An Acquisition of Glass

It was during the middle of the summer, yet judging from the weather, you wouldn't be able to guess. Esma Galeer walked the path through the winding forest, her only protection from the fierce rain being the tall fir trees above her and a personally made umbrella of brambles. As she walked, her mind whispered a thousand thoughts. Some of them encouraged her to keep walking, some wanted her to stay and rest, some wanted to go back and face judgement. Some just outright told her to go die in a ditch. She did her best to supress all of this, trying to keep focus at hand. A whole town had just been slain at the altar, and she needed to put as much distance between herself and that place as possible. She had walked for hours, yet it was not enough. It was close to the evening now, and she was starting to feel at ease. "Peace and quiet..." She mumbled to herself softly as she trudged on.

"You!" came a gruff voice from behind. All she could do was sigh.

"Spoke too soon." Esma turned around to face this pursuer. The man before her was almost a whole foot taller than herself. Rough skin, short-shaved beard and hair as black as coal with strays of gray in there, and considerably burlier than most men she had encountered. He was also not alone, being accompanied by a group of around seven mages. "What can I do for you?" She asked indifferently, all whilst focusing on trying to force her mind to stay in order.

"You can come with us. We have found something that we could use your help with." The man replied, waving for her to follow back the way she had come from. Back to the place she was trying to escape.

"Like hell I am. What makes you think I want to help you with anything? How do you even know that I would be of any use to begin with?"

"You are the Undead Vodouist, aren't you?" He asked with a raised brow, a gesture born from a strong sense of cockiness.

"I don't recall going under that title." She replied, preparing to turn around and walk away.

"Yet I strongly suspect that you are the person we are looking for. I will get straight to the point. We have found a burried temple not too far from here. According to to a map we found a while back, it is the site of an ancient temple dedicated to dragon worship. We have found droves of treasure so far, yet at the cost of several of our comrades lives. The boss thinks that you can clear it out for us without much issue. You would of course be rewarded for your service."

"Is this excavation sanctioned by the council?"

"Take your best guess, and would it really bother you if it isn't?"

Esma laughed softly. "Got me there." She pondered the prospect for a bit. As she had listened to the proposition, she was inclined to just kill the lot of them and be done with it, keep sauntering on. But then again, she feared the idea of them either reporting her or pursuing her with greater numbers. If they found her once, what would keep them from doing it again? This proved a mistake however. Because as she considered this more and more, a piece of her fractured mind snuck its way into her central line of thought, making her desire the treasure that awaited her. That would certainly aid her in her cause, wouldn't it? The moment that came to be, her mind was decided, for there was no point fighting it. She now felt the urge and desire to find it and exploit it.

"Very well... Show me the way." Esma spoke with a defeated, yet paradoxically excited sigh.

## The Excavation Continues

Esma arrived with the small company of mages to the digsite. The journey had taken some few days, but hopefully it would be all worth it. She was now in the neck deep of it. Surrounded by mages, it would be unwise to make a break for it or try to take them all down. She was led through the encampent of mages before she was put before the biggest tent of all.

Out of it stepped a man of around equal height to her, only an inch or two taller, white hair, clean face and of a lanky build. "Pleasure to meet you, Esma. I am glad to see that you accepted our offer. I promise that it will be most beneficial for both parties."

"I am certain. Yet as a sign of trust before I proceed with anything... I would like to know how youi found me to begin with. As well as how you know my name."

He chuckled softly as he reached behind his back and pulled out an item that was unmistakably a Loa Idol. "You are frankly hard to miss." He said with a soft smile. "Vodouists can sense others activities if they are grand enough. That tribute party you held was one such activity that was all but impossible not to find. And lets be frank: Every proper vodou practitioner knows your name."

She laid her eyes on the idol, inspecting it. He was strong, that much she could tell, for he held a Prime Loa Idol, much like herself. Suddenly things felt a lot more dire for her. "Well then... Shall we get to work?"

