Rock Bottom

As the party stumbled around in the dim light, every now and then slipping on an unexpected patch of goo, Ezma tried really hard to keep her outrage to herself.

She did not succeed,

"What in the cold north wind was that up there!' she practically screamed 'You are all champions of your races! legend says you can level mountains in boredom! Why in the bonny white snow are you struggling against SPIDERS!'

She paused for breath 'I understand when we rescued the farmers you were both not used to team work and we were trying to keep a low profile, but we are inside Giantknee! the oldest mountain on the continent, if its stones could not handle your power it would have been long demolished."

Willow sheepishly replied "I woke up a greater wurm."

Ezma sarcastically clapped "The great champion of the elves ladies and gentlemen, summoner of Wurms and plunger of parties into forsaken depths in the roots of the world!"

Hassium growled "We have never fought creatures like these before young one, and you forget that we have been centuries interred by the same substance which makes those creatures."

Shiro raises an eyebrow no one can see and speaks up "That is confirmed for sure Hassium?"

"Yes,' they reply 'It was harder to tell since the wolves were so fast and the space was so open, but with the spiders not just being made of it but also their silk it was hard to miss this time."

Aspen chimed in with a voice full of concern "We still don't know how this material was made or how it was cast from the Holy Kingdom into our places of power all at once."

Ezma made a huffing noise "We still have not addressed the main issue, why, are, you, so, weak!" She said punctuating each word.

Awkward silence met was her only response.

With a cough Lorna broke it "Ewan and I will go ken what light be yonder."

All the champions thought hard while the goblins scurried off.

Shiro thought her answer was obvious, after all she was the first evert champion of humans that was on record as far as anyone had told her. This on top of being an other worlder and only learning about the power of the balance pretty recently.

Willow, wanted to say it was because there had been nothing nearby, and while that was true this time it had not been true when the border patrol had encircled her. For some reason she could not admit to herself she shied away from her power these days. She could not tell if it had changed since she had woke, or if being trapped in that nightmare of powerlessness and guilt put up a barrier between her and the balance that she needed to over come.

Hassium cleared their throat, "I suppose it is time I let you all know this, I gave up my connection to the balance."

Everyone looked at them aghast "My nightmare in the crystal was to know that I was responsible for not just freezing the forms of the ones I loved when they tried to visit me and save me, but forcing them into the shape that would cause them the most distress. So one point I was visited by a robed figure, I still don't know if it was a dream or some being actually visited me before you all did.

They offered a chance, they spoke of a way to channel my power such that the shape sealing field would not progress by itself. So I jumped at the chance and bent my whole will towards the endeavor.

It worked until one random day when the field flared and bucked like a beast enraged and with an almost audible snap I felt the last of my connection with my champion powers dissipate."

Shiro stepped over and put her arm over Hassium whose emotions of being small and helpless were being reflected in their current form.

They continued "I figured it out later that the day my powers left me was the day you freed Willow. I wanted to ask if she had been offered a similar deal and discover if it was a affect of the spell that bound us, but to do that I would have had to admit to my powerlessness."

Something dampened Shiro's sleeve, surprising her that slimes could cry.

Willow thought hard before speaking "The being that in my nightmare slew everyone and everything did once pause in his massacre to offer me something, but I cannot recall much more than that."

Willow took a brave step then "I do feel deeply responsible for every beast attack that happened while i was sealed and that might, no that is making it harder for me to reach out."

"Does that answer your question lore keeper?" Aspen bit out with venom from where she embraced Willow like Shiro comforted Hassium.

Aspen, despite the feelings growing between her and Ezma, had spent almost a century shielding Willow from naysayers and other critics so accusations like this brought her on the defensive.

Whatever was about to be said next was lost as Ewan came back through the tunnel and breathlessly said "Yea be want to ken this"

He led the somber group through the tunnel as they fought their feelings of unresolved business.

As the progressed the dim glow resolved into a brighter light until they reached a ledge overlooking a vast cavern lit by running rivers and falls of lava, twisting around ruins that dwarfed the gates of Giantknee.

Shiro was shocked at both the scale and the resemblances to some of the modern architecture from her home.

Movement caught her eye and if the creatures had not been glowing with a purple that contrasted the ruddy lava light the scale of the buildings would have hidden them as surely as any camouflage.

In the center though, stood one lonely crystal formation like a statue in a plaza, and a carpet of the same material heading off in the direction of several distant tunnels.

Willow gasped and pointed towards a distant rock formation.

After a moment of staring the formation shifted and Shiro's mind grasped what it was,

The crystal encrusted mate of the Wurm Willow had used to save them earlier stirred, then unleashed a might roar.