P-Traveling Chapter 25

Read Table of Content | +Kyla Scurchio
======================================================================= I Made my way out of the pagoda in low spirits. The mice scampered quickly out of my way unsure of what happened in the Pinnacle chamber but unwilling to find out. When I reached the familiar tree row I stopped and rested. Alone, and weary I slept. I knew where I had to go next and to do it on my own would probably kill me, but I had to find those mice, those Acolytes.
Morning broke all too soon. Before I left I wrote a bit in my journal as well as read from the Forgotten Book. My journal entries were becoming fewer and fewer, this was beyond what I had been assigned. I let the ancient book fall open in my lap randomly once I had finished my writing. I flipped the page and
read the small handwritten scribbles that were in the margins of each page.
"Day 21, I found a group of islands today, powerful creatures live there. My traps were useless on all the different tribes except for one. There were Tactical mice among one of the tribes while the others were Hydro, and Physical. All extremely powerful. I also found a crate of Gouda cheese, a great find for the day. Be wary future hunters, be wary of the Dragon!"
None of it made a lick of sense to me, so there was some island with more mice, more powerful mice. Big deal, what did it matter anymore? If those Acolytes were worth vanishing, maybe dying, for then what chance did we have if I failed. The book clearly said that those Acolytes needed banishing. And how was I, a mere hunter of mice, going to do that. This required a wizard, and I was fresh out.
I took the path that would lead me right by the Lab. I planned on stopping in and getting some Radioactive Blue cheese for the Mousoleum. Perhaps I could get some good hunting in while I was there. Of course the phrase "good hunting" would be used loosely. If I had any encounters like I had had with Zugzwang I wouldn’t come out of there in one piece.
The sun was blistering. I left Furoma far behind and was traveling slowly down the dusty road. Thankfully without the pack my travels were easier, lighter. The pounding of my feet sent me into a light daze. Traveling alone was worse than I could have thought it would be. I let my mind drift aimlessly, wondering where Zugzwang was now. I knew he wasn’t dead, he'd never do anything to harm himself, but where would he have gone. And how could he ask me not to try and find him. After I took care of these Acolytes I was going to do just that, find him.
My thoughts soon went to the Forgotten book. I had been denying the truths in it since it was given to me. But I knew the scribbles I'd been reading were scribbles from Zugzwang. It made my brain hurt to think how much our fates were entwined.
The lab came over the hill a little after noon. Its metal plates shined in the bright summer sun. I sighed in relief as I grew closer to it, some shade and food would be a welcomed gift. Upon reaching the door I knocked, waiting for the scientists to let me enter.
"Go away!" came a shout from the other side of the door. My mouth dropped.
"Let me in, I need rest, and provisions."
"Go away!"
I felt hot anger pulse through me; this would mean they were experimenting on something they didn’t want the king to know about until it was perfect. I could only imagine what terror they would set loose now. I sighed and continued down the path, I could just as easily go to Digby, but if I went I feared I'd never get the courage to leave again. The Mousoleum waited, I had little choice.
Thankful that I had kept all the radioactive potions we had collected the last time we had entered the lab, I decided to imbue my own radioactive cheese. I found a nearby tree and sat in the shade, pulled out some brie and my potions and got to work. There really wasn’t much too it, a bit of cheese and a drop of potion. The Brie bubbled and reformed into the rank, green glowing, cheese. I pocketed everything once more, wiped sweat from my brow and continued toward the Mousoleum.
Night appropriately fell upon me as I reached the gates to the graveyard. Fog hovered over the ground and complete silence confirmed my belief that the Acolytes came this way. I suddenly realized how much I missed the howls of the Lycan. The deep silence continued to wash over me making me twitch every time my foot crunched on the grass as I walked.
I rounded a little path that took me between the headstones and I saw it, a giant rip in the soil. I stared at it cautiously soaking up the strange sight. I had spent enough time here to know that the crack in the ground was new. I remembered briefly the earthquake Z and I had felt as we escaped last time. Was this the result?
I followed the crack slowly; as I walked along it the tear in the earth grew wider, and deeper. The depths were too far down for me to see into. I walked what seemed the length of the graveyard before I reached the end. I gasped at what lay before me.
My eyes followed an ancient set of stone steps down deep into the earth. A red glowing flickered off the earth walls threateningly. Terror ripped through me, it was like catacombs had been crafted under the graveyard, and gone unnoticed for centuries. How could we have missed this?
I took the steps so slow I felt as if I could be frozen in time. Each step echoed off the walls, and before I knew it the upper world was lost to my sight. Nothing but dirt walls and stone steps were visible to me, at least, not until I reached the bottom.
The last three steps came into view and I rushed down them.  It was like a series of halls and chambers branched off for miles. I walked down the hall directly before me, all the way to the end where a stone had been pushed aside. When I peered in my heart stopped.
The Acolytes stood facing away from the entrance muttering under their breath. I knew it was an incantation, a magic so old I would stand no chance trying to stop it. Both their arms were raised in the air over what looked like a long dead mouse. It wore red and purple robes that fell in heaps around its bone thin body. A book lay open on the floor by its feet.
"We are lucky the Sorcerer died so soon." said one of the Acolytes to the other. Its voice echoed off the walls around me. Cold and menacing.
"We are only lucky if he turns into a Lich as his ancestors have before him." spat the other. I saw the first Acolyte nod in agreement.
"It is nearly finished."
Just then my hand slipped off wall I had used to prop myself up as I leaned in for a better look. I crashed to the floor winching as I knew the Acolytes were looking. When my gaze finally tore away from the dirt floor and looked up, I regretted ever coming.
"Hello Plankrun, We've been expecting you."