Falconers and the Tomb of Aminus

by MadDonut

Chapter 8 Thieves Passage

It was quiet and peaceful down there. The corridor was a long hall that was lightened by yellow rocks in the ceiling that glowed a luminescent yellow and was sectioned by small buttresses merged into the wall every few paces away. This place had never been disturbed never had a sound in fifty years till now, when five Falconers slid out chute from above heavily crashing into a heap against the floor of the thieves passage. “To be fair,” Joel said pushing himself off the pile of squirming armored pony bodies, “Mace pushed the button.”

“Why would it just be in the middle of the room?” Mace frustratingly said twitching his hooves with anxiety. “That makes it seems like they want ponies to try to steal their magic.”

Hilliph got up on his hoofs and said, “Kara said that the thieves passage is laden with traps. If any pony can get through this they must be deserving of it then.”

Igneous struggled to his fours and moaned, “A shame. Were thieves then.”

“Were saving Carridian,” Kara said, “not leading it to destruction.”

Hilliph took a look down the hall as the others got themselves asituwated with their new found environment. Not to far from where they were there seemed to be an opening into a much bigger stonelined room. “Did you read enough of that book to know what our trials will be.”

“Hard.” She answered. “It said that they were for the best. The best being unnamed.”

“Best thieves you could say,” Mace offered.

She continued, “Although it shouldn’t be long. It says there was only four if I remember. Just... very dangerous.”

“Thats some stellar writing.” Joel said. “Just who wrote it? No in fact just who came down here, did a whole bunch of trials and lived to write about it. You think he would give a walk through at least.”

“A Hexer wrote it, and I am the only one in this group who can read it. It's not exactly common literacy Joel.”

Igneous pushed passed them both and said, “no arguing! Not now.” As he walked down the hall he took his shield from his back and unsheathed one of his four sword and pointed it forward resting it atop the flat peek of the shield. “Let's just finish the job before the Gekies get here.”

“I wouldn’t be the first to walk down a long hall buried underneath an ancient temple that has been long since abandoned by mystical ponies Igneous,” Joel said as Igneous walk further down the hall vaguely alone.

“And just why do you say…” he was cut off when an Axe from the ceiling swing down just in front of Igneous head almost cutting him. He jumped back withdrawing his weapons.

“Because,” Joel said as he positioned himself next to Igneous, “It's such a cliche.” He deployed his crossbows and fired a single wooden bolt down the length of the hall. The coridor then came to life as spikes darts and sawblades protruded from the walls left and right before falling back in again. “Yep,” he said nodding, “Apparently they have sensors of, a, kind...” Igneous looked dumbfounded with his mouth wide open in aw. “Mace!” Joel called back to the three who were standing further back.

“Aye, what.”

“You're the swiftest of us. Maybe you can make it through and find a way to deactivate these traps.”

Mace took a long, steady, thoughtful look down the hall and said, “I got a good look. It's got a fancy pattern. Something I can cheat.” He ran forward and jumping passed the first axe that almost hit Igneous prior. He fired an arrow forward baiting the spikes and sawblades before having even reached them. As they retreated back into the wall he easily ran past ducked under the final obstacle of darts, and just like that was on the other end.

Hilliph called down from affare, “Do you see a lever that can neutralize these?”

Idly thinking as he waited for results Jeol said aloud, “I wonder if they have trap doors too.” The others just shook their heads.

“Got it!” Mace said from the other side. “I must say though this room is really big. Like… Really extensive,” he added. There was a loud crack that resonated from within the walls as something, gears perhaps, shifted within them. It followed down the length of the hall shifting, clicking from one trap to the next as it reverberated from the walls. But it didn’t stop were the first trap began instead the shifting sound kept going down, and down. Further past the Flaconers and near the end of the hall, until it reached the very back.
“I have a bad feeling about this.” Hilliph said.

“You just said it.” said Joel with giddiness in his tone. There was a loud boom swiftly accompanied by the sound of rushing water coming from far down the corridor itself. “You know,” Joel began as he slowly started to walk backwards. “A wise man once said, NOPE!!!” He then spun on his hooves breaking rank to swiftly make a break for the opposite end of immediate danger.

