Eh. I could get Leetzan to whip up another Mythslayer later. In the meantime, I went up to the carving and carefully examined it.
time passes as one approaches the end
a step forward can take any form
outside it matters that face of the commands stay constant
there is no reason at all to be on the edge of caution
before you move, the point is simply to face left
I extended my finger and poked the carving in the lock-shaped part. Then the triangle, then each one of the squares and every letter of the inscription. There was no effect. I ran my hands over the carving's surface. It was ice cold and semitransparent, but completely solid and no different than the rest of the cavern.
A faint echo of something moving caught my ear and I froze to listen. However, nothing followed.
"Araches," I called into the room to the south, "come here." The sorceress complied.
"Hey, hon."
"Lightning down into the pit," I commanded.
She folded her arms across her chest. "That's no way to ask for hel-"
"Do it or I push you into the pit," I interrupted.
"No you won't."
"No, I will," I responded staring her directly in her eyes and internally debating whether I should've just pushed her off and made a point. The others would probably have been angry with me, though.
"I still say you're hot when you're angry," she teased, adding "well, which is most of the time." She waited a moment for a reaction from me and, when one didn't spawn, leaned against the wall and snapped her fingers. A blast of lightning materialized out of the air next to her and shot down into the void below. I stared intently over the ledge. The bolt went down as far as the eye could see and disappeared into the darkness. I did, however, hear a high-pitched reptilian hiss over the sound of the thunder. I hoped to myself whatever made it was dead now.
I nodded, satisfied. "You can go now."
Araches fluttered her eyelids. "Not even a thank you?" I didn't answer. "Next time you want me to do you a favor, I'm going to make you first take off yo-"
"Bye now," I scowled. The scantily-clad sorceress winked, bowed dramatically, and left to rejoin the party.
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