Unlike Algrim, Dârorah seemed mystified by their discovery rather than alarmed, which helped ease some of his own worry. Still, they had best interrupt their adventure now and take a moment to discuss how to proceed from here. After making sure that Dârorah would follow him, Algrim turned and started to ascend to the surface, anxious to hear what she might be able to tell him about the inscription. Taking care to keep the gills on his neck in the water as Dârorah had advised him, Algrim listened to her explanation, but was left none the wiser. The answers she had for him only led to more questions.
âIn adversity, cooperation,â he repeated after her, his brow crinkling in thought. Who wanted to cooperate with the dark elves and to what end? And why would they go to such lengths to leave such a cryptic message at the bottom of a lake where no one might ever find it instead of reaching out to them directly? He followed the direction of Dârorahâs gaze towards the night sky, where the stars shone cold and white against the infinite darkness of space. Gooseflesh prickled the nape of his neck. âThe few alliances my people have entered into in the past have been with races that are native to the Nine Realms,â Algrim revealed, returning his attention to Dârorah. âThe trolls, the fire demons of Muspelheim⌠but none of them would have been capable of crafting such an item, nor do they possess the ingenuity to orchestrate such a chain of circumstances.â To hear that a timeless, near omnipotent being such as Dârorah could make no sense of the cube left Algrim with an uneasy feeling. âThe stories about a secret in this lake date back far into ancient times. Perhaps our archives will yield some clues as to who might be behind the message,â he offered.
Worry etched a furrow between his eyebrows. âI am debating whether or not to report our discovery to the Council. If the cube has been dormant all this time, perhaps it would be better to leave it be. Perhaps⌠we are not the intended recipient of the message.â He released a shaky breath and reached for Dârorahâs hands in the water, needing to feel connected to her. âI did not expect the night of my proposal to lead to this.â
âYou may be right,â Dârorah replied. âThis cube may have nothing to do with Svartalfheim. If I had to guess, there is a fair possibility it was hidden here because it has no other connection here, so no one would think to look for it.â
âIt reminds me of the Pandorica...â Her gaze turned back to the depths of the lake as she considered what to do. âI am wary about having you look through the archives. Depending on what is inside, it might be best if we did not do anything that might bring someoneâs attention here to the cube. Whoever or whatever is inside... several races were very intent on securing it away.â The last thing they needed was a wash of treasure- and/or adventure-seekers making their way to the bottom of the lake to try their hand at unraveling the mystery of the box.
âGiven more time, I can unravel the workings of the box, but I dare not pick at it while it is here. If whatever is inside is dangerous, I would not risk unleashing it upon this world.â She was here to contain whatever might emerge, but that didnât eliminate the possibility that whatever was inside could manage to inflict some collateral damage before she did. âLooking at the external mechanism, it seems it will open from the outside fairly readily... but I do not want to open it without gaining some better understanding of what might be inside.â It would be all too easy for someone else who was less cautious to open it inadvertently. Why wasnât it guarded? She had so many questions.
âHow old are those legends?â she asked Algrim. âPerhaps we could just go back and observe what happened and how it came to be here. That is likely the easiest way of unraveling the mystery without disturbing the contents.â
