Chapter 3

Upon being briefed on the tasks that the Masters of the Monastery had laid out for the Deep-Strike project, Talloran was immediately set to work on the removal several rocks that crowded Nampag's allocated workspace — a small cavern that was to be the entry point for a descent into a recently inaccessible level of the mine. A heavy mining pick used for shattering tough stone was handed to him and he gripped the handle tightly, swinging down with all his might. His impressive strength proved triumphant, and slowly but surely, he managed to succeed in chipping away the obstacle until it was broken into a dozen fragments. The rocky remains were hauled into mine carts and wheeled away.

Once Nampag had cleared the site of all tools and workers, he painted a large white circle on the ground that spanned several feet in width. Working through a safety checklist, he then made sure that everyone was safe and secure before taking his position at the center of the circle. He bent down onto one knee and rested the palm of his hand flat on the ground. Concentration was the key here. He knew that in order to achieve the meditative state that was required for the action he was about to commence, he had to make every effort in removing his physical self from the mine and block out all other thoughts from his mind. Once he believed he had entered the meditative state he needed, he touched the geomantic spellstone embedded in his belt buckle, feeling its power flow like water into his fingertips.

Talloran and his fellow workers experienced a trembling sensation rise up through their legs as Nampag's geomantic energy was channeled straight from the spellstone into the ground. They watched in wonder as a web of cracks formed within Nampag's drawn circle like a spider weaving in fast motion. Nampag felt the power leave his fingers and he knew he was done. He dangerously wobbled side to side and reached out with both arms to keep himself steady. The ground beneath him had severely weakened and was no longer capable of supporting his weight. He cursed at himself for failing to anticipate his situation. He had obviously weakened the floor far more than he had intended. He told himself to remain calm and focused on the edge of the circle that was just a few feet away. Then, taking a deep breath that swelled his chest, he made a giant leap for the outer edge of the circle.

Jagged columns of stone broke beneath his feet as he jumped, falling down into the eerie hole of darkness that he had just created. The collisions of the stone columns with the floor of the cavern below could be heard rumbling throughout the Echospar Excavation, turning many a miner's head towards the direction of its source. Knowing better than to check out the disturbance, the miners went back to their duties and kept at what they did best.

Wiping his brow which was slick from sweat, Nampag stood by the edge of the hole and peered down into the obscurity. "Too close, Nampag," he said quietly to himself. "Almost got yourself chewed up by your own spell." He scratched his rough whiskers while he criticized his own work. "I've done better before. But on the other hand, there're not too many rough edges so I'm guessing it worked out quite nicely overall." He then noticed that his workers were standing idly by, doing nothing at all. "You lot!" he shouted, snapping them all into submissive attention, "Set up those ropes and pulleys. Kelris, I want you to check that harnesses before going up the tunnel to tell Claust of our progress. And Talloran, you're going to be coming down with me into this cavern to have a look around, so find a light pick and tighten your boots."

Talloran looked at Nampag in confusion. "Why me?"

"Because I know of your reputation and how close you are to being set free," Nampag said. "It'd be downright stupid for you to try and escape now. You have too much at stake." He coughed loudly as a cloud of dust from fell onto his head from above. "It's not as though you have a choice anyway. Remember that I still am your superior, even though I'm a slave. Don't you forget that!"

Several minutes later the workers returned with all the necessary equipment for the operation: a wooden platform that was to be the base of the lift, several pulleys and an enormous supply of strong rope. The pulleys were hammered into the roof of the cave and the ropes expertly strung through so that all four corners of the lift were receiving equal support. Nampag produced a glowing torch for them to carry into the cavern below and he handed it to Talloran before stepping on the base of the lift to test its durability. Once the four workers operating the system had given him a nod of approval, Talloran joined him on the lift and they were slowly lowered into the darkness.

Talloran heard Nampag counting out numerical figures in ascending order as the lift continued down the hole towards the cavern below. Seeing Talloran's curious expression, he explained that he was counting the distance between the mine and the cavern. At the end of their expedition he was to give his superiors a full report on their discoveries.

"How did the Azures find out about this cavern?" Talloran asked him. "What made them so sure that there was something down here?"

"Occasionally the Master Illusionist Neriah comes into the mine to scan for spellstones veins so she can tell us where to dig," Nampag explained. "I gather that one day she detected a significant power flow coming from below the point we just tunneled and decided that we should investigate it. Perhaps there's huge spellstone veins down here." He then hesitated, unsure as to whether he should continue.

"Talloran, I haven't told any consar or master this, but I've been working a long time at the Deep-Strike worksite, and over time I've begun to feel the full force of whatever it was that got Neriah's attention. I have my suspicions that it's a gigantic vein of alteration or necromantic spellstones. Only something like that could give off such a strong aura. And that possibility has me worried."

"Why should you be worried?" Talloran asked, watching the shadows caused by his torch dance across Nampag's puzzled face.

"I'm worried because I'm not sure whether the officials up in the monastery can be trusted anymore. I have this gut feeling that this elemental corruption has spread through more people than we know, and that the Monastery is already moving towards the same darkness that captured the Ceruleans. If the Azures know that there's a huge necromantic spellstone vein below us, then why bother digging for it? The only reason I can think of is so they can use it for themselves. Necromantic spellstones are very rare, but in the hands of necromancers they can give god-like power."

"But didn't the Azures and Indigos swear to never use excessive amounts of the corrupted stones?"

"Exactly!" Nampag said, pounding his fist into the palm of his hand. "Only a Cerulean would show such interest in a discovery like that. Look, all I can tell you that the Azures are looking for something, something far bigger than you average spellstone vein. And it might also be possible that the Ceruleans know about this power source too. Why else would we find one of them spying on us inside this mine? There's something down here, something important, and we've been ordered to find out just what it is."

When the lift exited the tunnel of rock that Nampag had hollowed out, Talloran felt like he had been swallowed by an enormous sea of darkness. Looking at the light provided by his torch, it barely had the effect of a candle, managing only to illuminate the small lift and Nampag alone. Everything else in every direction was pitch black. They were a needle in a haystack of darkness.

"Steady!" Nampag hollered up through the hole, hoping that the workers operating the lift could still hear him. He tugged on the bell rope to signal them just to be sure.

The lift gradually eased to a stop and Talloran moved the light from his torch close to the Geomancer while he fumbled for something in his robe. Nampag held up a crimson colored spellstone and showed it to him. "You know what this is?"

"A firestone. But it's only a little one."

"Size isn't everything," Nampag said flatly. "This little thing still has the same amount of power as any other stone. Channeling this stone for too long can cause the addictions and corruption, though I'm only going to be using it for a second or two. I should be perfectly fine."

"Aren't they still forbidden though?"