I had a feeling of deja vu as Kalli and I crept down the narrow passage that led to the treasure. We both saw the red X on the map, but after falling into a trap with the first treasure, we were both a little apprehensive. This time, there was no treasure chest at the end of the path. A book lay buried in the mud right where the X declared the treasure would be.

Kalliphae looked at it and then me, asking, “Do you think it’s safe?”

The book in the mud looked nothing like the treasure chest that was open and sitting on a pedestal inviting me to grab a handful. It just looked forgotten. As a precaution, I decided to edit another rock.

Item:

Magical Gripper Tool (Edited)

Components

Plastic, Aluminum, Mana

Item Rank:

D

Item Level:

1

Item Owner:

Murphy

The rock transformed into a handle attached to a gloved hand. I handed it to Kalli and suggested, “Here, try this.”

She turned the tool over in her hands and gave me a quizzical look, “What am I supposed to do with this?”

I grinned and pointed at the book half-buried in the mud, “Just point it at that thing and pull the trigger.”

While I knew how regular grippers worked, I was unsure what a magical one would do. I was hoping that it was autonomous. She shrugged and pointed the gripper. Then she pulled the trigger.

What happened next reminded me of a cartoon I watched one time. Just like the bionic man, Inspector Gadget, the glove launched on a coil and shot into the water, grasping the book. When Kalli pulled the trigger again it retracted and the book flew at her along with a shower of mud and water.

Item:

Waterlogged Tome

Components

Leather, Ink, Mud, Water, Mana

Item Rank:

C

Item Level:

1

Item Owner:

Hellquist

The tome was a lot bigger than it had seemed when it was half-buried in the mud. Kalli struggled to hold the muddy book which was slipping from her grip. She cried out, “Can you clean this like you did the amulet?”

I quickly edited the tome to remove the muck and grime. Kalliphae cringed as it slid off of the book and got all over her. We were both a mess.

Item:

Unidentified Tome (Edited)

Components

Leather, Ink, Mana

Item Rank:

B

Item Level:

1

Item Owner:

Hellquist

I grinned at Kalli’s newfound treasure and announced, “It looks like you’re going to have to clean both of us up again.”

She laughed before examining the tome, “This thing is huge. I don’t think it's going to fit in my bag.”

I thought about it and suggested, “I think I can make it fit, but I might break it.”

Kalliphae eyed me suspiciously, but wound up conceding when she couldn’t figure out how else to deal with it, “Okay, try it.”

I did another edit.

Item:

1/10 Scale Unidentified Tome (Edited)

Components

Leather, Ink, Mana

Item Rank:

F

Item Level:

1

Item Owner:

Hellquist

The book shrunk in her hands causing her to fumble with it and nearly drop it. Kalli nodded her approval once it stopped and easily stuffed it into her bag. She looked hopeful, “Do you think it broke?”

I shook my head, “No. I think I can bring it back when we get it out of here.”

Making our way back to the main chamber was relatively easy with the modified map. Shara didn’t have many updates for us because Vestara was still trying to work her way down to us with a group of mages. I noticed on the map that there were a series of side passages that we could have easily gotten lost in.

I heaved a huge sigh of relief when we emerged from a cave into the main chamber where a frantic-looking Shara ran over to hug us.

Don’t worry. We’re both alright.

She backed away after hugging Kalli. Ew, you got me all muddy.

Kalliphae giggled and replied. Sorry, we fell into a pool of muddy water.

The pyromancer made her way over to a rock and used her magic on herself.

“Pvruzth”

The other mages laughed as they watched the flames lick the girl up and down, cleansing all impurities in the process. I assumed the position.

Do me next.

“Pvruzth”

The mages in the chamber raised their eyebrows at us as she cleaned me. Kalli looked at Shara. Do you want me to do you too?

The kid sadly shook her head. No. It would probably cause problems. Some of my babysitters can be a little overprotective. I wish I was someone else sometimes.

I could have sworn I saw Enrique give Shara a sympathetic look, but it was quickly covered by a mask of indifference.

Just that second, Vestara came rushing out of a cave on the other side of the cavern. One of the mages had probably tipped her off to our return. She yelled at us, “What part of don’t stray from the main chamber did you two not understand? I don’t have time to babysit.”

Kalliphae apologized for both of us, “We’re sorry ma’am. We discovered an artifact that was really close to the cavern, but then the floor caved in and we fell.”

Vestara’s look softened a bit, but she still added, “Be that as it may, these caves can be very dangerous. You are lucky that you didn’t get lost down there. I am still surprised that you managed to find your way back on your own.”

After looking around to make sure that nobody else was standing close enough to see, I decided to placate the woman by showing her the map, “We found a map that helped us find out way out.”

Her eyes widened as she looked at the many passages in the immediate area that were all drawn in intricate detail. She announced, “A discovery like this is worth at least 100 gold. This was the artifact that you discovered?”

I shook my head at the woman. When she gave me an insistent look, I decided to ask Kalli.

