Looming Shadow: Journey to Chaos book 2 (36 page)

“Professor Pathetic
isn't the only history buff in the world. Anything here could be worth a
fortune to the right person.” She continuously scanned the walls, floor, and
ceiling for traps, but mostly for loot. Due to the ambient mana in the stones,
everything was blurry in her Third Eye, but she managed, thanks to Spider
Daylra’s training. “Just imagine what we could find!” 

“I am. That's why we
should stay with Basilard.”

“Look!” She pointed to
a plaque above a door: a crest with a chest. “That must be the treasury.”

“Then there will be
traps.”

“What's more important
to a mage as egotistical and fixated on magic research as the Old Fossil: his
vault or his lab?”

“His lab.”

“Then doesn't it stand
to reason that the lab would be better protected?”

“Yes, but –”

Tiza yanked him
forwards before he could finish.

The door's lock was
ancient but not rusted. Like the rest of the building, it was preserved by its
master's power. The mechanism looked like it came out of the forge last week
instead of the last millennium. Tiza considered shattering it with her hilt and
strength charm but decided on a different approach. She withdrew a pouch of
metal picks and examined the lock with Third Eye. Eventually, she was rewarded
with a click and she pocketed her first loot.

“An authentic lock from
the Ancient Dengel period of Dengel's castle. In perfect collector’s edition
and exclusive in number. This could pay for another shield.”

“Or a lot more
shoes...” Nolien muttered.

Tiza whacked him, but
he dodged, so instead, she entered the vault while muttering angrily. As she
crossed the threshold, a rune activated. A cage dropped on her, but Nolien
pulled her back before it could trap her.

“Wonderful!”

“You're welcome. Let's
leave.”

“Haven't you heard the
phrase ‘pirates don't bury nickel’? Placing a trap means there's something
worth guarding, which means there's something worth
stealing.
”

Nolien backpedaled Tiza
out of the room and placed himself between her and the door. He used his
barrier to keep her out. She did something between a scowl and a pout while he
examined the cage.

“This cage has a
paralysis rune on the inside of its roof. If this fell on you, you would be
helpless. You couldn't even call for help.”

“That's the beauty of
the buddy system; you'll save me because you're a coward.”

“No, I'll
have
to save you because you're reckless.”

“I found a trap –”

“You were
caught by
a
trap –”

Tiza's expression was
now one hundred percent scowl. “– and it was a restraint trap. No matter what
happens, you can just free me afterwards. What's the worst that could happen?”

“Dengel could escape
the Abyss, re-enter this world, float to this mountain, possess me, use my body
to drag you somewhere, and then make you his slave.”

Tiza drew a dagger,
punctured a hole in Nolien's barrier, and ripped it open. The shock made the
rest of it disappear and Tiza marched past him once again. “I am not some
lily-handed lady whose chastity you have to protect.” Then she stopped and
added in a small voice, “If that really
did
happen....would you save
me?”

Before he could reply,
she ran away, dodging two more traps and avoiding a snare, and then turning a
corner. Capturing no one, they instantly reset and Nolien carefully edged by
them.

 After the turn, Tiza
found herself in a narrow hallway that terminated with a doorway. Unlike the
capture zone behind her, this hallway was decorated like a palace with
paintings, rugs, and gilded walls. There were three doorways here; one to the
left, one to the right, and one straight ahead. She didn't detect any traps on
any of them, so she marched straight to the one on the right.

It was disappointing.
There was nothing here worth stealing. There was just a primitive mattress bed,
a mirror, a closet, a chest, a bucket with dried stuff in it, and a rune
glowing underneath. This wasn’t a vault; it was a bedroom. Someone
lived
here once upon a time, and judging by the decorations, it was someone Dengel
wanted to keep comfortable.

Her attention returned
to the chest. If someone important lived here, then that someone might have
something important. Giddy with anticipation, she crouched in front of it. The
wood was covered in runes that Tenderfoot or Dimwit would recognize. One that
was repeated over and over was ten intersecting lines that dimly glowed
golden-brown. The boys would spend hours deciphering them and debating the best
method to open the chest. Tiza yanked the thing open. Her face fell once again
when she saw the contents.

