A dim light. That was all I
had in these abandoned hallways. Relics of a time long past, but
still holding strong to the present. These were no natural formed
passages either, its angles were too sharp, the stone too smooth, and
its constant rectangular shape were all telling signs of the
civilization that created it. The corridor was at least 6 meter tall,
way over what either kobolds and dwarves would ever use. There were
no carvings on the walls, no patterns, no reliefs, so both orcs and
Taurus were discarded. A quick sniff, told me it had been ages since
anyone had passed, the air was too stale and humid. And the coldness
of the stone under my paws was not something the elves would allow,
and the freedom-loving gnolls would never let the sky out of their
sight for more than a few hours. I kept on walking, letting my senses
take in everything they could, looking for a clue out of this place.

I saw it then. The sparkling
in the walls. It came and went with every step I took, with every
movement of my head. For a brief moment the hallway would dress in a
gown of silver and green spots, then they would be yellow and blue,
another step made them green and orange, and a shake of the head
would turn them yellow and blue. They moved with me, changing
positions like dancers in the tales of Tars’ellan. But there’s no
tale without a song, and possessed by the beauty in front of me, I
took out my flute. The notes came on their own, like they always do,
guiding my hands as the sounds reverberated across the empty
corridors. The fear of death was gone, the crushing loneliness as
well, there was only music and sparkles, putting on a show for me.

I don’t know how long I was
caught in the trance of music and light. Minutes? Hours? It all
blurred together, as the arcane threads weaved into a spell. One that
led me to a wide room, with a host of clear crystals decorating the
ceiling. To the left there was a pond that took up a quarter of the
room, its surface reflecting a cyan blue color, the same as the
mushroom that had claimed the wall. The right corner, had a large
slab of black polished stone. Like a perfectly round semicircle, it
held a set of linen bundles, stacked into a vague pyramid shape.
Opposite to my stood a huge boulder, easily two times as wide, and
three times as tall. Its rough brown surface, contrasted heavily with
the grayish walls, yet it never felt out of place. Bits of pale
purple crystals gave its exterior a mystical air, and for a moment, I
felt like I had intruded into a sacred glade.

With trembling legs, I
ventured inside the room, my tail lazily swashing with each step.
Only my pants and the clicking of my claws on the stone could be
heard. A sharp breezed grazed my tail, and a loud thud filled the
room. A quick glance confirmed my fears, where the entrance once
stood, there was only a stone wall. A sense of dread filled my
stomach. I threw myself against the wall, searching for a button, a
fissure, a lever, a cranny, anything that would open the door.
However, I found nothing. There was nothing odd, about the wall, the
stone was the same as the rest, and its edges bled perfectly with the
rest. If I hadn’t walked through it just seconds ago, I would never
suspect there’s a hallway beyond.

A soft rumble came from behind
me. The grinding of stones could be heard, and as I looker over my
shoulder, I could see the boulder start to break. No, not break.
Open. Like an armadillo, a pair of stout arms and thick legs came
into view, lifting the crystal covered torso with ease. The crystals
changed colors with each move, a dark red first, then a deep blue, a
swift flash of pink, and a lazy showing of yellow. I watched
fascinated the movement of the creature. Despite their obvious weight
and thickness, their movements were fluid and precise. They stretched
their limbs, like one would do after a long slumber. Loud cracks came
from their neck when they shook their head. Their four eyes, arranged
in an arc, shined with an intelligent silver glow. They settled on
me, growing slightly bigger, with a bit of...surprise or aprehension.
They were hard to read. Their eyes were fixed on me for a while,
without moving a single part of their rocky body. Their crystals
changing colors rapidly, until it settled on a bright white.

"H-hello, I’m sorry to
disturb you" I said with a raspy voice, the best my parched
throat could do. "I’m Dalean Refar, the- ahem- the Curious.
And you?"

Their crystals shined a funny
orange, then turned to a royal blue, shifting to a stark ivory and
finally settling, in a warm light coral. They looked at me
expectantly, their crystals turning equal parts gray and forest
green. I muttered a curse, regretting not taking that troll language
course at the academy. This was going to be harder than I had first
thought. Walking forward slowly, I made sure to appear as small and
harmless as I could, thanking the gods I was born a kobold.

"Do. You. Understand.
Me?" I asked them, accompanying every word with an exaggerated
gesture. They looked at me again, maroon and red tinting their
crystals, their hands clenching tightly into fists. A stream of
colors came next, too fast for me to even take note. Holding up both
hands, I signaled them to stop, adopting the most pitiful and
repentant posture, like a beggar asking for coins. This seemed to
calm them down, as their crystals turned back to their gray and
green.

"I fell here. I fell. And
I don’t know how to go back home. Can you help me?"