Should we show them what we found?

Shara bled excitement into the group. Please, show us. I want to see what you found too.

Kalli shrugged and conceded. We might as well. We will probably need help finding someone who can appraise them.

Shara practically whined. You found more than one artifact?

I nodded and produced the amulet. Vestara took it from me and turned it over in her hands for a few minutes, suggesting, “This could have some value. You’ll have to get it appraised at the guild to be sure.”

Vestara scowled as Shara tugged on her shirt, demanding to see the amulet. However, she said nothing and let the kid examine it too.

Kalliphae took out the book and I quickly changed it back to its full size. I thought Vestara’s eyes were going to pop out of her head as the book swelled to its full size. She asked, “How on Earth did you just do that?”

I already had an answer for that question, “You’ve ever heard of shrinking magic?”

She balked at me, “Well I have, but I’ve never heard of a summoner casting it. And with no spoken words at that.”

I laughed, “Right. I always forget to say the spells. Kalli tells me I’m weird that way.”

Kalli gave me a confused look and Vestara smirked, replying, “Weird doesn’t even begin to cover it. If you can do magic without speaking the words then you might be extremely gifted.”

The woman gingerly took the book from Kalli and flipped through a few of its pages. She announced, “You will want to have this appraised as well, but if it is what I think it is then the Shaw family will likely offer you a substantial reward for a chance at having this in our library. Even a copy would suffice.”

Kalli asked her, “What do you think it is?”

The older woman rubbed her chin and replied, “It’s hard to be sure because I can’t read all of it. That’s a good thing, by the way, because only the most ancient books are written in the old language. It could be a spellbook or it could be a history of the ancient ones themselves. Either way, it will be of interest to someone.”

She handed the book back to Kalliphae and we quickly stashed the artifacts as the other adventurers started trickling into the chamber from their explorations. Vestara was still holding the map and asked, “Do you agree to turn over this map to the Shaw family for a 100 gold reward?”

While I was a little nervous to let an edited item get into the hands of such an influential family, the 1000 gold that Kalli needed to win back her freedom was weighing heavily on my mind. I reluctantly agreed to part with the map which brought a huge smile to Vestara’s lips. She informed me, “You’ve just saved us months of exploration. You must have fallen into an old pirate’s den. They often kept detailed maps of the areas around their hideouts, but I have never seen one quite so well preserved. Can you show us where on the map you found these items?”

I pointed a finger at the spot where we had fallen into the pool. I knew that the chamber would yield no more artifacts, but I decided to let them find that out on their own. For the remainder of the quest, I helped Kalli find seashells.

The trip back up from the seafloor was much quicker. We shot to the surface like a bullet as Vestara manipulated the water around us. The bubble slowed gradually as we neared the surface, reminding me of an elevator that slowed when it neared the desired floor in a high rise.

On the surface, our yacht was waiting to take us back to land. The sun was already starting to set over the horizon. Vestara informed me, “Your reward will be available at the guild registrar the next time you visit. However, the fact that you found the map does not excuse your reckless behavior down there. I am afraid I am going to have to temporarily ban you from participating in this quest. At least for now. Please try to follow the rules should you join any future multi-quests.”

“Multi-quest?”, I asked, not familiar with the term.

Vestara gaped at me, but provided an answer, “Multi-questing is the term used when multiple groups of adventurers all work together to complete a quest. It only usually happens with large undertakings like the one you were a part of today. Again, safety is of the utmost importance when doing a high-ranking quest like this. I do not want to suffer any casualties as a result of careless rule-breaking.”

Kalli and I both apologized before being herded back to the yacht. Once we were separated from the liquid platform, Shara grumbled in group chat. She can’t ban you guys from her quest. All I have to do is say one word and you’ll be unbanned.

Kalliphae held up a hand to stop the excited child. It’s okay. We can try a different quest tomorrow. There’s nothing wrong with variety.

Shara beamed. Okay. So we meet at the Vista guild then?

Yes. That one's closest for us.

Since Kalli didn’t want to ride in the motorboat again, we decided to leave the group and take off on the phoenix directly from the yacht. I was happy to have Kalli all to myself again in group chat. It was my favorite way to communicate.

That was fun.

She flashed a touch of annoyance. If you count falling into a trap and nearly dying. Sure. Loads of fun.

I laughed.

We didn’t die. It wasn’t even that dangerous. Besides, you wouldn’t let us die.

After flying in silence for a while, I asked her a question.

It’s still early. Do you want to play some video games over at my house?

She looked over her shoulder at me while she considered my question. She finally replied. I guess. But you better not get that creepy look in your eyes that you had earlier when we had to pry you away from your game.

I excitedly tried to decide which game to have her play first.

Anything you want. This is going to be so much fun.

Meanwhile, back on a less fancy boat

A man in a boring grey suit watched the flaming bird fly away. He smiled to himself and muttered, “You cannot escape the same way twice.”