"Glad to see you so eager." he replied. "Let's not waste any time then. If you need anything, just find this tent or ask for Marcus Wulfhardt. The traps are numerous in the crypt. Every level we descend into has greater rewards than the last, but as we descend, it also gets more dangerous. But you-"

"Could just walk right through it. I can't die after all." She finished his sentence.

"I know it is a grim and painful task, but rest assured that you will find yourself richly rewarded in turn. On my honor as a Vodouist."

Esma looked sceptically at him as he made his promise, yet felt content with it as he made his vow. To refuse to uphold such a promise would be met with dire punishments from their deity should they break it. "Well then, just show me the way and I'll get to it."

Marcus waved a hand to his men to guide her away. They walked by some more shrivled excuses for tents before they reached the entrance. It was little more than a pit down into the catacombs, with only a ladder to allow one to get up and down. She was impressed by their progress as they made their ways down the halls and tunnels. Three levels down had they reached before they stopped, and as she walked she noticed the multitude of sacks and chests of treasure. An impressive yield, yet with the promise of even more further down below, it was ever so appetizing to continue.

They reached the lower levels of the digsite. As she walked the halls, she took notice of how there were runes and traces of some sort of crystal or of similar like along the walls and roof. "Why not harvest this?" Esma asked as she pointed to the crystaline formations.

"We tried, yet it was not worthwhile." replied an unnamed woman behind her. "It is just glass. Nothing of value."

*Why would there be glass sprinkled around like this? What kind of temple was this? And how does glass exactly grow on rock?* Esma asked herself mentally, trying to piece some things together. She then heard the lack of footsteps behind her. As she was about to call back to them, a row of spikes protruded from the wall and was thrust forward with enough force to pierce the wall behind her, along with her own chest. Blood gushed from the wound as Esma stood in shock from the suddeness of the automated attack. Breaking off the spike that had impaled her, she janked it out and watched as the wound closed, yet the agonizing pain remained a good while afterwards.

Esma turned around, fury ablaze in her eyes as she cried out at them. "What the hell was that?! Why did you not warn me about that!?" Esma shouted furiously.

"We didn't know it was there. We just assumed that something was ahead of us and allowed you to take the brunt of it. Like you said, you can't die, right?"

"No need to be an absolute-!"

"Enough." Spoke the burly man with the gruff voice. "We are not here to argue. Apologies for not warning you, but know that everything ahead from now is a death trap. Be cautious, and be ready for it."

With a sigh of frustration, she turned around as she the myriad of voices in her head told her to stop or kill the bastards behind her. Eventually she supressed the voices as she pressed on forward. Just in a manner of ten minutes since the first trap she experienced, there has been over two dozen traps to follow, some predictable, some sneakier than she cared to admit. Trying to combat her own broken head did not make things any easier either. Before the end of the day, they had crossed not only the level they were on now, but two more of them as well. Five of Six levels were cleared, and they were nearing onto their ultimate prize. They could all sense it. As they ventured deeper into the catacombs, the prizes grew in quantity, jewels and gold spread across the floor in grand piles of riches. And as they went deeper, she couldn't help but notice that the glass on the wall and ceiling was growing in greater quantities as well. What could it mean, she wondered.

As the final floor was unveiled, the call was sounded to quit for the day, something which Esma was grateful for. Every muscle, bone, every vein in her body ached ceaselessly. Parts of her enjoyed the misery, parts of her screamed in agony still, others tried to remain indifferent to it. She chose to stick to indifference. As they ventured further and further up, she took note of all the countless chests and bags, each and every one of them filled to the brim with all that they had found. Yet the most important find had already been carried away from these caverns. A map which detailed the locations of other dragon temples. Several had already been unearthed over the years, yet many more remained untouched. Only the leader now knew their location in full.

