It is now up to Slidell.
;P
Slidell rocks back and forth slightly, his hands still clutching his head, softly sobbing as he tries to catch his breath. Then it dawns on you that he is not crying.
He is laughing.
It is a soft, deep, resonant chuckle that somehow manages to echo off the strange walls as easily as his earlier shout. While possibly slightly disturbing considering the skinny mage's normal demeanor, it doesn't actually sound, sinister,...
"Of course,..." He says in a soft, clear voice that sounds slightly tinny, as if he were speaking through a tube. "Of course. It's so simple. *Annuul Nathrak Uth-Spa Spay-Thood,..."
As he speaks, the light from his lantern dims slightly, and you feel a slight pressure in your ears. As if the shadows around him had somehow gained weight. With a sudden jerk his head snaps up to reveal eyes that are solid black, as if his pupils had suddenly grown to fill his entire eyes, whites and all.
"Shapak Shashara!" He hisses with a negligent, contemptuous wave of his hand. With a silent POP! the shadows and pressure are gone, and two small blazing points of light appear before his eyes. They hang in the air a moment, then shoot forward as if fired from his crossbow. Together they zip up and around the rubble in their way, then split to pass on either side of Ehlissa, and slam into the zombie still towering over the fallen Vesh.
Slidell's Magic Missiles Dmg: (1d4 1=3, 1d4 1=5)
Slidell, still on one knee, blinks to reveal his perfectly normal blue eyes. He stares for a moment at the zombie.
"Wow. And, um, OW!" He says, squinting as he places his fingertips on his temples.
The first part of the 'Chant of Naming', from the movie 'Excaliber'
(I only ever memorized the first part, can't remember the rest!)
Salome, seeing the zombies' ruthless attack on Vesh, quickly goes into "triage" mode. Vesh is down -- Oh,mijn bazé -- and probably close to death... Ehlissa's cries of anguish confirm the worst. Attended to by milady, if there's any life left in him. If there is, I can do something later... But not with these in the way....
Vesh, three zombies, the others, healing spells, turnings... Sarenrae, make my path clear!
Just then, Slidell's magic missiles fly into and destroy one of the monsters. That works for me. "Not bad for a majji," she says. "Now, this: Luz bajLunia!" The light around her dims forming a ball of light between her hands; the ray shoots toward the nearest zombie . She forms a second ball of light, and shoots again.
Ranged touch attack 1 (1d20+3=12)
Damage 1 (1d6=6)
Damage to UNDEAD 1 (2d6=5)
Ranged touch attack 2 (1d20+3=21)
Damage 2 (1d6=2)
Damage to UNDEAD 2 (2d6=3)
He still does not move and I ... am growing taller. Rising. He is lying there. Slidell is ablaze, Salome is ablaze. Everyone is moving so fast. Now slowly. Not at all. He is dying. I am ... the ceiling is not there. The room, the walls, the platform, burnt Wrathspawn there, but no ceiling. He cannot see, but I look ... stars? The sky?
Nightfall.
Again, for JSL only:
Wary of the undead attack, and now frantic with worry, Ehlissa tears off strips of her own clothing to staunch the blood. By some miracle, Vesh's wounds seem to be less severe than she had expected. Still she feels he is on the edge of the undiscovered country. Praise the Lady...
Stars? They are descending towards me. Or ... I am rising. But they are not stars. Silver. Butterflies. They float downwards towards me. Here comes one. I reach out my hand...
CRACK! Thunder. I fall like lightning.
He is broken.
Darkness.
"There's something else at the doors! Look out!" cries Ehlissa.
"Well now, that's interesting." Slidell says. He looks at his hand as if it had just grown out of his chest and slapped him. He is completely absorbed in his examination, and seems to forget that he is in the middle of a battle.
Veran launches himself from his perch and swoops down to land on Slidell's shoulder.
"The Door! The door!" cries the raven in Slidell's ear.
"Hm. What?" He responds, still looking at his hand.
"There's something else at the door! Look Out!"
"Oh. Really?" Slidell looks up, and blinks as he takes back in the scene before him. He then turns to frown at his familiar. "Well why didn't you say something?!?"
The raven growls as Slidell stands back up. He frowns as he sees Vesh lying on the ground, Ehlissa leaning over him with her shield raised protectively, and the animated corpse raising it's arms for another blow.
"Oh. I don't think so!" He mutters as he stalks slowly forward over the angled floor.
