“The stag is trapped within those tentacles,” Guo Gan explained, pointing with Qiekamis. The majestic emperor stag was large, with intelligent eyes and a rich, white pelt that glowed. Its antlers spread like the branches of a venerable oak tree and gleamed like polished iron.
“The ceiling is too low for me to fly Concorde in,” Kai shouted, patting the neck of the Pegasus.
“How about…what the?” Guo Gan was cut off as a black tentacle slithered from the wall and wrapped around the monk’s legs, restricting his movement.
A blast of solar, radiant energy arched from the far side of the tentacle room and struck Guo Gan.
“The nine hells!” Kai cursed at the monk's plight. He hurriedly formed healing energy around his hands, and it was absorbed into his body. The paladin's most grievous wounds healed.
“I be seeing it! It be some kind of flame creature!” Kildo shouted. He moved toward the tentacle room but pulled his foot back as the black limbs from the walls detected his approach. He cast Insect Plague. There was a loud humming far off in the distance. Reality before them vibrated and then ripped. A flying and crawling swarm of biting, gnawing, and stinging insects poured through the opening and engulfed the elemental-like creature. Many were burned immediately, but the clouds of insects were too thick. They were drawn to it like a moth to the flames. However, he carefully shaped the swarm to avoid the ten-point buck, a white magical stag grappled by multiple black tentacles.
The dwarf then saw the creature. The sunlight nexus emerged from the insect swarm cloud. Appearing like a twirling cyclone of flames, it burned the bugs as it passed. Instead of attacking the party, radiant energy shot from the elemental into the magical stag. The beast struggled and uttered a distress bawl.
A bright streak entered the cave. A fireball from Scomatch exploded. It burned the tentacles and engulfed the sunlight nexus and the white, trapped stag. The black appendage holding Guo Gan shriveled. The monk was free.
“Scomatch! Be mindful of the magical beast!” Kai shouted.
“I was! I hit it, didn’t I!” Scomatch yelled back.
“Leave it be!” Kai ordered. A tentacle lashed out from the wall and entangled the paladin. Necrotic energy drained the paladin's live force. He attempted to strike it with Wave, but the angle proved too awkward.
Waving off the paladin, Scomatch failed to see one of the black tentacles slither across the ground and wrap around the halfling's lower half.
“Eep! Charmander, do something!”
The mage’s familiar began to beat, unsuccessfully, on the tentacle with his hands.
Kildo cast, Spiritual Weapon. A spectral blue war hammer formed next to the Sunlight Nexus. The weapon bashed into the elemental, and he then cast Toll the Dead. Dolorous bells resounded around it, disrupting the flames.
“One moment, and you’ll be free as a chicken,” Guo Gan said, swinging downwards with Qiekamis. The quarterstaff smashed the tentacle holding Kai. The broken limb flailed about harmlessly.
Kildo noticed a darkness, a shadow, move out of the corner of his eye. Turning, a grey mist launched itself at the dwarf. Before he could say, ‘Beer me,’ the essence mist turned into a twister and forced itself through the cleric’s eye, ears, nose, and mouth.
Holding his hands out, an arctic blast of cold erupted from Scomatch. The charred tentacles coming from the wall were flash-frozen. The brittle limbs began to fall to the ground like icicles and shatter on the ground. Like an extinguisher, the spell attempted to put out the flames of the sunlight nexus, but the effects ended before it could smother the elemental.
Free as a chicken and the tentacle wall no longer a threat, Kai launched into an attack against the sunlight nexus. Two of Wave’s prongs struck the elemental. Radiant damage coursed up the length of the trident, but it had little to no effect. However, the cold damage from the weapon did, and another piece was extinguished.
Commanding his spiritual weapon, it struck the sunlight nexus, disrupting it. Kildo attempted to cast, but nothing came out as the essence mist prevented any sound.
Running past the dwarven cleric, Guo Gan used Qiekamis like a bat and sent the flame elemental back into Kildo’s insect plague. The pest cloud immediately swarmed. As hundreds died, thousands more took their place, trying to smother the being.
The world around Kildo began to spin. He felt his entire body start to overheat as nausea swam in his stomach. Just as he thought he would faint, the essence of mist burst from his body. He couldn’t tell if it dissipated or turned invisible, nor did he know why it left him, but he was glad it was gone. He then heard a door open and slam shut to the west.
Battling the numerous opponents attempting to extinguish it, the sunlight nexus turned toward the magical stag in the cave. Solar radiant energy arched from the elemental into the white buck. It bayed in agony as it slumped to the ground dead. There was a flash of light in the cavern to the north—the origin unknown. The stag’s coat turned from pure white to grey as it died.
Casting, a frigid beam of blue-white light streaked from Scomatch. The insect plague obscured the dimming fire of the sunlight nexus. The ray of frost spell only turned several murder hornets into ice cubes. They plinked to the ground.
