@Everyone...

Ezain looked on as his former companions made their flight towards the Eastern front, standing firm as showers of sparks and stone sprayed all around him. The stairway acted as a shield to those passing between, and so they would be safe from collateral so long as it remained. He almost seemed relieved as he felt himself stand alone, but his suddenly expression gripped tight. He felt a piece of the large shells enter his body. His whole left half was blown away now. He stood there, clearly still alive despite being past the point of death. Perhaps because of the power bestowed upon him. Upon them all. He took only one breath before glimmering, calling upon said power. The pale tendrils leaking from his broken form seeped back into him and his black tattoo, his destined stigma went bright. There was no more time for sentiments. Letting out a deep growl, the horned man charged towards the marauding soldiers in a flash of light. For a moment, he appeared like a star. A blazing trail was left behind in his wake, Ezain enduring more bullets as they tore into his glowing form into pieces. The tunnel was engulfed in a wave of brilliant essence, with him at the helm. When the two fires collided, for a moment, the temple shone without darkness. It lasted only for a moment, one that lingered at the fringes of a what can be considered a second. This light of life. 

But it would not last. 

As the light faded, left with only a dying flame that lingered at the entrance, all those who survived would feel a deep sting. It was a pain both fleeting and heavy. Almost as if they lost a piece of themselves that they never knew existed. 

Whether you mourned the loss or not, you needed to continue on. This sacrifice cannot be wasted. While his entry came and went early on, your fated end laid elsewhere along this journey. Continuing down the Eastern way, whether in the aid of each others arms or by your strength alone, the road down was as you might've expected. The tunnel was narrow and overly lengthy, and for a long while all that guided you in the darkness was the backdrop of fading light from behind. There was time for a short exchange before you would come to meet something strange. 

There was a glimmer at the very end. Was this life, of Dwyn, as one of you pointed out earlier? Though after what you heard, it might be only a remnant. 

But there was no time for questions of hesitation on the matter. The temple seemed to be fully awake by now, a trashing beast that cannot be laid to rest until its invaders are caught. The faint tremors you might've felt earlier now shook with a noticeable magnitude as moans echoed from behind you. A clamor of voices and barks, and other disturbing sounds came from the central chamber, following the great explosion that occurred there. There must've been dozens, no, hundreds of beings pouring forth, their hellish pursuit shaking the very foundations of the ancient structure. And among all of this, a strange scream can be heard from deep, deep below. Was that what Nera spoke of, the thing she wished for you to lay rest? Or was it just another beast that this maddened cult had conjured. Without any clear answer, all you can do is move on. Due to the pale flames that lingered behind after Ezain's sacrifice, the horde seemed to be deterred from this path for a while. Splashing the murky water seemed to do little, as the magical flame intended to stay its full duration. 

Thus, the party was spared from pushing themselves in order to maintain the gap from their pursuers. 

As you near the end, the disheveled study in sight, the light from above suddenly flicked off. The party was left in near-pitch darkness now. Not to mention the strong scent that leaked forth from this room. Calling it 'putrid' seemed barely sufficient a description. 

[@Lasrever]...
[hider]
When Dwyn started up way up the dangling coil, the hooded man was cursing to himself. It seemed the upheaval of the temple's guardians had set him on edge already, but the ungodly scream set him beyond the boundaries of comfort. He was constantly poking his head back and forth, as though some monster would jump out of the shadows at any minute. 

"How long are you gonna take? Eh? They'll be one us any minute!" he called, letting out whimper when the temple let out another grown around him.

It seemed what kept her was not her lack of strength, but multitude of things that only made obvious now. The distance to the ramparts was also a huge factor to consider, spanning multiple stories upwards. The black weapon itself also acted to slow her down. Its weight proved unruly in the endeavor. It seemed to grow heavier in this short time, somehow. While she managed not to cling on and not fall, it went from feeling like she was lugging around a child all the time, to now feeling like whole grown person was riding on her back.

"Ah! Rats... crawling out now and here, and everywhere! Shoulda not said a peep. Not a damn peep! Let 'em wander into the dogs! Then I wouldn't be in this ruckus!" he shriveled, "No, no... I can't do that. Remember? I needed one more... one more to..."

Just as Dwny reached the halfway point, the hooded man suddenly went quiet. Footsteps can be heard, along with distance voices in the entrance below. Whipping back, he lashed out at the lantern in an instant. It flashed out and left the whole study in smoldering darkness. The small man then disappeared into the stone covers, leaving Dwyn dangling on the rope alone. It remained there, so he must've intend for her to continue. But his absence proved alarming. What could he be thinking, doing up there? He proved unstable as it was, so whatever it must be can't possibly be sound in reason. 

A soft snicker suddenly alerted her to a shadow looming further down the ramparts. It lingered far above the entrance.

"Keep climbin'! C'mon!" he said in a whisper, seeming to be working on some contraption, "I won't let 'em 'ave you partner...! Haha... no, no, let's give 'em a taste of their own medicine..."
[/hider]
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