“Be telling us about the Dark One,” Kildo asked Empress Xedalli. The party had been guests of the crown after the defeat of the solar dragon, Zodar, and her brother, Prince Xeleth, who is currently under the Empress’s protection high above in the Room of Many Windows.
“The Dark One appeared a millennia ago. So, I can only retell stories that were passed down. It tells of an evil being that traveled the spheres and consumed stars and their radiant energy. It destroyed countless suns before it arrived in Xaryxispace. It would have continued to do the same with our sun, Xaryxis, if it hadn’t been immobilized,” Empress Xedalli explained.
“Imprisoned,” Guo Gan answered, nodding in understanding.
“No, immobilized. As the beast began to feed, legend recorded it went inert as it consumed the radiant energy. As our sun began to die, the arch-mages and priests of old devised a method, via the Temple of Light, to continue to feed the Dark One.
Guo Gan asked, “How many suns have your people fed it?”
“That I do not know. What I do know is that we learned to convert the energy of worlds, via the crystalline vines, into radiant light to nourish our sun Xaryxis and thus continue to allow the Dark One to feed. Thus, it stayed immobilized. If that energy would ever stop, the Dark One would be free to continue,” Empress Xedalli answered.
“So, you condemned planets to destruction in order to satisfy this vampiric creature,” Kai snorted.
“Yes, but we prevented further suns from being consumed. We have to trust the elves who constructed the Temple of Light to feed the Dark One knew this was the only option. We are not the villains of this story, as turning off the sun would condemn all the planets in a sphere to a certain cold death. That would truly be monstrous,” Empress Xedalli replied.
Kildo gulped hard.
“There must be a way to end this cycle of genocide,” Kai said.
“Our greatest warriors have gone in to try and defeat the Dark One, but they never returned,” Empress Xedalli said.
“Maybe they were successful?” Guo Gan questioned.
“There is no one who can truly tell us if they were successful or not. However, Xaryxis has periodically dimmed, so the scholars are concerned the Dark One is beginning to feed again,” Empress Xedalli said.
“Wait, you said your greatest warriors went in to try and defeat the Dark One? Is it not on this sphere’s sun?” Kai inquired.
“There is a way to get to the Dark One without going to the heart of the sun. Through the Citadel of the Keyholder. Within is a key that will get you to the Dark One,” Empress Xedalli explained. “By stopping the Dark One, there would no longer be a need to absorb your planet’s energy to feed the beast. Stop the Dark One, and not only will you save your sphere, but mine as well.”
***
After a day’s rest and preparation, the party was brought to a great building. The Citadel of the Keyholder. Ominous and protective elven runes were all along a large ten-foot-tall double doorway.
“What they be saying, Guo Gan,” Kildo asked.
“Basically, abandon all hope ye who enter here.”
“Lovely,” Kildo replied and banged on the door with his war hammer. It echoed inside, but after several heartbeats, there was no reply.
“It’s not locked,” Guo Gan said, examining the entrance.
“Not be surprising with the ‘abandon all hope’ message,” Kildo said.
Kai pushed the double door open into a large square room. There were two doors on the opposite wall and two corridors going east and west. Murals were along the wall, but the most pressing issue was four hulking humanoids staring down at them, blocking the entrance. They wore clothing and some semblance of armor. It was their skin that was most notable, which was hairless and callused. Their hides were thick and had compressed the brute's eyes and mouth to such a degree that it seemed they wouldn’t be able to see or speak. Their skin pulsed with veins and shifted unnaturally, showing evidence of continued mutation. Each was armed with an axe in their left hand, but their right was deformed by chaos with elongated fingers.
Guo Gan used the wall to spring over and landed behind the first chapped brute. The monk used Qiekamis to bash into the creature three times in quick succession.
The room ignited in fire as Scomatch cast, Fireball. Each of the brute’s clothing caught fire as their skin was flash burnt.
The first brute swung with an axe at Guo Gan and tried to swipe with its mutated hand but missed. However, as the monk backed up and dodged the attack, the third brute moved in and struck him with its axe. Its appendaged hand wrapped around Guo Gan and grappled the wood elf.
The other two chapped brutes used a similar strategy on Kai, with one hitting the paladin with an axe, driving him into the mutated hands of the other. Both the group's fighters were grappled.
