Not a corpse in the room could be identified as someone they could recognize. Thage could only imagine the worst might have happened. Her sister... Was she among these morbid remains? What about the other faces she knew? The old woman at the inn, Helen, or the little boy that would climb the wagons almost every afternoon. Everyone from town was supposed to be here, only that something went horribly wrong.

"We need to leave," Romin muttered with a trembling voice. "Whoever is on the road or still in town, we must warn them."

Thage turned on her heel, ready to oblige. Yet, movement in the shadows ahead caused her to hesitate. Then, there came a piercing screech, as if the banshees of hell were denying them their departure.

"Damnit," Romin growled. "They're blocking the exit."

"What is it?" Thage hesitated, and a part of her wish she hadn't asked.

"Blood hawks. Run!"

Romin ushered for her to hurry down the corridor, before he would follow. As a hunter, perhaps it was best for him to be the one to hold them off. Thage's feet took her as quickly as they could into the depths of the cathedral, all while trying to dodge the debris of dead bodies along the way. The flickering ball of fire would levitate ahead of her now, steered by a hand just out of arm's reach so she could see further ahead.

The screams and the tornado of batting wings behind them echoed of the walls, giving the false sensation that they came from every direction. She could faintly hear Romin hollering behind her to just keep going.

At this point, Thage had no idea where she was headed. She had never been this far back into the cathedral, which she knew only through word of mouth went miles beneath the surface of earth.

She went towards the stairs that would take them down - not because she was driven by curiosity, but simply because she hoped that following the path with no sight of blood on the ground would be safer.

The stone steps were steep and old, cracked in numerous spots, but Thage still moved quickly, nearly out of breath. Once she reached the bottom of the stairs, she finally turned around. The flapping wings of the blood hawks was rather faint now, but there resided another problem.

Where was Romin?

"Oh, no..." Thage panted, hurrying up the steps from where she came. She didn't want to call out too loudly, lest those red-feathered fiends track her and resume the chase. Had he fallen behind, or did he take another turn? She had never heard him yell in pain, and nor did she hear the sound of feasting raptors, so perhaps he was close by.

The sorceress doubled back with caution, and her spherical lantern would continue to light the way. Her hopes held high. Romin knew how to take care of himself in the area of survival. He was an exceptional fighter.

She wished she could say the same for her sister, as Kayara was merely a healer, not a hunter of a any kind. Thage's spirit was starting to hinder from this thought, and soon, the fireball began to dim as well. Light still remained, but only just.

Thage swallowed nervously. Her fear was affecting her ability to cast, and if she didn't pull herself together, she would never get out of this hell-lavished place alive. She stopped, taking a moment to collect her thoughts. She whispered words of comfort to herself, closing her eyes as she would lean into the stone wall. Beside her, the glowing light would come back to life again, stronger than before. She could feel its warmth, but before she finished her incantation, she heard something stir. Thage fell silent, her wide, green eyes staring into the black void ahead of her.

Then, from the corner to her right, she saw a crossbow beindlg held out by a man's hand. She remained silent, holding her breath. It most certainly wasn't Romin - nor was it anyone she recognized. She had no weapon of any kind, aside from her source of light, so remaining passive was her best bet right now.

The man's head turned, and he looked right at her. Then, he gave a big grin.

He was a man with dark, short hair, and "Well, well. There you are. Most certainly not the ugly mage I was expecting to see."

"... I'm sorry?"

"No, don't be! I heard your whispering your...uh...spell or what have you, and thought for sure you might have been one of those blood mages. You don't look insane, so I think that's a good sign."

Thage gathered herself quickly, pulling herself away from the wall. "Mages? Is that what's down here? Is that what happened to everyone up there?"

"Look, I'm not an expert detective. I just know that there's a very valuable treasure on the floor beneath us, and every bit of it is mine. But," he added slowly, "stick with me, and you'll make it back out alive. Maybe I'll even share a bit of it with you."

"I'm not interested in riches. I'm just trying to find my friend."

"Is she pretty, too?"

Thage was taken aback by this stranger's forwardness, but at the same time, she almost laughed. "His name is Romin."

"Oh, that's unfortunate." He looked serious now, and perhaps even slightly apologetic. "My name is Lyndon."

"Thage," she answered shortly.

"What do you have there in that basket, Thage?"

She paused for a moment, having not realized that she had been carrying the basket of bread with her the entire time. She had been clenching it to herself so tightly, it tremendously wrinkled her blouse. Lyndon pulled back the cloth underneath the handle, and he sounded an "ooh" as he saw the bread inside, and picked a roll out for himself.

This man had absolutely no manners whatsoever.

But, as it seemed that there would be no celebration, there was no need to protect it so much. Thage followed suit, nibbling into a piece of bread as well. It did help with her nerves, anyway.

"So, what brings a lovely little lady like yourself all the way down here?"

Hardly having noticed his slightly flirtatious remark, she answered. "Well, there was supposed to be a gathering in the cathedral to celebrate the rebirth of Tristram, but..."

"Horrible planning," Lyndon said, but then was quick to realize his statement may have been rather impolite. "They were your people up there, then. I'm...sorry for your loss."

"I'm just looking for my friend. He would have been carrying a dagger. Dark hair like yours, but clean cut. Have you seen him?"

"No, I'm afraid you're the only person I've seen since I've been down here that hasn't tried to kill me." Lyndon then gave a somewhat warming smile framed with his dark, facial hair. He propped his crossbow on his right shoulder.

"But, not all hope is lost. This is a big place. Tell you what. We'll both look for him."