Paq stands up, flexing his muscles. He glances at Hyo Soon, obviously not enamored with the idea of taking the not so graceful female wizard with them. Frankly, he probably regarded Sevak as enough of a liability.
Hyo Soon says, 'This sounds dangerous." Then she nods firmly, 'But that was the deal. You help me get the Staff and I help you with the bandits." She glances at the white stick at her side, 'Should we bring it?"
"Have you learned anything of how to use it?" Sevak asks. "Also, do you have any spells of invisibility prepared? Such will likely be useful for this."
Hyo Soon shakes her head, "As I said, it has many defenses. I feel I could tap into it, but the results may be...unexpected. I would feel better only using it is a desperate situation."
At his second question she nods, "I have the same invisibility sphere spell prepared that let us cross the river. It only lasts for a few minutes but that would be useful here, if Paq can get us close?"
The ratfolk nods his head and says, "The farther away we enter the palace the safer we will be from detection but the higher risk we run into some wild animal. Got an opinion on that Sevak?" he looks a bit nervous and glances around, voice low, 'And our friend?"
Sevak thinks a moment. "Once I would have been able to get them to leave without trouble. Now..."
He sighs. "Let us go far enough from the main entrance that there are not frequent sentries and enter. If we run into an animal... well, I should still know enough to get us past without conflict."
Paq leads them away from the spring and weaves among the ruined buildings. The stone streets are covered with a thick layer of leaf litter, hiding the old cracked stones. The trees press close here, and it appears the bandits rarely come this way.
It occurs to Sevak that this is not the jungle he knows. While very green and warm, the trees lack that rainforest look and the bird calls are very different. Despite the short journey so far, he is entering a different natural world.
After some scouting, Paq guides them to a ruined wall of stone, covered with cracks and fissures. The ratfolk waves at it, "This will lead us back, assuming the passages haven't totally caved in. Even if they have, we can probably clamber over the stones. You want to go first?"
Hyo Soon already starts casting Light, the little blue globes dancing about her head.
Sevak nods, then slowly starts to make his way through one of the cracks. He listens carefully as he moves for signs of anyone--or anything--else in the area.
The nagaji pauses at one of the large cracks in the old wall. The damage is old, the stones splintered and the mortar dried out. Even just standing here, he can sets off a small avalanche of crumbling stone.
He hears and sees nothing outside, and inside is too dark. he does smell something though, wafting through the crevice in front of him. It is a wet, damp scent, the heavy smell of rot and mold.
Sevak waits a long moment, wary of any movement on the other side of the wall. When all seems settled, he carefully takes his everburning torch out of his bag and slowly sticks it through the crack, trying to look before he steps within.
Torch in hand, he half leans into one of the winder cracks, peering in.
The wall is thick, and it isn't easy to stand half in- half out. Finally though, he gets a sense of the space beyond, as his eyes adjust from the bright sunlight to the interior gloom. Even with the torch, it is dark.
What he sees startles him so much he almost drops the torch. It is a large stone room filled with weird shapes and figures, all wavering int he torchlight. After a moment of panic however, the ex-druid realizes they are still and it is the light that is moving.
Still, it is a weird scene.
The large stone room was once the kitchens, he sees clearly. The ancient
(now cold) ovens line the walls, grates long rusted away. Stained and cracked copper pots and pans hang from old hooks, warp from age. The huge rough tables are fallen in, with silver shards of old knives mixed in.
What dominates the room however, is the fungus. On every surface weird and fantastic shapes grow. Huge mushrooms out of the floor, spreading mildews on the ceiling, and hard pillars like stalagmites from the walls. The fungus is a range of colors from a dead-looking pallid white to bright orange and everything in between. The musky smell of rot is even stronger here but Sevak detects nothing truly unnatural.
Sevak peers into the old building, looking for danger. He spots a few types of fungus that he knows are deadly to eat, one or two that are dangerous to touch, but nothing actively harmful. The ex-druid does know that such fungus forests often harbor strange and dangerous animals however, although he sees none.
"Be careful not to touch the fungus," he whispers back to his companions, then slowly squeezes his way through the crack. He cautiously starts making his way through the ruined kitchen towards the opposite side.
The air is thick and musty, as if earth had been packed into his nostrils. His flickering torch makes the fungus shapes dance a weird jig as he crosses the room. Behind Paq slips in silently, bare feet quiet on the stone. Hyo Soon isn't as graceful and Sevak can hear her scrape against the crumbling stonework. Here magical lights soon join us, lighting the room better.
Sevak sees no signs that bandits ever came this far back into the palace. All seems undisturbed. The door out, just past the gaping ovens, looks rotten and frail, but it still blocks the passage beyond.
Suddenly Sevak stiffens, ears straining. In the utter silence of the kitchen, he hears something moving. Glancing back the nagaji instantly knows it is not Paq or Hyo Soon he is hearing. It is a furtive, hunting step of an invisible creature inside this fungus laden room.
