Ahead of the Storm - Day 17

Krestible, Five Months Ago

The chilled, otherwordly air of Krestible crawled over the trio’s skin (even the mummy Eadfrid felt a strange tingle) as they slowly advanced through the city’s main street, trying not to overtly alert or excite the seemingly dazed population of the small town, all of whom seemed beyond help, thoroughly tainted by the aura of the Demonomicon that had laid within the city’s dungeon for roughly two weeks now.

Their destination was clear – the local town barracks / city hall lay at the city’s center, and was quite recognizable for its solid construction, being likely the only building in town which had undergone any kind of renovation within over two decades. Surrounded by dilapidated shacks and rundown tents, the building was striking in its grandeur – as if it were somehow out of place, the building itself an intruder in its own town. This gave Scatterspells pause, as he pondered whether it had always been this way… or had the corrupting effect of the Demonomicon beneath it somehow been responsible? Could it be that it had caused the rapid degeneration of all buildings around it, while sparing its own home? Scatterspells shook off his gaze at the building – its effect was too hypnotizing, perhaps already some form of trap. He warned his comrades to be wary as well.

Finally, though the walk seemed eternal despite it only being a few hundred yards, the trio arrived at the doorstep of the central building. Suddenly, silence filled the air, as even the haunted souls around Soulerio halted their speech. The citizens of Krestible, up until now uttering deep and upsetting moans, were now silent also – and all heads abruptly turned, as though one, in the direction of the building’s front steps, where stood Scatterspells, Soulerio and Eadfrid. It was as though they were suddenly aware of the presence of the three in town, and were watching expectantly, hopefully, awaiting for something to happen.

Unnerved, the trio paused for a moment, then gathered their courage and began attending to the task of opening the front door. Fearing a trap, Soulerio summoned a Morgh to test the door’s defenses. And as feared, the creature was blasted with a wave of dark energy the second he touched the door’s handle. So powerful was it that even his undead immunities did not spare him from most of the damage, and he fell to the ground, convulsing and bubbling, before melting away into the soil. Backing away a few steps, the trio then prepared a Greater Dispel Magic, enhanced by the rarely-used metamagic of the Cooperative Spell. Bolstered by each of their own channelled powers, the Dispel proved powerful enough to not only remove the magic, but cause it to backlash and make the door implode unto itself.

That was one ward down, but who knew how many more they might now face?

Entering slowly, the trio left the watchful eyes of the city behind them, unaware however, that one of those sets of eyes was not what it seemed, and was watching them far more closely than the others…

To be continued...