Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 3707822" data-attributes="member: 143">Chapter 235ONCE MORE INTO THE BREACHThe valley was quiet, muted in the fog that never fully burned away.  For a moment, they stood there, watching. “I wonder that we haven’t encountered more resistance,” Shay commented.  “It has to know we’re coming.”“Don’t poke the sleeping lion,” Dar said.  “Besides, I’m sure there’s a nice welcome committee waiting for us inside.”“All right, move out,” Talen said.  They started down, old bones crunching under their boots as they made their way through the ruin of ancient graves.  Many of them had been recently uncovered, their contents now strewn across southern Camar in the aftermath of the undead invasion.  Patrols from Highbluff were still coming across stragglers in the hills and forests of the region, weeks after the battle of Aldenford. They passed the Well, giving the wide stone opening a generous berth.  “Don’t forget about the green gargoyles,” Dar said, as the first of the hulking mausoleums rose up out of the mists ahead, off to their left.  The main tomb, the one that concealed the entrance to the dungeon, was still lost in the haze ahead.  Talen called a halt next to the warrior statue in the center of the valley, where they had found the key to the tomb doors on their first expedition here, what seemed like so long ago. “Letellia?” Talen asked.  “The archmage?” The sorceress shook her head.  “I have not felt his presence yet this morning.  The transition is extremely draining for him, and he takes a considerable risk each time he casts the spell.  He is not a young man.”Dar snorted, but said nothing.  “Do we wait for him?” Allera asked. Talen looked at them, and then at the elves, standing a short distance away.  “No,” he said.  “It’s going to take quite some time to get to the first temple; the mage can join us when he is ready.  Let’s get moving.”They pressed on, as the huking outline of the mausoleum rising up out of the fog ahead.  They tensed, expecting resistance, but the green gargoyle guardians did not make an appearance.  The form of the building looked... odd, without them.  Wary of a trap, they continued forward.  Shay found that the doors were ajar.  The interior of the place was as they had left it, scattered with bones and bits of debris.  The entire mausoleum was one huge trap, designed to crush intruders inside as the floor rose up to smash against the ceiling.  This time, nothing stirred.  On their last visit, Varo had stone shaped the plug that concealed the shaft leading down to the dungeon; it gaped open still, inviting.  “I don’t like this,” Shay said.  “Too easy.”“Keep an eye out, but keep moving,” Talen said.  Nothing stirred, even when fragments of bone crunched noisily under their feet.  Talen, Shay, and Dar gathered around the dark hole in the floor; the rungs of the shaft were just visible against the shadowed walls.  The smell that rose up from below was familiar and overpowering. “Gods, I’d almost forgotten,” Shay said, grimacing. “I don’t think I’ll ever forget that,” Dar said.  He looked up at Talen.  “So, once more into the breach, commander?”“One of us can scout ahead, using my magic to empower flight,” Alderis said.  The elf looked pale, but whether it was just mundane exhaustion or the memories of his last visit to this place was uncertain.  “Save your spell,” Talen said.  “We might need it.”  Shay began to bend to enter the shaft, but the knight beat her to it, taking Dar’s offered hand for help as he lowered himself to the first rung.  Trying to ignore the stench, the companions made their way down.  There was only one moment of trouble, as Letellia froze on the ladder halfway down the shaft.  Selanthas, who was bringing up the rear, saw that something was wrong, and he called a warning to the others.  But after a minute, the sorceress took a deep breath, and was able to finish the descent. “Are you all right?” Talen asked, when she made it down. “I am sorry for the disruption,” she said.  “And for the delay in my joining you this morning.”“Ah, archmage, glad you could join us,” Dar said.  “I imagine it could be a bit... disorienting, finding yourself hanging from a rung in a dark shaft, surrounded by the foul reek of a sewer,” Shay said.  “Quite.  But one grows used to such things, when one is accustomed to travel by magical means.”“Okay, if you’re all right to continue?” Talen asked.  The archmage nodded.  “Shay, take us forward.”They made their way down the tunnel, familiar to most of them from their repeated visits.  Nelan, Mehlaraine, and Selanthas, who had never been here before, covered their faces in a vain effort to keep out the stench.“It gets worse,” Dar pointed out.  “That reminds me, we’d better get the contingency plan ready,” Talen said.  “Shay.”The scout paused, and dug into her bag of holding.  She found what she was looking for, and handed it to Dar, who sheathed Valor and tucked it under one arm.  “Gods, what a waste,” he muttered.  “If we’re lucky, we won’t need it,” Talen said.  “We got past it last time without any trouble.”“I don’t know if Zosimos would agree with you,” Dar returned. “I know that I would greatly prefer not to meet the monster that you described,” Nelan said, adjusting the straps on his new shield.  They made it to the pit at the end of the passage, and Shay quickly set a rope to ease their descent.  Talen helped Dar with his burden, holding it for him as the fighter descended, and then carefully dropping it down to him before taking up the rope himself.  Shay had started working on the secret door at the bottom of the shaft, but the stone panel was jammed, and it took Dar’s help for her to work it free.  The scout paled a bit as a fresh wave of stench greeted her, but she swallowed, recovered, and probed the tunnel beyond with her torch before stepping through.  The others followed behind.  Alderis slipped on the rope coming down into the pit, but Mehlaraine was quick to arrest his fall, and no injuries were suffered. The tunnel widened slightly ahead, and they could see the wrecked doorway that gave access into the first level of the dungeon.  To their left lay the dead end where they had twice dodged the dung monster, while the right fork led to their ultimate destination, several levels below them.  Mehlaraine, pale, voided her stomach.  The others waited for her to recover; none of them offered any recrimination; each of them knew exactly how she felt. Scanning carefully for threats, Shay moved through the empty doorway.  She had barely cleared it when the dung monster, clinging to the stone ceiling on the far side of the opening, dropped down onto her.</blockquote>

Verification