Aldritch didn’t know what to think when he first set eyes on the four people before him. He’d been looking forward to talking to someone, but the moment he laid eyes on that devil… Well, that desire vanished faster than a virgin at an orc’s bachelor party. Devils were – are a problem that must be dealt with immediately, before they have the chance to contaminate the world with their foul presence. Every word that comes out of a devil’s mouth is a disease that taints the very air they breathe, and as a healer, Aldritch couldn’t just stand by and watch as they released a disease right in front of him. But now that the devil was nothing more than an unpleasant smear on the ground, Aldritch faced another problem – the people he’d been so keen on speaking with were looking at him like he was the monster in the room.

Aldritch realized he may need to take drastic measure to ensure they didn’t fear him. Even if it went against his pride as a warrior, and his standing as the high priest of Oakairo, Aldritch knew there was only one way to sort this mess out.

He would have to be… nice.

“Greetings,” Aldritch said with a smile on his face. The smile was clearly strained, and everyone could see it, but pleasantries weren’t exactly in Aldritch’s skill set. He’d have to just plow through it and try to project as much sincerity as he could. “You have the honor of standing before Aldritch of clan Blackshield. Might I know your names?” He finished while maintaining his fake smile.

A silent conversation passed between Sulika and her three teammates, which culminated in Sulika climbing to her feet and taking a few tentative steps forward. But she wasn’t alone. No, Ralocan moved to her left side while Derrik moved to her right. Zarud maintained his position at the back of the group, but kept his weapon drawn in case he had to step in.

Aldritch took all this in without a word and simply waited to see what would come of it. He also noticed them looking on at the corpse at his feet, and wondered if they would tell him how they came to face such a weak cockroach here, in a former temple of Oakairo. He’d thought he’d already cleared all the temples on the continent of devils and their ilk… Then again, he’d also thought he’d been alone in this world and now there were four strangers standing before him. So maybe he hadn’t done as good a job as he’d first assumed?

Sulika continued to approach until she was only ten feet from the giant who so easily dispatched the demon who’d instilled so much dread within her. She was unnerved by the interest in his serpentine eyes. They gave her the impression he wouldn’t be disinclined to eating them if they pissed him off. But the fact that he’d taken the opportunity to introduce himself gave her a modicum of hope they’d make it out of here alive after all. With the demon, death was a certainty. But with Aldritch… Well, it was more like fifty/fifty.

She reached out an arm in greeting and braced herself for the pain she knew would come the moment he grabbed her. She’d known plenty of giants in her time, and all of them had little interest in controlling their strength – her eyes widened in surprise. Aldritch indeed took her offered handshake with a smile on his face. But he was gentle, almost impossibly so. She could barely feel any tension in his grip.

“Sulika. Sulika Wysarie.” She said after a moment to collect herself. “The three men behind me are Ralocan Whiteeagle, Derrik Longhammer and Zarud. We’re from the Azuris hunters guild. Are you our backup?” She asked while looking Aldritch up and down. She could tell from the calluses on his palm and the defined muscles in his forearm that he was a veteran warrior. But the tattered robes reminded her of an old cleric’s robe, so that threw her idea into question. Was he a paladin or some kind of holy knight?

For Aldritch’s part, he also took in Sulika’s appearance… Both of them. And he was intrigued by what he saw. He glanced at the three men who were watching them with equal parts nervous glances and hostility. He knew, without a shadow of a doubt, if he gave them the impression he’d harm the woman, the three men would leap into action to protect her.

But he didn’t recognize the names she’d mentioned - Azuris? Hunters Guild? What in Oakairo’s great holy balls were those?

“How charming.” Oakairo snorted from within the depths of Aldritch’s mind.

“I’m afraid not. I’ve never even heard of Azuris. Is that where you’re from?” Aldritch asked. He’d chosen to focus on the place instead of the organization because it was easier to claim no knowledge of a place, rather than a potentially powerful organization. Of course, that was merely an assumption he’d made based on the way she spoke.

He guessed the ‘hunters guild’ was her place of work and was most likely similar to the mercenary’s armada he’d worked with in the past. If that was truly the case, then they were most likely hired to hunt down the demon he’d killed.

