Chapter II: Ancient Decay

The stairs ended, leading to a long hallway. Past the hall was a small balcony, and a yawning chasm opened before them.

As Selene stood at the balcony and peered below, she found she couldn't see anything in spite of her dark attuned vision.

"Huh," she whispered, "I can't see anything."

"That's weird, neither can I," Ari whispered back.

"Hmm," Jezran said after a moment's study, "It appears the area below is mired in some kind of enchanted shadow. Thankfully, I have a spell that can fix this."

He pulled out his focus, summoning a small orb of light in his empty hand. Jezran gripped the orb tightly and tossed it into the air. As the orb hit the apex of his throw, the light grew by several magnitudes, lighting up the room below.

"Wow," Selene said.

Jezran smirked, "Yeah, best part is I can move it however I want and it lasts a whole hour!"

"Hopefully it does not alert anyone down here to our presence," Argent muttered.

Jezran grimaced but explained, "Maybe, but this light also has the added benefit of breaking through enchanted darkness. Which we'll need if we run into any more."

The light--having purged the darkness--illuminated the room below. Beneath the balcony was an empty chamber, save for a fetid pool and the large carcass of a dead creature floating atop the murk.

The pool covered the majority of the floor. The liquid within appeared thick, almost more a sludge or mucus than water. The floor outside the pool seemed to slant downwards as it approached the pool, suggesting the pool was far deeper than it appeared.

The carcass, which had appeared to be floating from above, actually sank to the bottom of the pool. Only a portion of the carcass could be seen, the rest was lost in the murk in the pool. What they could see appeared to be some kind of colossal fish, with tentacles sprouting across its body.

Strangely, the carcass showed little sign of decay save the blackened skin. As if it were mummified by the essence of the pool.

As Selene stared deep into the murky depths, she noticed a strange light glimmered faintly near the bottom.

Behind the carcass were ornate depictions illustrating similar creatures. At the center stood one of those creatures, the one that Jezran called a Sep'tha. Behind them all was a depiction of a beast dwarfing all others, tentacles outstretched and gaping maws all across its body. A single eye sat in the center of its forehead, shimmering like a crown jewel directly above the Sep'tha.

The walls and ceiling rose high above them, disappearing in the darkness. Despite their age, the walls showed no sign of faults or imperfections. Just a perfectly flat, white surface leading up into darkness.

As they descended the stairs leading to the bottom, no exits could be seen.

"Well, that's great. We're trapped with a bloated fish corpse deep underground." Selene muttered.

"What should we do? Should we turn back?" Ari asked.

"Yes, perhaps we could dig out stairway if we're careful?" Hamish suggested.

"Wait," Argent said, "Up there."

They all looked to see that there was another balcony, but it was significantly taller than the one they came from.

"I have a rope," Selene declared, "But I have no idea how we get it up there."

Argent eyed the balcony, then the rope, "It's a little short, but I think we can use it and boost you and Jezran up, if needed. Unfortunately, we have no means to hold it fast once it's up there. So someone needs to make it up before we can climb it."

Selene sighed, "Ah, so we just need to climb the walls like a spider then."

Jezran grimaced, "Unfortunately, I actually don't have that spell on me. Sorry."

"That's fine," Argent said, "We can find another way."

A few options were suggested.

"What if Hamish throws me up there? I can grab the side and tie the rope," Selene offered.

Everyone was silent for a moment.

"Uh. Hm..." Jezran mumbled.

"It's...interesting." Ari said, diplomatically.

"Hamish, do you want to say something?" Argent asked.

Hamish thought for a moment, his hand stroking his beard, "A good plan, my friend. But throwing you so far will mean I have to throw very hard...is likely you get hurt."

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Selene thought for a moment, she really thought it would be cool, but she was also not interested in ending up a stain on the wall.

It was not an easy choice.

Before Selene could make up her mind, Ari spoke up. "I..." she said, hesitating, "I think I can reach it."

Next time. Selene thought to herself as she filed her idea away for later.

Jezran's eyes widened, "Really, how would you-?"

Argent held up his hand, silencing the wizard. He turned to Ari, but said nothing.

Ari met his gaze. After a moment, Argent sighed, then nodded.

Ari turned back to the rest of the group, "I can shapechange, and I know a form that can get up there. Should be strong enough to hold the rope too."

"Oh, that could work." Jezran said.

"Why didn't you mention it earlier?" Selene asked, confused.

"I..." Ari hesitated, "It's complicated."

"We can discuss this another time." Argent's tone suggested an end to the conversation, "Whenever you're ready, Ari."

