"Feel free to call me Max." Grateful that the warriors have assumed a leadership role, Max falls in step, staying close to Deia.
"You practice a fascinating form of magic, Deia. How did you come to learn it?"
"I'm Kel. Sorry you had to get covered in-" something cut off the guardsman's words as he returned Khoz's handshake. His eyes went wide for a moment and his breath caught in his chest.
"Thank you." he finished, looking down at his own clenched fist.
She died so that we could live.
Sounds like a lousy trade.
Ok, that's enough. You can talk bad about me all you want. I didn't ask for this either, but I'm making the best of it, and even if you think I'm worthless, I'm going to try my hardest to help you.
But you don't get to disrespect her. She died for you. Her memory deserves better than you are giving. So you have a choice. You can either try to be someone worth her sacrifice, or you can shut up while I try to do it for you.
...i'm not.
I'm not worth it! Why does everybody keep trying to save me! I hate it! I hate you! I hate her!
Why can't anyone just let me die...
Kel shook his head sadly and moved to the rear group to help the wounded get ready to move.
Rex falls into the middle of the pack with the spell casters.
"So Deia, Max and Tina is it?"
And with out delay, "By the way I'm Rex the marksman."
"I say we get out of this cavern and get topside and see what the hells happened to the city, I have a feeling it is not good."
Indeed, no time to waste. Plus we don't have any food I think.
The cave rumbles and you can feel some minor tremors through the rock. Dirt and small bits of rock fall from cracks the ceiling, and the sound of someone screaming can be heard echoing from the far end of the cave before cutting off with a thump.
Horgus startles at the scream.
"Did you hear that? It sounds as though we're not alone down here. Something's up ahead."
Anevia looks at Horgus and makes a very simple observation in response to him.
"I've assumed that since we first landed. We most definitely weren't the only people to have gotten dropped down here. Just look at the bodies in the rubble for proof of that. Who knows how large that chasm grew to be, or if there were more that opened after ours. We haven't been down here long, so there's probably still fighting in the streets above us. The demons could be opening the streets below people's feet, the same way they did to us, this very minute."
The woman lets out a deep sigh, and with a low voice she whispers, "I think the city may lose this fight..."
Kosz moves forward to take the lead. As he goes, he stops to tell the main group, "I am going to move up to the edge of your lights. I will be within sight of you, but only dimly. This will enable me to see farther ahead for signs of danger. Please do try to remain quiet as we go; sound carries. That can make it both easier for others to hear us and more difficult for us to hear others."
Before moving on, he extends his hand* to the human woman with the owl, his voice tinny and with a slight echo from the helm as he speaks, "We have not met. I am Kosz Trumpeter. I apologize for my rude behaviour in the preceding altercation with those maggots. I utterly failed to notice that one of them had closed it's eyes in sleep. In the future, I will endeavor not to strike creatures you have subdued on condition that you will inform me which of them you have subdued." Face unseen, his voice yet conveys the humor of his words.
Should you take his proffered hand, you feel the hard ridges of something solid in his palm. He holds your hand for the several seconds of his greeting before releasing you, and the object, from his grip.
Kosz' head snaps up at the sounds of rumbling. At the abruptly halted scream, he looks around the cavern. "By the gods! We haven't even looked amongst the bodies here to see if they are all truly dead."
I heard it, but where is it coming from?
"Sounds like we have company to the southwest, maybe we should head that way?"
.
Max startles in fear at the scream, having no idea where it emanates from. "Y-y-yes, let's head to the southwest. Lead the way." Max clutches his crossbow tightly once again.
Tina grips her flasks and gulps, sweat trickling down her forehead as she follows the group.
Rex looks at Max gripping his crossbow tightly.
"It is easier to aim if you are relaxed, I know it is unnerving down here, but we will get through this."
Rex then draws his pistol, lets it spin around his finger as the grip slides into the palm of his hand.
"Lets do this."
Following up on his exclamation, Kosz begins searching the rubble for anyone that could have survived the fall.
"You guys find anything back there? Let me know if you see a throwing axe."
Hopefully no demons.
The party makes its way across the main cavern towards the southeast, with Anevia and Aravashnial hobbling behind at the rear, both encumbered by their individual disabilities. The group squeezes itself through the narrow passage to the southeast, emerging in a chamber much smaller than the one before. Despite a thick cloud of freshly stirred dust the light from Deia's torch and Max's spell clearly illuminate the entirety of the room, exposing an eastern passage that travels outward a short distance before appearing to turn to the north. Looking up towards the ceiling, you find that it extends about 40 feet above you and is marked by a thin fissure through which tiny shafts of light can be seen. A ledge juts out of the southern wall at a height of around 20 feet, and what appears to be a backpack is hanging over the edge. The face of the wall leading up to the ledge is only lightly pitted, providing for sparse handholds.
Horgus coughs hard as the dust floods into his lungs. He pulls his shirt up over his nose before speaking.
"Ugh. And I thought the first cave was bad."
Did someone fall off the edge there? We did hear a scream. If they are hurt we should try to help.
|
As Deia leaves the large cavern, she makes a mark on the wall where the passageway starts with a piece of chalk. The mark is 3 parallel lines, with the middle line shorter than the other two.
When she gets into the room she speaks "Oh, Light! That is some small amount of good news."
Deia looks around the small cavern and at the ledge with the backpack.
"Can anyone see where that ledge goes?" Max takes a closer look, particularly for any signs of the creature that might have gone with that backpack.
"Meadow, can you fly up there and take a look? But stay safe!" A small bird emerges from the folds of Max's robe. It flies up to survey the ledge. .
Rex looks up at the ledge at the edge of the torch light.
"I'm decent and climbing, maybe I could go up and take a look."
Instead of risking a fall, we can try to use Terendelev's Scale to boost you up. Tina holds out the scale of cloudwalking and will use it if others are okay with it.
"There's a body up here!" squeaks the little bird excitedly. Meadow hovers over the body, looking for signs of movement.
Tina nods and moves over to Rex, activating the scale, a column of mist forms under Rex's feet and will boost him up.
Kosz sidles up to the gunslinger and hands him a scale. "Take this with you. It may help if there is someone up there who can be saved."
This is the scale Kosz first picked up. Since Kosz knows what it does, he knows it may help and is willing to part with it to possibly save a life.
As you're lifted up to the ledge, you see a body laying broken and bloodied on the small outcropping. It's clearly humanoid, but the shadow being cast by the ledge, the person's equipment, and their overall battered condition prevent you from telling gender or exact race. You can tell from their equipment that they're at least part of the city guard.
What did you find up there, Rex?
"Maybe someone should go with Rex, just in case?" suggests Max. But he's careful not to volunteer himself.
His mind reeling from the vision received from the scale, Rex manages to mumble, "thanks, I think", to Koz.
A few moments later at the suggestion on Tina, steps upon the column of air bringing Rex quickly to the ledge.
Feeling a bit queasy after looking down at his companions and realizing he is standing on a cloud. Yelling down, "We got a body of a town guard up here.""
"Any body have a ten foot pole, I could poke him with?"
I have a spear. If Rex wants to poke the guard with the blunt end, Tina will pass it up.
Kosz calls up, "Why in the hells are you looking to poke him with a stick? Check him to see if he is alive and provide what Aid you can."