DM Brainiac's Age of Worms (Mostly Restored 5/12/06)

[ltclnlbrain]

Chapter 9

"What is that?" cried Tash.

"What in the Nine Hells?" Ezreal asked.

"That's just weird!" shouted Sardonic.

"That cuts it. If there are any more of thises things, I am going to need a lot more alchohol," grumbled Carpal.

The disgusting creature was a grotesque three-foot-long strand of striated muscle that connected two eyeballs. The thing floated in the air a few feet off the ground, flexing and twisting. It had shot the ray that put Keira to sleep out of one of its bulging eyes.

Pyrius glanced at the sleeping barbarian, but seeing that she was unharmed for now, he turned back to the strange creature. He reached into his tunic and ulled forth his wooden holy symbol of Pelor. "In the name of the Sun God, begone, foul beast!" he cried, channeling positive energy to turn undead. The creature was quite alive, however, and the turning had no effect.

"My turn, Pyrius," said Carpal. He sprung over the sleeping barbarian to engage the monstrosity. He brought his glaive down hard on the strand of muscle between its eyes, cutting it deep. The paladin was rewarded by a spray of blood from the wound that splattered on his chest and face. He then moved his weapon across his body in a dfensive stance.

Sardonic began to gesture wildly and intone words of power. Meanwhile, Ezreal moved over toe the fallen Keira and gently shook her, calling her name. The barbarian's eyelids fluttered open as she looked around in confusion.

Ju'lindra tumbled over Keira's prone form, coming up in a crouch before the writhing creature. The roll left her unbalanced, though, and the chop she aimed at the creature went wide as it squirmed out of the way.

The strange creature floated back away from Carpal and Ju'lindra. Its eyes glowed briefly before emitting rays, a yellow one striking Carpal and a black one colliding with Ju'lindra. While the paladin began to feel sleepy, the monk's mind was assailed by an irrational fear that threatened to overwhelm her. Fortunately, both of their minds proved strong enough to resist the effects.

"You did not just blink that stuff at me!" Carpal said indignantly. Keeping pace with the creature, he turns his defensive stance into a swift, powerful upward attack. The cut nearly severed the thick strand connecting the two eyeballs. Another spray of thick blood showered the paladin.

Sardonic finally completed his long spell. With a flash of light, a white dog with golden eyes appeared about five feet away from the floating pair of eyes. The wizard shouted, "Sick 'em!" The summoned creature crouched on his hind legs and leapt, tearing into the strange beast with its teeth. This time the strand did sever, and the two pieces of the eye-monster fell to the ground with wet thumps. "Good boy!" the mage called in delgiht, ruffling the dog's fur before it disappeared back to whence it came.

"Is Keira alright?" asked Carpal. The paladin's voice was remarkably calm despite what had just happened. His face held a sinsiter quality in the lamplight, spattered with blood as it was. He looked down at the barbarian and her caretakers before finally wiping most of the ichor away with a hand. He glanced at the filth encrusted hand for a moment, making as if to wipe it clean on the wall, but thinking better of it.

Keira rose to her feet, shaking her head a bit to clear the cobwebs. "Yes," she said gruffly in response to Carpal's question.

Ezreal nodded, then stood and stretched, his eyes following Tash as the gnome bent to examine the creature's remains. "What do you say Tash, ever seen one of those before? Gotta say it is the kind of thing I always imagined Allustan would have floating in jars up in that place of his."

The gnome shook his head. "I've no idea what this thing is, or where it came from."

Seeing that Keira would be just fine, Davi left the barbarian with a mollifying smile, going over to Carpal to offer him her napkin. "To wipe off all the gore," she explained through gritted teeth, closing the paladin's hand around the hankerchief with her own--though being careful not to spoil her robe beyond necessity. He accepted the handkerchief with a nod of thanks. "You did great," Davi added before leaving the paladin for the two grotesque eye-like masses on the tomb floor. She leaned down opposite Tash, trying to figure out what the monster they just fought was, but she too could reach no conclusion.

"Well, it doesn't look like we're going to figure out much more here. We should continue, I think." As the others began to venture further down the corridor, the halfling felt Keira's hand on her shoulder, indicating that she should remain behind for a while. Davi acquiesced as Keira looked down at the smaller woman.

"Davi Knockdoor, the Kalari tribe demands strict discipline from those that have failed in their duty. Ours is not a people that easily survive without it, and as such any failure is met with a suitable means of ensuring that it does not happen again. In the absense of the elders of my people, and my father Butamar Kalari, I must call upon any other suitable authority to administer this judgement. Failing that, I am to report it at a later stage to the village elders when I return to the tribe. Davi Knockdoor, it has fallen to you to decide a means by which I would not forget my failure against this creature and in this battle. You may refuse, in which case I will ask the man called Carpal for his judgement. Or, should it come to that, return knowledge of my failure to my tribe when I am no longer lepsha. I await your judgement, Davi Knockdoor."

After hearing the barbarian's explanation, Davi was at a loss for words. The Kalari culture is so different from anything I've ever known, the halfling thought. Even Wee Jas cares little for the concept of "penance." It seems like so small an infraction--not her fault at all, really--but if I and Carpal refuse, then who knows what kind of punishment her elders will devise. So, Davi stumbled over her words in her reply, eventually managing to offer, "I will consider your request carefully."

Keira nodded, seemingly pleased for now. The two women then moved to rejoin the others. However, it seemed that Ju'lindra had stopped about halfway down the hall, and had apparently heard the conversation with her keen ears. "Keira? Can I have a word with you?" the monk asked. The barbarian nodded, and the two moved off as Davi rejoined the main group.

"I've noticed you're not very talkative and neither am I, so I'll keep this short." Ju'lindra paused a moment to collect her thoughts, then continued. "Look. I can see you think you failed because of the fact you were put out by that eye-thing. But remember that Ezreal didn't see it coming either, nor did anyone else. And if none of us did, we are all equally responsible. Or all equally innocent, if you look at it from that angle. You saved Carpal from that wolf, more than anybody else did. Remember that. And know that I would have you watching my back anytime in total confidence. If you want punishment for failure, take it when it is due. Not when there is no blame to be taken." She looked up at the proud woman, so much taller than herself, and smiled amiably.

"I am the only Kalari here, am I not?" Keira responded. "No other has undergone the initiation ceremony, no other is Third Daughter to Butamar Kalari, chief of the Kalari tribe?" The questions were enough of an answer in Keira's mind, but she elaborated nonetheless. "How are we to learn from our failures if there is not suitable judgement for them? Do you not imprison people when they fail your society, or punish those that offend you?" She stopped, her mind clear on what had happened and what was needed. "Come, the others need us."

Ju'lindra walked alongside the barbarian, not quite ready to drop the matter. "Look, Keira. I understand and agree that punishment must be given to those responsible for their failures. Especially when someone comes to harm through such failures. But in this case there is no failure and certainly no blame. What could the lesson possibly be, to be learned from that? To pay even more attention to possible danger? Are you telling me that you are not going to be doing that anyway? If you wouldn't, I would call you a fool. If you would, then I say you have learned the lesson already, and without the need for any punishment."

Keira looked askew at Ju'lindra as she continued to press the issue. "Ju'lindra Amraphen, why is it different whether someone comes to harm or not? Is it not true that your ancestors could decide on either path, and so as long as the possibility for either exists one must be prepared to accept both? In which case one must accept the judgement for failure as long as the possibility for harm exists, and be thankful to your ancestors that if you survive your failure and no harm was done, that they chose another path. But the failure remains, because the ancestors could've chosen differently, and so you must accept judgement.

"A warrior fights for his tribe and his brothers and sisters, yet if he fails, he knows not in that moment of failure the consequences of his failure. He knows only that he has failed. The outcome of his failure is undecided at this point, a path to be chosen by the guiding ancestors. So the failure must be addressed because the possibility for two path exists, and both must be accepted. One who fails does not choose the path, but one can learn not to fail so that your lack of failure might result in a path that leads not to harm. That is why judgement is given and accepted. It is still failure despite the outcome." She looked up again. "Davi Knockdoor will decide the judgement I must be given, and if she does not, then when I return to my tribe, suitable judgement will be given."

Ju'lindra let out a sigh of resignation. By the tail of the great dragon! Did I ever meet a more headstrong woman? Or man for that matter? She is so obsessed with being punished you'd almost believe she's got a massochistic streak in her character. Well, so be it. I give up. Let her have her punishment if she is so convinced she needs it to learn to pay more attention.

By this point, however, the two women had rejoined the main group, and the others had caught the end of the conversation. "If you really want to be punished, go out on a date with Carpal," Sardonic said lightheartedly.

Davi rolled her eyes, but Carpal leaned over to the halfling. "I think I can handle this, if you wish." She nodded at him, and the paladin moved up to Keira.

