It wasn't too difficult to climb down the shaft the trap door previously hid. Even without the rope, there were bas-relief sculptures on the shaft's walls that one could climb down. Zalerian kept his grip on the rope, being the second to last to make it down the shaft. It would have been fun to climb down on the walls like a Pathfinder would have, but given the height he was at, he didn't want to risk falling and injuring himself. When he made it to the end of the shaft, Zalerian dropped down to rejoin Arguk, Emra, Melkia, and Teshak. Belash was the last to climb down, and given that he had to carry Trax over his shoulders, it would take him longer than the others to make it through the shaft.
While waiting for Belash, Zalerian took the time to look over the chamber. Despite the passage of time, lanterns lit by magic with blue flames hung from the ceiling, illuminating the room for the adventurers. There were four statues in the corners of the chamber that stood out to the group. The statues each depicted a different being: two depicted ancient kings with one having scars across his face, another was a crouching man with a baboon's head, and the final statue was of a well-sculpted cloth. Arguk, Emra, and Teshak looked over the different statues while Melkia stepped forward to the shattered wooden fragments of a door torn off its hinges, leading the way further into the shrine. Zalerian briefly noted a smaller hallway off to the side and looked up at the lantern afterwards.
"Amazing," Zalerian muttered quietly to himself. "Even after so long, the magic of the shrine still functions."
"We might have a problem," Melkia announced and knelt by the door. "There are claw marks across the door. Whatever beast made them was quite large."
"Could it have been a monster from long ago?" Emra asked with a frown.
"If only we were so fortunate," Melkia shook her head. "They're fairly recent. I can't tell how recent but they're not ancient by any means."
"I don't doubt your assessment but this doesn't make any sense," Arguk said. "I doubt that a predator like that would be able to survive underground for long."
"Or that it would be able to move the stone blocking the trapdoor," Teshak added with a nod.
"There must be another way into the part of the shrine than the trapdoor," Emra said, tapping her chin in thought.
"That would explain how the beast could hunt but I don't think that's how it originally entered the shrine," Zalerian gestured to the wooden fragments. "What remains of the door goes into the hallway, as if something broke through from this chamber. If the beast came from another entrance, this chamber would be covered in the fragments instead."
"What about the stone above us?" Teshak asked. "What kind of beast would circle around back to the trapdoor and push the stone back shut after falling down the shaft the first time?"
"A smart one," Melkia stood up. "I don't know what we're dealing with but it will be the one to hunt us."
Silence fell over the group that was only interrupted when Belash landed on the ground with Trax over his shoulders. He set the hyena down and took out his greataxe while Arguk patted Trax on the head.
"Thank you, Belash," Arguk smiled. "You haven't missed much other than that there may be a large beast or monster. Are you up to the fight?"
"I'll manage," Belash said.
"Weapons out," Melkia told her companions. "Keep an eye out for any danger lurking in the shadows and call out if you see anything. It might not be anything or it could be what saves someone's life."
The other adventurers took out their weapons and Melkia let Arguk, Belash, and Trax take the lead down the hallway. Zalerian and Emra fell in behind them as Teshak and Melkia covered the rear of the group. Even though he was in the middle of the group's formation, Zalerian felt tense knowing there was a dangerous creature. For all he knew, it could charge through the frontline and tear into him or it could pounce from behind and bring him down before he even knew what happened. The hallway turned to the left, and then to the right, before it emerged into a large chamber and Zalerian looked around, fearful of the monster ambushing him.
A foul and metallic smell was what Zalerian noticed before he spotted anything within the chamber, which was clearly a large worship hall of ominous nature. There were dozens of frescos on the walls along with pillars that each depicted figures using destructive magic to wreak havoc on their enemies and the world, along with complex glyphs. The source of illumination in this chamber came from glass lamps radiating blue light that hung from greenish copper chains held between the pillars. The flames in the lamps flickered in and out in unison, and towards the end of the chamber, an alabaster altar carved in the shape of winged and scale-covered bulls gleamed in the erratic light.
"I didn't expect Nethys to be such an ominous god," Zalerian commented quietly.
"He is the god of magic," Teshak commented and approached the altar. "Magic can be used to create but it can also be used to destroy."
