- Ashtor found something.
Celia stood up straight and fixed Séliss with a questioning look. Well, that is what the tiefling interpreted: it was difficult to really read into the expression of someone wearing a mask. Konrad and Elemiah also stopped their search in the encampment's rubble, focusing on Séliss. Anevia, Horgus and Aravashnial listened as well from a makeshift bench.
- Ashtor’s my eidolon, explained Séliss, putting away the brooch she had in hand in her backpack. He’s… err… he’s my guardian, if you will. To put it simply, he’s an extraplanar creature that I can summon, and with whom I share a mental link. And he just warned me that he found something.
Celia tilted her head slightly.
- A way out of here? asked Horgus.
- No, answered Séliss while trying to not show the irritation in her voice. He’s a bit too far away to send me a clear image, but I think it’s… a temple?
*****
The building was standing in front of them, overhanging them with all its height. A mighty block conceived to withstand the passage of time for centuries, the temple’s facade was decorated with two pillars with angular shapes framing a large double door, on which were engraved a stylized hammer pointing to the bottom: the holy symbol of Torag, the dwarf god of creation and honor.
But that was not the most surprising thing. As a matter of fact, the building was not carved in the cavern’s walls, or even built with local stone, contrary to what one could presume. No, it was clearly built with material coming from somewhere else, and with the same craftsmanship than some of these old fortresses one can sometimes find in the Worldwound’s surface’s most recluse places.
Despite Séliss’s description of the mental picture Ashtor had sent to her, no one among the Kenabrians could believe their eyes. They were traveling in those undergrounds for hours without crossing any living soul. Until then, the only clue of human presence was the abandoned camp they found some times ago. Probably other unfortunate people that ended up down here after the attack on Kenabres, or at least not what could constitute a civilization needing a temple which architecture was greatly similar to those on the surface.
Ashtor was patiently waiting for them in front of the temple. He was a tall creature, taller than Elemiah, with a vaguely humanoid shape. Like an approximation of a human if it was described to someone who never saw one before. His smooth skin was entirely white, except for a tattoo on his left shoulder: the summoner’s mark, the unique imprint that made it possible to identify his master and which the counterpart was on Séliss's forehead, hidden under her bangs. On top of a long serpentine head, his pointy head’s only features were two big almond blue eyes reflecting light and two smooth horns. A mane traveled across the back of his head, his neck, and went down to the bottom of his spinal column, where a tail started. Finally, his body was held up by two backwards legs similar to ones of a dragon, and his disproportionate arms reached to his knees and ended with menacing claws.
The group stayed stunned some times at the eidolon’s discovery. Until Horgus said what everyone was thinking:
- Why the Hell is there a dwarven temple here!?
- Dwarves like undergrounds, right? tried Konrad while shrugging.
- Asking ourselves the how and the why won’t change much, chimed in Séliss. We should check inside. Maybe we’ll find someone that could tell us how to reach the surface.
Moved by the hope of seeing the sun’s light once again, the unlucky explorers entered the temple.
Everyone’s hopes were doused as soon as Elemiah’s halo was reflected by the layer of dust that coated every available spot in the room. The latter was sadly empty. A long stone bench was built along one of the hall’s walls, with only a stoup filled with stagnant water on the room’s other side. If there once were furniture, they crumbled through time, just like the torches that probably sat in the now empty wall lights.
Anevia’s mind shut down in an instant. Her broken leg trembled, a spike of pain crawling upward and radiating through her body.
- I… I need to sit down for a bit…
Ashtor delicately caught Anevia while her legs stopped supporting her. Maybe it was panic, or despair, but seeing the temple left abandoned destroyed her brave facade and undermined all of her energy. She thought about Irabeth. When would she be able to see her again? Was there even a path to come back to the surface?
The others looked at each other, nobody knowing what to do. Anevia looked quite bad, and, now that each of them was inspecting their neighbor, they realized that she was not the only one.
- Okay, we’ll camp here, sighed Séliss. There’s a chance we won’t stumble across a safe place before a while. Go inspect the surrounding, so we’re sure there’s no critter roaming around here.
A wave of relief washed over the group. Celia and Séliss escorted Anevia and Aravashnial to the stone bench, the former so that she could get some rest, and the latter to prevent him from wandering randomly with his gutted eyes. The others started to inspect the room and the entrance’s surroundings. Except Horgus, who visibly didn’t want to participate in the effort, and also sat on the bench pouting. Mali the stegosaurus, whose presence was still a bit alien for some members of the group, tried to follow the others inside the temple. Sadly, the room was too small for about ten people, even more so if one of them was dinosaur-sized, and Celia had to tell her to stay outside.
Examining Anevia, while Celia was busy with her animal companion, Séliss realized that Horgus went to sit at the other end of the bench, as far as possible from Anevia and Aravashnial… She discreetly looked at the merchant from the corner of her eye. In retrospect, she noted that the grumpy noble never truly stayed away from the group during the last hours of travel, but seemed to avoid being close to the injured human in particular, and to always keep her in her field of vision. Séliss’s father taught her how to spot this kind of behavior, typical of spies tailing someone, or of assassins studying their prey. Until then, she did not really mind it. Indeed, why would an assassin tail them in this situation? Unless Anevia was a person of interest? Was Anevia truly the one he was following, or was it someone else? Was Horgus a traitor, or just an irritating nob that had a grudge against Anevia?
- You should come check this out, called Elemiah.
Pulled from her thoughts, Séliss blinked repeatedly before realizing that Elemiah was talking to her. While he was searching the room, his halo’s light lit up the only other door in the vestibule. Once they made sure that Anevia wasn’t about to faint, that Aravashnial was keeping still and that Mali was calmly waiting outside with Konrad and Ashtor, who were searching around the temple, Celia and Séliss went to Elemiah.
