Novels2Search

Chapter 9

Advancing once again towards the Memory Loss Cave, each member of the party is unsettled by the experience of their split consciousness having differing memories of the area. Moving into the cavern proper, Beler guards the entrance while the others examine the pillar of energy.

Keeping a safe distance between themselves and the phenomena, Nalda, Damin and Hernan each approach and inspect it. After several minutes of contemplation, all three agree that they have no insights on what it is or what could be causing it.

Having exhausted any obvious avenues of investigation for the site, Hernan suggests hunting for the kobold’s lair in the area around the road and the group carefully withdraws.

---

After wandering for hours in a search pattern, the adventurers glance at one another as they look down the broad, dirt path leading into the gully. A huge number of footsteps show this to be a well trafficked area, and the various entrances along the sides of the wall beckon ominously as the wind whistles through the ravine.

This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Some of the higher cave entrances have skull decorations around them, removing any possibility that this is an uninhabited wilderness area.

Examining the footsteps in the dirt, smaller imprints lead to and from the nearest entrance on the ground floor of the gully. Moving carefully towards it, the entire party has the sense of being watched.

Staring into the blackness of the cavern, Hernan and Yenser are able to use their infravision to see its depths. Emerging from the darkness, faint indigo hues begin to resolve themselves into cool stone walls, floor and ceiling. They see the passage continues for 20 feet, then branches off to both sides of the passage. The absence of red heat signatures reassure the elf and halfling that nothing alive is waiting for them inside. After a brief conference, the group lights two torches for the humans to be able to see and they begin to move into the passage.

Moving along the passage with Beler and Damin in front, Yenser and Nalda in the middle and Hernan bring up the rear, they walk into the intersection and the floor drops away beneath Beler and Damin. Both scramble to catch themselves, with Beler succeeding in grabbing the lip while Damin falls into the newly opened pit.

A loud crashing noise echoes down the halls from the pit opening, then, with only Beler’s weight holding them down, the lid bounces back and pushes her back to ground level. A loud click is heard as Damin is sealed below.

“I’m ok, just a little banged up,” they hear her muffled shout from below, followed immediately by a clatter and banging noise to the east. Something has heard them!