Chapter Twenty Six
The duo took turns bashing the doors all the way to the kitchen, through the normal priests' chambers, and a lecture hall, each time trying to outdo the other. They rammed them, blew the up, disintegrated them, carved them to pieces with the sword, as well as many other creative ideas. Along the way, the party carved up several dozen of the "Under Humans."
Then they came upon the holding cells. The dank, dismal prison held only a handful of men. They were let out and Shik offered to take them back to the city.
Back tracking, using Jea's hastily drawn map, the group entered the one section of the temple they hadn't explored yet. Jea looked at Laguna. "My door."
Backing up, she smiled wickedly and took a flying leap at the wooden portal.
She flew through the threshold with it, kicking a guard full in the teeth and snapping his neck in the process. The six other guards were surprised long enough for her friends to enter the room and help Jea to her feet.
Not wasting any time, Dumbugg casually beheaded three of them in one stroke, grinning evilly as the lifeless corpses fell over. Laughing, Jea used her knife to carve one's throat into a creative design. Laguna sliced one from nose to naval, before reversing his thrust to impale the last one.
Jea dusted her hands off and looked around the room. It was a simple guards room, but what was so heavily guarded.unless there was something important behind the other door.
Curious, she walked over to the other door to open it. The others followed her, obviously thinking along the same lines. The hall way beyond twisted and wrapped around, finally ending with two doors, one on each side of the hall.
Both doors were made of metal and very pretty. Reaching for the left hand door, Jea pushed it open.
Inside, two fat, lazy eunuchs jumped to their feet. Armed with shortswords, they attempted to kill the intruding party. Laguna grimly cleaved one in half while Jea brained the second one. Dumbugg looked sadly at the already dead eunuchs before starting on his favorite task of decapitating the bodies.
Jea and Ambermist inspected the door the eunuchs had been guarding, conferring briefly. "Those were eunuchs, weren't they?"
Jea nodded disgustedly. "Yep. Which means this."
".is a harem. We should probably keep the boys out."
Jea opened the door. Inside were several dozen women from the surface, battered and abused. They rushed to their female rescuers, weeping with relief. Jea reassured them and signaled to Wolf and Thistlechaser.
"Ladies, listen to me. These two wolves will lead you to Greyhawk. Follow them and no harm will come to you. Be quick and do not dawdle."
They left, fearfully following the animals. Jea turned and saw Laguna going to a slow boil. His fist gripped his sword hilt tightly, turning his knuckles white. Giving him a communative look, she led the way across the hall to the other door. Laguna pushed past her and ripped the metal door off the hinges.
Beyond was what had to be the Head Priest's quarters. Three rooms in all, there was a dining room, bedroom, and treasure trove; all expensively decorated. Jea and Ambermist, of course, packed up the pile of gold, gems and items into Jea's Bag. Laguna was praying to Goku for strength, and Dumbugg was going around breaking stuff.
Following the hallway back around, they passed through to the large room at the back of the temple. When they walked in, Jea heard someone speaking loudly, orating in a strange tongue. Crossing to some small window slits near the back exit, they saw the giant amphitheater overlooking the Under- humans' village. The Head Priest stood on a pedestal, a huge pentagram in front of him and a pen filled with surface dwellers in front of that. The amphitheater was packed with the mutated Under-humans.
Jea snarled and reached into her belt pouch. "Ambermist. I need you to cast Faerie Fire around the rim of the amphitheater. Do it!"
Confused, Ambermist did as requested. As soon as she did, Jea began throwing spells of her own, wreaking havoc upon the audience: roasting, crushing, and scalding the abominations that dwelled there.
The Head Priest, momentarily shocked that all of his followers were now dead, recovered and looked at them as Laguna stepped through the door, challenging the priest.
The beastly, once human thing began chanting over the pentagram. Jea barked, "Quickly! Kill him! He's trying to summon a demon!" as she ran towards the "man."
"NO!" Laguna roared, charging with her.
They almost made it. Quar beheaded the priest just as the final syllable crossed his lips. Jea swore loudly. "Laguna! We're gonna have company!"
A sickly green glow was forming in the center of the pentagram. The glowing mist materialized into a giant Baatezu right before their eyes.
Confronted with the stuff of her debilitating nightmares, Jea went berserk. With the paladin at her side, she lit into the Baatezu like a Fury. And she wasn't alone. Quar was carving deep into the scaly green flesh..
The demon drew back one fist and punched Jea in the chest, knocking her on her ass. Coughing, she barely managed to roll away from it's deadly, stinging, venomous tail.
Crying out to Goku, Laguna renewed his frenzied attacks. He felt an almost supernatural burst of strength and courage, and then, suddenly, it was over.
The Baatezu shrieked and vanished in a puff of noxious smoke. Coughing violently, Laguna looked around. Jea was groaning, shaking again. Laguna went to her side to comfort her.
She collapsed against him, her willpower at last drained. Searching her face, Laguna realized she'd just fainted. Ambermist and Dumbugg wandered over, freeing the prisoners. Laguna opened his mouth to speak.
"We must destroy this place; bury and seal it within the earth. Ambermist, I need you to take Jea out of here so I can-"
The blonde paladin stopped in midsentence as a tremendous presence filled the cavern. A warm male voice said, "Noble Paladin. You need not do anything. Take your friends and go. Leave this place quickly. I will take care of it."
They all looked to the source of the voice. A dark haired, muscular man wearing an orange and blue jumpsuit stared back at them. Laguna bowed in reverence and humility.
"Lord Goku. Thank you." Laguna scooped Jea up in his arms and motioned for them to leave.