Robes, gowns, dresses,
kirtles, and the assorted accessories; a tent’s treasure chest for sure. She
would have slammed the chest shut had something shiny not caught her eye. Gold
threads were sewn into them along with precious gems. All of them were in
stunning condition for being two thousand years old. She pulled one out.

It was a deep blue
color and made of silk. The design was high-necked and short-sleeved with a
long skirt that had slits down the sides. Gold tassels hung from the sleeves,
the waist, and hem. Runes were sewn into every section. Tiza hadn't the
foggiest idea what they meant, but her armor had runes just like this one...It
was simple and lacked petticoats and...The Mother Dragon was Dengel's
boss...could she have worn something like this?

Still holding the
dress, she ducked her head out into the hallway. The only one nearby was
Tenderfoot and he was too afraid of the traps, wimp, but...it would be
embarrassing if anyone saw her.

Once she was sure she
was alone, she closed the door and braced it with the closet. The strength
charm on her wrist glowed as she forced it into place and, even with its help,
she felt winded afterward.

She took off her tunic
and pants and put on the blue dress. As soon as it settled, the laces in the
back tied themselves. Tiza paid it no mind. Her friends and Professor Pathetic
made such a fuss over the Old Fossil, she figured this was child's play. She
gasped when it tightened over her chest and waist.

 Spider Daylra always
wore a dress on her missions and the skirts were this long. Surely fighting in
them was possible…Experimentally, she began a battle dance, but the skirt
tangled her legs and she nearly tripped by stepping on the hem. After a couple
tries, she got the hang of it and performed several without error.

She thought of the
mirror, hesitated, and slowly stepped in front of it. The bodice was as snug as
it felt and the gold tassels were showier than anything she'd wear in battle
but... rather than a vain lady, what she saw was proud officer.

Picking up her
scabbard, she attached it to her waist with one tassel. The cord in the hem was
removable and fairly strong for decoration.
Maybe it’s for assassination
...
she thought.
Spider Daylra taught me how to do that.
As for the sleeve
cords, she figured they were flails; the stones on the end would stun or put an
eye out at the right speeds. Curious, she looked in the chest and found a matching
ribbon, a pair of gloves, and stockings. She used the first to tie her hair
back into a ponytail. She felt kinda silly, but looked far from it.

Instead of a string of
pearls, a loop of horns adorned her neck and instead of diamonds, resonance
stones graced her ears. Her arms bore gloves and gauntlets instead of a shawl.
The only bracelet on her wrists amplified her strength and the only rings were
used for magical combat. She put one hand on her sheathed sword and the other
on her hip.

“I bet the Mother
Dragon looked just like this at my age.”

“You are spawn from the
Insolent Dragon Girl?” her reflection asked.

“A talking mirror! Are
you programed to tell Old Fossil's guest how beautiful she is?”

“If you are spawn, then
you must be here to steal.”

“Abyss, yes. In fact, I
bet a tent would pay a fortune for you.”

“As a lake reflects the
moon, so does your answer.”

“...Huh?”

While she was talking,
she didn't notice the glove's cords reaching for each other. With a sudden
pull, they yanked her hands behind her back. She pulled but couldn't move them.
She looked over her shoulder and saw the cords had tied themselves together.
Worse still, the sleeve cords had wrapped around her elbows. Before she could
do anything, they tightened, firmly pinning her arms to her back. She twisted
and pulled against the cords and lost her balance in her struggles.

Then she noticed her
bound ankles. The stocking cords twisted around themselves and lashed her feet
together. The cord at the hem was following suit around her knees. She squirmed
in her ropes and ended up in a kneeling position just in time for a final cord
to slip around her waist and tie her hands and feet. All it took was a final
tug and she was hogtied.

“Abyss, take
mmph!
”

The ribbon untied
itself and wrapped itself between her teeth. Five times the lengths circled her
head – with her shaking it furiously – before knotting themselves behind.

“
Grrmm!
” she mumbled
with one last futile shake.

