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Al-Qarin: Into the Desert (3-1-24)
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<blockquote data-quote="EternalNewbie" data-source="post: 8950318" data-attributes="member: 6489"><p>With no chance to physically intervene, and unsure if the creature was even capable of intelligent thought, Khalid raged against the ether with the entire force of his will.</p><p></p><p><em>WAIT! IF YOU KILL HIM WE WILL DESTROY YOU!</em></p><p></p><p>A moments hesitation in the beast's assault gave him a glimmer of hope. Much like the elementals on the road near the Hub, the peculiar empathic link he had gleaned from Ruwayd transcended language.</p><p></p><p><em>THERE IS NO ESCAPE FROM HERE FOR YOU! IF HE DIES WE WILL BE FREE TO LAY WASTE TO THIS ENTIRE ROOM!</em></p><p></p><p>The beast raised its head, seeming to understand the silent message and coming to the realization that in the thirst for the kill it was now trapped in a room with only one exit. Shayla backed out slowly, and Azarek took up a defensive position in the doorway, glaive angled to prevent the creature from reaching him.</p><p></p><p><em>You understand, yes? </em>Khalid pressed. <em>We do not desire to kill you. But we are more than capable of doing so. You cannot best all three of us before we unleash our magic. This is a fight you cannot survive.</em></p><p></p><p>The swirling shadows around the beast coalesced, so now Khalid could make out its form a little better. Shayla's blast had clearly wounded it, leaving a charred furrow along its flank which was still smoking. It moved ever so slightly away from Gorak, but one of its snake like tentacles remained coiled around his neck. It offered no other response to Khalid's probing thoughts and he suspected it was incapable of speech, but that it intelligent enough to take the meaning of his words.</p><p></p><p><em>This next part will require trust. Release him from your grasp and we will retreat from the doorway. We will trust you not to kill him. You will trust that, without the element of surprise, you have no hope to best us. We have already crushed other demonic creatures in this lair and will do so again.</em></p><p></p><p>“Khalid...” Azarek growled.</p><p></p><p>Tuning his thoughts so only his friends could hear he interrupted Azarek. <em>We have no choice, there is no play here that doesn't result in Gorak's death except this. I will gamble a chance for revenge against his life.</em></p><p></p><p>Shayla, her face a mask of cold fury, stared at him out of the corner of her eye. Biting down on her lip hard enough that blood trickled down her chin, she mastered her emotions and took a few more steps away from the door.</p><p></p><p>Khalid lowered his hands and waited for the creature to react. The appendage wrapped around Gorak's neck relaxed slightly and drew away, still poised to strike but no longer crushing his throat. Khalid took that as a promising indication, and stepped back.</p><p></p><p><em>Azarek! </em>He admonished, spurring him into motion. Azarek withdrew carefully, glaive still held at the ready, keeping himself between Shayla and Khalid, and the creature. Khalid held his breath, knowing the next few moments would determine if his gamble had paid off and Gorak lived or died. Out of sight, the creature could potentially finish him off and attempt to make a run for it.</p><p></p><p><em>Slowly!</em> Khalid spoke into the ether. </p><p></p><p>The creature emerged from the doorway into the hall, one tentacle still trailing into the room. It backed away from them slowly, dragging Gorak behind. When he was clearly in view, between them and the beast, it released him suddenly and sprinted into the darkness away from them.</p><p></p><p>Azarek rushed forward, leaping over Gorak's still form to bar the way, as Khalid fumbled at the buckles of the belt that held his components and potions. “Get out of the way,” Shayla spat, pushing past him with an uncorked potion, dumping the contents into Gorak's mouth. Khalid let out a huge sigh of relief as Gorak coughed and began to stir.</p><p></p><p>“Whut happened,” he growled weakly, as Shayla helped him into a sitting position against the way. “We were jumped by...something.” Shayla offered, somewhat unhelpfully. “A cat thing with tentacles.”</p><p></p><p>“A devil?” he grunted before casting a spell and healing the rest of his wounds.</p><p></p><p>“Ah, I'm not quite sure,” Khalid replied. “I'm inclined to think not, since it was wounded by Shayla's fire. Perhaps just a denizen of the caves below.”