He raises his right arm, his head tilted forward and his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. You feel a slight buildup of pressure in your ears again, lesser this time, and he mutters something you can't quite hear. With another soundless 'POP' and a flash of light from the tattoo on his arm revealing itself through his shirt the pressure is gone, and a small green glob flies from his outstretched hand towards the zombie.
"Well," He says with a raised eyebrow. "That wasn't what I was hoping for."
Relieved to have saved Vesh, grinding her teeth against the pain of the revived corpse slamming into her shield, Ehlissa sees a flash of green emerge from Slidell's direction. He's a tremendously useful chap at times...
She surveys the immediate area for any of the walking dead to attack, filled with a fury bordering on the divine. "IOMEDAE!"
Attack (with smite), Damage (with smite) (1d20+10, 1d8+3=[8, 10], [7, 3])
Seeing a clear path before her, Salome draws her scimitar and traces an ankh shape in the air. "Kumma su Ra," she intones and her sword begins to glow brightly. She rushes to flank the creature engaged with Ehlissa and slashes at the rotting corpse.
Scimitar attack w/ flanking bonus (1d20+6=21)
Damage w/ sacred damage bonus (1d6+3=9)
Malcolm strikes the final zombie as Salome attacks.
Ehlissa picks up Vesh's broken body in her arms. "We're going. Now." she says to the group with a note of command.
Carrying the young man, she moves as quickly as she can to the portal that brought them here.
Mal takes up rear guard, watching the door before following his friends from the room.
Gently touching Ehlissa's shoulder, Slildell speaks softly, but with conviction.
"Ehlissa, easy. We won't do Vesh any good if he bleeds out while we're trying to save him. Salome, can you at least get him to where he isn't in any danger from re-opening the wounds? Then head for the portal. I can get it open again. Malcolm, grab Vesh's bow please."
While speaking he reloads his crossbow and let's it hang again from it's strap, then unslings his staff from his shoulder. Taking up his lantern, he stands next to Malcolm and aims the beam at the pile of rubble and begins backing towards the stairs, never taking his eyes from where the noises are coming from.
"Let's go. It won't get past me." He says softly with an iron tone. You can feel the pressure in your ears starting to build again,...
As they climb the Escherian stairs, Salome peers into the darkness, still wondering what could be pursuing them.
Passing through the portal again, Salome feels a combination of repulsion and relief at seeing Alzanist's sneering face once more. She indicates to Ehlissa a place farther back from the panel, where they can lay Vesh's broken body.
Salome does a quick examination, checks his breathing and heart rate, and then opens her prayer rug and kneels on it next to Vesh's body. Placing a hand on his forehead, she closes her eyes and chants in Qadi, urgency growing in her voice with each repetition. A golden glow emanates from under her hand and disappears in the blink of an eye.
"Does anyone else need healing?" she asks.
Malcolm retrieves Vesh's bow and follows Slidell through the portal.
At Salome's offer he speaks up, grinning a little feebly and saying "I wouldn't mind a bit of help myself. I took a bit of a beating back there."
Ehlissa is still almost cradling Vesh as Salome invokes her healing power. As his wounds knit up and the bruises disappear, she says quietly and seriously to him, "If you'd died back there, I would have killed you, Vesh." Then she smiles. "Just as well you didn't, hey?"
Malcolm claps Vesh on the shoulder "Glad your still with us; I didn't fancy dragging your corpse out of this place." he hands Vesh the bow and adds "I think you'll be needing that soon."
Salome does a quick examination, checks his breathing and heart rate, and then opens her prayer rug and kneels on it next to Vesh's body. Placing a hand on his forehead, she closes her eyes and chants in Qadi, urgency growing in her voice with each repetition. A golden glow emanates from under her hand and disappears in the blink of an eye.
Vesh's sudden and severe inhalation is startling. He opens his eyes and immediately looks upwards, towards the ceiling. He blinks and looks around. Tears fill his eyes and fall down his face, and he looks around again. It takes a moment before he realizes that his friends surround him.
"If you'd died back there, I would have killed you, Vesh." Then she smiles. "Just as well you didn't, hey?"
"Just as well ... yeah." He says hoarsely he stands tentatively and wipes his face. Taking his bow from Malcolm, Vesh staggers a little as he claps him on his shoulder. "Thanks," he says quietly.
"You all ..." He trails off and glances at the ceiling again. And again tears well in his eyes that he quickly wipes away.
"Thank you."
He adjusts his pack and stands ready, quietly.
