Chapter 78: Dungeon Dive, part 7

“I’m not doing it, man,” said Etienne, backing away against the tunnel wall. “There’s no way you are floating me over there, helpless in midair! There has got to be a better way.”

“But you can’t simply slide down the rope, Ett,” said Olynka sternly. “It’s looped around the post a couple times, sure, but it’s not actually tied at the other end. It would fall away.” She frowned and stepped away from them, looking down to where the second lantern had landed.

Leppie was also standing at the tunnel’s end, looking across the gap. “It’s true,” said the healer. “And you certainly can’t scuttle across the floor of the cave to get there, Etienne.”

Alcar spread his arms. “Come on, guys. Trust me! I managed the lantern, didn’t I? I am sure I can float one of you over there safely enough.”

He was trying to sound confident, but in truth, Alcar didn’t know how much magical energy he had left. There was no way of knowing. His first two experiments of the day had been brief and trivial, but the shrinking of Brutus had been much more effortful, as had moving the lantern.

It had taken a lot out of him, that was for sure. What if he suddenly ran out of energy when Etienne was still halfway across the gap?

The little rogue could plummet to his death.

“Hey,” said Olynka, turning. “Wait a minute. Alcar, you said about shrinking. Couldn’t you do that to one of us?”

He frowned. “I guess. But how would that help? Etienne would be easier to lift, I guess, but I might struggle to shrink him first, and then float him across straight away. These enchantments are... tiring.”

“But you wouldn’t need to float him across if he was tiny,” answered Olynka.

“Right,” said Leppie, turning towards the others with an excited expression as she caught on. “If he was lighter, well, he could walk or slide down, couldn’t he? He wouldn’t be heavy enough to pull the rope loose.”

“Hmm. Right,” said Ubund.

Etienne stepped closer to the group. “Yeah. Or if anyone was small enough. It’s a good plan, but it wouldn’t need to be done to me!”

Alcar nodded, rubbing at the back of his head. “Yeah, that’s true. I could shrink any one of you. And that would be less risky in a way than trying to float you over. If the magic went wrong, at least you’d have a rope to hold on to.”

Etienne spluttered for a moment, and then stepped back against the tunnel wall. “Went wrong? Like I say, man. If you are going to try it out, then there’s no good reason to pick on me. Quite the opposite.”

Olynka raised an eyebrow. “Well, you’re smaller to start with. So that has to make it easier. Right Alcar?”

“Uhm... possibly?” murmured the sorcerer.

“You could shrink the dog again,” said Leppie, “but I don’t suppose it can tie knots.”

“Hmm.” Without replying properly, Alcar stepped towards the winch and rope. He did need to get Brutus across, and what the others were suggesting made a lot of sense.

But if it was going to be any of them, he suddenly realized...

Well...

It should really be him.

He could get himself down to tie the rope, rather than relying on Etienne.

He turned back to them. “Okay, team – I know what we need to do. And there’s no need for a volunteer. I have everything that I need already.”

While the others looked at one another in silence, Alcar pulled out the twist of parchment containing the razor root. As he had realized before, his supply of the herb was almost gone. No more than a single dose remained. He had been foolish not to part with at least a couple more copper riggs to buy a bigger supply from Gonida the Herbalist when he’d had the chance.

It would have to do, however.

And he would have to hope that he didn’t have any further urgent calls upon his sorcerous energy before they could get back to civilisation, for he must be close to running out.

Alcar scraped up the rest of the powder, poured it into his mouth, and then licked at the paper. He then crouched down beside Brutus. “How are you holding up, doggo?”

“Woof?”

“You don’t like being called that? Sorry. I was trying something new, I guess.”

“Woof...”

“Anyway,” Alcar continued, pointing towards the great cavern. “I bet you don’t like this place much. The sooner we get this damned codex and get out of here, the better. We are going to try to cross that gap, and for that to happen, I’m going to need to shrink you again. Okay?”

“Hwrrr...” Brutus gave a low, concerned growl to this, his tail lowering, and Alcar rubbed the dog’s ears. “It’s all right, boy – no jars this time, okay? And I’ll stay with you the whole time. We will both shrink down together.”

“Woof.” Brutus now licked his master’s face.

“Good boy.”

Still holding the dog’s collar, Alcar stood up, took a deep breath, and then looked at Olynka. “I’m going to go with your suggestion, Ola. When we’re small enough, can you carefully put us up on the post, beside the rope? I’ll try to slide down from there. Got it?”

She nodded, the playful smile absent. She was still clutching her bloodied side, and Alcar wasn’t sure if her expression reflected the pain of her wound, or concern over his fate.

“I will be all right,” he added.

She grinned. “Of course! I bet you can do it, Alcar.”

“How’s the pain?”

“It is starting to get a little better. Leppie helped a lot. And thanks for sharing your herbs.”

“Hmm. I just wish I had more.”

Turning, Alcar unbuckled his belt, pulling it from his breeches, and then looped it over the rope. He tied it loosely around in a knot that allowed the iron buckle to hang down below, ensuring that it caught against the post rather than beginning to slide down.

He then raised Brutus in his arms; the big dog struggled for a minute, and then fell still.

”Sorry again,” Alcar murmured. “But it’s gonna make it easier to focus.”

With Brutus calmer, he pulled up his robes around the dog’s body as if holding a child in a papoose, tying the ends tightly in front of him. He would still need to hold Brutus tightly, he knew, but that would certainly help.

Then, trying his best to ensure that all of his concentration was on himself and the dog, he recited a the phrase that he now knew well: “rac al sintreta.”

As before, they began at first to grow, and he must have reached at least seven feet tall before he controlled the movement and exerted his attention in a way that felt like reversing a dial. The others were staring at him agog, but he couldn’t pay that any mind.

He had to focus entirely on him and Brutus.

Slowly, the enchantment responded to his efforts. He was shrinking; back to normal size, then to Etienne’s height, then smaller still...