The room the latter found seemed to be a chapel. Two rows of rotting wooden benches led to an altar on which was placed an ornate hammer. In front of it, a shadowy figure was hunched. Even though Elemiah’s light did not satisfactorily light up it, the tiefling’s darkvision allowed her to see it clearly.
- It looks like… someone praying, she explained.
- That’s what I thought too, responded Elemiah. Maybe we should go to them?
- A-are you sure…? whispered Celia. I… I have a bad feeling about this..
- She’s right, concurred Séliss. It seems like a trap. Did you see what the other room looks like? Why would anyone live in such a dusty place?
- You may be right, conceded the aasimar. But it may also be someone that does not live here. Perhaps they fell into a pit, like us, and need our help.
Séliss and Celia looked at each other, the former bothered, the latter worried. As stupid as it may seem, Elemiah was right for wanting to check his theory despite the danger. They couldn’t just abandon someone, alone, in these dark undergrounds. They were lucky to not cross anything until now, but who knows what kind of foul creatures were lurking around here, waiting for a prey? And what if demons followed them here during the attack to search for survivors ?
- Stay here, said Elemiah after some time. I will go check. If something happens, be ready to intervene.
- B-be careful…, whispered Celia.
Elemiah stepped into the room, getting close to the silhouette, under the two young women’s eyes. The more he moved forward, the more Séliss got tense. This was way too sketchy. Her brain yelled at her to tell Elemiah to come back and barricade the door. But any bit of help to get back home would be welcomed. They had to take the risk…
Elemiah finally reached the hunched person. The latter, small in height but large in shoulder span, was wrapped up in a hooded cape that hid them from Elemiah’s eyes. Trying to display his most friendly smile despite the surrounding weirdness, the Aasimar cleared his throat to draw the stranger’s attention.
- Excuse me. My companions and I are lost. Do you know where we are?
The figure slightly moved at these words, hesitated, then got up. Going by their size, they must be a dwarf, covered by a heavy priest’s robe.
Elemiah was about to open his mouth to speak again when the draw abruptly raised their hand in his direction, and, before anyone could react, the crusader went flying across the benches, breaking a number of them. His head violently hit the ground. As his consciousness faded away, the halo floating over his head went off, plunging the room into total darkness.
- What’s happening!? yelped Aravashnial, startled by the sound and jumping on his feet, staff in hands.
While Celia drew her chakrams and Séliss started chanting, Konrad and Ashtor rushed to the two women, while Mali tried to force her way through the temple’s entrance, yelling. Anevia tried to get up and draw her bow, but the pain in her leg doubled in intensity as soon as she put her foot on the floor and she almost fell over, holding back a cry.
When Séliss finished reciting her incantation, a beetle the size of a cat appeared over Elemiah, its shining carapace lighting up the room with an orange glow. The fire beetle’s appearance made the hooded dwarf who was already about to jump on the unconscious Aasimar hesitate, and had given Celia the chance to see her target and throw two chakrams at them. The projectiles reached them for sure, but not a single drop of blood spilled from their wounds. As responding to a silent order, the giant bug jumped on the stranger’s face, making their hood fall off: under it was a dry bearded face, scrawny, with empty sockets and rotting flesh, with some parts of the skull exposed.
- Wait!
Konrad, Celia and Ashtor were about to step into the fray when Horgus’s yelling stopped them. The merchant was staring at the scene with horror in his eyes.
- It’s a fucking undead! And seeing where we are, it must be a huecufeh! he kept going, panicked. We’re absolutely not equipped to kill an undead! We’ve gotta get out of here while it’s busy with the Aasimar!
Konrad glared at Horgus, feeling anger rising at his words.
- We can’t just abandon Elemiah! he roared.
- B-but..., stuttered the merchant.
Séliss bit her lip. Undeads were far from her area of expertise, but Horgus was right. Some of them could carry diseases or were able to steal their opponent’s life forces. It may well be what happened to Elemiah. They needed to be careful. And most importantly, coordinated. It was time for someone to be in charge.
- Everyone stay put! she ordered with a strong voice. Ashtor will keep the undead busy. Celia, harass it with your chakrams from a distance! The others, try to think of a likely weakness!
Konrad stared at her with a dumbfounded look, ready to protest that he would not stay in the rear doing nothing. But he immediately fell silent when Séliss shot him a commanding glare, one of those glare that showed you this person was not going to accept any objection.
The two other fighters did not waste a second. Ashtor ripped through the air like a feline, and leaped on the revenant who was attacking the beetle protecting Elemiah frenziedly. Celia, as for her, hurled herself to the side of the room, keeping her distance with their opponent while drawing two new chakrams. She observed the duel with attention, the undead giving vicious blows with its claws. The Eidolon’s head split up in two horizontally, some kind of monstrous maw full of fangs between which a long and slim tongues snaked appearing at the base of his face, and the creature bit the priest’s arm. A chaotic melee then broke between the two monsters.
They got away from each other for a time, enough to allow Celia to throw new projectiles that once again hit the bullseye. First surprised by the attack, the dead turned their head to the masked human and dashed in her direction. It was fortunately stopped by Ashtor who jumped on it once again, the two creatures engaged once again in a brawl of fangs and claws.
Séliss felt her control over the fire beetles starting to slip away. She was almost out of time. Worse, despite the fact that Ashtor seemed to have the upper hand on the undead, she knew thanks to the link between them that the eidolon’s strength was drastically diminishing. At this pace, if nobody quickly proposed a solution, Celia would be alone against the dwarf…
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