</p><p></p><p>“You kill it?”</p><p></p><p>“Couldn't risk it,” Azarek rasped. “It had you down by the short hairs.” He helped Gorak up to his feet. “Khalid convinced it to bugger off before it 'et ya.”</p><p></p><p>Clapping Khalid on the shoulder, Gorak inspected his bloodied and torn armour, before retrieving the rest of his gear. While there was no way to be certain the creature hadn't been living in this area, they returned to the entrance and did what they should have done upon their arrival, barring the door. Deciding there was little to be gained by searching further today, they retreated to Khalid's magical shelter to rest and regroup.</p><p></p><p>After the assault they continued their search, albeit much more cautiously then before. Operating in pairs, never from from the other and with defensive spells enacted, they methodically worked their way through the palace. Much to Khalid's disappointment, beyond the crown and sceptre, they found little else of value. If there was a Dwerro treasury beneath the mountain, it wasn't here. Khalid surmised the Dwerro's departure hadn't been in total haste, as despite the general mess there was little indication of looting. On the dawn of the third day, they discovered a library of considerable size and Khalid, with the aid of a translation spell, settled into a task he hadn't had the pleasure of doing since he left Gem-Sharad. Surrounded by a mountain of books, he searched for any clue of the forging of adamantite among the crumbling scrolls and tomes. The dry air had preserved most of library, but more than one book disintegrated at his touch, making the work painstakingly slow.</p><p></p><p>Several fruitless days of searching followed, with neither Khalid in the library, or the rest roaming the halls, finding anything of particular interest. On the eve of the third day following the discovery of the library, they discussed their plans over dinner.</p><p></p><p>“Two more days then,” Gorak grunted. “We've been sitting still too long. Something already knows we're here and escaped. We're gonna run the risk of getting trapped in here, if anything else comes along.</p><p></p><p>Khalid sighed. “The library should be our best, yes, best chance of finding what we seek. But despite the Dwerro's meticulous organization of the stacks, I've found little, yes, little thus far. Either the knowledge we seek was so common, it didn't bear preserving in text, or so secret it was forbidden to all but a few. I've found nothing so far that even hints, yes, hints at the process involved.”</p><p></p><p>Shayla nodded in agreement. “There's too much left to explore. If it makes sense, we can come back here once we've had a look around.”</p><p></p><p>Two nights later, they were in the same spot, Gorak absently stirring a large pot of stew while Khalid reported his findings. “The best I have managed to find, reads almost like a religious text, yes quite. It is, ah, vague in its description, but is so far the only reference I've found. Here, in this passage, it mentions the most precious metal of the earth and heavens, and goes on to say, “once it is bathed in the blood of Martok, and twice in the blood of Martok and thrice again, in the blood of Martok, and with each new birthing is made more true to the darkness of its purpose.”</p><p></p><p>“What do you think it means?” Shayla asked.</p><p></p><p>“Ah, yes, I'm not metalsmith, but it sounds like the act of quenching the metal after it's heated and forged.”</p><p></p><p>“Makes sense,” Gorak grunted.</p><p></p><p>“Indeed,” Khalid agreed. “But what's more interesting, is the inflection on Martok is different in each mention, from what I can tell. Each rune is almost imperceptibly different than the one before. But this meagre spell lacks the nuance of a native speaker I'm afraid. All I can glean is that they all refer to Martok in some form. It fits, yes, fits with the curious way our captive spoke of Martok.”</p><p></p><p>“Forged and reforged,” Shayla said. “Well they call themselves the Children of Martok. It might be literal you know.”</p><p></p><p>“Ah, my thought as well,” Khalid exclaimed. “And they call this mountain Martok, no? One may refer to the blood of the mountain.”</p><p></p><p>“Lava,” Gorak grunted.</p><p></p><p>“Perhaps the first.” Khalid mused. “The only source hot enough to make the ore malleable?”</p><p></p><p>“Then what do you think the last is?”