The Search for Knowledge: New Beginnings

The Search for Knowledge - Chapter 28

Everyone changed gears to a more serious mood and agreed with her. With that, they made a small, makeshift camp in the corner of the dungeon room.

- - - -

Oddly enough, after an hour the body of the mantis disappeared and in its place there was a palm-sized, white orb. The party was enjoying a stew using some of their fresher ingredients, and only Feera noticed the change. She leaped from her seat, and excitedly ran over to the object. She picked it up and examined it with curiosity.

"Feera, what's wrong?" Rox called over to her, finishing the last of his meal and heading over. As his eyes met with what she was holding, a look of surprise came over him, "Oh. We seem to have gotten very lucky, I suppose this dungeon trip wasn't entirely a waste."

"Why? What is it?" Feera asked.

"Come with me, let's show your discovery to everyone else, too." He said, leading her back to everyone. She followed with a joyful smile on her face.

When they approached the party, Kara eyed them inquisitively before speaking, "What did you two find that was so interesting?"

"Oh, nothing, just the reason people risk their lives in the dungeons," Rox said with a wide smile, motioning for Feera to show off the orb.

However, everyone looked at it as though they thought it were merely a ball. Toley was the first to speak out, "So, what is it?"

Rox deflated and Feera giggled. He then went on to explain, "It's what one might call cheating. People in the past have found two or three of these in each dungeon. They're known as 'ability orbs'. It's the only way for people to acquire abilities that they weren't born with! The second great war was fought over one of these!" Rox became increasingly excited about this unassuming sphere as he spoke about it. "Blue orbs will grant whoever uses it a random magic ability, Red will give a random physical. White and black ones are special though. Black significantly increases one's ability to gather mana. White allows the user to choose what ability they wish to gain." After the explanation of the different types, everyone looked at the orb in awe. "Whatever ability the user gets will become a level according to what the person is capable of. So, for example, if Kara used it and gained space magic, as long as she had the knowledge and mana gathering ability, she could instantly have level 4 or higher space magic."

Everyone was lost for words. Feera, who previously held the orb like a new toy, now held it as if she were holding the most fragile object in all of Chalice. In her hands was an orb that allowed the user to gain any ability they wished for.

"So, who gets to use it then?" Toley asked the question on everyone's mind.

No one answered him and instead looked at Feera, who held the orb. She became nervous under the party's stares and turned red, a surprisingly shy side to her that Rox found cute. "Why are you all looking at me?" She asked timidly.

"Well, you got the kill on it. It's common sense that the one who gets the kill decides what happens to the rarest item in a party." Kara told her, "I might be the leader and it might have been a group effort, but you brought it down with your own skill and without knowing we would get that orb."

"No! I don't do well with pressure, so you decide!" She said and tossed the orb to Kara, immediately hiding behind Rox. Everyone giggled as Kara caught the precious object.

"Alright, with your permission then." She looked around at the party. "What ability would each of you choose, for what reasons, and what level do you think you would get. Sheeron, you first."

As if expecting things to turn out this way, Sheeron stood up from his seat, at attention. "With all due respect, I don't think I should take it. I might have the experience, but I have the least room to grow out of all of us as well as the shortest life-span here. If you want my opinion, I believe that Toley or yourself would put it to best use." He said, speaking formally and with brutal logic. Rox raised an eyebrow, surprised that a former mercenary would pass up a chance to increase his power. Then again, he was also a teacher to several now-great fighters as well as being a bodyguard. To some degree, it made sense for him to grant power to either the one he protected or the fledgling he was raising.