"It looks like the glyphs are ancient magic rituals," Emra revealed as she examined one of the pillars. "Unfortunately, I don't think any of us can learn from them."
"We'll get by without them," Arguk shrugged.
"Of course we will," Teshak said. "I don't need to learn more spells when I have my powers to fall back on."
"Teshak, look out!" Melkia called out.
Melkia didn't wait to fire two arrows nocked on her bow towards the alabaster bulls. One of the arrows broke against the altar but another struck a creature coiled around the neck of one of the bulls' necks. Zalerian gasped when a red snake with yellow eyes launched itself from the altar, hissing at Teshak. The sorcerer fired off a frosty ray, and while it struck the ground in front of the snake, it gave Teshak a chance to run away from the creature. The snake tried to pursue after Teshak but Arguk, Belash, and Trax were quick to get in its way. The snake maneuvered its way through Arguk's scimitar swing and avoided Trax's jaws but Belash was ready and he swung his greataxe down on its body.
Normally, Belash's greataxe would have cleaved through a snake with ease but Zalerian realized it was no ordinary snake. It must have been fiendish in nature, and while Belash left a gash across the snake's body with black blood leaking out of it, the warrior blinked in surprise when the snake wasn't cleaved in two. The snake lunged and bit into Belash's calf with ease. Belash yelped in pain and Zalerian dashed forward, delivering a sharp kick to the snake's head before it could let go of Belash. His foot landed true without hitting Belash by mistake and the snake vanished in thin air. Zalerian blinked in confusion, taken aback by the snake's sudden disappearance, and kept his guard up just in case.
"The fight's over," Teshak assured his companions with a sigh. "I'm sure that snake was summoned by the magic of the area."
"That would explain why I didn't see it until I tried to attack," Melkia said with a nod. "We must have triggered a trap by approaching the altar."
"So it would seem," Zalerian lowered his guard. "Belash, are you alright?"
"I can heal you if you need it," Emra offered.
"Don't worry about me," Belash said flatly and shook his head. "It barely scratched me and I'm hardly bleeding."
"The snake could have been poisonous," Arguk pointed out.
"I don't feel any different," Belash shrugged.
"If you feel light-headed, be sure to let one of us know," Arguk told Belash politely. "I don't see anywhere else to go in this chamber."
"At least the monster that broke down the door isn't here," Zalerian said. "Should we go back to the first room and head down the other hallway?"
"Not yet," Melkia told the group. "These priests of Nethys were crafty. Maybe there's a secret door in this chamber. Let's look around for a few minutes. Arguk, keep watch over the door with your beast."
"Of course," Arguk bowed his head. "If the beast from before tries to come into the room, we'll see it coming."
If Arguk realized that being by the door meant that the monster would attack him first if it came after them, he didn't say anything about it. He simply took his place at the door with Trax to keep watch. Zalerian and the others took the time to search the walls of the chamber, careful to avoid the pillars in case they triggered another magical trap. It only took about a minute or so before Belash called out to the others, the warrior having found a secret door in the vestry at the back of the worship hall. He pushed the door open by the time the adventurers joined him with Arguk and Trax being the last to show up. Darkness covered the way forward so Teshak lit one of the torches he carried for the group to see the way.
Zalerian took the torch, not needing to hold onto anything with his hands, and led the way through the secret door into a tunnel of natural earth. The tunnel turned to their right, and after following through it, the adventurers ended up in a vast cavern with the walls outlined by thick and eerie vapors. Zalerian thought he could make out strange outlines in the vapor but they disappeared as quickly as they came. The cavern was filled with the noxious scent of decay and a faint mist covered the floor of the cavern. Surprisingly enough, an ancient barge floated in the air without anything physical to hold it up. While the magic kept it levitating, time had not been kind to the barge with numerous wooden planks torn away from it.
"This place continues to amaze me with each part we explore," Zalerian said in awe at the sight. "I can't believe that the magic that held up the barge is still active."
"Why a barge though?" Zalerian asked. "We're not close to any large body of water and Nethys isn't a seafaring good."
"It could be a monument to the Barque of Nethys," Emra suggested. "Fringe followers of Nethys believed that their god traveled across worlds aboard his barge but this isn't widely accepted among most of the church of Nethys."
"So we're dealing with fringe followers of the mad god," Arguk said. "It would explain the traps."
