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[talien]

Four braziers that flickered with blue flames lit the profane room. On each wall was a large tapestry. The most startling thing in the room was a huge yellow sign chiseled into the stone itself. The channel was stained brown from old blood.

“Great,” said Beldin. “A summoning room.”

One tapestry depicted a foul infant clawing its way out of the belly of some grotesque being. Another showed naked but masked cultists tearing out the throats of their bound male prisoners. The last tapestry depicted a flaming ring surrounded by strange glyphs and sigils.

“Through here!” Emric ran through the tapestry on the far wall, crossing the symbol on the floor.

“No, wait…” was all Kham got out.

A titanic beast appeared in a flash. It was encased in a skeletal structure, perhaps dead, perhaps merely too foreign for normal minds to understand. Its had dragon-like proportions, with two clawed hind limbs, a spiked tail, skeletal wings for arms, and a hollow ribcage topped by a horned head. Atop its back was a k’n-yan.

“You take out the mount,” said Kham. “I’ve got the rider.”

The beast hissed and its head darted forward, only to be slapped down by Vlad’s sword. Beldin struck its hind leg, and it reared backwards, flapping its wings.

Kham drew his two pistols and fired. The k’n-yan’s head snapped backwards, but it was encased in a strange exoskeleton that protected it from harm.

Vlad kept the mount’s head busy, blocking its strikes with his shield and returning the favor each time it came close. Beldin circled around…

Suddenly the tail whipped downwards, the spike at the end embedding deeply into Beldin’s shoulder. He roared and hacked downwards, snapping the end of the tail off.

“Poison a dwarf, will you?” snarled Beldin.

Vlad pressed the advantage as the serpent-like thing howled. Whatever it was, it could feel pain. He cut one of its legs out from under it and the creature stumbled.

The k’n-yan pointed at Vlad and lightning arced between its fingertip and the Milandisian. He was thrown backwards from the blast.

Then the Beldin fell upon the mount in fury. Kham dispatched the rider with a double strike from Talon and Coomb’s dagger.

Emric peeked his head back into the room. “What’s taking you guys so long?”