Just as before, it only took the party about an hour to travel to Malagaard along the brick path. The familiar haze of their surroundings prevented them from knowing just how far or how fast they had traveled. Once the path ended, the group found themselves amongst the ruins of a large city. From where the stood, they could see the top of the palace ahead of them. At least, they assumed it to be the palace as most of it lay buried beneath a mount of dirt. Only, it wasn't dirt. It was the putrefied remains of dung.
The palace of filth lived up to it's reputation. The stench that permeated their surroundings was oppressive. It was as if they were standing in the worlds largest latrine. While they stood on what might have once been a boulevard heading to the palace gate's, there was little more than a walking trail that ebbed it's way around mounds of excrement. As with the other places they had seen in Maladomini, the buildings here lay in ruins. Crumbling stone masonry lay scattered and mixed with the mounds that rose up from the ground.
The group tried to cover their noses as they began to follow the path leading towards the palace. The stench was almost too much to bear. Rachel vomited a little at the back of her mouth as they progressed. Caravaggio ran a finger along one of the mounds as they walked, and then wiped it off on the red armor plates of Tidal to clean off his hand, who was oblivious to the action.
The winding path eventually ended at a clearing which overlooked what could have conceivably been a moat surrounding Malagaard. It was a deep trench which seemed to partially encircle the palace. The clearing was surrounded on it's edges by the mounds of detritus. Flewid opened the journal again, thumbing his green fingers to the page he had previously read about the palace and it's entrance. He started to hum to himself as he looked around, comparing what they say to what was on the page. The rest of the group fanned out and began examining to see if there was a secure way to cross the trench, though none of them was keen to have to touch the excrement if they didn't have to.
After a good 30 minuets of wandering and examining, Flewid finally called out to the group.
"Aha!" he exclaimed as he shut the journal, which Dido then took back and stowed in her satchel hanging from her glinting armor.
"This is the entrance to the palace here!" Flewid gestured to a filth encrusted path leading down under two collapsed stone pillars leaning against one another. The mound of excrement had flown onto the pillars, but had not covered the entrance. The group began to make their decent until Tidal stopped them and drew one of his javelins, pointing slightly ahead of them. Standing perfectly still against the wall was another imp. Similar to Des'e'geth, the imp they had met at the shire camp. The markings on this one were different. While it still had an overall red sheen to it's skin, there were white markings across it's face and arms in a different pattern from Des'e'geth's.
"You! Over there! Come here!" growled Tidal as he waved his spear in the direction of the imp. The creature just stood there, motionless. Caravaggio shuffled to the front and called out; "Do as you're instructed, or we shall treat you as a threat!" Still, the imp remained perfectly still. Before any other members of the group were able to attempt their own actions to assist, Tidal launched his javelin and hit the imp square in the chest. The creature continued to remained motionless even as it began to dissolve into the ground, never once wincing at being struck or calling out in pain.
"Guess he was a stiff eh?" Chirped Flewid.
"Maybe some kind of living statue?" Rachel added.
Tidal walked over and collected his weapon, shaking off the ichor, and affixed it to the back of his armor where he had unhooked it before.
"Well, it bled." Tidal added. The group then proceeded down the stairs.
As they descended, the light from outside began to diminish. This became a problem for Tidal, who couldn't see very well in the dark. As he slowed down, the group came to a halt.
"What's the matter?" inquired Dido.
"I can't see in the dark. I have no idea where I'm stepping." Tidal grumbled back to her.
Tidal heard the sound of a sword leaving it's scabbard and the glint of a blade before suddenly Dido's sword glowed a bright blue. The cool shades of color reflected off her silver and gold armor, and glinted off his. He could also now see her piecing green eyes from her equally sharp facial features opposite the blade.
"Will this suffice?" Dido asked in a neutral tone.
"Yes. We may proceed." Grunted Tidal.
The slopped path soon leveled out. The entire structure had looked as if some kind of large creature had burrowed through the excrement to fashion this tunnel. The walls, as lit by Dido's blade, still retained the earthy color as the mounts of filth on the surface had. However, there was a faint glint on the walls as they travelled deeper into the tunnel.