"Kiros, is that you? It's so good to hear your voice again."
The adventurers grew silent at the sound of the unfamiliar voice echoing throughout the cavern. They gathered closely to each other in preparation for whatever was to come. A man came into view of the light of Zalerian's torch, wearing tattered white clothing with golden thread outlining the torn seams. The clothes would mark the man as some sort of noble even though he didn't clearly look the part. While the stranger was well-built, his black hair was unkempt and his beard had grown out long and needed to be trimmed. His gray eyes looked at the group, or rather, past them, as though he was talking to someone else.
"Kiros?" Arguk asked. "Who's that?"
"Why, you're Kiros," the man said, turning to look at Arguk. "How could you forget your own brother?"
"I don't think the two of you are related," Belash said dryly.
"Of course we are," the stranger said and frowned. "I don't think we've met. You must be new to the court, yes? Of course you are. My name is Haidar Yunan. You'll fit in with the rest of us military advisors."
"Uh-huh," Belash crossed his arms and frowned.
"He's mad," Melkia whispered to the group.
"Haidar, what are you doing here?" Zalerian asked. "This isn't any kind of court."
"There's great power here," Haidar said, gesturing toward the room with his arms held out wide. "I need to learn how to use the magic within these walls if I am going to save my family and myself."
"While I do think that's a noble goal, you're seeing things," Emra said, her tone quiet yet firm. "Haidar, what happened."
"I… I didn't mean to kill them," Haidar said, shaking his head wildly. "That gift was cursed, Kiros! You have to believe me! I wasn't myself!"
"I believe you, Haidar," Emra said, smiling. "But Argus isn't Kiros. Focus and realize that even though we're strangers, we can help you if you let us."
Haidar blinked several times before he frowned. "I can see clearly now. How much did I tell you?"
"You told us that you were taken by some sort of curse and killed people," Teshak answered. "We can help you break the curse and-"
"No," Haidar said, sighing. "You know too much. I can't let you bring word of what I did back to Ipeq. I'm truly sorry but I have no choice."
Zalerian watched Haidar take out a strange blade that was the size of a dagger with two handles on the hilt. Haidar held the handles in one hand and the monk realized that the mad man wielded a katar, which was a kind of punching dagger. The group quickly realized that Haidar intended to kill them to keep his shameful past a secret from anyone interested in him even though they wouldn't know anyone he was close with to share. Despite the situation turning violent, none of the adventurers were eager to rush into battle against a lone man driven mad. Even Melkia, with her arrow nocked on her bow, didn't immediately shoot Haidar dead.
It had been a mistake on their part to underestimate Haidar. Zalerian watched in horror as Haidar's body shifted, his muscles growing bigger and his legs and arms taller. Claws bursted from his fingers and his teeth grew into fangs. Tan fur with black spots grew over his body as his clothes became torn from the sudden transformation. His jaw extended outward to resemble that of a beast and his eyes, which had turned yellow, glared at the adventurers with intense fury. Melkia fired her arrow at Haidar, but when the arrow struck him in the chest, the metal arrowhead broke off. Zalerian, having heard of beastly shapeshifters from the storytellers he traveled with in Varisia, knew that they were in for a dangerous fight against Haidar, who resembled a leopard more than he did a man.
Belash charged forward, letting out a warcry, with Zalerian and Trax following behind the warrior. Creatures such as Haidar had incredible defenses, but that didn't matter to Belash's mighty strength. Haidar howled out in pain as Belash slashed his greataxe across his shoulder, leaving behind a nasty gash. Zalerian only wished that he and Trax were strong enough to do the same. Trax bit uselessly at Haidar's leg and he kicked the hyena away harmlessly. Zalerian threw a punch with his free hand, and while it connected with Haidar's face, it felt like he was punching solid stone. Haidar didn't look bothered by the punch and jabbed out with his punching dagger at Belash. The blade struck him across his forearm with energy coursing from it. Belash yelped in pain as the small wound grew larger from the energy and Zalerian noticed that the same energy traveled up Haidar's arm, cutting into him as well.
