Session 10: Leaving Akek Report

General Summary

The walls of the cell were wet with condensation. The humidity of the nearby jungle made the cold subterranean walls of the cells drip constantly, as if they wept for the fate of their prisoners.   Reiko had put himself down on the dryest patch of his cell, his sleeping mat. The water from the walls pooled together on the uneven floor of the cell, and he had dragged his mattress to the corner that seemed the highest. Sleep did not come easy. The events of the past few days kept playing in his mind. Where had he gone wrong? He had done exactly what his master had asked of him. He had helped Erwood and Sarva, had enlisted them to retrieve the dimensional anchors and had completed the first step of the ritual to bind Gloomfang into the idol at the temple. Then it had all come crashing down. The guards had come for him and his fellow worshipers, even though they had not acted against the Empress. His ritual had been interrupted, and he was certain the dimensional anchors would be gone should he somehow make it back to the temple. All his hard work was undone. His master would not be pleased.   The halfling expected to be contacted again soon. He would inform Gloomfang of all that had happened. While Erwood seemed to have been somewhat honest in their dealings, the others had been difficult, disrespectful and had contributed to his current predicament. Olma had been present at his arrest. After the strange visit earlier, he should have known she would be trouble. Sarva, who claimed to still act in his master’s interest, had been another point of frustration. Reiko was sure the surly half-dragon acted only in his own interest. He would ask for his master’s permission to kill them. Of course, that meant he would have to find a way out of these cells.   The sound of footsteps down the hall startled Reiko. He had not heard the heavy iron door that gave entry to the cellblock open. He moved to the front of his cell, peering between the bars into the poorly lit hallway beyond. The footsteps drew nearer but were too light to belong to the fat jailor that had thrown him into the cell a few hours earlier. To Reiko’s surprise, a goblin stepped into the light of the nearest torch.
“Reiko, right?”   The goblin looked middle-aged, with little to no hair and plenty of wrinkles. Half his face was disfigured by a massive burn scar. He wore leather armor with ugly red runes painted on and carried a small wand with dangerous looking metal spikes at the end.   Reiko backed away from the cell door as he answered. He knew little of the goblins he had sent Erwood to steal from, but guessed this one may be out for revenge.
“Maybe. Who wants to know?”   “You stole from my tribe.”   The halfling moved to very back of the cell and began looking for anything he could use as a weapon.
“Look. I asked those thieves to find me a dimensional anchor. I didn’t know where they would get it.”   The goblin’s eyes narrowed for a few seconds, then he laughed.
“Lies! You told them where to find the eyes and paid for their theft. I know. He has told me.”   “I don’t know where you got your information from, or how you got in here, but if the jailor comes back and finds you here, you are going to join me in one of these cells. You should go.”   The scarred intruder quickly glanced at the iron door down the hall. The view was obscured for Reiko, but he could tell the goblin liked what he saw.
“The jailor won’t come. My master is dealing with him.”   “Alright then. What do you want? To kill me? I am sure the Empress will have me executed anyway. Sitting in this cell, waiting for another few days or weeks for that to happen is an even worse punishment, believe me. So, again, leaving seems like your best option.”   “You want to die?”   The question took Reiko off guard.
“No, of course not.”   The goblin lifted the wand, aiming it at the chain and lock that kept the cell door secure. A beam of red energy shot from the wand and struck the metal, which started to glow red hot. A second beam hit the lock a few seconds later and melted it through. With a loud screech the rusted door swung open.   Reiko waited for the goblin to lower the wand and step back before he approached the door.
“Why are you helping me?”   As he stepped through the door, the rest of the hallway came into view. The iron door at its end stood open, revealing the guard room beyond. The old, fat jailor was lying on the floor in a growing pool of his own blood. His throat had been torn out, the chunk of flesh laying discarded on the floor a few feet into the hallway. Disturbing as the scene was, it paled in horror next to the creature that was stalking closer. A tall, dark figure with blackish blue skin, horns, and claws covered in blood. Its facial features were unclear, as if hidden in perpetual shadow. Only his eyes were clear. Two pale white orbs, filled with pure hatred and malice. It wasn’t the goblin that answered the halfling’s question, but this menacing fiend.
“Because I told him to. I think you have some common acquaintances, and I think you would both enjoy helping me kill them.”