Retreat from darkness

     They proceeded cautiously, Van in the front. as they passed corridors and cave openings, they could sometimes see figures watching for them, retreating back.  Oolah kept blowing up these side passages, caving them in. However, these Sharsham grew up in these caves, played in them as children. They knew every alternative route.

      "What was that about an alter?" Asked Oolah, "Why would you destroy an alter?"

     "I don't think it was a regular alter," said Van, his breath short and tense, "It may even have been a relic. Or maybe a focus for a relic... I think maybe it was a weaker version; a sort of fake relic... Would be nice if we knew how they worked, what they were, even... but even the relics themselves don't know."

     As they went they passed some of the alcoves where the husks of the formerly living Sharshams lay in their beds. Rollobal frowned, but tried to look at it from Vans point of view. He sacrificed his own honor to save the enemy from dying painfully and possibly slowly as well, depending on the fortunes of battle. From what he'd seen of Vans powers, he pitied him. Few opponents would match him. His power was too overwhelming, and he steadily found new ways of using it, even during the short period since Rollobal had joined him.

      Eventually they had made their way to the large cavern where they had met these sharshams. Van could see the cul-de-sac ahead, where they'd gathered the flowers, but in addition to that, the cavern they were currently in, where the battle had taken place, had many exits. It was from one of these, he thought he heard crying. Luckily, Brin Mal had poor hearing and they didn't react. He felt he had to purge the poor deformed souls whose brief lives were just bitter sorrows until a time when they'd be slain for food. At least with the loss of their strange eldritch alter, several more methods of cruelty had been removed. Still, Van could not live with their misery on his conscience. However, he had to protect his friends from these sights. He'd barely touched on what he'd seen even when speaking to Rollobal about his grisly actions the previous night. He certainly wasn't going to let Oolah gaze upon those sights with her own eyes.

     "I'm thinking...." he said, pausing while collecting his thoughts, "if they haven't attacked by now, I don't think they are. The corridor might be blocked up ahead, but they didn't know how easily we could get through." The other two nodded, Oolah wondering what he was getting at and why didn't they just get out of there. Rollobal had thought he'd heard something, so had an idea what was about to happen.

     "We'll be ok, Van," assured Rollobal, "Go do what you need to do, but make it quick." They split up, Van going back into the caverns, and the other two toward the exit.

     Van hadn't progressed far, when the cavern opened up into a small alcove with a hastily made corral. In it was an entity that must have been chosen for maximum emotional impact on Van. It saw him, saw it wasn't one of it's captors, and begged for release. Tears streaming down his face, Van mouthed wordlessly in silent prayer, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, God, please forgive me!" Mercy was quick and painless. But it wasn't over, he heard more, close by. 

     How many rooms there were, Van didn't know. When he'd come across the first one, he suspected it's placement was some kind of bait for him, a kind of diversion. Then another was placed, just in earshot. Now, he was no longer thinking. He couldn't afford to, anymore, moving mechanically from one room to another. Finally, A huge cavern opened up in front of him. It was full of enclosures and huge piles of rotting refuse. At first Van stood there dumbfounded, wondering why they'd put captives in with the refuse, until he noticed a few of the Sharsham people shoveling some into some of the enclosures. It was their food. He heard a bellowing cry and saw a large humanoid rushing at him with a stone club. He allowed it to close, sidestepped and lopped off it's head. As more noticed his presence and most of the remaining sharsham fled the room, he noticed a few more things as well. Some of the larger creatures in the pens were missing limbs. He guessed that was the price for non cooperation, or perhaps for not being smart enough to control easily while still being big enough to be dangerous. He also noted he was being charged by the several that did cooperate. It mattered not. Pointing his sword he created a wall of black spikes driving into his rushing opponents, and those that merely stumbled and lived, were engulfed in liquid death. Then he had to turn his attention to the captives. Van worked as rapidly as he could, making his way from one side to the other. He forced himself to look, to pay attention. He wanted to be sure he was causing as little pain and trauma as possible to these victims.

     Meanwhile, going had been slow for the other two. Rollobal was in an extreme amount of pain. As Van disappeared into the caverns, they made their way to the Cul-de-sac, and finding a sufficiently safe place beyond one of the stone doorways, they rested. Oolah positioned herself in a shadowy recess where she could see out of a window. This way, she would see Van if he were done his task before they continued. 

     She didn't like this. She knew there was a secret being kept from her. However, she could feel the waves of great despair and sadness tinged with hatred rolling off from Van even from great distances, and wasn't all that sure she wanted to know what they were keeping from her. Whatever it was disturbed Rollobal to such an extent, he'd even excused Vans dishonorable acts of assassination without much, if any, rebuke. After some time, Vans emotions grew weaker. Not from distance, she knew. He was breaking.

     After around 30 minutes Rollobal pulled himself to his feet. "We're almost out of this place," he said, "and I wish to see the sun and the sky."

     They progressed to the side corridor and started down it, but noticed nearly instantly there were figures ahead. Oolah, who was in the lead looked back at Rollobal who had seen them as well. "Wait here," said Oolah as she slipped out of her shoes. Rollobal leaned against the wall and unslung his bow from his back. It takes two legs to string a bow, but Oolah, with some difficulty had strung it for him earlier. To shoot it he would have to balance on one foot when the time came.

     When Oolah was revealed as light and distance allowed, she heard Shavashas voice call out to her, "Don't touch the sides of the caves! We've seen what you can do! Where's Van" she asked mockingly, as though she already knew. The rest of the Sharshams with her had already drawn bows, pointing them at Oolah, whose bow was also pointed at Shavasha.

     "What do you want!?" shouted Oolah. 

     "There's 20 of us here," she said, "Surrender to us, and we won't kill you! We'll let you live in the little valley!"

     "You want us as shields to use against Van!" accused Oolah, almost finished buying time. "I thought you loved him, and now you want to kill him?"

      "We didn't know he was so strong," she lamented, her voice full of regret, "And now... I don't want things to go back to the way they used to be... dying from both starvation and boredom. Life was barely worth living the way things had been before! It had just started getting fun!" The last part she screamed and started to charge, drawing her dagger. The wall behind them exploded outward. Shavasha was pelted with pieces of rock and archers both, forcing her to the ground. She screamed in frustration, stumbled to her feet and resumed her charge, her back bloody and bruised. Rollobals arrow finished her instantly. He slung the bow across his back, and made to grab the crutch leaning on the wall. He merely bumped it  and it slid out of his reach to the ground. Leaning his back against the wall, he slid down it as best he could without bumping his still badly wounded leg.

     Oolahs blast had opened up the passage the Sharsham had just previously blocked, allowing Oolah and Rollobal to continue after a short rest. Soon they were sitting on the ledge, discussing whether to wait there, or set up a camp below.