With the chapel and nave cleared, the group of adventurers spent a few moments. Melkia spent the time cutting off the head of the pugwampi leader in case they ran into more pugwampis while Arguk and Belash quietly discussed which of the two hallways leading further into the monastery that they should take. Teshak joined Emra and Zalerian in inspecting two of the chambers adjacent to the nave, each one containing a statue. He didn't have as much interest in the monastery as Emra and Zalerian but he didn't have the stomach to stick around with Melkia's grim harvest and didn't find a conversation about which hallway to go through to be interesting enough.
Teshak followed Emra and Zalerian to the chamber by the hole they walked into the monastery. With the ceiling in the area intact, the stone statue of a muscular man with a pointy beard gestured towards a range of mountains engraved in the wall. Teshak crossed his arms as he assessed the statue, noting the concerned face depicted on it. Emra bowed before the statue with Zalerian turning his head to look at her.
"Is this Saint Vardishal?" Zalerian asked her.
"I believe so," Emra answered with a nod. "I've never seen a depiction of Saint Vardishal before but the way the statue was crafted is similar to the statues of other saints. It would make sense for the Monastery of Saint Vardishal to have a statue of their patron saint."
"What about the mountains?" Teshak asked. "Are they important?"
"If I had to take a guess, I think Vardishal is looking at the Pale Mountain," Emra said. "We're close enough to the Pale Mountain and it was said that Vardishal's greatest battles were fought there."
"I thought the mountains looked familiar," Zalerian noted. "I don't think there's much else here. How about we check out the chamber across the hall?"
With no objections, the trio made their way to the chamber on the other side of the nave. In the chamber, the group looked at a statue depicting Saint Vardishal on top of a hill with a group of pilgrims. Saint Vardishal held his hands with his palms out in a symbol of peace. Several of the pilgrims were missing arms or legs, and while Teshak thought that was because of time passing rather than a design choice, he was curious as to why some of the pilgrims looked horrified. Something about the room seemed off to Teshak, who looked around at the walls while Emra read from a crude stone stele by the statue.
"'A ghost of unholy mien was purged from this place by Theodephus Estrovan, servant of Aroden, 4691 A.R.'"
"That was only eighteen years ago," Zalerian said, gasping. "Whatever Theodephus did, he did after Kelmarane was abandoned!"
"Something doesn't line up," Emra shook her head. "Aroden died over a century ago. Whoever Theodephus is, he couldn't have a divine power to drive any spirits away."
"Then could the monastery be haunted?" Zalerian questioned.
Teshak snapped his fingers, realizing what seemed off about the room. "Look at the wall behind Vardishal's legs. There's a slight indent in the wall."
"It must be a secret door," Zalerian gasped. "Good find, Teshak! Everyone, over here! Let's see where this door leads to!"
The rest of the adventurers made their way over to Zalerian while Teshak crouched down and pressed his hand against the spot in the wall that stood out. He had to push hard but he was able to get the hidden door to open. Teshak looked over his shoulder to see that Arguk, Belash, and Melkia caught up with him before turning back around. He led the way through the hidden door and emerged in a walled off chamber with no way further at first glance.
Sunlight filled the chamber, but unlike the nave, Teshak couldn't see any sign of debris to indicate that there was a roof to begin with. He stood up and stepped aside to let his companions through. With dirt spread across the ground and an assortment of weeds growing around, Teshak thought that this chamber must have been a garden at one point. He could imagine the priests and monks of the monastery retreating to the hidden garden to meditate on what was on their mind. Vines covered the walls but there was no sense in hiding a door on the other side of the hidden room, and soon, he spotted another hidden door to his left.
"There's another secret door," Teshak announced to the group. "It must lead further into the monastery."
"I've got it," Belash said, stepping forward. "With those vines in the way, it'll take muscle to get that door opened."
Teshak stepped aside, letting Belash approach the hidden door leading out of the garden. The warrior grunted, and after a few moments of pressing his shoulder against the door, shoved it open. Teshak followed Belash into the next room and gagged at the scent of rotting flesh from the animal carcasses and gore across the octagonal chamber. Several broken windows provided light into the room with gargoyles leering down from the corner of the room. Teshak looked to his right and noticed a hallway leading out of the room and he stepped in that direction, not caring for the coins scattered across the floor. Something was responsible for tearing through those animals and he didn't want to stick around to find out what.
