Zzyggy took the lead in negotiating with M’Dok, as he spoke draconic. "You speak of a demon. What kind of demon is this underground dweller?" the gnome wizard inquired.
"He causes the sickness!" M’Dok replied, fearfully. "You want him, no? Has much wealth, much gold!" the kobold leader added.
"Where can this demon be found?" Zzyggy continued. "Take tunnel beyond our camp," answered M’Dok. "But beware! Many traps, many monsters! Demon well-defended!"
Zzyggy, properly wary, was skeptical of the kobold’s offer. "How do we know this isn’t a set-up?" asked the gnome.
"Oh no! We wouldn’t deceive you!" M’Dok assured the party. "You too smart for us!"
"OK, in that case," replied Zzyggy, "we’ll take a few of you along as guides." The kobold leader nodded his head vigorously. Zzyggy could tell that the leader wasn’t bluffing.
"Go, go!" insisted M’Dok. "Take demon gold. We just want to leave! Many of us sick too, many die!"
"Give us one of your warriors as a guide," Zzyggy demanded again. "If he leads us well, he’ll be rewarded." M’Dok pointed to the kobold nearest to Zzyggy. "Yes, yes! Take that one with you!" The designated guide looked fearfully at his leader, but obeyed the order to go with the adventurers.
The party accepted the proffered guide, and allowed the rest of the cowardly creatures to flee. Only M’Dok did not flee with them. "Must get son! Then go!" the kobold leader chittered. The creature promptly left for the area in which he had left his son, and thence to exit the mine, never to return.
Father Sam then cured the wounded party members, and they proceeded onward. The kobold guide pointed to the tunnel where M’Dok went in and came out. This tunnel was fairly narrow at ten feet square. While the rest of the party advanced, Fiora and Graves briefly went back to the main cavern to ensure that kobolds had indeed fled.
The tunnel proceeded about thirty feet west, leading to an open area on the left. This was the site of the kobold camp, where the bands’ treasure had been stored, and also where two kobold children, including M’Dok’s son, had been left for safe keeping. "Are we heading to your lair to get to the demon?" Zzyggy asked. "Yes, yes, we sleep here," said the kobold guide. "No more. All in cavern. All you chase away!"
The adventurers proceeded onward. The main tunnel continued, veering left. About ten feet further down the tunnel, on the left, the party noticed a wooden door. Zzyggy listened at the door, but didn’t hear anything. When he checked the door, he found that it was locked.
"What’s behind this door?" demanded Zzyggy? "Oh, nothing, nothing!" exclaimed the kobold guide. "Just food." Satisfied, the party continued down the main passage. After proceeding roughly seventy feet to the southwest, the parties noticed that the ambient temperature was increasing; it was now uncomfortably hot. They advanced slowly.
"Getting closer to demon!" cried the kobold guide in response to the party’s inquiry. Father Sam, expecting the worst, again cast bull’s strength on Adam. Regrouping with the fighters in the lead, followed by Zzyggy, Father Sam and the kobold, the adventurers entered a small room. Waves of heat immediately assailed them. Breathing was difficult.
This chamber was bowl-shaped, and its floor was littered with humanoid corpses. Rats skittered about the corpses. Some gnawed at the corpses. Bodies of other rats lay on their backs, some still twitching. The adventurers mastered their disgust and began searching the bodies. "Be careful handling those corpses," warned Father Sam. "They may have died from the disease."
As Zzyggy, Troy and Adam searched, Father Sam advanced into the room, holding his holy symbol before him.
Standing in the midst of the bowl, Zzyggy asked the kobold guide, "What is this room?"
"Bad place!" chittered the kobold. "Demon makes monsters here!"
The adventurers had suspected as much. They headed east along the south wall of the room, heading for another tunnel exit in the eastern wall.
Without warning, from among the pile of corpses in the room, four corrupt forms rose up and assaulted the party. Zombies! Reacting quickly, Troy swung at one of the zombies, slamming its undead flesh. Adam attacked another and chopped it to bits. Zzyggy blasted another with a ray of frost. The three zombies stills standing slammed Troy and Zzyggy. Troy was battered severely, but Father Sam rushed to his side and cast cure moderate wounds, restoring him to full strength.
As they fought, the kobold guide fled from the zombies, and raced between Zzyggy and Father Sam, looking to escape the room and abandon the party.
More bodies stirred and rose: four kobold zombies this time. All moved to attack the adventurers. One slammed Adam, scratching the barbarian with its filthy claws. The barbarian in return destroyed two of the kobold zombies with a single stroke of his sword. "Well done!" said Father Sam.
Troy destroyed another of the original zombies, and evaded the return blows of the two still engaged in combat. But Zzyggy lost his nerve and retreated from the undead onslaught. The kobold guide likewise remained out of the battle.
Father Sam held out his holy symbol. "By St. Cuthbert, I expel ye!" the cleric cried. The kobold zombies immediately fell to the floor, destroyed by the power of Father Sam’s faith. The other two zombies turned and fled from the room. No others rose to take their place.
The adventurers looked around the room, and located the cowardly kobold guide, still trying to hide. "Get up!" Adam ordered, disgusted at the sight. The pathetic creature got up and stood, terrified of the barbarian. "Get lost, you miserable coward!" the barbarian snarled. "And never come back." The kobold didn’t need to be told twice. He turned and fled the room, never to be seen again.
"I think we should go back to town," suggested Zzyggy. "We’re pretty beat up, and I for one am about out of magic."
"As am I," said Father Sam. The rest of the party agreed. They proceeded to retrace their path back to the mine entrance without further combat, and safely returned to Duvik’s Pass. They checked into their quarters for the night.
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