Gazing around at the top of the steps, the ex-gladiator wonders at the obvious but unnecessary thickness of the stone walls either side. They form a roughly hewn, narrow corridor, allowing only a single-file marching order, but his teammates stay close behind. The sensitive-nosed Mir Hundur and ever-alert Liga Bur, with the fiery Dijonn back in his Halfling-hand, guard the rear.
Advancing crab-like along the left hand wall to maximise his shield defence, Fortu turns a corner to see an invitingly soft light pour from one side of the T-junction ahead… And he feels a subtle pull in the back of his mind. Inching forward, the arena Fighter peers around the edge to spot, about twenty-feet back from the junction, a huge pile of gold coins. Thousands! Hundreds of thousands! More than he can even guess at!
Fortu feels that tug again, but what use does he have for gold? Warning everyone behind, he turns left and keeps moving. The others shuffle pass until Barbella’s face is lit by the sparkling pile of illuminated gold. He pauses, licking his lips for a moment, before being rudely shoved forward by Henshaw.
"Don't be fooled. It's just an illusion to trick the weak minded."
Henshaw stops abruptly as he finishes his sentence and, suddenly worried, glances back over his shoulder.
“Doberman! Put your hand on Rifkin’s shoulder and keep your eyes squeezed tight shut 'til me or the Bard tells you otherwise!”
The next junction Fortu comes to, offers a stack of brightly coloured potion bottles. Blue, red, green; there must be hundreds of them and again, the Warrior feels a stronger tug of desire, but potions are just temporary solutions and he pushes on. This time it’s Henshaw who buckles and Barbella who roughly yanks his straw-thatched friend out of trouble.
"Who’s the weak minded fool now?”
The last junction is just before the stone steps up to the next level and the enchantment is strongest here. Strewn about fifteen-feet from the corridor entrance are glowing swords, shields, rings, wands and armour. All of them are patently magical and just waiting to be plucked from the ground!
Fortu can’t help but stop this time and stare. It takes all the will he can muster not to hustle down that corridor and scoop the items up, but some part of him, the more rational side holds sway. He can almost hear a powerful but strangely gentle voice warning him not to give in to his base desires. Instead, using his body as a literal wall to block sight and entrance, he ushers Arowe and then the others up the stone steps to his right. It's only when Liga Bur rides past him with a questioning look, does Fortu manage to fully drag himself away from temptation and up the steps after his teammates.
I 'Pity the fool'
ReplyDeleteAlthough I do kinda wanna know what sort of trap would of been sprung?
How badly do you want to know? :D
ReplyDelete