Chapter 4b - Spelunking

Joachim opens his arms widely open. "Ha Raz it is good to see you!" he nods quickly to Tamrik as well even that less present sight, related to uncomfortable memories, could not take his smile from the face. He points behind him. "Garak just left behind that corner, not sure what he is up to..." He looks back at Lorem who had just scolded him for shouting. "I suppose you left nothing alive around these parts that might come after us did you?" the paladin scrtatches his head.

His shout was simple in reasoning he wanted to be quick. It might have taken hours before they met the others again and this way they came right into their arms.

"We found us some orcs and gobs back there, also a tunnel system that does not want to stop splitting. No sign of Delphine or the Zetroc... Also we suspect some girls might still be missing. Found three of them they are outside with Artax." a thought crosses the paladins mind. Why did his shout matter but the fighting they had done until now loudly did not? Weren't these two dead creature at the intersection they were standing at not proof enough that a combat had taken place ... Was that not normally loud? A little shout wouldn't do that much difference would it now? He refrains explaining that to Lorem or Garak since latter was around the corner already and first would not understand it anyway.

"So you look kinda fresh. I myself must say I am a bit worn by the fights. Got ourselves involved with a ogre like orc... tall fellow. Had this weapon on him, but I believe it is work of the profane..." he shows Tom, the spiked greatclub, to the new comers.

"You are worn likely from the thinking you're trying to do, paladin."

It was the unmistakable sound of Garak's voice that rang out from behind Joachim. A moment later the assassin appeared, his smoky black skin and horns almost blending with the shadows of the cave.

He laughed slightly at his joke and looked at Raz and Tamrik. "What is beyond this intersection?"

"You got an ogre?" the priest says jealously. "All we got were a coupla scrawny goblins."

"Wait a second. SOME of the girls might be missing? Some are with Artax? What's an Artax?" he says, a bit befuddled, possibly because of the heavy pulls he had been taking from his holy water.

"Artax is Joachim's winged horse. We rescued three of them, for one... We were too late." Lorem bites his lower lip to supress the memory, and fails. "We still have more of them missing. If you found nothing over here, then all that is left is the only unchecked path on the crossroad we chanced upon earlier."

Joachim, I'm not sure you want to hug him while he wears that armor... Could result in blood being removed from your body. We were about explore another passage, would you care to join, or has your bloodletting day come to an end? Tamrik moves back toward the passage he and Raz had found, hoping the others would follow.

Without a word, Garak follows Tamrik. Anything was better than sticking around to hear the mindless babblings of Raz and Joachim.

As Raz and Tamrik's search reaches the center of the path, an outline of a door soon forms as the dust flies off the wall, small for your size but just big enough for a Goblin to get into. There is no visible knob, handle, or lock, and the whole thing could simply be nothing, merely a faded outline of some long-gone construction...




Seeing an opportunity to use his size to his advantage, Raz throws himself against the stone wall, clanging off soundly in his heavy armor. Calling upon his talents to enlarge himself, he tries once more, but is again rejected...

Garak simply shakes his head at the display of incompetence. Without a word, the rogue searches the wall for any signs of a means to open the little door. He also makes every effort possible to spot any traps on the door.