Our Journey continued through weaving tracks and dark passageways that I do not dare try to describe. The chill running throughout my body as we descend deeper into the unknown is something I could consider to be haunting, for that the unknown lurking in here is beyond most of our knowledge… It truly is terrifying to think about, but alas, I am in good company, for that it will be my friends who help guide my blade. Bruun had asked me earlier to take up writing the log for the Tempest Hunters and I happily took up the rest at his behest. I don’t mind of course, it keeps me busy and my mind focused, something I don’t try to take for granted nowadays. For the most part, a majority of these tunnels were the same stretch of stones with a few veins sprinkled throughout, copper… nickel… even a few cobalt sprinkled in the mix. Nothing to write home about anyway, gods I wished I hadn’t struck that conversation up with that Dwarf. The only thing I can think about is the wide variety of stones and how they’re used in construction. Not particularly useful to someone like myself, but it keeps the boredom at bay I suppose. So for that they have my thanks. After an agonizing period of time something caught our eyes and we halted the Mine cart to a stop, leaving it behind to investigate a particularly interesting tunnel that broke away into a small clearing, not that too dissimilar to a forge you’d find in some cities. The air laid thick within these claustrophobic walls, weighing heavily within our lungs with each breath as the ringing within our ears grew louder. It was eerily quiet, save for our own footsteps that thundered around each ash encrusted surface. The usual things littered the area from random tools to work molten metal, to small vials and pitchers for carrying water or other liquids that a smith might have needed during a normal day, however a few things struck as odd to me… To one side sat a vast pool of what I believe to be a sort of acid, given that the hair around my nose nearly burnt off the moment I smelled it. Unfortunately, our luck took a turn for the worse, foul creatures skittering amongst the dust and coming into view… Vile things, some sort of trollhound if the description holds true. They shifted around like roaches, searching for the nearest thing to sink their teeth into, and no matter the type of blow, they healed as if nothing had happened at all! Amongst the chaos, a few of us had the idea of using the acid to our advantage, luring the trollhounds into the pool, or splashing them seemed to prove most effective, halting their healing properties… I don’t think this was the intended purpose of the pool, but I can definitely see it’s usefulness now. I would soon use this in a display most flashy, one that I will not admit to enjoying, but I had leapt over a charging hound, causing it to charge into the acid pool with a killing blow soon after. While I was dealing with a most rowdy trollhound, I heard the familiar clang of Bruun’s flails soon followed by a painful cry from Indiana. Bruun’s flail had missed its mark and struck Indiana in the back, knocking her down… She wasn’t looking that great prior to that encounter, I just hope Bruun held back just enough not to inflict a killing blow. By the time I had arrived at her side, she had fallen unconscious. Wilby and I took turns stabilizing her and getting her back to her feet. It took several minutes but she was conscious, a bit better off but not without some repercussions… Once that was dealt with and I focused back on my surroundings, I noticed Cassius, just to the front of me, standing in front of a suit of armor, inlaid with dragon glass. The way the plate glinted in the light of the room captivated me, drawing me ever closer until I was at Cassius’ side. The pull this armor had on me was almost intoxicating, clouding my mind and insisting I be the one to wear it, but it quickly faded… as if to say that no, this won’t suit you give it to Cassius… So I did, he was more accustomed to a heavier plate than I, and I know deep down that whatever is to come next, he’ll display it proudly. I’ll be honest, seeing him don such a well crafted suit of armor from a people that have long since been forgotten made me jealous… Even for just a split second, however, I quickly pushed that thought from my mind… Something else will find my path, I just have to wait. After a brief moment of respite, it was unanimously decided that we double back to the service station, there wasn’t much more we could go on this route and we still had yet to finish our task within the belly of this mountain. If I remember correctly, that map mentioned a service tunnel on the opposite cave that we might utilize, hopefully this one will be as calm as ever. … It wasn’t calm, in fact it was the opposite, full of chaos that nearly caused our cart to crash… Our well oiled cart I should add! As we were heading down the tracks something had latched onto the back, holding us in place, and the moment we were given all but a small modicum of light, a scorpion, of monstrous size had its claws dug deep on the side of our minecart, keeping