The adventurers made it up to the hill that the Monastery of Saint Vardishal was on. They found that although the building had been worn down by time with the wooden doors torn away and a few of the towers collapsed, the stone walls of the main structure remained standing. Even with a few holes across the building's walls, a pair of mercenaries would be able to stand guard by them and prevent any attacks on the monastery. Almah had the right idea in using the monastery as a base of operations for the coming battle against Kelmarane.
Emra looked at the monastery in awe despite its state. Saint Vardishal wasn't well known outside of Katapesh, and even then, much of his legend had been lost to time. From what Emra could recall, Saint Vardishal was a prominent warrior and general who fought against the followers of Rovagug the Destroyer centuries ago. There were very few details of what Vardishal was like as a person and Emra wondered what it would have been like to know him personally. Perhaps there would be more to learn about the saint in the monastery that was named after him.
"So this is it?" Belash asked, looking over the building. "It's not much but it'll do."
"I don't see any signs of gnolls around the area," Melkia noted with a frown. "That's worrisome."
"Perhaps they decided to stick to Kelmarane," Arguk suggested. "Even then, there may be other threats waiting for us."
"That's right," Zalerian nodded. "Let's stick together and be on the lookout. We'll search every room before we report back to Almah on if the monastery is clear."
"The Dawnflower will appreciate our work in clearing one of her sanctuaries," Emra said, bowing her head in reverence. "Let us do our part in restoring the monastery."
The group cautiously entered the monastery through the largest of the two holes on the side they approached with Emra noting that the doors had been torn away and entered the nave of the monastery. The group stepped over the brush and weeds that grew close to the cracked stone floor within. Emra noted the scattered debris of shattered wooden benches and stone masonry throughout the room. The roof had collapsed at some point with sunlight pouring in from above the adventurers. There were two hallsway ahead of the group but Emra's attention was drawn to her left as she spotted the incredible sight of the monastery's chapel.
Emra walked toward the chapel out of instinct. She could hear the quiet muttering of her companions behind her before they followed in her direction. Emra stepped up the ceremonial steps leading into the chapel and looked around the room. Although grime covered it, she could make out a faint orange and red starburst representing Sarenrae along the far wall that overlooked the collapsed altar. Marble benches were set up between the stairs and the altar with many overturned or broken in half. Emra walked across the walkway leading to the altar, noticing patches of ruined red carpet that had survived. She looked over what remained of the altar and noted a wooden ladder that she had glossed over by the wall.
"Emra!" Melkia called out and the ifrit turned to notice Melkia's glare. "Stick with the group!"
"I'm sorry," Emra said and shook her head. "I was overwhelmed with how the monastery fell into ruin. It'll take a lot of work to restore it to its former glory."?
"You can worry about cleaning up when our work is done," Belash told Emra. "We have a lot more searching to take care of."
"Right," Emra nodded. "Forgive me for acting without thinking."
"You have nothing to be sorry for," Zalerian said. "I'm in awe of the monastery and the mysteries it holds as well."
"Uh, I don't think the monastery is empty," Teshak said, looking up with a nervous expression.
Emra and the other adventurers looked up to see what Teshak had noticed. She hadn't realized it when she first set foot in the chapel but this part of the monastery still had its roof relatively intact. A grim chandelier hung over the center of the chapel with a cluster of gnoll skulls in various stages of decay strung together. Emra grimaced, knowing that such barbaric decorations weren't something priests of Sarenrae would allow. Her gaze turned toward the corner of the ceiling and noted that rafters in that portion had been covered up with thick tarp and her eyes fell down to the ladder that led to that corner.
Emra looked back up at the tarp and gasped when she noticed movement across the area as if someone had been stepping across the rafters in the area. A shrill shriek echoed from the chandelier and the adventurers turned to see a pugwampi chuckling at them in a cruel manner. Although the pugwampi held a bow in its hand, it seemed more interested in taunting the adventurers. Trax started to growl at the pugwampi viciously but couldn't get to the strange creature.
Melkia drew her bow and fired an arrow at the pugwampi without hesitation. The pugwampi swung the chandelier to avoid the arrow and cackled even louder.
"Damn it!" Melkia cursed. "How could something so small move the chandelier like that?"
