[center][h1]Much, much later...[/h1][/center][hr]
The final pieces of bone clattered to the ground and what was left of the group that once set out on this journey straightened their backs and scanned the environment. The threats were gone, as far as they could tell. Grug had managed to avoid invoking the powers of the Eldritch abomination lurking in his withered hand so nobody had had to deal with that in addition to the shambling opposition. Secretly, he was glad.

The old oracle moved forward into the room, having followed the fight from the doorway in the relative safety of the party members who had a touch for ranged combat, but he soon noted that something was off in this room. He made his unsteady way to the centre of it and looked around. There were no further doors here, simply urns, relics and that sort of things. This was the end. He shook his head slightly, then more visibly and finally almost violently. "No. No, no, no. Nonononono..." he mumbled to himself, the fingers of his dysfunctional hand twitching as he tried to raise the hand to his forehead.

With the attention of those who cared, he turned towards the apparent leader of the remnants and implored they listen to him. "This is not the place. Similar, but not the place I saw in my visions... we are not done, the great evil we must vanquish is not here. This is not it!" he panicked as the truth became visible before his eyes and he fell to one knee. "I can see us, and I can see a greater combat... we are less numerous than when we marched here... or more... but mostly less... we need to go further. This is hardly the end of the road. This is simply... the beginning", he finished with the visions vanishing and the veil being drawn before his sight once more.

Grug sat down on the floor on both of his knees and let go of his walking stick, the cane falling down next to him as he leaned against the floor with his healthy hand. He was exhausted. He had managed to hide it all the way here, but now that he realised it had all been futile... his body was just not having it. He took deep breaths and tried to gather himself as those around him would have time to consider the new piece of information he had provided.

[@CoyoteLovely][@Silvan Haven]