Haidar then turned to Zalerian, and before the monk could react, he lunged forward with great speed. Zalerian raised his arm to defend himself only to remember what would happen if Haidar bit him. It was too late as Haidar's fangs sunk deeply into Zalerian's arm. He screamed out in pain and realized that the same curse that drove Haidar to murder his family may have transferred to him. He pulled himself free from Haidar's jaws and watched as Arguk and Emra arrived, driving Haidar back. Their scimitars merely glanced off of his dense fur but it was enough to stop him from biting into Zalerian further.
Melkia fired another arrow at Haidar, and this time, the arrowhead cut underneath Haidar's eye. It was a glancing blow but it was still enough to draw blood as Melkia discovered a weakness in Haidar's natural defenses. Teshak fired a chilling ray towards Haidar and it struck him across the chest. Magical attacks may have been the one thing to breach Haidar's defenses without part but Teshak wouldn't be enough. Belash landed another powerful blow with his greataxe to cut into Haidar's stomach but it wasn't enough to kill him. Haidar turned to Belash, bracing himself to attack the warrior.
Belash was good in a fight but Zalerian could see the power behind Haidar's katar. The magic harmed its wielder, but in return, it hurt whoever the blade struck even more. Zalerian took a deep breath and charged back into melee. His fists weren't going to be enough to harm Haidar on their own but he possessed his own supernatural powers to work with. Back in Varisia, he trained under his mentors to harness his ki, a refined form of life energy that all beings possessed. When Zalerian's fist struck Haidar across the chest, he channeled his ki through his hand to flow into Haidar and interfere with the cursed man's ki.
The punch itself was harmless, but when Haidar tried to jab Belash with his katar, he froze in place. Haidar's eyes went wide with fear as he suddenly found himself unable to move. Zalerian smirked to himself and jumped up into the air to deliver a sharp kick to Haidar's face, aiming for his open eyes. Emra whirled around as though she was in a dance to gather enough momentum to slam her scimitar toward Haidar. This time, with the help of her battle dance stance, Emra had enough strength to cut through Haidar's fur and into the side of his neck, not quite decapitating him but doing enough to end his life. Haidar fell to the ground, whimpering once before becoming permanently silent.
"I'm terribly sorry, Haidar," Emra said and bowed her head to his unmoving form. "I wish we didn't have to fight."
"He started the fight, Emra," Melkia reminded her and stepped up to rejoin her companions. "He had it coming."
"He was cursed," Emra pointed out. "He couldn't help himself. Still, I don't think we could have saved Haidar from himself. We lacked the necessary magic to do so and I don't know anyone in the area who could have done so."
"One moment, he was a man, and the next, he was still a man but also a Katapeshi leopard," Arguk commented in awe of the feat. "What kind of curse consumed him?"
"He was a wereleopard, and while he was once a man, his mind had been wracked by the affliction of his bestial curse," Zalerian noted grimly and looked down at his injured arm. "The curse can be transferred through bite."
"Zalerian speaks the truth," Teshak nodded. "I've heard of such creatures before. They're dangerous and wild as normal weapons can fail to harm them."
"I didn't have a problem," Belash shrugged and leaned on his greataxe, which he jabbed into the ground. "My axe's blade is bloody."
"That's because you're strong," Arguk laughed as a hyena might. "The same couldn't be said of the rest of us."
"If it wasn't for Zalerian getting Haidar to seize up like that, we might have been in trouble," Emra nodded in agreement.
"It was the least I could do," Zalerian sighed. "Like Emra said, there isn't anyone in the area that could save me from the curse."
"A bite doesn't always pass on the curse," Teshak told Zalerian, trying to reassure the monk. "Even if you are afflicted, it won't be until the next full moon that you succumb to the curse. How long until then?"
"Almost three weeks from now," Melkia answered without hesitation.
"Wonderful," Zalerian threw his hands up in defeat. "The anticipation of the wait may kill me before I turn mad."
"Don't say that," Emra said with a frown. "You're going to be alright."
"There's nothing we can do about it for now so we shouldn't let it interfere with our work," Teshak told the group. "Come on. I believe there's more of the cavern to explore. Zalerian, can you still lead us?"
"For now, I can," Zalerian quietly said with a nod. "I'm not bleeding badly at least."
"I can get by as well," Belash joined in.
"Just a moment," Melkia said and stepped toward Haidar's curse. "Haidar may have been important before his misfortune and that katar of his may be useful to us."
