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<blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 7629136" data-attributes="member: 143"><p>Chapter 314</p><p></p><p>The bright glow shining from Quellan’s shield drove back the shadows as the companions made their way down from the stairs into the underground vault.</p><p></p><p>“Over there,” Glori said, gesturing toward the glowing arch off to the side of the room. They could all see it clearly, as it was full of a shimmering field of wavering light that appeared to completely block further passage.</p><p></p><p>“There are stairs continuing further down over there,” Rodan said.</p><p></p><p>“He’s here,” Glori insisted. “I can feel him.”</p><p></p><p>“Careful,” Quellan said as she hurried over toward the arch. The others hastened to keep up, the half-orc clanking a bit in his heavy armor. But Glori was still a good fifteen feet from the arch when a figure stepped out from one of the huge pillars to their left.</p><p></p><p>“I wouldn’t do that,” the new arrival said.</p><p></p><p>Glori started in surprise, and reached for her sword before the light from Quellan’s shield revealed the newcomer. “Kavek!” she said. “Where’s Bredan?”</p><p></p><p>“Inside,” the sailor said, nodding toward the arch. “With the Book.”</p><p></p><p>“What about Kalasien?” Xeeta asked. “Is he with you?”</p><p></p><p>“He didn’t make it,” Kavek said. “There was a guardian, a powerful magical creature.”</p><p></p><p>“Yeah, we ran into one of those as well,” Rodan said. He’d circled a bit around to the left, clearing the spaces beyond the other pillars, but he kept one eye on the sailor as he approached.</p><p></p><p>“This barrier, is there no way past it?” Glori asked.</p><p></p><p>“I don’t know,” Kavek said.</p><p></p><p>Glori started forward again, but Kavek took a step toward her to block her. “Stop. He needs to do this alone. We cannot interfere.”</p><p></p><p>“What are you talking about?” Glori asked.</p><p></p><p>“Do what?” Xeeta added.</p><p></p><p>“The book, it spoke to us,” Kavek said. “It needs Bredan to help it. That’s why he’s here.”</p><p></p><p>“Help it do what?” Glori asked.</p><p></p><p>“To destroy it. The book is self-aware, it’s intelligent. It knows that it was created to serve as a weapon. The Mai’i, they created this whole place to serve as a kind of prison for it. To keep it under their control. It brought Bredan here so he could set it free. There’s something special about this place, something about the magic, so it had to be here.”</p><p></p><p>“What happens when the book is destroyed?” Xeeta asked.</p><p></p><p>“I don’t know,” Kavek said again. “But not doing it would be a disaster.”</p><p></p><p>“A calamity,” Quellan said.</p><p></p><p>Kavek looked at him and nodded.</p><p></p><p>“This all sounds rather strange to me,” Glori said. “I’m going ahead.”</p><p></p><p>“No, don’t,” Kavek said. “There’s more at stake here than you know. If you just wait, I’ll try my best to make you understand.”</p><p></p><p>“You’re not really from Zesania, are you?” Quellan asked.</p><p></p><p>“What?” Kavek said.</p><p></p><p>“Your accent,” Quellan said. “It’s changed. I never really could place it before, except that there was something familiar about it, something that bothered me even when we were back on the ship.”</p><p></p><p>“You never really fit in on the <em>Golden Gull</em>,” Xeeta said.</p><p></p><p>“I was new. You were there when I was hired on.”</p><p></p><p>“It’s more than that,” the sorceress said. “You’re hiding something.”</p><p></p><p>“I never wanted to come here,” Kavek said.</p><p></p><p>“Nevertheless, you are here now,” Quellan said.</p><p></p><p>“I’m going to see Bredan,” Glori said.</p><p></p><p>Kavek shifted again to block the bard’s progress. Behind her, her companions tensed. “Kavek, I’ve had a really crappy couple of days,” Glori said. “Don’t make me move you.”</p><p></p><p>Kavek looked at her, then at the others. “I’m sorry,” he said.</p><p></p><p>He flicked one hand up, so quickly that they might have missed it if their full attention hadn’t been on him. Something flickered for a moment in the bright light radiating from Quellan’s shield, and then Glori stumbled back, clutching her throat. She turned and tried to say something, but all she could do was gasp for air as she stumbled and fell to the ground.</p><p></p><p>“Glori!” Quellan yelled, rushing toward her.</p><p></p><p>Kavek took advantage of the distraction to dart back for the cover of the pillar. Xeeta flung a <em>fire bolt</em> at him, but he ducked and it narrowly missed him. Rodan drew his sword and circled around the pillar from the far side, while Xeeta went the other way in an attempt to keep him in view and pen him in between them.