Which is the other reason he’d mentioned not knowing of Azuris, while leaving his knowledge of the hunters guild vague. She’d asked if he were their backup, which meant it wasn’t out of the question for someone to show up and kill their target. He’d gather a bit more information before coming clean about his appearance there.

“Wow. Um – I didn’t realize they’d go so far as to summon someone from another island. Are you from Jolguay or Emsdows?”

“No. I hail from Than Kahldur.”

Sulika’s eyes bulged at that information and took another second to look him up and down. “You’re from one of the Dwarven colonies?”

“You’ve heard of it?”

“Mm. Not exactly. But I've heard of similarly named places and assumed.” Sulika muttered while still staring up at him. Now that she knew what to look for, the giant did have a few dwarven features. The bulbous nose, wide jaw, and slightly disproportionate limbs were clear indications of dwarven blood… But this guy was easily Zarud’s height, if not taller. There wasn’t a dwarf alive who could claim to be such a height. And that’s what was so troubling to her. She’d sensed no lies from him, and her people could sniff out a lie from a mile away. But, so far, everything Aldritch said was truthful. “You’re a dwarf?” She asked after debating with herself for a few more seconds.

“Half dwarf. My mother was a giant.”

“Ah… Well, that certainly explains the height. But your accent is strange. Is dwarvish your native tongue, or did you grow up speaking the common tongue?”

“That’s an impolite question to ask.” Aldritch said, dropping the smile from his face. “I was fine with you asking about my lineage – it's a common enough question. But do you people enjoy making fun of someone’s accent?”

Sulika’s mouth dropped open out of shock. She quickly collected herself and shook her head. “I’m sorry. You’re right, that was rude of me. I guess the circumstances affected me more than I thought they did.”

“Understandable. You’ve clearly been through a lot, judging by the state of your clothes. I can overlook the issue this time.” Aldritch said and looked away from her to the three men still standing at the ready. “As I said: I am Aldritch of clan Blackshield. A pleasure,” he said without showing any emotion on his face.

He’d forgotten how tiring it was talking to people who lacked basic manners – such as introducing themselves to the person who saved their life. And it was now clear to him that’s exactly what he’d done.

He wasn’t too surprised to see the Dwarf in heavy armor was the first to approach him.

Derrik approached with a shit-eating grin on his face and offered his arm in the standard Dwarven greeting – they grasped each other’s forearms and lifted their arms a single time before letting go. Dwarves didn’t appreciate public displays of affection, not even casual ones. So, they limited the amount they had to touch to the barest minimum.

Aldritch was amused to note the young hill dwarf looked a bit like him; they both had red hair, and both had the physique of a veteran fighter. Aldritch was just three times larger, and probably a few hundred pounds heavier.

[Greetings Kinsman. What brings you to this dreary ass place?] Derrik asked in Dwarvish.

Aldritch was unfamiliar with the accent, but it wasn’t so strange as to remove his ability to communicate. [Greetings Hillkin. I was wandering nearby and heard the explosion caused by your cleric friend over there, so I came to investigate.]

Derrik hesitated at the greeting and shot Sulika a quick glance before pressing on. [Wandering nearby? Didn’t you come through the portal after us?]

[Not quite.]

Derrik gave Aldritch a confused look, but that quickly shifted into one of astonishment. [You… Which stronghold do you hail from?]

[Than Kahldur.]

Derrik’s face fell and for the first time in centuries, Aldritch felt pity being directed at him.

“Sulika, the poor bastard’s a returnee.” Derrik announced with certainty.

“What – are you sure?” Sulika said, shocked by the revelation.

“Than Kahldur was a dwarven stronghold about 1,600 miles north-east of where I did my apprenticeship as a lad. I went there once with my master. It was a gorgeous place… And it was destroyed during the first wave.”

“You mean he -” Sulika couldn’t finish her question. The idea was too horrible to even think about.

[How long have you been here?] Derrik asked, voice full of concern and remorse for what he believed was Aldritch’s situation.

“Well, that makes this whole thing a hell of a lot easier to deal with. If they think you’re from some fallen kingdom, then I doubt they’re going to bother asking you too many questions.”

“I am from a fallen kingdom, my lord.”

“Than Kahldur – your Than Kahldur has not fallen. You were the heir to the last true king of the Dwarven nation, you are the heart of Than Kahldur, and it will continue to live on so long as you do. The place they’re speaking of is not your home… But you don’t have to tell them that.”

