“By Belial’s blessing, we’ve arrived at the Rock of Martek,” Odium said.
Kildo snorted awake and glanced at the tiefling cultist. The party provided Silas with the three-dimensional coordinate star map they found in the tomb of Badr Al-Mosak. It had taken them several days of travel in their spelljammer ship, the Space Ghost. They were in the darker reaches of space. The sun in the solar system became smaller and smaller and wasn’t more than a tiny globe of light. Peering out the main viewing screen, they were maneuvering around an asteroid field to the map coordinates. They approached one of the larger floating rocks. It was three miles across with some scraggly vegetation. As Odium completed a loop around the asteroid, there was a structure. It was minor, but artificial.
“Odium be landing the ship near that construction,” Kildo ordered.
The Space Ghost shook slightly as it touched down on the Rock of Martek.
“Another blessing to Belial for a safe landing,” Odium praised.
“Shut it Odium!” Kildo bellowed.
“You know there are other gods out there besides Belial,” Kai commented.
“I’m sure the other gods helped as well,” Odium replied and then continued. “But, it was a servant of Belial that landed the ship,” Odium riposted.
“Hum,” Kai nodded in the affirmative.
“Kai, Guo Gan, and Scomatch, be getting yer gear for the away mission,” Kildo ordered as he adjusted his war hammer at his side.
“So captain, the entire command staff is going on the away mission, again,” Odium asked.
“Aye, that’s the way it be done. It be working that way before, and it be working this time too. If ye be worried, 9 of 5 will be here to protect the ship,” Kildo replied.
Shortly, the four command staff members exited the Space Ghost and made for the structure. Approaching, it was a mash of raw materials, which appeared to be ship remnants. It was cut up and arranged into a large shelter, about the size of their spelljammer craft.
The grating, grima sound of metal scraping against metal proceeded a section of steel rolling open, revealing an entrance. A human man emerged. He didn’t appear malnourished or nourished. He was a little unkempt with a scraggly beard and tired-looking clothing.
“Greetings, who are you?” Kai asked and then gave the party introductions.
“Hi…mon…I be called Jimmy. I be the caretaker of this place…mon. What brings you out here so far…mon.”
Kildo scratched his beard as it seemed he was attempting to force a slightly dwarven inflection. He might have been trying to disguise another accent. He narrowed his eyes in suspicion at the castaway.
“We’re explorers, and we happened upon your crash site and wanted to ensure you didn’t need to be rescued,” Kai answered.
“Oh, I’m not crashed here, mon. I landed here, and I live out here far from people…mon.”
Kildo asked, “Do ye be needing any food or water?”
“Oh, no. There’s lots of moss around. I have plenty if you want some…mon.”
“Uh, no.”
“Since we are here, do you mind if we look around, Jimmy?” Kai asked.
“Sure, just stay out of those caves though it’s dangerous…mon.”
“Caves? We like to explore caves. Is there any reason we wouldn’t want to go in there?” Kai questioned.
“I don’t be going in there. A bunch of people went in there one time, and soon I heard a bunch of screaming and yelling…mon.”
“Were you part of the people that went into the cave?” Guo Gan asked.
“No, mon.”
Kildo asked, “What be these people be looking fer?”
“They didn’t say what they were looking for…mon.”
“Is there any other things of interest on this asteroid?” Kildo inquired.
“Well, there is this place where a ship landed twenty minutes ago, and four guys began to talk to me…mon.”
“Right…where are these caves at Jimmy?” Guo Gan inquired.
“It be about a half mile away…mon,” Jimmy said and pointed to the west.
Nodding in thanks, the party departed. Shortly they found the cave entrance, as there wasn’t much on the asteroid, but rocks, and the moss growing on them. Scanning the entryway, there were no footprints from the aforementioned group Jimmy had indicated that traveled here previously. Inside, light from glowing fungi and ‘nightlight mushrooms’ scattered in clumps illuminated the area. Entering a long oval area and heading westward, two flaming objects ignited at the far end in the northern and southern areas. They were living burning hands resembling a fluid mass of fire crawling along the ground toward the party. As they moved, it left a small trail of fire, setting any moss growing on the ground instantly aflame.
