Expanded Horizons: Beyond the Blue

Hoarding Knowledge: Chapter Three

With the ship anchored in port and all their supplies offloaded and ready for travel, Alden immediately ordered the expedition to continue. As far as he was concerned, the students hadn't worked that hard on the ship, so they shouldn't need much rest. Some had gripes over the issue, but Thomas soothed their minds with promises of great discovery that require great commitment. Truly, the boy was a godsend. Alden would have to find a good way to reward him someday.

For now, though, he had to focus on the expedition and excavation. The journey had taken about as long as expected on land, what with everyone walking and dragging their things with them. Truth be told, weaker students would never have been able to pull their weight on this expedition, so he needed an athletic support group. Thomas had managed to gather just about every physically strong member of the student body for the expedition.

Now, at the potential site of the ruins, they had a few students digging at a time through the entrance, which itself took a bit of time to locate. When they arrived, they discovered that the area suffered some sort of volcano-related rockslide that buried the entry. Using some magic and specialized digging tools, they managed to work quickly and find the main entrance.

Now, Alden simply waited for the work to finish. While he had not been doing all that much up to this point, once the student body cleared the way, he and Thomas would do the vast majority of the work that remained. The other students would gather materials of relevance from inside and transport it or report it, but Alden and Thomas had to verify the value of any given item they found or any murals or inscriptions along the walls.

Alden tapped his foot impatiently. He wished the students would work faster. All this waiting, sitting around, while the object of his greatest desire could very well be right beneath his feet. Maybe he could incentivize them somehow, either by paying them or taking something away for lack of work.

"Professor!" Thomas shouted from afar.

"Yes?!" Alden replied enthusiastically.

"Professor, they've made it through!" Thomas said as he ran up, losing his breath. "They've made it in, you have to come see!"

Alden hopped up from his spot and rushed over to Thomas. The boy led his master to the entrance, a strange pair of pillars leading into a tunnel of darkness illuminated only by the magical lights the students brought along. The lanterns only had a few days worth of charge to them, so the expedition would have to go quickly and efficiently.

"Have you seen the inside yet?" Alden asked.

"No professor, nor have the other students," Thomas replied. "They found the doorway, and it appears to be magically locked, something more complex than we are familiar with. With your knowledge of the Mohrnighans, though, it should be a quick opening."

"Excellent."

The duo ran down the corridor and reached the door in a matter of minutes. The tunnel ran fairly deep and at a severe enough angle that running back up would challenge any real athlete. Alden noted this to make possible adjustments for the time to get materials out of the ruins and make better use of the students' labors.

When they reached the door, most of the students eagerly awaited the professor along either side of the corridor. Most stood hunched over, exhausted and sweaty, clearly finished with a great deal of labor, as Alden liked to see. He quickly turned his attention from them and to the door before him.

"Do you have anything for me about the lock?" he asked.

"Yes," Thomas began. "Based on the inscriptions, I believe we are dealing with a complex conceptual spell, bound to the door by essence nature. When our magic users tried to touch it, they could sense some kind of living souls within the door, as if they were willing it to remain closed. We believe there is some sort of sacrifice or bargaining key to be made."

"If I know their culture, it is a bargaining key," Alden said. "The few religious sites I have had the fortune to delve into all spoke of the importance of deal-making to the Mohrnighans. From their trade, to their relationships, and to the fundamentals of their dealings with nature, this is the prevailing theme." Alden read through the runes. "It says, 'All entries require a fee, to get inside, you need to offer, your..." Alden stopped reading aloud.

"What does it say?" some student asked. "And why doesn't it rhyme? Kinda disappointing..."

"It does rhyme, just not in the common tongue," Alden said dismissively. "And don't worry, the price is an easy one. It's something of care to others, but little to the opener."

"What does that mean?" the same student asked.

"In effect, it asks to do some kind of damage to your relationship with someone or something," Alden explained. "It doesn't say that you can choose something exact, just that it will take it in exchange for entry. That's why it is a combination sacrifice and bargaining key."

"Ah," Thomas said. "No wonder we couldn't decide which; it's both."

"That's something they do frequently." Alden took a deep breath and put his hand upon the door. "It helps keep the uncertain at bay."

Moments later, the sound of grinding stone doors echoed through the corridor, and the massive stone slab inched to the side. Alden stood still as a statue before the massive stone in awe as it moved on its own. It was likely the essence magic within the stone giving it the energy to move, but he would have to study that another day. Maybe he could get some students to extract the runes and other relevant parts to the spell from the door? Regardless, the door was open, and the main expedition could begin.

Alden briskly walked through the door and stopped dead in his tracks in pure awe. Before him, carved into the mountian, a perfectly preserved Mohrnighan religious site, still lit by the teal and sky blue flameless lamps from however many thousands of years prior. The massive chamber before him housed numerous exquisitely crafted stone buildings, carved from molten rock and sanded to smoothness and perfection. Black stone, barely reflecting the light of the lamps enough to navigate the ruins, the ceiling invisible in the distance.

"Hail to the One," Alden muttered. He turned to his students. "Onward, we have knowledge to gather!"

The students cheered and eagerly rushed into the ruins in a single file. Just as Alden had, their eyes scurried from place to place in awe of the amazing structures before them. With the brighter lights they brought, the room was much better illuminated and strange inscriptions on the ground became visible. Several students broke off to begin recording what was on the floor while the rest invaded the buildings.

"We did it, professor," Thomas said as he passed. "This is... incredible."

"Yes, it is."

As Thomas moved onward to begin collecting artifacts, Alden simply stood still to appreciate what he had found. The most intact ruin he had ever heard of stood before him, untouched by the rigors of time. Where had the Mohrnighans left to, that it was in such a perfect state? What drove them away? Perhaps the ruin would hold clues. Not that it mattered to Alden; his only concern was the origins of magic.

With his desire to appreciate the ruins sated, Alden hurriedly moved forward, ready to make grand discoveries and take the next great leap in his understanding of it all.