Aldritch suppressed the urge to roll his eyes and turned his attention back to the conversation taking place outside his head. "I’ve been here almost as long as I can remember." He said, finally.

“Okay… Then you need to come with us. We’ll get you out of here, find you something to wear that doesn’t smell like the rancid ass of a — I mean, we’ll get you some fresh clothes and a hot meal. How’s that sound?” Sulika asked.

Aldritch almost laughed at her slip up but pushed the urge back down. “What do you think?”

“The choice is yours. I’ll go along with whatever you decide.”

“Not like you have a choice.” Aldritch quipped.

“Shut up and answer the lady already. You already know your answer.”

“Sounds like a grand idea. I’ll follow you then.” Aldritch smiled down at the odd woman with the charming green eyes and made an ‘after you’ gesture with his empty hand – The ground beneath their feet seemed to shift and the entire temple shook.

Sulika realized then what she’d been missing. She’d been so caught up in figuring out who/what the giant was – she’d forgotten about the damned cultist!

“Has anyone seen the cultist?” She asked, while fighting to maintain her balance against the sliding floor beneath her feet. The temple was making so much noise, she had to practically shout just to be heard.

“No.” Derrik shouted.

“Not since the damn demon dropped him on his ass.” Zarud yelled.

“Uh… I think I know why we didn’t notice him leaving.” Ralocan called from a dozen feet away. He held in his left hand the empty robe the cultist had been wearing. “He probably realized we’d been using it to track him and ditched it.”

“I don’t mean to interrupt the mystery solving going on here, but can we talk about this outside?” Aldritch said without a trace of fear or panic to be found in his voice. In fact, he hadn’t even yelled, yet they’d all heard him just fine.

“I dunno if you noticed or not, but the entrance is still blocked. How in the nine hells do you expect us to get out?” Zarud pointed out.

“You can just go out the same way I came in.” Aldritch replied while motioning to a big hole in the easternmost wall of the temple.

The sight of nothing but sky and miasma brought a bevy of questions to Sulika’s mind, but those would have to wait.

She pushed Derrik ahead of her and grabbed Aldritch by the wrist and tugged him along – or tried to. What actually happened was the moment she tried to pull him. It felt like she’d tried to pull a tree out of the ground with her bare hands.

Aldritch gently extricated himself from her grip and motioned for her to go on. “I’ll follow you.” He assured her.

Sulika watched him for a second more before yelling for her guys to get a move on and following closely behind them. They arrived at the hole in the wall a few seconds later and looked down; the hole led to a shear drop into the miasma filled abyss below. But just six feet to the left of the hole, they could see the edge of the cliff the temple was sitting on.

They also saw the source of the sound. It was coming from the mountain itself, as the precipice the temple was sitting on was crumbling beneath them. Pretty soon, the entire temple would take a dive straight off the damn mountain and there wasn’t much they could do to stop it without Oladi’s nature magic.

“Careful everyone. If you fall, you’ll have a hell of a long time to wave goodbye.”

“You aren’t funny!” Derrik yelled. “You know I’m not good with heights!”

Aldritch watched the four of them banter for a few seconds more before his patience wore thin. He grabbed the complaining dwarf by the back of his belt and hurled him out the opening to safely land on solid ground.

He looked at the three remaining members of the team and they stared back at him.

“Are you going on your own or do you need help too?” He asked, while taking a step forward.

“Try it and I’ll –” Zarud’s mouth was forcibly shut as Aldritch placed a single hand on his shirt and lifted him off the ground without an ounce of effort. A second later, Zarud joined Derrik on solid ground, though he landed much less gracefully than the Derrik had.

After throwing Zarud, Aldritch was now out of patience and, by the sound of the temple, so was the mountain. He wrapped an arm around Sulika, tossed Ralocan over his shoulder, and leapt to safety.

He released them both the moment he landed and took a step away to give them space to collect themselves. He heard rather than saw the mountain finally give way – the precipice gave in to gravity’s demands and finally went on that trip it’d always felt pressured to go on. Unfortunately for Sulika and co, it took the temple and all its precious gold with it on its one-way trip to the bottom of the mountain.