She knelt there in the
tower’s chamber, dressed up and tied up like some fantasy damsel in distress.
Her pulse accelerated and her breath came quick and shallow. Forcing herself to
remember her training, she repeated Sathel's words in her mind:
Stay calm.
Find a way out.
She started by testing the bonds for weak points. Runes
blinked on the cords and they grabbed tighter in response. She groaned as they
dug into her skin.
My charm!

It glowed and quickly
faded as its power was absorbed by the gloves.

“No unauthorized magic,”
Mirror Tiza declared.

 The scabbard was still
attached to the waist cord, and the waist cord was now tied next to her bound
wrist.
If I could just grab the hilt...

Because of the other
cords, she couldn't quite reach it. She rocked to get momentum and her
fingertips grazed the pommel stone.
Next time for sure!
Her fingers
grasped the hilt
Yes!
She fell over.

“Mmmmm...” She moaned
as her head hit the stone floor. With her hand on the hilt, she began to pull
it out. Then she stopped. There wasn't enough slack in the glove cords for half
an inch. Again, she started to panic. Adrenaline flowed, but even then, she
couldn't break the cords; the runes glowed brighter with every attempt and held
her even tighter.

“Tiza!” a voice called
from beyond the room, “Where'd you go?”

Abyss take it! If
Tenderfoot sees me like this –
She writhed in the cords, but they didn't give
an inch. They were too strong and growing stronger by the second. “
NNNPPHH!
”
Desperation flooding her veins, she pulled as hard as she could and whimpered
when they snapped back tighter than ever.

“Tiza, I'm getting
worried.” Nolien's voice increased her panic. “Which one are you in?”

Can't let him see me,
can't let him see me, can't let him see me.
Her pupils disappeared, body
rigid.
I CAN'T LET HIM SEE ME!

Blue light flared from
inside her. She pulled and the cords strained, stretched, frayed, and snapped.
She pulled the ribbon out of her mouth just as the closet toppled over and
Nolien jumped through the broken doorframe. He stared. His teammate was lying
on the ground, glowing bright blue, and wearing a deep blue dress. She
glowered.

“I found it in a
chest!” She jumped up and her aura pushed him outside. “It belonged to a
warrior that's an undead skeleton like the ones that killed Dengel. Does it
look good?”

“Yes...I mean no... I
mean uh...it's a...”

“What!?” Tiza demanded,
her aura scraping the ceiling.

“A...a dress.”

“What's your point!?”
The aura flared with every word. “Do you think I care about your opinion!? I'm
a warrior not a –” The aura vanished and she stumbled. “Not a...” She fell
forward and Nolien instinctively caught her. “Damsel...” Her eyelids slid shut.
Carefully, Nolien put her down and checked her pulse; steady. She was only
sleeping.

“Just Videlicet Mens...”
he muttered in relief.

It was a technique used
to accelerate the soul's mana intake and boost physical and spiritual
abilities. Only veteran warriors or monks could control it. For others, it was
spiritual adrenaline, generating a short burst that could damage the user's
body with repeated use. This was her second time in two weeks.

“If Basilard finds out,
he's going to be mad.”

He examined the ruined
cords and found archaic prison runes. Activated by verbal command, they snared
whoever wore them and powered themselves from their host; they'd grow stronger
the more the host struggled.

“Apparently, Dengel
wanted to make sure that whoever lived here never left...”

He brought out his own
Mana Juice and poured it down Tiza’s throat. She protested and he spoke her
nickname softly while assuring her it was just “Tenderfoot.” She relaxed after
that and allowed him to continue treating her condition.

“Just like Najica...I
thought Sathel was working with her on this...
Tsilaer was right. I
can’t control her actions; only my own.”

He scooped her into his
arms and carried her out. She stirred before he reached the trap hallway. She
got her bearings, turned red, and upper-cutted him. He dropped her and she
scrambled to her feet.

“What the abyss do you
think you're doing!? I don't need to be carried. I'm not some
tent
that's so weak she can't walk. How
dare
you carry me like –”

Her eyes were wide and
scared. They begged him to agree with her.