</p><p></p><p>“I don't know,” Khalid replied, disappointment heavy in his voice. “But I suspect, yes, suspect that perhaps not all three are strictly required,” he continued. “After all, Malakai was able to refine the ore, and I seriously doubt he had all three ingredients.”</p><p></p><p>“It ain't much,” Gorak grumbled. “But it's time we moved on.”</p><p></p><p>Packing up in the morning, they considered their next move.</p><p></p><p>“Top and bottom,” Shayla suggested. “The most interesting areas are probably on both ends.”</p><p></p><p>“If lava is one of the components,” Gorak rumbled, “makes sense that the forges are as deep as possible.”</p><p></p><p>“Indeed,” Khalid said. “But don't forget, that rune gate is down there somewhere. I would not count on the fall having destroyed it.”</p><p></p><p>“All the more reason to start making our way down now.” Gorak grunted. “But it might not hurt to stop quickly and get a sense of one of the other rings. Might give us a little more info on how this place is laid out.”</p><p></p><p>Heading back out into the open ring, they moved quickly and quietly. Once on the lift, Azarek turned the which slowly, to avoid making more noise than absolutely necessary. Aided by superb Dwerro engineering, the descent was virtually silent. A few floors down, they disembarked carefully, pausing briefly to scan the area for threats. It was darker here, with less light filtering down from the skylights above, and the honeycomb of entrances more dense. Seeing nothing, they cleared the open expanse between the shaft and the outer wall and began to explore the web of passages that led back toward the heart of the mountain. Moving as efficiently as they could, it began quickly apparent that their initial assessment had been correct. The found nothing more interesting than shops filled with decaying goods and residences all in order, save for the thick coating of dust over top of everything.</p><p></p><p>After the tenth or so building, they regrouped in one of the broad stone tunnels leading back to the shaft. “I think we seen enough,”Gorak rasped.</p><p></p><p>“I agree,” Khalid replied his voice no higher than a whisper. “We'll find nothing of interest here, yes quite.”</p><p></p><p>They were halfway across the open expanse of walkway to the elevator when a flock of bat-like creatures descended upon them from their nesting place in the darkness above. Their huge wings made the practically undetectable, and before any of them could react, the monsters were in their midst, lashing out at them with claws and fangs. The close quarters rendered Shayla's most effective spells useless, forcing her to rely on a barrage of magical bolts, as she tried to drive the beasts away. Khalid was similarly disadvantaged, and suspecting the creatures didn't navigate by sight, opted to simply incinerate them, waving a jet of flames through the air, in the hopes the creatures didn't have an infernal aspect. Luck was with him, and several of the creatures, weakened by Shayla's barrage, fell smoking the ground.</p><p></p><p>Azarek's armoured body served well enough to protect him, but the creatures buffeting his face blinded and disoriented him so that all he could do was flail about madly with the glaive. Gorak, muttered a few words and his hand erupted in flame, which he used to keep the bat things away from his face. Seizing one as it passed, he hurled its burned and broken carcass to the ground.</p><p></p><p>Khalid was about to duplicate his initial effort, when a slight shimmer in the corner of his vision grabbed his intention. A moment later, the shadow cat appeared from the the darkness and barrelled into Gorak, trying push him over the ledge to his death. Leaning into the creature, he skidded on his heels as it propelled him backwards stopping just a few feet shy of tumbling into the abyss. Khalid, not trusting his vision to tell him where the creature was, changed the formula he was drawing on, and reached out to the creatures mind. Roiling the creature's thoughts with a magical lassitude, it struggled vainly as its body refused to comply, its movements becoming slow and halting. Gorak rolled the side, easily dodging the sweeping attacks of the beast's tentacles which were now too slow to track his movements, and scrambled to safety. Azarek moved to protect Shayla, sweeping the pole-arm above him threateningly, trying to drive the fiendish bats away as she continued to cast. The air above exploded in flame as the brief respite Azarek provided gave her the opportunity to finish her spell.