by F. P. Spirit
“Thanks.” Lloyd gave the halfling a self-conscious smile, then bent down and grabbed the disc. Nothing happened. Lloyd stood there holding the disc in his hand then looked up at the others, a sigh escaping his lips. “I don’t think it’s working.”
“Umm, you might want to check again,” Seth told him with a nod toward the young man’s hand. The disc that Lloyd held had begun to glow, growing brighter and brighter until everyone had to shield their eyes. Abruptly the light vanished. Lloyd was the first to speak, his voice filled with confusion.
“Where did it go?”
Glo unshielded his eyes. The disc was gone from Lloyd’s hand, however, a bright red glow, the same shape and size of the small disc, now shone at his groin.
“Umm, Lloyd, you might want to look down,” Seth said, staring unabashedly at the young man’s torso.
Lloyd glanced downward, a single word escaping his lips. “Whoa.”
The red glow slowly faded then finally disappeared. Elladan stepped forward and placed a hand on Lloyd’s shoulder. “How do you feel?”
“I feel—great!” A smile slowly spread across Lloyd’s lips until it broke out into a full-fledged grin. “I feel—stronger.”
Elladan turned to Elistra with a questioning look. “Is that possible?”
Elistra pursed her lips, her expression growing reflective as she thought over this strange new development. “It might be, if the disc were some kind of chakra tattoo.”
Glo eyed the seeress curiously, a single eyebrow raised, and repeated her last two words. “Chakra tattoo?”
Elistra peered back at him with a small smile. “It’s a symbol that enhances the abilities associated with a specific chakra point.”
Elladan let out a short, closedmouthed laugh. “So are you saying Lloyd has an actual tattoo down there?”
“More than likely.” The seeress’s eyes sparkled with amusement.
Lloyd’s cheeks swiftly turned a bright shade of scarlet. “Well, I’m not going to check.”
“Trust me, no one wants you to,” Seth agreed fervently.
“So what did you say the second one is?”
Elistra turned to face Donnie, an amused smile on her lips. “Emotion. Although I’ve also heard it referred to as passion, creativity or sensuality.”
Donnie gave Elladan a speculative glance. “That could be either of us.”
“No, no, no.” Elladan shooed him toward next platform. “I’ve got the voice one. You go for it.”
Donnie shrugged, spreading his hands outward. “Okay, if you insist.”
The slight elf led the way to the next platform in the circle, the others following close behind. When they got there, Seth knelt down to check the pedestal. A short while later, he stood up and backed away. “All clear.”
Donnie gave him a brief nod, then slowly bent down to grab the disc. Before grasping, he turned toward Elladan one last time. “You sure?”
The bard nodded. “Positive.”
“Okay then.” Donnie turned back to the dais and grabbed the orange disc. The same thing happened as with Lloyd. At first the disc lay quietly in his hand, then abruptly began to glow. A bright orange light filled the chamber then slowly faded and disappeared. When it was over, a bright orange symbol appeared on Donnie’s torso, just below the navel. It soon vanished.
Elladan eyed the slight elf with thinly veiled amusement. “So how do you feel, Donnie?”
“I feel—”
“What are you feeling?” a voice interrupted him.
They all spun around and saw Ruka standing behind them.
“Ruka—” Donnie sputtered, “—what are you doing here?”
The young teen folder her arms across her chest, her eyes practically burning holes into the slight elf.
“I mean, aren’t you supposed to be guarding the stairs?” Donnie swiftly amended.
Ruka nodded over her shoulder. Glo looked behind her and saw Lloyd now standing at the stairwell. When the young man realized they were looking his way, he waved to them.
“I asked Lloyd to swap with me,” Ruka explained. Her eyes dropped to Donnie’s lower torso, a wide smirk crossing her lips. “So why were you glowing down there?”
Donnie’s cheeks swiftly reddened. “Well... um...”