"I'm not sure how I feel about you looting Haidar," Emra crossed her arms, disappointed with Melkia. "He wasn't truly evil like the enemies we previously faced."
"Good or evil, he's still dead," Melkia said and knelt by his corpse. "No reason to put his belongings to waste."
Zalerian was left alone with his thoughts as Melkia stripped Haidar of his katar and the pouches he kept on his clothes. While Teshak suggested that the curse Haidar carried didn't pass through his bite, Zalerian wasn't confident. If a healer told him otherwise, he would believe them, but for now, there was little he could do about the dread he felt. If he was infected, he didn't think there was anyone in the area around Kelmarane that he could turn to for help to deal with the curse. For now, Zalerian would push on knowing that the next full moon wasn't anytime soon. At least he could liberate Kelmarane before having to worry about losing his mind.
After Melkia had stripped Haidar of his valuables, she joined the group as Zalerian led the way deeper into the cavern. The walls started to close in around them as the mist started to rise from the ground, acting as fog for the group. With his torch still in hand, Zalerian was able to make out statues carved into the wall, each wearing the robes of a wizard or priest. Strangely enough, their mouths moved, emitting a faint vapor as they whispered strange words unfamiliar to the monk. He turned around, and as he opened his mouth to let his companions know, he inhaled some of the vapor.
Zalerian felt his vision blur as he leaned towards the side, blacking out.
When his vision returned to normal, Zalerian found himself in the familiar woods of his home region of Varisia. He traveled through these woods many times with his family and the other nomads of their group. Without realizing it, Zalerian started to run, darting through the trees. He could see the land change as he entered vibrant grasslands. For a moment, Zalerian told himself that to travel through the woods he found himself in would have taken hours given the miles it consisted of, but as he continued his exploration, he couldn't care any less about how long his journey took him.
The grass soon turned into soft sand as Zalerian found himself running across the open desert. However, he knew that he wasn't in any of the deserts of Varisia, which had more rougher terrain. Instead, Zalerian recognized he found himself in the land of Katapesh. He was surprised for a moment as he hadn't traveled across the sea but he pressed on regardless. Flickers of city streets and rugged caverns passed through his vision as though he traveled through sites he had never been to before.
When Zalerian came to a stop, he was somewhere that wasn't like anything he heard of in Golarion. He stood in the center of a street in a massive city with towers rising up to skies of smoke. There was no end to the city with the buildings around him made of bronze. Zalerian could feel the heat of a river of lava that was ahead, serving as a canal to separate one district of the city from another. He had only stopped because of how amazing his destination was but felt an urge to continue his adventures.
Taking a deep breath, Zalerian pressed forward, eager to see where his journey would take him next.
Zalerian gasped awake when cold water splashed across his face.
"You're awake!" Emra, who knelt by him, sighed in relief. "I was worried."
"Emra?" Zalerian sat up with her assistance. "What happened?"
"You all started to pass out one by one. I felt the vapor from the statues try to influence my mind but I was able to resist it long enough to drag everyone away."
It was only when Zalerian took back his torch from Emra that he could see that when she said everyone, she meant it. He was back in the worship hall and could see that the rest of his friends were on the ground in a trance. Aside from Emra, the only one who didn't fall victim to the vapor's power was Trax, who stayed by Arguk's side. The adventurers still drew breath but Zalerian knew that they were more than unconscious. He could only wonder what was going through their mind as he stood back up.
"Thank you for waking me up," Zalerian bowed his head toward Emra. "How long was I out for?"
"Only for a few minutes," Emra told Zalerian. "I wanted to wake you up as soon as I could but I didn't want to leave the others behind for too long."
"Fortunately, I don't think the vapor was too dangerous," Zalerian sighed in relief. "It was as if I was in a dream."
Emra gasped. "The Breath of Nethys! It's real!"
"You're right," Zalerian nodded quickly. "Even though I didn't see any god, it must have been the Breath of Nethys that we all inhaled back there."
"I'll work on waking the others up," Emra said and looked down at her waterskin. "We might run low on water but I don't want to risk waiting hours for them to wake up."
"Try waking up Teshak first," Zalerian suggested. "He may be able to help out with the water."
"Good thinking," Emra smiled. "I'll see if he can help."
