Let's go

A heavy door on the far side of the room opens by turning a wheel in the center of the door. You have never seen this type of mechanism before and watch curiously as she opens the door. As the door cracks open the smell of decay sweeps into the room and several large insects scurry away along the edges of the wall. Stepping through the door you feel a slight tingle as the hairs on the back of your neck rise. Cassia follows behind you stepping over the threshold of the door and pushing the heavy door closed behind you. It takes several turns of the wheel on this side of the door before you hear the soft click of the door locking behind you.

The map on the gateroom wall made the hallways appear straight, but the path ahead twists and turns like the path of a small stream. In fact a trickle of water flows down the center of the hall fed by the moisture that formed on the walls to your side. Everything in the catacombs has a bluish shade from the bluestones you carry. It's a little eerie, but far better than carrying torches or even oil lamps.

"This section of the catacombs is damper than the other two I've been in." Cassia whispers, her voice carrying down the narrow corridor ahead. The ceiling above you is cracked in many places. These cracks in the roof are easy to spot because curtains of moss hang from the gaps in the roof like curtains further obscuring your sight. About twenty yards down the hall an open egg-shaped doorway appears on your right. Heavy metal hinges still hang from the stonework, but the only sign of a door is a corroded locking mechanism that lies on the debris covered floor. Peering inside the chamber you see what could be a small apartment with several more oval-shaped doors leading into the darkness. A large spider web covers about half of one of the doorways, and a bundle the size of your fist hangs from near the middle of the web.

“Come on” urges Cassia “you are going to see hundreds of these, we don’t have time to explore them.” It does make sense you admit to yourself but you hate to leave these gaping holes behind you as you move on. You gradually become accustom to the crunching of broken shells and bones beneath your feet and even the constant scurrying of crablike creatures away from you and Cassia. Occasional inhuman howls from far away send chills through your bones and you grip you shovel/axe with white knuckled ****.

“Those are the man/beasts created from the tortured souls stolen from the city before the wards were raised.” Cassia’s description does little to ease your rising fear. “They are mostly dead already, but their souls are trapped in their physical bodies. They fight with little skill, but are very strong, so do not let them grapple with you.”

“How can I make them completely dead?” You ask in a whisper hoping that your voice does not betray you.

“Don’t worry about killing them.” Cassia answers calmly “If you can cripple one or two of them the others will turn on them and we can escape.”

“You’ve seen that?” You ask her in amazement.

“Well I’ve never seen it myself, but that is what the teachings recommend.” Her faith in the teachings is clearly strong enough to keep her calm. “I’m more worried about the demons.” Cassia continues as you pass a deep crack in the floor where water is running deeper into the earth. Our weapons will not harm them, the demons must be countered with faith in ourselves and the protection of the gods.

You are not sure which of the two inhabitants are worse or if there is something even more terrifying Cassia hasn’t mentioned.

“OK, Adonis” Cassia says as she points around a bend “here comes our first test.”