</p><p></p><p>Quellan let out a growl of frustration as he tried to help Glori. With his magic depleted all he could do was hold her and try to clear her airway as she struggled for breath. He got his waterskin out and tried to force some of its contents into her swollen airway, but she convulsed and most of it sprayed back out onto him.</p><p></p><p>“Damn it, don’t you leave me, do you hear me!” he shouted at her.</p><p></p><p>Xeeta heard a loud clatter of steel on steel and rounded the pillar to see Kavek holding off Rodan with a heavy mace that she swore he hadn’t had on him just a few moments ago. She quickly called upon her magic once more. Her Demon was quiescent, her powers drained by the heavy use she’d made of them over the last day or so, but she could still manage another <em>fire bolt</em> that she flung at Kavek’s back. This time her spell connected, the blast searing him in the left shoulder, but while she drew a grunt of pain the sailor did not appear to be seriously injured.</p><p></p><p>“Give it up, Kavek!” she yelled.</p><p></p><p>The sailor turned and retreated back toward the corner, moving so that he could see both of them at once. Rodan immediately started to follow him, but before he could close for another strike Kavek lifted his hand and unleashed a pulse of dark energy that streaked out and slammed hard into Xeeta’s gut. Pain shot through her and she staggered back a step. She lifted her rod again in anticipation of a counter, but before she could draw upon her magic a second bolt streaked out and clipped her on the shoulder, almost exactly opposite where she’d blasted the sailor just a moment before. The impact of the <em>eldritch blast</em> spun her around, and she dropped to the ground as the darkness rushed back in.</p><p></p><p>“Not… bloody… again,” she managed to gasp out before she lost consciousness.</p><p></p><p>Kurok turned back toward Rodan, expecting another attack, but even so he was caught off guard by the intensity of the tiefling’s assault. The warlock brought his mace up to parry, but the other man’s blade moved in a blur, carving past his defenses and plunging deep into his body. Kurok coughed heavily, tasting the blood as it filled his mouth. He swung his mace, trying to give himself some space, but managed only a weak blow that barely jolted his foe. But Rodan’s eyes flashed red, the only warning that Kurok got before a surge of searing flames erupted all around him. He tried to get clear of the inferno, but the tiefling’s <em>hellish rebuke</em> clung to him, burning and burning until he finally toppled over onto the floor.</p><p></p><p>His vision remained clouded as he looked up, barely able to see his opponent standing above him. He laughed, but it was cut off as another bloody spasm of coughing shook him.</p><p></p><p>“Ironic,” he managed to say before the shadows caught him.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lazybones, post: 7629136, member: 143"] Chapter 314 The bright glow shining from Quellan’s shield drove back the shadows as the companions made their way down from the stairs into the underground vault. “Over there,” Glori said, gesturing toward the glowing arch off to the side of the room. They could all see it clearly, as it was full of a shimmering field of wavering light that appeared to completely block further passage. “There are stairs continuing further down over there,” Rodan said. “He’s here,” Glori insisted. “I can feel him.” “Careful,” Quellan said as she hurried over toward the arch. The others hastened to keep up, the half-orc clanking a bit in his heavy armor. But Glori was still a good fifteen feet from the arch when a figure stepped out from one of the huge pillars to their left. “I wouldn’t do that,” the new arrival said. Glori started in surprise, and reached for her sword before the light from Quellan’s shield revealed the newcomer. “Kavek!” she said. “Where’s Bredan?” “Inside,” the sailor said, nodding toward the arch. “With the Book.” “What about Kalasien?” Xeeta asked. “Is he with you?” “He didn’t make it,” Kavek said. “There was a guardian, a powerful magical creature.” “Yeah, we ran into one of those as well,” Rodan said. He’d circled a bit around to the left, clearing the spaces beyond the other pillars, but he kept one eye on the sailor as he approached. “This barrier, is there no way past it?” Glori asked. “I don’t know,” Kavek said. Glori started forward again, but Kavek took a step toward her to block her. “Stop. He needs to do this alone. We cannot interfere.” “What are you talking about?” Glori asked. “Do what?” Xeeta added. “The book, it spoke to us,” Kavek said. “It needs Bredan to help it. That’s why he’s here.” “Help it do what?” Glori asked. “To destroy it. The book is self-aware, it’s intelligent. It knows that it was created to serve as a weapon. The Mai’i, they created this whole place to serve as a kind of prison for it. To keep it under their control. It brought Bredan here so he could set