Meric the Storyman: Rega and the Dragonstones
Chapter 18: Touring the Museum

“Over here you can see the sling of Brua Rockfoot.” said the museum guide to his group of visitors. “It is said that this was the actual sling which started the Great Rockfoot/Weedy Feud.” The guide continued without pausing, assuming that everyone already knew about the Great Rockfoot/Weedy Fued, “The story is that Brua Rockfoot was out hunting on Weedy territory when he was caught by old halfling Weedy himself. Brua used a small stone in his sling and hit the old Weedy on the noggin to escape. This led to several weeks of feuding between the two families.”

“How did the feud end?” asked one of the visitors, a little halfling girl.

The guide smiled and answered, “It seems that Brua had been in love with old man Weedy’s daughter, Corneilia. He had been using hunting as an excuse to go visit her. Anyway, love won out. Brua and Corneilia snuck off and eloped. When they returned as husband and wife, Brua apologized to old man Weedy. The old man accepted his apology, ending the feud.”

The guide then steered the group to a display of plows. “These plows are...”

“How long until he takes us to the Emerald?” whispered Lobaki to Stice.

“We will be there shortly.” answered Stice. “Until then, just enjoy the tour.”

“...up to the plows in use today.” finished the guide.

The guide continued to show the group other museum pieces. There were the medals earned by halfling warriors long since deceased. There was the first recipe written down for halfling brew. He showed them these plus many more things outlining the history of Leafbourn.

Finally, he took them to a part of the museum set apart from the rest.

Rega began to look for the obvious traps and deterrents.

“In here are the two most treasured items in the museum.” said the guide. “You will be shown seeds from the first Redbottom Leaf plant and then after that, the Emeraldstone.”

The little halfling children were all eager to enter. Two of them had even let out squeals of “Ohhhhh.” upon hearing mention of the Emeraldstone.

The guide led them to a display case. Inside, there was what appeared to be a glass ball with several little specks inside.

“These are seeds collected from the first Redbottom Leaf plant.” explained the guide. “Halflings arrived in the area hundreds of years ago. A small group had traveled from afar. They had with them their few meager possessions. Included with their possessions was their seed stock.”

“They left their old homeland in search of a new land. They would know when to stop when they were given a sign. The city of Leafbourn and Leaf Lake is where they got the sign.”

“They saw that the soil was great for crops. Planted seeds grew much better than in the old land. Some of them had even developed new and improved changes. One of these changes was in the tobacco.”

“The tobacco seeds came from just regular tobacco grown in the old land. After planting here, it mutated and grew with veins of red. The flavor improved tenfold. This new breed they called Redbottom Leaf.”

“The halflings of old had the foresight to save some of the first seeds. Later, when the word of the tobacco spread, they made a deal with the gnomes in the west to protect the seeds.”

“The glass you see is actually a sphere of invulnerability, magically created by the gnomes. It prevents the seeds from decay and keeps water away as well.”

The guide then led them to another case. Rega noticed that it was a plain ordinary-looking glass display case.

“Our final item is the Emeraldstone.” said the guide. “I talked about the halflings from the old land looking for a sign. The Emeraldstone was the sign.”

“The halflings had been traveling for many days in the new land. They had seen mountains in the north and swamps in the south. Nothing had told them where to make their new home.”

“Then one day, they stopped at a small lake to get some fresh water. While there, they saw a green sparkle to the west. They followed it for several miles. When they arrived at its source, they discovered a large emerald. It was a deep green, clear and perfect. This was their sign.”

“Why is it kept inside the glass case?” asked one of the halfling children.

“We keep it there so it stays safe.” replied the guide.

“How do you keep it safe?” asked another of the halfling children.

“I will demonstrate. Would you like to volunteer?” was the guide’s response.

The halfling child, a boy, nodded.

“Good. Let’s say you get past the lock of the display case.” said the guide, unlocking the glass case. “Try to pick up the gem.”

The little boy nervously reached his hand in the case and touched the Emeraldstone. It only moved slightly, but it was enough to set the trap. A heavy door slammed down in the entryway to this special room. Since it was the only access to the room, they were all trapped inside.

“Don’t be afraid.” said the guide. He then reset the Emeraldstone to its original position and locked the cabinet back up. Next he walked over to a tube in the wall by the door. He said something into it and very shortly, the door began to rise.