The duo took turns bashing the doors all the way to the kitchen, through the normal priests' chambers, and a lecture hall, each time trying to outdo the other. They rammed them, blew the up, disintegrated them, carved them to pieces with the sword, as well as many other creative ideas. Along the way, the party carved up several dozen of the "Under Humans."
Then they came upon the holding cells. The dank, dismal prison held only a handful of men. They were let out and Shik offered to take them back to the city.
Back tracking, using Jea's hastily drawn map, the group entered the one section of the temple they hadn't explored yet. Jea looked at Laguna. "My door."
Backing up, she smiled wickedly and took a flying leap at the wooden portal.
She flew through the threshold with it, kicking a guard full in the teeth and snapping his neck in the process. The six other guards were surprised long enough for her friends to enter the room and help Jea to her feet.
Not wasting any time, Dumbugg casually beheaded three of them in one stroke, grinning evilly as the lifeless corpses fell over. Laughing, Jea used her knife to carve one's throat into a creative design. Laguna sliced one from nose to naval, before reversing his thrust to impale the last one.
Jea dusted her hands off and looked around the room. It was a simple guards room, but what was so heavily guarded.unless there was something important behind the other door.
Curious, she walked over to the other door to open it. The others followed her, obviously thinking along the same lines. The hall way beyond twisted and wrapped around, finally ending with two doors, one on each side of the hall.
Both doors were made of metal and very pretty. Reaching for the left hand door, Jea pushed it open.
Inside, two fat, lazy eunuchs jumped to their feet. Armed with shortswords, they attempted to kill the intruding party. Laguna grimly cleaved one in half while Jea brained the second one. Dumbugg looked sadly at the already dead eunuchs before starting on his favorite task of decapitating the bodies.
Jea and Ambermist inspected the door the eunuchs had been guarding, conferring briefly. "Those were eunuchs, weren't they?"
Jea nodded disgustedly. "Yep. Which means this."
".is a harem. We should probably keep the boys out."
Jea opened the door. Inside were several dozen women from the surface, battered and abused. They rushed to their female rescuers, weeping with relief. Jea reassured them and signaled to Wolf and Thistlechaser.
"Ladies, listen to me. These two wolves will lead you to Greyhawk. Follow them and no harm will come to you. Be quick and do not dawdle."
They left, fearfully following the animals. Jea turned and saw Laguna going to a slow boil. His fist gripped his sword hilt tightly, turning his knuckles white. Giving him a communative look, she led the way across the hall to the other door. Laguna pushed past her and ripped the metal door off the hinges.
Beyond was what had to be the Head Priest's quarters. Three rooms in all, there was a dining room, bedroom, and treasure trove; all expensively decorated. Jea and Ambermist, of course, packed up the pile of gold, gems and items into Jea's Bag. Laguna was praying to Goku for strength, and Dumbugg was going around breaking stuff.
Following the hallway back around, they passed through to the large room at the back of the temple. When they walked in, Jea heard someone speaking loudly, orating in a strange tongue. Crossing to some small window slits near the back exit, they saw the giant amphitheater overlooking the Under- humans' village. The Head Priest stood on a pedestal, a huge pentagram in front of him and a pen filled with surface dwellers in front of that. The amphitheater was packed with the mutated Under-humans.
Jea snarled and reached into her belt pouch. "Ambermist. I need you to cast Faerie Fire around the rim of the amphitheater. Do it!"
Confused, Ambermist did as requested. As soon as she did, Jea began throwing spells of her own, wreaking havoc upon the audience: roasting, crushing, and scalding the abominations that dwelled there.
The Head Priest, momentarily shocked that all of his followers were now dead, recovered and looked at them as Laguna stepped through the door, challenging the priest.
The beastly, once human thing began chanting over the pentagram. Jea barked, "Quickly! Kill him! He's trying to summon a demon!" as she ran towards the "man."
"NO!" Laguna roared, charging with her.
They almost made it. Quar beheaded the priest just as the final syllable crossed his lips. Jea swore loudly. "Laguna! We're gonna have company!"
A sickly green glow was forming in the center of the pentagram. The glowing mist materialized into a giant Baatezu right before their eyes.
Confronted with the stuff of her debilitating nightmares, Jea went berserk. With the paladin at her side, she lit into the Baatezu like a Fury. And she wasn't alone. Quar was carving deep into the scaly green flesh..
The demon drew back one fist and punched Jea in the chest, knocking her on her ass. Coughing, she barely managed to roll away from it's deadly, stinging, venomous tail.
Crying out to Goku, Laguna renewed his frenzied attacks. He felt an almost supernatural burst of strength and courage, and then, suddenly, it was over.
The Baatezu shrieked and vanished in a puff of noxious smoke. Coughing violently, Laguna looked around. Jea was groaning, shaking again. Laguna went to her side to comfort her.
She collapsed against him, her willpower at last drained. Searching her face, Laguna realized she'd just fainted. Ambermist and Dumbugg wandered over, freeing the prisoners. Laguna opened his mouth to speak.
"We must destroy this place; bury and seal it within the earth. Ambermist, I need you to take Jea out of here so I can-"
The blonde paladin stopped in midsentence as a tremendous presence filled the cavern. A warm male voice said, "Noble Paladin. You need not do anything. Take your friends and go. Leave this place quickly. I will take care of it."
They all looked to the source of the voice. A dark haired, muscular man wearing an orange and blue jumpsuit stared back at them. Laguna bowed in reverence and humility.
"Lord Goku. Thank you." Laguna scooped Jea up in his arms and motioned for them to leave.