Word: aperture

aperture

\ AP-er-cher \ , noun;

1. an opening, as a hole, slit, crack, gap, etc.

2. Also called aperture stop . Optics. an opening, usually circular, that limits the quantity of light that can enter an optical instrument.







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Grena looked at the groups new tag along and grumbled and muttered to herself. It wasn’t her idea to bring the other woman along. But, it was necessary for the job. At least, according to the new girl. The trio had met first met the woman, an archer named Lyra, outside their destination. She had also been hired to do the job they were doing. She claimed that she had tried to go in alone, but had failed due to unexpected resistance.



The job was to retrieve some expensive bauble for a nobleman’s spoiled child. It had seemed like an easy task for them, and it paid well, so they had readily agreed. The location of the trinket was a large, old temple that had long since been sealed off, mainly due to the religion that once found its home their no longer being practiced. There was a large hole in the wall where they were to enter, get the item, and get out. It was there that they saw Lyra.



“Something wrong?” Caruss asked quietly as he matched Grena’s stride.



“No, nothing.” She said curtly, “Why would you assume something was wrong?”



“It’s just that you’re not usually the one complaining is all. Don’t like the new girl?”



“Well, no, not really. It’s just that…well, did we really need to bring her along?” She said, staring daggers into Lyra’s back.



“According to her, yes.”



“She didn’t exactly say why though, did she.”



“No, I suppose not. Still, if you think she might have some less than noble intentions, then it shouldn’t be too hard to take care of her. She’s not really equipped to face a group like us after all.” Caruss said. Lyra only had two weapons. One was a short bow and a quiver with only three arrows in it. The other was a small knife that was most likely used for non-combat purposes. Her armor was equally simple, as she chose leather armor instead of metal. It was thick, sturdy stuff that would give some protection while still allowing her to move, but it wouldn’t help her if struck head on by any of the weapons employed by the trio.



“True. But still, something about her just rubs me the wrong way.”



“Ah, I see.” Caruss said, following Grena’s eyes to Lyra’s backside, “You’re jealous, aren’t you?”



“W-what? What would I have to be jealous of?” She said defensively. “The oversized lumps of fat on her chest? I bet those just get in the way more often than not. Or the fact that she’s tall? Why, I bet she trips over her own feet all the time. Or—“



“Alright, I think you’ve made your point.” Caruss said. He tried to keep his eyes on his normal companion, but he couldn’t help sneaking a quick, side long glance at Lyra’s feminine figure. The look didn’t escape Grena though. She huffed and quickened her pace. She hovered between Caruss in the back and Lars, who was busy chatting amicably with their new companion, and Lyra, who seemed to be more interested in where they were going than Lars’ attempts to impress her.



The four of them were going steadily downwards, having entered a long, sloping tunnel at the back of the old temple. The air was thick and damp, but magical lights contained in small glass vials set into small gaps in the wall made it well lit. They had been walking for several minutes, but soon enough the path ended with a large domed opening with no door. They could easily see into the large, open room. Holes of various sizes honeycombed the walls, but no lights revealed what might be in them. Their goal lay in the middle to the room, prominently displayed on an elaborate pedestal.



“All right, let’s grab it and get out of here.” Lars said.



“Hold on.” Lyra said, taking hold of his shoulder. “Don’t go in yet.”



“Why not? It looks clear?” He said.



“It’s not. I made the same mistake the first time too. See all those holes in the wall? They’re tunnels. The moment I set foot in the room, I was swarmed by goblins. I was lucky to escape without any serious injury.”



“Gods, I hate goblins.” Lars said. For once, his complaint was matched by the others.



“Don’t we all. So, what do we need to do?” Caruss asked.



