The Legend of Rivis

[WP] The summoned hero was neither a fighter nor a magic caster. He called himself a "new-clee-ar fizz-izz-ist" whatever that means. Now he has sent you to collect a special rock for him. Why he would need a rock, you will never know, but he even gave you a device that clicks when you find it.

*****

Edris the ancient hadn't explained much to his young apprentice, he'd simply given him some chalk, and told him to draw a pattern, then immersed himself in page upon page of arcane writing, the kind that was plastered all over his walls. Rivis found them oddly pleasing to look at, long numbers mixed with strange symbols.

Edris had once told him it was called Die Rahk Notation, whatever that meant - Rivis just called it what most others did, which was magic. He finished the circle on the floor, the chalk squealing slightly against the wooden floorboards, and after fiddling a bit with the right angles he finally managed to get it right. It was a strange looking circle, full of right angles with chalk lines going to various metal instruments on the floor, like some kind of 90 degree only map, but again Rivis wasn't going to question it.

"Stand by." Edris said from the other side of the room, and Rivis went to the large handle on the opposite wall. They both waited for a second before Edris seemed to remember his spell.

"Oh..uh... Ardaxias Mentrais Veritisium! Engage!"

Rivis spammed the handle down and the room lit up with light, the chalk lines blazing with bright blue electricity. There were a brief few seconds where the world seemed to wobble in a nauseating way, and then all of a sudden there was a bang and the light faded. Smoke filled the room, causing both of them to cough - correction, all three of them to cough. There was a third person standing on the circle, dressed in strange white clothing and holding some sort of device in his hands. Rivis was astounded - the person had been conjured out of thin air it seemed, truly a spell of legendary prowess.

"Greetings strange one! I am Edris, and I require your assistance!"

The man looked a little bemused, perhaps confused at the customs here since he was clearly from some other land. Rivis had heard stories about the Northern tribes, but he'd never met one himself.

"Name's Reece. Is that chalk?" His words were lilting, tinted with an accent that Rivis had never heard before.

"Conductive chalk." Reece gave him a Look, and Edris scowled. "It's easy to judge when you've got prebuilt circuitboards smartass. Look, I need your - uh, I require your assistance. There is a curse that must be lifted, one that has plagued our church for thousands of years. All who go near it are struck with unexplainable sickness, smited down as if by the gods themselves. The ancients called it....uh.... Uranium 235. Probably a large chunk of it judging by the severity of the curse"

"Ah." Reece chuckled. I believe I can help with your problem. I don't suppose you have anything to store it in, do you?"

Edris rummaged in a nearby pile of paper and came up with a large box. It was made out of a strange black metal that shimmered in the light.

"This will contain the curse, and let you dispose of it back where you are."

"Well someone's got to go and get it first."

Rivis could only watch as the two men slowly turned to look at him.

"Alright listen up." Reece finished spraying the poor apprentice with his spray can, shaking it to get the last few drops out. "That's a lead composite spray, it's too dense to be absorbed by your skin so it should keep you safe from the effects of the radiation."

"Huh?" Rivis just looked at him blankly, and Reece sighed.

"It's magic spray, it'll stop the curse killing you."

"Oh, why didn't you say so?"

Reece shot a glance at Edris, who was watching from the corner with a smug look on his face. "Either way it lasts for a few minutes, so you'll have to be quick. Here, ." He gave Rivis the device he was holding earlier, which was now clicking quietly. "This will help you find it. The more clicks you hear, the closer you are. You're looking for a large rock, it'll be the source of the curse. If it starts to buzz then you've got about 30 seconds before the curse will kill you, so get it into the box fast to contain it."

Rivis nodded as he looked at the church. It seemed so innocent, and yet everyone that had stepped inside had died, without exceptions. He was scared, but he had no other choice but to trust in the magic protection. With a nod he stood and began to walk towards the doors. Going inside he didn't see anything out of the ordinary, and he pointed the device at the side rooms. He got nothing until the very last one, when the device began to click faster. He went inside to see a trove of treasures, glittering gold all over the place. There was one thing in particular though, a small glass orb with a chunk of metal inside, some kind of artifact. It was glowing ever so slightly, and when he pointed the device it began to go crazy, the clicks crescendoing into a loud buzz. Fear shot through his veins as he silently counted in his head, running up to it and fumbling it into the box. As soon as he shut the lid the buzz dropped back into regular clicks, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

1 minute later both Edris and Reece breathed a sigh of relief as Rivis exited the church, carrying the box triumphantly. He was elated - a hero, having helped the magician vanquish a terrible evil, and he would be celebrated as such. And so the town was rid of the curse for good, and the legend of Rivis the unbroken was born.

*****

THE END.