"I... should..." Saleh begins, and beats a hasty retreat after the ladies. Gallantry plays some part but he has no desire whatsoever to see any more of the 'birth'.
As the three of you depart, Kragga curses and rushes to the woman's side, dragging Leoren. "Dammit! Make yourself useful and help me keep her alive!"
Elizabeth starts leading Melissa and Saleh towards the mall tunnel at the front of the room, but one of the echinemons notices their departure and slips out of the hut after them. "Where... you... going?" it asks menacingly.
"I need to attend to womanly things and I'm damn well not going to do that in front of an audience," she declares in a haughty voice as she continues towards her destination.
The echinemon blinks slowly. "Hurr... Fine... You go..." It points to Melissa and Saleh. "They stay..."
Elizabeth considers for a moment arguing with the creature about the propriety of having her handmaiden assist her with her 'activities', but then reconsiders.
"Stay with Saleh," she says to Melissa and continues towards the head.
Saleh simply nods and steps between the creature and Melissa. "If something happens," He breathes into her ear "Go left and low. We strike it down quickly!"
Ignoring her roiling stomach, Melissa does not look happy at all at her Mistress' departure.
The echinemon grunts and guides Melissa and Saleh back into the hut. There, Kragga and Leoren struggle to staunch the other woman's bleeding wounds. The tiny echinemon inside her belly has ripped through her skin to emerge, shrieking and slathered with gore. The "mother" wavers on the edge of unconsciousness.
Kragga looks up with a snarl. "Help us!"
***
The tunnel Elizabeth moves down leads to what was clearly once the Beast’s mouth, but which is now a falling-in cave of rotting flesh and gaseous spores, surrounded by tall white teeth. The cave was deliberately designed to be a room of sorts, although there is little in here other than half-sunk storage boxes.
On the left-hand side, between the tall white teeth, is something longer, taller, and shining white. A red and black handle caps one end.
Elizabeth eyes the weapon warily, never having liked them, but understanding the necessity. This is something entirely differently, however.
Almost as if avoiding the issue, she takes a quick look into one of the storage boxes, dreading what she might find.
The boxes seem to contain bones, sinew, and other parts for crafting the creatures' gruesome architecture.
Elizabeth quickly closes the box and attempts to forget that she ever looked.
Elizabeth has heard rumors about this blade--the Savage Ornament. Its origins are lost and unknown, but it is widely held to be a deadly demonic weapon, one that carries a wicked curse. There will likely be some sort of price to make use of its power.
Elizabeth looks from the weapon to the horror around and nerves herself for what she plans to do. What needs to be done. She reaches out a trembling hand and grasps the arcane weapon.
Elizabeth can hear the dragon's quiet sigh of relief in her head as she grasps the Savage Oranment. The handle vibrates in her hand, and the magician can feel that the knife is eager to serve. But it demands a price. To pay the price, one must plunge the weapon into the heart of a defenseless creature, killing it. Then, its full powers will be at her disposal.
She shudders as she considers the possibilities. Considering and rejecting options. Stowing the blade within the skirts of her travelling dress, she exits the room and makes her way back to the hut.
Ignoring the threat of heaving again, Melissa takes a spot behind the bleeding woman. Wiping her hands on her apron, she looks up at Kragga.
"Here, let me hold her," she says as she puts her hands on the bleeding woman's shoulders.
Saleh tries to help... by doing exactly as he is told!
Kragga does what she can for the unfortunate woman, but it's simply not enough to repair the damage done to her. She draws a final, ragged breath before dying in the orc's arms, blood pooling beneath her. "No... NO!" Kragga roars in anguish.
Two of the echinemon take the newly born one out of the hut, while Gragun and the other two remain inside.
Saleh feels somebody grabbing his ankle. Sameth, Leoren's brother, looks up at him with pleading eyes. "Please... Release me from this pain..."
***
Elizabeth returns to see the two echinemons emerge from the hut. She can hear Kragga's anguished cry from within.
Elizabeth's eyes move from figure to figure inside the hut. Her hand moves down to finger the handle of the blade hidden within her skirts. She moves to Saleh's side. "What are Sameth's chances?" she asks with a haunted look.
