The Final Trial

After crawling their way through, a glimmer of light appeared. First, Sparrow emerged from the end of the tunnel. She then helped both Lycos and Val out. Before they could even dust themselves, a strange aura took over.

The water from the puddles started to float and form together. The spirit from the beginning of the cave showed herself again.

"I see that you have made it to the final chamber. You may leave with the item you seek, but if you choose incorrectly or take more than was meant for you, terrible consequences await you." The water spirit gave her instructions and vanished once again.

Suddenly, the once dark space was illuminated. It glimmered with jewels, treasures, and magical items of all kinds. Val's hands were itching to take whatever her pouches and pockets could hold. She was so entranced that she was moving before her mind could comprehend what she was doing.

"Val!" Sparrow woke Val up from her trance. "We are here for one item only, so be wary of your actions."

"Right..." Val regretfully pulled here hang back. "What are we here for anyway?"

"I only know that it is for you. You will know once you see it." Sparrow answered.

"How does that work? Everything that glitters calls me. I'm a simple person." Val jabbed Sparrow with her elbow. Sparrow merely gave a blank stare in response. Seeing that her attempt at being lighthearted was unsuccessful, Val shrugged it off.

Sparrow and Lycos charged forward, leaving Val to lag behind. Val didn't mind. She was taking in the sights. Though she didn't have a great talent for magic, she could feel the energy in the room. It was a very novel feeling for her.

'Are you enjoying yourself?' The voice chimed in.

'I am actually.' Val answered honestly. 'It's nice to not have to be worried that my life will be sucked out or running from monsters.'

'Remember to not let your guard down. The hardest tests can seem the most simple.' The voice chided.

'Yes, yes.' Val rolled her eyes. 'Key my hands off of anything that is not the intended item. Whatever that is.'

'Keep you mind open, and it will be made clear.' The voice gave its words of advice.

'You also refuse to speak clearly, huh?' Val retorted. Only this time, the voice was gone once again. It really irked Val that the voice would disappear just when it would be convenient to have it there.

The further they ventured, the larger the artifacts. What started as mere jewels and trinkets, turned into cloaks, daggers, and staffs. Everything was of high quality, and some even looked to have been there for centuries.

"Is there anything you feel is drawing you in?" Sparrow asked as they had been walking for quite a while.

"Honestly, I've just been overwhelmed with the feeling that this room gives." Val answered exasperatedly.

"It might take a long time at this rate. Though we have yet to break the rule of this chamber, we cannot exit until we retrieve what we came here to take." Sparrow explained.

"Well, if anyone would just explain what to find, then perhaps we could progress a little faster." Val snapped back. She sighed. "I know you only know what you know. I'm not upset with you. Just this so-called master who feels like leading us on this adventure. Though, you don't see him putting himself through all of this."

"I understand." Sparrow nodded to Val in understanding. "I experienced much the same when I began my training."

"Well, I don't recall agreeing to any training." Val snapped back. "I'm just along for the ride, but once this curse is taken care of, I'm off."

"That is your choice." Sparrow started, and she once again began to circle the room.

Val rolled her eyes. She looked over everything in sight, but nothing spoke to her. Instead of trying to find anything, Val just wandered around. It was still exciting to view the numerous artifacts.

They continued to mill about in silence once again. They went from room to room. At some point, the rooms were starting to feel familiar, as though they were walking in circles.

Val dropped to the ground. "I can't walk anymore. If we have no clue what to take, I wish whatever it is would just come to me."

Sparrow cocked an eyebrow at Val's antics. "Is that your plan?"

"Why not? If I just arbitrarily touch anything we're doomed. If nothing happens, we're doomed." Val stuck her hands out in front of herself and closed her eyes. "Come to me!"

They sat in silence once again. Sparrow and Lycos just looked at Val as though she was a moody child. Sparrow was close to reprimanding her when a gush of wind blew past her.

When Val opened her eyes, there was a staff in her hands. It was pure white with a carved out section at the top. It was taller than her by about a foot. And there were runes all the way down.

"Something happened..." Val murmured.

Just as she was getting off the ground, the entire room shook. Before them an opening appeared. It showed a river with a forest behind it.

"Now that your quest is complete, you may not leave the cave." The water spirit informed them.

Without wasting time, they left the cave. Once they were on the river bank, the opening was gone, as though there was no cave.

"That was very unexpected." Sparrow pondered.

"Maybe we should figure out where we are, and then we can see how far off we've wandered. But first, let's eat. I'm starving." Val voiced her opinion.

"Finally, we agree on something." Sparrow quipped