He looked seriously at Keira for a bit. Whomever said the barbarian tribes were wild and reckless obviously had never met one. Finally, he let out a sigh. "Look, personally, I agree with Ju'lindra. But I think I understand your perspective." He had to resist a number of potential jokes here, but he could see that this matter was serious to her, and so he tried to respect that. "None of us, and I mean NONE of us were able to forsee the creature's ambush. Until you develop the ability to see the future, you are a part of that. So that is not where fault lies. Let's look at what happened to find the problem that can be fixed.

"We both were hit by the same thing, whatever it was, and it tried to put us both to sleep. I forced myself to focus through the haziness. It was a matter of will. Perhaps you need to practice focusing your mind. Perhaps a punishment of that order is required. I would suggest that when we break to rest, you stand watch alongside whomever is posted for half the night. I do not wish to deprive you of sleep entirely, but it would allow you to contemplate your 'mistake' and strengthen your willpower as you stave off sleep." Carpal did not know the first thing about this woman's tribe, or if this was appropriate, but it sounded reasonable to him. And it made more sense than scrubbing pots, which always seemed to be the priest's favored punishment whenever he stepped out of line. "Does this sound fair to you?"

Ultimately, he had to give in to the moment, and at the end, he added, "Or there is always Sardonic's suggestion. I have been told that spending an evening with me without trying to kill me takes a great deal of willpower."

Keira looked to Davi, who nodded firmly. "I find Sir Carpal's penance to be entirely apt to impose upon you, Keira. Though, I must add that I too find you to without blame in this instance. Still, well, if you truly must, then you must. I hope you find this penalty to your liking and that you might grow from it as well."

Keira nodded. "Very well, Carpal. Davi Knockdoor. I will accept your judgement on this matter." She didn't indicate whether she believed Carpal's judgment was fair, and it seemed she would be willing to accept anything that was thrown at her.

There was a brief moment of silence, then Ezreal coughed. "Right then, now that's settled. Shall we continue?"

 

[ltclnlbrain]

Chapter 10

As the explorers neared the end of the passage, the air began to grow unnaturally cold. Their breath frosted in the air and gooseflesh ross beneath their clothes. The hall opened up into a large chamber, the center of which contained a dull gray stone pillar that reached from floor to ceiling. On the north face of the pillar was a deep recession that ended at what looked like a fountain basin about four feet off the ground. A large patch of brownish mold grew in and around the basin, spilling out across the floor of the chamber and into the northern hall.

"By the tail of the great dragon!" Ju'lindra cried, shivering in the sudden cold. "It's darn cold in here all of a sudden! And these clothes of mine do not help very much against that." The half-elf gestured helplessly to her loose-fitting monk's outfit. She tried to focus on her inner power, her ki, to bring warmth to her body, but it wasn't working too well.

Pyrius seemed to be faring much worse than the monk. His eyes watered and a bout of sneezing beset the cleric. "Are you alright?" asked Tash, and Pyrius nodded in response. "I'm allergic to things that grow underground. Mushrooms. Mold. I'll be fine in a minute, thanks." He tried to smile at the gnome, but instead had to cover his face to keep from sneezing on him.

Carpal smiled wryly. "Things that grow undergournd? Well then, friend healer, it is a good thing we have no dwarves in our number."

Wrapping her fur cloak around her for warmth, Keira scanned her torch around. "This place is cursed," she said calmly. "Burn the mold away and let's finish with this place." She rested the hilt of the glaive on the ground, standing near the column but away from the mold.

"No!" cried Tash. "That's brown mold. It draws heat from everything around it, and fire makes it even bigger. Everyone stay back!" Tash moved forward and pulled at everyone's sleeves to stop them from advancing further. "Cold will destroy it. Anyone have anything that has a cold effect?"

"Not me," Sardonic said through chattering teeth. "Most of my spells have been used up today. I had no idea that I'd need a cold spell. Besides, it's plenty cold as it is."

"Its cold because the mold has sucked out all the warmth from this room; if we're not careful, it'll freeze dry us as well."

Carpal let out a laugh. "If it is cold we need, let Sardonic try and woo the ladies again. That should give us all the cold we require."

Sardonic crossed his arms at Carpal's comment. The paladin must have thought he was funny. "Why do you lash out at me, Carpal? Could it be you yearn for my attention? I'm no flighty boy. And quit looking at my butt."

Carpal laughs at the mage's retort. If Sardonic was offended at all, it is totally lost on the paladin, who appreciates that someone is willing to trade jibes. "But it is so ladylike. It is easy to confuse you for the fairier sex." The paladin sobered from his sarcasm, and put his mind on the problem, for what little good that did. "Tash, two questions. First, it's a plant, right, if we just scrape it off the wall, won't it die? Second, I know exposure to cold can be lethal, but this is hardly a blizzard. Can this mold kill us?"

Tash shrugged. "You could try to scrape it off the wall, but even if you come within 5 feet of it will drain the heat from your body causing hypothermia, you could pass out and die and if you stayed near it too long. Touching it would be even worse."

"Let's explore what we can," said Sardonic. "The mold doesn't go into the southern room here."

Circumventing the mold for the moment, the group moved on to the southern room. After Ezreal made sure the way was free of traps, they entered it. The wide chamber must once have been the living quarters of an important figure. A large stone slab that suggested the shape of a bed rested against the east wall, under a huge bas-relief of a robust, long-nosed bald humanoid with outstretched hands. The figure wore a lovingly sculpted wind-tossed robe that gave him the appearance of a triumphant god. A glyph that looked like a stylized arrow marked an amulet worn around the figure's neck. It looked similar to the other two symbols you've seen on the broken apparatus and the sarcophagus, though according to Sardonic and Tash, this one signified an individual of less rank than either of the other two. Wardrobes and dressers seemingly carved from the stone walls looked to have been ransacked a long time ago.

Disappointment was plain on Davi's face as she peered into the wardrobes, only to find cold, empty air. It was more proof that the thieves had already looted the entire tomb, and that this entire venture was a wasted effort. Still, the cleric said nothing of her thoughts, for there was still much to explore and many mysteries to solve, and the higher the group morale the better.

Carpal frowned as he listened to the mages' explanation of the symbol. "If Tash and Sardonic are correct, the more out of the way we explore, the lesser the importance of the people within. Does that seem odd to anyone else?"

Folding her arms together and keeping her hooded head bent towards the floor, Davi looked positively monk-like as she answered Carpal's concerns. "I've studied numerous blueprints for tombs, and occasionally other, less-important relatives or servants will be also buried there when their time comes," she said, keeping her eyes locked on the floor and her mind off of the cold. "Sometimes their crypts are less well-secured than that of the primary dead and the main areas--just utilizing the magic rather economically, I imagine."

"These people protect their lesser dead well," Keira remarked with a snort.

AS the majority of the group poked about the room for anything of value, Ju'lindra noticed Pyrius hanging back, still sneezing and wiping at his watery eyes. The monk smiled bemusedly and moved over to the cleric. "Are you okay? If you keep sneezing like that, you'll be running out of air sooner or later."

The golden-haired priest nodded. "It's alright...don't worry about me."

Ju'lindra shook her head and took out a small piece of cloth from her pocket. Opening her waterskin, she poured a bit of water onto the cloth and then handed it to Pyrius. "Here, take this and tie it around your mouth and nose. Breathe through it and it should be a little better."

Pyrius accepted the wet cloth and, not wanting to appear rude, put it on as she suggested. To his surprise, it did seem to help, and his sinuses calmed down a bit. I'm supposed to be a healer, and I never thought of doing this! Maybe I can learn something from her. At any rate, now is probably a good time to talk to her. She needs to know why she's here. He began to say, "Ju'lindra, there's something I need to tell you." However, with the cloth covering his mouth and nose, it came out as, "Mumminmra, mers mumming ma neeb ma mell mu." Hearing himself, he groaned inwardly.

The half-elf raised her brow. "What? I'm sorry, I didn't catch that."

Pyrius took a deep breath and started to speak again, but he was interrupted as the rest of the group made their way over. "There's nothing left here," Carpal was saying. "Let's try to scrape that mold aside so we can clear a path to the other room." The priest replaced the wet cloth and fell into step beside Sardonic. His conversation with Ju'lindra would have to wait.

 

[ltclnlbrain]

Chapter 11

Working with their glaives, Carpal and Keira were able to scrape the mold over to the western edge of the hall while staying far enough way to avoid having the heat leeched out of their body. After several minutes of cautious work, enough of it had been cleared to form a safe path into the northern room.

The ceiling of this large chamber glowed with what looked like natural sunlight, illuminating a series of worktables, vises, spinning wheels, and blocks of unfinished marble that identified the room as a sculptor's workshop. A huge unfinished statue of an imposing bare-chested warrior wielding a staff-like wooden rod in its left hand dominated the north wall. The hairless figure looked similar to the bas-relief on the sarcophagus upstairs, but it was clearly meant to be a different person.