Their light revealed two massive dwarven statues, double the height of a normal dwarf at just under ten feet. The carvings showed their impressive bulk, which on average, was as heavy as the average person. Both were bald and the only indication, to a non-dwarf, that they were male. Each had thick facial hair, carefully groomed, displaying a high social status.
A magical fire ignited and highlighted two suits of plate armor, which were previously hidden in shadow. Reaching seven feet tall, they stood next to each dwarven statue. Flames flickered between the armor’s joints. A skull-like visor was down, but fire blazed from their sockets. Metal, in much need of oil, squealed as they moved from a sleep of ages, pulling a longsword and gripping a shield. They were Helmed Horrors.
“I got the southern set of plate!” Guo Gan called out, leading with Qiekamis. He jabbed at his foe smashing the end of the quarterstaff into its mailed breastplate. Bringing up the other end, it struck its left leg. Then kicking with a flurry of blows, the monk’s right foot connected with the helmed horror’s groin. There was a metal hollow ‘ding’ sound, but the automaton was unaffected.
“Life is death. Death is rebirth. Rebirth is life,” Kildo chanted as he cast, Bless. Kai, Guo Gan, and Scomatch glowed briefly from the spell.
A four-inch diameter ice ball arched into the air from Scomatch and connected with the northern flaming hand. A frigid blast of cold air froze it solid. It teetered before falling forward, shattering into ice cubes.
The two helmed horrors turned at the attacking monk. Both attacked with their longswords, each scoring a minor hit on Guo Gan.
Flames from the burning hands shot out at the dwarven cleric and triton paladin. Kildo hid behind his shield, blocking most of the effect, as he saw Kai’s new efreeti chain absorb the fire. The paladin was unharmed. He was not only water strong, but now fire strong.
Kai engaged the northern helmed horror on the monk. He thrust with Wave, where only one of the trident’s prongs penetrated at a joint. Radiant damage coursed along the weapon and blasted into the construct.
Guo Gan bashed with Qiekamis, slamming the end into the helmed horror Kai confronted. Like his foot, it too bounced from its metal groin covering. Kildo couldn’t tell, but it sounded like echoing laughter came from the aminated armor. Snarling, Guo Gan twirled and batted murderously. The green, glowing quarterstaff knocked the helm from the construct's head. It went flying and clattered across the stone floor. The plate armor collapsed in on itself.
Seeing Kai and Guo Gan engaged with the last helmed horror, Kildo advanced on the remaining flaming hand. He bashed with his war hammer, he felt the flames lick at his hands, but his weapon connected with the fire’s solid mass. Bringing the hammer back for another strike, the burning hands froze in place. Scomatch dusted his hands after throwing his chromatic orb. A moment later, its flame's weight crushed in on itself, as ice cubes scattered from its broken form.
Slashing with its long sword, the last helmed horror struck Guo Gan again. However, it was its final act, as Kai’s trident penetrated through the animated armor. Flames shot out from the three holes as the plate mail collapsed into an empty shell.
Limping from the sword wounds, Guo Gan sat on a nearby rock and began meditating. His form glowed slightly as healing energy encompassed his body. With no other threats, Kildo examined the dwarven statues, which were robed. Made of rock, it was the same craftmanship he’d see back home, so it wasn’t made from some tentacle-like alien creature. Fortunately, there wasn’t a lot of weathering to wear down the statues. There were no engravings or indication as to why they were here. The cave they were in was mostly natural, but someone widened them in some of the areas.
Continuing west down a long corridor, the complex turned northward. In the distance, there was movement of two very odd-looking creatures. They had radially symmetrical bodies with a large mouth at the top and three long arms interspersed with their three eyes. Their broad, pebbly, and rocky bodies rested upon three stumpy legs. They had talons at the end of their arms. About five feet tall, they were dumping rocks into the top of their mouths. They were Xorn.