</p><p></p><p>In rapid succession, Gorak flicked orbs of flame at the shifting cat, with limited success. Its ambush foiled again and encumbered by the weight of Khalid's magic, it turned to flee, which gave Khalid the opportunity he was looking for. Not needing to know exactly the thing stood, he opened a huge portal, spawning a sea of tentacles that cared not for the creatures feeble illusion. Unable to dodge aside, whip like appendages from the portal at its feet seized hold and began to constrict. The creature spasmed feeble as the sound of cracking bones echoed through the tunnels. Shayla and Azarek continued to work in tandem and finally drove away the rest of the flying creatures, with Shayla's lancets of forced dropping several as they retreated back to the darkness form which they came.</p><p></p><p>Khalid allowed the tentacles to finish their grizzly work, opting not to force closed the portal until he was sure the cat-like creature was dead. When the milk white appendages finally receded, Gorak walked over and nudged the lifeless creature with the toe of his boot to make sure it, before they sought shelter in one of the nearby buildings. After a few minutes, when they judged that the brief fracas had attracted no further attention, they ventured back outside.</p><p></p><p>“So that was the thing that damn neared killed me,” he growled as he inspected their foe. It was almost seven feet in length, lean and muscled. It vaguely resembled a panther, if you ignored the extra set of legs, and fifteen foot long tentacles that emerged from the shoulders above.</p><p></p><p>“We should, ah, save the pelt,” Khalid suggested. “Trophies from beasts like this often fetch a high price in the bazaar.”</p><p></p><p>“I was thinking the same thing,” Gorak grunted as he drew out his hunting knife and set to work, quickly skinning the beast. “Better if'n we had time to cure it, but I suspect the sack will keep 'er from rotting.”</p><p></p><p>Leaving that unpleasantness behind them, they continued down into the depths of the mountain. Eventually the elevator they were in reached the bottom of the main shaft and they were forced to disembark. The open area here was surrounded by what they guessed had been a huge open market, with faded banners and crumbling wooden stalls.</p><p></p><p>“Now what?” Shayla asked quietly, as they poked around the debris.</p><p></p><p>“That shaft that led to the main gate might go down further than this,” Gorak rumbled, tossing aside a piece of shattered pottery.</p><p></p><p>“Ah, but that devil is still out there,” Khalid pointed out. “And lift is damaged.”</p><p></p><p>“We can work around the lift,” Gorak grunted. “But you ain't wrong about that devil. Even ready for it, that thing'll be a bitch to handle in that tube.”</p><p></p><p>They opted to explore the bottom level first before risking the devil, and a few hours later, their perseverance was rewarded. Tucked away at the back of an enormous storeroom littered with ingots, ore, suits of Dwerro armour and weapons, was another series of lifts. These were much more utilitarian than the ones outside, heavily reinforced and with chains twice the size, obviously capable of moving vast amounts of heavy goods from below. Their suspicions of the location of the forges all but confirmed, they waited a few moments as Azarek picked through the scattered bits of martial gear left behind, finding replacements for his lost weapons and a few choice pieces of plate, to repair his damaged armour.</p><p></p><p>This lift required two people to operate, and while it was as smooth as the one outside, the noise was enough to set Khalid's teeth on edge. Covering their light so that Khalid and Shayla had just barely enough make out Gorak and Azarek turning the winch, they descended into the darkness. Without references on the smooth stone walls, it was difficult to tell how far or how fast they were moving. After a while, Khalid pulled a handkerchief out of the sleeve of his robe and mopped the sweat from his brow. Unsure if it was just his nerves getting the better of him, he whispered, “Ah, is it just me, or is it getting warmer? Yes, quite.”</p><p></p><p>Shayla nodded, absently petting her familiar Emma who was peeking out from a fold in her cloak. A few minutes later, all doubt was removed, as they could all feel the waves of warm air rising from below. Suddenly, Gorak tapped on Azarek's arm and they stopped the lift, locking it into place.</p><p></p><p>“Ah, do you need a break?” Khalid whispered. “Ah, I suppose I could try a turn...” he offered hesitantly, not at all relishing the prospect.