Ehlissa puts a hand on Vesh's shoulder, and says "I thought we'd lost you, and we couldn't have that, now could we? But... it was the strangest thing. I could have sworn you were over my shoulder the whole time, spurring us on. Funny."
She grows more serious and addresses the whole group, "That... thing might well be more than we can deal with in our present condition; a goblin tainted by Lamashtu would be my guess. We should rest here for a while, long enough for Slidell and Salome to regain their energies." She pauses and looks from face to face, "So, questions, strategies?"
"A true leader is never afraid to take advice, Lissy, nor should you be afraid to admit you don't know everything. Just don't do so, too often, eh?" "Yes, Gramps, but I don't want people to think I don't know what I'm doing" "They'll respect you more; they'll see you're only human. Now, your goblin is a wily brute, but often quite dim..."
But... it was the strangest thing. I could have sworn you were over my shoulder the whole time, spurring us on. Funny."
"I..." Vesh starts, and then apparently thinks twice about speaking becuase he doesn't continue.
She grows more serious and addresses the whole group, "That... thing might well be more than we can deal with in our present condition; a goblin tainted by Lamashtu would be my guess. We should rest here for a while, long enough for Slidell and Salome to regain their energies." She pauses and looks from face to face, "So, questions, strategies?"
"What goblin?" Asks Vesh, his voice regaining some of it's usual character. He shivers a little and asks, "How long was I out?"
Salome attends to Malcolm , then settles into "her" spot, sitting cross-legged once again, with her soles toward the ceiling. She opens her pack and takes out her rations. "Come, let us reason together," she says to Ehlissa, and sweeping her arm to invite the others to join.
"Mijn bazé," she addresses Vesh warmly, her voice tinged with exhaustion, "So good to have you back with us. We have much to tell you, and we all need to regain our strength. Come, sit. Eat."
Malcolm accepts Salome's healing gratefully "Thanks, I owe you one. Or is that two?"
"Myself, I'm ready to go on but I do like having Slidell and Salome at our side with thier full power so resting doesn't sound bad at all to me."
Slidell sets his lantern down in the middle of the group, and opens its sides to create a warm, cozy haven in the dark tunnel. Oddly, His only comment about Vesh's return is a pat on the shoulder as he sits down next to Vesh, rummages in his pack and comes out with a bit of the bread and cheese that was provided for them this morning.
'Was it only a few short hours ago? It seems like days!'
Handing a chunk of each to Vesh, he studiously ignores Veran 'stealing' bites from his other hand.
"What did you miss?" Slidell echoes Vesh. "Not much, really. Just an object lesson in why you never want to get these two fine ladies mad at you. And what they're capable of if you do." He says with a tired smile at the ladies seated across from him. His weariness doesn't seem to affect the playful sparkle in his eyes as he adds a quick wink at Ehlissa as he takes a large bite of bread and cheese.
"Oh. And what has got to be the ugliest Goblin in all Golarion. Seriously." He adds around his mouthful. Hastily swallowing he looks at Ehlissa again. "What did you call it, 'warped by Lamashtu'? That's as good as any explanation I've got. With all of my research of unusual and spell-warped creatures, I've never seen or heard of anything like that monstrosity. And most of my teachers weren't shy about experimenting, if you catch my drift. The thing was a brute."
Slidell shakes his head as he takes another bite. "I don't know which worries me more, the size and deformities of that goblin-spawn, or the fact that it was commanding another half a dozen zombies. Or at least, they were following the same general instructions that it was."
Slidell looks around the small circle, and realizes that he is clenching and unclenching his right hand, a part of his tattoo showing from underneath his sleeve. It seems to shimmer in the lantern light. With a nervous chuckle he transfers his remaining bit of food to that hand and offers it to Veran, who accepts the offering as if it is his royal due.
"So, questions, strategies?"
"Myself, I'm ready to go on but I do like having Slidell and Salome at our side with thier full power so resting doesn't sound bad at all to me."
Salome considers for a moment. "I agree that resting would do us all well. But once we go in there again -- which I assume we will -- I think we have learned that although they are slow, it is best not to let those zhambesa touch us, especially when they work together. However, our arrows are not good on them. Father Zantus showed me some things about Turning, and now that I have had some practice, I think I understand better what he said. I am confident that between Sarenrae's glory and my scimitar, even that many should be manageable. Our remaining problems are moving safely, having enough light and fighting Lamashtu's goblin."
