Sun and Sorceries

Not knowing there is someone on the other side, Cornelius pushed against the trapdoor with all his might to no avail. After a minute he has to stop and catch his breath.

The man on the ladder looks up at you. It's difficult to tell in the hole, but he looks to be a little over 6ft tall. About 60 years old, wearing very ragged, dirty blue robes. He has a long pointed beard and a twirled mustache, but other than that no facial hair. He's very gaunt, almost unhealthily so. His eyes recessed into his skull behind a pair of spectacles. Above all he just looks very tired.

"I would have gotten it! But uhm, yes, thank you for your assistance. Are you seeking the prophecy? There's some other man down there looking for it, whatever it is. There's also some sort of demon that i vanquished mightily, but it may rise again I'm afraid. I really wouldn't venture down there if I were you. Do you know the way out? Also I'm looking for this artefact, but I can't remember what it is, you haven't seen it have you? It's really very important that I find, or that no one finds it. Oh there I go rambling again, I tend to do that on occasion. You wouldn't happen to have a drink would you? My name is Cornelius and your is?"

Cornelius finishes getting up into the room and brushes himself off, causing dirt and dust to fly into the air. He then takes out a torch but instead of lighting it, casts a spell causing the torch to shine brighter than any normal torch would.
" it gets much harder to see as you get older, I would advise against doing so."

"Ah. Splendid. Lead the way good fellow."
Cornelius follows Merrick, happy to be leaving this forsaken place.

"But of course! We're at the church you see. As to what happened, well that's all part of the prophecy. And if you don't know, now you know"

Cornelius takes the tiny black sprite out of his bag and sets it inside the bonfire. It emits a dark black smoke that coalesces around the mage and seeps into his body.

"Ah, I feel much better now."