</p><p></p><p>“Quiet,” Gorak hissed. “It ain't that...” he trailed off. Then he closed his eyes, and let out a long, frustrated sigh.</p><p></p><p>Shayla eyes widened and Khalid's heart began race, thudding in his chest so hard he though he might stagger. Very faintly, a sound reached his ears from below. A sound that had frequently haunted his nightmares since their first ill-fated trip beneath the earth, into Malakai's lair.</p><p></p><p>The rhythmic sound of hammer on steel.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="EternalNewbie, post: 8950318, member: 6489"] With no chance to physically intervene, and unsure if the creature was even capable of intelligent thought, Khalid raged against the ether with the entire force of his will. [I]WAIT! IF YOU KILL HIM WE WILL DESTROY YOU![/I] A moments hesitation in the beast's assault gave him a glimmer of hope. Much like the elementals on the road near the Hub, the peculiar empathic link he had gleaned from Ruwayd transcended language. [I]THERE IS NO ESCAPE FROM HERE FOR YOU! IF HE DIES WE WILL BE FREE TO LAY WASTE TO THIS ENTIRE ROOM![/I] The beast raised its head, seeming to understand the silent message and coming to the realization that in the thirst for the kill it was now trapped in a room with only one exit. Shayla backed out slowly, and Azarek took up a defensive position in the doorway, glaive angled to prevent the creature from reaching him. [I]You understand, yes? [/I]Khalid pressed. [I]We do not desire to kill you. But we are more than capable of doing so. You cannot best all three of us before we unleash our magic. This is a fight you cannot survive.[/I] The swirling shadows around the beast coalesced, so now Khalid could make out its form a little better. Shayla's blast had clearly wounded it, leaving a charred furrow along its flank which was still smoking. It moved ever so slightly away from Gorak, but one of its snake like tentacles remained coiled around his neck. It offered no other response to Khalid's probing thoughts and he suspected it was incapable of speech, but that it intelligent enough to take the meaning of his words. [I]This next part will require trust. Release him from your grasp and we will retreat from the doorway. We will trust you not to kill him. You will trust that, without the element of surprise, you have no hope to best us. We have already crushed other demonic creatures in this lair and will do so again.[/I] “Khalid...” Azarek growled. Tuning his thoughts so only his friends could hear he interrupted Azarek. [I]We have no choice, there is no play here that doesn't result in Gorak's death except this. I will gamble a chance for revenge against his life.[/I] Shayla, her face a mask of cold fury, stared at him out of the corner of her eye. Biting down on her lip hard enough that blood trickled down her chin, she mastered her emotions and took a few more steps away from the door. Khalid lowered his hands and waited for the creature to react. The appendage wrapped around Gorak's neck relaxed slightly and drew away, still poised to strike but no longer crushing his throat. Khalid took that as a promising indication, and stepped back. [I]Azarek! [/I]He admonished, spurring him into motion. Azarek withdrew carefully, glaive still held at the ready, keeping himself between Shayla and Khalid, and the creature. Khalid held his breath, knowing the next few moments would determine if his gamble had paid off and Gorak lived or died. Out of sight, the creature could potentially finish him off and attempt to make a run for it. [I]Slowly![/I] Khalid spoke into the ether. The creature emerged from the doorway into the hall, one tentacle still trailing into the room. It backed away from them slowly, dragging Gorak behind. When he was clearly in view, between them and the beast, it released him suddenly and sprinted into the darkness away from them. Azarek rushed forward, leaping over Gorak's still form to bar the way, as Khalid fumbled at the buckles of the belt that held his components and potions. “Get out of the way,” Shayla spat, pushing past him with an uncorked potion, dumping the contents into Gorak's mouth. Khalid let out a huge sigh of relief as Gorak coughed and began to stir. “Whut happened,” he growled weakly, as Shayla helped him into a sitting position against the way. “We were jumped by...something.” Shayla offered, somewhat unhelpfully. “A cat thing with tentacles.” “A devil?” he grunted before casting a spell and healing the rest of his wounds. “Ah, I'm not quite sure,” Khalid replied. “I'm inclined to think not, since it was wounded