Chapter 28 – Durability Check
SJ's eyes were scrunched as she turned from the desk in panic, scanning the room for an exit, her hands still clamped over her ears. The screeching hadn't abated, and her head throbbed. Immediately, she headed towards a window.
"Wait," Dave suddenly screamed in her mind.
What?! SJ thought, panic-stricken. I need to escape! As her hand reached for the window latch.
"The earrings!" Dave yelled excitedly.
SJ turned back and stared at the contents of the jewellery box. Gently cushioned inside, along with several other items of expensive-looking jewellery, was the set she had sought ever since she had first seen them worn by the chief. The beautifully shaped earrings called to her.
"Take everything and run. Make it look like a genuine robbery," Dave shouted, his excitement palpable.
SJ sprinted back across the room, grabbed the jewellery box, closed the lid, and added it to her inventory before turning back again. As soon as the box entered her inventory, the wailing stopped, but the pressure that had flooded her mind didn't relent.
The latch opened easily, and SJ threw the window open immediately, shrinking as she took off, hurtling outside. Terror filled her as she heard shouts from the building, footsteps beating on the floors. Every fibre of her body tingled as she triggered her shadow step across the open ground in flight form. The rain pelted her in her miniature form, making it hard for her to maintain her path. The storm was raging above them.
She flew as fast as she could, triggering her shadow step on cooldown. Further shouting reached her from behind, and the tolling of a bell sounded as the alarm was raised further. A whistle cut through the night, and she noticed lights blazing as lanterns appeared around the compound. Several beings, not just from the chief's building, but also from the others in the exclusive area, started to appear. A being stood at the chief's bedroom window. SJ thought it was the same man she had seen earlier, holding a lantern and looking down into the garden.
They scanned the ground below, looking for signs of the intruder. SJ didn't slow until she was clearly past the outer wall of the compound and safely in the security of the forest's branches. Only then did she slow her escape, breathing heavily. She landed on a high branch, attempting to recover from the pelting rain that had battered her miniature form and from the continual pressure in her head of the trapped jewellery box.
She dared not remove it from her inventory, afraid the deafening sound would start again.
I need to get back to Asterfal. Her temples throbbed, the pressure unrelenting; the sound may have ceased, but the feeling of its presence hadn't. She felt disoriented as she fought a wave of nausea.
"I think you need to get rid of that box," Dave said.
Not here, though, SJ thought, wincing as she took off again, opening her map. Her vision was affected, and she was unable to focus easily, lifting back skywards into the downpour as she angled back towards Asterfal, leaving the lights of the compound behind her.
She had only managed to travel for about ten minutes and was flying high above the forest, several times having to correct her path, when this time she couldn't hold back the nausea. As she vomited, she stuttered and dropped like a rock. As she regained her composure, she flew down to land. She didn't like the chance of her maintaining her balance on a branch and flew to the forest floor, almost misjudging the distance and crashing into it.
I can't keep going like this. I need to get rid of it, SJ thought.
"Here is as good a place as any other. You're in the middle of a forest, and there is nothing around here."
Whatever I do, I have to do it quickly. The alarm didn't stop when the lid closed, so I will need to get away from here. I can't cope with the effect it has on me.
"Let's just hope it wasn't cursed," Dave chuckled nervously.
SJ's panic, which had started to subside, returned at full speed. You think it was?
"I'm not one-hundred percent sure, but I don't think it was; you didn't receive a notification."
SJ wasn't looking forward to her following action, knowing that as soon as she took the box out of her inventory, the pain would return. She took several deep breaths, trying to keep the nausea at bay as she called it to her hand.
The ear-piercing, high-pitched tone assailed her ears instantly, and her vision blurred.
"Empty it, grab the contents, and move," Dave yelled, even though he didn't need to.
SJ's hands physically shook as she tipped the jewellery box upside down, scattering its contents as the forest around her sprang to life in panic. Birds erupted from the canopy; a deer bolted, crashing through the underbrush a short distance from her, the sound causing mayhem all around.
Her fingers scrambled in the dirt... and then silence. Abrupt total silence, as if time itself had frozen. Then it returned, but muted, the wail no longer piercing her very body.
The silence that filled her mind was so abrupt that she believed she had become instantly deaf, as her notification started flashing on her display. An immediate peace flooded her body, her muscles relaxing, and she suddenly felt lightweight; the pressure from the trapped box released in an instant. The sound was still there, but muted, no longer deafening.
Her eyes came into focus as she realised she had collected the two laurel leaf-shaped drop earrings, whose intricately detailed surfaces felt slightly rough under her fingertip as she caressed them gently.
She stared at them before becoming transfixed with her notification.
Earrings of the Earth Stone
Grade: Uncommon
Quality: Flawless
Durability: Excellent
Enchantment slots: 2 (one on each)
Special: Serenity - the Earrings of the Earth Stone provide the wearer with clarity from distraction.