As the others confer and add their feedback, Salome turns to Ehlissa and whispers, "Milady, I have well seen your concern and compassion for others this day. But an empty well cannot give water. I have one more blessing should you need it."
As the others speak, Salome feels her body get heavy, and a sudden wave of exhaustion passes over her. She lays out her prayer rug, facing east, and begins her prayers and meditations. Despite her best efforts, within a few minutes, her thoughts slow, her concentration wavers, and she drifts to sleep.
Malcolm sits facing the portal. He keeps his weapons out, ready to defend himself and his friends should the goblin choose to follow them. "Ehlissa, Vesh, we should set watch while the other's rest. Say two hour shifts?"
Vesh looks at the others as each of them speaks, not knowing what to say or contribute.
"Mijn bazé," Salome said. I wonder ... "my brother," I guess. He remembers whirling her around the dance floor and the look of joy on her face. She saved my life. They both did, He thinks as his gaze turns to Ehlissa. His thoughts wander as Slidell speaks.
He knew that the monstrous goblin was behind the iron doors, and the zombies too. But how? He could not remember seeing them when he was...
Vesh closes his eyes. I never saw them. But they were there ... and so was I ... He looks once again at Ehlissa, ... looking over her shoulder. Spurring her on.
He suddenly sees the bright stars again, falling towards him like snow, until one, just beyond his finger, unfolds it wings. Butterflies. Silver Butterflies. He remembers reaching out--
"Ehlissa, Vesh, we should set watch while the other's rest. Say two hour shifts?"
His eyes snap open. "Hmm? Oh ... yeah. I'll take first watch." He stands and draws an arrow from his quiver.
"Thank you." Ehlissa says to Salome.
"I'll go first; ever practical, eh Malcolm?" she says to the sailor with a smile.
,... However, our arrows are not good on them. ,...
Slidell slaps himself in the forehead. Again.
From the lack of reaction you think either he wasn't trying all that hard, or he's numbed the spot in question from constant abuse."Arrows,... of course." Slidell says. "Somewhere I'm depriving a village of an idiot." He mutters into his final bite of bread and cheese.
"The body of the zombie is animated by necromantic energies," He continues, looking at the lantern. "As such it is no longer limited by our human frailties. Like Pain. Which exists to tell us when we are about to do something stupid. Without pain, even a weakling like me would be capable of amazing feats of strength. I would just tear my body to pieces doing it. Things that would kill a person, like an arrow to the head, or heart, are mere inconveniences to a corpse. The piercing weapons just don't do enough physical damage to stop them. But the swords seem to work just fine. And Mr. Uber-Goblin seems alive enough, I'll bet the arrows and bolts would work fine on him ,..."
Slidell trails off, still staring at the lantern. He begins to flex his now-empty hand again.
Salome drifts off to sleep, and Malcolm and Vesh have discussed watches and traded quips. And Slidell still sits, Veran on his shoulder, his beak tucked under his wing. Slidell begins murmuring softly again, whether talking to Vesh or himself is not clear.
"I shouldn't have been able to cast that missile spell. I can't cast that spell! Well, ok. I can cast that spell. I've done it several times during training. But I didn't memorize that spell this morning. I don't even have a copy of it in my current spellbook. Same with the blob of acid. The tattoo only generates one a day. But both times, when I needed them, the spells were there. It's like they were written in my mind, with words of flame. I only had to concentrate to bring them up to where I could read them. And I wasn't done yet. I can still feel the power there. I could do it again if I had too. Several times. Well, a few more times at least."
He looks from the lantern to Vesh and grins like the canary that just swallowed the cat.
"I can cast spontaneously!" He whispers, his eyes dancing with glee in the lantern-light. "I knew it was possible! My so-called classmates can put that in their pipes and smoke it!"
Slidell stretches his lanky frame out on his bedroll and pulls his hat over his eyes. "Slidell the Sorcerer!" He can be heard muttering from under the wide brim. "That has a nice ring to it."
In a few moments the only sound coming from Slidell is a soft snoring.
Vesh is happy to let Ehlissa have the first watch. He sits and fusses in his back, only to remember that he has left his bedroll and blanket back at the Rusty Dragon in his room. He closes his pack and wraps his cloak about him.
I'm not particularly tired, anyway. I wonder if the prayer Salome used revitalized my energy as well.
He sits next to Slidell and is deep in thought when the mage speaks.
"I can cast spontaneously!" He whispers, his eyes dancing with glee in the lantern-light. "I knew it was possible! My so-called classmates can put that in their pipes and smoke it!"