Ari nodded, then raised her hands into the air. The change was quick, Selene barely caught feathers growing from Ari's limbs before suddenly a massive bird stood in her place. Ari was now some kind of giant owl, now standing even taller than Hamish. Her feathers were a pure white, like winter's snow, save her wings, speckled with black bars. Her eyes opened, revealing two vibrant cerulean irises staring down at Selene.

"Wow." Selene whispered, absentmindedly reaching out to touch the feathers. They were soft and warm like a cozy quilt.

Ari squeaked and took a step back, feathers ruffled.

"Please don't touch her without permission," Argent said, "She's not able to communicate in this form, but she's still Ari."

Selene nodded, then turned back to her, "Sorry."

Ari squawked, which Selene took to mean she was forgiven.

"Is it alright if I put the rope around your leg?" Selene asked.

Ari made a trilling sound, and moved her leg forward for Selene to tie the rope. Her legs and feet were covered in the same brilliant white feathers as the rest of her body, with large black talons jutting from each toe.

Pulling the rope out of her bag, she tied one end to Ari's outstretched leg.

After she finished her knot, Argent called out, "Now everyone, get back to the staircase. She'll need as much room as possible to fly up there."

Once everyone was safely away, Ari spread out her massive wings, seeming to cover the entire room, then shot up into the air. She flew through the air quickly, but clumsily. The room was clearly not large enough for her to comfortably fly, but she managed to make do until she reached the balcony above, transforming back into her human form.

After a few moments she called down, "Okay, you should be able to climb up, just go one at a time!"

The roped dangled several feet off the ground, higher than Selene could reach.

"Best if I go last. I can help others reach rope." Hamish said.

"Why don't you go first, Selene?" Argent suggested.

Selene nodded.

"Excuse me, my friend," Hamish said as he grabbed her waist and lifted her up to the rope. Climbing the rope was a simple feat for Selene, and she made it to the top in short order.

Selene pulled herself up and looked around. Ari sat in the hallway, leaving room for the rest of the party on the balcony. Selene joined Ari in the hallway, sitting next to her.

The two sit in silence for a time, waiting for the rest of the party to climb up.

"Hey Ari," Selene said, after a moment, "I have a question."

Ari, who had been resting quietly, jumped slightly as Selene called her name.

"What is it?" Ari asked.

"Your owl form is..." Selene thought a moment for the right word, "really big right?"

Ari was quiet for a moment, then said, "Sure..."

"Could someone... I don't know, my size...ride on your back?"

Ari's face flushed a crimson to match her hair, "I...uh...I've never done it before...buuuut, theoretically...yes?"

Selene's eyes brightened, she rose to her feet and turned to Ari, her tail swishing beneath her cloak as she asked, "Could I maybe...get a ride some time?"

Ari was quiet for a moment, thinking the matter over, "If we can find a way to make sure you stay on...okay."

"Really?!?" Selene said, far louder than she intended.

Ari shushed her, but nodded, "Yes, but only after we make sure you'd be safe. I've never done it before, so I can't guarantee what will happen."

Selene nodded, giddy at the thought.

Jezran soon appeared at the top, breathing heavily, followed by Argent.

"Everyone is up, Hamish, you can start climbing," Argent called down.

Hamish did not respond, but he was up shortly.

He pulled the rope up behind him and handed it to Selene with a grin, "Is good rope, Selene. It can even carry big half-orc monks."

"Of course, I carry nothing but the best," Selene said, full of false bravado. In reality, she was just as thankful as Hamish that it managed to carry his weight.

Once the rope was safely secured back to Selene's pack, the party headed into the hallway.

The path was dark, even for those with eyes accustomed to the dark, but since the path had no diverging hallways, it was still relatively manageable. Jezran, at the back, called his light to follow them. It shrunk back to its original size and hovered over his shoulder.

The hallway continued down its path until it came to a sudden stop. Before them was a massive opening, leading to the endless pitch black of the underground.

"Jezran, can you block your light without breaking the spell?" Argent asked, scanning the room as best he could, though it was unlikely he saw much of anything in a room so vast. "We should still expect a trap down here, and there's no reason to announce our entrance."

Jezran nodded, pulling his hat off his head and stuffing the light inside before putting it back on.

The party decided then to rest here while taking turns on watch. No one slept, but the moment's respite was needed after the descent and the climb up the rope. Another portion of rations were handed out, but it was decided they would need to switch to half and quarter rations when possible.

"We do not know how long we'll be down here, but it may take a while to find a path back to the surface," Argent reasoned.

Selene sighed, she enjoyed the feeling of a full stomach, but it was not the first time she had been forced to ration. If it meant they would make it out of here in one piece, that would be enough.

But only time would tell.