run the gauntlet
It seemed like it would now be a simple task; return the knife to Sojah and have him heal Kelios. But nothing is ever as easy as it sounds. We had fell the last of the evil beasts and turned towards the Bloodhaven Mansion. Although my soul cried out to rush in and help those trapped inside the inferno I realized that only Ezra could help those inside now. We all struggled to catch out breaths as we watched the mansion collapse in on itself; the fire screaming with joy as it devoured every board.
Only Bernard seemed to have any energy. He stood, trembling, holding the cursed dagger, looking at us the way a hungry man eyes a feast. He finally moved away, although those furtive glances back at us told of the evil that was clawing at his mind.
Our rest had eaten more time than we had expected. The time of Kelios's death was approaching quickly. With this in mind we saddled the horses in the coach house and started to ride towards the sewer entrance. As we rode we could hear howls from the darkness all around us. It was if the night was chasing us. Could the evil in the knife be calling to the horrid shape changers? We had our answer soon enough, as 4 of the jackel beasts leapt upon us from the rooftops. It took but a few moments to defeat them, but that was a few moments less that Kelios had. The cries followed us through the night, speeding us on our way. We arrived at the sewer entrance and quickly climbed into the dank tunnels. It seemed that someone had been here recently and had decided that we should have no help on our journey. The chalk marks that we had left on our last visit had been hastily smeared and left little clue as to which path we should follow. Thankfully Peotr was able to guide our way, no doubt using skills that he had honed after living in the wilderness for so many years.
As we progressed further, slogging through the fetid water, I had further evidence that my cousins mind was not as sharp as it could be. Floating in the sludge was a coffin, the final resting place of some well to do lady. As most of it ignored it, Kelios opened it without a second though, and began rummaging through the pockets of the corpse. Clearly she needs a reminder of the walking dead that plagued us during our journey through the swamp. Luckily, the lady had been given a proper burial and did not bother us.
We neared a bend in the tunnels and it became obvious that we were not alone. Sounds of feet came from in front of us and the howling of the jackels drifted in from behind us. In seconds 4 of the shape changers confronted us from behind, while a small squad of the jackels closed in from behind. All of them were screaming for the knife, commanding us to turn it over to them. We had no choice; we had to fight. But the events of the evening had left their mark. Peotr was the first to fall. His beast dog must have had some strange empathic link, for Peotr had barely stopped moving when the dog beast started tearing into the jackels. We managed to drop many of the foul beasts, but we were still outnumbered. I saw a fist come flying towards my face and I remembered no more.
.........
It must have been an hour later when I awoke. I could hear the clock tower chiming, taunting us, telling us that Kelios had but minutes to live. I could hear movement in the darkness and a candle flared to life, revealing Bernard looking more wounded that I have ever seen him. Our bodies screamed with every twitch that we made, but we were able to stand, gather our things and awake Peotr. We could not see Kelios anywehere, and then we heard her screaming from somewhere in the tunnels. Luckily it was a scream of frustration and not of pain or terror. Moving as fast as we could we were able to locate her. She was coated in blood and gore, clutching the cursed dagger and screaming at it. She seemed relieved to see us one moment and then would lust for our blood the next. We managed to coax her in the proper direction and eventually found the door to Sojah's lair. As expected, the creature tried to refuse his deal, only the smart rapping of my hammer was able to convince him to heal Kelios. Although perhaps heal is too generous a term for it. When he touched her her chest exploded in a bloody spray and some strange clockwork insect leapt from her chest and landed on the shoulder of the creature. The knife was turned over and he wished us well, sending us on our way with a promise 'to see you again, in 13 years'. I promised him that we would meet before then. As we staggered to the entrance we heard a scream of pain and despair from behind us. I rushed back to his lair to find the body of a woman, butchered even more brutally than the others.
Oh yes. We will be seeing each other very soon I think.
Only Bernard seemed to have any energy. He stood, trembling, holding the cursed dagger, looking at us the way a hungry man eyes a feast. He finally moved away, although those furtive glances back at us told of the evil that was clawing at his mind.
Our rest had eaten more time than we had expected. The time of Kelios's death was approaching quickly. With this in mind we saddled the horses in the coach house and started to ride towards the sewer entrance. As we rode we could hear howls from the darkness all around us. It was if the night was chasing us. Could the evil in the knife be calling to the horrid shape changers? We had our answer soon enough, as 4 of the jackel beasts leapt upon us from the rooftops. It took but a few moments to defeat them, but that was a few moments less that Kelios had. The cries followed us through the night, speeding us on our way. We arrived at the sewer entrance and quickly climbed into the dank tunnels. It seemed that someone had been here recently and had decided that we should have no help on our journey. The chalk marks that we had left on our last visit had been hastily smeared and left little clue as to which path we should follow. Thankfully Peotr was able to guide our way, no doubt using skills that he had honed after living in the wilderness for so many years.
As we progressed further, slogging through the fetid water, I had further evidence that my cousins mind was not as sharp as it could be. Floating in the sludge was a coffin, the final resting place of some well to do lady. As most of it ignored it, Kelios opened it without a second though, and began rummaging through the pockets of the corpse. Clearly she needs a reminder of the walking dead that plagued us during our journey through the swamp. Luckily, the lady had been given a proper burial and did not bother us.
We neared a bend in the tunnels and it became obvious that we were not alone. Sounds of feet came from in front of us and the howling of the jackels drifted in from behind us. In seconds 4 of the shape changers confronted us from behind, while a small squad of the jackels closed in from behind. All of them were screaming for the knife, commanding us to turn it over to them. We had no choice; we had to fight. But the events of the evening had left their mark. Peotr was the first to fall. His beast dog must have had some strange empathic link, for Peotr had barely stopped moving when the dog beast started tearing into the jackels. We managed to drop many of the foul beasts, but we were still outnumbered. I saw a fist come flying towards my face and I remembered no more.
.........
It must have been an hour later when I awoke. I could hear the clock tower chiming, taunting us, telling us that Kelios had but minutes to live. I could hear movement in the darkness and a candle flared to life, revealing Bernard looking more wounded that I have ever seen him. Our bodies screamed with every twitch that we made, but we were able to stand, gather our things and awake Peotr. We could not see Kelios anywehere, and then we heard her screaming from somewhere in the tunnels. Luckily it was a scream of frustration and not of pain or terror. Moving as fast as we could we were able to locate her. She was coated in blood and gore, clutching the cursed dagger and screaming at it. She seemed relieved to see us one moment and then would lust for our blood the next. We managed to coax her in the proper direction and eventually found the door to Sojah's lair. As expected, the creature tried to refuse his deal, only the smart rapping of my hammer was able to convince him to heal Kelios. Although perhaps heal is too generous a term for it. When he touched her her chest exploded in a bloody spray and some strange clockwork insect leapt from her chest and landed on the shoulder of the creature. The knife was turned over and he wished us well, sending us on our way with a promise 'to see you again, in 13 years'. I promised him that we would meet before then. As we staggered to the entrance we heard a scream of pain and despair from behind us. I rushed back to his lair to find the body of a woman, butchered even more brutally than the others.
Oh yes. We will be seeing each other very soon I think.
posted by groodude at 10:13 a.m.
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