he asked as he gazed down at the vial in his hands. After a few seconds, he looked up at Aura from where he sat beside me and asked, \”Do I just drink it?\”
\”Whoa-whoa, hold on!\” I said, raising my hand to stop him. I also glanced over at my partner. \”Does he really need to, Aura?\”
She nodded her head. \”Ty's been overtaxing the magic inside him. That's why he lost consciousness… I'm actually surprised you could still manage an ice spell of that magnitude despite summoning such a powerful spirit earlier…\”
\”So I just drink this and it refills my mana? Just like that?\” he asked.
\”It does refill your mana somewhat but it'll take time for you to regenerate your own magic, Ty, so don't overuse it anymore tonight,\” she warned.
\”What happens if he does use magic again tonight?\” I asked concerned.
Aura's brow furrowed.
\”Ty has no control of his magic so he's using mana in excess even for the simplest spells,\” she explained. \”If he overburdens himself again… I'm afraid he could die.\”