"What a forgotten by the Sith place" - The Jedi Hunter looked around again. The innkeeper was a fat Corellian with a blur after cheap beer on his shirt. Whole cavern smelled with burnt fish and lots of alcohol that was made by the innkeeper himself.
"Stop whining Alex, I am not happy with that odor either, but we've got our orders, besides, if that's all a truth, it's worth to sitting in this.. Swamp." - Krath Epis Tissaya Luna Argat took off the hood of her robe and shook her head. There was dark enough, no one would recognize her in that place anyway. The only light was coming from two lamps standing on the bar. Alex Draconis Entar turned his head and looked at the doors, a small figure of an old man appeared. The new comer looked around and noticed the only two guests sitting in the edge of the cavern. His feet steps were well heard on the old floor, so Tiss didn't have to even turning back, to know, that the one they were waiting for, has come.
"Excuse me my Masters that I'm late, but now there's a rain time, and all the roads are so muddy!" - he started and not waiting for an invitation, sat down on a chair between two Jedi. - "Nice to see some guests on our good old Taureen! This planet is not often visited by anyone! Heh heh hee"- chucked the old man.
Tiss became a bit impatient. "Whatever. We are looking for information about the Black Crystal, We need it, and we are going to find it, and you will tell us were, how, when and so on, begin - Mordred."
"Black Crystal?!?! No, no, no…. this is a big mistake my lady! Many people died trying to get it! It is cursed! Cursed I tell you!!" - The shout brought an attention of drunk innkeeper but not for long. Alex put his fingers into a gesture and the innkeeper went to his own business.
"In last month there was a group of adventurers who were trying to get the crystal! They went to the ancient crypt… and only one managed to escape! I found her on the path leading from the forest, she quickly told me whole story, but - poor girl! - died the next day. If you have some oil in your heads, you won't go there..
Tiss exchanged looks with Alex, and they both skinned. "Begin the tale, old man. Let me hear about this crypt." - ordered the Quaestor.
Irrai Dalluma held her breath as she inched ever closer to the black gem before her. This had been the worst experience of her life. Already three friends had died horrible, two torn to pieces by hordes of undead. The third was simply missing, except for a few bits of bloodstained armor and his massive maul. Whatever had taken him had done it so quickly he hadn't even had time to scream.
They had searched this crypt for over a week, without finding this room. It had been the Yaga Minorians last desperate which had inadvertently revealed the hidden room. The floor stones shattered from the force of a single blow from Hrothgar's hammer. Irrai silently prayed that he was with his gods now, wherever they were. She focused now on the black gem before her. It alone glittered in the darkness that surrounded her. The small lightstone in her hand glowed feebly, it's normally bright halo of light somehow muted in the oppressive darkness.
Shadows flickered in and out of the edges of her vision. "Come one." She muttered under her breath. "Almost there…" Stretching, her fingertips brushed the top of the gem. The rope lowered another fraction and she rested her hand on the gem with victorious grin.
"At last!" Carefully she lifted the gem, surprised at it's weight. She held it up to her lightstone, and could see something swirling within.
"What the…" She began to wonder, but any thoughts were cut off as the rope jerked sharply, nearly making her drop the gem. "Watch what you're doing?" She shouted up angrily. Momentarily forgetting where she was. Terrific, she thought, now everything knows we're here. The rope had dropped her over a foot and a half, leaving her roughly eye level with the pedestal in question. She could now see the ring of long wicked looking barbs that had held the gem aloft. She held her light as low as she could and squinted in the darkness, picking out shapes where she guessed the floor would be.
Irrai frowned. Something about the floor was definitely wrong. It looked… irregular. She gasped as she realized what it was. Bones. The floor was covered with hundred, no thousands of bones of various sizes. A morbid part of her mind wondered how many of them belong to previous adventurers.
Suddenly the rope jerked again, and this time the gem went flying. Before she could draw breath for a curse, the rope went slack and she plummeted to the floor below.
"If we lower her any slower, we'll be pulling her back up." Padrana grimaced but did not reply, her arms and legs were starting to get tremors from the strain. She breathed in deeply and focused. Forcing herself to forget how weary she was and how much danger they were in. Behind her, Syrak was huddled in his black, ragged robes, poring furiously through the tome they had discovered in a hidden compartment two days earlier.
All that because an old tale of a Jedi they met 2 weeks before. The promise of treasures, god and jewelry was very tempting,.. "get me the black crystal and you can keep whatever you find there" They all agreed, it seemed like a great adventure then. Padrana had not been interested in the money. She had hoped to discover the truth behind the temple itself. Since they had set foot within the halls they had been besieged by hordes of hideous, decaying undead. Thus far, for all their loss, the book was the only thing they had found. The only real benefit to the moldy tome was that the undead had ceased attacking them. Apparantly vanishing into whatever holes they had crept out of without a trace. Three lives for a stupid book.
