Hunt the monster

There's a very real possibility that hunting this creature... whatever it is... could end in tragedy for your quest, one way or another. It could prove to be too much for you and Russ to handle, or you could lose your way beneath the mountain, delaying more than the day it would take for you to find another route to Gerlangen.

But you trust your training, and your companion seems likewise confident - to be fair, that could be bluster - and there's an equally real possibility that the day you lose back-tracking could be all that Thoros needs to reach the High Abbey ahead of you, so any time you can save is worth the risk.

Even so, the decision would boil down to a judgment call if it weren't for one final factor: you're still a paladin, sworn to combat evil and protect the innocent. If you have the chance to do good here for these people, and in the process aid the completion of your quest... you're not just honor-bound, it's the right thing to do.

"We'll help you, but our own mission is urgent so there's no time to waste. Lead us in the direction of this monster." The foreman looks at you, then at Russ as if for confirmation. What's that about?

Russ shrugs, smiles at the foreman and inclines his head back toward you. Harald finally nods, stands, and begins to fetch a few items from a shelf nearby. "Good. You'll need lamps, and on your honor, I'll give you a map of the shafts. You'll be lost forever down there without one, and I'm not about to consign more of my men just to guide you. The map shows the way out the other side so there's your prize - I guess it's not a total loss if you're to run off now, but I'm trusting you."

You and Russ each take a lamp. You offer the foreman your hand before touching the rolled-up map. "On my honor, we will not abandon you." He seems surprised, or perhaps impressed, to receive such a bold gesture from you, but he clasps his hand around your wrist, and you do the same. His forearm dwarfs yours, but thanks to the blessings of your goddess your grip is more than a match for his own.

With that, he leads you out of the office and back across the quarry, nearby where the rescue effort is still taking place. You arrive at a vacant mine-shaft about a hundred yards away from where the rescue operation is taking place. "Those lamps have enough oil to burn for four hours apiece. I'd recommend saving one. If you're below longer than that, there are stations deeper in the shafts where you can find some supplies: more oil, some rations and water, even a place to bed down if it comes to it, but I don't know how safe that'll be. They're marked on the map. Now, here's the new tunnel we opened," He unfurls your map and indicates a tunnel that ends without being fully sketched. "Those are natural caves, so we don't know where else it leads. To get that far, you need to follow this shaft, until it joins with that one..." He shows you the route you'll need to take to get there. It's obviously not as direct as if you'd taken the collapsed tunnel.

"And how long should that take us?" Russ inquires.

The foreman scratches his head. "Half an hour if you're familiar with the route, probably closer to an hour for you folks."

You roll up the map and offer to it Russ to hold in one of his many belt-loops. "Let's not waste anymore time, then." The foreman wishes you luck as you and your companion descend into the earth.

You've never experienced such suffocating darkness before. Even during the blackest nights, some faint twinkling of the stars above reflects enough light for your eyes to grow accustomed to your surroundings. This is the total absence of light. Your eyes could never grow accustomed to it. Without the lamps in your and Russ' hands, you would be hopelessly lost.

That cheery thought consoles you as you make your way deeper and deeper underground. Your internal clock has gone haywire without the slightest presence of the sun as a reference, so you don't know if you're making good time or bad - you only know that you've been sticking strictly to the map, and so far you've yet to locate any sign of any sort of monster.

"It has to be said, bravery is not a quality I seek in my lovers, but it is quite becoming on you." It's as if Russ timed the sudden statement to catch you completely off-guard. You'd been exploring in silence until this point, so his voice, even whispered, sounds like thunder. You wheel about in surprise and shine the lamp on him. That smile.

You elect to ignore the part about lovers lest your imagination run wild again. "Bravery? I only do what I must. Besides, this was your suggestion." You turn to continue deeper, ever deeper.

"I think that is the very definition of the word." You'd never thought of yourself as particularly brave. You don't mind smiling at the thought that Russ thinks so - he can't see you, so you don't have to feel embarrassed for it. "For the record, I hadn't suggested we go monster hunting, only that we try to negotiate a quicker passage. C'est la vie."

What? "But, I thought that's..." Your smile disappears.

You can't see him, but you're sure he shrugs at you. "It was your decision, Paladin of the Rose, as it was mine to accompany you. I think you made the correct decision, for you. It's not what I would have decided, but then, here I am anyway, so what good is my judgment?" Ugh, what an infuriating man... but... you're glad to have him by your side.

You feel your companion's hand on your shoulder, halting you. "There." Your training kicks in and you're on your guard in an instant. The hand on your shoulder reaches forward into your field of vision and stretches a finger pointing at the creature ahead of you in the tunnel. It's only at the edge of your vision - you can add sharp eyes to Russ' extensive list of qualities - but you center your lamp light on the monster and you're able to get a better look at it.

"Something's wrong..." You mutter back to your partner as you take in the sight. The creature is hideous, approximately the size and shape of a man, but the skin is discolored, and squirming appendages dripping of some foul ichor protrude from all over its body without regard to any sort of reason. Where the thing's eyes and mouth should be, bundles of these tentacle-like growths wriggle as if tasting the air around it. It looks almost as if some shapeless thing has infested a man, commandeering the body for its own foul purpose. The remnants of the miner's uniform that it wears all but confirms this. As if the sight of such a monstrosity weren't enough, the entire area is bathed in gore... probably the remains of the poor victim following his horrific transformation.

Though the scene before you is gruesome, your faith in your goddess and the companionship of your ally give you strength. Those are not the details that concern you. No... what bothers you is that the creature is stumbling about as if it barely knows where it is, let alone even regarding you. Could such a creature have collapsed a mine tunnel on its own? And of more immediate concern, if this was the fate of the miners, then what happened to the rest?

"I think it would save time if we limited our conversation to what's right about... that. Either way, topics better discussed once it's been put out of its misery, wouldn't you agree?" Russ is right, of course. If it hasn't attacked you yet, then it likely cannot see or hear you - you're only dozen yards away or so - but you really don't know anything about it, so it would be better not to push your luck. Best to kill it quickly, as Russ suggests.

The dashing swordsman who has been dutifully following you all this time has produced his finely crafted rapier and a dagger and is beginning to advance past you. You've yet to see the man actually fight, and you're curious how skilled he truly is... but you also feel a sense of unease at the thought of Russ confronting this thing. Could that be a premonition?

It's not too late to stop him. You could ask Russ to back you up while you show him what a paladin of the Burning Rose is capable of.