Minutes turn into hours as Dedrick and Tolvis wait for their friends to wake up, the poison to wear off. Dying embers of the fire give slight illumination to the black tunnels of the cavern. The glow reveals something, a form frozen in the darkness. The figure lies positioned where one of the rat-men fell, but the resonance implies another type of being. The fading light of the dying fire is too meager; Dedrick crouches next to the stone pit and stokes the flames.
Armed with a new illumination, Dedrick inspects the figure. At first glance, the body looks human, and with a closer inspection, that suspicion becomes realization. The person is male and naked, lying exactly where one of the rat-men died, the body is bleeding from a fresh wound. Tolvis grabs attention and motions to another, all of the rat-men have turned into humans. One of they lying near the fire looks familiar, Dedrick steps closer, the corpse is that of the old man they met outside the cave.
In
time, Ozzob awakens and removes the makeshift
bandages fashioned by Tolvis. The sorcerer meditates for a moment and heals
the piercing wound he suffered. The
three stand, Ozzob’s face exudes a questioning calm
as he observes the number of dead humans in the area; before he speaks, the
question is answered, Tolvis reveals the details of
the rat-men to there friend. Dedrick ushers Ozzob over to the
spot where Leone collapsed; the sorcerer rips out the shaft of the arrow and carefully
concentrates on the wound, in moments it is sealed.
#
A marvel of engineering, the stone bridge spans a massive chasm; at the bottom, an eternal flow of molten red rocks. Crimson glows illuminate the ceiling of the expansive cavern; the four heroes cross the unyielding stone arch. Even though they do not stand directly in the vapor path, the heat is intense, the horizon over the bridge shimmers with heat waves. Ozzob leads the way, illuminating the pitch-black floor with the same source-less light he used before.
Passing beyond the roaring fire pits brings the group to a peaceful locale. The massive magma flows filter out; taking there place are simple flat pools of molten metal. The etching across the floor and wall indicate that someone has removed huge chunks of carved stone from the area, leaving a scarred shelf. Built alongside one pool of metal is a collection of worktables. A few stone tools and a water pit indicate that some sort of blacksmith uses the place.
“Who could possibly be down here?”
“You mean living and working here?”
“I would say… a friend of whatever that is.”
Everyone locks onto Leone after his statement, each traces his eye line down to find what he is referring. A creature stands silhouetted, standing beside a giant boulder. The onlooker is bipedal with a thick tail. Its chest extends to a skull so there is no neck. The occasional pulse of light reveals a scaled skin. Two red eyes stare back while the group takes in the information. The creature retracts behind the rock.
“Let’s follow it.”
“I agree.”
“I have a bad feeling about this one.”
The four companions take flight after the curious humanoid-salamander creature. Rounding the boulder presents no immediate sign of the creature’s location; Leone points out a small splotch of liquid on the ground. Ozzob leans in closer to inspect the spot, but it quickly fades-evaporated. Dedrick points to another nearby. They walk to that one and see another a few steps away.
“Footprints…”
“I think your right.”
The four adventurers speed off into the darkness following the trail of fading footsteps. Far beyond the rumble of the open lava flows, another sound begins to grow, emerging from the perfect stillness. The group diverts there attention from the foot trail and slows to spy on whatever is producing the sounds. Peeking over the rocky bank reveals a group of the salamander creatures standing in a circle talking.
The red-skinned salamander people stand before a giant black-stone doorway; slow burning torches stand positioned at each side of the passage. Dedrick’s ears perk as he strains to hear the conversation. A fifth salamander joins the circle carrying weapons; the courier passes the spears out to the others. The weapons appear to me made of solid metal, trimmed with colorful chains and ceremonial badges.
Ozzob begins to cross the stone ridge, but Dedrick pulls him back and says, “It did not work last time.”
“I know, but I think I can speak to these creatures.”
“And you don’t know if they will be hostile.”
“I will not allow it to turn out like last time.”