Hidden: Alignment Fae (3 of 5)
You have discovered three pieces of the long-lost set of the Earth Stone, one of the greatest fae relics.
Unlocked abilities: Earth Sentry - 3 of 5. Each piece of the set grants attribute bonuses when combined. When the set is complete, the wearer receives additional unique abilities.
Tiara of the Earth Stone: Unknown
Choker of the Earth Stone: Charisma +10
Earrings of the Earth Stone: Wisdom +10
Earthen Breastplate: Unknown
Belt of the Earth Stone: Dexterity +10
Quest - Earth Sentry - Update
The fae heirlooms have been missing for centuries. You have received two of the five pieces of the Earth Sentry set. This is a racial quest and has no territory limitations.
Progress: 3 of 5
Rewards: Earth Sentry Status
"Yes," Dave shouted excitedly. "And look at these stat boosts."
SJ couldn't tear her gaze from the items she held, their beauty mesmerising, and they seemed to glow in the forest's darkness as she held them; their colour changed from the perfect emerald green to the colour of her dress and other fae items she wore. The dark black of the dress she wore for her night infiltration had replaced the lustrous green.
"I think you'd better pick up the rest and go. You do realise that the box is still screaming?"
SJ looked at the box, confused. It was there but muted, no longer affecting her. She quickly added the earrings to her inventory, instantly regretting it as the wailing sound returned with a vengeance. Immediately, she recalled them, and the serenity returned as she collected the remaining items. Once she had everything, she took off, leaving the cursed box behind. It had been miniature when she had called it from her inventory, and it still hadn't hampered the sound it had made. As SJ flew farther from the area, its sound grew louder, as though she were distant but could suddenly hear it again.
"That serenity perk must be amazing for mages," Dave said thoughtfully. "If it removes excess or distracting sounds, particularly during combat, it would allow a mage to focus on spell casting."
Not just for mages, SJ thought of the several times noise had caused distractions when she was trying to concentrate. I know they couldn't mute voices as the chief wore them when we spoke that first time.
"You can forget about the chief now," Dave said happily.
What do you mean?
"We have what we wanted. Why put yourself in unnecessary danger now that you have the earrings?"
You believe that Navina will allow me to walk off with the earrings without completing the quest? Never mind, I could never wear them anywhere in Asterfal if the chief is still around. All it would take is the wrong comment to reach her.
"That's actually an excellent point. I hadn't thought of that."
SJ added the earrings to her inventory that she had been keeping in her hand, and on doing so, the sound of the distant jewellery box again increased. She was far enough away now for it not to affect her, but it was like a beacon in the rain-filled night, screaming for attention. She knew it wouldn't take long for someone to locate it. That was when she suddenly stopped flying.
Damn, SJ thought.
"What?" Dave asked, then followed up. "Oh."
SJ called the earrings back to her hand, gripping them tightly as she hurriedly flew back to where she had left the jewellery box. It didn't take her long to return, and she landed back down next to it before picking it up and growing. The jewellery box grew in her possession, and as quickly as she had picked it up, she dropped it again and shrank again before taking off.
"Now that was smart," Dave said.
Yeah, it would have been a little obvious if it had been left in miniature form, SJ thought as she flew away again. The rain was slowly passing over, the heavy downpour replaced by emptiness, as she again headed towards Asterfal, high above the forest.
She felt a vibration and called her communication stone to her hand, hovering as she did. It was Fas.
"What have you done?" His voice was full of panic as she answered.
"Nothing, why?"
"I was waiting in the bar when there was a scream from the chief's office upstairs, and Tsongy rushed from the bar, with the others."
"I may have taken something from the chief's residence."
"Whatever you have done, I have never seen such a public display of anger from her before. She closed the inn, cancelled the fights and cleared everyone out."
"Oh," SJ said, never having once known the Black Gryphon not to have patrons in it.
"Whatever you have taken has to be of the utmost importance to her."
If only they were hers in the first instance, SJ thought. "I'll show you what I took when I get back. I'm not too far now."
"Make sure you come around the back," Fas said as the call ended.
SJ continued back to Asterfal, the familiar sounds of the nightlife filtering up to her as she swooped down towards the Black Gryphon. It was indeed strange to see it in darkness, and several patrons kept walking up to it before turning away, only to discover it was closed. SJ flew around to the gardens before landing and making her way towards the back entrance to the private accommodation area. She tapped the gem on her ear clip.
"I'm here," she said when Fas answered. She hadn't knocked, doubting that anyone would be by the door at this time of night.
Fas opened the door after a couple of minutes in his usual elven form.
"Come in," he said, scanning the garden behind her before closing the door again.
They entered his apartment before he closed and bolted the door behind him. A hooded lantern sat on the table, and he moved to the curtains, closing them before returning to the table and uncovering it fully. The room was suddenly cast in its brilliance, making SJ wince as her eyes readjusted.
