The inscription crawled across the entrance like a malevolent spider, each archaic symbol a chilling portent. A shiver danced down Lucian's spine, a cold tendril of unease snaking its way through his determination.
“Well that’s not ominous at all is it.” Kainith commented.
“Do you feel that dread?” Rance noted. “I told you. No one comes to the Jagged Hills. This place doesn’t really look like it’ll contain anything anyways.”
“What about the gem?” Rory mused.
“Rory, we don't get to keep that? I mean unless we want to fight whatever gives Lucian his powers, and I don’t know about you but a Demon lord is not on the top of my list.” Rance chastised.
“Guy’s stop.” Lucian pleaded. “Let’s just get in and get this over with. Rance you can just have my share of the loot here.”
“Fine.” Rance stated
With a deep breath that echoed hollowly in the oppressive silence, Lucian pushed open the heavy, groaning door.
“Light up boys.” Kainith quipped as he pulled out a torch and lit it.
The oppressive darkness that greeted them was a tangible entity, a thick shroud that swallowed the meager light of their torches. The air hung heavy and stagnant, thick with the cloying stench of decay. It was a suffocating weight that settled in their lungs with each labored breath. The silence was broken only by the rhythmic drip-drip of unseen moisture and the faint creak of settling rock.
“Well this is much less foreboding than I had imagined.” Lucian said.
“Look there.” Rory said, pointing forward into the darkness where there was the faintest of purple glow.
“Well, we might as well walk towards it. We have to venture deeper if we have any hope of getting out of here in a reasonable amount of time.” Rance said.
As they ventured deeper, the oppressive darkness yielded to an otherworldly luminescence. The cavern walls pulsed with an unnatural violet glow, revealing a network of writhing, purple tentacles woven into the very rock. They writhed and pulsed with an unsettling life of their own, their sinuous forms resembling a grotesque tapestry of pulsating flesh. From the cavernous ceiling above, a viscous, acidic slime dripped with a rhythmic splatter, sizzling and smoking upon contact with the damp stone floor. The air grew thick and humid, the stench of decay replaced by an acrid, metallic tang that burned at the back of their throats.
“Okay maybe Rance was right. Maybe this isn't such a good idea,” Rory stated wearily.
“Since when are you afraid of anything big man?” Kainith looked up at Rory.
“Rory points at the rock, “I hate snakes. You know that and this tunnel sure feels like we are being surrounded by a bunch of snakes.”
Lucian looked up at Rory. “Look I get it, but just think of the disgusting tentacle-like things as worms instead. You're not afraid of some little worms are you?” he said with a mocking smile.
Rance snickered in the background as Rory lashed back with. “No, I'm not scared of worms. Let's just kill whatever did this to this cave and get back to the tavern so I can have a mead.”
Rance looked at Rory inquisitively. “Wait, did you just say mead? You hate mead and call people who drink mead weak cause they like, and I’m quoting here, ‘That super sweet weak shit’.”
Rory with an embarrassed look on his face now looked at Rance. “Look, that stuff we had at the tavern in Fallwind was pretty okay.”
Rance just smiled and slugged Rory on the shoulder. “Whatever you say, big guy.”
Their path was abruptly halted by a wide chasm that yawned before them like a gaping maw. About 100 feet below there was a churning river of the same purple slime the walls pulsed with. It bubbled and frothed, sending off noxious fumes that stung their nostrils and brought tears to their eyes. A lone, broken rope bridge, weathered and frayed by time, stretched precariously across the chasm. It swayed gently in the stagnant air.
“Damnit. What do we do now?” Kainith said exasperated.
Rance glanced around the room. The rope bridge was not going to work to hold their weight but there was a small almost imperceptible ledge on the far western side of the room where the chasm seemed to end.
“Hold on one second,” Rance said.
Rance ran to this ledge and it looked just wide enough for him to climb his way across. He bounded back to the party.
“Okay, I have an idea but it's gonna suck for everyone involved.” he stated bluntly.
As Rance spoke Rory kicked a gently nudged a rock with his boot into the chasm filled with slime.
“PSHHHH.” the rock steamed and sputtered until it dissolved in the slime.
“Well it better not involve swimming.” Rory mused. “Cause I don’t think we’d make it.”
Rance pointed at the western wall. “Over there is a super narrow ledge. I think I can make it across by rock climbing on it. Kainith maybe you can make it too but only one of us needs to make it over with the ledge because the second part of my idea is to tie a rope to my waist and when I make it to the other side I’ll tire the rope off onto the rope bridge pylon.” Rance now looked at the party with worry. “Okay, now the bad part. You guys will have to use the rope to climb across. You can tie it off on this side and upside down army crawl to the other side.”
This gave Lucian pause. “Okay so crawl across and just don't fall. I don’t even think one of my spells would reach the other side. So, long story short, no big deal.” Lucian laughed nervously.
“Well no time like the present.” Rance said as he was tying a long hempen rope around his waist. “Let’s go. Rory hold on to this end.”
