The ride on Charon's boat was silent, the only sounds being the rhythmic paddling of the oar through the blood-red waters. Within a few breathless seconds of departing the vessel began to gradually sink down to the river, the waters filling the boat, and before long, the vision of its riders.
The Syndicate's next sensation was a collective gasp of air as they resurfaced to an entirely new sight - gone were the swirling oranges, purples, and greens of Carceri, replaced instead with a sky of dingy oranges and browns, the light burning down from above blotted out by countless creatures flying through the skies at every height imaginable...to call it chaos would be devaluing the the word. Small pockets of destruction dotted the skyline as hordes of lesser demons and devils clashed, the Blood War fully dominating the first layer of the Abyss. Below the tormented skies, harsh slabs of rock rose up from the ground, creating inhospitable terrain that was perfect for the warzone that it supported.
Behind Lance, Zaelynir let out a sigh. "Welcome...to Pazunia."
"And your payment takes you this far, travelers. This vessel carries you no further." Charon stuck his oar in the water, slowing the boat down and pulling it to the side of the river. "You will leave now."
Lance nodded, standing up and getting out of the boat, his feet resting on the cracked dirt ground. The others followed quickly behind him, leaving Charon's boat empty as the spectre paddled on, sinking back down beneath the waters.
The rogue looked to Zaelynir, whose expression was a mix of relief as well as sadness. "Where do we have to go?"
"Orcus' layer, assuming he's there, is Thanatos...the one hundred and thirteenth." Zaelynir looked around, spotting the various landmarks around him. "Thankfully, each layer of the Abyss isn't extraordinarily large...it's more that nobody knows how many of them there are. The other problem is that you don't know which plane you're entering when you walk through the portals here, and many are one-way. It's been...a while since I was here, but I think I know the way."
"And if you don't?"
"Then we find another portal and exit as quickly as we can. Many portals in the lower layers will either lead to an adjacent one or back to Pazunia. Believe me, I've taken the wrong portal plenty of times...I'll know how to get us back to here."
Lance let out a sigh - he still struggled to look the others in the eye. "Zaelynir...we're out of time. We can't afford wrong turns."
"Well then I'm sorry everyone...but I have something that I have to do. Alone, if necessary." All eyes turned to Shavvir as she continued speaking. "Lolth commanded me to surveil her domain, and make sure that her planar neighbors weren't setting foot in her realm. I understand our time dilemma, but my decision to follow her was very recently...I cannot, in good conscience, turn my back on her demands."
Phyrra actually showed a look of surprise - the drow knew it was common for Lolth to issue demands of her followers, but one of this magnitude, one so personal to Lolth's being...that was incredibly rare. Even she'd not set foot in Lolth's plane, despite the years of servitude she'd shown to her Queen. And yet, despite all of that...she knew Lance's troubles. They were out of time. They couldn't afford detours. "What if we were to return after our current events were resolved?"
The shadar-kai shook her head. "I was told to go "without delay". I...you know more about Her ways than I do, Phyrra. I can only assume testing her patience will not go well."
"No, it will not...so I'll go with you. Zaelynir, do you know where Lolth's domain is?"
He nodded. "I've...carried out missions against Lolth in the past. I can show you how to get in and how to get back out. You should be able to meet us in - "
"No." Lance cut off the incubus, shaking his head furiously. "We're not splitting up. Not again."
Phyrra's expression turned to shock, immediately trying to comfort the clearly-tormented half-elf. "Lance, it's okay...with directions, we'll be able to - "
"Wake is dead because...because I wasn't there! Because I agreed to leave him. He's dead because I abandoned him, and I'm not letting any of you out of my sights ever again!" By the end of it, Lance has subconsciously grabbed Blink, his knuckles white as he clutched the blade. "If we all have to go to Lolth's domain then so be it...but I will not let someone else die." His breathing was heavy as he forced back the tears that he knew were trying to push their way out.
The group stood in silence for a few seconds, shocked by the rogue's outburst. Phyrra was the first to move, walking over to the rogue and wrapping her arms around her in a warm hug. "I understand Lance...we're not going to leave, alright? We'll be right here. Okay?"
Lance broke down, immediately sobbing into Phyrra's arms as the emotions poured through him. It was an awkward moment, the tenderness between the two of them contrasted by the reverberating sounds of violence and war that dominated Pazunia. After a minute Lance pulled away, wiping the last of the tears off his cheeks. "Are there any opposed to travelling to Lolth's domain first?" Phyrra and Shavvir shook their heads, quickly followed by Maul and finally Zaelynir. "Okay...then we're in agreement. Zaelynir, how do we get there?"