by Shayla's fire. Perhaps just a denizen of the caves below.” “You kill it?” “Couldn't risk it,” Azarek rasped. “It had you down by the short hairs.” He helped Gorak up to his feet. “Khalid convinced it to bugger off before it 'et ya.” Clapping Khalid on the shoulder, Gorak inspected his bloodied and torn armour, before retrieving the rest of his gear. While there was no way to be certain the creature hadn't been living in this area, they returned to the entrance and did what they should have done upon their arrival, barring the door. Deciding there was little to be gained by searching further today, they retreated to Khalid's magical shelter to rest and regroup. After the assault they continued their search, albeit much more cautiously then before. Operating in pairs, never from from the other and with defensive spells enacted, they methodically worked their way through the palace. Much to Khalid's disappointment, beyond the crown and sceptre, they found little else of value. If there was a Dwerro treasury beneath the mountain, it wasn't here. Khalid surmised the Dwerro's departure hadn't been in total haste, as despite the general mess there was little indication of looting. On the dawn of the third day, they discovered a library of considerable size and Khalid, with the aid of a translation spell, settled into a task he hadn't had the pleasure of doing since he left Gem-Sharad. Surrounded by a mountain of books, he searched for any clue of the forging of adamantite among the crumbling scrolls and tomes. The dry air had preserved most of library, but more than one book disintegrated at his touch, making the work painstakingly slow. Several fruitless days of searching followed, with neither Khalid in the library, or the rest roaming the halls, finding anything of particular interest. On the eve of the third day following the discovery of the library, they discussed their plans over dinner. “Two more days then,” Gorak grunted. “We've been sitting still too long. Something already knows we're here and escaped. We're gonna run the risk of getting trapped in here, if anything else comes along. Khalid sighed. “The library should be our best, yes, best chance of finding what we seek. But despite the Dwerro's meticulous organization of the stacks, I've found little, yes, little thus far. Either the knowledge we seek was so common, it didn't bear preserving in text, or so secret it was forbidden to all but a few. I've found nothing so far that even hints, yes, hints at the process involved.” Shayla nodded in agreement. “There's too much left to explore. If it makes sense, we can come back here once we've had a look around.” Two nights later, they were in the same spot, Gorak absently stirring a large pot of stew while Khalid reported his findings. “The best I have managed to find, reads almost like a religious text, yes quite. It is, ah, vague in its description, but is so far the only reference I've found. Here, in this passage, it mentions the most precious metal of the earth and heavens, and goes on to say, “once it is bathed in the blood of Martok, and twice in the blood of Martok and thrice again, in the blood of Martok, and with each new birthing is made more true to the darkness of its purpose.” “What do you think it means?” Shayla asked. “Ah, yes, I'm not metalsmith, but it sounds like the act of quenching the metal after it's heated and forged.” “Makes sense,” Gorak grunted. “Indeed,” Khalid agreed. “But what's more interesting, is the inflection on Martok is different in each mention, from what I can tell. Each rune is almost imperceptibly different than the one before. But this meagre spell lacks the nuance of a native speaker I'm afraid. All I can glean is that they all refer to Martok in some form. It fits, yes, fits with the curious way our captive spoke of Martok.” “Forged and reforged,” Shayla said. “Well they call themselves the Children of Martok. It might be literal you know.” “Ah, my thought as well,” Khalid exclaimed. “And they call this mountain Martok, no? One may refer to the blood of the mountain.” “Lava,” Gorak grunted. “Perhaps the first.” Khalid mused. “The only source hot enough to make the ore malleable?” “Then what do you think the last is?” “I don't know,” Khalid replied, disappointment heavy in his voice. “But I suspect, yes, suspect that perhaps not all three are strictly required,” he continued. “After all, Malakai was able to refine the ore, and I seriously doubt he had all three ingredients.” “It ain't much,” Gorak grumbled. “But it's time we moved