Rance bounded to the west and grasped the ledge with just his finger tips. The party watched tensely, only seeing his fingertips and the top of his head from where they were standing. Many tense moments were followed by a now far away Rance climbing up the other side of the chasm rope still tied to his waist. The party erupted into cheers. As the party cheered, Rance tied the rope to the bridge pylon on the other side and tugged on it to ensure that it was stable. Rory then walked up to the pylon on their side and tied it tightly so it wouldn't slip.
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One by one, the party followed, their hearts pounding a frantic rhythm against their ribs. The acidic slime bubbled ominously beneath them. As Lucian, who was first in line, reached the midpoint of the bridge, a low growl echoed through the cavern, sending shivers down his spine.
“I’m sure that’s nothing.” Kainith quipped nervously.
“How about we get you guys off of that rope before we find out!” Rance shouted.
The party hurried their pace across the rope and one by one they reached the other side.
“Whew, we made it.” Lucian said.
Just then another now closer growl roared throughout the cavern. In the flickering torchlight, the party saw a creature unlike anything they had ever encountered before, a young purple whelpling, its scales shimmering faintly in the darkness. Unlike the goblins, this creature seemed to single out Lucian. Its guttural growls morphed into words that resonated in his mind, a distorted echo that sent chills down his spine. "Turn back, mortal," it rasped, its voice a distorted whisper that seemed to emanate from the very walls themselves. "The Elder One will not suffer your intrusion." Lucian recoiled, his hand instinctively reaching for the hilt of his sword.
Before he could even translate the warning to his companions, the whelpling lashed out. It lunged with surprising speed, a blur of purple scales and glistening fangs. Rory sensing the lunge at Lucian jumped in to intervene. The whelplings claws, razor-sharp and dripping with a sickly purple venom, raked across Rory's arm, tearing a deep furrow that sent a spray of crimson mist into the stagnant air.
A roar of fury erupted from the warrior's throat. With a surge of adrenaline that masked the blossoming pain in his arm, Rory charged. His broadaxe, a familiar weight in his hand, became an extension of his rage. He swung it with a ferocious arc, aiming to cleave the creature in two.
“I’m going to end you!” Rory shouted.
The whelpling, though powerful, was young and inexperienced. It twisted aside with surprising agility, narrowly avoiding the deadly blow. Its own attack, fueled by an instinctual defense, was a flurry of claws and teeth aimed at Rory's exposed flank. Rance saw the opening. He darted forward, a blur of leather and steel. His dagger, glinting coldly in the flickering torchlight, found its mark a glancing blow across the whelpling's snout, drawing a deep gash and eliciting a pained screech.
The cavern echoed with the clash of steel and the enraged snarls of the creature. Rory, fueled by fury and the sting of the venom coursing through his veins, pressed his attack. He traded blows with the whelpling. Kainith saw an opportunity. He strummed his lute with a flourish, unleashing a discordant melody that filled the cavern. The sound waves, infused with his magic, were a sonic assault, disorienting the whelpling and disrupting its attack.
“Lucian do something!” Kainith shouted.
Lucian, his initial shock giving way to focused rage, unleashed a bolt of infernal energy. The magical fire slammed into the creature's side, searing its scales and leaving behind a smoldering wound. The whelpling recoiled, a whimper escaping its maw. For a fleeting moment, a flicker of vulnerability passed through its eyes. Rance used this as an opportunity to stab both daggers into the creature's back, coating his daggers in a sickly purple slime.
The reprieve was short-lived. Enraged by the pain and the audacity of these intruders, the whelpling lunged once more. This time, it targeted the source of the magical assault. With a deafening roar, it charged at Lucian, its claws outstretched. In that split second, time seemed to slow down. The party watched in horror as the creature closed the distance. Rory, his arm screaming in protest, bellowed a challenge and charged to intercept, but he wouldn't make it in time. Just as the whelpling's claws were about to find their mark on Lucian's chest, a dark blur shot past him. Rance had thrown himself between them. He took the brunt of the attack, the whelpling's claws sinking deep into his shoulder. A choked cry escaped Rance's lips, but his sacrifice bought them a precious moment. With a feral snarl, he grabbed the creature by its snout, his grip ironclad despite the searing pain. The whelpling thrashed and snapped, its venom dripping onto his exposed skin, but Rance held on.
Seizing the opportunity, Rory brought his axe down in a mighty swing. The blade connected with the whelpling's skull in a sickening crunch. The creature let out a final, high-pitched yelp before going limp in Rance's grasp. Slowly, Rance released his hold, his chest heaving and his face contorted in pain. The young whelpling lay motionless on the cavern floor, its purple scales dulling in the flickering torchlight.
Rory, his face pale with pain, gingerly wrapped a torn strip of cloth around his wounded arm. Rance, his breath ragged and shallow, leaned against the cavern wall, his face contorted in a grimace as venom coursed through his veins. Lucian knelt beside him, his brow furrowed in concern as he examined the deep gashes on Rance's shoulder.
