The consequences of destroying the level would be witnessed immediately. The loud sounds of gears turning would be heard. And then the sound reversed as if it was counting down a time limit. The grate on the other side of the door would lift and reveal the way into the next room. But, there was immediate danger as the floor fell away in pieces.
Hot and dense air would immediately be noticed and a strange red glow filled the room. There was magma beneath the floor and would kill any that fell down instantly. There was no choice but to go further due to the only hope for an exit laid at the end of the dungeon. A small path of floating squares were left, but great leaps would have to be made in order for them all to cross before the grate closed.
If they did not work together, they would fail.
Alistair smacked his head as the floor fell away. He turned to Brickel. "Great, brilliant idea. Did you think that through at all?" He sighed a bit, unfurling his wings. "Well, no use cry over spilt milk. I can fly over there, and maybe at a stretch take either one of you..though Mr. Paladin over there will need to drop the armour. What say the both of you?"
"Nah, I got a better idea. Ally, take flight. Brick, get over here." While he waited for that, he took a couple seconds to focus his mind and spirit to attain the same superhuman strength he showed in the hall earlier. It seemed a bit more difficult than the last time, but he managed it. "I drop my armor now, it's going for a dive, and it'll take too long to take off besides!" If Brick did as he was told, he was getting flung towards the exit with the help of this strength boost.
He would never hear the words as one of the panels collapsed beneath him and he was sliding down in to the glowing pit. He went without a shout or even a yelp but rather closed his eyes and kept his mouth tightly shut. May his death come quickly and be without pain.
Then there was an explosion. At first Brickel thought it might have been a magma bubble bursting but then he realized that if that were the case then it would have engulfed him and he would have had no time for such thoughts. Instead one of his precious gems had fallen out of his sash and splashed inside.
The immediate reaction of the gem was to go off and suddenly the small gnome was flying right back up in to the air. He had enough presence of mind to open up his eyes just in time to grab on to a tile as he fell back down. Scrambling, Brickel managed to pull himself up on to the tile and look out across him. As luck would have it, as it often seems to have the gnome, Brickel was up a short hop away from the other side of the ledge.
He tossed a look over his shoulder at the other two which said he planned it all along and then he was going to hop across to safety.
"Well, it seems our resident shorty over there will make it across just fine. Good luck, Paladin. I still haven't caught your name, after all." Alistair gave a quick salute before flying towards the grate, following Brickel's lead.
As Alistair Nahan neared the grate and Brickel as well, a small voice was heard on the other side of the closing grate. It was feminine; weak and calling for help. It came from the mouth of a beautiful maiden with long blond hair, fair skin, blue eyes, and a white gown flowing over her small frame. Such details would only be noticed when and if the three adventurers ducked beneath the grate to the next room.
"H-Help ... it's ... it's coming after me!"
"Please help m-me!"
There was a scream, urging them further onward.
Alistair ducked under the grate quickly, not sparing a second glance behind him. The other two would either make it, or they wouldn't. Either way, they probably wouldn't need his help. It was about this time he heard the voice of a woman, and spotted her as well, as he entered the next room. She was extremely beautiful, and he was immediately struck; however, this dungeon had taught him to be wary. Alistair unsheathed a dagger, cautiously moving towards the distressed woman. "What's wrong? What's coming after you?"
A damsel in distress? Brickel snickers as he rushes towards the grate just behind the paladin but does not yet decide to blindly slide in. Instead he pulls a small ruby out from his sash and eyes it carefully before skipping it under the grate the way a boy would skip a stone across a pond.
The first time the ruby hits the floor it bursts in to a red light that illuminates the darkness as it skips past the paladin.
"Hold there, chivalrous knight! Might you first appreciate some light?" Brickel cannot help but to chuckel at his would-be-bard's tongue as he then slides under the grate and practically waddles next to the paladin. By now he is huffing and puffing with a face that is beat red and not just from the red glow of his ruby.