A short red metal pedestal against the south wall displayed what appeared to be a jet-black stone egg the size of a small boulder. A gold glyph--an equilateral triangle with short hash marks through each leg--marked the face of the egg.

Upon seeing this strange egg, Sardonic's eyes lit up. The mage began to jump up and down with excitement. "The egg! I need to see that egg!"

"Why?" Carpal asked as he moved alongside the excited mage. Sardonic, while genuinely helpful thus far, was still a wild card, and this level of enthusiasm was odd.

"Yes, why?" Davi asked, echoing Carpal in both words and tone. She placed herself in front of Sardonic, so as to be the first to enter the room once Ezreal signalled that it was clear. "What is it, Sardonic?"

Sardonic looked at Carpal like the paladin was crazy. "Law and chaos." He waited for it to sink in. "Law and chaos." His hand moved in rapid gestures. It looked like he was using his hands to help gather his thoughts, or maybe just get them out. Finally, the excited mage blurted out, "An ancient war between Law and Chaos. This must have been a... base...of operations...I think. Get me the egg; I need to look at it."

Ezreal turned to the others, having finished searching the entrance to the room. "Looks clear."

Sardonic rushed to the egg as soon as Ezreal gave the okay signal. He began to look for any way to open it. He pointed to the golden symbol as he did so. "This is the symbol of Ogrémoch, an elemental prince. Not a very nice guy. He was on the Chaos side during the primordial war between Law and Chaos."

"Should you be playing with that, then?" Carpal asked.

"We came here to get rich. If we're not going to touch or take anything, we might as well go home." The mage didn't look up. "I'm sure it could be worth quite alot to someone." Before anybody could protest further, he delicately touched the stone egg with his index finger.

As Sardonic touched the stone egg, it began to rumble and shake as it unfolded. Two featureless legs of rock emerged from its base, and clublike arms of jagged stone sprouted from a rocky torso as it rose to a height of four feet. A featureless head stared at the wizard, then the creature let out a roar that sounded like the rumbling of an earthquake. "Jrrgle starx rrrakorx!" it rumbled.

Sardonic nearly leaped out of his skin as the elemental rumbled to life. He opened his mouth to reply to the thing. "Um...run!" he shouted, stumbling away from the angry creature. Roaring in rage, the rocky monster stomped after him.

Davi sighed in annoyance as the mage rushed by her, chased by the very item he sought so eagerly. "You are an idiot, Sardonic, though in a way that I cannot classify," she dryly informed him as he dashed past, scared white.

"No, an idiot would stand there and get beat on!" the mage retorted.

"It must be a woman to react so to Sardonic's touch," Carpal laughed.

Ju'lindra and Carpal moved in on the creature to distract it from its quarry. The half-elf tumbled into melee range, but her focus momentarily slipped and her tonfa slid from her belt as she went. Cursing, she stooped to retrieve the weapon. Meanwhile, Carpal slashed at the elemental with his glaive, the blade skipping off its rocky form. The paladin did succeed at drawing its attention, though. The creature strode forward and delivered a powerful punch to his chest. The attack left a nasty bruise, but the paladin's armor kept him safe from any real harm.

Realizing her failure in the previous battle, Keira fueled herself on the anger and resentment she felt towards herself, and with a raging and anger-filled strike smashed at the egg-creature, just after trying to move into a more favorable flanking position. The glaive cut through the air, force enough so that the air almost visibly parted, but it missed its mark as the elemental shifted. "Surround it, keep it threatened, keep it in close quarters," she commanded, hoping that the sheer number of forces arrayed against this creature would give them victory. The barbarian tossed aside the weapon and unslung her greataxe from her back.

Davi said quick but fervant prayer to Wee Jas for protection, a prayer requesting a manifestation of her lady's awesome, intimidating presence. Though there was no outward sign to show the spell was effective, the elemental's movements seemed a bit more hesitant and halting, as if it was shaken.

Ezreal slid his dagger out of his sheath, watching the fight. He looked at the tiny blade and frowned. He couldn't help but wonder what in the hell it was going to do against something made of rock. Dull or break my blade, that's what, he thought to himself. He cast about the chamber for a weapon, then his eyes alighted on the wooden staff in the statue's hands. He slid it out of the stony grasp, finding the weapon to be quite well-balanced. This seems a bit more appropriate.

Ju'lindra lashed out with her tonfa, the weapon skipping across the elemental's rocky body. "Pyrius, how about some help?" she asked the cleric. The priest fumbled with his light mace as he moved beside the monk. He swung the weapon, but it seemed to do little to faze the rocky monster.

Carpal backed up and swung his glaive again. The blade sheared off a few fragments of rock, but it wasn't enough to do any lasting damage.

Tash had drawn his crossbow and loaded it, hoping for a lucky shot as he fired into the melee. Unfortunately, luck was not on his sign, and the missile shattered against the far wall.

The elemental bellowed again as it moved up to follow Carpal. It lifted its stony arm over its head before bringing down in a crushing blow. The paladin was not quite fast enough to avoid it, and the arm connected with his head with a sickening crack. Blood flowed from the vicious wound as Carpal collapsed to the ground.

Keira barely thought as she saw the paladin fall for the second time this day, her mind awash with anger at her previous failure, her only thought to strike this thing down. She barely saw Pyrius standing opposite her, but the creature was distracted by his presence, and she struck with all her might.

She stretched her arms, flexing her powerful adrenaline filled arms, and then quickly and with great agility and power struck with a calculated swing against the egg-like creature. The blade connected with the stone, crunching through the thick protection of the creature. "Pthrari!" she bellowed as the plucked the blade free like a feather from a chicken. The creature crumbled to pieces on the ground, utterly destroyed by the powerful attack. The axe twirled in Keira's hands, her face flushed red with gushing blood in her veins, her lips white in anger and rage.

Greataxe still drawn back to strike, Keira took a careful step forward and crunched some of the rocks beneath her feet. "Even the stones are against us," she intoned, her mind wondering what they had let themselves in for, and what price they would have to pay. She let her own anger slide, her recent performance making her feel satisfied that in most situations she would be able to help and fight. After executing her given judgment tonight, she would remember to not suffer again at the hands of those who believed her weak-willed.

Ezreal looked at the weapon he had taken to help in the fight, reflecting a bit bitterly that he hadn't even had a chance to use it. He stirred the elemental's remains with the end of the staff, poking at them listlessly.

Davi rushed to the paladin's side, and she leaned over his body, attempting to assess the situation with her own amateur knowledge. The sight is bit of deja vu, but never once did Davi take this as a sign of Carpal's weakness--only his courage. Instinctively she sought to heal the paladin, to stop the vile wound from leaking such. Following Sardonic's lead from earlier, Davi ripped a strip of cloth from Carpal's own attire, this time his breeches, and she attempted to bandage the gaping hole in the paladin's head.

Alas, just as Davi had said before, she was no healer, and never was this more apparent than now. Clearly untrained in the use of bandages, the poor girl attempted to strap the cloth around Carpal's forehead horiztontally, which made it impossible to fully cover the wound. Not only this, but the cleric had been far too conservative in her ripping, and this small scrap of cloth wouldn't have blocked the flow of blood even should she have applied it correctly. All in all, Davi's efforts were a sad sight to see, and the stress and worry was plainly reflected on her face. Beads of sweat formed on the little halfling's forehead, and for the second time this night she prayed to Wee Jas to spare Carpal's life.

"Pyrius, I could use some of that sun god magic right about now," she called to the group, abandoning the whole affair, now vainly attempting to stop the blood flow with her own (gloved, thankfully) hand. "Please."

Pyrius dashed over to Carpal's side. Kneeling down beside him, in response to Davi's summons, he laid his hand on the holy warrior, his other grasping the sun symbol under his tunic. His hands flashed briefly, the warm color of the sun, the light flowing in to the unlucky paladin's body. The visible wounds closed up, and Pyrius poked and prodded to make sure that any broken bone had mended. The paladin groaned and sat up, holding his head, and Pyrius nodded.

"I don't have the strength for any more healings today, and I'd like to keep an eye on Carpal, to make sure there hasn't been any lasting damage. He has nearly been killed twice today. Before carrying on, I suggest resting and regrouping. Though, it's your call." Saying this, Pyrius looked up at Davi.

"That was close," said Tash, panting. "Yet again, we find traps and strange creatures abound. I agree with Pyrius, we need to be prepared for the next time we go into battle. My selection of spells today isn't suitable for combat; perhaps some rest would be good."

"Of course; it has been a hard evening on us all," Davi replied, her voice slightly shaky, slightly nervous, but she continued. "Well, if it's all right with everyone else, we shall rest on this level. Ju'lindra and myself can take the smaller chamber, the one with the air-bed; whoever is on guard may stay in the center area I suppose. Though you'll have to bring plenty of blankets with you Keira,--there's still a lot of mold out there."

