The Iron Mage

Part 1: An Unlucky Expedition

Dane Selly lowered his quill into an ink bottle, carefully made sure that any excess ink was removed, and continued writing his journal entry.

Indeed, from the outside, it doesn't look like much – just a small mound of dirt. Only when you dig in will you discover the first signs of the ruins within. I must admit, I was somewhat doubtful when a merchant by the name of Cristoffson led us here just a few days ago. Then again, I believe my scepticism was warranted: how could a major relic go unnoticed this close to the thriving city of Adastrea? For the first two days, my party and I were even considering abandoning the job he had given us, but as soon as a worker happened upon a pillar, I knew that our assignment was not going to be a waste of time. Judging by the hypnotically beautiful runes carved into the structures, whatever we have found dates back to the time just before the Great War. As of now, I haven't been able to surmise what purpose this building might have once had – the writing we have found has been of no help, either. However, I'm sure that...

"Blast it!" Dane exclaimed, having pressed on the paper too hard, resulting in a large ink splatter.

He sighed. It was not good to be writing while he was so excited. Dane wiped the ink off as best he could, left the page open to dry, and headed toward the entrance where the rest of his team was already waiting.

"Any word of his arrival yet?" he asked.

Elín, a rather petite female elf shook her head.

"None."

She glanced over at the others.

"I do hope he arrives soon."

Dane looked over as well. He could see the two other human members of the group people arguing, while the remaining third member, a dwarf, was standing some distance off with his arms crossed. Judging by the expression on his bearded face, he was quite fed up.

"Let's just head in already. Dane can open the door, no problem. We can take a look inside and evaluate how hard a time we're going to have!" Milo, the alchemist of the group, insisted.

"And take a few 'mementos' while we're at it, right? No, we cannot go in yet. The deal is that we wait for him, the one who has paid for all of this, to arrive," rebutted Samuel.

Samuel was wearing a full set of shining plate armour. Coupled with his dashing looks, he made for quite a sight. Furthermore, he was excellent at dealing with people, which is why he has been the de facto leader of this little mercenary group ever since its inception – a fact that Milo still sometimes resented. The alchemist, a comparatively shorter man clad in a robe and carrying a large bag, was clearly having trouble coming up with a comeback.

"Look, we all know what's going to happen: whatever we'll find inside? None of it will go to us. The merchant will just keep all of it for himself!" he finally huffed.

Samuel shrugged his shoulders.

"Perhaps so. But he will pay us for our services – and pretty well to boot. It's not like we're entitled to anything within. He found the ruins and he funded the dig. We're only here to act as muscle and perhaps as translators."

Milo looked over to Thronn for support. He stroked his long beard and grunted.

"I'm not interested in looting a tomb. I'm here to smash whatever tries to stop us – make sure that isn't you."

Dane shook his head. Thronn was quite a serious individual, and he most certainly meant what he had said – something Milo, too, knew, and the alchemist did indeed go silent. Dane noticed that Elín hadn't paid the argument much mind. Instead, she was looking at the road leading to the dig site, fiddling with her amulet. The amulet had always fascinated Dane, as it was apparently even older than the ruins they were going to explore. She had never been very forthcoming about it, which led Dane to believe that it was more than just a beautiful ornament.