As Esma stepped into the moonlight, she felt a slight sense of relief. Her misery was over. At least for today. She walked into the encampments, taking seat by one of the braziers, only for all those around to distance themselves from her, prefering to sit tightly together by the other fires than to share one with her. She did not mind at first, she always prefered isolation. But as she sat there in her solitude, she conisdered exactly why they had refused to make friendly with her. It was then that she realized. They were going to-

"Hey there." Came a voice from behind. She looked around to find Marcus standing there, a smile on his face and two trays of dinner in his hand. He sat himself down beside her, handing her one of the trays. She accepted it graciously and with gratitude.

"You're welcome." He responded in kind. After a few moments of silence, he broke it. "I am very grateful for you coming here. Had it not been for you, there would not have been many left of us. You did great work, going through in a day more than we could in over a week. You truly are astounding."

Esma grinned. "Your comrades don't seem as appreciative."

He just shrugged. "They are cautious by nature. I imagine that your immortality frightens them. Many of them are backstabbers and thugs, I will admit, and to see someone who they can't backstab without suffering for it, probably unnerves them."

"You say this, and expect me to stay? Why do you trust any of them?"

"To be honest?" He trailed off. "I don't. I know why they are here. They are here for coin and nothing more. There is no trust here. The only trust I have is that they will continue to work until such a time where they can carry on with their gold. As for you staying? I don't expect you to leave. I don't think you will have wanted to go through all this suffering only to bail at the finish line. Besides..." He said as she took a bite from his meal, then proceeding to speak with a half-full mouth: "I don't think any single one of them could stop you if you really wanted them dead. You have nothing to fear from them I suspect."

"And you? Do I have anything to fear there?"

"Didn't I give my word that you would be rewarded?"

"And my life? Can you guarantee that I will still be alive when all is said and done?"

He just laughed at that. "I don't think there is anything in my power that I can do to keep you dead even if I wanted. If it makes you at ease, however: I vow on my honor as a vodouist that you will be rewarded and alive after our work is done. If you keep on living after we part ways though, that I cannot tell. I am no prophet."

She found herself conflicted. More so than normally. She eventually came to terms with that she was likely to be betrayed and sighed. She didn't know how or exactly when, but she could feel it. The only option that remained was clear. She would need to find that opening first. "Very well. We'll keep pressing on. I just need a night to recover first."

"You if anyone should need it, I imagine. I'll leave you be. There are some preparations that needs to be done and some appropriate divisions of the treasure once we are done here. Good evening, Esma." He finished with as he rose and up returned to his tent.

"Good evening to you as well." She mumbled as she began to shape a plan of her own. It might get tricky, but her only hope was to breach their defenses before they could turn around with the metaphorical knife in hand. He might have given his word, but that word could probably be circumvented. How? Who knows, but she wasn't about to give him the chance.

## Treachery and Treasure

Esma knew right from the start of the morning that something was wrong. Almost the whole camp had accompanied her down the crypts, along with Marcus. As they ventured down to the final floor, she mentally steeled herself for the barrage of agony which would ensue. She took a last look into the corridor for any sign of what may await her. Yet all she could see was more of that mysterious glass she had encountered throughout the levels. This time, however, it was not a sprinkling or chunks of it, but rather everything from floor, walls and roof consisted of the material. There was no more time to ponder this as she could pracitcally feel the impatience from the men and women behind her. She stepped forward, ready to face her misery.

The level did not disappoint.

Barely five steps had been taken into the passage before she was assaulted by an array of glass pikes and traps. Some of them were rather obvious to see due to the sheen and fractures in the glass, but she activated them all the same, at the very least for an easy exit if nothing else.

Pikes, pitfalls, collapsing roofs, falling spikes and more. So many various ways to kill you, and she did her best to avoid the most fatalistic ones, but every once in a while, she still failed to evade them. She started to feel something in her breaking. She was not sure what it was, so she tried to ignore it and press on. When a storm of glass shrapnel was thrown her way from either end of the passage, slicing her to near ribbons, she understood what it was that was breaking: Her will. Her strength of heart, her determination, was beginning to falter. She realized this excessively well when she realized that her wounds were closing up slower than previously. If this kept on for much longer, she may not be able to sustain herself anymore. But with so many men behind her, most likely already preparing their daggers and spells to attack, and who knew how many traps left, she pressed further on, trying to see where this would lead, to see where she could find her opening.