it free. There’s something special about this place, something about the magic, so it had to be here.” “What happens when the book is destroyed?” Xeeta asked. “I don’t know,” Kavek said again. “But not doing it would be a disaster.” “A calamity,” Quellan said. Kavek looked at him and nodded. “This all sounds rather strange to me,” Glori said. “I’m going ahead.” “No, don’t,” Kavek said. “There’s more at stake here than you know. If you just wait, I’ll try my best to make you understand.” “You’re not really from Zesania, are you?” Quellan asked. “What?” Kavek said. “Your accent,” Quellan said. “It’s changed. I never really could place it before, except that there was something familiar about it, something that bothered me even when we were back on the ship.” “You never really fit in on the [i]Golden Gull[/i],” Xeeta said. “I was new. You were there when I was hired on.” “It’s more than that,” the sorceress said. “You’re hiding something.” “I never wanted to come here,” Kavek said. “Nevertheless, you are here now,” Quellan said. “I’m going to see Bredan,” Glori said. Kavek shifted again to block the bard’s progress. Behind her, her companions tensed. “Kavek, I’ve had a really crappy couple of days,” Glori said. “Don’t make me move you.” Kavek looked at her, then at the others. “I’m sorry,” he said. He flicked one hand up, so quickly that they might have missed it if their full attention hadn’t been on him. Something flickered for a moment in the bright light radiating from Quellan’s shield, and then Glori stumbled back, clutching her throat. She turned and tried to say something, but all she could do was gasp for air as she stumbled and fell to the ground. “Glori!” Quellan yelled, rushing toward her. Kavek took advantage of the distraction to dart back for the cover of the pillar. Xeeta flung a [i]fire bolt[/i] at him, but he ducked and it narrowly missed him. Rodan drew his sword and circled around the pillar from the far side, while Xeeta went the other way in an attempt to keep him in view and pen him in between them. Quellan let out a growl of frustration as he tried to help Glori. With his magic depleted all he could do was hold her and try to clear her airway as she struggled for breath. He got his waterskin out and tried to force some of its contents into her swollen airway, but she convulsed and most of it sprayed back out onto him. “Damn it, don’t you leave me, do you hear me!” he shouted at her. Xeeta heard a loud clatter of steel on steel and rounded the pillar to see Kavek holding off Rodan with a heavy mace that she swore he hadn’t had on him just a few moments ago. She quickly called upon her magic once more. Her Demon was quiescent, her powers drained by the heavy use she’d made of them over the last day or so, but she could still manage another [i]fire bolt[/i] that she flung at Kavek’s back. This time her spell connected, the blast searing him in the left shoulder, but while she drew a grunt of pain the sailor did not appear to be seriously injured. “Give it up, Kavek!” she yelled. The sailor turned and retreated back toward the corner, moving so that he could see both of them at once. Rodan immediately started to follow him, but before he could close for another strike Kavek lifted his hand and unleashed a pulse of dark energy that streaked out and slammed hard into Xeeta’s gut. Pain shot through her and she staggered back a step. She lifted her rod again in anticipation of a counter, but before she could draw upon her magic a second bolt streaked out and clipped her on the shoulder, almost exactly opposite where she’d blasted the sailor just a moment before. The impact of the [i]eldritch blast[/i] spun her around, and she dropped to the ground as the darkness rushed back in. “Not… bloody… again,” she managed to gasp out before she lost consciousness. Kurok turned back toward Rodan, expecting another attack, but even so he was caught off guard by the intensity of the tiefling’s assault. The warlock brought his mace up to parry, but the other man’s blade moved in a blur, carving past his defenses and plunging deep into his body. Kurok coughed heavily, tasting the blood as it filled his mouth. He swung his mace, trying to give himself some space, but managed only a weak blow that barely jolted his foe. But Rodan’s eyes flashed red, the only warning that Kurok got before a surge of searing flames erupted all around him. He tried to get clear of the inferno, but the tiefling’s [i]hellish rebuke[/i] clung to him, burning and burning until he finally toppled over onto the floor. His vision remained clouded as he looked up, barely able to see his opponent standing above him. He laughed, but it was cut off as another bloody spasm of coughing shook him. “Ironic,” he managed to say before the shadows caught him. [/QUOTE]
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