The spirit lashes out once more.
The party throws itself into a frenzy trying to take down the beast but the creature seems possessed of a new will to live, parrying, dodging, and keeping the party at bay.
In a last ditch effort, the creature seems to vanish in a swirl of shadows and appears between Dagobert and Galad. Eyes smoldering with vengeance, it swipes at Dagobert with teeth and tail.
Vandis (bloodied, 1 strike)
Dannad
Dagobert
Galad
Hawkseer (dying, 1 strike)
Umber Drake (bloodied, oath target, marked)
Vandis roars and charges.
Dagobert swallows to clear the blood from his mouth and aims more vengeful radiance at the drake.
Dannad dashes toward the dragon, hot on Vandis' heels, and uses the distraction from his ally's attack to his advantage.
Dannad's first strike is enough to tear a hole through the shadowy creature and it howls as the hole begins to expand outward. The shape of the umber drake twists and bulges before exploding in a small burst of negative energy, blasting everyone adjacent.
The cold energy is too much for the weakened fighter, who has taken more of a beating than anyone else thus far. He falls back in much the same state as Hawkseer. Dannad manages to keep his footing but seems ready to tumble at any moment.
Dagobert (bloodied)
Galad
Hawkseer (dying, 1 strike)
Vandis (dying, 1 strike)
Dannad (bloodied)
"Help Vandis! I'll get Hawkseer." Galad runs over to Hawkseer and kneels down, attempting to stop his bleeding.
Dagobert totters towards Vandis and tries to stabilise him. He manages to get a rough tourniquet around the worst wounds and thoughtfully rolls the fighter onto his side to help recovery.
Vandis and Hawkseer lie in critical, but stable condition.
The charnel house and the remains of the Beggar King's demesne are almost serene after the destruction of the umber drake. Beneath your feet you feel the occasional settling of heavy rock in the chambers below. Of whatever remains of the Beggar King's men, there is no sign.
The umber bats above seem to have disappeared with the death of their master, and the great waft of "smoke" is nowhere to be seen, making the rooftops safe once again.
"Upsie-daisy"
Vandis wakes up to find himself being manhandled, "Rargh, I'm fine." he mutters through a bruised face.
"Ye were just takin' a bit o' a nap there, then? We'ds best be seeing you to a healer in any case just for the mess of your face."
The party limbs out of the ruins of the Beggar-King complex. His remaining men scamper off to the remaining thieves guilds or disappear into the slums. Upon recovery, the party finds Dulin back at The Silent Maid, looking as if he never left.
He is puzzled to see Galad and Hawkseer but shrugs it off.
"Must have been harder than I thought," he says, "You'll have to tell me the full story some time."
Reaching impossibly far into a pouch on his belt, he pulls out an even larger looking pouch, bulging with coins.
"There's a bonus for your fallen comrades as well, to see that they're properly taken care of. We may be thieves, but we pay our debts. Just don't ask where the gold came from," he adds, shifting forward in his seat and taking a drink from the cup in front of him.
"You seem to make a good team. Perhaps I'll have reason to call upon you again. I'm sure it would be profitable for both our parties," he finishes with a smile before getting up and excusing himself from the tavern.
With the thieves guilds back in power and uncontested, the balance is restored to the slums. While no one recognizes you directly, your party receives many sideways looks and many whisper the praises of the brave group that restored order. With such a reputation, the city is yours for the taking, as many jobs and offers begin to discreetly arrive. This is the end, but it is also the beginning.
Dagobert returns quietly to his profession, working diligently to remove rats from the city. At the back of his mind, he always remembers the Beggar King and wonders sometimes if Shul will point his way again.