Kragga looks up at Elizabeth. "If we can get him to a proper surgeon before the thing inside him gestates, he might pull through. I can try to remove it myself but it might kill him anyway."
Leoren looks pale. "We have to save him!"
"I could cut it out and you stitch him up." Saleh replies quietly. "Like army surgeons. But first..." He glances upwards, a quick flicker of the eyes to the surrounding creatures. "Now...?"
"Saleh," Elizabeth whispers to the soldier. "I need you to trust me, please. I don't see any other way," Her eyes move around nervously. "We need to free this beast, but there's a cost." She looks at Saleh again, and he can see the pain in her eyes.
Once he acknowledges her, she takes a deep breath and lowers herself behind Sameth. She places a hand on the man's shoulder. "I'm sorry," she whispers to him, "but this is the only way." She pauses for just a moment as if building up her courage, but then with a quick thrust, she plunges the cursed knife in between the ribs of the man's back, aiming for his heart.
Melissa's eyes go wide and her hands move to cover her mouth which is uttering voiceless words as she watches her Mistress end the innocent man's life.
Saleh simply nods as Elizabeth thrusts the knife home. If it fails to do the job he makes a precise blow of his own to end the mans pain. With that done his sword whisks out of its scabbard and he leaps upon the nearest demon with a vengeance!
Unfortunately his anger blinds him in the most literal fashion and his blow hits nothing but air!
Sameth groans and slumps to the ground, blood pouring from the fatal wound. Kragga stares in wide-eyed shock, and Leoren's anguished shriek pierces your ears. "SAMETH!"
The echinemons are momentarily taken aback by the sudden mercy killing, giving Saleh a chance to strike, but his blades miss completely!
Elizabeth can feel a sense of satisfaction from the blade, and tiny tendrils emerge from the handle to burrow into the flesh of her hand...
Saleh slashes again, glad that the echinemons are so slow off the mark.
Her features distorted into a rigid mask, Elizabeth stands and slashes at the nearest echinemon.
Melissa is still in shock and doesn't react very quickly, but seeing her Mistress engaging the creatures, she pulls her cleaver and moves to assist.
Elizabeth drives her knife into the echinemon's chest, causing the hardened shell of mud and filth to fall away from its body. Saleh takes advantage of the exposed monster, slaying it with a double slice of his swords!
Kragga stomps the ground, sending shards of stone to slice up the other creatures!
Melissa and Leoren assault the nearest echinemon, breaking its shell and badly wounding it!
"Betrayal!" Gragun roars as he lunges for Saleh. He misses, but the other one bites Melissa, injecting poison into her veins!
Melissa pays no mind to the burning sensation spreading out from the creatures bite as she slashes at it with her cleaver.
Focusing her anger on the leader of these creatures, Elizabeth stabs at Gragun with a new ferocity.
Saleh too focuses on ramming his blades into Gragun.
Melissa hacks the echinemon down with her cleaver, while Elizabeth stabs Gragun and Saleh finishes him off! Kragga stands ready, and as the other two monsters rush into the hut, she stomps the ground, sending a spike into one's legs and tripping it! As it gets back to its feet, the other one sinks its teeth into Saleh.
Saleh shrugs off the poison easily enough, but it still slows his return blow somewhat.
Elizabeth stabs at the one biting at Saleh, her expression haunted.
Melissa grits her teeth and tries to remember everything that Saleh has shown her. She moves around and attacks the one rising to his feet.
Kragga sends another stone spike out to trip the echinemon that bit Saleh. As it falls, Elizabeth stabs it with the Savage Ornament, shattering its shell. As usual, Saleh is able to pierce the creature's soft body and slay it with his two blades.
Melissa and Leoren rush the last echinemon, but neither woman lands a good hit. The creature tries to bite Melissa, but she evades its attack!
Melissa continues to slash at the lone figure.
Elizabeth's energy seems to be flagging as she steps up to the remaining enemy and stabs at him.
Melissa shatters the last echinemon's shell, but the beleaguered Leoren still misses. The creature snaps at the handmaiden, but she avoids it again. Elizabeth stabs the monster, then Kragga delivers the killing blow with her sword.