Kai approached the cloud of insects but didn’t enter. He held Wave, ready to thrust into the swarm and to his target, the sunlight nexus. He waited, deliberately letting the initiative pass. In a flash of lightning, the Wave motion gun thrust hard. It struck the flame elemental. It burst into a bright light and dissipated in a puff of smoke.
Clear of monsters, at least for the moment, Kildo rushed to the stag. Praying to Rigga, the Earthmother, he cast, Revivify. Touching the creature, healing flowed, but nothing happened. “I don’t be understanding why it ain’t be working.”
“Forget the dead star moose! We have other dead things to contend with,” Scomatch yelled.
Kildo followed Scomatch’s line of sight. To the west were two females with the grey skin of the dead, tattered black hair, clawed hands, bare feet, and glowing red eyes. They wore the old, tattered clothing of peasants. They hissed at the party, bearing the fangs of a predatory creature.
A blast of cold air erupted from Scomatch as he cast, Cone of Cold. Both undead were caught in the spell’s effects. A layer of ice formed on them. It cracked and fell a moment later as they shook it off.
Kildo cursed to himself. The spells to deal with the undead were no longer available to him as they were used for other castings. However, he still had several useful ones. He chanted, “Life is death. Death is rebirth. Rebirth is life.” Kai, Guo Gan, and Scomatch glowed momentarily as he cast, Bless.
Moving toward the undead, Guo Gan bashed with Qiekamis, as his blood fury tattoos absorbed some of the vampire’s undead energy.
Getting in too close, the undead peasant leaped onto Guo Gan. She wrapped her legs around him, grappling him tight. Raking the monk with her claws, she attempted to sink her fangs into him. Her cohort also slashed her clawed hands at the wood elf, but her companion’s body was in the way.
A darkness, a shadow, encroached on Scomatch. The essence of mist had returned. The grey elemental launched itself at the halfling.
“Beholding yer breath!” Kildo shouted.
Before Scomatch could say, ‘Baby spell’, the essence mist attempted to enter the halfling’s eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. However, the mage's fortitude resisted its assault.
As the mist essence swirled around him, Scomatch cast, Disintegrate. A thin green ray shot from his hands. A large portion of the entity turned from grey mist to grey ash.
“Guo Gan! Save Scomatch!” Kai shouted.
“Uh, I’m a little busy with a vampire having me in a headlock!” Guo Gan bellowed back. Vicious animal snarls followed as the undead slashed and tried to bite the monk.
“I be getting the halfling! Ye be dealing with them vamps!” Kildo yelled. Praying to Rigga, he channeled divinity. Healing magic encompassed the dwarf and halfling. He then bashed with his war hammer. It struck the gray, swirling mass, and even though its form was made of mist, it disrupted its form.
Nodding at the dwarf’s comment, Kai lunged with Wave. The prongs struck the vampire with her legs wrapped around Guo Gan. She shrieked in pain. Prying her off with the trident, he braced the base and used it to bring the undead over his head into the ground. Thrusting deeper, the ends went through her back and into her heart. She exploded and turned to dust.
Free from the first vampire, Guo Gan disengaged from the second. She snarled and attempted to slash at him with her clawed hands. Racing over to the mist of essence, the monk threw a one-inch punch of incredible felling power. The darkened fog’s entire form shuddered at the impact, stunned.
A chromatic orb, with a raging storm within, flashed with lightning. Scomatch launched the sphere at the essence of mist. Bursting, the thunder waves impacted the elemental.
Kai charged, leveling Wave like a lance. The prong sunk into the mass of the mist. It burst and dissipated in the air. The other vampire retreated and ran through a hidden door in the wall to the southwest of the main chamber. The entrance’s outline faded into the rock face.
“Tend wounds! I’ll watch for it!” Kai ordered as he stood near the door. The paladin didn’t have to wait long as it opened again. Ready, he thrusted with Wave and hit the vampire. She let out a shriek of rage.
Not having the time to heal the party, Kildo turned to the undead. Growling, the dwarf raised his shield and plowed into the vampire like a charging bull, knocking her hard to the stone ground. He brought his war hammer down hard, striking her in the chest. Bone crunched under the weight of the blow.
Following the dwarf, Guo Gan raised Qiekamis and plunged it downward like a stake. The end blasted into the vampire’s chest and crushed her heart. She burst into dust.
An ear-piercing howling screech of animal fury came from the secret door. A giant of a woman appeared in the doorway. Preternaturally beautiful, she had darkened eyes and dark grey skin of death. She wore an elegant top and a long flowing skirt of dark colors. Light showed behind her, but her form did not cast a shadow. While her beauty and seductive charm were powerful, her fangs flashed, displaying a lethal, predatory nature…and her wrath was directed straight at the party.
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