Elistra came to the embarrassed elf’s rescue, going into a detailed explanation of what they had discovered. She told Ruka about chakras, their theory about the discs being keys, and finished with the chakra tattoos and their effects. When she was done, Ruka turned back to Donnie. The young teen wore a wicked grin. “So, Donnie, are you going to show us your tattoo?”
“Ruka!” Donnie cried, his entire face turning scarlet.
Elladan burst into outright laughter. Alana, Elistra, and Glo all chuckled. Aksel wore a thin smile on his lips, but Seth just shook his head. “Um, no. Just—no.”
Ruka’s eyes flickered around the group then back to Donnie, dancing with amusement as they fixed once more on the slight elf’s lower torso. Aksel cleared his throat in an obvious attempt to stifle a laugh. “Ahem, back to the matter at hand. Ruka, would you like to try a disc?”
Ruka pointed to her chest, her eyes going wide. “Me? No, thank you—not really my thing.” With that, the young teen spun around and strode away. “I’ll send Lloyd back to you,” she called over her shoulder.
“Well then, shall we move onto the next disc?” Glo tried hard to hold in his laughter.
The group moved over to the next pedestal in the circle, Lloyd rejoining them. This disc was yellow, the one Elistra referred to as “mind”. Everyone agreed that Glo should try this disc. Once Seth cleared the platform, Glo stepped forward and bent down to grasp the disc. It felt cool to the touch. He stood up and held it in his hand.
After a few seconds, it began to glow. As the disc brightened, it also warmed to the touch. When it grew so bright that he could no longer look it at, it had become hot in his hand. Just when Glo felt he would have to drop it, the disc suddenly disappeared. The heat, however, did not. Instead, it traveled up his arm and into his body, shooting down his spine to a point between his heart and his navel. It stopped there, pulsing warmly in his abdomen.
Abruptly, the image of a yellow disc appeared over the spot. It glowed for about half a minute, then faded away. The warmth had disappeared as well. At that same moment, his mind began to race, images flooding through his head from the last few weeks. He relived everything that had happened since their first encounter with the orcs in the Bendenwoods. It all passed before his eyes in a matter of seconds, every color and every detail as vivid as if he was still there. It was as if his mind had somehow expanded and enhanced his memory.
“Glo, are you alright?” a gentle voice interrupted his thoughts. It was Elistra. His eyes refocused on a lovely pair of violet ones directly in front of him. Those eyes were filled with concern.
“I’m—fine,” Glo answered slowly. “Just adjusting to the effects of the tattoo.”
Elistra grabbed his arm and held onto him as the group moved on to the next dais. Upon that pedestal sat the green disc, the one associated with the heart chakra. While Seth checked the platform, the others debated who should try this disc. It came down to Aksel or Alana, but in the end it was decided that the spirit disc would fit Aksel the best. Therefore, Alana stepped forward to claim the heart disc.
The lady knight repeated the process Glo had just experienced, ultimately resulting in a green disc appearing over her heart. Once it disappeared, Alana’s face softened, a wide smile spread across her lips. The lady warrior was rather lovely, a fact she usually kept hidden with her serious countenance. Alana’s eyes swept fondly around the gathered group.
“I am so lucky to have comrades like you.”
Donnie reached out and grasped her hand. “As are we in you, milady.
> Alana peered back at him graciously, her eyes brimming with tears.
“Get a room, you two.” Seth stood there gazing at the duo with a wide smirk.
The next disc down the circle was the blue one, the voice chakra. Elladan had already claimed that one for his own. When the blue glow disappeared over his throat, a tattoo appeared in its place. It appeared to be a blue flower with an inverted triangle in the center.
Glo arched an eyebrow at the sight. “So they do turn into tattoos.”
The bard cleared his throat and softly sang a scale. His voice sounded as clear as ever, but there was a slight difference in timber, almost as if another person sang along with him. Elladan touched his throat, his eyes widening at the realization. “Now that’s different.”