“I don't like this,” Igneous said as he begun to slowly back away taking more to Joel than courage.

As the three remaining falconers stood there they saw gushing amounts of water rushing its way ready to flush them out of the hallway, potentially drowning them forever. “Run!!!” Kara shouted.

“Way Ahead Of You!!!” Joel shouted already have reached the end joining Mace by the threshold with a sliding stop.

Spinning around they ran as fast as their hooves could carry them. Mace was shouting and waving for them to hurry as they ran for their lives down the prolonged hallway, and just as they reached the threshold they all simultaneously dove out to the sides as the water exploded outwards. Kara had taken off flying upwards, digging her claws into the wall letting herself hang their.

Joel looked at the massive cylinder shaped room and saw that the only way out was up. He found this would be assisted by a line of pillars that surrounded the giant cylinder shaped monolith that spun in the middle of the room seamlessly gliding across the stone work floor driven by some unseen power. “Turn it off Mace,” Igneous shouted over the roaring water seeing as it had already begun to rise.

Putting all his weight on the lever he pushed with all his might to no avail. “I Can't!” he shouted.

“We need to go up,” Hilliph said trudging through water towards the first pillar. They all followed suit quickly gathering near the lowest platform which was only big enough to allow only one of them to stand at a time. As the water raised faster Hilliph became the first to jump on it, then he leapt to the next not too far a distance away. Then the next, followed by Igneous then Mace as they each jumped and leapt from one platform to the next slightly slowly taking them vertically upwards.

“I'll see if I can shut it down.” She flew upwards ahead of the others.

“Don't fall or you will drown,” Igneous said refusing to stop following closely to Hilliph. “Our equipment is too heavy, it will drag us to the bottom!”

“Thanks for the insight!” Joel shouted as he followed closely behind. For now one could say that the water wasn’t all that fast. However just then there was a loud boom and looking up Joel saw the flood gates of the stone rafters begin to lift. All around the room water started to pour from above like a devastating waterfal letting it spill to the ever rising pool below. “Keep moving.” Joel shouted, They were staying a good distance ahead of the rising water and even though they had a good start it wouldn’t be long before they were drowning in it.

Kara had flown to the top landing on top of the massive cylinder with the top platform being static in movement unlike the rest of it. Just ahead there was a stone bridge that led to another room just beyond the threshold but it was covered by an iron gate, and so she couldn’t do anything but anxiously wait.

The other portion of the team however were about halfway up the towering monolith when Joel started to hear a resonating sound coming from within the massive spinning stone structure. At any rate Joel could guess that the water was filling up on the inside much faster than the outside. Glancing towards it he noticed that there were very small, finely carved holes in the central pillar in the corners where the individual stones met. He then heard a loud sputter come from above then below and looking he saw geysers of water shooting out at lethal rates. If they got hit then it spelled a watery doom for the unfortunate. “Guys Watch Out For The Water Cannons!”

Then just as Hilliph was about to jump to the next platform it got doused by highly pressurized gets of water that would have easily sent him falling to the pools below. “Igneous use your shield.” he commanded as he summoned a black tinted guarding shield to protecting his right side. Igneous took his shield in his magical grip and held it out to protect Mace instead.

Joel made a clever observation in his endeavor finding that just before the holes let loose, they first sputtered a bit of steam giving ample warning to what would follow. He shouted, “watch for the steam guys.” It wasn’t a very helpful or informative statement, much like the former, but it's all he could come up with on the spot while in the presence of assured death. The water now kicked it into full gear as it rose at unreasonable rates becoming too fast for the falconers to stay ahead of.

Kara then saw the metal gate began to open without her doing. With the hope that their would be a solution to the danger she flew right on in as fast as she could to potentially save her friends… and Joel of course.

As Igneous continued to make his way, jumping from platform to stony platform, he saw steam quickly sputter out just before him. Quickly he acted by retrieving his shield covering himself just as a stifling jet shot out. The collision of water on metal produced a deafening gong that rattled Igneous'es very bones.

