“We need to move, we need to move, we need to move!” Kai shouted as he made his way toward the central portal on the floating island high above the Spiral.
“We need to heal,” Kildo counted as he saw Scomatch limping towards them. Guo Gan was sitting on the ground in a lotus position. A shimmering yellow light encompassed his body, as he healed. Touching his holy symbol of Rigga the Earthmother, a wave of divine energy washed out from the ankh and healed Scomatch. The halfling regained a little pep in his step and his black eye returned to normal. He then cast, Cure Wounds on himself. He felt better, but he was still in a lot of pain from the trio lightning bolts that struck him earlier. Reaching into his hat of holding, he pulled out a small vial of red liquid. He drank the healing potion and felt its warm, magical power course through his entire body. While not completely healed, they were all in at least better shape.
Breathing in and exhaling a few times in anxiety, Kildo nodded to the paladin. His arm hairs stood straight up, as the portal hummed with massive energy.
“Wow, I’ve never seen a disintegration poral before,” Scomatch said to the dwarven cleric stepping next to him.
“Woit!?”
“Just messing with you dwarf. It should be fine,” Scomatch waved off the concern and entered. There was a ‘zap’ of electricity as the halfling mage vanished. Kai, Guo Gan, and the flesh golem 9 of 5 followed.
“I be worried about it being a portal to the nine hells and not being able to come back through, portal,” Kildo retorted out loud to no one in particular. Holding his breath, he entered. Emerging on the other side, alive, he quickly turned around. The portal remained. Breathing out a sigh of relief, he glanced around his new surroundings. He found himself in a narrow cave system within a small boulder field. Air was constantly flowing, like a current through the sea. The trail continued ahead. Scomatch’s familiar Charmander’s lit tail helped everyone to see. They began to travel along the passageways. All different, but also the same.
Guo Gan led as they searched forks to their conclusion to ensure nothing could sneak up behind them. Finding another dead-end tunnel, Kildo wouldn’t have given it a second glance, but he saw Guo Gan stop. The monk bent a knee examining something. Approaching, he saw a plethora of lifeless creatures. Spiders, lizards, bats, and even a carrion crawler. Dead cave inhabitants were not unusual, but what was is none of them were chewed up or in a typical death position with legs up. They all seemed to have suffered. Their bodies lie twisted as if in agony, like their life-essence were wrenched from their bodies. There was no source of the cause.
Motioning for the group to back up, Guo Gan continued to lead the party through the tunnel network. After a few minutes, up ahead, there were flashes of lightning. Following, they entered a small area with a gaping chasm dividing the room. Thirty feet long and fifteen feet across, there were strong winds blowing upwards from it.
“I be thinking there’s a battle happening down there,” Kildo commented, peering over the edge.
Guo Gan kicked a few small rocks down into the chasm. There was no reaction. “I’m not so sure.”
“Can you leap across with some rope and anchor it to the other side?” Kai asked.
The party unloaded two coils of rope and pitons for an anchor. Tying the lengths to Guo Gan’s belt, the monk went back several yards to get a running start. “This should be a piece of cake. I could even take Scomatch with me.”
“Good idea.”
“Eep!” Scomatch squeaked as the monk picked up the halfling, sprinted, and jumped. A crack of thunder boomed from the chasm as they crossed. The pair landed on the other side.
Placing the halfling down, Guo Gan began to open his mouth wide, shake his head, and dig at his ears. It seemed the thunderous noise had affected his hearing. The wood elf began to secure the lines on the far side, as the rest of the party did on their end.
“I’ll go first,” Kai said testing the taught hemp rope. “If something happens, I have the ring of feather falling to slow my descent.” Hooking his legs around the dual ropes, the paladin hung upside down and pulled himself across. However, the strong winds, along with the magical ring made it appear as if he was floating.
Kildo was next to cross. Glancing down, there was a crack of lightning deep in the chasm. A low rumble followed, as if it was a monster waiting for the dwarf to cross and it was hungry. Looking at the other side, he saw Kai motion to him. The meaning clear, hurry up. The wood elf, Guo Gan was behind tapping his foot impatiently. “This ain’t be natural.” Going to all fours, he began to scoot himself across long the top of the ropes. Hooking his legs, he slowly pulled himself across. While wearing chain armor, the friction didn’t do his bits any favors. A howl proceeded a great blast of air. The rope began to sway. He lost his balance. He found himself turning. His death-like grip the only thing saving him from falling. Upside down, as blood raced to his head, he still managed to keep his legs hooked. The rumble below began to intensify. The beast was hungry. Hand-over-hand, the cleric pulled himself across in under six seconds.
Kai and Guo Gan helped him up. On the other side, 9 of 5 stood at the edge.
“The ropes won’t hold him. He weights too much,” Kai commented.
“We can’t be leaving the lummox,” Kildo said and sat on the ground and grabbed onto the rope to help steady it. Kai followed.
“Come on!” Guo Gan bellowed and motioned, but his words were shredded by the wind.
The golem understood and began to pull himself across the top of the make-shift bridge. The hemp ropes went instantly taut.
“The nine hells this golem be massive,” Kildo exclaimed as sweat began to form on his forehead.