"It's a matter of luck, and given what we know about pugwampis, we're not going to have a lot of it," Arguk said, cackling like a hyena as he drew his scimitars.
"There's more of them up in the rafters," Emra warned her companions and turned to the ladder. "If you can't fight from a distance, follow me!"
Emra drew her scimitar as she ran toward the ladder, circling around the altar. Belash, Arguk, and Zalerian ran in her direction with Emra leading the way up the ladder. Teshak tried to blast the pugwampi on the chandelier with a chilly ray but missed and struck the ceiling instead. Emra didn't look forward to fighting in the rafters but someone had to deal with the other pugwampis waiting in their nest.
When Emra made it to the top of the ladder, she jumped onto the wooden rafter closest to her. It held under her weight and any worries she had about it collapsing grew when Belash landed next to her with the wood creaking under their feet. The wooden beams were narrow and difficult to walk across but Emra knew that if she stepped onto the tarp, she would fall down to the ground. Emra looked around the dark nest and noticed a half dozen pugwampis scream in terror at the sight of intruders. They fled toward a corner of their nest to prepare their defenses. Emra noted grimly that there was a bit of distance between the rafter she was on and the corner the pugwampis gathered.
"Do you think we should jump?" Belash asked. "I don't think that I can keep my balance and walk."
"I'll go first," Emra volunteered.
Belash nodded. "I'll be right behind you."
Emra took a deep breath to steel her nerves. She considered herself to be a good fighter but this was not the kind of fight she was trained for. The nearest rafter by the pugwampis was far away but there was a rafter ahead to her right that would be able to get her closer. She nodded, believing that making it across the nest one step at a time would be the best plan. Emra leaped over to the wooden beam closest to her and landed without losing her balance.
Emra smiled at herself for a second before she heard a sharp crack. Before she knew it, the wooden beam she landed on cracked in half and she fell. Emra screamed when she fell into the tarp, feeling it wrap around her as she collapsed down to the ground. She landed on her left shoulder and yelped out loudly in pain. The ifrit heard voices scream around as she flailed around in a panic.
Slowly, Emra took deep breaths to calm herself down. She focused on the positives of her situation even though there were few. Her shoulder was in pain but she didn't feel that the bone was broken and she was fortunate enough not to hit her head on the ground or cut herself in the fall with her scimitar, which she had let go during her fall. The tarp must have softened her fall a little as well. Having calmed down enough, Emra was able to escape from the tarp in time to notice a furry hand held out to help her back onto her feet.
"Arguk," Emra said with a pained smile and grabbed his extended hand with her right hand. "I thought you climbed up after me."
"I did at first but I did not like my odds of jumping around the rafters," Arguk told Emra and pulled her up from the ground. "I thought I could help you."
Emra felt a warmth emit from Arguk's hand and realized that her pain faded away. Her shoulder ached a little but it wasn't as bad as it was before the gnoll healed her. She hadn't realized that Arguk was a healer and nodded in thanks as he let go of her hand. Arguk smiled and gestured for Trax to rejoin him with a sharp whistle.
Having missed out on some of the action, Emra looked around the chapel. Melkia had finally shot down the pugwampi with her bow and Teshak was running toward the ladder with his dagger in hand. Above in the rafters, Zalerian and Belash fought against the pugwampis while keeping their balance on the wooden beams. Zalerian had kicked one of the pugwampis off the rafter and it fell down to the ground with a sickening crush. Melkia aimed her bow at the rafters for a second, and after realizing she didn't have a good shot, made her way to the ladder to join the fight above.
"What should we do?" Emra asked Arguk, frowning. "It's getting crowded up there and I'm worried about falling down and taking one of my friends down with me…"
"There's no shame in staying back," Arguk assured Emra. "I wouldn't have much luck up there either."
Trax let out a loud bark and Emra looked at the hyena. "Is something wrong?"
"Perhaps," Arguk said and took up a defensive stand by Trax. "His senses are sharper than ours. There may be intruders coming our way."
"More pugwampis?" Emra asked.
"Perhaps."
Emra knelt down by the tarp, and after a few seconds of searching, picked up her scimitar. She wouldn't be able to fight in the rafters with the rest of her group but she would be able to do her part to keep enemy reinforcements away. Emra took her place by Arguk's side and prepared to face whatever enemy Trax heard coming.