Gary did in fact appreciate the light, but he had to find a path that would lead him to the gate! Ah, just like the infamous knight's tour puzzle: One took a knight and an empty chessboard, and starting from any square, devised a path to take the piece to every other square exactly once following the usual rules for its movement. He chucked Brickel towards the exit to maximize his agility, and with the same cat-like reflexes he showed in the hallway earlier, leaped from tile to tile, barely making it to the exit with Brickel and Alistair. "Gary. That's all you need to know," he panted.
SHE! SHE IS COMING! OH GODS PRESERVE ME,” the woman screamed at the top of her lungs while attempting to cling onto the nearest man which happened to be Alistair Nahan. Her fingers groped to find something to grab on him while her eyes scanned over him wildly and filled with great fear. Tears were glittering along her lashes and poured gratuitously down her rose cheeks.
The woman was panicked and more than fearful.
“Please, p-p-please will you protect m-me! She wants my blood! Oh gods, so much blood!”
Alistair temporarily dropped his guard as the woman grabbed on to him. She was lucky he hadn't stabbed her, running on hair-trigger instinct about three seconds earlier. "Uh..s-sure. I..we..?..will protect you. But calm down, lady and tell me what "SHE!" is. I mean, c'mon. Gotta know what's comin, right? And lemme go. I can't fight with ya clingin onto me." Alistair figured he would use his demonic charm. After all, it couldn't hurt to try, and maybe it would get this woman to stop crying. It probably wouldn't hurt his chances with picking her up later, either. At that, he looked past the woman to see if he could catch a glimpse of whatever was so dangerous. He also pulled out his other dagger, holding it loosely.
Brickel grins as the woman throws herself on the half-demon. The gnomes always get looked over. In this case though Brickel cannot say he is upset as the ensuing gooseflesh this woman causes is not the feeling he would hope for from such a beautiful dame.
For the first time since their impromptu journey, Brickel takes the initiative by creeping further in to the red glow of his ruby and readying his crossbow for any trouble. All of this time wasted is time spent away from his lab and since the gnome has yet to find anything truly valuable he has yet to consider this trip very worth while.
Gary was quick to come to this woman's defense. "Who? Who wants your blood? Where is she?" His divine blessing guarded his heart from fear...not that he didn't feel it at all, oh no. He simply refused to let it stop him from doing what was necessary. His hand found itself drifting towards his sword hilt, as if this was a habitual response. His mind was putting the pieces together...there was a female voice earlier that was egging them on, but this specimen was far too hysterical to make the voice he heard earlier. "Calm down, miss. We intend to confront this woman...anything you can tell us about her might help us bring about her damnation and your freedom." His words were honeyed, but there was no ulterior motive to his choice of words. Indeed, he had learned as a kensai to project his ki in such a manner as to make such delicate acts of diplomacy much easier. He just wanted information.
Alistair Nahan's demon charm did nothing to the woman. It had absolutely not effect on the damsel. As he peered out over the clinging woman's shoulder, his eyes met nothing but a solid wall. A solid wall with no visible exit. They had reached the end of the cavern and it seemed that there was no way out.
The lady was attempting to scramble up Alistair Nahan's body, her feet seeming to not want to hold her up. Blood was pooling beneath her, flowing down her legs as stain spread across her torso. The damsel was wounded and apeared as if she were going to bleed out. She paled in front of them all and before their very eyes. Her pink tone slowly turned bone white and the woman's flesh became more sullen and tight—stretched far too thin.
"H-Help m-m-me ..."
Just then another woman clad in all black from head to foot with long flowing blood red hair stepped from a hidden stone door carved into the side of the cave walls. Her eyes opened wide and she froze. A strange aura surrounded her. It was something evil. Something cold and unnaturally so.
"No!" the newcomer called out in a beautiful voice.
Alistair was damn confused, and it probably showed on his face. First, he had come into the room, and then the woman was bleeding all over him, and then she shriveled up. He let out a sigh, before carefully laying the unwell-looking woman down. He couldn't do much about the blood, but no big deal. Unfortunately, he did not spot any way out...until the woman with blood all over her head -- no wait, that was her hair -- steeped out from..behind the wall.