They were almost to the top and the water level was getting far too close, and as Joel quickly waited for Mace to move to on steam gently doused. Acting fast he had no alternative but to jump back just to avoid getting blown off.

Igneous, Hilliph and Mace all heaved themselves up onto the final ledge and when Hilliph didn’t see Joel he shouted over the roaring thunderous tides, “Where is he?”

Mace looking back answered, “He was just behind me.”

Kara had flown down the tunnel soon as the gate raised just enough to fit under. In this newfound room held nothing but another bared off exit and a lever off to the side. It must have been what was going to put a stop to this madness, so landing in front of it she quickly shot out both hooves yanking it backwards in hopes the water level would stop rising for her friends.

Suddenly there was a grinding noise and she turned to see that the entrance to the room was now beginning to be closed off by a large, vertically descending stone door. “No, no, NO!” she yelled.

She tried to push the lever back but it did nothing, and just as the stone door was about to close off forever, a shield, Igneous'es shield put a stop to it allowing Mace and Igneous to slid right on under.

After Joel recovered he quickly jumped to the next, and as he did he could feel the water nip at his hoofs continuing to swallow more and more of him up with each jump. The others at this point already had made it to the top and he was just four platforms away from salvation. Every time he leaped the water had taken hold of more of him making the next bound even harder.

As he was on the last platform the water had gotten chest high. He had no choice but to go for it so taking one last deep breath he leapt for it sloshing through ever rising water only to crash into the side of the static flooring and begin to slip. With fear taking hold he clawed for the ground thinking this was it. It really would have been if Hilliph hadn't summoned a hooked spear grabbing Joel by the armor on his back heaving him up to safety with the pure strength of his magical grip.

“Almost found your fate there Joel,” he shouted as he pulled Joel to his hooves.

“Thank you Hilliph,” he said through gasp struggling to find his grip.

Hilliph and Joel ran over the connecting bridge as fast as they could but slightly slower than the flood. They had fallen behind a little and the rushing water was beginning to fill the tunnel with them still in it. Joel saw that Mace and Igneous were at the very end. Igneous using his shield to keep the stone door aloft and from trapping Hilliph and Joel in the corridor.

“Hurry!” Yelled Igneous as his shield began to morph and bend to the weight of the stone masonry.

Joel pounded the water covered ground as he tried to serge along through the rising tides. It was already swallowing up most of their legs and Joel almost lost his balance as he trudged through, but just as the shield was about to give out they dove right through the thin gap between the door and the ground briefly submerging themselves completely just before the shield snapped and gave way to sheer weight slamming shut.

Joel and Hilliph laid on the ground heaving and panting as the leftover pools of water flooded outwards into the new found exit. Every pony stayed silent for a moment as they heard the water just on the other side of the stone work continue to build up. That was a close call for all involved. Joel especially and they were lucky to have not suffered any casualties.

As every pony concerned caught their breath, Igneous picked up what little remained of his shield. It had been snapped in half and was now useless with most of it being pinned beneath the brickwork itself. A hint of anger flashed in his eye and with a serge of major frustration he threw it loudly to the side. Kara saw him and said, “Don't worry Igneous. The Hexers have an armory. I'm sure you can find another shield from within.”

“A better one at that,” Mace said doing his best to reinforce her suggestion.

He stared off into the distance shaking his head and said, “Not one that we made.” Standing at the entrance to the next long corridor that served as the only way out he said, “We are going to find this white magic of Aminus. Were going to finish the mission and we're going to get out of here alive, unscathed. I won't spend all night underground in this dafted fortress.” Looking to his team he waved his head and entered in first leading the group.

Author's Note:

Day 36
Ok his is really bothering me. I look in google docs, it says everything is fine. I past it to here and it says somethings not fine. I right click and gives me options that don't work. I look back to GD and do a quick word definition to confirm that its fine. It says, 'yea its fine,' am like, 'Well fuck! Which ones screwed up?' and I carry on about my day... 8/20