Examining a few clumps that had fallen to the ground, the group could tell that it was a sort of mucus that covered the surface of the walls. The stench had not abated either. If anything, it had become even more pervasive the deeper they went.
As they carried on, Flewid struck up a conversation with the group.
"You know, I remember hearing - back when I was alive - the legend of Beelzebub betraying Asmodeus and being turned into a slug. Do you think such a thing happened?" Flewid postulated to the group as he moved a strand of his dark hair out of his face.
"It's hard to tell with legends and myths." Rachel replied while cautiously stepping around a large boulder of dung that had fallen on the path.
"This tunnel certainly has the hallmarks of a worm or slug. Albeit a giant one. This passage looks to have about a 10ft diameter." Caravaggio added, while keeping a look out for any signs of movement.
"If we come across such a beast, we will defeat it." Tidal chipped in with a gruff tone.
"I would suggest you keep the chatter down." Dido cautioned in a hushed tone. "We have no idea if there is anything hostile in this cavern."
The party fell silent and carried on.
After what seemed like an eternity as they moved through the fecal tunnel, the path soon came to an end. At it's end, was an opening that lead to a space beyond. The threshold where the two met was a mixture of traditional stone architecture of a building, and the dung crusted walls of the tunnel. As the group drew closer, it looked as if something had breached the wall from the outside, as bits of stone work lay strewn across the floor.
Poking his head through the opening and looking around, Caravaggio could make out that this new area had been some kind of sleeping quarters. There was not much left however, the scattered and broken remains of some bed frames and foot lockers. What did draw hit attention however, were the varied amounts of scattered bones laying across the floor. Everything in this area was also covered in the excrement and mucus like the tunnel. Caravaggio pulled his head back and looked to the group.
"It will likely be safer if I scout ahead solo." Caravaggio stated. "There are signs of death ahead and it would be prudent to have a better idea of where we need to go before we advance."
Everyone else nodded. After another quick glance, Caravaggio kept low and started to skulk out into the hall. Tidal lost sight of Caravaggio's hunched and imposing frame as he vanished into the dark.
Rachel walked over to the wall near the entrance, put her gear on the ground, and drew her crescent blade. She stepped up onto her gear and used it as a stool. Taking the time while Caravaggio was scouting ahead, she etched some markings into the wall. She made sure that the marking were high enough off the ground that the rest of the Party would see them, as she only came up to the waist line of most of the other members of the group. After a moment, she turned around and faced the group, gesturing to the markings she'd made.
"Just a quick note of where the exit is, in case we get lost or separated." Rachel said in a hushed tone.
As Caravaggio cautiously moved along the edge of the hall, keeping close to the wall, he noted more of the bones scattering the floor. Their were vine like tendrils of excrement all over the hall, going from the ceiling to the floor and zigzagging across the ground. Even in this darkness he could still make see all this, though it was more in shades of grey than in color as he would in daylight. He could tell he was moving down a sort of corridor, which rounded a corner several feet ahead of him. There were various bulges of filth on the walls, the floors and the ceiling. For a moment, he thought he saw on move on the ceiling, but taking a second look, nothing was moving. The stench of excrement was very potent as he moved down the hall, seeming to peak where he was, which was only about half way down the hall. It soon began to abate slightly as he neared the corner.
Rounding the corner, Caravaggio could make out an entrance to another room. Where there should have been two massive doors blocking his path, the doors now laid strewn across the entrance and into the other room. Creeping to the threshold a quietly as possible, always keeping an ear out for trouble, he peered into the new room. The room was large, and with stacks of crates and barrels every where. He spied another set of door on the wall perpendicular to where he was now. The doors were very regal, even if they were encrusted with more of the detritus that covered everything in this fallen palace. They also seemed to still be intact, and barring his way into the following chamber. Taking one last glance, everything seemed to be safe for the group to proceed.
Caravaggio made his way backdown the hall about half way, when he could see Dido's head poking around the corner. He waved her over and indicated that there was something to see beyond him.
Dido, from her position, could see the familiar bugbear reappear down the hall from her lookout location. Giving her the wave and pointing off past him, she knew he'd found something. Turning back to the group, she locked eyes with them and nodded towards Caravaggio's position that they here moving out.
