Chapter 73: Descent into Danger (1/2)
”Looks like the Crimson Disaster not only defeated your distraction, but found the ritual site as well.” The shark-toothed woman commented as she watch the wave of destruction through the window. Even out in the harbor, the strength of Andromeda's strike caused the ship to rock back and forth.
She watched the events until a massive worm shaped creature plunged back into the ground with the Guildmaster in its mouth.
Turning from the window to regard the other two occupants, she continued, ”I don't think I need to remind you, but if Huzan's ritual is disrupted, this entire enterprise will all be for naught.”
”Fear not,” Smiler broke in, ”The most faithful of my followers stand ready to lay down their lives in defense of the ritual.”
The woman nodded diplomatically, ”That helps, but I don't think there are many forces in our arsenal that can withstand the full fury of the Crimson Disaster. Our best hope is to continue to distract her until the ritual can be successfully completed.”
The priest scoffed, ”She may struggle as much as she wants, but this is destined. My lord will break free from the shackles of his confinement and unleash his terrible wrath on this plane.”
He stood and regarded the pair. ”However, since this is a sensitive time, I will personally go oversee the completion of the ritual.”
With that, he strode out the door, moving with a confidence and surety that belongs solely to the fanatical.
The shark-toothed woman gave an enigmatic smile as soon as he was gone. ”Fool. I wonder what if must feel like to be that blind.”
She turned to look out the window once more, idly watching as the ruptured corpse of the Leviathan Tartarus Wurm travelled hundreds of meters through the air before crashing back onto the ground.
”You know, Garl, even should this particular scheme fail, it will merely delay our plans. We'll succeed eventually, it's just a matter of time.”
She glanced back at him with her pitch black eyes, ”We have an eternity, after all.”
Garl growled in frustration, ”You say that, but it is not you that has to answer to the leader. It is not you that will have to reclaim our distributed resources, nor oversee that pull back of our forces in the face of the inevitable investigation. It is not you that has to wake in this twisted wreckage of a body every single day!”
Silence descended in the room, as the shark-toothed woman returned to staring out of the window. Trying to find the right words, she was about to speak when Garl suddenly exclaimed angrily.
She glanced over at the map in time to see a trio of green dots and a purple one disappear next to the entrance to the ritual site.
”Huh, they used their strongest asset as a distraction to allow another team to disrupt the ritual. An interesting strategy, but with an Oracle in tow, it must have been the best available to them.”
Garl stood, now deep in the grip of a cold fury, ”Even if I have to pull his soul back from the Abyss, I will make Nash regret ever failing me!”
He was so infuriated by the failure of his squad of Chosen, that he completely missed it when the next two dots, one red and one green, disappeared in the same location, one after the other.
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The adventurers descended in darkness until Mike summoned a small ball of fire to illuminate their path. Its light reflected off of the moisture-slickened walls of the passage.
The air was cold, clammy, and thick with the cloying scent of rot and decay. Only the sounds of their footsteps, muffled by the humidity, broke the silence. Descending down the passageway felt a great deal like entering some ancient crypt.
Before long the group reached the bottom of the staircase, and walked into a long corridor ending in a simple archway. Beyond it, there was only darkness.
Now they could hear the screeching, scrabbling noises that seemed to constantly surround the hordes of lesser demons, but distantly, as if they were behind some barrier or wall.
Cautiously, they approached the archway, Mike leading. As they got closer, the sounds of the demons grew louder.
Finally, Mike rounded the corner, and found himself in a large circular room with a high, vaulted ceiling. Judging from the worn and crumbling nature of the stonework this chamber had been here a long time.
He initially figured that it must have been part of some old sewer system, but then recalled that there didn't appear to be any such thing in this world.