Zalerian chuckled, amused at the situation he found himself in. He knew that he was at a disadvantage without having much room to move around but to fight so high up and having to worry about his balance was exhilarating. Zalerian enjoyed the rush he felt despite the odds against him. He relied on basic martial arts to deal with his pugwampi attacker with a kick and looked over his shoulder. Belash grunted when his opponent stabbed him in the leg with a dagger but at the very least the other pugwampis weren't joining the fight as they cackled even louder.
Zalerian turned around in time to see a pugwampi approach him across the wooden rafter. He noted that this pugwampi was different from the others with a warhammer in its hands and a crown across its head. Zalerian realized that the foe he fought was the leader of the pugwampis and he grinned. The rush he felt grew when he realized he was about to duel a pugwampi commander across the rafters.
"Let's do this," Zalerian said, grinning widely.
The pugwampi leader charged Zalerian and swung its warhammer widely. Zalerian practically stepped over the attack and brought his foot down on the pugwampi's face. It let out a cry of pain but kept itself on the rafters. Zalerian felt that this pugwampi was tougher than the others and wondered if he could best it himself. It turned out that he didn't have to worry about fighting it alone with Teshak jumping behind the pugwampi along with Melkia firing an arrow that glanced across the pugwampi's back.
"What are you doing, Teshak?!" Melkia called out.
"Saving my magic for bigger threats!" Teshak answered and lunged at the pugwampi with his dagger.
Teshak had spirit when it came to battle but he lacked martial training. The pugwampi swatted the dagger aside with its warhammer and turned around in time to block Zalerian's jabs. The monk nodded, understanding that the pugwampi he fought was a warrior. The pugwampi knew that it wasn't in the best shape and fought to protect itself, swatting aside Melkia's next arrow without any issue. Zalerian took a step back from the pugwampi, trying to find an opening.
Suddenly, Belash jumped over to a wooden beam adjacent to the one Zalerian, Teshak, and the pugwampi fought on. Belash was far from a graceful warrior but his determination pushed through the bad luck surrounding the pugwampis. He swung at the pugwampi leader with his greataxe and cut across its side. The pugwampi turned to face Belash and Zalerian saw his opening.
Zalerian stepped back into the fray but the pugwampi saw him coming. Zalerian smirked when he saw his opponent brace to defend himself and used his first kick to push the warhammer aside. With the pugwampi leader exposed for a second, Zalerian threw a punch right at its chest, throwing the leader off the rafters. The pugwampi screamed out for a second before the adventurers heard the thud of its landing.
The adventurers looked down and saw Emra, Arguk, and Trax face off against a dozen pugwampis. Zalerian's eyes grew with worry until he saw that the pugwampis were backing off at the sight of their fallen leader. Finally, one let out a terrified cry and ran out of the chapel. The rest follow suit with the pugwampis still alive in the rafters climbing down the wall. Zalerian noted grimly that one lost its grip and fell down to the stone floor and was left behind by the others. Several seconds went by before the adventurers lowered their guard. The conflict against the pugwampis in the monastery was over.
"Emra!" Zalerian called out from above. "Are you okay?!"
"We're fine," Emra reassured him. "Arguk healed me a little bit from the fall and you scared the pugwampis off before the fight could truly start."
"Do you think that was the last of them?" Belash asked.
"Maybe," Melkia answered with a shrug. "If we encounter more, I'm sure the head of their 'king' will send them running. Come on. Let's get out of the rafters while we still can."
Melkia climbed down the ladder and Zalerian, Belash, and Teshak made their way in that direction. With the exhilarating combat behind him, Zalerian wasn't too worried about the beams breaking under him or tripping and falling to the chapel below. With the pugwampis gone, they wouldn't have to worry about the bad luck they bring while exploring the rest of the monastery. Zalerian couldn't wait to see if anything could top the feeling he had fighting atop the rafters.
A/N: I'll be honest but this was the most difficult fight I had to plan and write for. It was a good idea in theory and works with theater of the mind, but mechanically, it's a pain with all of the moving parts. My notes weren't the best and I'm afraid that might have carried over to the fight. Still, I hope this fight scene is enjoyable to some.
Until next time.