Now while she seemed like his type - the darkness and all - Alistair did NOT want to die. Because, along with her entrance, he also felt something more unsavoury, so much so that he got chills. Which didn't happen very often; it took a lot to cause such a thing. As such, he quickly pulled a check on all his other daggers, and streched his wings a bit. As the other woman - the one not dying on the ground - spoke, he looked up, pointing a dagger at her. "Whaddya mean, no? What's goin on around here? Why -" he gestured to the bleeding, pale woman next to him, " - is this person bleedin like she's a fountain? Sheesh. Ain't no respect in these caves."
But Alistair's impatience got the better of him, and he decided it'd be more pragmatic to stab first and ask questions later. After all, the lady was most definitely evil of some sort. He was just bad, not evil, and they did not mix well. He ran at the woman before doing a sort of jumping lunge from halfway across the room, propelled by his wings. As he was in the air, he aimed the point of his blade at her heart, also preparing to move quickly in case he was counterattacked. He was aware of how open his lunge was, but hoped he would get to the woman before she could react.
Brickel can practically feel his skin clinging to his bones as this red-headed woman makes her grand entrance. As she draws further in, Brickel is drawing further away and in to the shadows until his back is pressed firmly against the cold stone wall. He manages to keep his teeth from chattering so that he will not make any noise but he cannot stop his knees from shaking.
Despite his obvious fear, Brickel still manages to fish around his sash until he comes across the one item that he hopes will save him should it become necessary. It is not another modified bolt of exploding goo but rather a finely made wooden bolt with a pure silver tip. The gnome has never crossed paths with a vampire before but one of his good friends is a dwarf nobleman and has relayed stories to him that he heard from his own fellow dwarves who were in fact paladins of their god.
Oh how Brickel wishes that his good friend were here now. He finds bravery much easier to come by with familiar friends around.
With shaking hands Brickel manages to load the bolt in to his crossbow but by then he has already slid down the wall and is propped between the floor and the wall like a child suffering he berating of his parents. Skeletons were once thing but a possible vampire is something this particular gnome was not ready for.
As Alistair literally flew at the second woman, Gary spoke a quick prayer for his safety in the coming fight, but he couldn't let his guard down either. With one hand on his sword hilt, ready to draw it should the need arise, he knelt down and offered his other hand to the bleeding woman. "It's okay. I just want to stop you from bleeding. We'll bring her down, but protection of innocents comes first." His free hand began to glow with a soft light as he prepared to lay his hand on the victim...hopefully she would allow him, and if the other got past Alistair and to them, odds were he could use the charge to harm the leech that was known as a 'vampire' instead.
Alistair Nahan’s lunge proved quite successful. The blade in his hand plunged into the woman’s chest, piercing into her flesh as if it were nothing but paper. Blood spurted from the wound and coated Alistair Nahan’s body.
There never came a scream. Her eyes went wide with shock as the blade pressed into her chest and she stumbled backwards from the force of the half-daemon’s attack. Eyelids flickered and tears sprung up into her eyes before pouring down her smooth pale cheeks.
A gurgled and small cry came from between her lips and blood spat from between her plush lips. The woman’s hands rose up as if to pull the blade from her heart but before she could do so, the unknown lady fell onto her knees. The light dimmed from her eyes and she fell forward with the last of her breath leaving her lungs. A pool of blood spread out around the woman, dark and still warm.
Meanwhile, the gnome—Brickel—was so small and underestimated that he had gone unnoticed by the true enemy. It was a blessing in and of itself. A blessing that did not fall on Gary Mandolera’s shoulders. As soon as she saw the other taking the bait of her thrall, the true enemy—The Vampire Queen—screeched and bared her rows upon rows of sharp and serrated teeth at the paladin. He had reached his hand down to her, and yet she recoiled from the light. The Vampire Queen was hauntingly white in the light and instead of retreating away from the holy man, instead she dashed toward him with her faster-than-human speed.
The Vampire aimed to wrap her thin—yet strong—fingers around his throat.