on.” Packing up in the morning, they considered their next move. “Top and bottom,” Shayla suggested. “The most interesting areas are probably on both ends.” “If lava is one of the components,” Gorak rumbled, “makes sense that the forges are as deep as possible.” “Indeed,” Khalid said. “But don't forget, that rune gate is down there somewhere. I would not count on the fall having destroyed it.” “All the more reason to start making our way down now.” Gorak grunted. “But it might not hurt to stop quickly and get a sense of one of the other rings. Might give us a little more info on how this place is laid out.” Heading back out into the open ring, they moved quickly and quietly. Once on the lift, Azarek turned the which slowly, to avoid making more noise than absolutely necessary. Aided by superb Dwerro engineering, the descent was virtually silent. A few floors down, they disembarked carefully, pausing briefly to scan the area for threats. It was darker here, with less light filtering down from the skylights above, and the honeycomb of entrances more dense. Seeing nothing, they cleared the open expanse between the shaft and the outer wall and began to explore the web of passages that led back toward the heart of the mountain. Moving as efficiently as they could, it began quickly apparent that their initial assessment had been correct. The found nothing more interesting than shops filled with decaying goods and residences all in order, save for the thick coating of dust over top of everything. After the tenth or so building, they regrouped in one of the broad stone tunnels leading back to the shaft. “I think we seen enough,”Gorak rasped. “I agree,” Khalid replied his voice no higher than a whisper. “We'll find nothing of interest here, yes quite.” They were halfway across the open expanse of walkway to the elevator when a flock of bat-like creatures descended upon them from their nesting place in the darkness above. Their huge wings made the practically undetectable, and before any of them could react, the monsters were in their midst, lashing out at them with claws and fangs. The close quarters rendered Shayla's most effective spells useless, forcing her to rely on a barrage of magical bolts, as she tried to drive the beasts away. Khalid was similarly disadvantaged, and suspecting the creatures didn't navigate by sight, opted to simply incinerate them, waving a jet of flames through the air, in the hopes the creatures didn't have an infernal aspect. Luck was with him, and several of the creatures, weakened by Shayla's barrage, fell smoking the ground. Azarek's armoured body served well enough to protect him, but the creatures buffeting his face blinded and disoriented him so that all he could do was flail about madly with the glaive. Gorak, muttered a few words and his hand erupted in flame, which he used to keep the bat things away from his face. Seizing one as it passed, he hurled its burned and broken carcass to the ground. Khalid was about to duplicate his initial effort, when a slight shimmer in the corner of his vision grabbed his intention. A moment later, the shadow cat appeared from the the darkness and barrelled into Gorak, trying push him over the ledge to his death. Leaning into the creature, he skidded on his heels as it propelled him backwards stopping just a few feet shy of tumbling into the abyss. Khalid, not trusting his vision to tell him where the creature was, changed the formula he was drawing on, and reached out to the creatures mind. Roiling the creature's thoughts with a magical lassitude, it struggled vainly as its body refused to comply, its movements becoming slow and halting. Gorak rolled the side, easily dodging the sweeping attacks of the beast's tentacles which were now too slow to track his movements, and scrambled to safety. Azarek moved to protect Shayla, sweeping the pole-arm above him threateningly, trying to drive the fiendish bats away as she continued to cast. The air above exploded in flame as the brief respite Azarek provided gave her the opportunity to finish her spell. In rapid succession, Gorak flicked orbs of flame at the shifting cat, with limited success. Its ambush foiled again and encumbered by the weight of Khalid's magic, it turned to flee, which gave Khalid the opportunity he was looking for. Not needing to know exactly the thing stood, he opened a huge portal, spawning a sea of tentacles that cared not for the creatures feeble illusion. Unable to dodge aside, whip like appendages from the portal at its feet seized hold and began