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.It looks like the castle is a square with four elevated pathways that go over the inner courtyard and connect to this middle tower.The only other thing I noticed was a lot of movement on the ground, but that’s all I could see before crashing.”“Thank you,” Timoran whispers, wincing as he gets to his feet.He takes a deep breath and grabs the edge of an ironwood pedestal.“I wonder what is important about this tower since it has a direct tunnel.The corner spires end in points, which means one cannot stand on their tops.Perhaps they are designed to send energy to this tower like those we saw on the Island of Pallice.”With a roll of her eyes, Sari gestures to the barbarian’s left.Following the motion, Timoran jumps away from the large emerald that is sitting on the heavily dented pedestal.Beneath its facets is an ebony fog that reveals demonic faces as it churns.Steeling his nerves, the barbarian leans closer and sees a white mist drifting along the edges of the jewel.He runs his finger along the face of the emerald and a shock of energy makes his hand tingle.“This is what the titans and geyser giant were fighting over,” Sari says.Her body still aching, she stands with the help of watery hands that sink back into the puddle.“That thing is making my gut twitch.There’s a chill of evil coming off it, but an undertone of comforting warmth.I can’t explain it.”“Perhaps it involves the living curse and the guardian,” the barbarian suggests, scanning the tower for his great axe.He notices the weapon on the far side of the roof and hurries to reclaim it.“We know that the guardian gave the emerald to the geyser giants and it was stolen from the titans by Trinity.I have talked with Nyx about magic enough to have a theory.This is the source of the species of living curse that we found within the Garden.Why else would our enemies return it to its home?”“So they turned the Garden of Uli into an elaborate trap,” Sari replies while adjusting her skirts and making sure all of her daggers are in place.“I’m trying to act surprised, but that makes a lot of sense.They never really tried to stop us from getting here.All they had to do was steal the emerald, corrupt it, and send it home.”“What should we do with it? Do you believe Nyx or Fizzle can purify it? For that matter, what is it really?”The gypsy limps to the gem and circles the pedestal like a curious cat.“It’s a magic emerald and I’ve no idea what we should do.I know what I want to do since this thing is so shiny.I don’t normally get enamored with treasure, but I’ve never seen a jewel this big.”“You realize it has been corrupted by a sentient curse, right?”“Pretty things tend to be the most dangerous.”Before Timoran can stop her, Sari snatches the emerald off the pedestal and turns it in her hands.She can hear a rumbling from the jewel as the black fog turns into an angry storm.As the infection churns and froths, the white mist runs along the edges in an attempt to escape the corruption.The gypsy violently shakes the emerald and juggles it for a few seconds, causing her friend’s heart to leap into his throat.The movement within the gem slows down as if the sudden motion has made the fog dizzy.“That is how you help?” asks a faint voice from the emerald.“Put it back,” Timoran cautiously whispers, his eyes locked on the jewel.“Maybe we should bring this to Luke and it’ll cure him,” Sari excitedly says, the gypsy practically bouncing on her toes.“Are you still there?”“The barbarian is right,” the voice answers as a pair of narrowed, blue eyes appear in one of the facets.“I am too weak to be of any help.Bringing me to the champion would either be pointless or the Meraphor will absorb me for more power.That monster is dangerous enough and it is not even whole.”“So you are the guardian,” Timoran states, ignoring the laughter that comes from the emerald.“You must know something that can help us.”“I know many things, but this curse is attuned to the champion.Not the part of him that has been passed on through the ages, but the part that is unique to this specific incarnation.All I can suggest is that you gather the others and go to his side.I can sense that he is about to face the source of his darkness.It is something he must fight alone, but should face it with the other champions.”“How does that work?” Sari curiously asks.“It means watch and do not get involved.”Timoran chuckles and takes the emerald from the gypsy, gently placing it on the dark gray pedestal [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]