Alistair had fucked up. He knew, and the other two probably knew it too, if they weren't too busy, from the sound of it. This screw-up was made very, very vocal. "Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck, that was a pretty dumb thing to do. You okay there, lady? Okay, well I guess that's a stupid question, but just hold on while we kill that bitch over there and then I can get the paladin guy....Gary, to help ya. And for now, I'll do what I can." He quickly sheathed both of his daggers, and put one palm over another, above the wound. "Goddammit, Dad. Why didn'tcha give me more healin power, eh? Now I've gone an' fucked up." As the healing energy - only enough to perhaps stop the bleeding and stitch a few places, if the woman's body would allow. He had, at most, enough to keep the lady alive if she still was, and after he burned it, that was it for a good while. But as he thought, and told himself, "Shit, I'm bad, but I ain't evil, and ain't no innocent person that din't even do anything gonna die cause of me. Especially not a woman, but still..."
The woman's body was healed by the half-daemon's attempt but it could not bring her back to life. She had died by his hand; died by his too-quick mind which had judged by her appearance alone. There was no coming back from death.
Gary couldn't react fast enough to draw his sword, and it would be useless in a grapple anyway. However, he could use the charge of his lay on hands to good effect here. As the sudden lunge knocked his armored form onto his back, his charged-up hand thrust forward, driving into the woman's chest and channeling positive energy into her form, which was anathema to undead. Instead of knitting together wounds and enabling an injured comrade--even himself--to fight on, it would have quite the opposite effect on the monster, and that wasn't even taking into account the force of the palm strike itself, despite its suboptimal delivery. He wasn't a monk, after all. As a bonus, this stiff-arm would make the job of strangling him a bit more difficult.
The momentum of the Vampire Queen’s motion kept get going forward towards the paladin. In a split second, she realized her mistake and it showed in how her eyes grew wide with regret and fear—fear of dying and pain. The sunken and withered creature tangled with Gary Mandolera and screeched again as pain lashed through her unholy body. The being convulsed a top him as her flesh began to turn into ash. Nails as hard as diamonds attempted to lash at the paladin’s face but it was panicked flailing.
And then the ‘woman’ stopped moving and stopped shrieking. Nothing but a form of ash lay atop Gary Mandolera and with the slightest movement made by him, the Vampire Queen collapsed into floating dust, defeated and finally able to rest for eternity.
The moments seem to drag on slowly for the gnome who can hear only his heavy panting even after the Vampire Queen already turned to ash. The undead are not something that Brickel has ever been comfortable with. He doesn't even like to be around dead bodies but nothing gives him the chills like a vampire.
After a few long breaths Brickel manages to compose himself. Then he actually stands up and unloads his crossbow.
"Amazing, huh? I guess she wasn't a very strong or smart vampire, eh? Any undead worth their merit should have been able to discern the presence of a paladin."
As Brickel brushes himself off, trying to hide the fact that he is still a little bit shaken up he says, "So, uh where to now, boys?"
Alistair was still shaken up and it was quite visible. He had accidentally killed an innocent woman in his rush to defend himself. But as Gary finished off the real Vampire Queen, and Brickel asked his question, he composed himself. Mostly. He wasn't shuddering anymore, and he had closed the eyes of the woman in respect and laid her out in a proper position, away from the pool of blood. He chose to leave the blood on his hands there, as a reminder of what he had done, and as a lesson to never do so again. He repeated his motto..or tried to. "I'm bad, not evil....right? I guess I might be now..." He shook it off and turned to his companions. "Unless either of you knows how to revive the dead, I suggest we head through that door." He jabbed a finger towards the now-open door. He also shot the two an unreadble look. "If ya want me ta die for this, I won't letcha kill me. Dyin ain't my repentance."
"Sorry. Raising the dead is beyond my power," Gary mentioned sadly as he dusted himself off. "I'm not going to hold you responsible for her death, but others might if they saw the same things I did. You reached a logical conclusion using the available information and acted appropriately. Mercy for those that deserve mercy--the weight of this deed on your already tortured soul is punishment enough, I suppose." He sighed, his heart weighed down as well by the murder of this innocent victim. She was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. "Now let's get our gear and hope there's another way out. I am not leapfrogging over a lake of lava again if I can help it."
Brickel snorts at the paladin's comment as he unloads his crossbow and puts the modified weapon back in its proper place. "Yeah, try tadpoling across."
