Lazybones
Adventurer
Chapter 272
It took them the better part of an hour to recover and get ready to move out again. The devil had been a fierce adversary, and nearly all of them bore wounds, although Mole and Shensen were comparatively uninjured in comparison to the rest of them. Zenna and Beorna used their healing spells to restore nearly all of the injuries they’d suffered, with minor potions and a few charges from their wands making up the difference. Dannel had been most seriously hurt, nearly slain by the second cone of cold, and he continued to shiver for some time even after Zenna had treated his wounds. They recovered Hodge, the dwarf’s glare daring them to make a comment on his inglorious retreat, and for the moment they agreed to quietly drop the matter.
Although Mole’s semi-covert giggling whenever she looked at the dwarf suggested that the story would be recited later in more detail.
The wall of ice conjured by the gelugon vanished shortly after its death, but the other two appeared to be more durable, permanent in nature. Sparing their spells for later use, they relied upon their weapons, in particular Hodge’s flaming axe, to open breaches in both. They had to wait for some time for the field of magical cold around each opening to fade, after which they explored the spaces beyond. Both walls warded exit corridors, but the one on the left culminated in a total collapse after only about twenty feet. The other one led to doors, which in turn deposited them into a corridor that led off in several directions. There were more of the crystal coffins here, several of which were occupied by more of the six-armed sepulchral residents.
They headed right, giving those glassine cairns a wide berth. This part of the complex seemed to be in poor repair, with more partial collapses evident here and there, although the corridor they were in seemed secure and intact. The light panels continued to issue their radiance, and nothing living stirred in reaction to their footsteps.
The corridor ended in an intersection, with another large iron door to their right. The corridor continued to their left, while directly ahead of them a wide staircase descended a short distance before ending in a total collapse.
“Let’s check out this door,” Mole said, giving the portal a quick but thorough examination. Upon pronouncing it clean, the dwarves went to work, forcing it open with a fair amount of effort.
Beyond the door was another chamber, slightly smaller than the one where they’d battled the devil. The ceiling was lower, about fifteen feet, lit by the ubiquitous metal panels. Their attention was immediately drawn to the chamber’s sole feature of note, a massive iron statue of an unidentifiable humanoid, a faceless figure a good twelve feet in height. Its “hands” were fashioned into forbidding bludgeons, and it was covered in a thick layer of frost that obscured any details of its craftsmanship.
“Big ‘un,” Hodge commented, as they stepped warily into the room, their weapons at the ready.
“I bet it’s a golem,” Mole said.
A moment later, as if her words had triggered it, the statue shifted, and with a grating sound of metal protesting against its movement, the construct took a ponderous step forward.
“Sometimes, I hate being right all the time,” the gnome sighed.
It took them the better part of an hour to recover and get ready to move out again. The devil had been a fierce adversary, and nearly all of them bore wounds, although Mole and Shensen were comparatively uninjured in comparison to the rest of them. Zenna and Beorna used their healing spells to restore nearly all of the injuries they’d suffered, with minor potions and a few charges from their wands making up the difference. Dannel had been most seriously hurt, nearly slain by the second cone of cold, and he continued to shiver for some time even after Zenna had treated his wounds. They recovered Hodge, the dwarf’s glare daring them to make a comment on his inglorious retreat, and for the moment they agreed to quietly drop the matter.
Although Mole’s semi-covert giggling whenever she looked at the dwarf suggested that the story would be recited later in more detail.
The wall of ice conjured by the gelugon vanished shortly after its death, but the other two appeared to be more durable, permanent in nature. Sparing their spells for later use, they relied upon their weapons, in particular Hodge’s flaming axe, to open breaches in both. They had to wait for some time for the field of magical cold around each opening to fade, after which they explored the spaces beyond. Both walls warded exit corridors, but the one on the left culminated in a total collapse after only about twenty feet. The other one led to doors, which in turn deposited them into a corridor that led off in several directions. There were more of the crystal coffins here, several of which were occupied by more of the six-armed sepulchral residents.
They headed right, giving those glassine cairns a wide berth. This part of the complex seemed to be in poor repair, with more partial collapses evident here and there, although the corridor they were in seemed secure and intact. The light panels continued to issue their radiance, and nothing living stirred in reaction to their footsteps.
The corridor ended in an intersection, with another large iron door to their right. The corridor continued to their left, while directly ahead of them a wide staircase descended a short distance before ending in a total collapse.
“Let’s check out this door,” Mole said, giving the portal a quick but thorough examination. Upon pronouncing it clean, the dwarves went to work, forcing it open with a fair amount of effort.
Beyond the door was another chamber, slightly smaller than the one where they’d battled the devil. The ceiling was lower, about fifteen feet, lit by the ubiquitous metal panels. Their attention was immediately drawn to the chamber’s sole feature of note, a massive iron statue of an unidentifiable humanoid, a faceless figure a good twelve feet in height. Its “hands” were fashioned into forbidding bludgeons, and it was covered in a thick layer of frost that obscured any details of its craftsmanship.
“Big ‘un,” Hodge commented, as they stepped warily into the room, their weapons at the ready.
“I bet it’s a golem,” Mole said.
A moment later, as if her words had triggered it, the statue shifted, and with a grating sound of metal protesting against its movement, the construct took a ponderous step forward.
“Sometimes, I hate being right all the time,” the gnome sighed.