Folding her hands together, Davi continued, "And the men can take this room. And they are expected to stay here," the cleric said, raising an eyebrow at Sardonic. "We've already seen how damaging rash actions can be to one's health."

Sardonic shrugged his shoulders noncommittally. As Keira moved past him, the barbarian grabbed him lightly by the robe. "The people of my tribe get punished severly for cowardly conduct. Be thankful that you don't have to spend the night hanging from your ankles over a slow-burning fire!" She let him go with a light shove, her contempt clear for Sardonic's behaviour.

This was too much for the mage. "Ok, listen to me," he began. "If you and I were to get into a fight to the death, me with my dagger and you with your glaive, you know and I know, in fact everyone here knows, that you would send me to a dirt nap in no time. Knowing this, and not being suicidal, what should I do? Stay and die, or run? I make stuff appear out of nowhere, remember? You stick to fighting, and I'll help with a spell when you fall asleep."

Keira's face hardened as Sardonic mentioned her earlier failure. Her eyes grew dark and her jaw set, yet it took a moment for her to speak again. When she did though, a glint of wickedness appeared in her eyes and she let a half-smile form on her lips. Cocking her head slightly to one side she said wryly, leaning into Sardonic's face, "Little man, the egg must hatch into something. Only you will choose what that is. A chicken..." She pulled her lips up in measured disgust. "Or a crocodile." Leaning back she stood back and laughed a deep, hearty laugh. "When you must, little man, you will shed your feathers. Better hope something doesn't gut you or any of us until then."

The barbarian laughed again, then turned to Davi. "Davi Knockdoor, I have accepted my judgment. I will guard the hallways that enter this chamber until I am relieved. If I accomplish this, my judgement is considered executed." She turned around and strode purposefully to the corridor that led back to the alcove-ridden corridor. Back to those behind her, she stood her guard, not accepting any food, until such time as she was relieved. Only then did she unfold a great fur bed and wrap herself in it for some rest, restless as ever inside, but content for now to sleep.

 

[ltclnlbrain]

Chapter 12

The night passed without event, and in the morning the party ascended back to the main level of the cairn. The adventurers looked around a bit, noting nothing had changed since last they were here.

"Do you think we should call up another passage and see where it leads to?" Davi asked.

"It seems to make sense," Carpal replied. "Assuming none of them are trapped, that is. Which one would you like?"

"Well, I've always been partial to green..." the halfling replied, clutching the sleeve of her robe with one hand and smiling slyly.

"Let's to it then."

Carpal and Keira pushed against the sarcophagus in the room's center, and slowly it turned to point down the center of the tunnel that sported the green lantern. As soon as it moved into position, though, a cacophonous creaking of stone against stone emerged from the ground below the lantern. The terrible din filled the chamber.

"Fornicate me!" Sardonic shouted as he dropped down to one knee and steadied himself against the roar. Looking on all sides, he prepared for the worst.

Carpal frowned as the noise continued, but nothing further seemed to happen. "I guess that one was not as well made. Let's try the next one."

The barbarian and paladin tried to push the sarcophagus some more, but they couldn't quite get it to move. It seemed to be caught on something or jammed. They tried again, and this time it started to turn, but it was too late. The mechanisms had taken too much stress, and with a great crash, the stone circle at the end of the green hallway and the apparatus beneath it completely gave way, clattering down the shaft.

Davi winced at the noise of the collapse, but as the room grew silent, her ears pricked up. The cleric shoved her hood down and listened carefully, and a look of confusion crossed her face. The confusion soon gave way to open disgust and slight alarm. "Do you...?" she began, but a quick look around noted that the others heard it too. A chittering, skittering noise, distant but rapidly approaching, climbing up the shaft. "I believe we've awakened a nest."

"By the tail of the great dragon," breathed Ju'lindra. "How many are needed to make such a noise?"

"We're about to find out," grumbled Ezreal.

"Quick!" shouted Pyrius. "Who has oil? We'll put up a screen of oil around the hole."

"They're almost here! I'll try to slow them down!" Sardonic shouted the words to a spell, and a large swath of the floor by the opening was coated with a thick layer of slippery grease.

The chittering noise became louder, echoing around the chamber, and a living geyser of beetles burst from the broken shaft! The swarm trailed a thin coat of bright yellow acid in its wake, but the beetles slipped and floundered on the magical grease, temporarily halted in their advance.

Not so the monstrosity that emerged beside them, a skittering aberration with six sharp legs sprouting from a central body that was little more than a disgusting eye. It fixed its malevolent gaze on Sardonic, its clawed forelimbs scratching the ground eagerly.

Tash's eyes went wide as he recognized the foul creature. "Everyone spread out! Don't stay together! It's a mad slasher!" He spoke a brief incantation and sent a missile of force into the aberration's body, eliciting a squeal of pain.

Keira grinned as she moved to Sardonic's side, dropping her torch to the ground and taking her glaive in both hands her stance firm and steady. "Tash Frelan, a slasher I may be, but I'm not mad."

"Not you!" shouted the gnome. "That!"

"I wonder who thought of the name," Davi mused as she readied a dart. "I would have gone with Genial Ocular Critter Who Likes Marmalade on its Toast myself; it seems nicer." The halfling took aim and hurled the weapon, and it sunk into the monstrosity's eye. The thing staggered a bit, then charged forward, claws extended.

It did not get far. As it closed with Keira, she brought her glaive down hard, cracking its body and drawing blood. Squealing, it continued forward, letting its guard down as it passed through the barbarian's reach, and the woman took an opportunistic attack, tearing open the thing's central eye. It collapses to the floor, its six legs thrashing uncontrollably in its death throes as thick fluid seeped from the broken body. Keira spat on the dying beast, a feral grin on her face, her eyes burning with bloody pashion

The beetle swarm recovered its footing, though, and it made its way off the slippery grease, hungrily advancing on Keira and Sardonic.

Carpal and Ju'lindra moved to their companions' side, brandishing lit torches low to the ground. "Pull back. If you have fire, now is the time to use it." The two swiped their torches back and forth, warding off the advancing beetles and incinerating a few that had surged out ahead of the main swarm.

"How about this?" Sardonic asked, sending a twisting spray of blinding colors out over the beetle swarm. When he saw the spell had no effect, though, he let out a small yelp of terror and began backpedaling quickly.

It took Keira a bit to realize what was going on through the haze of battle. When she did, though, she retreated to the sarcophagus and searched through her pack, finding and retrieving a flask of oil.

Tash clambered up on the sarcophagus next to her, a flask of his own in his hand, and he made ready to throw.

The beetles skittered forward, heedless of the torch before them, and as they closed with it Keira and Tash let loose their flasks of oil. The oil impacted with the torch, igniting a small fire on the floor, and the screech and crackling of burning beetles filled the air. While many were burnt, the swarm mindlessly continued forward at Carpal and Ju'lindra. The paladin and monk swung their torches at the beetles, igniting even more of their number, but hundreds still remained, and they hungrily began crawling all over the two of them, getting under their clothes and armor, biting and burning their skin with the acid dripping from their mandibles.

Ju'lindra staggered out of the swarm, several insects falling from her body as she went. She gasped for breath and slapped at her body, trying to get the biting bugs off.

"The bugs are everywhere!" shouted Sardonic. "Quick, get her clothes off!"

Even through the pain, Ju'lindra rolled her eyes.

Pyrius quickly went to the half-elf's aid, helping her get the remaining beetles off of her. He quickly checked over her wounds, but the bites and burns were the extent of the damage; luckily, there was no accompanying poison.

Carpal waved his torch frantically, scorching swaths of destruction through the swarm as he backs away.

Keira drew another torch and rushed forward at the swarm. Dodging the beetles, she stooped and ignited the torch on the flaming oil. The beetles turned to attack her, but before they could get close, she thrust the torch directly into their mass. The flames quickly incinerated most of the remaining beetles. The few that survived dispersed in all directions as the swarm broke up.

Tash let out a sigh of relief as the threat was neutralized. "Carpal, Ju'lindra, are you two okay?"

"I am well as can be expected, Tash," said Carpal. "It hurts, though. I am fortunate that Pyrius' healing touch leaves no scars. Who would have expected the beetles to have such a bite?" He stretched, wincing at the multitude of little burns on his skin. "I am surprised the things wouldn't fear the fire. That means they were crazed or hungry...or both. That is a good sign. No one has bothered them in a long time."

As Pyrius and Davi tended the wounded, Tash made his way over to the collapsed shaft and peered in, shining the everburning torch for a better view. The light revealed a scarred and pitted shaft, most likely eaten away by the acid from the beetles. The metal cylinder lay broken in a pile of rubble at the shaft's bottom, which opened up into another room.

"It looks like we can climb down here. There's another hall below."