"A find beyond measure." He had guaranteed. Promising them gems and gold if they would just search a little harder. And now Hrothgar, Verdug and Markos were dead.
"I found it!" He shouted. Padrana's grip slipped a fraction in surprise. Steeling herself, she braced her feet, becoming immoveable. "Found what?" Ulric grumbled, wanting little more to pull Irrai up so he could strangle the scrawny necromancer.
Syrak smiled coldly. His eyes flat. "The key to unlocking this place." He traced the writing across the page and began to read aloud. "V'sithak Han'graden Du'Thek…"
No sooner had he started chanting than the hair on the back of Padrana's neck stood up. Her holy symbol began to glow with a weak light. For a moment it seemed to drive back the shadows around her, and even the torches flared brighter for a moment. Then Syrak finished the incantation and a heavy silence loomed throughout the crypt. "Is that it?" Ulric griped. He leaned forward slightly and glanced into the hole. He could make out Irrai's form, barely, outlined by the glow from her lightstone. "She's been down there a while, think we should pull her up?"
Padrana started to tell him to let her have a few more minutes when an earsplitting shriek made her stumble, jostling Ulric and sending the startled fighter tumbling to the floor. Padrana's arms screamed in protest as they now bore the full weight of the suspended thief.
At her feet Ulric swore. "What was that for? You nearly dropper her." Suddenly his eyes flicked past her and his mouth opened wide in horror. Padrana spared a glance back over her shoulder.
The shriek had come from Syrak. A towering gaunt figure composed of inky blackness had risen from the shadows and now had him the throat.
His arms and legs flailed uselessly as the color drained from his face. The book lay open at his feet, most likely dropped in surprise. Ulric shoved himself to his feet and drew his blaster, with a roar he threw himself headlong at the shadow.
"No, Ulric don't!" Padrana shouted, releasing the rope, but it was too late. The charging warrior had already plunged headlong into the blackness. Syrak was thrown aside from the force of the warriors charge and lay gasping on the floor, clawing at his throat. His lungs refusing to draw air. Padrana could see his once black hair was stark white, and the deep lines on his face had turned into wrinkles. He looked as though he had ages a decade or more. Eyes wide with horror, Padrana could only watch helplessly as Ulric flailed within the shadow. Desperate she grasped her holy symbol and thrust it forward. "In the name of the Lightbringer I banish you from this place!" "Pa… Pad… Pad-ra-na…" Ulric gasped before collapsing heavily to the floor. As she watched in horror, his body shriveled and dried until it crumbled to dust.
In shock she took a step back and stumbled landing heavily on her back. Her hand landed on a short section of rope, the rest having slid down the hole until it had wedged itself in a crack. "Irrai." She muttered numbly, only now realizing what she had done. To her right Syrak rolled over and crawled hand over hand to the discarded book. Finding his breath he focused on the writing and started the incantation again. "V'sithak… Han'graden…"
Cold, mocking laughter startled both of them and Syrek lost his place.
"Fools." Hissed a sibilant but strangely familiar voice. Padrana turned towards it and gasped in surprise. "Irrai" She stuttered in disbelief. Almost immediately she knew it wasn't Irrai. The thief, or whatever she was, was floating almost a foot off the ground. Her normally brown eyes were now completely black, without pupil, iris or whites. Around her head floated a black gem, exactly as Syrak had described it. Slowly it floated backwards, the shadows flickering and dancing about her.
Syrak pushed himself to his knees and clutched the book to his chest. "Get back, demon! The gem is mine!"
The thing in Irrai's body threw its head back and laughed hollowly. "Come and take it then, if you can." Syrak let out a deep breath and staggered weakly to his feet. "Now it is my turn." It growled. With a gesture, a hundred tiny slivers of shadow broke free and formed a whirling maelstrom around him. Syrak screamed as it tore through his robes and the flesh underneath. Padrana pushed herself away in horror as her friend's blood splattered everywhere. In seconds his flesh was stripped from his bones and the shadows returned from whence they came. Letting Syrak's bare skeleton fall to the ground with a moist clatter.
The thing that was Irrai turned towards the cleric and smiled. "Your turn…" It grated as it stalked towards her. Padrana screamed in terror and scrambled franticly to get away. Quickly she grabbed the book. "It's not going to help you, poor creature" - the thing laughed evilly again. Padrana took from her neck her amulet. Over and over again she prayed until finally, the light from her god's symbol pushed the shadows back. She used the moment to jump into a hole in the wall"
"As she was speaking the ending I couldn't understand her well, she was too weak, but somehow she get out from there, and had with herself.. " - here Mordred put on the oak table a book - "this".
The shuttle was half way to Antei. "Do you still think my Mistress, that it is worth, to go for this crystal?" - asked Alex.
"I have to talk with Consul Doto first. Thank to that crystal, Arcona would possess new possibilities… power… but we would have to take much risk. We need to consider this idea with Mejas before we do anything." - replied Tiss.