"Lolth is a curious one...her court, where I assume you're meant to go, is known as the Court of the Spider Queen, the sixty-fifth layer. However, it's one of the few known layers that don't have a known portal to it from Pazunia. Instead, you have to travel to the entrance of her domain, The Demonweb Pits...the sixty-sixth layer. We'll have to go through there, enter her court, and then come all the way back to here. It will certainly take a bit...but it sounds like that is our plan, yes?"
Lance nodded. "It is...so where do we go?"
Zaelynir gave a sly smile. "Right this way. The Demonweb pits aren't particularly close to our current location, so it will be a bit of a haul...still, we can make good time so long as we don't get caught up in the War?"
Maul was quick to respond, surveying the skies and the endless bloodshed that lived within it. "And this war rages perpetually?"
The incubus nodded. "Yes. Some of the lower layers are consumed by it at various times, but Pazunia never escapes from the Blood War, just like we saw on Avernus. Right now…" Zaelynir's eyes scanned the horizon, taking note of what he saw. "I'd say it's about even. When the War is Devil-favored, this layer is a death sentence for demons until we've turned the tide."
"And how are such odds surmountable?"
"We're in the infinite planes of the Abyss, dear Maul...not a single soul that's ever walked the planes knows how many there are. The devils can hunt us, spread their resources thin trying to quell our numbers, but more spring out from elsewhere. Eventually, we manage to clean up the mess on Pazunia, and rally back into Avernus. The fight remains on their turf for some time until they manage to push us back, and the cycle repeats itself."
"Why bother repeating such a cycle?"
The question was simple...and yet, it caught Zaelynir off guard for just a moment. Once he'd recovered, a hardened look came across his face, something almost never seen on the incubus. "Of everyone here, I'd actually expect you, whose kind traveled to Acheron in order to wage their war, would understand. Now, let's stop with the inane chatter and start with finding precious Lolth." Zaelynir immediately took to the skies with a beat of his wings, staying well within sight of the others as he scouted the area. Lance and the others began to follow him as he soared across the sky, making for wherever they were being taken.
Compared to the other places they'd been, traversing Pazunia didn't involve much hardship - much of the Blood War took place in the skies, but there were several instances where it broke out on the ground. The group did their best to avoid getting absorbed into the War, knowing full well that it could draw them in, and distract them from their goal. Zaelynir kept to the skies, fending off his own portion of devils, seeing him as one of their enemy flying about through the skies. After perhaps a half-hour of travel, the incubus crashed back down to the ground in a huff.
"I should have expected they'd see me...One second." Zaelynir closed his eyes, his body contorting as changes took over him once again. Black feathers began sprouting across his entire body, his wings lengthening slightly as the ebony down consumed them. His face shifted, becoming unsightly for a few moments until settling into the visage of a bird - an Aarakocra, more precisely. The changes continued down his body, taking on a more feminine appearance as his waist collapsed slightly while his hips took a wider stance. The changes continued further down towards his feet, currently trapped within boots that were consumed by the shapeshifting, revealing horrific, twisted feet that quickly settled into claws.
Once the changes finished their final touches, Zaelynir turned to the rest of the group, harsh, nasally words coming from his beak. "This should give us - give me - the cover we need. We're getting closer, let's make good pace, and hope that the war hasn't stretched into Lolth's realm." Zaelynir took to the air once more, her new guise seeming to avoid detection better than before.
And thus, the Syndicate continued to travel. The war still found them, as it always would, but they handled it in turn, Maul fending off the majority of the imps and other lesser devils that found their way to them. They'd managed to avoid the gaze of many of the larger fiends that they saw either in the skies or wandering the rocky terrain, such creatures being swarmed by the enemy too much to seek the Syndicate out.
Their journey wound them through Pazunia, trekking across barren deserts riddled with the bones of creatures long forgotten, crags weathered by both time and war, and mountains stained by the blood of the countless creatures that died upon its slopes. Many times they fended off devils, demons and occasionally, both sides of the War seeing them as intruders, and a threat. As they went they grew weary from the repeated conflicts, the blazing sky slowly turning darker as night quickly approached. Zaelynir swooped down, joining the group after having fended off her share of adversaries for the day.
