(Continuation from Delfan and the cave. written in 3rd person.)
This cave was odd, as if a giant molded a black tube of partially dried clay and thrusted it into the sandy ground. It seemed out of place, as there was no vegetation around it, just an opening jetting up from a sandy clearing in the middle of a dense jungle like forest. Touching the rock, he noticed it felt surprisingly smooth despite its many fissures, cracks and rippled appearance. It felt cool, even though barely-noticeable white steam rolled off its top lip of its dark foreboding opening. Despite his fear and curiosity, Delfan entered into the maw of this tube. Partially into its shallow descending corridor, an unwelcoming shake and rumble of the earth occurred around him. It lasted briefly, but he tensed and examined the walls and ceiling around him. He prayed that not too many of those will come and collapse the tunnel around him. He continued to descend. As he went, it felt more humid and hot; like walking into a Yew Bathhouse in the middle of winter. “Well, looks ye found your cave.” Delfan chuckled. Two more quakes occurred, slightly placing Delfan off balance. “Better make this quick!” He thought about casting a night vision spell as the light from the opening beginning to fade. He soon realized it would just mask the light from this mysterious flower, instead he lit a torch. The light from the torch faintly lit the area around him, shining off objects from the cave’s wall. Delfan paused to look at his new discovery and found the cave’s walls were lined with quartz and sparsely imbedded gems. Briefly noted his new found wealth and scientific intrigue, but he pushed on to finish his quest for Lady Dell.
Delfan descended a few more feet into the cave which opened up into a wide, dark, humid cavern. Occasionally dripping water from its tips, stalagmites hang menacingly from the cavern’s 12 foot ceilings. Sweat beads from his forehead, stinging his eyes, as this room is intensively warm and humid. Wiping his eyes, he notices a faint green glow radiating further into the cavern. Weaving and ducking around the pillars of hanging stalagmites, Delfan cautiously approaches the glow. Reaching its location, he dropped his torch, reached into a small crevice, and removed the last green glowing flower. Delfan blobs off the moisture from his forehead and neck, as he examines his newly found specimen. Vargumorph appears very similar to the wolvesbane he had collected over the years, except this one glows a sickly green, while the other stays its non-glowing blue. One to turn those into or out of a werewolf, while the other to kill them. Delfan took off his backpack, was beginning to open it, as he saw something else glowing a few feet away. In the darkness glowed to gems horizontal of each other, one sickly green, and the other dull orange.
A small quake as he stared with curiously at those gems. Thinking he may have a bit more time to examine them, unfortunately those eyes blinked. A guttural growl crescendo, “THAT IS MINE!!!...” Leaping from the darkness was a horrible aberration. It lunged and tries to strike Delfan where he stood! Luckfully, he fell and scurried backwards before the strike and the snapping jaws closed upon him.
“IN SANCT GRAV!” Delfan cast with a pinch of prepared spell regents. He was glad he prepared such things in advance in case of surprises like this. His energy field stopped the advance of the creature so that Delfan can study and ready against his foe. This creature was like no other he had seen before. It was large, almost 10 feet tall and wolf like. It had a grey mangled coat with patches of intact grey, festering red, and rotten black bare patches throughout. It’s wolf like ears partially torn and nipped off. It had a wrinkled snout with long stringy jowls that frothy saliva poured from. On each side of that snout eyes, one glowing green while the other is white stared into Delfan’s soul. Its hands and feet were huge with nails larger than sharpen dagger blades. This was more than a werewolf. It was a mutant beyond anything imagined.
Delfan had little time, the field will collapse, or the creature will notice it can simple go around it. He reached for his spell bag of prepared regents. He will have to do battle, in order to survive this creature.
“For entering my cave, I would have killed you quick!” The creature growled, “But you stole what is clearly not yours… for that I will do it slowly and eat the marrow of your bones as you watch!” Saliva increasingly dripped from its jowls, “I can feel your fear… I can hear your heart race… I can see your blood flow… I can smell your flesh!”
Delfan stood quickly, and casted night vision, “In Lor.” He studied for a quick retreat, but before acting the field fell. The beast roared and leaped, barely missing the diving Delfan.
“COR POR!” he casted as a ball of energy catapulted from his hands hitting the werewolf directly in the chest. Most creatures would at least flinch at such electrical power; however the creature simply absorbed it. Another quake occurred. Pieces of rock fall from the ceiling, as the creature marches towards the retreating dodging Delfan.
“VAS FLAM!” The fireball only singed the hair on the beast, making it madder. “What sort of creature are you!” puffed Delfan.
“Ye Harbinger of Death, human!”
Another quake, its intensity is much greater and louder than before. Delfan fell backwards on the ground, looking at the off balanced behemoth falling toward him for the final kill. He closed his eyes, not wishing to see those jaws close upon him. A large crash is heard! Instead of pain, a choking sensation as dust is kicked up into the air. Cracking his eyelids show the creature, groaning its last breath. Its eye loses its greenish yew to blackness, while blood flowed around a large stalagmite impaling the creature to the floor. The quake stopped briefly as Delfan looked upon the monster, thinking it may rise suddenly, but nothing. He quickly collected a tuff of fur with skin, and a small vial of blood. Another large quake, steady this time, as more parts of the cave collapses. Quickly he rises to gather his things. Bouncing of stalagmite to stalagmite, he dashed for the exit.
Delfan bursted outward from the Cave, but his problems seem to just begun. He began to feel the heat increase from behind him. Looking back, he saw the light of molten rock coming from the cave’s entrance. Delfan sighed deeply and puffed his way back up toward the shore, where surely the ship will be waiting. Atlas not so, for there is no ship to be seen! The seas rocked and churned violently. He couldn’t blame them from leaving, for staying would be their doom. He only hoped they made it safely. Off in the distance he could see Hyloth erupt. “It appears the second ‘Brimstone Pillar’ will also erupt,” he thought to himself. Behind him, he glanced to see the advancing lake of molten rock. He looked forward to see a wall of water approaching him. They are both opposite conclusions; one death by fire and one death by drowning. All together in the middle, with him, will be chaos and death. Only option left is to teleport back, however he had never done it this far before, or with such disturbances to the fabric of magic. He closed his eyes and thought of home as he chanted, “KAL ORT POR!”
Zapa was comfortably puffing on his pipe, with feet upon the alchemy desk of the Mage study. His stool was slightly leaning on two legs against the Shadow Ore table. In the middle of the room was a pentagram and within that pentagram, a swirl of smoke shaped as a mini cyclone appeared. Raising an eyebrow, Zapa starred at the conjured whirlwind. Puffing out of existence, the smoke cleared to show the kneeling balled up form of Delfan as steam rolled off his dampened body.
“Ye must have fun.” Zapa jested.
Thrusting his arm, still from a balled up position, he held the Vargumorph out, “Just get to work!”