Zalerian watched Emra kneel over Teshak to gently pour water down on his face, trying to wake him up. For the moment, Zalerian was left alone with his thoughts on the vision he witnessed. The adventure he went on didn't make a lot of sense for many reasons: he traveled across regions far quicker than was possible, he started in Varisia when he was in Katapesh, and he somehow ended up somewhere he had never been to before. Zalerian thought back on the magnificent city and wondered if it was his destiny to travel there. He wasn't aware if there was anywhere in Golarion that the city could be in but he looked forward to finding out the truth.
Or perhaps the vision was more of a metaphor for his life. Zalerian spent his entire life without a true home, always traveling from one town to the next with his family. Such was the life of a nomad and it was through becoming a Pathfinder that he was able to explore the world outside of Varisia. It could be that the vision was a reflection on his wanderlust. Zalerian wasn't sure what the deeper meaning of his vision was if that was the case, just as he still didn't know the final city he ended up in.
Zalerian stopped thinking of his vision when Emra gasped loudly. Zalerian turned his head toward her to find that Teshak, now awake, held Tempest to her neck. He rushed over to the pair, but before he could react, Teshak quickly realized what he had done and lowered his dagger away from Emra.
"I'm terribly sorry," Teshak muttered quietly. "I thought I was fighting for my life..."
"It's alright," Emra said, smiling softly. "You didn't hurt me so you have nothing to apologize for."
"The fight you were in was a vision from what we think was the Breath of Nethys," Zalerian explained as Emra helped Teshak from the ground. "The others are experiencing similar visions but we've found that water can wake them up."
"Of course," Teshak turned to face the remaining adventurers caught in the trance. "I take it that we're waking them up."
"That's the plan," Zalerian said with a nod.
"Then allow me to help."
Zalerian pointed his hand towards his resting companions, chanted a quick incantation, and sent a burst of water toward them. Trax jumped back in time as the water slammed against Arguk, Belash, and Melkia, who gasped in shock as they were drenched by the conjured water. The spell didn't seem to harm them but the force the wave came at them was enough to push them back a few inches across the wet floor. Arguk stood up as Trax came up to him while Melkia and Belash glared at Teshak for the rude wake-up.
"Wonderful," Melkia rolled her eyes.
"Was that necessary?" Belash grunted.
"Apparently so," Teshak nodded. "A simple shake wasn't enough and we didn't want to expend all of our water."
"We can dry outside in the heat later," Arguk said, gesturing for Melkia and Belash to stand up. "What did we miss?"
"Not much," Emra told Arguk. "The Breath of Nethys knocked everyone out except for Trax and myself."
"The Breath of Nethys?" Melkia crossed her arms as she stood up. "Seriously?"
"Do you not remember the visions?" Valerian asked.
Melkia turned away. "Never mind. We still have to finish searching the rest of this place, right?"
"That's right," Emra said. "There's at least one hall we haven't looked through yet. Once we search it, we'll know if the refuge is safe."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Arguk grinned. "Let's get to it."
Zalerian noted that the others were quiet about what they saw from breathing in the Breath of Nethys. He was curious as to what they saw but he decided that now wasn't the time to ask. Given Teshak's reaction, Zalerian also had to consider that the visions his companions had weren't as kind as the one he saw. For now, he decided to focus on ensuring that the rest of the dungeon is secured. Afterwards, he would leave it up to his friends if they wanted to talk about what they saw.
The adventurers retraced their steps back towards the room that they climbed down into with the statues in the corners. While they had discovered the Breath of Nethys and determined that the shrine was the Refuge of the All-Seeing Eye, there were still parts of the complex they hadn't explored. If they were going to use the dungeon as a base for further expeditions into Kelmarane, they needed to ensure there were no more threats to attack them while their guard was down. While Zalerian believed there wasn't anything that could be more grand than the discovery of the Breath of Nethys, he was still excited to see what else the refuge had hidden away.
Zalerian led his companions down the corridor, noting that the floor was starting to become covered in ancient dust. That caught the monk's attention as he realized it meant that Haidar hadn't explored this part of the refuge and that there may still be secrets for the group to discover. Eventually, the adventurers stepped into a chamber with engravings covered by spider webs on the wall. A niche to their right was covered in rubble and one to their left was completely empty. The group focused on the two niches that were in the wall in front of them, each holding a wooden statue of sphinxes with the lower body of a lion, the wings of a falcon, and the upper body of a human woman.