"We're not far from the Demonweb Pits, perhaps an hour's journey. Dearest Lance, what's the play?"
He gestured towards the sky. "If we enter it, will it be night there?"
The aarakocra shrugged. "Impossible to tell. Day and night travel differently across each layer, and we won't know what the sixty-sixth layer holds until it's too late to reconsider."
Lance paused for a moment, thinking to himself as he looked around towards the sky. "Let's press on, if everyone else is agreeable to it. Whatever rest we try to get here won't be much, given the fighting. Even if we reach Lolth's domain and find it daytime, we can try to get a better rest, and tackle the challenges in the morning. Any opposed?" Silence hung in the air for a few seconds, causing Lance to nod towards Zaelynir. "Lead on."
Wordlessly the Aarakocra took to the skies, continuing in the same direction they'd been going for hours. Soaring past one of the jutting rocks that protruded from the ground around them ducking out of sight for only a moment...just to be sent hurtling back into view along with a jet of crimson fire, torching the Aarakocra as it hurtled to the ground. Lance and the others immediately charged after Zaelynir, still quite far out from where they'd seen her get assaulted. As they ran towards her another blast bellowed forth, this one a fiery eruption that detonated in space, sending Zaelynir crashing to the ground. Lance hurled Blink forward, trying to gain some ground as Shavvir grabbed Phyrra, both of them teleporting forward as Maul simply charged ahead. As they began to convene on Zaelynir's location, they saw their adversary...a Pit Fiend. It soared into the air with a vicious, barbed mace held overhead, slamming it into the ground where Zaelynir had fallen.
Lance hurled Blink forward once more, this time embedding the weapon into the wing of the massive devil. He teleported to it, his weight forcing the dagger down the thin flesh of its wing, tearing a large gash into it until he was sent falling to the ground by a flap of its wings. Behind him, Shavvir donned her icy, arachnid armor, charging forth and swinging Everlife at the fiend.
Phyrra came up behind her, holding up a vessel carved with spider-like figures upon it "Algath!" As soon as the word was uttered a beam of divine light descended upon her, wrapping her in an aura that illuminated her surroundings like a midday sun. She continued running forward until both Shavvir and the devil were bathed in its light, the latter recoiling at the mere power rolling off of the drow.
Lance continued trying to push the tempo in their favor, teleporting up onto the Pit Fiend as he plunged his dagger into its back, letting out a bolt of necrotic energy that twisted around to strike further down its body. The fiend reacted by reaching a hand behind it, quickly finding the rogue and taking hold of him. Lance simply dropped his weapon, letting it tumble to the ground before teleporting it, ducking out of the way just in time to avoid the ball of fire that flew from Zaelynir. The fiend seemed to completely ignore the eruption, searching for Lance as it swung its mace.
"Aktha!" Phyrra's word caused the aura to let out a piercing light in the direction of the fiend. Its eyes turned white as its mace narrowly missed Lance, the fiend stumbling back, searching around frantically. "Attack it while it's vulnerable!"
As if on queue, Maul finally caught up with the rest of the group, his weapon held over his shoulder as he sent it slamming into the beast's leg, bones cracking on impact as he doubled down, bringing the weapon back up and pushing forward with his shield. The others were actually taken back - from a distance, it almost looked like the warforged was able to move the fiend, despite it being tens of times his size. It wasn't much, just a few feet, but it gave Maul the leverage to take a step back, bringing back his next swing on the same bones, which turned from broken to simply shattered. The beast flapped its wings, taking to the air with one of its legs limply dangling towards the ground.
As it rose up, a line of fire erupted from its hands that surrounded the party, trapping all but Maul inside a circle of flames. It stayed in the air, sending a blast of fire towards them that detonated outwards, consuming the group in fire. Maul charged forwards as he saw a second fireball flying towards them, pushing through the flames as they licked at his exterior plating, activating his twinned cores as a dome of protective energy surrounded them. The fireball erupted around it, blocking their vision for the time being as the fire surrounded the dome before fading.
"Defensive stance initiated."
Phyrra scrambled to her feet, rushing over towards the very-battered body of Zaelynir. She pressed a hand to the torched aarakocra's feathers, bestowing some health upon her. "Zaelynir...how do we fight this thing?"
"I don't do much with fighting devils like these...I find it best to avoid them, stick to the shadows. They don't seem to mind fire, and I don't think we can afford to fight it head on like this."
