Lannia had been missing more than a week. Upon the slightest chance that he might find her the Tempurian had geared up. Derik looked armed for multiple wars. Vala nodded, grabbing her gear and checking her weapons, "I'm coming too."
"Me too," Ronja said firmly with a decided nod.
"This is probably a trap of some sort, and we could all end up dead or worse," Derik, "You are all friends and family whom I trust to have my back... But I'm going now... time is short..."
He pulled on a teleportation scroll and trusted his friends to hang on. Ronja and Gaven placed a hand on Derik. Vala grabbed Ronja, and Mizz grabbed Gaven as Derik hastily cast the spell.Â
As they strode into the tunnels the sounds of battle grew louder and louder. Gaven grunted, scratched at his chin, "Seems someone else is here mate...we should not linger too long.."
Tremors and earthquakes shook the foundations of the earth and entry path is caved in and sealed shut - there's no turning back. They paused trying to assess their situation and just what in the hells they had walked into.Â
"Marius is dead!" Both angry an joyful voices shouted, "The master is defeated!"Â
"Mm...ye lot catch that?" Gaven asked.Â
Derik's brow inched up, "Come on... let's go... we've walked into a rebellion."
A rock rumbled to the side, sliding open unnaturally and revealing a secret room. Lannia emerged from the hidden chamber - the armory where she recovered her equipment. She was in a full sprint and skidding to a stop in the rubble as she stared at her friends in wonder.
"Well," Lannia breathed out with a smile, "If it isn't the calvary."
"LANNIA! " Derik howled, and droped his weapons as he dashed over to her.Â
Vala collected Derik's weapons and smiled as the large warrior took up his wife into his arms and kissed her soundly. Ronja smiled with a relieved sigh and Gaven grumbled, "Oi! We nay ahve time for that, mate! This place is coming down around us."
Lannia only laughed and sheathed her sword as her husband asaulted her with affection. Gaven snorted softly glancing down. Lannia finally did push him off a bit, "We have to find Donnel."
The earth shook angrily around them. Derik grumbled and released his wife, retrieving his weapons from Vala, "Alright... let's get Donnel and get out."
They encountered Zachary mere moments later. The old enchanter was full of knife wounds, laying face down in his own blood. He lay before a scrying mirror with a sending amulet in one hand and a note in the other. Attempts to raise him failed. Where ever he was, he was at peace there.Â
This was all I could do. I pray they come for you in time. Forgive me, Lannia.
The origin of the sending that brought Derik to them was clear. Lannia said a small inward prayer for him and they continued into the dark, winding tunnels. Lannia kept a near-frantic pace, "Donnel may be dead as well. If I am to raise him I must reach him soon."
The encountered a few already bloodied patrols and made short work of them. Lannia tried to keep a few alive to see if they knew where Donnel was, but the battles were fast and intense. The chaos of the crumbling tunnels did not leave much room to consider ones strikes. Derik tried to question Lannia as they ran through thr corridors, but there was no time.
Moments passed like hours in spite of the intensity as they frantically searched. Finally they came upon Donnel's motionless form.Â
"Donnel," Lannia spoke to him softly, rolling him over and checking for signs of life.Â
He was still and cold, eyes unseeingly staring ahead. Derik cursed as the rest of the party set up a perimeter around the shamaness so that Lannia may do her work. She placed her hand on his head and continue to call to him, "Brother... I did it. I killed him... Return to us and be free."
She called upon her own power to recall his spirit, hoping he would be compelled by her familiar energy. Because they had maintained his innocence while traversing his mind, a spark of hope remained within him. He answered his sister's call. She smile gratefully, joyfull tears spilling over her face. She said it again to him, "I did it... I killed him, brother. Now we need to get out of here. Do you know the way?"
She quickly wrapped him in a healing coccoon. As Lannia's healing spell restored him, he nodded weakly, but gratefully, "You ... saved me."
"It's what we do," Derik said, "But this place is coming down. We need to get out."
Lannia begin to bathe Donnel in Wards to protect him on the way out, "Here are some wards, get us out of here."
Another tremor nearly caved in the tunnel around them. Gaven held his shield up to protect himself from the falling rock and gave an impatient bark, "We're all gonna need saving if we do nay move!"
Donnel nodded weakly. It didn't look like he'll be any help in battle, but he could move and guide them at least. "This way ..."
They shaking grew more violent the further they got. Smoke and angered cries filled the echoing tunnels. Derik blinked and asked, "The hells did you guys do?"
"Umm," Lannia smiled sheepishly, "It was mostly me."
The tunnel widened to a large cave adorned with shamanistic runes and a large summining cirlce on the ground. Lannia's eyes scanned it, knowing the ritual well. She was not surprised to se a large, angry spirit hovering over the circle. The flickering spirit surrounded by dark energy shimmered into place becoming larger and stronger before their eyes.Â
"Torm keep us," Gaven murmured as he observed the massive and malevolent specter.Â
Lannia growled, clearly recognizing Marius's twisted spirit. Her friends fought demons and armies... Spirits were her skill set. She stood in front of her friends, growling ferally.Â
"Did you think you could defeat me so easily, Lannia?!" Hs distorted voice ehoed.Â
The imposing spirit leaned down to looked into the determined sapphire eyes of the rauthite shamaness. Derik cautioned Donnel back. Recognizing, this was Lannia's wheelhouse, he stood ready behind her.Â
"She daft?" Gaven breathed out as Lannia stood between the monsterous sight and them and moved up beside her, unsure.Â
Derik just grinned, "Probably."
Lannia held her green steel sword pointed at the apparition and answered it, "I did once already, Marius. Stand aside. Go in peace lest I send you beyond by force."
"Years of experimenting on your kind has given me access to powers unknown!" He ground out, "I will not rest until I have exacted retribution!"
"hmm?" Lannia mocked, "Ohh did you say something? I heard, blah blah, wine, moan."
Derik followed her lead with an amused smirk, "Blah blah blah... I see a dead man wanting to be re-dead."
Gaven looked at them both like they had collectively lost their minds. Ronja quirker a tiny smile, her eyes remaining on the spirit and Gaven shook his head and said, "Wrong time but ye two are quite alike."
Lannia gave a snarl and lowered her voice to a threat, "You are a spirit now... Thanks for coming back. You died WAY too easy the first time."
Marius's spirit howled in anger, "You thought what I did to your brother was cruel?! I'll show you true despair!"
The battle was engaged, the spirit indeed had many fowl spells to unleash. it all but fell the entire party within minutes... Except for Lannia. Her favor with the spirits allowed her to absorb the attack, striking back viscously with her own spiritual energy. She weakened and chastised him, cripling him as she healed her comrades.Â
They rallied and swarmed the weakened ghost as wave after wave of divine spiritual energy sprang from Lannia's finger tips, erupting in holy blasts. Thier attacks left the vengeful spirit defenseless and Lannia's magic cast his ethereal form to its final end. The dust settled and she glared at the space the spirit once occupied as she ground out, "Damn beast... You died too quick a second time."
Cider howled and disappeared into the veil beyond sight... Likely to drag Marius to the hells that surely awaited him. The group clamoured over the carnage and rubble falling around them toward the light and fresh air...