Carefully moving down the hall, the group tried to avoid the bones and vines scattered about the floor. The only source of light was the sword in Dido's hand, casting shadows off everything it illuminated. The stench began to get worse as the group made their way to about half way down the hall.
Suddenly, Dido could feel something slimy wrap around her waist. She let out a warning as two more of the vines began to wrap around her.
The group froze on the spot, looking around to identify a target. They quickly notice that the vines were actually part of a creature. One of the large mounds of filth clinging to the ceiling was in face some kind of creature. Like an octopus made of hardened excrement, the tendrils now moving about with sinister purpose.
Flewid jumped into action first, shape shifting into the form of a large dire wolf as he leapt forwards. In mid stride he completed his transformation and bound down the hall closing the gap between him and Dido. With his mouth open wide and fangs bared, he clamped down on the tendril that was wrapped around her waist, vigorously shaking it in his grip. His efforts seemed to be in vain as there was no discernable impact.
Caravaggio quickly joined Flewid in focusing on the tendril latched onto Dido. With a downward thrust from his rapier, he could tell it was having some effect as the tendril's grip loosened, freeing Dido from it's grasp. There was a quick flash of light as bright flames lapped across the ceiling. Glancing back, Caravaggio could see the source was Rachel, near the back of the group.
Freed from the creature's embrace, Dido scanned the scene around her. Two more tendrils were now making their way towards her and she shifted her weight to one side, leaning out of the path of one as it darted past her. Dido then dropped into a roll as she narrowly missed the second tendril coming from the other side of the hall. There was a loud grunt from Tidal behind her and she spun around to look for him. As she casted the light from her sword in the direction of the grunt, she saw that a tendril had wrapped itself around him and lifted him into the air. Then she spied Caravaggio being wrapped up by some other tendrils and lifting him up towards the ceiling. But instead of being drawn to the first lump on the ceiling, he was being pulled towards a second lump, which had now revealed itself and was gnashing is rock like fangs. She had no time to react before it sunk it's rock fangs into Caravaggio's shoulder.
Caravaggio could feel the glaring pain as the rock fangs sank into his shoulder. The pain was almost unimaginable. The creature was biting the shoulder of the hand holding his rapier. Bringing himself to focus, pushing past the pain, he acted as quickly as he could. Dropping the rapier from his one hand, he grabbed it with the other and thrust it upwards into the creatures maw. He was able to find purchase in the attack, as the creature bellowed in what he hopped was pain as it released him and he tumbled back to the ground.
Landing in a hard thud, Caravaggio recovered and rolled, coming up to one knee.
"Withdraw!" Caravaggio shouted getting back onto his feet and making for the entrance they had come through.
Rachel quickly joined him and took cover just past the threshold of the entryway. She began to create a glow in her hands as she prepared a spell.
Dido moved towards Tidal's last position. He was now dangling half way up to the ceiling. Despite his large size, the tentacle was not struggling to lift him up. Seeing some old pieces of furniture that had been piled in a corner, she began to run towards them. The hall was narrow enough that she was able to find some purchase on the stack of furniture and press off leaping to a spot on the near by wall where a clump of filth jutted out, and then followed through with a swing from her blade at the creatures tentacle. While the strike seemed to land true, it did not have any impact. Tidal was still secure in it's grip. Noticing the lack of success, Dido decided it was more prudent to move out of the creatures reach, and when she landed on the ground, she quickly rolled away, dodging another tentacle and proceeded to make her way to the other end of the hall where the corner was leading to the hall. The sound of a loud crunch and a howl of pain from Tidal broke her attention just long enough for another strafing tentacle to trip her causing her to stumble to the ground. Before she could scramble to her feet, two tentacles gripped her, one around her left ankle, the other around her waist. She was lifted into the air as she tried to dig her sword into the ground.
Flewid had been dodging the tentacle strikes as he made his way back to the entrance when he was struck from his right flank by one he couldn't dodge fast enough. It sent him careening into the wall which he hit with a loud thud. His dark grey fur became covered in the filth that encrusted the walls as he slid to the ground. He was a little disoriented as he was struck again. After taking a few hits, a tendril wrapped itself around him and lifted him up into the air. He struggled to break free but the tentacle gripping him just constricted him tighter and tighter.