Unfortunately, the predator that claimed the chamber as its home screeched out loudly from above. Teshak looked up and his eyes went wide at the three insect-like creatures that flew down at the group. From his studies as a scholar, Teshak recognized them as stirges and realized that they were hungry for blood. He stood his ground, intending to fight against the monsters along with his companions.
Each of the stirges flew toward someone different with one targeting Belash, another going after Emra, and the final one flying at Arguk. Belash and Arguk swung their weapons to keep the stirges away with Trax coming up short with his pounce against the one his master fought. Emra landed a lucky strike with her scimitar against her foe, cutting the stirge in half. Teshak only took a second to decide to rely on his father's dagger than his own magic and ran into melee, circling behind the stirge that Belash kept at bay. He channeled his arcane power to enhance his strike and impaled the stirge through the back. Belash nodded in thanks towards the sorcerer who nodded back at him.
Zalerian dashed to help Arguk and Trax against the stirge they fought but he was too late. Melkia fired an arrow that landed true, pinning the stirge's corpse against the wall for a second before the arrow fell down to the ground. The adventurers looked up, expecting another attack from more stirges. After several seconds, they lowered their weapons, knowing that the fight was over.
"Let's keep moving," Melkia said, shaking her head. "I don't care to stay in this room any longer."
With everyone else nodding in agreement, the adventurers made their way out of the chamber and left behind the carnage. After a short walk through the hallway, they arrived in a smaller chamber with engravings of cloaked priests and sun engraved on the wall. Emra looked around in awe but kept quiet. Teshak didn't see any sign of Saint Vardishal in the engravings and figured that whatever religious iconography was present wouldn't help solve the mystery of what happened at the monastery. The group proceeded cautiously into the next room, alert for any kind of danger.
The group arrived at a large chamber with a courtyard surrounded by walls at the corner in the center. The adventurers found themselves in one of the hallways surrounding the courtyard, and after a quick glimpse within, didn't see any threats other than overgrown vegetation. Zalerian was the first to notice a large engraving on the wall to the right of where they had come in from. The sculptures of the engraving depicted five grand and triumphant figures, all men, riding against the wind toward an ominous mountain. Some of their arms and hands had been torn down but there were signs that each of the men had a special weapon. One of the men carried a greataxe and another carried a fragment of what appeared to be a staff at one point. The adventurers focused on the man riding in the center, recognizing him as Saint Vardishal from the features he shared with his statue.
"I wasn't aware that Saint Vardishal had companions," Zalerian commented.
Emra nodded, looking at the engraving with wide eyes. "I wasn't either. There's more to the mystery of who Saint Vardishal is than I thought there would be."
"Couldn't the other four with him be random soldiers?" Melkia suggested half-heartedly as she looked around in case of trouble.
"I don't think so," Teshak shook his head. "Even though time has worn down the figures, there's still plenty of detail left. I think that they would have to be specific people that worked with Saint Vardishal."
"That's an impressive axe," Belash said, focused on the warrior on the far left. "I wouldn't mind getting my hands on an axe like that."
Zalerian chuckled. "Perhaps one day you'll have the chance to."
Arguk, who had gone down to the left with Trax, called back to the adventurers. "I've found another room. There's no monsters waiting for us there but it appears to be a shrine. Perhaps we'll find more answers there."
"Good thinking, Arguk," Emra said. "Let's check it out."
Teshak joined the other adventurers in exploring the room that Arguk discovered. Whereas the rest of the monastery had been subdued, the brightly painted walls of the chamber stuck out to the group immediately. The walls had wooden plates depicting a warrior battling fire with eyes and a jaw along with riding a chariot across. Once again, Teshak was able to identify the heroic warrior drawn in gold as Saint Vardishal and came to see the room as a place for priests to retreat for private reflection. Some of the gold had been torn out from the wall with the adventurers realizing that the drawings of Saint Vardishal were coated with actual gold.
