Chapter 9: A Strange Reward
There are a few things that make your life worth living.
A warm bed and someone to share it with.
Fine jewelry, vast riches or a very stylish hat.
A strong drink with a good friend.
A new spell and the promise of greater arcane might.
But your favourite without a doubt is a good mystery, a puzzle, a riddle, some little trap that tests you and allows you to prove that you are just a bit more clever than whoever created it.
One of your most cherished pastimes when Henry was alive was a good game of riddles... you rarely lost...
"Oh this is easy! So Shadow is at one and Dragon is at two and..." you stand there at the altar drawing a proper diagram to map the riddle to.
The enthusiasm you bring to the task surprises your companions and after a few minutes you are confident that you have the correct answer. You grab the key and ram it into the ninth slot and you swear for just a moment that you hear that muffled voice once more calling out to you. You shoo it from your mind and turn the handle of the key, the compartment in the statue opens and your prize rolls out onto the alter.
It is a roundish package wrapped in hessian cloth. The possibilities run through your mind and you babble a bit, "perhaps it is a solid gold sphere, or some sort of teleportation stone, or what if it is THE ORB OF ULTIMATE POWER!" (though you are fairly certain that you just made that last one up in your excitement).
Serpent and Miosguinn, smiles on their faces, gather around as you begin to unwrap the package, you unwind the rope holding it together and dump out your prize....
.
..
...
....
It is a head...
A dried out, wizen, old head.
Disappointment hits you like a great wave and your temper flares up a bit. You grab the head to pitch it across the room when something falls out of its mouth. A brilliant sapphire tumbles to the ground, followed by a second one and a third. You pop open its mouth to get a better look and there are two more lodged in the back.
"Do you know what these are Miss Derryth?" Miosguinn has snatched up all three and he passes one to you and one to Serpent, "These are Heaven Stones, they are said to grant their bearer great resistance to magic provided that they are carried in the mouth like so."
Without hesitation the doctor pops the sapphire into his mouth. You make a bit of a face, "Doctor Miosguinn you know exactly where that has been, what if you catch something?"
The doctor just grins and shrugs, seems it is a bit difficult to talk with one of these in your mouth.
Serpent examines his stone, "These could be quite useful, but perhaps we should disinfect them first Derryth. I do not think it would be wise to place anything in your mouth that you retrieve from a corpse without proper precautions."
"Well at least there was treasure in the statue. I hate it when I solve a puzzle and get nothing for it," you give the head a good shake and the fourth sapphire tumbles out into your other hand but the final one is lodged in the head's throat.
You think for a moment about bashing the head open but you think you can grab it if you just reach inside. However you are not going to put your hand in the mouth of a corpse.
It would not surprise you if the jaw is rigged to slam down on anyone that reaches inside. Instead you get out your tools and fish the jewel out. Sure enough as soon as you pull on the jewel the jaws of the head slam shut on your tools, that would have hurt...
You pry the jaws open with a little difficulty but eventually you get the last sapphire and you place the head back on the altar. With your treasure secure the three of you turn to leave the chamber.
In doing so you kick up a cloud of dust and what happens next just about kills you all...
Miosguinn sneezes and chokes on the sapphire.
Serpent grabs him from behind and squeezes.
The sapphire flies from his mouth and sets off one of the arrow traps.
You pull them both out of the way as three arrows fly across the room.
One of them grazes you, drawing blood.
It flies past you and hits the head, pining it to the statue.
Then things get decidedly strange.
As your blood touches the head it begins to reanimate; the skin regains its elasticity; the hair regains its colour, strawberry blonde; the eyes fill back out and turn a brilliant blue and the tongue of the head regenerates and begins to move. It is gorgeous, well at least for a severed head. A bright blue rune glows on the head's forehead as well, it is a bit distracting to be honest.
She, you are sure now that the head is female, turns her attention to you, giggles for a bit and begins to speak, "Oh thank you dear, I was trying to shout the answer to you but it is so hard to do with a mouth full of stones... well and no tongue..." she stops and flashes you a warm smile, "Don't suppose that you could pull this arrow out dear?"
For a minute you stand there in complete awe, it is a talking head after all, then you nod and proceed to do just that. As the arrow comes free the head's wound closes, you can tell it pains her but after but a moment she is fully recovered. Well as fully recovered as a severed head can be.
As the four of you stand in silence Serpent decides to get the conversation started, "So, umm... who are you and how did you wind up trapped in there?"
The head starts, "Oh that is easy, I am... umm..." a troubled and slightly puzzled expression clouds the head's countenance, "well, I don't actually know who I am to be honest. As to why I am here, well I imagine I angered someone powerful and they sought to punish me but I don't really remember I am afraid."