"I will go first," said Keira, shouldering her glaive. "If there are any more slashers down there, they will be mad to come at me and my blade." She grinned and then burst out into laughter, a deep rumbling laughter.

Tash chuckled and shook his head. "Go on then. We're right behind you."

 

[ltclnlbrain]

Chapter 13

The descent down the shaft was rather easy; the pits and scars provided numerous handholds and ledges. Soon enough, the entire party made it down below.

Dozens of bas-relief figures similar to the one on the sarcophagus lid in the room above stared disapprovingly from the walls here. Many sported crossed arms and stern expressions. A few of the statues' heads were missing, and some had huge chunks torn out of them. Others had a weird melted appearance, as if they'd been sprayed by something terrible. A large glyph that looked like a stylized arrow, identical to the one on the bas-relief in the living quarters of the previous sublevel, pointed down a short corridor to the north that leads to a four-way intersection. A keening insect chorus filled the air.

The adventurers moved down the western hall first, coming to a room filled with eight man-sized slabs arranged in two rows. A long-dead corpse, possibly a human, laid sprawled out upon one of these slabs, its red leather armor the only hint of color in the otherwise drab room. The short west wall abutted a small stone stage. The red clay statue of a powerfully built warrior wielding a cylinder-headed greatclub stood tall upon the stage, its eyes surveying the room.

Of more interest was the enormous beetle, perhaps six feet long and as tall as a halfling, that skittered between the slabs. Its compound eyes fell on the party, and it chittered as it made its way toward them.

They moved quickly, forming ranks behind Carpal and Keira's glaives. The barbarian scored a solid hit through its chitinous shell as the beetle drew near. Rearing back, the insect turned around a sprayed an acidic vapor on the glaive-wielders! The acid burned Keira, and she snarled as the rage took her. With a curse on her lips, she brought the glaive down in a tremendous arc, tearing through the beetle's shell and into its vital insides. Green ichor sprayed from the wound as the beetle collapsed, thrashing about in its death throes.

A small smile crawled up onto Davi's face, and she clapped her hands eagerly as the beetle fels. "Delightful! You are truly an agent of the Green Lady, Keira!" she announced, crossing over to the crushed shell and examining it appreciatively.

She heard Davi's comment, and through cletched teeth spat, "I serve no Green Lady, Davi Knockdoor!"

Davi had meant her mention of the Green Lady as a compliment, praising Keira as a fine agent of death; and, ignorant of barbarians and their methods, she was severely surprised at Keira's quick response. Her first, reflexive reaction was to catch Keira by the eyes with a reproachful glare, but the consequences of that action--namely, being squashed just like that beetle before her--rang clearly, so she merely looked off into the room, her insulted eyes now scanning it as well as possible. "Of course you don't," was the only meager response that Davi managed.

Keira turned away, and Tash quickly stepped forward to interrupt the uncomfortable silence that lingered. "Well, there's lots of stuff to look at in here. Let's get started with that body."

The skull of the man's corpse on the southwest slab had been utterly crushed, and the remains still were quite gruesome even though he was long-dead. The red leather armor he wore seemed to be quite well-made and was emblazoned with an eight-pointed white star over the left breast, a symbol that Tash recognized.

"This one wears the symbol of the Seekers, a group unscrupulous archaeologists and pseudohistorians," the gnome said condescendingly. "Probably came to loot the place...like us eh?"

"Not at all like us, Tash," Davi said, smiling coyly. "We at least have scruples."

The gnome laughed at that. "I wonder what crushed his head." His gaze went to the statue standing on the pedestal.

"Best not to stir it up again," Carpal cautioned. "Let's check out the east hall."

The room at the end of the east hall contained a wide stone basin backed by a five-foot-tall shelf. A hardened orange paste spilled out over the two-foot basin lip and covered much of the shelf. Thousands of tiny beetles with bright blue carapaces skittered and tunneled through the chalky substance. A huge organic mass completely filled the room's southwest corner. Judging by the beetles spilling from within, it appeared to be an enormous nest.

Another enormous beetle was here, and the beetles in the paste quickly coalesced into another swarm. But the adventurers were prepared this time, and a barrage of lit torches incinerated most of the little beetles while a well-placed dagger from Ezreal and a powerful slash of Carpal's glaive put an end to the big one.

With the threats neutralized, Davi noticed some strange lumps in the orange paste. Ju'lindra scraped away at the substance with her siangham, shaking some stray beetles aside, and uncovered moldy red leather emblazoned with the symbol of the Seekers. Clearing away the sludge completely revealed the skeletonized remains of a long-dead human clad in rotting red leather armor. The two other lumps produced similar results. Though their armor was moldy and useless, there were three small potion vials on the belt of one skeleton, and another corpse had a dirty pearl in the remains of a pouch.

"More Seekers," the monk said. "Do you think they got to the treasure already?"

"They might not have found all the treasure that's here," Tash mused. "Look, we found one dead body in the other room, and three more in here. Chances are these Seekers did not fare too well in here. Perhaps they gave up after losing too many of their number?"

"Maybe none of them made it back," Sardonic suggested darkly. "The Seekers supposed to be a society of archaeologists and historians, but they're really looters. They're well trained looters, which gives me pause. Something horrible must have happened for four to go down."

There was an awkward silence, but then Davi clapped her hands cheerfully. "Well now, as long as we keep our wits about us, we'll not suffer the same fate. Shall we continue?"

The party moved back to the intersection and headed north, where a set of stairs lead down to another chamber. However, the lower half of the stairs were obscured by dark water. It seemed that whatever rooms laid beyond the staircase had somehow become completely submerged.

Davi peered into the water. "Do we have any swimmers amongst us, preferably those experienced in battling aquatic acid-spewing beetles?" she asked half-jokingly.

Sardonic unshouldered his pack. "I'll take this one," he said resolutely.

"We should tie a rope to you in case you need us to pull you back," Carpal said, and the mage nodded his assent.

"If needed, I can cast a light spell on your crossbow," Pyrius offered. "It'll help you see whatever's down there."

Sardonic opened his mouth to reply, but Keira suddenly stepped forward. She shed her fur cloak and drops her glaive on top of it. "You will not go down there alone, little one. I will go with you."

The mage smiled. "Can't turn down a chance to get wet with me?" he asked teasingly.

Keira made no answer, turning to Pyrius and gesturing to the spiked gauntlet she wore on her right hand. "Pyrius, your light on my glove," she half-asked, half stated. The cleric complied. "Let's go," she said to Sardonic, and the two of them waded into the water. Taking a deep breath, they submerged.

"Be careful," Tash called after them, but the dark waters made no reply.

 

[ltclnlbrain]

Chapter 14

With Keira's lighted glove and Sardonic's everburning torch providing illumination, the barbarian and wizard dove beneath the water's surface. The pair made their way down the submerged stairs and into a large, cavernous chamber. Four columns made of tan stone were spaced around the room, surrounding a large central structure. Investigation of these structures revealed numerous shower spigots about eight feet off the ground, all non-functional. A door was set in the north wall, and two open halls lead east and west.

As they got their bearings, their attention was drawn by a whirling vortex of water quickly slicing toward them from the west. Two malevolent orbs reminiscent of eyes peered out at them, and two wavelike appendages emerged from the vortex, prepared to strike.

The water blurred in front of her, a whirlpool of swirling water, with eyes and limbs. Keira's face would've looked shocked to those that would see it, but Sardonic did not see her as she turned away. The creature approached and Keira closed the gap. With one arm she waved Sardonic away, a signal to get out or get help, while she moved forward, her lungs burning in her chest.

She covered the gap easily, half-swimming, half-walking under the weight of her armor. Reaching towards the creature she swung clumsily, unused to the water terrain and the nature of it. She had to buy Sardonic some time, until she herself could do what was needed. Holding onto the internal rage, the injustice of being called lepsha, and the humiliation of it, she braced herself on the floor, hoping to survive and live.

The creature seemed to falter a bit. With Keira's feet touching the ground, it seemed unsure of itself, as if anything but water was anathema to it. Nevertheless, it lashed out at the barbaric woman, but she twisted aside and the strike went wide.

Sardonic's eyes bugged out as he saw the dangerous creature. He lifted Tash's crossbow and let loose a bolt, but the water interfered with its momentum and it didn't come close to hitting the creature. The mage quickly turned around and swam for the stairs to seek further aid. He tugged on the rope to alert the others of the danger.

Meanwhile, Keira remained focused on the elemental, striking out with her spiked gauntlet. It was difficult to tell whether she had hit the elemental or just water, but the creature made no indication of pain, so it was safe to assume that she did not hit. The watery creature flailed wildly at the barbarian, lashing out repeatedly with its fists but not managing to connect to Keira's benefit. However, the stalemate wouldn't last forever, as Keira's lungs continue to burn in protest.