Opposite of the door the group entered from was a life-sized statue of Saint Vardishal, although his face had been marred by what appeared to be repeated axe strikes. The statue's arms were bent with its palms held up to the ceiling as if it was expecting an offering. There were deep scratch marks over the shoulders as if the same man who destroyed Vardishal's face had tried to sever the statue's arms as well. Between that and the gold torn from the walls, Teshak wondered who had been to the monastery before they had.
"This wasn't the work of the priests of Sarenrae," Teshak said quietly.
"You're right about that," Emra frowned and shook her head in disappointment. "How could anyone think of disrespecting the shrine of one of the Dawnflower's saints?"
"It could be one of her enemies," Arguk suggested. "The gnolls that control Kelmarane could have done so."
"I don't think this is the work of gnolls," Belash shook his head. "We haven't seen any sign of them and I don't think they would have left this building alone. Melkia, what do you think?"
"I think you're all putting too much thought into something that doesn't matter to the point that you miss what's in front of you," Melkia said sharply. "There are scratch marks near the statue's feet. Belash, try moving it for us."
Although the others frowned at Melkia's words, Belash stepped up to the statue without complaining. Teshak caught a quick glimpse of the marks on the floor that Melkia spotted before Belash pushed on the statue, having it pivot away. Zalerian gasped at the sight of a hidden staircase that led downward. Melkia smirked at her companions and made her way down the stairs. The other adventurers were quick to follow her with Emra taking out a torch and igniting it with a snap of her fingers.
The stairs led into an underground network of tunnels. There was a main tunnel that led further along with tunnels that branched off to the side. Teshak glanced down one of the side tunnels and saw niches dug into the walls. There were too many skeletons to count and the floors in the side tunnels were lined with skulls and bone fragments. Fortunately for the adventurers, there wasn't any sign of the skeletons moving to attack them as they made their way down the main passageway.
"This is where the priests buried their dead," Emra explained quietly. "Something doesn't seem right."
"Should we be worried about the dead rising?" Zalerian asked.
"No, I don't think so," Emra shook her head. "Someone had been down here before. That's the only reason why some of the skeletons would be on the floor. A living priest wouldn't disrespect the buried in such a manner."
"I'm starting to believe that the monastery was attacked by something," Arguk said. "The priests might have made their final stand here."
"In that case, some of the skeletons could be the attackers," Teshak pointed out.
"We can look through the dead later," Melkia told the others, not looking behind her doing so. "There's a door up ahead."
The others fell silent and watched as Melkia and Belash opened the door at the end of the main passage. With Emra's torch lighting the room with the adventurers stepping in, Teshak realized that they were in some sort of laboratory. There were two daises against the walls on opposite sides of the room that each held a wide workbench with an assortment of glass vials with stone steps leading to the workstations. A massive table covered in dark mold stood between the group and the daises that was flanked by two smaller tables carrying rusted surgical tools and old parchment. The floor by the table was covered in mold and the walls were carved out of stone.
"Incredible," Teshak muttered quietly. "I didn't know that an alchemical lab could be found in an old monastery."
"Some of the priests must have relied on alchemy to tend to the injured," Emra speculated out loud.
"We should be careful," Arguk said, taking a sniff around the room. "Mold can be quite dangerous."
"Maybe there's something that we can use," Zalerian suggested.
"Good thinking," Teshak nodded in agreement. "Let's check out the workstations."
"Teshak, wait!" Melkia shouted out as the sorcerer stepped forward.
Melkia's warning fell on deaf ears. Teshak made his way to one workbench while Zalerian headed to the other. They were careful to avoid the mold-covered table and Teshak climbed the stairs of the dais. He looked over the vials at the table and quickly spotted a container of green liquid. Thinking that it could be a potion, he grabbed the container and tried to determine what it could be.
Teshak blinked, thinking that the light from Emra's torch was playing tricks on him when he noticed that the liquid was swirling around the vial on its own. The glass broke in his hand and he fell down to the ground. He heard glass breaking across the room and Zalerian gasping but the sorcerer's eyes fell on what his container had inside. It wasn't quite a liquid and more of a slimy mold that grew in size. Teshak held his dagger out in front of him to protect himself, but when the oozy mold rushed at him, all he could do was scream as it engulfed him completely.