As Flewid was being lifted, he saw a glowing light from the entrance. Looking closer, he could see Rachel's smaller form walking out from behind the entry way. She was cast in a glow that looked like moon light. She made some motions with her hands that he struggled to follow as he was still disoriented. When she was done however, the light seemed to condense itself into a ball and then launch from her and streak towards the creature behind him. As it struck the beast, the light began to coat the creature. It started at the point of impact and then flowed over it's form until ever inch of it was covered in a moon lit glow. Once the light stopped expanding, Flewid could see it writhing violently before the light seemed to soften it's rock like exterior. The creature just melted off the ceiling, with Dido and Tidal falling to the ground. Dido fell with grace, landing on her feet and dodging the precipitating goo from the creatures remains. Tidal on the other hand, hit the ground hard, and then was covered in the remains. Flewid then felt himself be lifted higher to the ceiling.
Dido could feel herself dropping after the light that had enveloped the tentacle holding her turned it to goo. She was able to control her fall and land on her feet. She watched Tidal tumble and hit the ground, still likely in a lot of pain form being bit. Taking in the rest of the fight, she could see the second creature still had Flewid and Caravaggio in it's grip. She began to make a run for Caravaggio who was still on the ground, but the goo that now covered the floor from the first creature's demise was making it difficult to run without slipping and falling onto the ground.
As Dido neared the tentacle, she took two big swings with her sword, but missed both times as she failed to find solid footing or track the tentacle while it moved about. A large hammer hit the ground near her shortly after. She looked over to see Tidal, who had gotten to his feet, holding his side where the first creature had bitten him. There was a grimace on his face, which was a weird thing to see as his visage closely resembled that of a bull. Her attention was then drawn to the ceiling as Dido heard a yelp from Flewid. Looking up, she could see him revert back to his normal green genasi form. He then slipped out of the creatures grasp and fell to the ground. Before she could do anything to try and help him, the familiar feel of the tentacles was constricting around her again, and both her and Tidal were plucked from the ground and lifted into the air.
The creature now held three of the five party members in it's grasp. Rachel and Flewid were now the only ones left not entangled in it's embrace. Thinking fast, she incanted a prayer to Selune, then folded her hands, placing her thumbs together and index fingers together to form a triangle. Aiming the center of the triangle at the creature, she exhaled into it. Flames came rushing out the other side of the triangle and lanced out to the maw of the beast. The fire scorched it and she could tell it hurt when the creature let out a beastial howl. But it wasn't enough to make it release it's grasp of her party members. Caravaggio, Dido and Tidal were still struggling to break free. Flewid looked barely conscious lying on the floor. Rachel breathed again into her hands and sent more flames towards the creature.
Dido could feel herself being pulled towards the creature's maw. The stench of it's hot breath, magnified by the two sacred flame attacks form Rachel, made her feel like she was going to pass out from the smell. Then she felt something different, something fury brushed up against her from behind. Trying to glance behind her, Dido could make out the form of something large. Is that an Ape? she thought to herself. Dido thought she must be hallucinating from the stench, but the giant Ape reached out and grabbed a handful of the tentacles and pulled. This provided the opening to Caravaggio to swing his rapier and free Tidal, who was able to pull on the tentacle holding her to free up her arm to swing her blade.
As the creature pulled Dido in to sink it's rock fangs into her, Dido thrust her sword upwards, into it's maw. It howled and she pulled the blade back and then thrust it again. This time, the howl was short lived, and the tentacles started to go limp. She grabbed a hold of the one that was around her and used it to slide down to the ground, landing gracefully. They had survived, but they were all worn out after that fight.
Rachel helped Flewid sit down as he reverted from his ape form. Dido tended to Tidal's wounds. Caravaggio quietly stalked down the hall and around the corner. A few moments later he returned, carrying a worn old satchel. It looked very well used, but still held together. Showing the contents to the group, they could see that there were three envelopes and a scroll nestled inside the pouch. Flewid was about to reach for the scroll when the mark on his face began to glow. In a flash, he vanished. In his place was the familiar cherry wood pipe. Dido scooped it up and secured it in her gear again, just as she had done before. The remaining four decided to tend to their wounds before pressing deeper into the palace of filth.
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