The rope around Sardonic's waist tightened as Carpal pulled him up, and the wizard broke the surface of the water, gasping and spluttering. "Sardonic! What is it?" asked Tash.
"Elemental...fighting Keira...needs help..." the mage panted.

Ju'lindra did not hesitate. "Pyrius, quickly. Tie your rope around my waist. I'll go and see if I can help Keira. Perhaps I can get her some relief by distracting whatever might be facing her." As the priest complied, the monk dropped her backpack and tonfas tonfas to the ground. She drew her siangham and kicked off her sandals, then took a deep breath and plunged into the cold water.

Keira glanced briefly backward to see Ju'lindra coming to her aid. She turned again to the elemental and smashed at the water. This time she could tell that she'd only hit water as the creature pressed the advantage. She forced her open hands into the water, lifting herself up slightly and moving a little bit closer to the others on the shore. But the barbarian's luck ran out, and the elemental slammed a powerful fist into her chest. She felt something give way, and a cloud of pain danced before her eyes.

She remembered. A young warrior, from a quiet family in the tribe. He'd valiantly fought alongside them as they stood to hold off yet another attack. He'd been dragged under the water, taken down. It was a cunning tactic used by the lizardfolk. She remembered it clearly. She would not let herself be similar to that. Another failure would not do.

Help was clearly arriving around her, and so she timed her retreat more slowly, punching again before moving closer to the steps. It was a particularly weak effort. Part of her was enjoying the challenge, but part of her was not relishing it. Ju'lindra arrived at her side, and Sardonic fired some sort of missile of cold energy that looked like it had been wayward. It left only a trail of ice in the water, not hitting its intended target. They needed to retreat, slowly, to make sure that survived this.

Ju'lindra's feet settled on the floor as she struck out at the water elemental. The weapon sloughed off its syrupy hide, doing no damage. The creature fixed its gaze on Ju'lindra, choosing her as its new target. The half-elf ducked as the elemental's fist passed over her.

The two women turned as the water shimmered beside them and a sleek, silver porpoise appeared. Summoned by Davi, the animal let out a trilling call as it swam at the elemental, slapping it with its heavy tail. The sturdy creature seemed unfazed by the blow, but it was enough of a distraction to provide Ju'lindra and Keira with an opening.

Ju'lindra flicked her wrist out again, a well-aimed blow that drove the siangham deep into the elemental's body. It punctured the syrupy hide, and the monk was rewarded by a blast of steam from the wound. She moved back away, leaving an opening for Keira to step back into melee range. Finally getting a feel for the aquatic surroundings, the barbarian drove her spiked fist into the wound that Ju'lindra opened. Another blast of steam rocked the barbarian backward, and the elemental seemed to deflate in on itself. In a few seconds, all that remained were ripples in the water to mark its previous existence.

Smiling grimly to herself, Keira kicked upward and broke the surface of the water, drawing in a deep breath to ease her burning lungs. She saw Sardonic stumble out of the water, dripping wet and grinning broadly. "We did it! We're alive!" he cried, and before she could protest, the mage gathered Davi into a big, wet, sloppy hug. The halfling stiffened in his embrace, thankful for her thick robe to keep his moistness at bay.

"Yes, well, that's delightful. Bravo. Ahem."

 

[ltclnlbrain]

Chapter 15

Keira staggered out of the water and put her hands to her knees. She was breathing heavily, having spent nearly a minute under the water in heavy combat. Shedding her overtunic and armor next to her cloak, and removing her gauntlet, she tenderly touched her chest beneath her left breast, unconcerned by Sardonic's possible glances. Lifting it up the bruise had turned purple and blue, all shades of dark reds, yellows and even the occasional green. She grimaced, breathing heavily, almost like one of her ribs had been cracked and come close to a lung. Her acid burns had turned purple too, with hues of deep blue.

Cursing softly, she let her undertunic fall, not conscious of the wet clothing or how exposed it left her. Her figure was strong and athletic, yet elegant in some way, with nice subtle curves. She stroked her hands down her breeches, rubbing the water out of them while massaging her muscles and buttocks gently. Following that, she wound the water out of her undertunic, and then proceeded to remove the water from her overtunic. She gave the armor a glance, but decided that there was very little she could do about the leather.

Sitting back against the wall at the edge of the water, she rested her head backward and tried not to concentrate on her burns and bruise. She had succeeded in surviving yet again, with Ju'lindra's help and some distraction from the others. She did not know how much longer she could continue these battles, but she would go as long as Davi said so. You did not become clesha by being weak.

Sardonic, of course, was staring lustfully at the barbarian all the while. Biting his lip, he sidled up beside her. "Hey Keira, tell me about the mating rituals of your tribe. I don't have to kill and eat something do I?"

Opening her eyes, the barbarian looked up at the mage. "You are not a Kalari. You will not pass the ritual initiation ceremonies." She grinned a wicked grin, pointed at a most inappropriate place on Sardonic's body, and made a simbol indicating something very akin to snip. Sardonic grimaced. Throwing her head back, Keira burst out laughing in her deep voice.

Ju'lindra stood in the hall, water dripping from her clothes and body, and shook her head. Picking up her sandals, backpack, and tonfas she moved toward the far endl of the corridor, motioning for Pyrius to follow. Once there, she handed him a blanket. The priest looked at it with confusion.

"Hold it up," the half-elf instructed. And then without further delay, she pulled her shirt up over her head.

Pyrius blanched and quickly averted his eyes, holding up the blanket to use as an impromptu chamber screen. By the Light, I hope no one can see me blushing, he thought as he stared at the ground. Ju'lindra seemed not to notice his embarassment as she finished disrobing, then pulled out a towel from her backpack and vigorously rubbed herself dry. Soon, she had changed into a fresh set of clothes.

"Sorry for using you like that, but even though I'm not ashamed of myself or my body, I can very well do without Sardonic's eyes all over me. Besides, now you can finally tell me what you wanted to say before. So, let's hear your story. I'm all ears." Sitting down, Ju'lindra took out some pieces of dried meat from her backpack and sunk my teeth into one of them. She offered one to Pyrius, but the priest shook his head.

"Well," Pyrius began, "what I've been meaning to say is, well, the reason I'm here is... Look. I know you don't know your parents. But I was sent here to Diamond Lake. To look after you. By your father."

The word caught her like a blow to the chest. Ju'lindra jerked her head up and stared at Pyrius. "SHAE POR O MAE? TIA THARAES?" she shouted. It took her a moment to realize that she had shouted in Elven, and she switched back to Common. "What did you say there? My father? What is the meaning of this? My parents left me in the forest to die. They couldn't have known I'd be found by the monks. Why would they suddenly show an interest in me? How dare they meddle in my life after all these years?" Out of breath and overcome by a torrent of emotions, she paused. Tears welled in her eyes as thoughts spun and tumbled through her mind.

Pyrius wore an expression of shock. He looked around and noticed the others were staring at them, particularly Carpal and Davi. He put his finger to his lips. Looking up at Pyrius, Ju'lindra wiped the tears away. "I'm sorry. It's not your fault. You didn't deserve such an outburst. It's just that I thought I was finally over it, and now I know I was not. Tell me. Who is my father? And what about my mother? Where do they live? How are they?"

"My apologies for bringing back painful memories. Come, let us go where we can talk privately, and I'll try to explain what I know," the priest said calmly. The half-elf nodded, and the two moved further away from the others.

As they walked away, Davi tugged on Carpal's belt to get his attention. "So...not going as well as it could, huh? So where did you find this Pyrius chap?"

The paladin frowned. "The cleric is not one of mine. I assumed he was contacted by you. But now that I think about it, his attention has always been on Ju'lindra. And she likewise was not contacted by either of us. Do we have a patron, or a pest, we do not know about?"

Davi's eyebrows arched suspiciously as she took in Carpal's information. Then, tucking in her chin with her hand, feigning a sort of delicate deliberation, she responded. "It seems we do--two in fact. Hmmm...let's let this scene close, and then have a chat with our players. I'd rather like to know who I'm dealing with." A thin, sharp smile developed on the cleric's face.

Ju'lindra and Pyrius were out of earshot now. She looked at him with pleading eyes. "Please, tell me," she said.

Pyrius nodded and took a deep breath. "Your father was a good man. His name was Tycho. He took me in when I was a youth and taught me the ways of Pelor. He passed away from natural causes two years ago, but on his deathbed he told me about you.

"He lived in Diamond Lake years ago, and that's where he met your mother, Brianna. She was in the employ of a mine manager named Ellival Moonmeadow, and it wasn't long before the two of them fell in love. They would meet in the woods outside town because Moonmeadow looked down upon anybody who was not an elf. And on one of these trysts, Brianna became pregnant.

"What Tycho didn't know was that Brianna was Ellival's cousin. When Moonmeadow found out, he was furious. He arranged for Tycho to be exiled from Diamond Lake, and he left nevery knowing the fate of his child. I made an oath to him on his deathbed to find you and look after you."