The disc after that was the purple one, the one representing sight. Since Martan wasn’t with them and Ruka had no interest, that left Seth as the most natural fit. After checking the platform, the halfling nonchalantly scooped that one up. When it was over, Seth lifted the locks of black hair off his brow, revealing a purple tattoo that appeared very much like a third eye.
Glo squinted at the halfling, but could detect no change in him. “Do you feel any different?”
“Nope. All I see is a bunch of idiots gaping at me when we should be moving on to the next disc.”
Donnie let out a short laugh. “Well, he’s obviously fine.”
Seth snorted derisively. “Humph. Of course I am.” With that, the halfling strode away, brushing by the slight elf as he headed toward the next dais. Once past Donnie, he called back over his shoulder. “Oh, and by the way—nice boxers, Donnie.”
Donnie’s jaw dropped open, his eyes going wide. “How’d you...” He stopped himself and gaped at Seth. “No...”
Seth continued to stride away, but Glo caught sight of a wicked grin on the side of his face. Meanwhile, Donnie turned toward Elistra, his expression incredulous. “He couldn’t have,” the elf declared rather firmly. “Could he?” he abruptly added, suddenly not sounding so certain of himself.
Elistra, however, did not respond, instead also brushing past him, wearing that all-too-familiar enigmatic smile. Donnie stared after her for a moment or two, then spun toward Glo.
Glo merely threw up his hands. “Don’t look at me. I’m not the expert on this.”
Donnie glared at the wizard, then spun around and chased after Elistra. As Glo watched the receding elf with amusement, he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Elladan standing there with a half-smile on his lips.
“Seth one, Donnie zero,” the bard murmured. The two elves chuckled softly.
The next-to-last disc was the white one, the spirit disc. Seth checked the pedestal, then Aksel bent to pick it up. When it was over, the little cleric appeared momentarily dazed, much like Glo had been. Aksel recovered quickly, though, and addressed the group.
“Now that I think of it, this appears to be an extremely elaborate mechanism for opening the door to the next floor. I am sure there is a short cut.”
Glo nodded. The spirit disc appeared to have a similar effect on Aksel as it did on Glo, expanding both his mind and awareness. “You make a good point. So you think the eighth disc is a universal key.”
Aksel slowly stroked his chin. “Maybe. Then again, maybe not all the discs are required to open the door either.”
Now that Aksel mentioned it, that made sense. Glo should have thought of that himself. “I see your point. However, we do have someone with us who may be able to use the universal key.” He turned toward Elistra. “I’ve watched you meditate regularly. Correct me if I am wrong, but doesn’t that practice attune all your chakras?”
Elistra’s entire face lit up. “You really do know your psionics, don’t you?”
Glo felt his face flush slightly. “I think the disc is helping quite a bit. Still, if you don’t mind, I think you should try the last disc.”
Elistra grew silent, pursing her lips as she thought it over. Finally, she gave him a short nod. “Very well then, I shall try it.”
Elistra led the way back to the first pedestal, the one with the rainbow disc. Since Seth had already checked it out, there was no reason to wait, yet Elistra hesitated before bending down and grasping the disc. She gave Glo a brief glance, then scooped up the disc into her hand.
It began to glow like the others, but when this disc disappeared, seven images appeared along Elistra’s torso, from the base all the way to the top of her head. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple and white. When they finally disappeared, the seeress smiled, then abruptly wobbled in place.
Glo rushed forward with a cry. “Elistra!”
He grasped her around the waist and held her tight, supporting her against him. The seeress appeared quite dazed at first, but abruptly shook her head and steadied herself. Her eyes fixed on Glo, a thin smile spreading across her lips. “Whoa, what a rush.”
Glo was relieved to see her recover, but still felt a measure of concern. “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine,” she answered, placing a soft hand on his cheek. She mouthed the words, ‘thank you,’ then gently pushed away from him and turned toward Aksel.