Dedrick ponders for a moment then releases his grip, “Ok…”
Ozzob slowly crosses the rocky ridge; the five salamanders watch him with a slow curiosity. The sorcerer stops at the edge of the drop and looks down to the creatures; he asks them a question is a slithering speech.
“Do you understand me?”
The creatures do not react in any manner.
Ozzob continues, “I wish you no harm.”
The creatures angle there weapons up at Ozzob and fan out into a line formation. Unimpressed by there show of force, Ozzob swings out his arm and unleashes a stream of flames. The fire floods the air above the salamander creatures. The flames die and the five salamanders cower at the ground.
Ozzob again speaks in the slithering language, “I do not wish to harm you.”
The creatures lay there weapons down on the ground, one of them replies in the same language, “Welcome to our cathedral.”
“I am honored.”
“Please join us inside.”
The five reptilian people grab up there weapons; they head inside the large stone doorway. Leone emerges from the shadows and throws a questioning look up at Ozzob. The sorcerer hops down from the precipice. Jarring the attention of the others, he leads the way into the cathedral.
“Friendly I take it?”
“Sort of…”
The colossal size of the cathedral is intimidating. Massive square blocks stand situated throughout the gaping passage, stonework on a scale never before seen by men. The entrance is tiered so that the airspace grows with every step. Down the passage at a companion door, the five salamander creatures stand waiting.
As the group approaches, the red-scaled creatures are joined by another of there kind. This one is different, this creature walks with authority and appears more aged, the others shy away from the new arrival that is now walking up to greet the beleaguered companions. Stopping a few steps before contact the creature holds up a hand, a gesture of good will. Ozzob motions to his friends to stop and mimics the creature’s movements.
The salamander creature speaks in the slithering language, “We are the Ekoc, and I am Ras’s, leader of the tribe.”
“I am glad to meet you.”
“We do not host visitors.”
“Surely you have provisions for such a circumstance?”
“I mean to say, we have never had any before.”
“Your hospitality is most welcome.”
“Please, follow me.”
#
The group stays huddled inside a small chamber on the highest level of the cathedral. The interior is constructed as you might find a child’s toy, a slanted path spirals around the walls rising higher and higher. An Ekoc citizen marks out a doorway, and then they dig out the interiors to create homes. The first few levels of the complex have no doors, just two passages, the entrance the group walked through, and another similar tunnel at the opposite end of the base.
Leone’s muscles tighten, his arms jerk uncontrollably, and his sleep is truly restless. Dedrick stands at the doorway looking out at the Ekoc’s cathedral. Ozzob sits silently watching his friends rest. Dedrick, wearing a mourned face, looks at Leone and back to Ozzob. Several of the Ekoc walk up the path to the room. Dedrick pulls back from the door; he walks over and kicks Leone’s shoe to wake him up.
The Ekoc step inside, after a quick survey of the four road worn companions. After a moment of excruciating awkwardness, one of the Ekoc speaks.
“We offer food, a dinner, please follow.”
Dedrick helps Tolvis to his feet and the four follow the salamander people to there dining chamber. Fifteen or more of the Ekoc sit on the stone floor around an oblong slab of rock. Every place is set with food, but all attention is on the group of outsiders. The Ekoc name Ras’s sits at the head of the table, he motions for the four to take a seat at the open spots. Ozzob is first, finding comfort at a place nearly opposite Ras’s; the others sit and begin to pick at the food that has been prepared.
“By what fortune dose your group find its way here?”
“We are searching for a secret place.”
“Secret place…”
“The Well of the Damned.”
“I know of it.”
“Then you can show us the way?”
“I cannot allow the way to be opened.”
“The well is behind a sacred door.”
“And you will not let us pass?”
“No.”
The tension stretches thin through the air, but the meal continues uninterrupted until several Ekoc bearing weapons enter through a back door. Leone springs to his feet and leaps the table to join his friends on the other side; the four outsiders huddle together for protection. Ras’s, showing irritation, lashes out at the newly arrived Ekoc.