"And my mother?" Ju'lindra asked hesitantly. "What happened to her?"

Pyrius shook his head. "I don't know. Tycho never heard from her again." He paused and laid a hand on Ju'lindra's shoulder. "I was the one who sent you the note. I overheard Carpal talking about the expedition to the Cairn the other night, and...well, we've both been here in Diamond Lake for too long. I thought this might be our chance to forge a new life for ourselves."

Ju'lindra was silent for a long time. Then, she shook her head as if to clear away a bad dream and looked up at Pyrius with resolve. "Thank you. I think you are a real friend for all the effort you put in to find me and bring me this news. It hurt, but I'll get over it." She smiled bravely. "And I am glad that we've finally met. It's always felt like I've had a guardian angel watching over me. Now I know that I do."

Pyrius smiled back at her and brushed a loose strand of hair back from her face. Suddenly remembering himself, he blushed and quickly drew his hand back. "The others must be wondering what we're up to. We should go try to explain it to them," he stammered.

Ju'lindra opened her mouth to say something, when suddenly a commotion arose from down the hall and they heard Ezreal shouting for them. "Ju! Pyrius! Something's coming!"

 

[ltclnlbrain]

Chapter 16

Ezreal had his dagger drawn, pulling Sardonic back from the water's edge as Ju'lindra and Pyrius ran up. "Don't they know we're done fighting for the day?" the mage asked, exasperated. Carpal and Keira stood in a line, glaives ready for whatever was coming. And something was coming, churning the waters as it swam up the stairs.

"Noooooo!" cried Davi. She ran towards the pool with as much speed as her clumsy robe allowed, worry breaking out on her face in sweaty tears. "Don't! It could be Georgette!" The halfling had momentarily forgotten to mention that she'd already named her summoned porpoise, though heretofore she hadn't even met it.

But when the creature crested the surface, it was immediately clear that it was not Georgette. The foul creature appeared more or less humanoid, but had mottled and decaying flesh drawn tight across clearly visible bones. Mostly hairless, its eyes burned like hot coals in their sunken sockets. Davi and Pyrius recognized the undead monstrosity: a ghoul.

Even as it emerged, though, Carpal and Keira laid into it with their glaives. Their weapons tore into its body, and it shrieked as pieces of flesh were torn from it. Consumed by a burning need to consume, though, the ghoul seized upon the still flat-footed Tash, tearing into the gnome's neck with sharp, carnivorous teeth. The pain was intense, and the gnome felt his body threatening to seize up.

"Nyaah!" the gnome cried, his fortitude proving stronger than the paralysis. Clutching his neck to staunch the bleeding wound, he withdrew behind the warriors.

Pyrius fumbled for the sun-shaped medallion around his neck. He grasped it and held it at the ghoul, saying, "By the Light of Pelor, be gone!" However, shaken by the proximity of the frightening creature, he wavers; the creature merely fixed its gaze on the cleric, hissing and baring its fangs.

The distraction was momentary, but it was enough for Carpal to take advantage of. He tore through the ghoul with his glaive; the weapon cleanly severed the body in two, and both halves fell back into the water with a splash, unmoving.

"Two halves ares better than one!" Keira proclaimed, looking at Carpal. She grinned wickedly as she surveyed the water, her ears trying to listen for anything else.

Davi bent to examine the remains of the ghoul, and her eyes caught a glint of gold in the darkness. She reached for the dead thing's hand. There it was: on his third finger, a golden ring shaped in the eight-pointed starburst symbol of the Seekers. The ring alarmed her immediately, and the priest's face reflected this; her slender angles seemed more narrow suddenly, and her rosy cheeks sunk into pensive repose. She took the finger off of the ghoul with her dagger, ring still attached to the decaying flesh, and then brought it to the others.

The halfling was distracted by Tash's injury. The ghoul had packed a nasty bite, but Pyrius declared that luckily it was free of disease. Once more Davi withdrew a hankerchief from her pocket, and she mindfully delivered it to the wizard. "I don't carry bandages, I'm afraid. Here," and with that Davi tenderly wiped Tash's neck. "Forgive me for endangering you like this--all of you, really."

Davi turned to the group, and she held up the finger before them, displaying the ring. "I thought this tomb would be bountiful, easy to loot as well as we should... But we've all seen that it's a strange place, a dark one--and not a good dark. I guess it's also the site of a large set of murders, presumably of these 'Seekers' Tash told us of. I thought maybe they'd turned on each other--gang rivalry, happens so often with base brutes and 'secret societies' alike--but now I wonder..."

Turning to the gnome, Davi slid the finger back into one of the many pockets on her robe. "Tash, these fellows wouldn't happen to be necromancers, would they? Because then we're dealing with an entirely different scenario." Tash shook his head, and Davi nodded. "I didn't think so," she said.

"This complex was probably built by the Vaati," offered Sardonic. "I'm assuming that any elementals we find will be their doing. Elementals are usually used as guards. They never tire, eat or sleep. The water elemental was probably set there to prevent us from moving further into the dungeon. As far as the moving dead guy, your guess is as good as mine."

Carpal frowned. "If the elementals are guards, why wouldn't the water thing attack that ghoul? Or was the ghoul a guardian as well? And moreover, what was the water elemental guarding?"

Sardonic could only shrug.

Davi put a hand to her temple. Too many questions, not enough answers. "Carpal, I believe we've all received too many wounds this morning--mayhaps we should find a resting spot. Where do you suggest?"

Carpal looked around a bit. "I would not consider this hall 'secure' but it would accomodate us all. And it is more defensible than the great hall."

The halfling nodded. "Alright then. We'll take some rest here then, and continue our explorations tomorrow."

 

[ltclnlbrain]

Chapter 17

Nothing further harassed the party during their rest, and soon enough they were refreshed and energized for the coming day. Pyrius cast a few minor spells of healing to patch up Tash's lingering wounds. Ju'lindra made her way over to the priest, smiling. "Good morning Pyrius. Do you have more surprises for me today?"

Pyrius smiled and shook his head. "Nope, just that one, I'm afraid."

The monk inclined her head, and spoke in a slightly lower tone of voice. "So, you knew my father. I want you tell me all about him. What he was like and everything else you remember. For now you're my only link to my past. A past that untill now did not look like it was ever going to reveal its secrets. I want to learn as much as I can about my parents and I need you to help me."

Pyrius nodded. "Sure. I'll help in any way I can. And I also have a promise to keep. I'm supposed to protect you. Though so far it's been all of you protecting me."

Keira and Sardonic once more braved the cold, dark waters to find what lay past the elemental and the ghoul. It seemed that those two monsters were the only ones that lurked within the submerged rooms, and the barbarian and wizard were able to make several expeditions down to the side rooms, going back for air every minute or two.

Both the east and west rooms were small, containing four benches each and several niches along the walls. In the west room was a human corpse wearing the red armor of the Seekers. The corpse's bones were very badly gnawed, and its armor had been torn apart and ruined as if by sharp claws--likely a victim of the ghoul. In one hand, the corpse clutched an elaborate red lantern, very similar to the ones located in the large hall above. In a molding scabbard at its belt hung a finely crafted short sword, curiously free of any rusting or pitting despite the fact that is had likely been underwater many years.

Stuffed into one of the niches in the wall of the east room was a pile of tattered clothes. Rummaging through the pile produced a pouch with several coins of silver, gold, and even platinum inside.

Sardonic looked like a wet rat when he emerged from the water. His thin body was accentuated by his clinging wet clothes. He shook his head like a dog, and water droplets sprayed from left to right.

Ju'lindra smiled mockingly at the mage and began to whistle. "Hey Sardonic, how about that? Want me to hold up a blanket so you can change without everybody staring and laughing? "

"There's nothing on my body that I'm ashamed of. Some say I'm taller when laying on my back," the mage replied with a wink.

Tash looked at the red lantern with interest. "This is the last one. Maybe if they're all lit up and assembled, something will happen. Let's go try it."

Davi nodded. "Alright, let's move back up then."

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The torch they had left in the lantern above had long burned out, and the light from Tash's everburning torch failed to completely illuminate the room. The gnome handed the red lantern to Carpal, who placed it in its proper position. All seven lanterns now hung from their respective hooks, though nothing seemed to happen.

Sardonic thought for a bit, then his eyes lit up. "Oooh, ooooh! I got it." The young wizard began to point and flail. "Add the colors together in light, very soon the rays become white. It might trigger a thing or two...er, even though the corpse is glue." He frowns a bit at the last rhyme.

Carpal held up a hand. "Look, everyone. We may be dealing with this place better than the Seekers did, but it is still taking its toll. Are we sure we are ready to face the next challenge. Whatever comes out of that next chamber will probably be some other form of crawling or floating eye. Are we really ready for it?" He glanced meaningfully at Keira. The barbarian had taken a beating yesterday, and she was still not fully healed.