"Something moves here unseen," he whispers urgently back to his companions. "Hyo Soon, can you do anything about invisibility?"
Hyo Soon looks startled and confused by the sudden demand for action. Paq on the other hand reacts instantly. A hand dives into a small pouch at his belt and the ratfolk throws a burst of glittering dust into the room. It catches both the yellow torchlight and the magical green light, shimmering like a multi-colored cloud. Among the dancing particles Sevak can make out a weird, indistinct, three-legged shape, stumpy and low to the ground.
It moves fast, apparently aware they did something. A gaping maw appears on the glowing outline and it dives at Hyo Soon, the closest person.
The bite lands on her leg, and Sevak is startled that even when attacking the beast does not reveal itself.
Hyo Soon screams, the shrill sound echoing in the fungus filled room. Red blood drips from the sizable wound and the female wizard sways.
Sevak drops his everburning torch and races over to Hyo Soon, swinging Zhèngyì at the outline in a broad overhand arc.
Sevak, moving with blurring speed, crosses the space and brings down his sword in a smashing blow. He can feel Zhengyi thrilling at being used to defeat this loathsome creature in the contest of battle (although Sevak can tell it would rather spill the blood of evil men then beasts).
The blow lands and Sevak feels soft, yielding flesh under the blade part easily. Their is a wailing, yelping sounds from the weird stumpy creature. Without much ado is turns and starts to run into the maze of fungus.
Sevak watches the outline of the fleeing creature, making certain it does not seem to be returning.
"We must move quickly, but let me see to that wound." He waves the wand over her wounded leg.
Sevak's magic heals much of the damage, but the ex-druid can still see the bite marks cut into Hyo Soon's pale flesh.
Paq, meanwhile, grumbles, 'You owe me a handful of glitterdust, Sevak. It isn't cheap and gods know when I'll be able to buy more, tramping around in the jungle." The ratfolk peers ahead, adding, "Any other dangers?"
"I owe you much, Paq," Sevak replies. "There are some fungi here you should not touch, and you should not eat any of them, but with luck there is nothing further that will actively seek to kill us."
As he speaks, he puts his wand away and picks up his everburning torch. Then he slowly begins to make his way towards the doors again.
Paq grunts, 'Talk is cheap Sevak." As they all move toward the doors.
Sevak glances through and sees hallways of weird fungus. It appears they will have to cross through more such terrain before they reach habitable portions again.
"That is fortunate, as I seem to have little prospect of getting an income at present," Sevak whispers back, grinning. He does not, however, take his eyes off of their surroundings as he cautiously steps into the hallway.
As they walk up the hallways, Sevak spots a very dangerous fungus. Ahead of them are Midnight Morels, a predatory fungus who reproduces by invisable spores which fill the air and infect passing creatures. Sevak knows that even one breath of those spores could kill any of them and turn into them a patch of melted flesh/mushroom.
Luckily, having spotted it, the nagaji can avoid it, going down another passage instead of one so fraught with danger.
They travel for seemingly hours down these weird tunnels, passing rooms festooned with fungus and mushrooms of all types. Some seem to hum faintly, just on the edge of hearing. Others glow with soft blue lights, enticing yet sickening.
They enter a large round room, that was some type of storage room. Old rotten barrels and crates are covered with fungus of all types, some of it taller then Sevak. Out of one of these 'trees' Sevak hears a voice, hissing softly, 'And what brings such people to be home?"
The voice reminds Sevak of the Naga, that sibilant sound, but quieter and...mushier?
Sevak observes the strange fungal halls with a mix of wonder and worry--wonder at the sight of such strange and different living things, worry because such fungi in such variety and size were likely not here by natural means. Was this some being's idea of a garden?
Hence he was not surprised when someone spoke, though the source and sound are not what he expected.
"We are simply passing through," Sevak replies, warily looking around, thinking it likely the fungus itself was not the true source of the voice.
Sevak spots it, uncoiling out of the tree. It is a long, sinuous snake like creature. Instead of the comforting series of scales and muscles however, it seems to be compressed out of tangled vines and rotting fungus. Despite this weird composition it moves swiftly and surely enough, a leaf green tongue darting in and out.
It piles into an immense pile of coils in front of Sevak. Next to him he feels Paq shiver a bit and recalls the little ratfolk never cared for snake. The shape though holds no fear for Sevak of course.
Like a cobra, the fungus snake rises up, a wide hood of psychedelic blue framing the head.
'Passing through? To where? This is a place of the dead, or are you a servant of the Lightbringer?" A pause then, "He is as a kind as you." Suspicion enters the voice.
Sevak watches the naga-like creature warily. If it is anything like a true naga (or perhaps is somehow a true naga), it is powerful in both body and magic.
"I know not what Lightbringer you speak of," he says cautiously. "We pass through here to the halls where the living still dwell."
The fungus snake hisses, "You lie. You look much like the Lightbringer and you carry torches like his. Why would you tell such a obvious lie?" The creature seems to be growing angrier.
