LogFAQs > #904068984

Jen Lowell was sent with the group to clear out the inn of any lingering threats, and so the two were split up regardless of their wishes. This wasn't a vacation. These people needed to understand that if they were going to survive.

"Igni, you're with us," Maria said, drawing him over with a gesture. "We're going to go clear out the forge and see if the smith was able to leave anything of value before he perished."

Torin, honestly, was just grateful that he wasn't forced to make any tough decisions for the time being. He was content to follow Maria as she took Ignael and Goetic under her command. The four of them headed across the southern side of town. Goetic was watching the buildings carefully for any signs of movement, but it almost seemed as if he was more just curious what was inside.

Maria even caught him creeping forward and peering through one of the back windows as they passed.

"The smith should be just ahead, according to my map," Maria explained.

The back wall of the smith had been partially destroyed. Along with the front door, which was barely even a door anymore, this left two points of entry. Interestingly the upper floor was still relatively stable and there weren't any holes in the first floor ceiling. The stairs had been partially rotted away but it might still be possible to climb up there.

"Well, I don't hear anything inside," Goetic confirmed as he knelt down beside the ruined wall. "There's no way to be sure, though. I was talking to the others and they said those monsters took their wagons quite off guard. It's possible they can move without making sound."

Ignael glanced at Maria for a moment, and then turned his attention back through the hole in the wall.

The forge had grown cold and dead. There was nothing here for him.

"Ah... Ignael..." Torin stepped around Maria for a moment. He straightened himself up as best as he could. "I seem to remember when I was constructing the original wagon groups, you mentioned you had some kind of special tool for scouting. Perhaps now would be the time to put it to good use?"

Ignael had to smirk at the old man attempting to take charge. Perhaps he was finally starting to see what was happening, or maybe he was just letting it get to him. "Yes, of course." He was also smiling for another reason.

His eyes lit up as he held the Eternal Torch in front of him. "Flame... dear flame..." he whispered to it, bringing it to life. And that light became real, reflected from the burning fire that was swirling in front of him. This was his power, his magic, his source of life. "Stand back then," he told the others in a soft and gentle way.

As Ignael entered the smithy from behind, the torch illuminated the space and cast light in each direction... but it also bent the shadows. The interior of the place became almost warped in a way, visually, not displaying like one would imagine with a static source of light.

"Now this is fascinating!" Goetic almost exclaimed, but caught himself before he raised his voice too much. "What is it that I'm seeing? What are you doing with that torch?"

"This is a special source," Ignael explained to him. "Note how the tone and hue of the light changes. Watch where you see the bright and the dark illuminate my surroundings. This torch will burn as long as I feed it energy from my own life, and it will give me special aide..."

He knelt down beside a patch of ground that was surrounded by a pale red glow. "Here it will show us signs of danger. Something is waiting beneath the floorboards."

"And those bright lights," Goetic inquired, indicating the wall to their left. "What are those?"
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~* Now I only see your dull imposter ~*
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