Role

Chapter 3

In the traditional manner, as daughter of a high ranking Matriarch, Eria's
education had been thorough. But what was quite unique, she would find out
much later, was the amount of martial training she had been offered. The women
of her family, even the ones destined to be trained for Priestess, were
initially taught alongside the men. As a border town close to the surface, the
possibility of skirmishes was always on their mind and her kin were expected
to be prepared.

This truth became immediately relevant after she opened her eyes to a large
stone golem advancing rapidly toward her. Reflexes honed from combat took over
for a rational mind still recovering, and she rolled away from the first
attack before leaping to her feet. Armed still with only a broken rock, she
managed to evade another attack before taking stock of her surroundings. She
stood in a narrow cavern flanked by crystals that glowed with a soft inner
light. The wisp that had manifested this travel was nowhere to be seen, and
the golem was the only other moving object in view.

Evading further would be hard, as the tight quarters gave little room to
maneuver. However, as she backed away she noted that the construct did not
seem to give chase. It was clearly guarding something, and that something had
to be what the wisp had brought her to find. Fueled by adrenaline and a rare
bit of recklessness, she judged a path to evade it into the darkened passage
behind. She took off running toward the golem in a frenzied sprint, her
direction taking her toward the far corner. At the last minute, she used her
superior mobility and smaller size to slide under its attack, and then used
the cavern wall as leverage to throw herself to the side and through the
opening. She landed with a thud within the constructed passage beyond, and
around her the world descended immediately back to silence.

Lifting her head to examine her surroundings, she beheld a sight of immense
wonder. The passage she laid upon ended in a large circular chamber holding a
dozen ornate adamantite pedestals. Upon each pedestal sat a crystal that
swirled with light and magic. As she descended cautiously into the chamber and
inspected the crystals, visions of lives lived filled her head. She gazed with
wonder at the memories being played out across her vision, and knew with
certainty that this was the place she had sought. She stood within the cave
containing the captured souls of mages.