The Staff of Power

Harim landed a few feet onto a small ledge. He knew his friends would freak out. Sure enough, Rothox was at the edge glaring at him and shaking his head.

"You're insane," he said.

"You are welcome to join me." Harim gave him a few feet of space, his back right on the edge. Rothox shook his head.

"I think this one's on you. We will wait here, good luck." Rothox stepped back.

Harim climbed. Orudon hadn't looked back or made any indication he had seen the monk scaling down towards him. He was stoic, staring out into space. It didn't take long for Harim to reach the ancient gnome.

"Orudon…" He said softly. The gnome didn't respond. "Orudon, we need your help," Harim asked louder.

"Help…I…failed…" Orudon looked back at Harim, tears in his eyes. He knew he was referring to his family and maybe the gnomes in the Depth.

"Did you live here, where the city fell away?"

Orudon looked back, "Family…failed…"

"It wasn't your fault…"

Orudon snapped back to him, the tears flinging from his eyes as he did. "No!...my fault…this." He tapped the staff on his lap and returned to staring out. Harim understood. Orudon had done something with the staff causing this portion of the ice to break off and slide away. Killing his family and many others. Harim slowly extended his hand to touch the gnome's shoulder. As his hand touched the shoulder, the gnome didn't pull away. He slowly turned his head to look at Harim.

He lifted the staff, hesitated for a second then shoved it into Harim's outstretched hand. "You…take...now."

Harim grabbed the staff. The ancient gnome stared at Harim, his eyes filled with tears. The gnome reached out and touched Harim's hand that held the staff.

"Stop him," he said clearly before he jumped.

Harim tried to grab him but he was too slow with the staff in his hand and as they continued to make eye contact, Harim could see happiness in his eyes before they became lifeless. Orudon's soul had already left the body. The body vanished into the thin cloud layer and he was gone. Harim stood on the precipice of the tepui with a tear in his eye. It was for Orudon, for his family, for the gnomes back in the Depth. It was the first time he had cried since becoming a monk. He whipped it away and climbed back up to his friends clutching the staff.

Harim pulled himself over the lip. Rothox was leaning against the remaining walls of the last home scratching the wall with his dagger. Alissa sat rolling snowballs and Erigos was spinning his shield in the snow.

"Ahem." Harim cleared his throat and presented the Staff of Power to his friends.

"How did–Where is Orudon?" Rothox asked.

"He's gone."

"What do you mean gone?" Erigos stopped spinning his shield.

"He jumped, I guess his grief was too much for him."

"Grief?" Rothox focused on Harim's eyes, he wanted to see if he showed any emotion, he didn't.

"I think he caused this," Harim gestured to the fallen area. "And I think he blamed himself for the village too. He gave me this before he jumped, and said I was to 'stop him.'

"Him, as in Ottothal?" Erigos asked.

"I would assume so."

"Hey Alissa, I'm not much for magic…?" Harim walked the staff over to her, "Here."

"Wow thank you," She took the staff and it started to glow brighter in the presence of her arcana.

"Lis, what are you doing?" Erigos stood up off the halfway he sat on.

The staff continued to grow brighter. "I don't know…Harim." She started to panic

"Don't ask me, you two use magic."

"Maybe put it dow—" Rothox was cut off as the blue light flashed, encompassing them all. They covered their eyes. The graveyard was empty, they were gone.

The light faded away. Rubbing their eyes in reaction to the overload of light. They began to make out where they were because they were no longer in Dubahar.

"Where are we?" Erigos looked around, seeing a small forest, they stood in the middle of a clearing.

Rothox knew where they were, "We are on that island in the Frostal Lake, the one in the fog."

"Why would the staff take us here?" Alissa asked, looking at the magical artifact, no longer glowing, beyond its natural blue hue from the crystal.

"Sorry, where are we?" Harim asked scanning the clearing, having not been here before.

"When we first met we ended up in a city on this island called Til'ka, run by a powerful being," Rothox explained.

Harim glanced around, "What city?" All he saw was a forest and a fog beyond that.

"It's in its own dimension…" Alissa said.

"...Right," Harim had seen a lot of magic in his life but a city in another dimension was something he had yet to come across.

Rothox walked off, "We'll show you." After a few minutes of searching, he found the two trees they had entered for the first time. Remembering what Tilamonka's servant had done, he traced the gate and it began to shimmer into place. He pushed the gates and they opened into the streets of the city. Harim did the same thing they had done, he looked at the city then the empty clearing. Then shook his head and entered the city with them.

"Told you," Alissa giggled.

Harim felt more at home in this city. Seeing creatures that normally fight each other mingling and living harmoniously created a comfortable aura. The tower stood out around the simple stone and wood architecture.

"My friends! Welcome back." The booming voice of Tilamonka filled the lavish entrance room as he floated down towards them. "And I should say, welcome for the first time, Harim."

"How do you know my name?" Harim focused on the characteristics of this being thinking maybe he had come across him before.

"Harim, I am the great Tilamonka. I know everything." He laughed before turning serious. "I was saddened to hear of Garrok's betrayal, which disappointed me greatly." He saw their sullen faces and moved on. "Best not to dwell on it then. Are you hungry…you must be hungry, let's eat." He clapped his hands and a banquet table filled with colorful food appeared above them along with chairs that floated them up to the table.

"Last time you were here, you were all so young, look at you now, you've all grown so much in a short period of time," Tilamonka lounged on his chair, with a leg dangling over one armrest.

"Tilamonka," Alissa lifted the staff for him to see. "Do you know what this is?" His eyes went wide immediately.

"I thought I sensed an artifact when you entered. That is the Staff of Power, how did you come by it." He raised an eyebrow and took a sip of wine from a floating goblet.d

"We met the gnome who had it and he gave it to Harim and when I touched it we were in Dubahar and it teleported us here."

"You've met Orudon then…"

"You know of Orudon?" Harim asked.

"Know him, we are old friends."

"Were friends…" 'I guess he doesn't know everything' Harim thought.

"I'm sorry, 'were'. Are you telling me he…" Tilamonka's jovial expression faded. "This is devastating news. When did this happen?"

"Thirty minutes ago..." Harim said.

"What happened to him?" He shifted out of his lounged position to lean forward with his elbows on the table and his hands together in front of his mouth.

"We found him in Dubahar sitting alone where his family had died. I went to talk to him, he handed me the staff told me to 'stop him' then jumped," Harim said.

"He jumped?"

Harim explained what happened to the gnomes in the Depth.

"He never stopped blaming himself for the death of his family. If he blamed himself for the death of these other gnomes too then it could have been too much for him to bear, sadly."

"That's what we thought as well."

"Hmm..." he sat quietly, taking a moment for his friend.

"Tilamonka...why would he send us here?" Alissa asked hoping she had waited enough time.

He picked his head up. "I would assume Orudon programmed a teleportation spell to send any magic-user to hold the staff here."

"But why?" she asked.

"Well, if it fell into the wrong hands, then maybe he thought I could retrieve it and keep it safe until the rightful person to wield it could be found."

Alissa laid it on the table, "Here...I don't deserve it." She pushed it forward.

"Why do you say that? You are pure of heart, you don't think you will use it to help as Orudon did before you?"

"I'm...not strong enough..."

The way Alissa was willing to hand over the staff to find the right person was the reason she must have it. Tilamonka smiled, "I have something to show you."