us from the path ahead! My ears had picked up other small little skittering noises, and I just know that whatever creature this thing is, its brood were here too. The moment the brood mother was killed, the rest of its spawn lings vanished within the cracks of this cavern, disappearing so that they might live another day… Smart things, I’m sure if they had lingered, Bruun would have had something to say about it. I could hear calling from the opposite end of the cave, Wilby was calling to us about something that he saw, a hole littered with random bits of gold, silver and copper. As if it was trying to tell us something but the pit in my stomach just won't go away. Every twist and turn has been something else to attack us, I just hope that whatever it is, it's civil. The further in we walked, the more the area opened up and the remains of our original cart came into view, completely battered and broken amongst other pieces of litter and gear. But it quickly became apparent that we weren’t the only ones in this cavern, a giant made its home here and we fell silent… Listening to its ramblings as it walked about the wreckage, I’m surprised it's not more angry with the additional cart it obtained. As we scrambled to come up with a solution on how to deal with the giant, either trying to sneak past it, or find another way around, Bruun in his confidence strode forward, staring it down with a glare so mighty that it’d make one weep. He shouted at the beast, glaring with piercing eyes in an attempt to pacify it with fear, all in hopes of forcing it to bend to our whim and fight for us. Though not the approach I would have used, it was mighty effective. It backed down, obviously intimidated by his presence it seemed to hesitate to offer any assistance, so I stepped in as well, utilizing the same tactic Bruun had used moments prior. It did its job, and I doubled down on what Bruun had said about joining us in aid, however the Giant mumbled something about a creature deep within the mountain that it seemed incredibly scared of… The Ender Raugh? It kept repeating it, almost like it was some bad omen that would erase it from existence. Somehow I knew it was speaking out of true fear, whatever it had witnessed clung to its mind. This loop persisted, and as our conversation went nowhere, Cassius took the initiative and stepped in also, however, one quick crack of his knuckles was all that was needed to send this brute running away with its tail tucked between its legs like a scared pup. It took no time to burrow its way into another cave and collapse the entrance behind it, leaving us in the dust. We took the time to search through this cavern, since it was all but deserted aside from the Giant and a few iron jaw lizards that made this location their homes. It didn’t take long but I could hear Bruun mumbling to himself about how nice a certain pair of gloves were and how well they suited his hands. It brings me joy seeing that man enjoys the little things once and a while, gods know he definitely needs that distraction every so often. It makes me think though, about how I first came to meet him and how far we’ve come since then. We’ve bonded past just a regular friendship, something deeper. That night on our watch seemed to really open my eyes to the true man behind that cowl… and all the grime… He’s a part of the family, a brother to me alongside Cassius… I’m truly proud to have him at my side alongside everyone else, hells he even showed me how to work the minecart! Once everyone was situated and ready to move on, we doubled back to the minecart once more and headed deeper into the mountain. Following the map's instructions it eventually led us to a much larger cavern with a structure located above a pit of lava… and in the middle, a structure adorned with two symbols, bearing resemblance to the rings Cassius and I both bare. Though I can feel a pit forming in my stomach, the fur on the back of my neck and ears rising as the lava below begins to bubble and crack the crust on top… and before we could even fathom what lay before us, a behemoth of a creature sprang up from within the lava and flashed its molten fangs. The Ender Raugh… I could feel the sinew and muscle fiber in every inch of my body tighten up with fear as the creature arose before us, its four heads lumbering about as it took sight of its next prey… I’ve faced mighty foes in my day, but none this frightening or primal… There was something unsettling about how each head moved nearly independently from one another, taking note of its surroundings as it drew closer towards us. It took everything I had to step forward as a distraction, guiding its attention away from my friends, but in its display it quickly managed to toss Wilby a considerable distance into that air and onto a platform just above our heads, which by the force caused rocks to fall down onto Indiana and knock her out. I was first to strike, taking aim towards the beast. I managed to draw its attention away from everyone else while Bruun backed me up on the other side, but just mere moments in, and quicker than my eye could catch, Bruun was