Phyrra looked to the sky, at another fireball that blazed down upon them. Maul's barrier was actually starting to show signs of breaking, something she didn't know it was even capable of doing. "I'll handle it." She walked over to Shavvir, taking her hand. "I need you to come with me if this doesn't work...because whether this does or doesn't work, I'm going to die when I hit the ground."
Shavvir's eyes widened. "I...I trust you. Let's go."
Phyrra nodded, taking both of them through another Dimension Door, flying up and onto the Pit Fiend's back.
"Cado!"
Phyrra shouted the word...Shavvir recognized it, back on Avernus. Back then, she'd used it to obliterate a horde of lesser demons. Against a devil of this power it…
Suddenly, they were both in freefall, the Pit Fiend seemingly gone. Shavvir instantly understood Phyrra's meaning, teleporting them both safely back to the ground before turning around to the drow. "What did you do to it?"
Phyrra gave a sly smile. "Like I said, that word was used to create universes...it's more than capable of sending that fiend back to its home."
"Can you teach me?"
Phyrra caught herself for a second, shaking her head. "I'm afraid that's something Lolth passed on to me...it is a discussion you would need to have with Her. For now, the threat is gone, and won't be returning anytime soon...we should make haste while we have the opening."
Shavvir nodded before turning back to Lance, gesturing onwards. Zaelynir took to the skies once again, beating her avian wings as she searched for the portal. The Syndicate continued their travel for another half-hour or so until the group saw Zaelynir's form circling overhead, a stark contrast to the direct flying that they'd been watching all day. The group hurried their pace, drawing closer until Zaelynir was practically overhead. The aarakocra dropped to the ground in a dive, spreading her wings at the last minute into a graceful landing. As she landed, her form shifted once again, her abdomen widening and shoulders broadening as his usual masculine features took over once more. His feet and face contorted horrifically for a scarce few moments as avian features gave way to the fiend's usual visage, until at last Zaelynir was back in his usual form once again. "Well darlings, we're not far now. So long as I've kept my bearings, which I have, we're right down this tunnel and straight into Lolth's turf." The incubus pointed towards a cavern that had naturally formed within the rocks, pointing down until it was too dark to consider seeing. "Should be a ten minute's journey, maximum."
Lance nodded, heading down the tunnel with the rest of the group behind him. Zaelynir stayed side-by-side with the half-elf, holding an orb of fire in his hand as they traversed the cavern. It was more a tunnel than anything else - no branching paths to speak of, simply looking like it had been carved out in order to make it to the eventual portal.
As they continued to descend, Phyrra and Shavvir were quick to notice the spiderwebs that began to creep up along the stone walls - at first, fairly sporadic, but drawing more dense with each passing second. Eventually, Shavvir broke the silence, commenting on it. "Do the portals usually...spill over, like this?"
"Think of it less as 'spilling over', deary, and more of the residents making their mark. Every denizen of the Demonweb Pits and beyond has to go through here to return...eventually, the exteriors of the portal start looking remarkably similar to the actual layer itself."
"And is that how you find Thanatos every time?"
Zaelynir chuckled. "Well, it certainly helps...Thanatos isn't nearly as secluded as this, it's out in a field with several other portals in relatively close proximity. However, the bones clustered around it do tend to set it apart from the others."
"Bones?"
"Oh honey, have I not taught you about my Lord yet?" Zaelynir emphasized the phrase, leaning into it further. "Your queen may be the ruler of spiders, but Orcus holds immense rule over undeath. Skeletons, zombies, and abominations far worse...all of them live under his purview. He isn't the only one on Thanatos, of course, but he does draw the attention of many creatures, both demonic and mortal alike, that have similar interests in necromancy."
To this, Lance actually responded. "Then why haven't you shown such tendencies?"
Zaelynir chuckled. "Oh...I have." He reached into his belongings, pulling out a staff, about one foot long that quickly extended to its full length of five feet with a short gesture. As it expanded it revealed a red gem on its tip surrounded by two bat wings, with intricate filigree that decorated the length of the staff. "I have some sway over the undead, but not nearly enough for Orcus to find suitable. I prefer to stick more to conjuration...I'm sure you've seen my darling demons running amuck a few times. I can't say I've focused on one area of magic for long...most of what I've learned has been for whatever my previous occupation requires. Chaos, confusion, disarray...and of course, death."