“Just hold on!” Kai said equally straining to help steady the ropes.
Howling winds also battered 9 of 5, but due to its incredible weight, didn’t seem to affect the golem. Reaching the other side, he rose to his full height with a pleased, crooked smile.
With the party across, they continued to explore the maze-like cave complex. Ensuring they weren’t leaving an unexplored section behind them, the tunnel led to a small cavern bowed to the east. Along the perimeter, four males were chained to the wall by their wrists. Clockwise, was a drow, a human, a dwarf, and an aarakocra. The aarakocra was a bird-like humanoid covered with feathers. He had three fingers and a thumb, as well as a pair of feathered wings. Its lean legs ended in sharp talons. His head resembled an eagle and had a plumage of red and yellow, but was matted. All four were unconscious, stripped necked of their clothing, and if it wasn’t for their shallow breathing, one would assume they were dead.
Guo Gan entered the room to check on the prisoners. A tiny, dust-devil began swirling in the middle of the room. It grew. A white form began to materialized in the middle of the room next to the monk. Blurry like a cloud, it wasn’t quite an air elemental, as it had a defined body, arms, and hands. However, its most distinctive feature were its glowing white eyes. Its stare intensified as it glared at Guo Gan. The monk flung his head away. However, it made him vulnerable, as the creature slashed with its very physical, clawed hands, striking the wood elf.
“Life is death. Death is rebirth. Rebirth is life. Let’s fight!” Kildo chanted as he cast, Bless. Guo Gan, Kai, and Scomatch glowed briefly by the buff.
Guo Gan launched into a flurry of attacks punching and kicking at the air creature. Each of his three attacks physically connecting.
A sphere of energy, with a miniature thunderstorm inside arched into the air and detonated next to the air mass. A soundwave of thunder impacted the creature causing its form to reverberate.
Kai charged in and thrust with his trident, Wave. The weapon lunged forward with incredible swiftness and power. It struck the air creature’s left leg. Its form began to blur. Thrusting two more time, Kai trident glowed from the cleric’s bless spell as it found its target twice more. Whisps of air blew out from the creature upon each hit.
Lumbering into the cavern, 9 of 5 raised its meaty fists and smashed both into the creature. The physical blows took its toll on it.
Reeling from the attacks, the air creature’s eyes sizzled with energy.
“Advert your eyes!” Guo Gan shouted. Both he and Kai shut their eyes hard.
The creature then outstretched his hand towards the drow. A loud, hollow sucking sound followed. A vortex of wind violently exited the dark elf. He screamed in unbridled agony, as if his entire life force was drained. The creature swallowed the breath from the drow, as if drinking it. The wounds it had sustained completely healed, while the drow was left dead, twisted unnaturally in its chains. Both of the dark elf wrists were broken in his death throws.
“The nine hells!” Kildo exclaimed watching the drow die before him. His sight went to the three other prisoners. He himself wasn’t more than ten feet away from the aarakocra. The party would continue to do battle against the ‘breath taker’, but in turn it would just kill the prisoners one after the other and heal. He had to weight killing an innocent against giving his friends time to destroy this creature. He wasn’t more than ten feet away. A good hammer strike to the aarakocra head would put it out of its misery and save it from a similar gruesome death as the drow and prevent the breath taker from healing. Moving towards the aarakocra he raised his hammer. Bringing it down, it struck one of the chains holding the aarakocra’s wrist. The manacle was knocked free from the wall. “I’m getting you out of here hawk man!”
Guo Gan’s fists continued to pummel the breath taker, as his foot glowed from Kildo’s bless spell, as it smashed into the side of the elemental.
Another thunderstorm contained in a chromatic orb thrown from Scomatch glowed briefly from the cleric’s bless spell right before it blasted the creature.
The breath taker turned to the human and dwarf chained behind it. It was ready to take their lives too in return for healing. However, a massive waterfall fell from the ceiling to the ground, as Kai cast Wall of Water. The two prisoners were blocked off and obscured from the breath taker’s view.
Howling wind bellowed forth from the breath taker, which was perceived as rage, anger, or fear. Its clawed hands flashed as it took a sudden vicious slash at Guo Gan. The monk was struck across the chest. Crying out in pain, Guo Gan’s eyes met the creatures, which blazed with intensity. The wood elf became frozen within its stare. It then turned towards Kildo.
Raising his shield to block the attack, a squalling vortex wailed from the breath taker as the life force from the aarakocra was drained. The hawk man’s body began to twist in agony and pain as the dwarf began to hammer away at the last manacle restraining him. It was impossible to strike true. The aarakocra thrashed, the winds blew, and it was all he could do to stay standing. There was a weak gasp, as his last breath exited. Kildo stared at the twisted form. Feathers blown away leaving bald patches in his once magnificent plume. Shoulder dislocated and twisted, arm broken in multiple areas, as his wrist and fingers pointed in an unnatural position.
“Ye killed hawk man! Ye bastard!” Kildo roared as he cast Spiritual Weapon. He ordered it to smash into the breath taker. He ran towards Guo Gan. Gripping his holy symbol of Rigga, he cast, Lesser Restoration. Touching the monk, the blazing light in his eyes from the creature winked out. He blinked several times free from the paralyzing effect.