knocked clear across the structure, hitting the wall hard behind him… I didn’t even have time to react as I was knocked the opposite direction, across a ravine and onto the steps of the structure in the middle of the lava. My ears rang loudly, nearly drowning out the roars from the Ender Raugh, but behind all that I could hear Bruun calling out to me, guiding my eyes towards the ballista located just feet above me. Solutions quickly filled my head, forcing my feet into action as I ran up the stairs, quickly gathering the bolts in one central location and pouring a flask of acid on the tips. I could hear the roaring coming from the opposite side of the ravine, loud booming and quakes as a head gets lobbed off, and then maybe another? I was hurriedly working on getting these bolts prepared and didn’t notice how badly my friends were getting battered… My heart thudded loudly in my chest and in my ears as every possible outcome came flooding into my mind. Had we come this far only to fail? Who could have known such a beast could have existed? For once in my life, I am scared… Utterly and truly scared. How could a catfolk from the jungle of Zalz ever face something so evil, so primitive? Yet, why does my body move, why does it continue to fight when I should be running to survive? As I notch the bolt into its guide and draw back the string of the ballista, a moment of clarity washes over me… Cassius had always tried drawing power from his god, Cayden Cailean… Even to the point that he swore that he was graced by his presence. I have to try, not because I want to appease Abadar, but because I’m not strong enough to do this on my own. For the first time in my life, I had a true family, one that I told myself I would protect with my life. “I swear, upon my oath as Champion and by Abadar’s will let this strike true against this evil” Those were the words I had used… The first time I had truly upheld my oath to its fullest. The people of Kent, if there are to prosper in peace, must be free of this abomination! Everything around me slows down, my own heartbeat pounding against my eardrums as that first arrow whistles towards the Ender Raugh, piercing its flesh. I watched as it reared back in pain, granting a brief reprieve from its deadly onslaught. I notch a second bolt, holding my aim as I watch my friends, my family drop one by one… barely scraping by by the skin of their teeth… Though something didn’t feel quite right, I expected something, but all I felt was the drum of the string as the ballista released and the roar echoing into the cavern… It felt empty… I let the second loose, and with a quick whistle it headed towards its mark once more, crying out to Abadar once again… but my words continued to fall upon deaf ears… What am I doing wrong? … This time I wasn’t so lucky. The Ender Raugh anticipated my next move and shifted just enough for the arrow to miss by mere inches. It’s unfathomable how something so large could have this kind of agility. You’d think that hitting something larger than a stable would be an easy task but for whatever reason, my attempts missed their marks… three times … Wilby unfortunately took a blow from it, piercing him in the side mere moments as he tumbled off the side of the platform. Abadar continued to ignore my calls, no matter how much I yelled… I yelled till my throat was hoarse and my ears rang… The last of my bolts whistled past the beast mere feet in front of me, and I couldn’t help feeling that as a slap in the face… a mockery towards my feeble attempts. Its overwhelming presence soon overwhelmed me, and having no arrows left, I resorted to the last thing in my arsenal… My sword. It's gotten me out of conflict after conflict thus far and has yet to fail me. I swung, as hard and as straight as I could, bringing it down against one of its heads… I was close enough to hear the flesh yield and the sinew and the muscles snap and then give in to my blade until it was clean through the other side… I watched it fall, the bare stump before me… I had to act quickly, and with my last acid vial, I cracked it against the bloody stump, cauterizing the wound until every inch of it was crusted over and dull… I can still feel the burning in my palm from the liquid, but it was worth every scar… every cut, scratch and droplet of blood… But this action was also my downfall. I don’t remember exactly how it happened, but all I remember was the feeling of something hard beating me into the ground, forcing me onto my back and within inches of my life. My surroundings dulled, my vision blurred and the roar ringing in my ears faded. I could feel my life slipping away as unconsciousness creeped its way into my mind and body… Then it was calm… No longer did I hear my blood pumping, the pain screaming within every fiber of my being nor the racing thoughts that clouded my mind. I felt myself grow lighter, that warm calmness flooding my body until all that was left was peace. Was this the afterlife I had heard about? Did I somehow die in the heat of battle? No, this is something else… I feel someone else, lingering in the back of my mind… And then it