to constrict. The creature spasmed feeble as the sound of cracking bones echoed through the tunnels. Shayla and Azarek continued to work in tandem and finally drove away the rest of the flying creatures, with Shayla's lancets of forced dropping several as they retreated back to the darkness form which they came. Khalid allowed the tentacles to finish their grizzly work, opting not to force closed the portal until he was sure the cat-like creature was dead. When the milk white appendages finally receded, Gorak walked over and nudged the lifeless creature with the toe of his boot to make sure it, before they sought shelter in one of the nearby buildings. After a few minutes, when they judged that the brief fracas had attracted no further attention, they ventured back outside. “So that was the thing that damn neared killed me,” he growled as he inspected their foe. It was almost seven feet in length, lean and muscled. It vaguely resembled a panther, if you ignored the extra set of legs, and fifteen foot long tentacles that emerged from the shoulders above. “We should, ah, save the pelt,” Khalid suggested. “Trophies from beasts like this often fetch a high price in the bazaar.” “I was thinking the same thing,” Gorak grunted as he drew out his hunting knife and set to work, quickly skinning the beast. “Better if'n we had time to cure it, but I suspect the sack will keep 'er from rotting.” Leaving that unpleasantness behind them, they continued down into the depths of the mountain. Eventually the elevator they were in reached the bottom of the main shaft and they were forced to disembark. The open area here was surrounded by what they guessed had been a huge open market, with faded banners and crumbling wooden stalls. “Now what?” Shayla asked quietly, as they poked around the debris. “That shaft that led to the main gate might go down further than this,” Gorak rumbled, tossing aside a piece of shattered pottery. “Ah, but that devil is still out there,” Khalid pointed out. “And lift is damaged.” “We can work around the lift,” Gorak grunted. “But you ain't wrong about that devil. Even ready for it, that thing'll be a bitch to handle in that tube.” They opted to explore the bottom level first before risking the devil, and a few hours later, their perseverance was rewarded. Tucked away at the back of an enormous storeroom littered with ingots, ore, suits of Dwerro armour and weapons, was another series of lifts. These were much more utilitarian than the ones outside, heavily reinforced and with chains twice the size, obviously capable of moving vast amounts of heavy goods from below. Their suspicions of the location of the forges all but confirmed, they waited a few moments as Azarek picked through the scattered bits of martial gear left behind, finding replacements for his lost weapons and a few choice pieces of plate, to repair his damaged armour. This lift required two people to operate, and while it was as smooth as the one outside, the noise was enough to set Khalid's teeth on edge. Covering their light so that Khalid and Shayla had just barely enough make out Gorak and Azarek turning the winch, they descended into the darkness. Without references on the smooth stone walls, it was difficult to tell how far or how fast they were moving. After a while, Khalid pulled a handkerchief out of the sleeve of his robe and mopped the sweat from his brow. Unsure if it was just his nerves getting the better of him, he whispered, “Ah, is it just me, or is it getting warmer? Yes, quite.” Shayla nodded, absently petting her familiar Emma who was peeking out from a fold in her cloak. A few minutes later, all doubt was removed, as they could all feel the waves of warm air rising from below. Suddenly, Gorak tapped on Azarek's arm and they stopped the lift, locking it into place. “Ah, do you need a break?” Khalid whispered. “Ah, I suppose I could try a turn...” he offered hesitantly, not at all relishing the prospect. “Quiet,” Gorak hissed. “It ain't that...” he trailed off. Then he closed his eyes, and let out a long, frustrated sigh. Shayla eyes widened and Khalid's heart began race, thudding in his chest so hard he though he might stagger. Very faintly, a sound reached his ears from below. A sound that had frequently haunted his nightmares since their first ill-fated trip beneath the earth, into Malakai's lair. The rhythmic sound of hammer on steel. [/QUOTE]
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Al-Qarin: Into the Desert (3-1-24)
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