“What do you want?”
“These humans bear the mark.”
The Ekoc soldier holds up a cloth scavenged from the visitor’s room, it looks like the piece Leone found little rest on. The piece of bedding drips with a glowing green sludge. Ozzob pulls up a defensive stance between his friends and the rest of the Ekoc, backing into the corner.
Dedrick questions, “What do you mean?”
“You are shape shifters, lycanthropes, were-rats… just in your human forms.”
“We are not, but we fought some earlier today.”
“I no longer believe anything you say.”
“The only treatment we have for your mutant kind is death.”
Wind rips through the silent room, Ozzob holds back his friends with one hand, his other hand flares with blinding light, outstretched at the armed Ekoc. Energetic masses of pulsating light drip from the sorcerers hand as he holds the hostile Ekoc at bay; the charges sizzle on the stone floor and slowly burn out. The four friends slowly back out the doorway, as they cross the hearth Ozzob throws down the total mass of light energy, the rays focus into the room and temporarily blind all the Ekoc in the dining hall.
Tolvis turns to head down the tunnel to the entrance, but stops after a few steps, outmaneuvered by more Ekoc at a lower level. Ozzob turns to his friends and throws some sort of enchantment on each of them; he pushes Leone over the edge, the rogue slowly tumbles to the ground. The rest are quick to follow and soon the entire group is standing at the lowest level of complex.
Ozzob looks to Tolvis then to the unexplored tunnel. Without a word, Tolvis exits his body in spirit form and heads down the tunnel to trigger the siege device. Dedrick and Leone hold Tolvis up as they make for the exit; Ozzob circles the group looking for any Ekoc that may interfere with there escape. As the group is nearing the exit, Tolvis reawakens. Even though the grand master is dazed from the ordeal, he makes haste for the exit, a sign to his friends that he was successful in unleashing the lava flow.
Fiery surges of molten rock divert into the lowest level of the cathedral. The tube shaped tunnel opposite the passageway to the central cave fills thick with the flaming sludge. The lava flow rolls out like a scorched carpet, aimed directly at the entrance designed to dampen the flow and keep it contained inside the tunnel. The four companions run out the stone arch just before a stream of the molten rock shoots through the fullness of the door. In minutes the flow reduces to a trickle, the pressure inside the cathedral keeps more lava out long enough to disengage the device. The Ekoc have no choice but to wait for the lava to cool.
“It will take them a month to dig out.”
#
Deeper than any fanatics considerations, a door is discovered. Pure steel was the single ingredient to this massive lid. A single giant hinge extends from the left side; a bolted latch is at the right. In the center of the door is a giant wheel likened to a ships steering wheel. Every piece of the mighty construction is of the same pure steel. The mechanical pieces of the locking mechanism resemble a giant skull in there closed state.
Leone mumbles about the simplicity of the door as he walks up and begins to fiddle with the lock mechanism.
Dedrick steps forward brandishing optimism, “Do you think it is wise? These markings indicate… misfortune.”
“This door was placed here to keep back the evil that pours forth from the Well of the Damned.”
“And that’s where were going.”
Mechanical grinding noises echo through the clearing as the doors locking device slowly disengages. The spinning gears offer the impression of a smiling face. Ozzob and Dedrick brace for anything as Leone jerks open the door; endless blackness is all that appears before the companions. Ozzob reaches into his pouch and pulls out another glowing crystal; he hands it to Tolvis and tells him to stay to the rear. Leone closes the door, locking him out and his friends in.
Screaming, the groans of a thousand dead spirits invade the air of the passage. Poorly lit by the crystal glow, the cave reveals no apparent source for the communication. Slowly trudging through the cavern, claustrophobia begins to take up residence. Nothing illuminates beyond a small radius around the group. Ozzob peers to the darkness, he can feel the presence, and something is watching them.
