Vox Machina Book One: Nobodies to Heroes

Chapter 27: The Ziggurat Battle

The Briarwoods set towards the top of the Ziggurat as Delilah grins to herself. The step towards the ritual circle as she pulls out her ticking timer for the solstice "Soon." she states, closing the timer.

"The celestial alignment is almost complete," she said with joy, Sylas stepped towards the stone pillar and turns them into place. Then Delilah stops at the ritual circle. "It begins," she states as the stone pillar sank into the ground.

"Dwes kalu, varen Thar Amphala."

she chants, shooting her magic into the ground as green lights etch throughout the entire Ziggurat.

Down below, Vox Machina hurries towards the structure, taking cover behind the boulders. But Scanlan looks up at the structure. "Wait." he starts, getting a better look.

Jason and Grog look at him, "Uh... Scanlan?" Grog asks. The gnome gasps as the pieces began to fit.

"We should focus on this book. I-It's come fucked-up diary."

"These symbols show the show at a specific time and date."

"Look at this."

"I think it's a Ziggurat."

"It wasn't a spell book. It was an instruction manual." Scanlan states as he turns to the others, "The Drawings, the symbols... it all had to do with that name. Uh, the wha... what was it?" he spoke, trying to think.

"The-the Whispered One," he spoke, both Jason and Pike perked up at the name. "The Whispered One?" both ask him. Vex looks back at them, "You've heard that name?" she asks, and they looked at her. "Once. Uh, from an elder of the Everlight. They said he's some sort of undead creature whose soul seeks the power to return to our plane." Pike answers.

"I once read about him in my youth. The books said he was... a powerful and dangerous dark wizard that dappled in the dark arts, it's what caused him to be banished from our plane a long time ago and a really long time at that." Jason informs them.

Scanlan nods at them. "I get the book and the maps, but what's with the star chart?" he asks them, scratching his head Kyria perks up as she looks at Keyleth. "It's the solstice when the barrier between the planes is the thinnest," Keyleth informs him.

"Oh, sure, sure, the planes. Yeah, yeah. What does that mean?" he asks her. "The planes have walls between them, keeping them from collapsing in on each other. But years at a time the wall with weaken allowing energies to leak into our plane of existence." Kyria informs him.

"And if this Whispered One wants to cross over, now is the time," Keyleth spoke up, they all look up at the Ziggurat. "And the Briarwoods must be trying to help him," Pike states.

Vex just frowns, "I don't give a shit what they're doing. I just want my brother back." she states, Kyria walks up next to her, looking up at the Ziggurat, she flinches hearing a ringing in her ear.

Taking a moment to focus, she could hear Delilah's chanting the incarnation, surprise she flicks her eyes up and looks at the Ziggurat.

Sylas walks up to Delilah as she continues to chant in the foreign tongue. Then the light around her dies down and she looks back at her husband.

"The Whispered One is coming. Once he returns, you and I will be together forever." she spoke, making him smile down at her as he pulls her into his arms, pressing his forehead to hers "Let any who would try to stop us shatter against what we have built." she declares as and they pulled one another into a promising kiss.