Making It Personal

Taking what advice was offered I quickly spin bringing rope to hand, and as we both run toward the windows I toss Mordeuis an and.

"What am I supposed to do with this you fool!" Not realizing what I have planned I catch a look of confused outrage flash across his face before I turn to my goal.

"You take good damned hold if it and jump!" Following the only instruction I have time to give, I shove him toward the right window mid step and leap out the left one. Looking over my shoulder as I fly into the darkness beyond I see the creature come up short with only a small scrap of cloth once belonging to my friends cape.

"This is all very fine, but I don't suppose you thought of a way to get back up?"

"I didn't think that far ahead."

"Right. Well, we'll have to go up at the same time, lest the weight of one of us pulls the other over the edge."

Turning ourselves against the wall, we mounted our feet and began to climb.

A few seconds later we reached the top of the ledge. Dusting myself off, I opened my mouth to speak, but before I could, a great screech come from the bowels of the hole.

"Of course... We need to find the summoning area and get the hell out of here."

"Lead the way..."

As we ran from the drop, faint scratching and crumbling noises could be heard from below...

Backtracking, we quickly make our way to the fork in the tunnel and procede through the door we've yet to try. We find ourselves in another room much like the last, but where the windows were there are now two more doors. Allong both walls there are racks with an assortment of weapons, but apon quick inspection we note that there is nothing of value or real use to be found.

"That thing still follows Mord - what way?"

Looking back over his shoulder at the door we'd just come through, my companion thinks quick... "It is hard for me to tell with everything else flowing through me, but after that run-in I'll make the judgement call and say we keep to the left."

Letting his decisions lead our way, I follow Mordeuis through the door at the left into another hall. This time we find better lighting, and two smaller doors on each side before yet another door at the end of the hall.

"Lets just check these four rooms first. Better safe than sorry, and there is no telling what we might find here."

"That thing isn't that far behind - it may find us if we take the time here now." Looking over his shoulder once again, he shrugs and heads for the first door on our left. "Ahh, what the hell..."

Comming up right behind him, I nearly crash into Mordeuis as he is forced to stop short or plumet into the dark abyss that greats us on the other side of the door.

"What the hell Mo..." Catching sight of what lays just over my old friends shoulder I catch my words. "Interesting."

"There is a small stair here on the left, but I beleive I can say with fair certianty that this is not the way we seek." Turning, Mordeuis brushes past me proceeding to the next door. "There IS something in one of these rooms Athentix - I can feel it"

As a faint howl of rage comes to us throught the two doors that seperate our persuer from its pray, we rush on quckly. Suddenly, just as he's about to take hold of the second door, Mordeuis stops short again, pivots, and shoots across the hall to the oposite door.

"This is it, there is something here." With that said, Mord reaches for the door.

Frantically searching for some way to open the door, I called out to Athentix -

"There's no damned door knob! It must be sealed."

"Well, can you get through it?"

"Me? Aren't you the one who brought some of those bombs that Predain makes? I saw them on your saddle on the way from the village."

"It's worth a shot. Though I doubt that a simple bomb will do the trick. That door is solid stone, it must weigh over a ton."

While the explosive didn't have a very large effect on the door, it did chip away enough that we could grab hold and pry it open with a few improvised tools, namely a very sharp set of scythes that Athentix always carried with him.

"Quickly! Shut the door! The chimera is almost inside!" - We both called out, as if of one mind.

Just as the door ran flush with the wall, the chimera slammed into the door with hurricane force, emitting a loud thump and jolting Athentix, who was propped up against it, trying to keep the foul beast from tearing us to pieces.

"So... What do you suppose we do now? Wait here to die?"

"Your sarcasm falls on deaf ears, Athentix. Obviously you haven't surveyed the room, lest you would have noticed the summoning circle engraved in the floor."

Looking down at his feet, Athentix paused, dumbfounded, for a moment.

"What did you have in mind?"

"OK, for once on this journey you have caught me unaware of my complete surroundings - that doesn't mean its a habit though 'my friend'." With a smirk I step further into the room and begin a careful inspection - grunting at my comment, my travelling companion does the same...

"I may have spoken a bit hasty Athentix. This circle doesn't seem to be complete, but rather a small part of the whole..." Eyeing the base of the wall just to the right of where we entered, Mordeuis continues: "...The lines cut into the floor end against this wall, but thats strange as well..."

Looking in the same general area at the base of the wall dirrectly across from the door we entered through I finish his thought. "It is almost as if these walls don't go from floor to cealing, but rather continue down bellow." Stepping forward for a closer look, something catches my eye in the corner where our two walls converge.

"Whats this?" As my companion turns I quickly start to uncover the mechinations of a poorly hidden trap door in the wall I'd been studying.