After a moment, his eyesight adjusted and he looked around.
To one side of the room, there was a table with a box and a scroll. Across from him, a door, with a incomplete hex decorating the wood.
Always read the scroll. He stepped up to the table and took the scroll in his hands.
You task is to read and memorize the symbols within the box, and use them to get to the next room.He reread it. Was there some on the back?
He hoped the test got more complicated soon.
He set down the scroll and picked up the box.
There was no visible seem.
"So it doesn't open," he muttered.
He couldn't break the box open, that was disallowed.
Maybe I could somehow change the box into glass. He shook his head. Even in his mind, it sounded stupidly impossible.
Maybe he could project his vision into the box. Actually, this is plenty complicated.
He set the box down. Something inside clattered.
If only there was a way to move the inside out for a few seconds.
This is more Zeph's area.
He thought about his friend, and shivers ran down his spine. Somehow, he knew Zeph was thinking about him too. Something about it wasn't quite right.
He shook his head. Now wasn't the time to think about Zeph's issues.
I have to do this myself, He thought.
He sat on the ground once again. After several fruitless minutes, He suddenly had an idea.
If there is light inside... I could reflect the same light on the outside using reverse shadows.
He picked up the box and carefully examined it.
He set it on the table and held his staff gem to it. "Acutus Alliges Duplicia Lux."
The gem flared such a bright white bright white. The box slowly absorbed the light, and started to glow.
Ferondir released the spell, but the glow remained.
He pumped his fist. "Awww yeeeaaaah!"
His grin faded. "And now..." To reverse the shadows.
He placed his staff against the table and instead placed his palm in the center of the box.
This spell only works if the target is the conduit. He searched his mind for the right words.
"Convertunt In Se Lucem A Tenebris."
The box was swallowed in unnatural shadow, except the part that Ferondir had shaded, which now resembled cracked and cloudy glass. He could just see a scroll inside. He raised his hand and the scroll opened.
Runes! Damn it. He frowned, but did his best to memorize what his saw.
First he had to read it, and understand it. Writing symbols wasn't enough when it came to rune writing, you had to have a picture of their meaning in your mind. The more complete the picture the stronger the effect of the runes.
He could only read a few. He cursed. Zeph would be able to read them no problem. He shivered again.
What was going on?
Focus. Never mind Zeph.
He shook his head again, and he examined the distorted runes again, focusing, probing his memory in search of their meaning.
The meanings suddenly came to him, as if a floodgate had opened somewhere in the back of his mind.
He didn't remember studying these runes, or did he. He felt oddly disoriented.
Never mind that, now you can cast the runic spell.
He rubbed his head, which was now starting to hurt, and walked over to the door.
He placed his staff in the center of the hex and closed his eyes, thinking about the meaning of each of the letters he had seen. He let the culmination of those ideas and images form a sound on his tongue and spoke it with all the force he could.
"Leef-toh-akh."
Runes burned into the door.
לִפְתוֹחַHe was blasted from his feet and felt his neck snap forward.
...
He woke with a sharp pain in the back of his head.
Where was he? It took him a moment to remember that he was in a test.
Oh crap, how long have I been out? He looked at the door, and saw that the blast had blown it open. "Was that supposed to happen?" He shrugged, and pointed his staff at the box. "Satis."
It faded back to normal,
The door seemed to be fine, oddly.
He touched it with his hand and recoiled when he felt the sharp sting of a protective ward. So that WAS meant to happen.
He stepped through the door and closed it behind him.