Scomatch threw another chromatic orb. The tiny thunderstorm within was unleashed like a tornado against the breath drinker. The air-like elemental’s form was being torn asunder. It was trying to reform, when Kai thrust with Wave. Glowing from Kildo’s bless spell, all three points of the trident, struck its chest. Holy, radiant damage blasted from the weapon’s end and out the other side. The breath taker uttered a deep howling of unbridled torment.
“Smashy! Smashy!” 9 of 5 meaty fists came crashing down into the creature’s face. The golem’s blows destroyed its head, as the air creature dissipated.
Dropping the wall of water, Kai ran over checking on the human and dwarf. Touching them, healing energy passed into them. Each gasped down air, as if they had been underwater long past their lungs’ capacity. Both began shivering.
“Where are we?” the human asked.
Clearing his throat, Kai said, “The bad news is that you are in a cave controlled by air elementals and wind creatures. Said creature had all but sucked the life from you. The good news is that you two, unlike your other two fellows, are alive. Now, what is the last thing you remember?”
“We were left her to be sacrificed to an air creature. All I remember is a pair of blazing, white eyes and then we saw you,” the human said.
“Where be our clothes? Me twig and berries be shriveling up,” the dwarf said.
“Anyone have a blanket?” Kai called out.
Guo Gan and Scomatch both shrugged. Shaking his head at his unprepared adventuring companions, Kildo reached into his hat of holding and pulled out a large, blanket. He gave it to the human, then retrieved his holy vestments and handed it to the dwarf to wear. “Lad’s it may not be much, but it’ll keep ye a little warmer.”
“Is there a way out?” the human asked.
“Yes, but you’ll run into a chasm not too far from here. It’ll be impossible for you to pass. You can wait there for our return,” Kai said.
“That not be a very good option,” the dwarf commented.
“Well, you can also come with us, but you’ll be subject to the whims that typically befall an adventuring party,” Kai explained.
“The chasm it be.”
Ensuring the surviving prisoners were heading in the correct direction, the party continued northward deeper into the cavern’s expanse. It circled to the west and then back south into a large cavern. Along the walls immense force damage was apparent. Whether blasted by spell or wind over time was difficult to tell. Passing through the shadows along the outer edge of their light were their constant companions. They seemed playful as they surrounded them. Kildo watched as the moved in and then back out. No, the shadows continued to advance.
“Oi!”
Six smoke creatures moved out of the gloom.
Reacting on instinct, Kai thrust with Wave and made a deliberate attempt to impale his enemy. All three points pierced the creature. It howled as its body dissipated and drifted away in the wind.
The room became fire as Scomatch cast fireball. The smoke monsters moved through the flames unhindered and unharmed.
Kildo moved into the middle of the shadow creatures. He felt one of their claws slashing down his back. Another also attacked and raked the dwarf’s chainmail armor. Cursing at the pain he cast, Spirit Guardians. “Life is death. Death is rebirth. Rebirth is life. Let’s fight!” A low, rhythmic pulsing began to emanate. White light came from cracks in the ground. Fog rolled out approximately fifteen feet from the cleric. Small wisps of air arched out. Longer tendrils began to form and race about, almost playfully among the party. However, the same could not be said for the shadow creatures, as the spirits blasted all with radiant damage.
Surrounded by two of the creatures, Guo Gan unleashed punches and kicks against one of them. His blows impacting their smoky form. The other slashed at the monk, but he dodged out of its reach.
Thrusting with Wave, Kai struck another of the creatures. The trident’s points went straight through. Like a candle being blown out, its form disintegrated in the gusting winds.
A surge of thunderous force swept out from Scomatch as he cast, Thunderwave. The powerful blast blew into the remaining four smoke creatures. The spell’s power blasted apart their smoky forms. They wailed as they were extinguished.
“You guys were taking too long,” Scomatch snorted as he continued to follow the path to the south with Charmander lighting his way.
“What’s with all the thunder-like spells? I thought he was a fire and acid kind of mage,” Kai commented watching the halfling pass.
“He’s experimenting,” Guo Gan commented.
Continuing around the winding cavern, they entered a stretch littered by both stalactites and stalagmites. The sound of dripping water was constant.
“I could never tell which is which,” Guo Gan commented touching one of the natural forming speleothems.
“Lad, it be easy in the telling,” Kildo stated. “Stalactites be growing down from the cave ceiling, while stalagmites be growing up from the cave floor. It be easy to remember which is which. In common, stalactites be having a "T" for top and stalagmites be having a "G" for ground.”
As they moved through the pillars, there was a high-pitched humming noise as reality shimmered in different singularities around them. Six flat, giant, two-eyed, snow-white spindly-legged spiders, except for the leg tips and back, which were an ice blue, appeared. Their bodies stretched and became three dimensional as they materialized to this plane of existence. They were phase spiders. Their black fangs dripped poison. It sizzled on the rocky floor.
“Nice lesson Kildo, but it looks like combat school is now in session,” Kai stated.
Treasure:
· Experience, sweet experience.
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