Quoted By:
A heavy boot planted itself firmly on her rear, then sent her flying headfirst into the fog. The wet clouds enveloped her as she crashed to the ground, bounced once, then picked up speed. There was a hill! She slammed into a rock, the force tearing the ropes around her ankles off, flopped off and continued to slide downhill, desperately kicking at the ground, tiny pebbles bouncing and rattling around her.
Sensation stopped abruptly, just long enough for the student to realize she was airborne. So much for surviving the day. The ground shot up out of the fog, and she slammed into it, no through it, down through a tangle of rotting roots and old timbers, before finally collapsing onto a stone floor, somehow miraculously alive.
The student half stumbled, half drug herself away before a shower of stones and dirt collapsed next to her. She heaved ragged breaths, and slumped against an ancient stone wall. Everything hurt, arms, legs, toes, each breath, her teeth. She pulled out the gift from the guard with shaking hands, a small metal canteen, filled with water, and took a slow drink. Her spinning vision slowed and she looked around, what was this place?
Above her were stone arches crossing a long deep shaft, with the occasional tree root and wooden bridge stretched across, a hole about her size running through them. Stone floors, stone walls, not bricks, just smooth contiguous stone. A shaft of sunlight shone down from high above, she must be on the far side of the fog at least, although she didn’t remember exiting it. Three faint lights shone in an alcove along one wall, after a moment the student hobbled to her feet and limped toward them.
Three circles, three strange symbols…and a pressure in her head, an instinct, a subtle command. Choose one. Choose a weapon or perish here. The student shook her head, tearing her gaze away from the wall. The pressure faded. Still, it’s not like she had a lot of choices.
> A blue spear, just looking at it sent chills through her
> Three red arrows, flickering like hot coals
> A yellow sword, gleaming like the sun
