Chapter Text
Mount Ebott Nature Reserve, located in Washington it hosts a variety of endangered species and rare plants not found anywhere else in the world. It's also entirely off limits to anyone not working for National Parks Service without special pre-approved permits. Not that anyone would want to visit Mt. Ebott, considering the legends surrounding it, regarding monsters, magic, and missing children. All of these reasons are part of what makes it the perfect place to dissappear, and an even better place for a mage to get some well deserved privacy.
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"Son of a bitch!" the sound of crashing and cracking ceramic fills my cabin, powdered echo flower spilling across the wood slats of the floor. "No no no fucking shit." I watch as the magic visibly bleeds from the powder, changing it from a vibrant glowing blue, to a dusty pale grey. Great, now I have to go looking for more of the material that's the worst to find. I gently poke and prod the shards of ceramic, examining the flickering and quickly fading runes adorning it's surface. "The runes got ruined too, my day could not get worse." I let out a sigh, rubbing my temples, headache already starting to throb behind them.
"Okay lets sort thoughts first nothing I can do about it now." First on the agenda, find my map book. Quickly moving over to my chest of drawers, I rummage around searching for the leather bound journal I need, muttering to myself. "Seal scribe? No, Glossary of Material Effects? Not that either, useful though, Aha!" My fingers sink into the sturdy leather of a well worn book. Pulling it out quickly, I admire the cover denoting it to be 'Maps Of Known And Suspected Caves', perfect just what I need.
Flipping through the pages, I keep an eye out for blue flower stamp markings. About halfway through the book, I spot a rather yellowed, and tattered piece of parchment, a single blue flower is marked towards the back of a cave, along with a detailed description of where the cave is located. "Strange, I don't think I ever remember making this map. Well, stroke of good luck for me I suppose!" I slam the book shut, turning to face the door of my cabin.
I quickly grab the cloak hanging off the peg next to entryway, along with the drawstring pouch sitting below it. Opening the pouch I drop the book inside. Looking inside the bag, I double check I have everything I need. "Map book check, staff check, basic rune components check, rations check, camping supplies check. Okay that should be all." Once again, I find myself grateful for the usefulness of void magic, otherwise all this would be a pain to carry.
Throwing the cloak over my shoulders, I secure my bag, before double checking the cabin, ensuring nothing is out of place. Looks good to go, grabbing the large brass key off the hook by the door, I throw it open. Taking a step outside, I breathe in the fresh air. Letting out a content sigh, the slight ambient magic of Mt. Ebott tingles my nose. Turning around I lock the door, running my fingers across the sturdy wood, doubling checking to make sure that all my runes are set, before allowing myself to head off down a well worn trail.
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The sun shines through the branches of the trees above me, painting my path in patches of dappled sunlight. Taking my time strolling down the track, I admire the various flora surrounding me. Flowered vines creep up massive trunks of gnarled oak, small bushes intersperse the underbrush, dotted with pops of colored berries and vibrant flowers. Birds chirp and sing above me, as bee's buzz past searching for the next flower to land on. The trail slowly starts to lead up a nearby face of rock, before switching back climbing even higher.
Taking out my staff, I slowly make my way up the path, being sure to test my footing before proceeding. The well packed dirt slowly transitions to loose rocks, sending small spatterings of stones tumbling down the cliff face, before falling into the trees below. The mountain towers above me as I come to a small opening in the face of rock beside me. Small scraggly bushes desperately cling to life in front of the cave, nearly concealing the entrance. If I didn't know what I was looking for, I might've missed it.
Reaching inside my satchel, I grab the worn map book flipping open to the page with the map I need. Reading through the description, I confirm that, at the very least, the outside matches what's recorded. Strangely enough, the hand writing doesn't match mine, the script being overly elegant, almost seeming to have been typed instead of written. Well, as long as the echo flowers are here I won't worry too much about it, something to ponder later maybe. Shaking my head, I duck down and push my way through the brush into the cave.
Blinking a few times to adjust my eyes, I begin to catalog the surroundings to myself. A carpet of brown green vines twist around the floor of the space, squishy underfoot, but not as hard as you'd expect a tree root to be. Lining the walls are small patches of ivy, little yellow flowers clinging to them. Straight ahead of me, I spot a dull blue glow shining from further in the cave. "Echo flowers jackpot." Making my way across the cave, I stop every few steps to test the strength of floor, before proceeding.
About halfway through the space, I can just make out the blue glow of a small patch of echo flowers, clinging to an outcropping of rock situated on the back wall of the cavern. The sight fills me with relief, as I continue forward. Not checking my footing as much, I fail to notice the slight sag beneath a step. Another step forward I hear the snapping of vines, and creaking of roots, my foot goes straight through the floor. Vines begin to rapidly snap around me, as my weight is too much for them to support, the sound of air screaming by my eardrums, is the last thing I process before a loud crack. Vision fading to black, streams of sunlight from above seem to mock me, before my consciousness slips away.