The heads of the two wooden sphinxes creaked when their necks turned to face the adventurers.
"They're alive!" Zalerian gasped.
"Defend yourselves!" Arguk called out.
The adventurers brandished their weapons while Zalerian charged forward. He didn't hesitate to throw a jab towards one of the wooden sphinxes, having broken wooden planks to hone his hand-to-hand skills. He punched a hole through the sphinx's chest and pulled his hand out as Belash charged in, slamming his greataxe into the wooden statue's front legs. The wooden sphinx turned to Belash without emotion on its face and tried to headbutt him but the warrior backed out of its reach. Emra and Trax joined Zalerian and Belash in battle with the hyena biting at the sphinx's legs. Emra swung her scimitar into the wooden sphinx's neck, and while her swing wasn't enough to decapitate it, Zalerian finished the sphinx off by punching it through its face.
Zalerian watched the sphinx he punched crumble into splinters and he turned toward the remaining sphinx. However, he found that the other adventurers had managed to destroy it. Melkia's arrows and Teshak's frosty magic weakened it enough for Arguk to cut the sphinx's head off with his own scimitar. With the adrenaline of combat passing away, Zalerian was left with his thoughts. He heard that sphinxes were guardians and yet it seemed strange that they guarded a room that was seemingly a dead end. He thought there was more to the chamber than meets the eye and looked around the walls closely.
"Well fought, everyone," Emra said with a smile. "Those sphinxes didn't stand a chance against us."
"I don't think they were real sphinxes," Arguk commented as Trax returned to his side. "I don't recall sphinxes being made of wood but a victory is a victory."
"We're done here, right?" Melkia asked. "This is a dead end."
"So it would seem," Emra nodded in agreement.
"Hold on a moment," Teshak said with a frown. "Why would there be two sphinxes in a room like this? They're supposed to be guardians, aren't they? What are they guarding?"
"This chamber?" Belash suggested half heartedly.
"Or what's through the chamber," Zalerian corrected, and without waiting, pressed his hand toward the wall to his left.
The wall shimmered when Zalerian's hand went through it and the monk smirked when his guess turned out to be correct.
"It's an illusion!" Teshak said with a gasp.
"So it is," Zalerian said and pulled his hand back. "There was hardly any dust on the wall. I suppose that the followers of Nethys never thought that the refuge would be abandoned for years when they first made the illusion."
"Good thinking, Zalerian," Emra complimented and the monk felt the heat in his cheeks.
"I guess we should keep going then," Melkia said with a sigh. "Let's see what's on the other side."
Zalerian pressed on through the illusionary wall with the rest of his friends following behind him. Past the illusion was another chamber with three spacious tubs taking up most of the floor space. Terracotta braziers emitting a familiar blue light were placed between the tubs with narrow vents above the braziers. The walls were lined with shelves that held dozens of clay jars and bowls with Zalerian catching dried up herbs in one of the bowls as he walked past one of the shelves. There was an open door leading deeper on the other side, but between the adventurers and the way forward were three creatures. They were humanoid in shape but were about Trax's size with long limbs with tentacle-like appendages at the end and dark skin. The creatures turned to face the adventurers and started to advance.
"Chokers!" Melkia called out. "Kill them!"
Zalerian was so caught up with their disturbing appearance that one of the chokers slipped past him while the other two went after Arguk and Belash. The choker that made it to the back ranks lunged at Teshak, who backed out of its long reach, while the other two slammed their hands against the gnoll and half-orc. Arguk yelped out in pain and Zalerian turned to help him, figuring that Belash could hold out against his choker. Arguk swung at the choker that struck him, and while it backed away from his swing, it didn't anticipate Trax biting into one of its legs. The choker screeched out in pain and Emra, also deciding to help Arguk, slashed her scimitar across the choker's back. Zalerian dashed forward, and with a high kick aimed at the choker's face, broke the monster's skull to end its life.
