Endrin’s shout startled the rest of his companions as Danbol Zex darted down a tunnel on the far side of the dank cavern. Groggy, FCG scrambled to their feet and gave chase after the renegade rogue. Brett was first to arrive at the tunnel’s end, uncovering a claustrophobic nightmare in the form of a narrow subterranean crawl space. Brett caught a glimpse of Danbol through the other side and continued his pursuit. He was followed closely behind by Conan and Endrin, the wizard lighting the human fighter’s way.
The other side of the crawl space revealed a sprawling cavern network with multiple passageways connecting to any given cavern. Brett rounded a bend and found Danbol beset by two feral, bipedal, canine entities. Brett called out to his old friend, but with no way to retreat, Danbol fled further into the tunnels. Brett’s shout drew the hungering gaze of one of the beasts as a few more emerged from the adjacent tunnels. Conan and Endrin arrived just as combat ensued.
Reinforcements arrived from both sides as more and more beasts scurried forth from the tunnels, and the remaining members of FCG, Triple J, Eris, and Nyx, trickled in from the crawl space. Conan slew many of the creatures while sustaining heavy damage himself, and Endrin used the force of gravity to cave in some of the tunnel ceiling, crushing a few of the beasts beneath. Triple J arrived on the scene in time to inspire his allies, but it was to little avail as the beasts continued to swarm FCG with seemingly endless numbers. The situation was beginning to look dire for the party as Eris and Nyx finally arrived.
Darkness fell upon the group as Endrin, battered by one of the creatures, was unable to maintain concentration on his globules of light. Blindness was not enough to halt Conan’s rampage however, as he continued to carve a bloody swath through the beasts, seemingly guided by his sinister blade. Eris stepped forward and sought to turn the tide, healing her allies, while Nyx begged for someone to unbind her hands. Alas, the tide of beasts continued to pour forth from the tunnels beyond.
Anticipating a speedy retreat, Endrin cast haste on Conan. Brett, desperate to find Danbol, had other plans, as did Conan. Amidst the carnage the two of them hatched a plan to extract Danbol from the depths of the warrens they currently found themselves in. Brett bestowed the gift of flight upon Conan, and the warrior lit a torch and took off, soaring through the outstretched claws of their adversaries, through the dark, winding, unknown, tunnels in search of Danbol. A moment later, Nyx managed to break free from her bonds. The dubious mage used her moment of freedom to stretch her magical muscles and unleashed a fireball into the chamber. The blast dealt a devastating blow to both friend and foe as Triple J and Eris were caught in the torrent of flame. The explosion demolished the integrity of the surrounding cavern, causing a massive cave in. Eris helped free Triple J from the rubble, and the party began digging through the rest of the debris, well aware that Conan was still somewhere on the other side.
Meanwhile, Conan soared through the sprawling warrens in search of Danbol, sustaining further damage from the still swarming beasts along the way. Danbol outmaneuvered the fighter at a dead end, fleeing further back into the tunnels, but could not outrun Conan’s augmented speed. Conan caught up to Danbol as the runaway was nearly surrouned by another pack of beasts. Conan attempted to snatch Danbol in a fly-by but Danbol deftly ducked out of the way. It was then that Conan decided that he would have to render Danbol unconscious if he was to be successful in this endeavor. The fighter descended and engaged Danbol in melee combat amidst the ravenous monsters. Conan delt a near deadly blow to the rogue, but the assassin was not without a few tricks of his own. Danbol countered with a swift swipe of his dagger. Conan parried the blow expertly but was just barley knicked by the blade’s edge as Danbol withdrew. Searing pain took the warrior as poison seeped in through the cut. Unable to endure the poison’s potency, Conan fell unconscious. Danbol disengaged from the remaining beasts and slunk further into the warrens.
The beasts continued to swarm to the scene of Danbol and Conan’s conflict. They began clawing into the fallen warrior’s flesh consuming it with ravenous hunger. As Conan began to bleed out, a voice entered his dwindling conscious and grumbled, “Not yet…”. Conan’s eyes shot open, his heart racing, his blood spilling across the cavern floor, and rose for one final battle. Conan’s ebony blade seared his hands in it’s blood lust as it grew in size and power. In his death throes, Conan swung the blade with all his fury and might, dismembering the surrounding beasts, until his body finally succumbed to injury. Alone in the dark, Conan uttered his final words, “Eidi, I’ll see you soon.” as more beasts came and tore into his chest.
In another section of the warrens, the remaining members of FCG finally managed to clear a path through the caved in rubble. A sense of dread took them as Endrin felt his haste spell lose it’s anchor point on Conan’s being. Their friend’s fate still unknown, FCG began venturing further into the winding tunnels.