This is all quite odd, you ask "Well how long have you been down here?"
"Umm, seventy years maybe... it is a bit difficult to remember to be honest. I remember being quite upset for the first twenty or so years, I wanted to hurt the man that did this to me... he was a colleague, hmmm... My... Myr... ahh, I can't remember but..." she stops and thinks for a moment, "ah, no point holding a grudge right? I think I was some sort of mage and I think I was quite powerful but it is hard to remember really."
With a little concern you continue, "Well is there anything we can do for you?"
She gives you a happy smile, "Oh that is sweet of you dear... well let me think. Actually I don't really need anything what with being almost immortal and all... More than anything I am just bored... oh, I know! You seem to have those leg and arm thingies, you could pick me up and take me with you! It would be nice to be out of this room for a little while at least."
Miosguinn takes you by the arm and whispers in your ear, "I say we put her back in the statue, no good can come of this-"
The head snorts, "You know I can hear you right? You bug me little man, why don't you go away and let me talk to your boss?"
Miosguinn turns to the head, seems she hit a nerve, "Why don't you make me you abomination? You unnatural, abhorent-"
The head sucks her teeth, "You are as an insect before me!" she shouts, then giggles as she begins to cast. She is drawing a lot of power, you can feel it. Then the blue rune on her forehead changes colour from blue to red, she cries out in pain and stops casting as the rune returns to its original colour, "Damn it, damn it, damn it!"
Miosguinn laughs at her efforts, though you can tell that for a minute there he was terrified.
She sighs and turns her attention back to you, she gives you the saddest stare you have ever been forced to endure, "Seems I am completely powerless... I suspect I even knew that once... Look, dear I can tell you are a mage. I can teach you everything I know, all you have to do is take me with you. I don't want to spend all of, well, forever trapped down here. I don't want to lose what is left of my mind, so please, please, please take me with you."
You decide to humour her for a moment at least, "Well why should I trust you?"
She giggles, "Dear you should not trust anyone," she stares at Miosguinn, "Why not ask this insect, this gnat, this cockroach, this plotting spider why exactly he is cloaked in magics that even I can not penetrate. What are you hiding?"
The head and the doctor stare one another down, "Miss Derryth, this thing is completely mad. You are our leader, I will stand by your decision but I do not like this thing and we should not take it with us."
You tilt your head a little, "Miosguinn, is she right? Are you hiding something?"
He sighs, "Yes, Derryth. When I was a young man I lacked discretion. I was injured badly, my form scarred and forever marred. I wear permanent enchantments to hide my deformities and that is probably what this thing detects. I have never told this to anyone, it is my failing, it was my pride and I beg you, both of you, not to go spreading it around."
You turn back to the head, "Well? Is he telling the truth?"
She looks at you an odd smile playing across her face, "No idea dearie. He may well be or he may be lying to you," she yawns and turns her gaze to the doctor, "If you are telling the truth then you have my sympathies... I know better than anyone what it is like to have your body ruined... or misplaced..." she giggles again and focuses on you.
"So dearie, what are you going to do? Are you going to free me, be a real knight in shining armour or are you going to leave me all alone in this dark, dark hole?" she whimpers a little and gives you the sad eyes again, hell she could teach Thaïs a thing or too about manipulation...
She could be a useful asset or a tremendous risk but she definitely has power, power she has offered to teach you though you wonder what the final price will be.
1. Do you take the head?
A) Yes - no one deserves this fate and she is not immediately dangerous. Besides part of you has always wanted a talking head.
B) No - someone put her down here for a reason.
2. The head will need a name since she can not remember her own. If you take her with you, you should give her one. What will it be?
3. Miosguinn spat his stone across the room. After a few minutes of careful maneuvering you recover it but do you give it back to him?
A) Yes - you still have three more plus Serpent's, you give it back and tell him to be more careful with it.
B) No - the damn thing just about got you all killed. If he can't play safely with his toys then you will hold on to them.
4. An interesting idea occurred to you. You could try to examine the spells that animate the Stygian Knights as they are still dormant. You may be able to figure out how the spell works if you have the time. This would allow you to release the souls trapped in the armour and if you choose it could also allow you to create your own Stygian Knights though it would take a lot of power and practice. Serpent and Miosguinn can help you with this as can the head if you agree to take her with you. Of course if you get it wrong the knights may activate and attack...
A) Yes - you examine the knights to learn the spells.
B) No - you don't risk it.
(I count the vote for Miosguinn to be allowed to get his stone back)
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