Kildo cast, Spirit Guardians. A low, rhythmic pulsing began to emanate from the ground. White light came from the stone. Fog rolled out fifteen feet from the cleric. Small wisps of air arched out. Longer tendrils began to form.
Entangled, Kai couldn’t get in a good strike with his longer weapon. He lunged with his trident. Two prongs struck the first brute’s back facing Guo Gan.
The creature moaned through its sealed mouth. Pulling itself off of Wave, it turned toward Kai. It was a fatal mistake, as Guo Gan bashed with Qiekamis. The creature’s skull cracked. Bits of this hardened skin flew off. It collapsed dead.
Another ball of flame flew into the room. It ignited as Scomatch, cast Fireball. The spell’s effects were sculptured around the party. The chapped brutes were not.
Realizing Guo Gan was no longer entangled, the third creature swung with its axe. The monk dodged the blow, but it was a ploy as its right mutated hand’s appendage grappled the wood elf.
The second brute grappling Kai heaved the armored paladin into the air like a child and slammed him hard into the ground.
Kildo’s spirit guardians blasted the chapped brutes with radiant damage. He struck the one holding Kai with his war hammer. He then slammed his shield into the brute, but he was stopped cold. It was like he was trying to knock over a boulder.
Grappled by the chapped brutes, both Kai and Guo Gan were at the creature's mercy as they struck with their axes. Kai’s armor and Guo Gan partially deflected their blows, preventing a mortal blow.
“Do something Scomatch!” Kai yelled, as he was slammed hard into the ground. His head struck stone.
“Are these things immune to fire or what!” Scomatch called out, as he cast, Fireball. Flames again blasted the room as the halfling sculpted the effects around the party. The chapped brute holding Kai burned intensely as it succumbed to its wounds. The paladin was free but could barely move as he was dazed from the brute's previous slam.
As Kildo’s spirit guardians continued to burn the remaining two chapped brutes, one swung its axe at the dwarf. The cleric pulled his shield in tight and blocked the blow. However, the tight defense had a weakness, as he was pulled in tight. The creature’s right-hand appendages wrapped around him and into the air. As he reached the apex, Kildo saw the other chapped brute grapple Kai and slam him back and forth, stunning the paladin further. He only had a moment to pity the triton as he was also brought down. The dwarf’s feet landed, and he maintained a grip on his war hammer. Smashing it into the creature’s foot, it raised its leg, putting the chapped brute off balance. Pushing forward with his shield, he tumbled them both over.
Distracted by grappling the party members, Guo Gan smashed Qiekamis into the neck of the chapped brute holding Kai. There was a sickening snap as it broke. Then, driving the tip of his quarterstaff into the down brute holding Kildo, its skull shattered.
Helping Kai and Kildo up, the group explored the room. The east and west walls had four mural scenes. The first was that of darkness moving ominously toward a star. The second was the darkness enveloping and consuming the sun, sending the entire sphere into inky blackness. The third was a display of astral elves praying at a massive altar. The last was a bright circle around and encasing the darkness in the center of an ouroboros.
Besides the two doors opposite the entrance, a corridor went east and west. Kai led the party westward as it went up a ramp. Entering a room, there was an exit to the far side. In the center were five gastra creatures. The resembled a regular, white feathered goose in every way, except that it was large, had razor-sharp teeth, and sprouted three heads. Alerted to Kai’s coming up the walkway, they all began honking loudly, which echoed throughout the chamber. Their beaks snapped at the paladin but were too far away and out of reach.
Flames encircled the gastra as Scomatch cast, Wall of Fire. They ran around, panicked as their feathers burned.
Immune to fire from his efreeti chainmail, Kai entered the flames and lunged with Wave. Its three points stabbed into a hydra-like goose and skewered it.
Still active, as Kildo entered the room, the dwarf’s spirit guardians blasted the cooking gastra with radiant damage, slaying three of the creatures.
The last goose, knowing it was cooked, ran through the encircling flames and up a ram out of the room. It issued a hoarse honking sound as its burning feet slapped the ground.
Pushing through the flames, Kai followed it up the ramp and out of sight. There was a short, painful honk as it seemed the paladin caught up to the wounded bird and put it out of its misery.
A moment later, Kildo heard someone shout in the distance. “How dare you enter our realm!”
Guo Gan immediately ran through the flames to Kai’s aid.
Raising his shield, Kildo could still feel the immense heat from the flames. His every instinct kept him from pushing through. He shouted, “Scomatch! Drop your wall of fire!”