"Then why choose to serve under him?"
Again, Zaelynir chuckled. "That, darling Lance, will have to wait for another time. We're here, after all." The incubus pointed ahead, pointing out the obvious portal that was set to one side of the tunnel before it came to an abrupt end shortly thereafter. As they'd been travelling the spiderwebs had only grown larger and more dense, until now almost the entirety of the walls and ceiling were covered by them.
However, Phyrra noticed something beyond that...something that only she'd recognize from her time serving Lolth. The drow walked over towards the webs, grazing her hand across it. "These are recently created. The silk is fresh, no more than a week old. Why would it all be - " Phyrra stopped, scrubbing aside a portion of the web as it clung to her glove, her breath catching in her throat as she saw what was beneath it. Scorch marks stained the walls, Phyrra clearing away a larger swathe as she uncovered even more wreckage beneath it. "There was a conflict here. Potentially a large one."
"Then we'd best be careful. We can make camp here for the time being. There's no escape route, but also no chance for an ambush...and potentially we can see if any more of Lolth's assailants come wandering in. Let's all keep a close watch." Shavvir turned to Zaelynir as the shadar-kai began shedding her gear for the night. "What entities in nearby layers might be able to wage an attack on Lolth. Something near the middle sixty layers, perhaps?"
Zaelynir began shedding her belongings as the group settled in for the night, thinking. "Nothing immediately comes to mind. The sixty-seventh layer was constantly in tumult and saw no formal leadership, and the sixty-eighth is one of the few discovered layers known to be completely barren. No known plane connects directly to the Court of the Spider Queen...and unfortunately, not much is known about the layers in the lower sixties. This might be an outside entity, one of Lolth's old rivals. That, unfortunately, is not my area of expertise."
Shavvir turned to Phyrra. "Would you know anything about that?"
"Lolth is part of a greater pantheon known as the Dark Seldarine...commonly known as the drow pantheon. There is the Seldarine, the gods for many other races of elves...but they mainly contain themselves to the Feywild or the upper planes, I don't think they'd dare enter the Abyss due to Lolth's absence. She…" Phyrra drifted off, trying to recall the vast array of knowledge she'd gained about her deity over the millenia. "She did have a dispute with Gruumsh, notably...however, we saw him on Acheron, so I think that's doubtful. Of course, many of the other native deities in the underdark opposed Her and the drow, but even then I don't know if they'd take action to this degree. I'm afraid this might be a victim of opportunity...though it would require them to know that Lolth was missing in order to make their attack."
Shavvir finally turned to Lance, the rogue finishing laying out his belongings. "Lance...I'm sorry to ask this...but would you know if your...if Sariel had any secret contact with any low - "
"I'm going to stop you right there." Lance's usual expression hardened, though Shavvir could tell it wasn't directed at her. "I separated from Sariel as soon as I could. She hated me, and pushed me away as many times as I came crawling to her. Whatever it is you think I might know about her, I don't."
"I...I understand, and I'm sorry for asking. We know that Empyria has contact with entities in the lower planes...our confrontation in the Nine Hells proved that. Perhaps they tipped off someone here to Her absence. They clearly had time to spread information. In that case, we might be entering into an ambush."
"Then we kill every last one of them." Lance's expression grew even more sour, his knuckles white from his tight grip.
"Lance, that's not - "
"My brother is dead, Phyrra. Dead. I watched his lifeless body get shredded so that we five could stand where we are today. I'm not wasting his sacrifice...I'm not. If someone is in there, waiting for us, then they're in for a storm."
As Lance spoke, he heard his brother's parting words dance in the back of his mind: "Be a light for the others. I think they'll need it now, more than ever." For a moment, his anger faltered...but he pushed it away. It was Empyria's fault that he was dead...and if they were the foes before them, then they would pay for Wake's loss. He could "be a light" when his brother's killers had been slaughtered.
"I'm killing every Empyrean that I see. Don't bother getting in my way. I don't want to have to kill you, too." Lance turned his back from the group, taking the few short steps to the back of the wall of the tunnel, sitting on the ground. "Get your rest. I'll keep watch."
"Lance, do you - "
"Get. Your. Rest."
Phyrra solemnly nodded, her eyes drooping to the floor as she settled in for sleep. The others moved in turn until Lance was alone in the darkness, staring out towards the tunnel ahead of him.