At the head of the group, Kai spoke primordial to them. It sounded like a constant humming and was made of primary waves of a "whooshing" oscillation sound. It brought to Kildo’s mind the earth shifting, and he could feel the primordial language in the rocks and even in his bones as the paladin spoke.
The two creatures stopped, looked at the party, and dashed to the side of the cavern, merging into the stone walls.
“What ye be saying to them to spook ‘em and when ye be learning primordial?” Kildo asked.
“The efreeti chain translated that we will not harm them if they go and not threaten us,” Kai answered. “However, we should proceed carefully.”
Entering a medium-sized circular cave, the two xorns re-emerged from either side of the entrance, rising from below like a shark.
Kildo felt a crushing pain through his plate armor as one of the xorn’s mouths crunched around his left leg. Chanting, dolorous bells rang, as he cast, Toll the Dead. The earth elemental-like creature’s rocky skin cracked at the powerful sound waves.
Reacting, Kai swung Wave, but the weapon bounced off their rocky skin. The creature, in turn, bit and raked the paladin with its three claws.
The complex then ignited in fire as Scomatch cast, Fireball. He carved the spell around the party, as both xorns were scorched.
Inverting his trident, Kai thrusted downwards. All three points went into the xorn’s mouth and deep inside. The creature shuttered as it was slain.
Lunging with Qiekamis, like a spear, Guo Gan’s weapon plunged into one of its’ eyes. It erupted in ichor and gore as its remaining eyes rolled into the back of its head, dead.
Searching, the only thing useful were the exits to the north and east. However, Kildo felt the slightly slanted slope in the eastern exit. “Oi! The exit to the right here be going downwards.”
“To the right then,” Kai said and led the group out of the xorn’s grotto.
The cavern continued eastwards for some distance and turned north into a slightly larger room than they had just left. Numerous stalagmites grew from the cave floor around the perimeter with a few stalactites hanging from the ceiling.
Kildo entered the room following the cavern’s slant. The dwarf felt a tremor in his boots as the ground erupted behind him. Two collections of rock the size of a large boulder came to life, pulling themselves out from below. The earth elementals sprouted arms of connected stone and dirt with hands made of heavy earthen material.
Swinging with Qiekamis, Guo Gan blasted a chunk of rock from the southernmost creature.
Chanting, Kildo cast, Bless. Guo Gan and Scomatch’s forms glowed for a moment, as well as the dwarven cleric's, as Kai was too far away and out of the room.
A sudden loud ringing noise, painfully intense, erupted between the two earth elementals as Scomatch cast, Shatter. One took the full impact as debris fell from the creature. The other was partially covered by a stalagmite, which took half of the thunder damage.
Roaring, which sounded like an avalanche, the rocky creatures slammed their massive fists, clipping Kai and Guo Gan.
Retaliating, Guo Gan thrusted his quarterstaff. It impacted a point weakened by Scomatch’s spell. The tip burst through to the other side. The earth elemental crumbed into loose rock.
Seeing the impact of Scomatch’s thunder spell, Kildo cast, Toll the Dead. Dolorous bells rang around the remaining earth elemental, but while affecting the creature, it wasn’t as powerful.
Forming a chromatic orb containing rapidly bubbling green fluid, Scomatch threw it. The magical sphere burst above the earth elemental. Its form sizzled as the acid dissolved the rock and turned dirt into mud.
Its state weakened, Kai thrust with Wave. Two of the prongs penetrated the earthen creature's form. Radiant damage coursed through the weapon and exploded a massive chunk of searing soil from the elemental’s back. It crumbled into a pile of rock and stone.
The exits to the room were to the north and west. However, the rock westwards had an unusual purple hew and something Kildo had never seen before and shouldn’t exist.
“Be coming on. We be needing to find that impossible shovel.”
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