Chapter 12: Emerald Enchanter part 2

 Sally, Garrotte, Farhoud and Emily have set up a quick campsite just outside the main entrance of the Enchanters lair. The body of Bull Zi and the Emerald guardian that turned back to human are under a tarp.

 Alexander, Calis, Alan, Chi, Sven and Alex are just inside the entry hall checking out the interior set of metal doors and the secret panel that had been revealed last time.

 Alex asked tar-Ark to reveal any Evil in the area and after a few moments proclaimed the party to be "safe, for now."

 The hidden panel revealed a small chamber that ran the length of the entry hall itself. A strange grapefruit sized hole the only other means entrance or egress to the hidden area from the hall. "An air vent for prisoners, perhaps?" muses Sven pondering the hole.

 The metal doors are found to be locked and Jack the monkey tries to pick them unsuccessfully. Alan then comes forward encouraged by Alexander. Kneeling down and looking at the keyhole Alan thinks carefully before applying two special tools to the door. "CLICK" the doors part slightly, and Alan puts his tools away as he steps to the back of the party.

Outside
 "Two riders, coming fast!" says Garrotte pointing back towards the town.

 "Yes, but who?" Sally's hand grips the haft of her flail in preparation of battle. "Ah, look it is Tarek and Tyrrian."

 "They ride as if pursued by the Dust Devil himself, wasn't the boy sick?" Farhoud covers his eyes with his hand to watch the approaching riders.

 Reigning in their horses, the young men dismount and move quickly towards the covered bodies. The entrance to the Enchanters lair yawning ominously just yards away.

"Sally, we came as fast as we could. Tom warned me you were all in danger and someone would fall! Who is that under the tarp? Where is everyone else?"

Tarek grabs the boys arm holding him in check. "Slow down lad, let them explain."

Kneeling by the bodies and rolling back the tarp to reveal the faces Sally says, "I'm afraid Bull Zi did indeed, fall. The other was a guardian of this place that became human upon death."

"And the others?" gasps Tyrrian.

"Inside with Alexander," Sally points to the entrance of the citadel, " even now they are penetrating a secondary portal."

"Then we had best hurry, they'll need our help!" Tyrrian rushes quickly towards the open doorway.

"We'll be back, we will all be back." says Tarek to Sally, giving her his signature smirk

The party is joined by the young Thief and Warrior. A few words are exchanged and the warning of Tom is related. As one the group opens the secondary set of doors and enters a large well furnished waiting room. A large emerald topped table dominates the chamber. Alexander directs Calis and Alan to begin rolling up the smallest of the thick carpets on the floor while he inspects the furniture.

"These things will look great in the Manor, once we clear it." muses the Wizard as he tests a plush chair.

 Chi guards the entrance as Sven, Alex, Tarek and Tyrrian approach the large emerald table. In quick succession the room fills with a low hum and a sense of great power as a pair of green bat-winged skulls emerge from the tabletop. Then just as quickly a man dressed entirely in green clothing and skin like one of  true Viridian heritage rises as if from a pool of emerald water.
 The green wizard utters a mystic phrase and the flying skulls swoop about the surprised party as he looks down at the four men just before him. Tarek, never one to be taken easily by surprise brandishes his dagger at he green man.

 "Now now friend, don't get test.. Ouch!" A blast of green fire shoots from the man's finger tip scorching the thief's shoulder.

"Taste Axe!" cries Sven swinging savagely and practically knocking the wizard from his perch on the tabletop. As everyone else begins to come to their senses the green man disappears back into the table.

 Alexander and Chi quickly dispatch the flying skulls with arrow and arcing axe. "Our host, I assume." says Tarek rubbing his shoulder.

"The Emerald Enchanter," mutters Alexander kicking the remains of a shattered skull. "I must know his secrets."

 Calling the others from outside the party removes everything not nailed down. Farhoud takes a horse and rides back to town for the wagon. Emily is tasked to return to the beach and update Captain James on their progress. 

   1/2 hour later
 The group looks over the two exits from the lounge. Sven, Tyrrian, and Alex have used the time to shatter the emerald table so the Wizard cannot return that way.

