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21 Eleint (Continued)

Who would have thought that there would be such an extensive network of tunnels and caverns below a humble village like Barter’s Pass. Or that it would be overflowing with demons. Not one among us has studied or had any practical experience with the arcane, and so we have no information on these hideous beasts aside from what we see with our own eyes. Fortunately, we appear to be quick studies.

The next chamber contained a narrow stone bridge that crossed a wide gap. An underground river flowed swiftly beneath some fifty feet below. There were demons of a type we had not yet encountered, but they proved little more threat than had their brethren. We dispatched the beasts with little effort and stopped them from dumping their waste into the water. We cautiously made our way across the span, though Perrin had some trouble with the crossing for some reason. Perhaps he is simply afraid of heights. I can only speculate.

The cavern beyond the bridge reeked of rotten eggs, and when we entered we immediately knew why. It was lit by unnatural pools of liquid sulfur that roiled and bubbled, each of which was fed by a spouting spring, like some kind of profane fountain. Another new demon type joined the ranks, and merely being near them seemed to inflict pain on us. The fools bunched up and exposed themselves to the druid’s evocation. Many of the smaller demons were instantly slain, and the survivors were left much diminished. Though the blood seep demon vomited on us and its allies to our detriment, the encounter seemed more akin to an extermination than a battle. Especially after Tegalad discovered that shoving them into the pools of acid killed them instantly.

A boulder marked with a ruined sigil had been melted through, and carved stairs led down into a chamber that glowed with a blue light. Chipper drew our attention to a darkened tunnel off to the side and told us he was going to scout it. He returned a few minutes later and told us of another group of demons lounging around a rapidly flowing underground stream. We decided to eliminate this threat before descending.

A few minutes later, there were several more dead demons and we made our way down the narrow tunnel/stairs into a large and high chamber thick with mist and set with a number of pillars. Rubble was strewn across the floor, and we could hear obvious sounds of combat from somewhere ahead in the mist. The melee we saw as we drew nearer came as a bit of a surprise to us all, I think. A giant made of gemstones battled three beetle demons with electricity sparking from symbols on their shells.

We quietly decided to destroy the beetles on the side of the rock man, and it seemed to understand our intent. We all suffered minor electrical burns, but Ixtab and his spirit companion Denver were there to support us and restore our vitality. The rock creature destroyed the last of the beetles, and I raised my hands in a gesture of peace. My hopes that it could understand the Common tongue were realized, and I asked where more demons could be found. Its face was very expressive for a creature of stone, and it gestured at a tunnel exit toward the back of the chamber. Perhaps we can ally with this being for a time.