“Here’s the thing. There’s a magical barrier around our target.” Lyra said. The men looked at Grena for confirmation. She nodded, being able to feel faint traces of magic around it, “But, it’s generated by crystal foci along the walls. You can’t see them from here because they’re too high up, but you will once we get further in. They’re tucked into small gags and crevasses though, so I doubt Grena’s magic can hit them, but my arrows can. So, I’ll take out the barrier while you all keep the goblins off me, we grab the thing and run like hell.”



“Sounds like a plan.” Grena said. She hated to admit it, but it was. Her magic wasn’t geared towards precision anyway.



“Oh, before I forget, I didn’t get a chance to count how many foci there are, but I know there’s more than three. Grena, can you make more arrows with magic?” Lyra asked. Lars and Caruss started to back up a bit as Grena’s eye started twitching. That was something of a sore spot for Grena, and was something that was usually avoided around her.



“What was that?” She asked.



“Can you make more arrows? I mean, conjuration is a basic skill, isn’t it?”



“Why does everyone assume that?” Grea said, louder than she probably should have, “I mean seriously? Whose the idiot who told people that making something out of nothing is easy? It’s not. There’s a reason all magic is energy based you know. Turning energy into solid matter is one of the most difficult things to do.” She continued like this for quite some time, going into more details than were actually necessary.



“So, you can’t do it?” Lyra asked when it looked like she had finished, “It’s just that I thought you were a skilled Slinger, so I figured…” That was another one.



“Give me an arrow.” Grena said, holding out her hand. Lars and Caruss could swear that a vein in her forehead was about to burst.



“What?” Lyra asked.



“If I’m going to bother conjuring something, I’m not going to waste my energy on a half-assed job. Holding the object I’m conjuring helps with visualization, provides a central focus, and ultimately, makes everything go smoother.”



Lyra took out one of her arrows and handed it to her. Grena removed her bead string, held it over the arrow and began the slow, rhythmic breathing used for more difficult magic. For several minutes, nothing happened. Then, a swirl of purple light formed in front of her. At first it was spherical, but soon began to lengthen, becoming more and more like the arrow which she was holding, until it was an exact copy. The purple light shattered, splintering in jagged bits before dissipating. In its wake, was an arrow. It looked almost exactly like the one Lyra had given her, but was purple in color instead of brown. It fell to the ground with a light clatter as Grena immediately started casting again, creating another arrow. By the time she was finally done, Lyra had quiver filled with ammunition. Grena collapsed, her breathing deep and labored.



“I knew you could handle it.” Lyra said.



“Yeah…Just…give…me…a…second.” Grena said. The effort of conjuring so many arrows had left her drained and unable to do much of anything.



“Take your time. If the goblins haven’t come after us by now, they probably won’t. At least, not until we try for the target.” They all took some time to rest at the entrance to the room. Lyra and Lars sat at the entrance, making sure they wouldn’t be attacked. Silence filled the area, stopped only by Grena’s heavy breathing that grew steadier as time went on.



“Earth magic.” Caruss said suddenly.



“What?” Grena asked.



“You said that all magic was energy. But isn’t earth magic solid?”



“Another common misconception. Earth magic is just moving what’s already there. They don’t make stone, just move it. It’s like levitation, but at a much, much higher level.”



“Ah.” Caruss said, closing his eyes in thought. Once again, the group was wrapped in silence. Finally though, Grena stood, showing that she had recovered enough to help fight.



“Good?” Lars asked. She nodded, “Alright then, let’s do this.” They gathered around the entrance and stepped into the large room.



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No fight for you! Muahahahahaha! Yeah, there wasn't enough room here for the big, epic battle this would probably become. I could probably double the length of the story just on that, so yeah. Maybe next time, maybe not. Maybe I'll just leave it to your imagination or something. But, unless I follow this up at a later time, assume I'm probably not going to use the fourth character again. Unless I really want to. Who knows what the future will bring. Hey, at least you get a bit more about the magic system here (and why you won't see our little magic user pulling the proverbial rabbit out of the hat and making some big dues ex machina type thing with magic). So yeah, we'll see what happens with this thing later on down the line.