“Another gift from the gnomes. I have an assistant in a control room ready to lift the door when I tell him. If someone were to take it without telling the assistant the proper code word to open the door they would be trapped. On the other hand, if someone were to take it at night when there was no assistant to call, they would be trapped until the proper authorities came.”

“What if there were two people working together?” asked the boy.

“Unless the second person can fly or levitate somehow, he is useless.” answered the guide. He then looked up and pointed to the small room attached to the high ceiling. A halfling peeked out, waving to those below. “You see, the switch is located in an area that can only be reached by flying or a rope of climbing, which is what my assistant uses.”

Satisfied with the defenses, the boy asked no more questions.

The tour ended. Rega and his friends went to a nearby bar to discuss the details.

“The lock is simple, it will be the door that will be the hard part.” said Rega. He took a drink of his beer and continued, “The design is very basic, even similar to the one in Cromwell. The main difference is that the switch is located in another part of the building.”

“Do you have any ideas?” asked Lobaki.

“I have eliminated a few.” answered Rega. “The Spider Climb spell you used in Cromwell won’t work here. There is no nearby wall to climb.” He then turned to her, “You don’t happen to know a Levitate spell, do you?”

“I do have that spell in my book.” answered the wizard. “I just haven’t gained enough experience to be able to perform it. I can do a Floating Disc spell, but it will only lift me three feet.”

“So, magic is out.” said Rega.

“Maybe not.” replied Lobaki. “I can do a Hold Portal spell. The spell is designed to hold a door shut, but I think I can alter it enough to hold a door open. The theory behind the spell is still the same. It may just be enough to keep the door from falling.”

“How long do you need to prepare?” asked Stice.

“Well, since it only requires verbal commands, I should be ready in several hours.” answered Lobaki. “I just need a place where I won’t be disturbed so I can study.”

They went to an inn and paid for a room. Lano stood guard outside the door, preventing any disturbance. Rega and Stice went to study the outside of the museum.

Later that night, Rega gained entry into the museum with no problems. Lano stayed hidden outside in case it was necessary to shout a warning.

Rega first searched for the rope of climbing. Although he knew it probably wouldn’t be in the museum, it was worth the time. He didn’t replace it.

Stice placed himself in a place where he could pass on Lano’s warning if it came. Rega and Lobaki continued to the room with the Emeraldstone.

As a precaution, Rega grabbed a chair and placed it in the doorway. If the spell failed, it may buy him a few seconds to get out.

The halflings were so sure of their defense system that nothing else was used. This made Rega more nervous. Sometimes a seemingly simple defense could be the hardest to get past. Rega cautiously entered the room while Lobaki waited just outside. There was no need for both to get trapped in case something didn’t work correctly.

He took out his lock picks and opened the lock to the display case. “Go ahead with your spell, Lobaki.” he said.

The spell was very easy to perform. Lobaki gathered the magic to her. She released it by saying “Hold.” The actual word didn’t matter because this spell was formed in the spell-caster’s mind. In this case, Lobaki saw the door being held open. She wrapped the gathered magic into the thought and released everything with the spoken word.

At the same time, she also pulled on her connection with her familiar. Barg let out a chirp in tandem with her saying “Hold.” The power she felt when the spell was released was greater than anything else she had ever done. The bond with her familiar and her increasing experience was definitely helping.

“The spell is done, Rega.” she said.

Nervously, Rega reached for the Dragonstone.

He took a deep breath and grabbed it. Even before his hand left the space of the case, he looked at the doorway.

Lobaki could feel when Rega got the Dragonstone. A tremendous amount of strain was suddenly placed upon her. She knew right away that the weight of the door was too much for her to hold with the spell. She felt it slowly break the bonds of the magic.

Rega saw the door sag and then slowly fall. It hit the chair and stopped its descent, temporarily.

Lobaki heard another chirp come from Barg. Then suddenly she felt it. A powerful amount of magic rushed to the door, stopping it as it hit the chair.

“Quickly, Rega. Get out!” she yelled.

Rega heard Lobaki and dived out the door. A few seconds later, the door crashed down behind him, breaking the chair into pieces. Stice came running up to them.

“Did you get it?” asked Stice.

Rega held up his shaking hand. In it was the Emeraldstone, the third Dragonstone.