Peeking into the globe of light is a humanoid figure. Two more enter perception, standing with no air beside one another. There are even more, the deeper the light penetrates the darkness the more motionless standing figures emerge. The stomach-churning rumble that has been steadily growing is actually the overlapping moans of the thousands of zombies imprisoned down here in the dark.
Ozzob throws a slight smirk back to his companions then turns into the wall of undead. Sparking flashes erupt from the ground around the sorcerer’s feet, the spewing flow streaks into crowd of zombies. Bodies silhouetted by the passing light fly through the air leaving a closely packed trail into the wall of flesh. The commotion alerts some of the nearby ghouls; the hellish creatures turn to assault the group.
Tolvis is fast to react, striking down four or more of the undead monsters with every psionic strike. Dedrick pulls his mentor along, trying to keep up with Ozzob. The sorcerer plows into the zombies, surges of energy send the undead creatures flying across the field of heads. The animated corpses close in around the group, the light from Tolvis’ glowing shard dims, diffused by all the close monsters. The scene portrays an illustration of a great sea creature swallowing an insignificant bug.
Overwhelmed by the flowing mass of half-decayed corpses, the three companions huddle together in the middle of a seemingly endless sea of flesh. The mass of bodies grow closer and closer. Dedrick pulls Ozzob and Tolvis together and shoves them into the floor. The master psion dismisses his spirit blades and rips off his shirt; instantly, a pulse of flames rip outward to the darkness. The fire envelops around the pyrokinetic’s friends. An instant later, another pulse of fire erupts through the cavern, this one more intense than the first.
An immense inferno explodes, assaulting the nearby undead, but again evading the two crouched companions. The concussion wave sends hundreds of the animated corpses flying out away from Dedrick’s center. Motionless, charred corpses lay in a circle around the epicenter of the explosive waves; the three friends stand in clear ground breathing in the carnage. Ozzob points to a lambent light in the distance; the companions head for the glow, stepping over the charred bodies.
Ozzob reaches into his pouch and grabs the gem; his heart skips a beat as skin touches the faceless crystal. The powerful sorcerer struggles to stand as he fights off the gems influence one final time. Dedrick looks into the stone well; the fissure exudes from carved stones cracked from the natural rocks. Dedrick and Tolvis pull Ozzob up to the rim of the hole; feint streams of glowing energy flow up from the well.
“Cursed is the dead wizard Rhulgar.“
“He may never return from these depths.”
“He will forever be without a soul.”
“We must all pay, in due time.”
Ozzob throws the gem into the well, a small spark ricochets off the side, and then… nothing.
#
The cavernous tunnels offer no signs of life; Leone stands guard outside the doorway, he patiently waits for a sign to reopen the portal. Muffled bangs begin to ripple from behind the doorway; Leone hurriedly disengages the skull shaped locking mechanics. A swift follow-through tug snaps the doorway open to reveal a massive problem. Dedrick stands closest to the portal, urging Ozzob and Tolvis to pull back, a legion of zombies flood from the darkness, the moans of the undead are deafening.
After a final psionic strike Tolvis pulls out and runs to the open doorway. Ozzob pushes back the waves; ripples of energy slide from his hands, the orange waves apply pressure to the hoard. Dedrick pulls his master clear of the door’s swing, Leone screams to Ozzob, urging him to hurry. The sorcerer pushes the balance between the mass of zombies and his power to the breaking point; but he remains focused on keeping the undead legion contained.
A
small step makes all the difference, the step that leaves Ozzob
on the outside of the door and the heard on the inside. A concussive slice from Tolvis
and a fiery explosion from Dedrick join one final
blast of magical energy from Ozzob’s fingertips. The collective forces are just enough to
drive back the hoard of zombies long enough for Leone to slam the door
shut. Pure steel mechanics grin as the
mechanism reengages.
#
The echoes of
justice scream. “At last, the Spirit of Rhulgar is no more.”