"The venom seems to work fast," Lucian muttered, his voice laced with worry. "We need to find some way to counteract it, or..."
Lucian knelt down beside Rance. “I can’t heal your wounds but I can stop the poison. Agnum sig Knal.” As Lucian spoke the magic world the purple poison slowly started collecting on top of the wound and then slowly faded.”
“Thank you Lucian. I guess teaming up with you wasn’t the worst idea.” Rance smiled.
As Lucian stood back up to survey the room no that the whelpling was Kainith strummed some hopeful chords on his lute as he did Rory and Rance instantly started feeling better as their wounds started to stitch themselves back together.
"We can't stay here," Lucian said, his voice barely a whisper. "The whelpling's death will probably alert others. We need to move, and fast."
Following the faint purple glow emanating from the walls, they ventured deeper into the mine. The air grew colder, the oppressive silence broken only by the rhythmic drip-drip of unseen water and the occasional skittering of unseen creatures. The walls pulsed with an otherworldly luminescence, revealing an intricate network of tunnels that snaked deeper into the heart of the mountain.
“I’ve never seen a purple dragon.” Lucian thought out loud.
“I've never heard of a purple dragon in all my travels.” Kainith stated dryly.
“It’s because purple dragons don’t exist.” Rance looked at the party. “I’m not sure why or how that ‘thing’ exists but hopefully it’s the only one.”
“It spoke to me.” Lucian said blankly.
“It what…?” Rory questioned. “It spoke to you? Why didn’t you say something.”
Lucian now looking irritated. “Not like I had any time for that Rory. It spoke to me and then just lunged.”
“Stop.” Kainith said forcefully. “We can’t squabble now. We have bigger issues.”
As they navigated the labyrinthine passages, an unsettling feeling crept over them. The air seemed to crackle with unseen energy, and the shadows danced with an unsettling life of their own. Eerie whispers echoed through the tunnels, emanating from the very walls themselves. As the party continued Rance spoke up.
“Well these daggers are ruined.”
“What do you mean? Just clean them off.” Rory said glancing at the purple ooze on the blades.
Rance in an exaggerated manner swapped at the poison. “See it won’t come off.”
Lucian looked at Rance confused. “Wait, You touched the ooze.”
Rance looked at Lucian. “Yeah? How else was I supposed to clean it off?”
“Rance. The ooze poison or burns everything it touches. You seem to be fine.” Lucian stated.
Rory pulled his axe off of his back. “Wait that’s right I just had blood on mine. It was cleaned right off.”
“Rance, do you mind if I look at one of your daggers before you just throw it out?” Lucian asked.
“Sure.” Rance handed over one of the daggers.
Lucian spent some time casting a spell to detect what had happened to the dagger. Then suddenly he gasped. “I wouldn’t throw these daggers out. I’m not sure why or how but where you stabbed that whelpling at blessed your daggers with his poison.”
Rance smiled. “Badass!”
As the party kept walking the whispers kept growing louder. The words became clearer deeper into the mine tunnels they got.
"Turn back, mortals," the whispers hissed, their voices a chorus of raspy moans. "This place is not for you. The Elder One awaits...those who defy its will shall be consumed."
“Oh lovely. I’m sure that won’t be a problem.” Kainith mused.
Finally, after what seemed like an age of navigating claustrophobic tunnels and enduring the unnerving whispers, they stumbled into a cavern so vast it stole their breath. A low, rhythmic hum that vibrated through their bones replaced the oppressive silence that had dogged them throughout the mine. It emanated from a colossal machine that stood like a monstrous metal spider in the center of the chamber. Its metallic limbs, thick as ancient trees, snaked across the cavern floor and climbed the walls, connecting to a network of glowing purple crystals embedded in the rock face. The crystals pulsed with an otherworldly light, casting an eerie, shifting luminescence on the cavern.
In the distance, a swirling vortex of violet energy thrummed at the heart of the machine. It pulsed rhythmically, drawing power from the network of crystals like a monstrous heart drawing blood. And atop the machine, silhouetted against the swirling energy, sat a creature unlike anything they had ever encountered in their darkest nightmares. It was vaguely humanoid, a twisted mockery of the human form. Its body seemed to be composed of the same violet metal as the machine, its surface etched with glowing glyphs that pulsed with an inner light. Two enormous, skeletal wings, each the size of a small ship, spread out behind it, catching the refracted light of the crystals and casting grotesque, dancing shadows across the cavern walls. Its head was shrouded in the swirling vortex, but two burning purple points of light, like malevolent embers, glowed from the darkness. The air crackled with a malevolent energy.
As they stood there, frozen in a mixture of awe and terror, the whispers that had haunted them throughout the tunnels reached a crescendo. They were no longer faint hisses, but a deafening chorus that echoed through the cavern, vibrating in their chests and rattling their bones.
"The Elder One awakens..." the whispers boomed. "Prepare yourselves, mortals, for your judgment is at hand!"