Standing next to Keira, Pyrius suddenly felt dwarfed by the barbarian woman. He was a bit unsure how to approach the subject. A barbarian! What if her culture has strange ideas about healing magic as well? Thinking quickly, he says, "I think Carpal is right. It's probably going to get more dangerous from here. It will mean everyone working together, so we need to make sure we're all in good shape. Keira, shall I start with you? How are your wounds?"

Keira gave Pyrius a sideways glance, a look of uncertainty on her face. In her tribe healing was rare - the shamans did their best, concocting all manner of healing salves, potions and weeds, even calling on the aid of the gods for healing. But with so many regularly wounded during battle, healing was only given to those that needed it most. Those that were dying or with serious wound, those that needed to go back and fight for another day. The stronger warriors mostly, as resource was always lacking.

"Very well, Pyrius," she said slowly, "If there is no-one else." She pointed to her wound on her side and chest, and waited with the same look of uncertainty on her face. She was starting to realise that if she wanted to become clesha she might be required to forge these around her into her own tribe. And to do that, she would need to be the strongest.

Pyrius cringed as he inspected Keira's wounds; they were more serious than he had thought. He really should have insisted on looking at them straightaway. They also looked like they would need the strength of Pelor to heal adequately. He reassured Keira, then grasping his symbol, he said a prayer to the Shining One, smiling as her wounds healed.

Once the healing had been done, she turned around. "Let's go!" she almost commanded. She stomped to Sardonic. "You, little man, do some of your magic and get another box here." She looked at Carpal. "Come, we must turn the arrow."

"But the lanterns..." Sardonic protested, then sighed. He had even rhymed his theory! "You guys suck," he muttered under his breath.

Turning the sarcophagus to the blue hallway seemed to have no effect. Turning the sarcophagus to the indigo hallway, however, produced another metal elevator that grinded up out of the floor. However, numerous crushed bones and moldy clothes littered the floor of the contraption.

A search by Ezreal and Tash confirm the group's suspicions; the entire elevator mechanism was false, merely an elaborate trap. The floor of the cylinder was unable to move, so anybody who entered would be crushed when the ceiling descended, trapping them between it and the floor. Working with his thief's tools, Ezreal managed to jam the mechanisms and render the trap inert. Tash entered and searched the bones, finding a pouch with some coins and a gem.

The group worked to turn the sarcophagus to the remaining halls. Nothing further happened at any of them, though.

"The lanterns?" asked Sardonic.

"I want to check out the ledge above the blue tunnel first," said Carpal.

"Fine," Sardonic replied, resuming his pouting.

The group moved into the blue tunnel, where the skeleton still slumped at the far end. Carpal looked up at the chain holding the lantern. He tugged on it a bit, testing its strength. "Looks pretty sturdy; somebody want to climb up there?"

"I'll do it," said Ju'lindra. With a little boost from the paladin, she began to skillfully climb up the chain. Years of training made themselves evident as she clambers to the top, then nimbly leaped off onto the floor of the shadowed passage above. A thin passage extended into the shadows to the northeast. Perhaps seventy feet away, the passage ended in what looks like an enormous stone human face, its mouth open in a heavy scream.

"Toss me a rope," the monk shouted down. "There's something up here Ezreal should look at. Might be a trap."

Taking some rope from Davi, Carpal tossed one end of it up to Ju'lindra. He then handed the other end to Ezreal, who tied it around his waist so that the monk could help support him as the rogue scurried his way up the chain. Once at the top, he began to slowly make his way down the passage, searching the walls, floor, and ceiling for traps.

"There's lots of scratch marks in the floor," Ezreal called back. "It's as if something had been dragged toward the lip of the passage. Maybe the cause of that poor blighter's skeleton down there." The rogue continued on with his methodical search, and he stopped about ten feet from the face. "Pressure plate in the floor," he said. "Not sure what it does, but I doubt the results would be pretty. Looks like a doozy, too. I think this is a dead-end though; the face is made of solid stone. Doesn't look like there are any openings."

Pyrius' stomach began to growl, loudly. The others looked at him, and he blushed. "S-sorry. We've been in here for a while...I'm out of rations."

As if in response, Tash's stomach began to grumble too. The gnome looked at the others. "We should head back to get some supplies and then continue. Who knows how much we have left to explore? We should get some torches and some food as well. Maybe one of us can run into town and grab the stuff while we figure out what to do next?"

"Light the torches," Sardonic mumbled to himself.

"If you feel it is necessary," Davi said to Tash, "then perhaps it is best for you to be our agent, Tash. Your reputation, and your tutelage, allows only the smallest amount of suspicion of all of us here."

"I'll go with him, in case he runs into trouble," Carpal said.

The halfling nodded. "Very well. We'll wait here until you return."

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It was near midday when Carpal and Tash finished their trek from the Cairn back to town. Few people were out in the streets; most were at work in the numerous mines that dotted the outskirts of Diamond Lake. The paladin and the gnome were dirty, bloodied, caked with dust from the tomb and the trail, though they were not much different in appearance than the other sorry folk they saw moving about. Most paid them no mind, but a few seemed to recognize them and quickly look away, trying to pretend that they didn't.

The two made their way to Taggin's general store. Tables lined the walls within, stacked high with rope coils, lanterns, bottles, gloves, and gear. Wagon wheels rested against barrels filled with nails and candles. The proprietor grinned at them as they enter and cheerfully provided them with the supplies they request. He didn't question where they'd been or what they needed the items for, and that suited the two of them just fine.

It seemed that they might have been able to make it back out of Diamond Lake without anybody taking too much notice of them. But as they neared the outskirts, somebody called Carpal's name. Turning around they saw a young, red-headed woman wearing white and blue robes over a slim suit of chainmail. The paladin recognized her as Mélinde, a fellow knight of Heironeous.

"Carpal!" she called. "Where have you been? Commander Dun's been having a fit; you haven't reported for duty in three days." She took in their battered appearance and glanced quizzically at Tash, then back to Carpal, concern evident in her eyes. "Have you been drinking again?"

Carpal let out a long sigh. "Why? Would you like to?" The paladin let out his best grin, which, skin still irritated and red from the beetles' acid burns, looked more ghastly than usual. Mélinde's scowl showed that she was unimpressed. "No. I am very very sad to say that I have had only one drink in three days. It has taken everything I have not to go drinking now. And I am more than a little irritable about it.

"Now why would it matter if I don't report in for duty? You all have odds on how long before I drop out of the order anyway. Who really cares?" He realized that he has been steadily raising his voice and self-consiously looked around. He also suddenly realized that Tash and he are almost strangers, and this display must not be impressing the gnome very much. Under his breath, he muttered, "Ah, pike it."

Aloud, but more reasonably, he said, "Look, this guy has some friends who need some help. They have a couple of injured people down in a hole, and these things," he gestured to their new supplies, "are needed to help. Look, I know I am hardly the ideal memeber of the order, but this is a chance for me to do more than avenge wronged serving girls or fill the pockets of bartenders. This is the first time I came back to this pit we call home, and to be honest, I never once in all this time considered checking in.

"Report in for me, if you like. I should be back in a few more days. The gnome and I have things under control." He looked at both his and Tash's appearance and realized that they did not project the image of "under control," but he didn't really care. "I'll buy you a drink when I get back."

"Carpal, I...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to berate you. We've just been worried and all." Mélinde looked away for a moment, then turned back. "I'll let Commander Dun know you're okay. I'm sure he won't fault you for helping somebody in need; after all, he's always telling us we should do just that, much to Captain Trask's chagrin." Mélinde laughed lightly. "Are you sure you can handle it though? If you need help, I'd be more than willing to lend a hand. You know how boring it is around here usually."

Carpal really expected more of a tongue lashing than that. For once, the lush seemed genuinely ashamed. "Believe me, I know. That is why I lept at this chance. But honestly, we have it under control. Thanks." He placed a hand on the woman's shoulder and gently squeezed. Now he really needed a drink. He'd rather be mauled by wolves again than feel this low.

Mélinde smiled again at Carpal. "I'll smooth things over with Dun. But do try to report in when you get a chance." The paladin nodded at Tash, then turned and moved off into the town.

Carpal was silent for a bit as he and Tash left town. Eventually, he turned to the gnome. "Sorry about that. I hate making a scene."

Tash shook his head. "Its all right. I guess she was concerned for you. Master Allustan would be worried too if i went missing for a few days. Let's finish exploring this place and find what treasure we can."

 

[Neurotic]

Continuing

Hey, DMBrainiac, do you still play? Will you be updating this SH or I may unsubscribe?

I followed your thread for a while, but it gets unintresting when not participating in all discussions. Your SHs are good and easy to read so if you continue it would be appreciated.

I subscribed because I liked it and didn't realize it isn't updated