 Alan gives the doors an "all clear", and this sentiment is backed up by Tarek as well. The right hand door is chosen and Sven reaches out to open the door. A cruel voice whispering in his ear,"Kill them Sven, we can kill them all together..". Gripping the chaos axe tightly in his left hand, as beads of sweat run down his brow the brawny warrior open the door and looks beyond.
 A long hallway stretches out before them and is well lit by wall sconces. Two closed doors are made out along the left hand wall, the first about 15ft. away the second another 20ft. or so beyond that. The second door has a third doorway just beyond it on the right wall as the hall itself turns left. However impeding any progress at all is a burly emerald guardian, the remarkably lifelike statue hefts an enormous axe and advances !!
  Resisting the temptation of Felan's axe Sven retreats a few steps into the lounge. "There's a big one coming." he states to the rest of the group. Upon entering the lone guardian finds itself assaulted from all sides and is quickly defeated. The death blow releases the mortal trapped within who grabs Tarek and pleads, "Ask Thesdipedes to save my wife..."
 Tarek crosses the dead man's arms over his chest and remarks, "Wife? Perhaps there is something here worthy of my attentions."
 "This is the second reference to that name." Alexander looks down at the dead man. "I wonder if he were the leader of these cursed men, or another Wizard perhaps?"

 The group wastes no time and barges into the next room. A strange reading room of sorts confronts them and it takes a few minutes for the trick of the teleporting books to be solved. The 2 large tomes are sent outside to wait with the Sally and the others. A sitting room is found next, filled with hand drawn portraits of various men and women. The artist is noted as "R. Rumph", Next a well used bedroom containing small trinkets and a sack of coins is discovered. Again the group is watched by a pair of flying skulls which are destroyed.

 The hallway is followed around the bend to the left as Sven, Tyrrian, Tarek and Alex lead. An undetected pit trap drops three of the four leaders into its spiked depths. Fortunately no serious wounds are suffered and the victims are pulled to safety from the opposite side. Chi discovers a secret door that allowed egress around the pit and another doorway exiting the trapped hall was found.
 The new door is opened and reveals a hall of odd construction. Walls, floor and ceiling are all made of a dark heavily pebbled stone. Intrigued Tyrrian enters first followed by Chi, Sven and Alan. "This is lavalite!" marvels the young blacksmith, "This entire hall is made of it. It is almost beyond belief."
 As the adventurers marvel at the construction a hideous figure forms in the rock before Tryrrian. Reaching out of the walls clawed stone arms swipe at them all! Alan is able to dive back out the doorway before suffering harm and Sven shoves Chi out the doorway into Alexanders arms. Using the warhammer from Tom, Tyrrian fends off the clawed attackers as they assault him from every surface!
 Sven gives in to the Axe and severs a stone arm from the wall just as it grabbed for the young warrior beside him. The anguished cries of tortured souls fills the gray hall as the two warriors battle the stony claws. Alexander creates two large shields of mystic energy to help give the men some protection. Using the mystic shields to great advantage Sven is able to rally Tyrrian and the battle begins to sway in favor of the Heroes of Eros. It is then that Tom's hammer shatters in a blow against a stone enemy! "The hammer, no!" cries the blacksmith. Once more Sven shoves a friend out of danger and he uses the full fury of the chaos axe to finish off the screaming stone monsters.

 The far end of the stone hall is discovered to open up back into the entry lounge, and Chi finds a secret panel in the wall near the door through which they entered this place. The party led by the Warriors continues on through the secret door.

 Entering a wide hallway the party comes face to face with another guardian of rough green crystal. It charges the group and is met in battle by Sven who is no longer in control of himself! Sven shatters the guardian in a mighty blow and looks up to see six more come around a corner running at him. Tyrrian moves up to aid Sven in this battle. Alexander casts a wall of protection from behind which he and the others let loose with missile fire to aid the Warriors. The battle rages for some some minutes and Sven is quickly overcome by multiple blows which drop him to the ground. Acting unconsciously for his own safety Alex rushes forward attempting to lay hands on Sven only to be run through himself by an emerald sword! Finally Tyrrian is able to defeat the last two guardians with the aid of the rest of the group but they find they are too late to save either of their fallen comrades.

 Alexander suggests they retreat with the dead and return to town for the night. Also to get a few more members for the group seems to be a wise move at this point, for they know not what further dangers may lurk deeper in the lair of the Emerald Enchanter!!!

Epilogue
 As Tyrrian lifts the small body of Alex into the wagon, it becomes readily apparent that the young cleric of Tar-Ark had been a girl this whole time.
"The poor girl, I think she really may have loved Sven." Tyrrian covers her face with the tarp, "We should place them with Tom atop the hill."
The party agrees and Brother Beavis is summoned to a oversee a service over the fallen.