Techincally she could use her brambles and magic to scope out the area for her, but she wanted to save every last bit of favor and power for her escape, just in case.

As the final stretch came to be, only a wide passage left to pass before the final room. She walked forward, awaiting the pain, but there was none. Another step, yet there was nothing. Ten more and still nothing. The men behind her seemed to come to the same conclusion as herself: There were no more traps here. And as she expected, they pressed on without her. They left her behind to remain with only Marcus.

He placed a hand on her shoulder. "You have been an exceptional help to us, Esma. Many thanks. As for your reward, I am thinking-"

"Sir! You will want to take a look at this!" Spoke a foreign female voice from within the room ahead.

He looked up, seemingly annoyed to be interrupted. "What is it?"

"Come!"

With a glance at eachother, they approached the room, Esma remaining outside while Marcus stepped inside. Within the confines of the room stood a pillar surrounded by a magical barrier of some kind. She looked around, and noticed something on the walls inside. It was a warning of some sort as far as she could tell from the imagery, but the others seemed unaware of it, attentive on the barrier and the prize inside. A crystal of some sort. Small enough to fit in the palm of ones hand. Before she had the chance to figure out what, Marcus exclaimed: "A Lacrima! A dragon Lacrima. It has to be. Come on men, we need to break this barrier open." He said as he and the mages in his area began to pour copious amounts of magical power against the barrier, slowly but steadily breaking it to pieces.

Esma just stood and watched, growing content with what they were up to. If the message was correct, a trap would soon be sprung on them, and even if it wasn't, they were currently wasting a lot of power just to crack the safe. Her opening was now.

As soon as the barrier broke, a barred gate crashed down over the entrance, startling Esma as she backed off, the gate falling down just a foot in front of her. Runes and images within the room lit up in a ethereal light. She could feel herself getting tired just being in the mere pressence of it. Backing away further, Marcus ran up to the bars, horrified. He tried to cast some spell, but it did not work. Whatever the light was, it neutralized spellwork within.

"Esma, you need to get us out of here!"

"Do I though?" She asked, feeling a malicious and cruel part of her influencing her heavily. She relented, feeling inclined to let it for now.

"Esma! I gave you my word! I promised you treasure!"

She sneered at him. "That you did! And I am going to take you up on that promise now, when you can't stop me."

"I was never going to stop you!" He cried out, anguish and betrayal painted over his features.

She shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. It does not matter now. Enjoy your stay." She said as she turned heel and began to walk away from them, all while they cried out for her to show mercy, to come back. While walking up the levels of the ruins, she plundered all the sacks and chests for their content, piling the gold and jewels within her bramble ring, the artifact bestowed upon her by her Loa. Some would be used as tribute, a substantial amount more would be used to get better by in life.

At the top of the digsite, she began to cook herself a meal from the resources left behind, humming to herself all while enjoying the quiet it wrought to be alone. Days passed her by before she walked down the pits once more. When she got to the room, they laid there, most of them dead, some on the brink of death, and some remains of those who had consumed their comrades in a desperate hope to stay alive. She used her Vodou to perform some Bramble magic, breaking down the gate. Walking in she still felt the draining power of the runes glow. Walking up to the remains of Marcus who clutched the lacrima in his cold, deceased hands, she grabbed hold of it, looking it over before turning back to Marcus. "I did not dislike you, Marcus. I just did not trust you." She said as a strange form of parting words before walking away, leanving the groaning men to rot away. She contemplated what she ought to do with the gem, but ultimately, it all came back to the same answer. The same desire and want. She wanted to keep it. To infuse herself with it, to take her first real step towards breaking free from her father. "Now to just find someone who can put this in me."