“It’s keeping-”
“They be all dead! Be dropping it!” Kildo bellowed. As the flames were snuffed out, Kildo charged after Guo Gan and Kai. Entering the next room, there were two figures warped by chaos. One male and the other female. Lightly clothed, their skin was the ash-grey of death, and they wielded a wicked-looking war hammer with spikes along its length. Their most distinguishing feature was three tentacles protruding from their side and one coming over their backs. In the center of the room was a massive goose. Similar to their cousins they had just fought, this one was even larger and had seven heads. At his appearance, they issued a massive Honk of Doom. His ears ringing from the sound.
Necrotic energy coursed from the male parasitic warlock as it cast, Finger of Death. The negative energy raced out and struck Kai. The female warlock vanished and went invisible.
Kai lunged with Wave a moment later and struck the male warlock with all three prongs. The creature cried out in pain as the weapon embedded itself.
Swinging Qiekamis with wide sweeps, Guo Gan hoped to strike the invisible female warlock but didn’t hit anything. Turning his attention to the impaled chaos creature, the monk bashed downward. The quarterstaff smashed into its unprotected skull, killing it.
Kildo ran next to Kai and threw up his shield to help protect the paladin from the seven-headed goose. Behind him, he heard the slamming of a door. The female warlock had likely gotten past them.
The hydra-bird seemed more intent on the person who had just killed the parasitic warlock male. It snapped all seven heads at Kai. The paladin used the corpse of the impaled warlock as a meat shield as the bird ripped it to pieces.
As the last bit of the body was removed, Kai thrust with Wave. The trident’s prongs stabbed into the hydra-goose.
Unable to get in close, Kildo swiped with his war hammer. He missed a head that pulled back at the last minute. His spirit guardian spell tendrils did their job as radiant damage burned the goose.
A frigid globe surrounded the hydra-bird. It was flash-frozen in place.
Kai retracted Wave and lunged again. Striking the creature, it shattered into several frozen pieces.
“Oh!” Scomatch bemoaned, “I really wanted to say, ‘Your goose is cooked.’”
***
There were no other exits from the parasitic warlock and hydra-goose room. It was a good place for Kildo to heal the party of their most grievous wounds. They retraced their footprints to the mural room and continued down the eastward corridor. Turning the corner was a similar large room, but a large empyrean brazen bull was in the middle. It appeared like a golden statue, but it instantly ignited in radiant energy as the party entered the area. It scratched at the ground, lowered its head, and charged.
“Olay!” Kai yelled as the bull sped past. The paladin stabbed with Wave. Its three prongs struck the metal beast. Radiant energy coursed down the weapon’s length, but it was absorbed when it reached the brazen bull.
“Life is death. Death is rebirth. Rebirth is life,” Kildo chanted as each party member, including himself, glowed from his bless spell.
Guo Gan also threw himself to the side of the room and avoided the charge. The monk also lunged with his quarterstaff. The tip struck the bull.
The glowing creature turned and snapped its jaw at the monk but missed. However, as the massive bull turned, it trampled Kai with its hoofs.
Fire erupted in the room from Scomatch casting a fireball, but it was difficult to determine if the spell hurt the beast.
Wave glowed from Kildo’s bless spell as Kai stabbed, striking the bull’s hindquarters.
Guo Gan continued to bash at the creature from the opposite side of the paladin, striking it.
Kildo also swung with his war hammer and struck the bull. He noted it made a hollow sound as he hit it.
The empyrean brazen bull continued to trample Kai under his hoofed feet. His armor was the only thing keeping his bones from being completely pulverized.
As Guo Gan attempted to distract the beast, it snapped its jaws again at the monk but missed.
A thin beam of energy shot from Scomatch as he cast, Disintegrate. The spell missed the bull but melted part of the wall behind it.
Turning, the empyrean brazen bull scuffed at the ground. It lowered its head. The horns were pointed straight at the halfling.
“Eep!”
As it began to charge, Kai thrust with Wave. All three prongs struck the bull’s side. There was a metallic tearing as the weapon penetrated the construct’s hollow innards. The paladin pinned it to the wall. The bull’s body went stiff as it solidified. The radiant energy that surrounded it died.
Scomatch quipped, “I guess the saying is true. If you mess with the bull, you’ll get the horns.”
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