Keeping her emotions in check, Elizabeth steps outside the grotesque hut to look up at the still living heart.
The beating heart hangs 10 yards off the floor, directly over the fleshy hut. There doesn't seem to be any easy way up, but if you climb up onto the roof of the hut, it would be within throwing distance...
She looks around for a moment before her eyes settle on the roof of the hut. "Could you help me up?" she asks Kragga before stepping up the to wall of the structure.
Once on the top of the gruesome building she looks up gauging the distance and hefting the blade in her hand. She seems to be counting her breaths as she continues to eye her target. With a sudden motion she flings the deadly device.
The sinister knife sails through the air and embeds itself in the dragon's heart. The light from the organ flares briefly before fading away, and a rumbling groan echoes through the Beast's body as, at long last, it is granted the mercy of death.
Elizabeth slips down from the roof of the hut.
"If we have the courage to search, the dragon showed me treasure farther that way," she says, pointing towards the rear of the chamber.
Kragga looks around the now-dead dragon's innards distastefully. "That's what we came for. Let's get it and get out of this godsforsaken place."
Leoren kneels by her brother's body and touches his forehead, eyes closed in a silent prayer. Then she closes his open eyes and stands up. "You did the right thing," she tells Elizabeth, voice breaking only slightly. "He was too far gone. You saved him from an excruciating, painful death."
She glances to the rest of you. "I have no intention of going back to Duskglen. I'll accompany you for a time, if you'll have me."
"You will be welcome." Saleh says solemnly. He takes the lead as usual as the group heads further into the Hollow.
The tunnel leading out from the back of the dragon's interior starts out large, but it narrows until it's barely large enough for a human to walk upright. It's clear this tunnel is still inside the Beast, likely its tail. Kragga is forced to stoop over, her ponderous breasts wobbling beneath her.
At the end, a circular pucker shows a bit of light (and thankfully, a bit of fresh air) at its very center. There's a weird bone lever situated on the right-hand wall. Pulling it causes the door to iris open.
On the other side of the door is a bit of a drop down, but outside the door the tunnel is made of actual sotne. Here, the air is fresher, and there are even some holes in the top of the tunnel that provide some light.
The tunnel is about 100 yards long, twisting and turning through the hillside. Evidence in the walls shows the tunnel was once a mine. At the end, a hole in the high side of the hill leads outside, but before you get there, you follow some side passages that correspond to the map the dying dragon projected into Elizabeth's mind.
After several short climbs and switchbacks, you reach a larger cavern that contains your reward for dealing with such a grisly scenario--the dragon's treasure hoard. Coins of various denominations are scattered about, as well as an interesting item.
A gleaming silver sword is wrapped in oilcloth. Elizabeth senses that it is magical, though its enchantment proves to be somewhat underwhelming.
When the contents of the dragon's treasure is finally revealed, Elizabeth puts her hand to her mouth to cover a cough. A moment later and the cough reveals itself to be laughter.
A concerned and questioning look from her servant seems to be the trigger to change the quiet laughter to hysterical cackling. She has either found something tremendously funny or has slipped past the edge of sanity.
When the fit finally dies down enough to allow her to take a full breath, she looks at Melissa and gives her a soft smile. "I'm sorry, Melissa, but surely at least you can appreciate the ridiculousness of this?" She gestures at the scattered coins and the 'magical' sword. At her maidservant's confused expression, Elizabeth shakes her head sadly. "No? Then I perhaps I just possess a distorted perception of humor."
When the coins are finally totaled, Elizabeth nods. "That works out quite conveniently. Two hundred and fifty silver makes for fifty silver a share," she says.
Melissa's face scrunches up as she tries to reach the same conclusion. "But Miss, there's only four o' you. Shouldn't it be ...?"
Elizabeth waits patiently as the realization dawns on the girl.
"Fifty silver? For ... for me?" she finally manages to stammer out.
Elizabeth nods with a smile.
"Miss, I ain't never had ... that's so much money. I wouldn't know what to ... " Her eyes widen. "What if'n I gets robbed? What if ...?"