The gnome does not seem too upset over the loss of the woman, either that or he does not seem to notice it. Some might consider him selfish or uncaring but he is just a gnome. He is always looking to the future and trying to forget past fears, regrets, and mistakes.
So Brickel does just that as he approaches the open doorway. He moves along carefully though and does not cross the threshhold without at least first inspecting it.
"Anyone got a light?"
The room was dark but only for a moment. As soon as Brickel stepped forth into the room, the sconches along the walls lit up brilliantly with natural flame. The walls of the room were adorned in black runes that very well could have had intentions toward necromany. A granite sarcophagus laid in the middle of the room on top of a smal dais. Fresh air wafted into the room from the wooden door that rested behind the tomb. It was their way out.
Inside the sarcophagus laid hundres of glittering gold coins, pearl ropes, gems and jewels. But, there were treasures inside of the tomb that far surpassed the riches:
Skuldgrim the Slayer of Undead
Skuld was the first sword forged on the world of Gaia in the Xanaldra Forge. It is a legendary blade that has not been seen for a hundred generations. It once served Gaia when the undead were a threat to all living beings on the Mother’s soil and vanquished The Risen Horde during the age of Those Who No Longer Roam sent by Eras.
The blade of the sword is long and elegant with a pointed edge that is perfect for piercing into armor. Down its length is the engraving of Sagittae—a beautiful woman—in finely etched lines on one side and the other is the engraved representation of Atargatis—a strong and lithe man. The edges are blunt and glow with a strange red flame from enchantment. The blade and hilt are made from a very light weight and mysterious metal.
The pommel of the sword is marked with an engraving which represents the goddess Sagittae; one of the stars of Gaia and the Mother’s protector from the evil god Eras. The sheath is blood red. It is unbreakable and will never shatter.
It is a sword meant to battle the undead which roam mindlessly on Gaia; skeletons, reanimated corpses, and shades. But with all swords of power, there is a weakness. It cannot kill any living soul and may only be used on the undead.
Ni’thorne the Spear of Thorns
Ni’thorne was once wield by a legendary woman named Lothilir Elorith. She was a great and powerful figure in the creation of Gaia. Earth was moved with barely a whisper of Will. She forged the soil of Gaia; raised mountains for protection, smoothed plains for crops and cattle, and sloped the edge of the world into the seas.
The shaft of the spear glows with wood from the trees of the Whispering Woods. It vibrates with great power; power enough to move the earth. At the tip of the spear is a long, sharp, and deadly green blade that oozes with a poisonous sap. It coats the blade and just one knick from Ni’thorne will render an opponent paralytic over a short time and only for a short time. Stones and gems hang from the shaft of the spear but serve only as decoration being tokens from the earth.
Ni’thorne gives manipulating power over the earth element on Gaia. However, it is a very unyielding, stubborn, weapon. It will not be mastered by just any Bearer. When first gained, Ni’throne will not respond to any magical prod nor poke. It’s unwavering loyalty must first be earned as with any human woman. It’s true potential will never be tapped unless wielded by Lothilir herself, for the woman had bound most of the weapon’s power. Only someone with a stronger heart and Will than she will be able to unlock the potential.
Otherwise, the Bearer will only be able to summon up weak and small shields of earth or even be limited to just stirring up dust.
Alistair silently stepped past Brickel, not being in the mood to speak. His eyes brightened at the sight of the treasure, but his heart was still weighed down by his deed. The blood was still on his hands - figuratively and literally. "I'm takin first dibs." He grabbed a handful of coins and jewels, stuffing them into his pockets. He gave a small snort as he realized that he had dirtied the riches. "Blood money, literally, eh?" However, the thing that caught his eye was the spear. It seemed to be throbbing with power, not to mention it just looked plain badass. Alistair strolled over to the spear, and swept it up, giving it a spin. "Wow, just my thing. I'm not one for spears, but this thing is looks nice. You guys won't mind if I take it. But I'm done here. Nice ta meet ya; it's been a blast. Catch ya later, maybe." He kicked open the door without a backward glance and casually walked out with his new prize. Of course, he made sure to grab one more handful of gold and jewels.