Vesh smiles, and even chuckles a little at Slidell's attitude towards his classmates.
He might not feel so comfortable sitting next to me if he knew what it felt like to have that power taken from him.
Crazy boys... with a crazy girl... and our new mother. Ehlissa chuckles to herself, watching their sleeping forms. She sits and starts cleaning her sword.
The sound of the whetstone on steel brings Vesh out of his reverie. He makes his way over to Ehlissa and sits.
He whispers, so as to not disturb the others. "I ... never thanked you properly," he says quietly, "you saved my life back there. I'm am indebted to you, Ehlissa. Thank you."
"Oh well, I couldn't very well let you die, could I?" Ehlissa replies quietly, so as not to wake the others, "And you were right by me, so..."
She continues sharpening for a while, "But... how did you know it was me who-" she asks with slow puzzlement. She looks questioningly at Vesh.
"But... how did you know it was me who-" she asks with slow puzzlement. She looks questioningly at Vesh.
Vesh looks at her, and once again his eyes tear up. He is unable to speak for some time. "It was as you said before," he whispers, "I was there, looking over your shoulder, spurring you on..."
He pauses. "I saw it all, Ehlissa. I saw you minister to my wounds as the walking dead surrounded you and...my body. But that isn't all that I saw."
Vesh wipes his eyes, but more tears roll down his face, "There were stars above us, Ehlissa. The room was the same, but there were stars above us like we were fighting under the night sky. Little silver stars. They were falling towards me, or I was rising towards them; I don't know which. And then they moved. They unfolded. They were butterflies, Ehlissa." Vesh is looking through her now as he whispers.
"One was just beyond my finger," he continues quietly, "and I put my hand out to touch it...There was a sound--like thunder--and everything went black."
His eyes focus on her again, "I put my hand out to touch her, Ehlissa. I put my hand out to touch Desna, and if I had..."
He takes a deep breath, "If I had, I don't think I would have come back."
Smoke. Fire. People shouting in the distance.
"Mami? Dadi?" she calls out into the darkness, the air growing thick. Her father rushes in.
"Shh, Babi, shh. You must keep very quiet. They found us. We must go." He hands her to her mother, who wraps her in her sachi, and ties the sling to her body, before grabbing what bundles she can an running into the cold, dry night. "Let's go," she whispers.
Mal stands and draws both of his blades "I heard something!" he hisses to the others.
Vesh readies his bow.
"Easy there, soldier!" Zieke's low voice calls out from the darkness just beyond the reach of their lights. He takes a couple of steps, holding his shield before him in case the young bowman's nerve doesn't prove quite as steady as his draw. "Looks like I finally caught up with the bold 'heroes' of Sandpoint..."
In a show of peace, he sheathes his longsword and enters more fully into their presence. He's a large man, standing just a bit over six feet. Heavily-armed, but seemingly lightly-armored, he's dressed in a well-worn over-tunic and a grayish-green cloak. "You're a might jumpy, it seems..." he dryly comments, "Hopefully, I haven't caught you at a bad time?"
Vesh's eyes narrow, but he lowers his bow--releasing the tension of the draw but not unknocking the arrow.
Vesh's eyes narrow, but he lowers his bow--releasing the tension of the draw but not unknocking the arrow.
Zieke reaches behind his shield to turn up his own lantern, held in his other hand. Its glow had barely provided enough light for him to see as he traveled the darkness of the tunnels. But, it certainly had made things easier to avoid attention by keeping it out of sight from anyone he approached...including the group he now finds himself confronting.
"The name's Zieke," he shares, "The guardsmen up top let me know you were down here...and what you're about. Belor asked me to find you once I got back." He notices some of the worn looks and wounds among the group. "I take it you've found more trouble?"
Vesh's Perception check to sense motive (1d20-4=6). *sigh*
How do we know that this man is telling the truth? The Sheriff is not even in town. He did sheath his weapon.
Vesh speaks slowly, "What is it that we are about, then, Zieke? And how are we really to know if Sheriff Hemlock sent you and not someone else?"
--------------------------
After the expected dreamland visit of split-jawed monsters and hulking zombie hordes,which he dispatched even easier than usual with handfuls of blazing energy bolts, Slidell finds himself once again in the nondescript room with the unidentified person who is still sitting in a large chair and sipping a glass of wine.
