"Fragments - The Broken Bonds" - Chapter 8 - Mount Gerion

Nathaniel was very busy that day, finalizing some potions and pills he needed for the journey, securing watertight pouches for his smoke powder, as well as memorizing a handful of spells he thought necessary. The journey will be a hard one, but getting the Skull Orb is the hardest part of it all. Sera had given him all the needed information, including the location of the item. Sadly, the ceremonial room deep within the bowels of mount Gerion is his target. It would have been a lot easier if spells did actually work in the realms of Kimohr, but one will have to be of equal level or given permission by the archjourdain before a spell can be cast in such a place.

Kimohr is indeed one among the four prime servants of the Lord of Darkness on Asperah. Being the archjourdain of water, he is rumored to be the most scheming of all, never showing his true intent until he is sure of victory. His icy realm draws forth on the souls of the dead who drift the aether once Ansha's angels fail to meet them and carry them to the heavenly halls or they escape the jourdain demons of Gaul trying to drag them into the fiery abyss.

The Lake of Souls it was called, a pool of water within the heart of mount Gerion, connecting with the river Sett. That was his point of entry into the great icy fortress. Kimohr draws on this very same pool for giving life to his undead creations, the dreaded inofrii.

"This seems enough. Nathaniel said, satisfied with all the preparation, strapping a belt of reagents around his waist. "One thing an alchemage can do better than a wizard is to survive without magic.

Nathaniel walked outside, smelling the breeze that had just formed around Sparion forest, as though bidding him farewell. Locking up the laboratory and casting a cloaking spell upon it, he began to walk towards the clearing where the great river Sett passed.

"It should be faster to travel by water. The river is in a rush today. He observed, recalling a magic bubble incantation. His collection of cheap, low level spells would astonish even the greatest of mages. No one of his occupation ever paid great attention to such worthless incantations. They would rather transport themselves to a certain place by a magical portal. That trick however, would not work in a place where magic is forbidden.

Slowly, a pocket of air began to form around Nathaniel, compressing itself as he drew the spell to a close. Stepping towards a deep section of the rushing waters, he let himself be carried off by its force, descending little by little until his whole body is submerged. The river is unusually deep at some areas, and the underwater view excited the young spirit mage a lot. He had always been fascinated with the creatures of Asperah. He swore that when he had the time, he would make a compilation to sort each and everyone of them in a library.

"Let's see¦the passageway should be marked by a great stone door marked with a skull¦ Nathan murmured within the bubble of air, tracing the river floor where he passed. He had to keep focus and see it when it appears, otherwise he will have to do it all over again. Almost an hour passed before he caught signs of strange markings on the riverbed, embedded right on where he was standing, covered with a great deal of moss.

Nathaniel uttered a spell to steady the bubble and knelt on the river floor. "This is it. He said with a slight grin of excitement. "It seems no one has been through this path for a long time now.

Quickly canceling the bubble spell, Nathaniel struggled to hold his breath, clearing the moss with his hands frantically. A massive circular stone door was revealed to him. On it was the symbol of a great skull, with fire carved on its forehead. Writings were inscribed upon the edges of the door, speaking in an ancient tongue that even Nathaniel had a hard time deciphering it. Fortunately, he had some good background in artifice to be familiar enough with ancient text. *Close one's eyes and call upon the souls of the long departed¦* He uttered the words in his mind. *¦and they shall carry you with them towards this doom befallen upon those who are in restless death.*

Nathaniel gasped and swallowed a good deal of water in surprise as a great vacuum drew him into the door. The great circular stone descended and water poured inside like a drainage sucking in the whole river itself. The spirit mage's eyes closed, hoping against hope that he would not hit anything hard while being drawn at a great speed into a great void of nothingness. The journey seemed like a whole eternity and soon, lacking good air to breathe, everything went black.

The young mage could still hear a strange buzzing in his ears when he at last came to his senses, soaking wet but safely on solid ground. It was dark, but torchlight illuminated parts of the area he was in. Sitting up quickly, he got to his bearings, drawing a small timepiece from his pouch. "The third watch is almost past. He murmured. "I have been unconscious for a long time.

Nathaniel turned to hear the sound of gentle waters behind him, only to behold a crystal clear lake deep within the cavernous place he was in. "The Lake of Souls? He gasped. "I just got dumped from the river Sett into the lake! ¦This would mean that the river Sett is indeed connected to it.

His mind rushed at the realization. If this was indeed the Lake of Souls, then he was deep within the bowels of Mount Gerion. The waters seemed like that of an ordinary lake except for a faint hint of eerie sounds emanating from within it. Nathaniel took to his feet and checked his belongings. He had lost half of the supplies he carried and most of what he had were already ruined by the water. "Now there should be a passageway leading out of here. He said, looking around. "Then I will have to worry about Inofrii scouts. He added worriedly. Legend has it that the inofrii held the lake sacred and only Kimohr entered the area during special ceremonies to raise the undead.

Nathaniel tried a simple incantation at first, testing the rumors of the anti-magic that exists in Kimohr's realms. The spell fizzled. One after another, Nathaniel exhausted his library of spells only to find out that not one of them can take effect. "You have really done it now, Nathan¦ He murmured. "But I cannot sit here all day.

Picking one of the passageways leading out of the cavern, Nathaniel began the slow exploration of the insides of Mount Gerion. Nothing seemed special about it and there seemed to be no one around. Eerie voices were all he could hear, along with the constant trickle of water along the cave walls. "Something is not right¦ He murmured, somehow suspecting that he is being watched from the shadows. He turned around, lighting some black powder he carried in an airtight bag with a piece of flint and throwing it across the tunnel he was taking. The whole area illuminated. He could hear shrieks from both ends as well as the scuttle of little feet. "This is not good¦not good at all.

The light lasted for a few seconds, and there was darkness again. Nathaniel broke into a run, hastily trying to get out of the passage as fast as his feet could carry him. He felt something claw at his boots, barely missing but taking a good scratch at its fine leather surface. Igniting one good bag of black powder blew the creature to pieces while he took cover in a small bend along the path. Now he heard heavier footsteps coming from somewhere along the tunnels. It was as though he awakened a bigger creature with the explosion he created. Ignoring it, he continued to run, until he finally reached the faint light at the edge of the tunnel.

"By Ansha's girdle! He exclaimed in surprise. Before him was a great expanse, divided by chasms and jutting rocks. A small world existed within Mount Gerion¦a world of the undead. Dark clouds hung overhead, encircling a dark castle of some sort from a great distance, surrounded by Yfreen bat-folk, their shrieks echoing across the realm. Everything was gray and his vision was cloudy, but he knew well that it was where he would have to go. Nathaniel stood there in awe, but knew he had no time to waste. It will take a day or so before he could reach the castle itself. Immediately, he began the steep climb down the chasm, towards the looming darkness which held the one thing he came for, the Skull Orb.