Two more chokers remained. The choker that went after Teshak had its tentacles from one of its arms wrapped around Teshak's neck, having caught the sorcerer with its next attack. It let out pained yelps as Melkia fired an arrow into its leg, and the choker slammed Teshak into the ground. Arguk jumped over to the choker assaulting Teshak, and while it backed away from the gnoll, it gave Teshak the opportunity he needed to stab the choker in the neck with Tempest. It let out a pain noise, and while Teshak gasped for air, Melkia finished the choker off with an arrow that pierced through one of its eyes.
Melkia was quick to nock another arrow on her bow to fire at the remaining choker, piercing into its shoulder while it was distracted with Belash. While the warrior wasn't able to land a blow against the choker, he was able to keep it away long enough for his companions to join in the fight. Teshak pointed his hand toward the remaining choker, blasting it with a ray of frost, and Zalerian and Emra turned to face each other. They nodded to one another, coming to an unspoken agreement on their plan. Emra charged in first, calling out to the choker with a loud cry. It shifted away from Emra's attack as it heard her coming but Zalerian was there to meet the choker. He threw a punch that connected with the choker's neck and it fell to the ground, twitching for a few seconds before growing still.
"That was a close one," Teshak said, rubbing his neck. "I can see how chokers got their name."
"Are you okay, Teshak?" Emra asked, concerned.
"I'm alive, and that's what matters," Teshak answered with a chuckle.
"We should keep an eye out for the choker's nest," Melkia suggested, gesturing towards a corner covered in debris. "They might have some treasure for us to take."
"Good thinking," Arguk nodded in agreement. "Although I wonder how the chokers were able to get past the sphinxes or the illusion."
"Maybe there's a tunnel that leads outside ahead?" Zalerian suggested. "We should continue and find out for ourselves."
"A sound plan," Arguk said. "I have a feeling we're close to seeing all of the refuge."
"I think you're right," Emra said, stepping towards the open door. "I can't say for certain but I think we're getting close to where we found the Breath of Nethys."
"But didn't we already find it?" Belash asked with a shrug.
"There was more of the passage before we passed out and have to fall back," Zalerian reminded the group and walked up to join Emra. "If this leads back to the caverns, it could be that the chokers held their breath to avoid the Breath of Nethys. That would mean they made it here without going through the chamber we came from."
The adventurers pressed forward, seeing that the open door led into a corridor. They followed the corridor into the next room, which must have been some sort of scriptorium back when the Refuge of the All-Seeing Eye was active. There were broken tables covered with slates along with shattered stools scattered across the ground along with cracked scroll cases. Zalerian couldn't see how the scrolls could survive from when the refuge was abandoned and could see a few pieces of papyrus already broken up. A plaque made of dark stone with another depiction of Nethys, this time at the helm of his barge.
"It would seem as though this is all there is to the Refuge of Nethys," Arguk said quietly once the adventurers determined there wasn't a threat. "It might be safe for us to set up camp on the upper levels though. There may still be lingering traps in the area."
"Good idea, Arguk," Teshak said. "Emra, could I get your help in searching the room with the chokers? I think some of the supplies on the cabinets there can be salvaged."
"Of course," Emra nodded. "And we still need to search the choker's nest."
"Leave that to me," Arguk offered. "I have a keen eye for finding something out of place."
"What about the rest of us?" Zalerian asked.
"You and Belash can clear out some of the rubble and the spiders' corpses to make the ruins above us more hospitable," Teshak suggested. "Melkia, I'd like for you to travel back to the monastery and inform Lady Almah of our actions."
"By the time I get back, it may be too late to try attacking Kelmarane," Melkia pointed out.
"After today, we could use a short break," Teshak said and Zalerian nodded in agreement along with the others. "Good work, everyone. Tomorrow, we'll weaken Kelmarane's defenses more. Let's get to work making the Refuge of Nethys our forward base."
Even though the Refuge of Nethys had proven dangerous to take, Zalerian and his companions were up to the challenge. From the wild spiders to the wooden sphinxes to the wereleopard hermit, the adventurers overcame each threat. Tomorrow, they would return to their attack on Kelmarane and work toward defeating Kardswann and the gnolls he commanded. The day of the final battle was coming closer, and after taking the Refuge of Nethys, Zalerian was confident that they would be ready when the time came.
A/N: This is one of the longest chapters I've written for Howl of the Carrion King, and maybe in fanfiction in general. I just couldn't find the right point to end the chapter until this part.
Until next time.