His watch was plagued by anger - visions flashing through his mind of him slaughtering Empyreans in dozens, perhaps even hundreds of ways, carving a path of death and destruction as they trudged through The Demonweb Pits. At some point, it stopped being about retribution for his brother...it simply devolved into self-indulgent hatred, simply visualizing himself slaughtering various humanoids for the thrill it sent through his mind and the race of his heart.
Lance lost track of time, falling deep into his own thoughts...it wasn't until he felt a hand on his shoulder that he snapped back to reality, instinctively lashing at the foreign contact before realizing it was Phyrra. The drow smiled, taking her hand and letting go. "It's okay, Lance. You can go to sleep now. I'll take it from here."
"Okay." Lance scooted to the side, letting Phyrra take over as he slid back to his belongings, falling into a restless sleep. Phyrra's watch passed uneventfully, the rotation continued until soon everyone was rousing from their slumber.
Zaelynir looked around as the Syndicate finished repacking their belongings. "We venture in today, yes?"
Wake nodded. "That is the plan."
"Well then dearies, best not to waste too much time. Who wants to be the first to head in?"
Shavvir stepped forward, staring into the swirling portal. "It was my task that led us here. It is unfair to expect anyone else to take the most dangerous steps first. I'll see you on the other side."
Without much pause Shavvir stepped forward, closing her eyes instinctively for the brief moment she walked through the portal, only to open them again on the other side. Instantly she soaked in what was around her...not quite able to process it all in an instant.
She looked down, seeking what she was standing on...it was hard and smooth...no, on further investigation, it was a chitinous material. She swept her eyes up, going until she saw a large shift in elevation ahead, and then another and then another...they were plates...plates of some creature so vast that it was almost incomprehensible. It was the size of a village, perhaps several...and she couldn't even see the end of it.
That quickly changed, however, as her eyes continued upwards. There was no sky here, but rather she was in a massive tunnel network, the caverns hundreds of times larger than what she'd just gone through, and filled to the brim with spiderwebs. However, like what Phyrra had seen before, there were imperfections on the webs - some were burnt or charred, others brittle and frozen, along with all other manners of oddities that the shadar-kai could instantly tell were abnormal. As she looked, however, she saw another of the creature she was presumably standing on - its chitinous back the same color as her footing. It looked...more than a spider? Perhaps that wasn't the best way to put it...it looked greater than a spider. It had the telltale eight eyes, clearly visible from its enormous bulk. However, its body was more elongated and less ovular than a normal spider - not to mention that the front two of its eight legs looked more like weapons than for walking, with jagged spines and hooks that could skewer anything it needed to.
As Shavvir continued gawking at the sight before her, the others soon filtered in behind her and seeing the sights around them.
"Oh my...this is quite a predicament."
Shavvir looked back, seeing Zaelynir's look of horror at the massive spider on the top of the cavernous expanse. "What's the problem?"
"Well...usually, the Arachnophages are always moving. It's how most creatures get around in here. But these...this isn't normal. Something's happened here...I haven't heard of these creatures going dormant, well...ever."
Immediately, Shavvir could see a look of terror streak across Phyrra's face. "What are you saying?"
"I'm not quite sure yet. Just that we need to be extremely cautious. Whatever or whomever came in here is a serious threat."
"We will, Zaelynir. Where do we need to go?"
The incubus looked around, shrugging. "Normally, I'd say we follow the Arachnophage, but that doesn't seem to be reliable anymore. Traversing on foot is, well...we're in a spider's web. It's potentially possible, but then we're exposing ourselves to...everything else that's here." He turned to look at Maul before continuing. "However...I don't know if we have much of an option, sadly. Any ideas?"
Maul shook his head. "My traversal capabilities are limited compared to my companions. I can remain here, if it would - "
"Nobody. Splits. Up." Lance coldly enunciated each word, looking at Maul the entire time. "If we have to take the webs, then let's get moving. Zaelynir, what direction do we need to go?"
"The closest portal is a few miles ahead. There's branching tunnels...I believe it's a couple lefts, then a right...from there, I'd have to see it to remember for certain."
"And anything we need to worry about?"
Zaelynir nodded. "Just because the Court of the Spider Queen doesn't have any portals leading to it from layers besides here...this layer has passages to many different places. I'll know the portal when I see it...but before then, stay close to me...I'll take you where we need to go."
Shavvir nodded. "Lead on, Zaelynir."