Teshak couldn't see anything and could only hear the faint sound of combat around him. He struggled with his dagger, trying to cut his way out, but it was a futile effort. The slimy mold made its way through his mouth and nose and he thought that it was trying to suffocate him. Teshak closed his eyes, believing that he would die. When he signed up to help take back Kelmarane, he knew that it was likely that he would be killed. He only thought that he would die fighting against the gnolls rather than some ooze in the crypt of an old monastery.
Death didn't come. Instead, Teshak felt a warm energy course through his body. The ooze retracted from his mouth and his nose, and although it left a nasty aftertaste, he wasn't at risk of suffocating. An image flashed in his mind of a familiar courtyard upstairs. He didn't know how it came to mind but he felt something within him telling him to go there. It was a feeling that Teshak couldn't refuse.
Teshak felt hands grab him by the arms and pull him out of the ooze. He collapsed down onto the ground on top of whoever pulled him out. The sorcerer opened his eyes and adjusted to the light of Emra's torch. He rolled off of Zalerian and looked around the room in time to see Arguk slash at the monstrous mold with his scimitar. It reeled back in pain in time for Belash to slam his greataxe down, cleaving through the mold. He wasn't sure how oozes died but Teshak figured that it was good as dead.
Slowly, Teshak stood up and spotted Emra and Trax standing over another fallen mold monster where Zalerian had been over. Melkia advanced toward Teshak with a glare. He opened his mouth to speak but Melkia grabbed him tightly by the shoulders and locked eyes with him.
"Never walk into a trap like that again!" Melkia told him firmly, her voice cracking in anger. "You could have gotten yourself killed!"
"Take it easy on him, Melkia," Zalerian said, moving to interpose himself between the two. "I did the same thing he did."
Melkia released Teshak and turned to face Zalerian. "You know how to fight. You were ready when that monster attacked you. Teshak isn't a fighter like the rest of us."
"He's alive and that's what matters," Belash said with a shrug. "Should we heal him before we continue? I don't know how painful it is to get swallowed up like that."
Arguk and Emra both stepped up to heal Teshak with magic, but before they could cast their spells, Teshak dashed out of the room. He heard his companions shout out after him and even heard some running after him. Teshak wasn't much of an athlete but with the headstart he had they wouldn't catch up to him easily. He felt sore after being swallowed and understood that he needed healing. However, he couldn't deny the new drive he felt within him any longer.
Teshak climbed up the stairs, and shortly after, made it to the hallways surrounding the courtyard. He made his way through one of the entrances leading into the courtyard and had to slow down to make his way through the overgrown plants. There were a few clear patches in the ground that allowed Teshak to make his way through an otherwise unpassable area. He made it to the center of the courtyard, and following the feeling he felt, fell down to his knees and dropped the dagger he carried. His hands dug through the dirt in front of him as he heard his friends catch up to him.
"What in the hells are you doing?!" Melkia called out.
"The mold might have done something to his mind," Emra said, concerned. "We might have to restrain him."
"Hold on a moment," Arguk told the others. "If this is a kind of madness, it's very specific. Let's see what happens."
"We should at least block anyway out of the courtyard in case he tries to run again," Melkia suggested, her tone still angry but not as much as before.
Teshak ignored what the others said about him, focused entirely on digging through the dirt. When he felt his fingertips brush against metal, he wasn't surprised, for it was what he expected, even if he didn't know it at first. He uncovered more of the dirt to find a dagger with faint magical runes across the blade. Teshak grabbed the dagger by the hilt and stood up to show his companions. They gasped not out of surprise but of horror. Teshak glanced down at the dagger, and although he saw mold coat his hand, he didn't mind. The mold felt more like a comfortable glove than anything harmful.
"Tempest," Teshak said, the word coming to mind when he looked down at the dagger. "What a fitting name."
A/N: I'd say this had been a chapter I was really excited to write about and look forward to what comes next.
Until next time.