Crossing my arms I, rather gingerly, leaned against the wall, and let out a breath that I didn't know I had been holding. My attention turned to Lim. He was babbling, again, about the bell. Motioning to me, he asked me to come over and help. I lowered my arms and walked over to it. Massive. I looked at him, lifted both hands up to it and pushed. It didn't move. Although he did half flinch as my skin touched medal. It was the first time any of us had touched it.
"There, I helped. It didn't work. Now what?"
"Now we try to tip it over!"
"Now we try to tip it over!"
I know my eyebrow raised. He wasn't even fazed. Truly, I have no grasp of human sarcasm. This human man, is still hell bent on the bell. Leveraging it to tip. He scuttled outside to find a board long enough to use.While the others followed him I stood there for a moment amazed, and a bit annoyed, before I moved outside to follow them. I glanced toward the monument stone, and nearly stopped dead in my tracks. The flower that had been sitting there for the past two days was gone and another replaced it. I tried called out to the others, but other than Vernin, who just looked up at me, no heed was paid.
Within ten minutes a board and a stone had been found, and brought inside. With some of Alloriah's magic and Lim's determination a more thought out plan was set into motion. Giving into the unbending I assisted as well. For, the sooner we looked under the bell the sooner, I could examine the monument stone and new flower uninterrupted. Pieces in place We stood two on opposite sides of the bell, and began to push or pull. It went on for a few minutes not getting very far, then suddenly we heard a loud crack. Stopping quickly we examined the ground, and found a crack in the stone floor. After a moment of discussion we decided to continue on, the floor should be solid, it was the stone itself that cracked. Continue we did, at times looking back on this incident I can see how naive we were.
CRACK! CRASH!
The stone floor was not as solid as we had thought. The floor opened, the bell fell through, and I tumbled down with it. Taking a moment to look around, I realized that I had fallen nearly six feet, and the space was not a random hole. It was a room. Squarish in shape, other than rubble lying all over, and now a bell there was not much else of note, save a sarcophagus. Lim called down asking if I was alright, I answered an affirmative, then called up and told them about the sarcophagus. Lim said he was coming down. I waited a moment, enjoying watching Lim and Alloriah clamber around trying to figure out how to get down safely. As they started arguing I took out my grappling hook and tied my rope to it. With a well placed throw, it was set ready to assist Lim's decent. Vernin had to stop the building argument and point out that I set a rope.
After Lim made his way down, he and I went to the sarcophagus, and began to clear off the lesser rubble on top of it. It was elaborate. Carvings on the side, and on top was a raised rendition of a knight holding a sword down his chest. Part of the sarcophagus was cracked open by the flooring that had fallen on it. Lettering was chiseled at the head. Lim and I shared a look, then simultaneously, we worked to move the remaining rubble. Stone clattered on the floor where we tossed them, a few moments and I stopped moving. Cocking my head to the left to listen behind me, stone was still falling to the floor, and Lim was only in mid throw. I reached out put my hand on his wrist, then he heard it also. We turned around just in time to see the bell, which had been lying in the rubble on its side, tip over with a resounding GONG, and a huge set of bones rise up from under it.
I admit, I let out a yelp, and cried for the other to help us. Lim began his chanting and withdrew his half spear. I unsheathed my dagger and backed up. As the bones rose I noticed something shaped like a crescent moon on the floor near my feet. I scooped it up. By that time the bones had fully risen. Ten feet tall easily it had claws, tail, and a feline face with one large fang. Looking at the crescent in my hand I realized that it was the other fang. Lovely.
Letting out a unearthly howl it swiped at me. Jumping backwards I slammed into the sarcophagus. By this time Alloriah and Vernin had run back to the ledge and was looking down at us. It started attacking me, mainly, and I fought back defensively, Lim took shots with a few spells, but mainly his half spear. Alloriah though, Alloriah called out repeatedly; 'I don't know what to do, what can I do?'. I had a few choice thoughts to what she could do. We called out, and told her to hit it, cast spells, do something a Druid would do. After taking a few hits I shouted out, frantically for her to bring out Demeterious. She did not. Lim Dul took a few hits then, and he screamed for her to call him out. After a few moments of ludicrous argument, and us dodging claws, she finally relented.
Then the oddest thing happened. This beast skeleton reached down to me and took a hold of the fang I was still holding. The tug of war that ensued was, looking back on it, comical. Though while it was happening, it was terrifying. Oddly enough I won that tug of war. Another unearthly howl sent a shiver down my spine. Then Demeterious was upon it. Vernin and Alloriah attacked it with poles. Working together one leg was taken out and puffed into dust, literally. After a few more moments of battle the skeleton collapsed with a groan.
Letting out a string of grumbling curses Lim set about pounding every bone into dust. He seemed frantic, panicked even. I considered for a moment to let him have the fang in my hand also. Something in my soul told me not to, and I slipped it into my sidebag inside the folds of a extra shirt. I climbed up the rope at Alloriah's request and she caste a healing spell on me. With a nod of thanks, and a pat on Demeterious' head I slid back down. Lim had finished with the remains of the beast skeleton, and we resumed examining the sarcophagus.
Twenty minutes of clearing away stone floor, new rubble from the battle, and now bone dust, we were rewarded:
Captian Darcrow
Loyal to the end, father and friend, may your soul always be at peace.
I reached into the sarcophagus and gingerly felt around the bones and cloth, for parchment, a signet ring, something of value that could be identified, and more importantly a amulet. Nothing was found. Nothing but a name, and proof to our eyes that these men dressed as beasts might actually be beastmen. We discussed what had happened, and I again brought up the fact that a new flower had been placed on the memorial stone. This time they listened. We had no other options but to return to the Countess, and speak to the people of Ja Du. Master Ron Dangledongledot returned, as promised in the afternoon, and he agreed that we should return to the town, and Countess as well. With one exception, Vernin would stay here with him and hold our position, the men were two days out.
We set out right away, this time I took the flower and tucked it into a carry bag. To the sad little town of Ja Du we walked toward first. Lim Dul is assured of himself that the townsfolk will speak to him. Lim Dul is assured of himself of many things. Many many things.
Reaching into my sidebag I felt the smooth ivory of the fang.
I am not so sure.
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