The group started forwards, traversing the Arachnophage that they'd appeared on, its massive bulk stretching on far longer than it had any right to. Zaelynir took to the skies as he scouted ahead, staying within close proximity as the others made their way forwards, rounding the curve on the slain arachnid's back.
From the air, the incubus surveyed their surroundings. This...this wasn't right. The Arachnophages were mortal, absolutely...but they were some of Lolth's most powerful creations. To kill one was no simple matter, but to kill two? It required an army and incredible amounts of luck...or divine intervention. Zaelynir wasn't willing to rule out the latter just yet.
He watched as the rest of the Syndicate continued travelling down the Arachnophage, nearly reaching the ground. As it did, Zaelynir saw a shift as one of the creature's many legs snapped, falling away as it crashed into the ground. As it went, the incubus noticed something begin to leak from the open wound, pooling down on the spiderwebs beneath.
Zaelynir shook his head...it seemed off. Everything seemed off about this. What could it -
His head snapped as he heard the faintest whisper of arcane chantings coming from the Arachnophage on the ceiling, whipping his head around to see a small glittering bead flying in an arc towards...the Syndicate? No, the angle was off. He did the mental calculations in a heartbeat...it was going towards the leaking liquid.
"Watch out!" Zaelynir roared at the top of his lungs, opening a dimension door and teleporting into the arc, snatching the small bead out of the air and holding it in his hand. He knew this, a pulsing red bead growing more and more vibrant with each passing second. The caster could detonate it whenever they wanted, and with each passing second it grew more and more powerful. Zaelynir hurled it into the air, launching a bolt of fire of his own that completely missed the miniscule object. As he saw the bead fall towards him he noticed another glimmer near it, and then another...soon, it was not one bead but seven.
"Find cover!" Zaelynir flew out of the way, potentially able to handle one bead...but seven was impossible on his own. He didn't know what they'd do when they landed, but it couldn't be good. This was an ambush with unimaginable amounts of preparation. The only thing he could do to stop it would be…
He turned in midair, changing course to fly straight towards the ceiling. He beat his wings, flying as fast as he could as he tried to figure out where his assailants were...he had one shot at this, to try and disrupt their concentration and detonate the raining firestorm early. As he flew closer and closer to the Arachnophage he saw nothing...not a glimmer, not a shine, no evidence that it had even come from here. Was it a diversion? Had they gotten away? He didn't know...but still, it'd be foolish to do nothing.
Zaelynr held his hands together, muttering spiteful arcane words as a gas erupted from his hands in a cloud in front of him, only for a spark to light at the spell's conclusion. The gas erupted into a rapidly expanding flame...though it continued to burn, a smoldering orb in the sky that continued to fly towards the giant arachnid. It scorched a hole through the arachnid's husk, burning through it and revealing a hollowed out core inside. Zaelynir could see inside...and inside, all he saw were hidden faces in robes, one of which bore a sinister smile at the oncoming eruption.
"Too slow."
Zaelynir didn't even see the explosion happen...however, the flash of blinding white light from its detonation filled the entire room, along with a thunderburst that nearly deafened him, the echo making his ears pound with each subsequent blast. The soundwave was enough to knock him out of flight, and as he twisted in freefall he saw the carnage behind him. The Arachnophage, filled to the brim with oil, was the centerpoint of a massive pyroclasm that filled the entire cavern, the tip of the fireball reaching hundreds of feet into the air. Zaelynir frantically tried to beat his wings, disoriented from the blast as he was, slowing his descent as the fire faded. At its core, he could see the group...and while falling, he let out a sigh of relief. In the center, Maul's bubble of protection contained each and every one of them. As far as he could tell, they were safe. He confirmed as the fires continued to dissipate, though the now-smouldering corpse of the Arachnophage continued to burn away, filling the air with fumes the incubus could only assume weren't safe to breath.
Zaelynir beat his wings again, the long fall finally giving him time to snap back to his senses. He darted back to the group, slowing down as he got closer to them. They hurried out of the flaming beast, reaching the ground just as Zaelynir landed beside them.
"What happened?"
Zaelynir shook his head. "We're ambushed...I think you know by whom. I'm going to hazard a guess that we don't need to worry about the denizens of this layer, if there are any left. Right now, you need to follow me...we need to run.
I was nearly done with this chapter before life threw me a left hook. Apologies if the last quarter of the chapter feels disoriented, I haven't had the time that I wanted to work on this.