spoke, as clear and as beautiful as the sky… “ The Scales must be balanced . There is too much darkness and chaos in our world . Perhaps it requires a bit more light and order ." I felt a rush throughout my body, and then emptiness… the lingering warmth of whatever happened clung to my skin until I awoke… A warm slick liquid filled my throat, and suddenly I could feel the warmth of the lava, the crusted blood against my fur that tugged and split each time I moved…The searing pain that stabbed my every muscle. It felt like eternity by the time I opened my eyes, and even longer when I noticed Cassius’ standing over me holding that empty vial… He was just as battered as I was, as everyone was… There was a noticeable calm that hung in the air, and the bellowing roars that filled our ears… no more. The first words that left my mouth were the most important in my life… Was IT dead? Cassius had given me a nod, smiling at my revival, but sorrow hung heavy on my conscience. The worry for my friend's safety continued to weigh heavily on my mind as the world around me filled my senses. Cassius has told me that Bruun was the one to take the final blow, cauterizing the last stump after a brief revival from the Ender Raugh, and its eventual collapse that rocked the platform the moment it fell limp. But there was something else… Cassius had mentioned a moment that occurred moments after I collapsed… He… mentioned that something came over me, and that I took one last swing, in hopes that I might do something… anything to kill it. He said that I swung with an accuracy the mightiest of champions would be jealous of… That my eyes glowed white and an aura of calmness and of focus emanated from the area around me… I’m too exhausted to reflect just yet on what had transpired, but it seems someone was listening after all… and I’m glad that my friends are here… Alive I’m not sure who discovered it, but once the Ender Raugh was slain, an impression in the top of the tower I was using the ballista on opened up, revealing a walkway deeper in. Unfortunately, due to my weekend state, Cassius had to carry me.. I appreciate his efforts but I couldn’t help feeling embarrassed to be in such a state, but considering what had recently transpired, that feeling didn’t last long. The deeper we headed into the tunnel the more it began to open up, revealing a room with a central table in the middle. A tablet adorned with runes laid upon its surface, matching pillars littered the room as well, revealing a puzzle of sorts… The middle rune appeared to have been removed but it was neatly placed below on the floor and was slotted in with ease, revealing a pattern of runes that corresponded with ones on a few of the pillars around the room… A few failed attempts happened, causing flames to dance across our bodies and lick at the exposed parts hidden underneath all our armor, but thankfully we were still a bit jumpy from our encounter earlier so no one was seriously injured… It took a couple tries but Cassius triumphed and chose the right pattern, revealing a small rune that hovered in place in the middle of the now open tablet… A small indentation was also present next to the rune, revealing a pattern similar to the ring I wear, just perfect for it to slot in. I set the ring nicely into the impression, and within mere moments, whatever power was holding the rune up faded and I picked it up with interest. The engraving was unfamiliar to me, it was unlike anything I had ever seen. Wilby offered to inspect the runes for us and I happily handed it over… Wilby as he began to read the runes immediately collapsed, seizing against the stone floor, thrashing around in some sort of fit! My body moved on its own and a wave of worry crashed through my mind… I did everything I could to keep him still, holding his head to keep him from cracking his skull against the hard stone of the room… Moments later his episode seemed to pass and he slowly came to, mumbling something about sand and runes… reiterating again and again to all of us. Bruun expressed his distaste of course, but I understand, he did mention not having the best of memories about it. We quickly gathered our belongings of course as well as ourselves and we headed back the way we came, retracing our steps and passing the rooms we had dwelled not long ago… Everything seemed different, new mounds of rubble laid across the already jagged ground, results from our battle. A once open tunnel lay collapsed, clear ground now riddled with piles of rock. We passed the Giant, the scorpions, the service station… taking the cart with us as we traveled back towards Kent, battered, beaten and broken. The horrors we witnessed today shall not see the light of day, at least for a while. Once I make the report back to the Tempest Hunters, I’ll be omitting some info, not for some personal gain, but because I do not want anyone to worry, anymore than they already do. There’s still quite a long trek back, and I am tired… My eyes grow heavy the longer I write, and sleep creeps slowly around me. I didn’t even have the energy to speak of a rare rock I spotted on the way back. Shame…