"Before you show me anything, tell me what it is first," Fas said, sitting on the edge of the sofa, facing SJ across the table.
SJ felt nervous, as though her guardian was interrogating her, as she flexed her fingers in agitation.
"I stole her jewellery box off her dresser. It was trapped, and when I opened it, an alarm started."
"You didn't bring it here, did you?" Fas said, the muscles in his jaw tightened as he spoke.
"No. I left it in the forest, probably halfway between the compound and Asterfal."
SJ noticed his jaw relax. "Thank the gods. If it's what I think it is, it's traceable. It won't take her men long to locate it."
"Glad we got rid of it now," Dave said, chuckling nervously.
SJ had never mentioned the heirlooms to Fas or anyone else, for that matter. It was the one secret she had maintained, though from her conversation with Navina, it was obvious she was aware of the earrings' significance.
"The jewellery doesn't have tracking spells on it, does it?" SJ asked nervously.
Fas's relaxing expression tightened again. "I don't know without checking. She is a powerful mage and probably has a plethora of spells she can call on. I'm guessing the jewellery is in your possession?"
"Yes."
Fas immediately stood and walked out of the room, returning with a small chest and placed it on the table, opening the lid. Its inside was covered in a soft, glowing green light. "To be safe, when you remove anything from your inventory, you drop it straight in here; don't even pause. It will nullify any spells while they are inside."
SJ was amazed that he owned such an item, but considering his profession, he had probably had several occasions to store various trinkets or other items before disposal.
She held her hand above the box and then called each piece to her open palm, which faced down above the chest. This allowed them to drop directly into the box.
I'm not sure I should do the same with the earrings, but I need to be sure, SJ thought.
"Better to be safe than sorry," Dave said.
SJ called them to her palm, turning it upright before she did. Their original green colour had returned, and as SJ held them, they immediately started to change again. That was when her notification triggered.
Earrings of the Earth Stone
Durability: Very Good
Dave, what's happening? Its durability has reduced?
"Oh, damn and curse the words of a tongue-tied gnome," Dave said.
That doesn't sound good.
"You remember the conversation with Navina? She specifically said that the earrings were cursed to be destroyed if stolen or taken by anyone, since they were bound to her."
SJ's eyes shot open in panic, having completely forgotten about the details.
"What is it?" Fas asked, frowning at her sudden change in expression.
"I think I may have messed up," SJ said before cursing.
"Why?" Fas said.
"The quality of the item I am holding is deteriorating. It was excellent previously; it's now dropped to good."
Fas's frown deepened. "Durability is lost only through damage."
"Not if they are spellbound," SJ sighed. She couldn't believe she had just got her hands on the third piece of the fae heirlooms that were going to end up broken and worthless. The only way she could stop it was by visiting Navina, who had said she had an incantation to reverse the binding.
"How do you know about spellbound items?" Fas asked. "Spellbound items are exceedingly rare. I don't think I have ever come across one in all my centuries."
"Navina told me," SJ sighed, her fist closing around the earrings.
"Navina told you?"
It looks like I have little choice but to explain to Fas what they are, SJ thought.
"You don't have to give him the full details. Even if he held them, he wouldn't know they were a fae heirloom as the trait is hidden, so unless he already knew of them and had seen drawings, he would be none the wiser."
SJ took a deep, shuddering breath. Her eyes closed as she thought about what she would say. Slowly, she opened them again, meeting Fas's eyes.
"I'll share a secret with you, but only if you share one of your secrets with me," SJ said, staring at him.
She saw her comments running through his mind as his eyes briefly narrowed.
"What secret would you wish from me?"
"Your book. I want to know what it contains." The little black book had felt like a burning ache every time she was in his room, wanting to know what secrets it held.
Fas tried to hide his shock at the request, but his eyes gave him away as they flickered slightly, glancing towards his desk, which contained it. He rubbed his brow thoughtfully for a moment. "If I show you what that book contains, there is no going back after that. That is why I decided against it before. It could fundamentally change your view of many in Asterfal. The secrets within those pages are quite revealing. I can't make such a decision without first knowing what your secret is. If I deem it of measurable worth, then, and only then, may I allow you to read the book."
"That doesn't seem fair," Dave interjected. "He could just say it's not equivalent and still not show it to you."
I trust him, SJ thought in reply. He is my guardian after all.
"Meh. I suppose, but still," Dave complained.
"Okay. The earrings I currently hold in my hand are part of a set I have been searching for. The problem is that I had forgotten Navina's message that they were spellbound and would be destroyed if stolen from the chief."
"Part of a set, you say?" Fas asked his face suddenly shrewd.
"Yes. They are part of the fae heirlooms."
Fas suddenly leaned back in his chair, his eyes opening in surprise.