"Have you come to destroy my home, like you destroyed the others? Am I not even worthy of being visited by your leader now?" It spits, 'Land of the living. As if we are the wrong ones, we who dwell in peace and quiet."
Was this... some sort of undead naga? Doubly dangerous, then... but apparently not as perceptive as Iskassala, who would have known he spoke truth. Perhaps being dead dulled its senses and mind?
"It is no lie," Sevak insists. "I did not know before entering these walls that such a place as this existed. I did not come here to disturb you or this place, only to reach the leader of the bandits from an unexpected direction."
He holds Zhèngyì tightly in one hand, ready to drop his torch and fight if he must. Destroying an undead naga seems like a good thing to him, but he doubts his ability to do so, and would rather save his strength for the Red Mouth.
Sevak's over-heated mind slows as he evaluates the fungus ridden snake creature on front of him. While the shadow naga weighs on his mind, he shakes his head to clear it of such nightmares.
Instead he realizes this is a Weird Fungus, a creature of the damp and dark. While fairly intelligent, they are ambush predators who live in the wild. Sevak even knows some have been 'adopted' by spellcasters, often gaining them via bribery. They can be tricky and devious creatures, and hold long grudges.
While Sevak is relieved to realize it is not some form of naga, he does not relax. This thing is a predator, after all, and a dangerous one at that.
He realizes, however, that it might well be speaking of the Red Mouth as the 'Lightbringer'. Likely the bandits had cleared out sections of the palace when they moved in...
"The one called the Red Mouth, the leader of the bandits, is my enemy," Sevak adds to what he had said before. "I seek to end his reign. Is he the one you call Lightbringer, perhaps?"
The snake hisses softly, pondering these words. Sevak has a feeling he is on the edge of a fight here and that this strange creature does not trust him, and why should it?
"Put out your light, so I can think and speak in peace." And when Sevak looks he can see it is narrowing fungus laced eyelids, trying to block the light of his flickering torch.
Sevak gives Paq a tiny nod, knowing the ratfolk can see even in complete darkness, then stows his everburning torch in his pack, plunging the room into darkness.
"I know I risk much in doing this," Sevak states. "May this be evidence that I do not mean you harm."
Paq nods back slightly, although Sevak can see the ratfolk is unhappy about giving in this this demand.
As Sevak douses the light, the room instantly goes pitch black. It is beyond the normal darkness of night and wood. This is a velvet lack of light so profound, Sevak nearly loses his balance. It is as if he is lost in the fabled void between the distant stars. Unreasonable fear grows inside him and he can hear Hyo Soon let out a strangled squeal of fear.
In the black ahead of him he hears the soft hiss (and it triggers a fear of Shadow Naga).
Then, that soft mushy voice, "You put out your light...."
"You are not one of the Lightbringers servants then. They would never do this." Sevak can hear the fungus snake moving about in the utter blackness.
'You seek to kill those that live beyond? Do you seek to take their place?"
The darkness is uncomfortable for Sevak, mostly because he knows there is a dangerous predator in front of him, but also for the memories of blindness it brings up. Yet those same memories bring him some comfort, for this time, he knows he shall see again rather than remaining forever in darkness.
He thinks over how to respond in a way the Weird will understand. "I seek to stop them from preying on others that I would protect," Sevak replies. "I believe I shall have to kill at least their leader to do this. The others I hope to turn to some other way of life, though I may have to fight some of them to stop their predations."
"I have no desire to stay here once I am done. I will go elsewhere once I am satisfied that the bandits here will no longer prey on the people."
From the void around him Sevak can hear the snake sliding over the soft, fungus covered floor. It makes him uneasy knowing a poteninal foe can see and he cannot. He devoutly hopes Paq is keeping his head in the crisis. Behind him, he can hear Hyo Soon's breathing grow faster and faster, more strained with each moment.
Sevak can sense the female wizard is about to explode in fear.
"Hyo Soon, please, calm down. We are still here." Sevak whispers to her soothingly. "Paq is watching. We will return to the light soon enough."
Hyo Soon's voice is as brittle as ice when she replies, 'Oh, I'm fine. What are you talking about?" Sevak can almost feel her shaking like a leaf in a gale. He very well may have a unstable magic user at his side in a moment.
"I could help you come on these bandits unaware, and let you defeat them. Perhaps it would stop those with lights from destroying my home." The snake sounds musing. 'What is your name?"
"Please, just hold on a little longer," he pleads, then turns back to the Weird.
"I am Sevak," he replies. He is wary of giving his name, but does not think this creature has the magic to use it against him as a naga might. "It sounds as if we share a goal. Might I ask your name?"
"You may ask but I have none." The weird says, then Sevak hears the slithering grow fainter, as if it was leaving his side.
'Follow me, I will show you a tunnel. As we go, I will tell you my price for such aid."
"We will need light to follow," Sevak calls out. "I can carry my light such that it does not shine as much on you, but we cannot follow in darkness."