The next day they continued on through the mountains and despite the lack of monsters the party was even tenser then before. Knowing something was out there wasn't exactly good for the nerves. The further in they went the more half eaten bodies of creatures they saw scattered about, the scent of blood was thick on the nose. Whatever had come in here must've chased them further in before inevitably catching them.
"So its fast too." Ezra muttered, "Great..."
Eventually they reached a wide tent shaped opening, in the middle of which ran a path of stone, off to each side of it were dark chasms that led down to who knows where. The walls of the cave were aligned with thin veins of some sort of turquoise ore, illuminating the room. At the entrance Ezra stopped and turned back towards Rion and Maria, a stern look on his face.
"Hey uh, if you guys want to go back I wont blame you. Its not like you signed up to fight whatever the hell is out there so..." he trailed off.
"And your villiage?" Rion asked.
"I-I'll figure something out." Ezra stammered.
"If that was true you wouldn't of came to the capitol in the first place." Maria chimed in.
"I uh..." Ezra lowered his head.
Rion rested a hand on his shoulder. "Listen Ezra we're a party, that mean were gonna stick together regardless of what's out there got it."
Ezra slowly nodded, then looked up to the two, tears streaming from his eyes and running down his face. "T-thank you guys." he blubbered.
"Anytime." Rion said with a half grin.
Maria said nothing instead she looked taken aback.
"Whats wrong- oh, I guess you've never seen Ezra cry before huh Maria, hes a real crybaby you know. You should've seen when I agreed to join him." Rion said with a chuckle.
"Thats... suprirsing." Maria studied Ezras crying face and let out a snort of amusement. "On second thought its not all that suprising at all..."
With that, the party started across the stone path, still cautious, the extra light from the Ore helping a ton. As they reached the midway point, all seemed fine, not so much as a peep in the—
Just then a something slithered onto the platform as casually as you'd enter your own home. No roar, no fuss, it was just... there. The creature had the body of a snake, long and sinuous, covered in emerald scales. At its neck sprouted fur and the head was that of a moose, large twisted antlers sat upon its head like crude trees, its eyes were wide and beady, dark as the pit it came from.
Rion swalowed upon realizing the "cloth" he'd seen billowing on the rock just outside the cave hadn't been a cloth at all but instead a piece of shed skin...
It slowly turned towards the party and quickly flicked its long pink tounge, then it blinked and slowly opened it's mouth reveling a horrifying set of narrow teeth clustered together like utensils stuck in cup... Then without warning, without anticipation it darted its head towards Ezra.
"GAH!" Just in time Ezra leapt out the way. As the creatures jaws snapped shut they let off a loud clap which echoed through the cavern.
Upon landing Ezra gripped his hammer and pulled it from his belt then using his other hand took three nails out his pouch.
Rion raised his hands, surging magic through them. The process easy as ever after Specter training.
Maria readied her harp, resting her fingers on the proper strings.
"Its a Riamo." Ezra said between heavy breaths. The creature or Riamo as Ezra had called it realized it had missed and slowly raised its head preparing for another strike.
"Are you guys ready for this!" Ezra called out.
Rion felt a surge of energy he hadn't felt in a while, not since fighting the Clamshell with Lie. Suddenly he felt as if everything up to this point led to this fight right here, right now... This was a adventure at its finest! "Ready as ever captain!"
"Not really!" Said Maria, "But, Marie is!" She clutched her harp tighter.
"Then lets go!!!" Ezra shouted out as the creature lunged again.
(And thus, Lost Keep's adventure continues…)