The room beyond was cast almost entirely in darkness, similarly lit by flickering lanterns like those in the halls you came from . Machines magical, alchemical, and mundane cluttered the chamber, along with bookcases sagging under the weight of dusty and worn tomes. A number of opened coffins were scattered about as well, though fortunately their occupants were still dead and wouldn’t be bothering you. You kept your eyes shifting constantly and your sword at the ready, wary of any threat that might lie in wait, but none were forthcoming. In the center of the room, you finally came across the necromancer that was likely responsible for the undead defense you had encountered. Your new run of good fortune seemed to be paying off again though, as the unfortunate human wasn’t going to be much of a problem with his torso hollowed out. It looked like he might have been attempting a ritual or something judging from what you could make out of the gore spattered books in front of him as well as the alchemical apparatus that had been tipped over and long since emptied of their contents. His skin was dry and leathery looking hinting that it had been quite some time since whatever had happened, and the zombies and skeletons seemed to be just a leftover from when he was still alive.
After a few prods with your sword, you turned your back on the disgusting tableau and set about finishing your task. You soon found your objective – a small worn amulet that had been gifted to the client’s lover more than a decade before, prior to him running off into the mountains and vanishing – tossed into the bottom or a small chest that looked like the lock had been broken long ago. Tucking the item into a pouch on your belt, you started to make your way towards the exit, but then turned around and went back to the coffer. Reaching in, you pulled out an old and ornate looking ring that had caught your eye before. A layer of grime wiped away easily, revealing a ruby glinting atop the golden band. You weren’t normally one to take loot from every dark and dank location your travels took you, but something about this ring drew you to it, so you slipped it into a pouch as well, thinking that it might come in handy.
As you reached the door, a raspy sound came from behind you; spinning around with your blade raised, you found the room unchanged and nothing coming towards you. Dismissing the sound as just a gust of wind blowing through the forlorn ruins, you pulled the door shut behind you before retracing your route to your entry point, with little except the sound of your boots clacking on the floor to accompany you. The puddle of liquefied zombie ooze had spread and congealed in a vast coating seeping into the rough stonework. Doing your best to avoid the worst of the vileness, you dug your claws between the stones of the wall and leapt off and caught onto the jutting fragments of the floor above and manage to hoist yourself up and out of the tunnels; with that finished, exiting the ruins of the fort was a simple matter, especially since you had more room to make use of your wings above ground.
On your journey back down the mountain, you adopted a more relaxed stance, but still kept your sword in easy reach. Before reaching the town at the base of the mountain, you took a moment to rinse off in a nearby steam, thankful to finally get rid of the noxious ooze that had clung to you the whole way. The extremely cool water splashing across your scales was bracing, more than enough to dispel most of the fatigue you were feeling from the fight and using your flame breath. You arrived in town a few hours before daybreak, and went straight for the local Adventurers Guild location, which in this rather small port only consisted of a room in the back of the main tavern. The little gnome there was a bit perturbed at being awoken at that time of night, but stopped his grousing long enough to express some amazement at someone having completed that job, as well as giving you the pay for completing the task. Leaving him behind, you slipped back out onto the silent streets, and made your way to the barn behind the tavern. Finding a quiet spot in a corner, you pulled your cloak tighter around you, keeping your sword in easy reach just in case, and a dagger in your hand as an extra bit of insurance.
At first light, you were awake and ready to go. Before heading down to the port, you stopped off back inside the tavern and gave the tavern keeper some money to pay for using the barn. The old scarred orc grumbled a bit, but took the money and waved you on anyways. Down at the docks, you bought passage on a ship, even if the captain grumbled about letting someone like you on board. Soon enough, the ship was on its way, cutting through the scant waves with a salty breeze in the sails, heading for the next port and your destination.
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