The troll stared at me for a
few seconds, their crystals turning a bright yellow. They went to the
pond, the earth shaking under their feet, and with surprising skill,
gathered water in their huge hands. Only a few droplets hit the
floor, before they kneeled next to me, and offered me the crystal
clear liquid. My tail gave the floor a flick in annoyance, and it
took many years of acting not to glare at the helpful, if
condescending troll. But the dryness of my throat made it easier to
push aside my pride, and drink from the offered watered. I don’t
know if it was the thirst, or the water itself, but as I felt the
liquid going down my throat, my body shook with pleasure, a low
humming expressing my gratitude.

The troll’s crystal took a
lavender pink hue, with soft ripples of white and orange showing
every few seconds. I drank and drank water, taking as much of the
blessed liquid as I could. All the while I could feel their eyes on
me, watching me closely, but I couldn’t guess if it was worry or
distrust that drove their actions. It was always hard to tell with
trolls. Once I had my fill, I watched them take the rest of the water
to the pond, and elegantly let the water return to its home. There
were no unnecessary movements, no ticks, no changes in their
expression. It’s what made trolls so hard to read, let alone
understand, yet, that was also the reason so many wanted to meat
them. The mystery, the adventure, the chance to see the world in a
way none of us who bore flesh and blood could understand.

By now I was sure, talking
would get us nowhere. Writing, was next. I delved deep inside me,
searching for the connection to my magic. The warmness coursed
through my arms, focusing on my fingers as a thin layer of white
gathered there. Then, I guided it to my throat, my words carrying
power across the room. Thin red lines started to form on the floor.
Curves, points, straight lines and arrows, soon became words,
sentences, in all the languages I knew. once the last letter was
formed, I let go of the magic. The well of power having diminished by
my act, but hopefully it would be enough. The troll’s pupil-less
eyes were focused on the writing. tinges of gray, silver and blue
swirled in their crystals. They shortened the distance between us,
leaving only a few steps between them and the writing. They rested
their weight on one knee, and with dexterous fingers, scratched the
rocks to form symbols. The symbols were weird, made of mostly curves
and straight lines that crossed them from time to time, but they were
all part of the same flow, no part was left unconnected, and from my
position, they would have fit as decoration in a temple’s wall. The
troll kept writing, and writing, until a interconnected square of was
form. They stood up once more, her crystals showing a beautiful
greenish silver, with purples lines, and once more she waited for my
response. I gave her work another glance, determined to make sense of
it, It was beautiful, complex and I had no doubt that it would be
the envy of many of my peers at the Academy. However, as amazing as
they were, there was no way I could read them.

A frustrated hiss left my
snout, followed by a flick of my tail to the ground. The room was
soon filled with the clicking of my claws as I paced around the room,
hoping the movement would help my mind to think. Talking was down,
and now writing was out too, the realization brought a heaviness to
my gut. I was quickly running out of methods, and for a moment I
cursed myself for never learning the comprehend languages spell, for
laughing at the very mention of it, and taking the history of art,
instead of troll at the academy. How foolish I had been, learning
only to transform songs into magic, to remember long forgotten tales,
and to weave illusions from thin air. I came to a stop them, euphoria
almost bursting from my chest. A loud and high pitch whistle leaving
my snout. With quick hands I fished out my flute, a swift movement
from my tongue made sure my lips were ready to play. A deep breath
later, and I was ready. The tune began slow and low, a mere murmur
that begged for attention. Then came a crescendo, bringing life into
the song as shapes of light appeared all around the room. As the song
entered the chorus, with hurried notes that spoke of adventure and
treasure, the illusion showed how I had found a cave, and I entered
its dark hold seeking treasure. The notes turned sour and desperate,
as they showed how the earth broke under me, and I fell into the
unknown. The scene shifted, showing me wandering aimlessly through
the empty corridors, a low but hurried tune telling of the dread that
filled me.

The song turned bright and
hopeful, when the images shifted to show how I had found the room,
with high playful notes showcasing my joy, soon followed by a sudden
drop, as the illusory wall was closed forever behind me. Long
mournful tones followed, as the illusory me realized he was trapped,
lost and alone. A jumble of notes came next, chaotic and demanding,
to tell of the surprise and fear as I met the troll. Finally, the
notes turned hopeful once more, rising in strength and pitch, as the
illusions shifted to the troll taking me out to the edge of the
mountain, the edges of a village could be seen on the illusory
horizon. Illusory me turned to hug the troll, good bye and then ran
away gleefully in the direction of the village, as the song came to
an end. The images blurred and faded, the magic having run its
course. I turned to look at the troll, their crystals shifting from
purple, to silver and lavender. They set their silver eyes on me,
points of golds flashing in them, as their crystals turned silver.
They approached the wall, the same one that had laid behind them when
I entered the room. Their hand touched it softly, their fingers
tracing invisible shapes on its surface. A small tremor coursed the
room, as the stone folded into itself to make a hallway that arched
upwards. They turned to me, and with a wave, invited me towards
freedom.