"Well. It took you long enough!" The figure said sardonically, a smile (probably) on his face. (How did he know the figure was smiling? He couldn't see his face. It seemed to always be in shadow, or turned away, whenever he tried to look at it.)
"But at last, you have taken the first step to revealing your true potential." The figure said decisively. (How come the room seems so familiar? It was like he should be able to recall where he had seen it before. If only it seemed important enough to bother with remembering,...) "Now you can properly prepare for your destiny."
The man rose, and reached out to pat Slidell's shoulder. Slidell smiled, knowing he was being given a compliment. But as the man reached out, a dark shadow fell across Slidell's thoughts, and he twitched out from under the man's hand. The man frowned. (Now HOW do I KNOW that?!?) "What is this? That shouldn't be possible." The man said, reaching out once more, his fingers flexed like claws,...
Mal stands and draws both of his blades "I heard something!" he hisses to the others.
Slidell sits straight up, almost launching Veran into the air with a loud but quickly stifled "Squawk" of protest.
"Heard what? Where? Where is everyone? Who turned out the lights? Did the lantern run out?" Slidell asks in a strangely muffled voice.
"Easy there, soldier!" Zieke's low voice calls out from the darkness just beyond the reach of their lights. He takes a couple of steps, holding his shield before him in case the young bowman's nerve doesn't prove quite as steady as his draw. "Looks like I finally caught up with the bold 'heroes' of Sandpoint..."
A quick glance shows that Slidell's hat is still covering his face. His hands flounder around for a moment until they encounter the brim. He removes the hat from his face and glares at the offending headgear. "Ah. That would do it too." He mumbles sheepishly as he quickly plops the hat back where it properly belongs and clambers to his feet.
In a show of peace, he sheathes his longsword and enters more fully into their presence. He's a large man, standing just a bit over six feet. Heavily-armed, but seemingly lightly-armored, he's dressed in a well-worn over-tunic and a grayish-green cloak. "You're a might jumpy, it seems..." he dryly comments, "Hopefully, I haven't caught you at a bad time?"
"No. Not at all." Slidell grumbles while trying to quickly rub the sleep from his eyes. "I always enjoy being awakened by a,..." His voice trails off as the newcomers' height forces him too look UP for the first time in a while.
Vesh's eyes narrow, but he lowers his bow--releasing the tension of the draw but not unknocking the arrow.
"My. Your a big one, aren'tcha?" Slidell says sotto voice.
Zieke reaches behind his shield to turn up his own lantern, held in his other hand. Its glow had barely provided enough light for him to see as he traveled the darkness of the tunnels. But, it certainly had made things easier to avoid attention by keeping it out of sight from anyone he approached...including the group he now finds himself confronting."The name's Zieke," he shares, "The guardsmen up top let me know you were down here...and what you're about. Belor asked me to find you once I got back." He notices some of the worn looks and wounds among the group. "I take it you've found more trouble?"
"Well, more like trouble found us." Slidell remarks, apparently recovered from his initial impression. "Still. In all fairness to 'Trouble', we did come down here looking for it. It would be rude to ignore us after we came all that way,..."
Slidell's eyes flicker from point to point across the big man's outfit, as if he were trying to identify or catalog every item the newcomer carried.
Slidell and Veran's perception rolls: (1d20-1=2, 1d20+5=10)
"Belor sent you?!" Slidell drags his gaze away from the shiny objects that Veran is attempting to show him to look the man in the face. The corners of his mouth twist into a grin at having to look up, even if only a little, to look the man in the eyes. "So, he's back already? How did the recruiting assistance from Magnimar go?" He asks matter-of-factly.
Alerted by Malcolm's warning, Salome stops her prayers mid-sentence, and immediately takes a defensive stance, her guard up and her eyes focused on the passageway.
Her amber eyes widen when the figure of what must be the largest man she has ever seen steps into view. Her back to the wall, she silently observes this new stranger, trying to figure out what he would be doing there.
"The name's Zieke," he shares, "The guardsmen up top let me know you were down here...and what you're about. Belor asked me to find you once I got back." He notices some of the worn looks and wounds among the group. "I take it you've found more trouble?"
Belor, who's Belor? she wonders. At least he wasn't sent by Lamashtu, she thinks, and relaxes a little.
"How did you find us?" Salome asks. "And why were you sent? Is there a problem?" And how did you get through those tunnels and over the rubble? she wonders silently. Then she realizes: We were tracked. She straightens and eyes the newcomer again, her hand resting on her scimitar, ready to draw if necessary.