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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jon Potter" data-source="post: 3965499" data-attributes="member: 2323">[PLAIN][Realms #420] The Portal[/PLAIN]Recovering from his stumble rolling forward on his feet like a boulder rolling down hill, Karak peered down the tunnel into which the worm had disappeared. There was no sight of the creature and he grinned."Now that be the way, Shelia. Did you see that baddie retreat?"He praised his axe, then rubbed his beard contemplatively. "Too bad you can nae do fire too. I wonder since that monster's breath weapon was cold if me frost rune really bit inta the beast like you should.""Karak!" Ayremac called from nearby. "Give me a hand here!" The dwarf turned and spotted the holy warrior struggling without much success to lift Shamalin. The cleric was rigid as Ayremac heaved her to her feet. Karak hustled over and lent his considerable strength to the task and soon the two had Shamalin more or less upright and suspended between them. At once, he felt the warmth of Ayremac's healing aura knitting closed the wounds to his arm."Where be Morier?" Karak asked, glancing around at the empty battlefield."Ixin took him below," the Officer of Umba grunted, "to the portal."They rushed down the narrow set of stone stairs that corkscrewed down into the bedrock and before they'd made it very far, Shamalin groaned herself back to consciousness thanks to the lingering effects of Ayremac's Sacred Healing. They kept supporting her until they'd reached the base of the stairs where it opened into a cramped cave two-thirds flooded by water. There they let her go, and she leaned, trembling against the wall of the cave."So... c-c-cold," she chattered, but neither Karak nor Ayremac replied. They were both awestruck by the sight before them.A liquid pool dominated the chamber, whose walls were carved everywhere with tiny symbols in a script none could read. A small, flat outcropping rose up on the far side of the pool and the top surface of the rock was glowing with a bright, silvery light, looking as if someone had brought the full moon underground. The water reflected the light, rippling like quicksilver and sending waves of light dancing across the rune-covered walls."Karak!" Ixin bellowed and the dwarf turned toward her, dimly aware that she had been calling his name for several seconds. "Do you think that the worm can reach us here?""No. This be solid rock, twenty feet thick at its thinnest point," he replied, gearing himself up for a discourse on the strength of stone until he noticed Morier clutching to the drakeling's thick arm. "Oi, so that was why you were nae at my side battlin' the worm. You froze in your tracks did ye?" The albino's face was morbidly blue, and ice crystals winked in his hair. His eyes, like two pools of blood in his face, burned with life."Had to... let you do... something," Morier stammered through clenched teeth. "After... the giant." Karak harrumphed and stepped forward to lay hands on the eldritch warrior. He muttered a prayer and sent healing energy into his friend."There ye go, lad. No need to be ashamed o' yourself. Elves are not known for fightin' big monsters," Karak said with a wink. "Speakin' of elves. Nice work, Anania. Do nae think I forgot ye." The scout looked up from where she stood at the base of the stairs, transferring arrows from one quiver to another."You did nice work harrying the beast with your bow work," Karak went on. "I also noticed you did nae run." Anania's face flinched a little at that last comment."You can expect me to stand and fight alongside you," she said coolly. "It is, after all, my mission."Karak nodded. Muttering to himself, he added, "Hrmpf. I'll have to be figurin' her inta the battle plans that be fer sure.""What now?" Ixin asked, looking at the pool. "Do we just wait for Huzair to step through?""He responded to my Sending - before the worm attacked - and said that we should all step through the portal to him," Shamalin said. "He mentioned finding a way to Dridana's heart and said that he'd met some Mercane traders. Does that mean anything to anyone?" There were muttered denials and the shaking of heads all around."I thought that the pull in Morier's head was leading us to Dridana's heart," Ixin observed."And the deva said that the portal requires the sacrifice of a magical object to activate it," Ayremac added. "I don't like the thought of losing one of the elemental blades to this thing.""At the risk of sounding self-serving," Morier interrupted. "Let's get everyone healed and rested before we do a whole lot of anything.""First, let me cast Portal Beacon so that Huzair can find us, then I'll pray to Flor to heal our wounds," said Shamalin, as she clutched her holy symbol and began to cast her spell.</blockquote>

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