“You were right. I can see it clearly now. The multi-colored disc is a universal key, but it is not the only one. Certain combinations of the other keys should open the door above as well. If I had to guess, I would say body, mind and spirit, or heart, voice and sight.”
Glo was also impressed with her supposition. It made perfect sense in fact—so much so, that Glo was able to expand on her theory. “What you’re saying is that someone like Lloyd could have picked up three of the discs and opened the door himself.”
Elistra gave him a short nod. “I believe so.”
“Well, on the bright side, at least we’ve all got these nice tattoos,” Elladan said with a half-smile, pointing to the one on his throat.
“That is one way to look at it.” Elistra winked mischievously at the bard.
“Or that we just wasted a whole bunch of time,” Seth added with a derisive snort.
Elistra gave the halfling an ironic stare. “That as well.”
Aksel spoke up at that point, refocusing everyone’s attention to the matter at hand. “Well, what’s done is done. We might as well head up the stairs and try to open the block.”
Aksel was right as usual—there was no point in berating themselves for something they could not possibly have known ahead of time. The small company crossed over to the stairwell and filed one by one up the winding stairs, Ruka falling in behind them. When they reached the top, Elistra placed her hand on the solid stone directly above the stairwell. Just as had happened with the door from the outside, a section of ceiling receded then slipped sideways, disappearing into the stone above. It revealed a circular hole containing a set of stairs that spiraled upward through the solid stone ceiling.
Glo felt a keen sense of elation that their theory had proven true. “It worked!”
Elistra’s eyes fell on him and she winked. “Indeed.”
Aksel, a triumphant smile on his face, ushered everyone forward. “Well then, onward and upward.”
Blades
Never... ask... me... if... I’m... sure...
After opening the way up, Elistra moved to one side, allowing the others to pass. The marching order remained the same, with Seth in the lead, followed by Lloyd and Alana. Glo went next, Elistra falling in behind him as he passed. Once again, the staircase wound upward through solid rock.
Seth took his time, examining each step carefully for trip wires, pressure plates, and the like, thus their ascent was painstakingly slow. Abruptly, the halfling signaled a halt. Seth carefully scrutinized the stairwell ahead, checking both the steps and the walls. He finally stopped after a few stairs, closely examining a spot on the wall. Seth fiddled with someth
ing there for a minute or so, when they heard him swear softly, “Dragon dung.”
Lloyd called to the halfling. “Is something wrong?”
Seth spun around, his face a mask of frustration. “It’s just another stupid blade trap.”
Aksel abruptly appeared on the stair right next to Glo. “Then what’s the problem?”
Seth folded his arms across his chest and silently shook his head. “It’s stupid, but the control mechanism is stuck—I can’t get it to budge.”
“Is it something I can help with?” Lloyd offered, though he didn’t sound quite certain of himself.
Seth eyed the young man skeptically. “It would be tricky. You’d have to be careful not to touch anything else or you could set the whole thing off.”
Before Lloyd could answer, a familiar voice drifted up from below. “Maybe I can help.” Glo turned to see Donnie pushing past the others up the narrow staircase.
“And how do you intend to do that?” Seth asked, his tone filled with frustration and more than a hint of sarcasm.
“I’ve picked a lock or two in my time,” Donnie said almost too casually. “How different could a trap mechanism be?”
Seth threw up his hands and rolled his eyes to the ceiling. As Donnie drew up next to him, he fixed the elf with a dubious stare. “You do realize the lock is already picked, right? All that needs to be done is to throw the switch...”
“...which is stuck,” Donnie finished for him. “No offense to Lloyd, but I think I have a better chance of prying it free without setting off the trap.”
Seth snorted contemptuously. “By all means then. Go ahead and get your head cut off.”
“I doubt it will come to that,” Donnie replied confidently, gazing up the staircase ahead of them. “So where is it then?”
Seth eyed the slight elf for a few moments more, then shrugged. “It’s your funeral.” He pointed up to a spot on the stairwell just above where they stood. “It’s right there, three steps up on the left.”