ground zero at doomsday would look like.
“So we need someone skilled in the use of First Magic or a Dragon to defuse this thing.”
The mischievous twinkle that is usually in Sol’s eyes is replaced by a more calculating look. He’s weighing the odds here. “Dragons and their servants are harder to arrange an appointment with than me. To be honest with you, I don’t know any personally but there is something we can try.”
I’m not sure whether I am relieved or not. For the most part, Dragons don’t have a very good reputation. You can find more stories about a dragon razing the countryside and eating young maidens than you can stories where they act as protectors and guardians. One thing all the stories have in common is that they are all extremely powerful and prefer not to be disturbed.
Sol walks over to one of the bookshelves. He quickly finds the tome he is looking for. It’s old, nothing more than a collection of dried parchment tied together with a string. He sets it down with care on a nearby table, his fingers spreading out the pages gingerly. “I’ve deciphered a few pages from this collection. It has a drawing of the ring you’re carrying,” He smiles “Take a look at this page and tell me if you can make anything out of it.”
I nod, looking down at the page. There are no words, just tiny lines and scratches among pictures and diagrams. All of it written in a reddish brown liquid whose origins, I try not to think about. I shouldn’t be able to understand any of this but slowly, the chicken scratch starts to make sense. It’s still a jumbled mess in my mind, too much for me to truly understand without more time, time which is in short supply but there is one thing is painfully apparent.
“If I read this right, we’re screwed.”
***
Sol leaves me alone to call Dorward while I see if I can make any more sense out of the parchment. It poses as many questions as it answers. At least, we learned something new about my little talent. It’s connected to the First Magics. That’s why I am able to read the parchment without years of study. Unfortunately, being able to read it is a far cry from understanding what I am reading. Some concepts don’t translate into words. The little I do understand doesn’t cheer me up. My connection to the First Magics makes it possible for me to attune myself to Bloodstone and use its powers safely, whatever they are. Unfortunately, the parchment doesn’t state how to go about attuning myself to the ring. I could try to use the Bloodstone without attuning myself to it but II run the risk of nuking myself and everyone around me. It would be like trying to disarm a bomb with sledgehammer. The only other person we know who might be able to use the Bloodstone safely is Meredith and the Lord only knows what he would use it for.
I already know what Scott will say when Sol gives him the news. “Well then put him on a plane to Antarctica and we’ll hope for the best,” Yeah, it sounds cold and heartless. It is but that’s the sort of person Scott can be. If it’s a choice between lots of dead people and one person then the poor sap is going to lose. I can’t really blame him but I can be a little bitter about this and the fact I would let him put me on that plane before I let the ring do something spectacularly bad in a place like New York. Still, there has to be a way out of this, something I’m missing. I just need some time to figure this out before push comes to shove. Luckily, Sol and the rest are willing to take a chance and trust me enough to make the call without forcing the issue.
Something about Meredith and the ring doesn’t fit. From what I’ve seen of him thus far, the usual rules don’t seem to apply to him and that worries me. His spells are too fast, too powerful and cast without effort or energy which puts me at a disadvantage despite my own talents. There is also the matter of all the energy he has poured into the Bloodstone. Where is he
“So we need someone skilled in the use of First Magic or a Dragon to defuse this thing.”
The mischievous twinkle that is usually in Sol’s eyes is replaced by a more calculating look. He’s weighing the odds here. “Dragons and their servants are harder to arrange an appointment with than me. To be honest with you, I don’t know any personally but there is something we can try.”
I’m not sure whether I am relieved or not. For the most part, Dragons don’t have a very good reputation. You can find more stories about a dragon razing the countryside and eating young maidens than you can stories where they act as protectors and guardians. One thing all the stories have in common is that they are all extremely powerful and prefer not to be disturbed.
Sol walks over to one of the bookshelves. He quickly finds the tome he is looking for. It’s old, nothing more than a collection of dried parchment tied together with a string. He sets it down with care on a nearby table, his fingers spreading out the pages gingerly. “I’ve deciphered a few pages from this collection. It has a drawing of the ring you’re carrying,” He smiles “Take a look at this page and tell me if you can make anything out of it.”
I nod, looking down at the page. There are no words, just tiny lines and scratches among pictures and diagrams. All of it written in a reddish brown liquid whose origins, I try not to think about. I shouldn’t be able to understand any of this but slowly, the chicken scratch starts to make sense. It’s still a jumbled mess in my mind, too much for me to truly understand without more time, time which is in short supply but there is one thing is painfully apparent.
“If I read this right, we’re screwed.”
***
Sol leaves me alone to call Dorward while I see if I can make any more sense out of the parchment. It poses as many questions as it answers. At least, we learned something new about my little talent. It’s connected to the First Magics. That’s why I am able to read the parchment without years of study. Unfortunately, being able to read it is a far cry from understanding what I am reading. Some concepts don’t translate into words. The little I do understand doesn’t cheer me up. My connection to the First Magics makes it possible for me to attune myself to Bloodstone and use its powers safely, whatever they are. Unfortunately, the parchment doesn’t state how to go about attuning myself to the ring. I could try to use the Bloodstone without attuning myself to it but II run the risk of nuking myself and everyone around me. It would be like trying to disarm a bomb with sledgehammer. The only other person we know who might be able to use the Bloodstone safely is Meredith and the Lord only knows what he would use it for.
I already know what Scott will say when Sol gives him the news. “Well then put him on a plane to Antarctica and we’ll hope for the best,” Yeah, it sounds cold and heartless. It is but that’s the sort of person Scott can be. If it’s a choice between lots of dead people and one person then the poor sap is going to lose. I can’t really blame him but I can be a little bitter about this and the fact I would let him put me on that plane before I let the ring do something spectacularly bad in a place like New York. Still, there has to be a way out of this, something I’m missing. I just need some time to figure this out before push comes to shove. Luckily, Sol and the rest are willing to take a chance and trust me enough to make the call without forcing the issue.
Something about Meredith and the ring doesn’t fit. From what I’ve seen of him thus far, the usual rules don’t seem to apply to him and that worries me. His spells are too fast, too powerful and cast without effort or energy which puts me at a disadvantage despite my own talents. There is also the matter of all the energy he has poured into the Bloodstone. Where is he
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