Bonds of Shadows and Snakes

Chapter 10: The Lord of Bones

The relentless struggle against Ketheric ensues on the fleshy platform surrounding a hole descending toward a neverending abyss. Taunting them from this grotesque vantage point, Ketheric revels in the challenge he presents to the party. The platform, accessible only by rope netting, becomes the stage for a dance of life, death, and undeath.

Everyone's eyes lock onto Aylin, ensnared far to the right through a soul cage spell. They realize that the paladin remains invincible until she is freed.

Lae'zel becomes the beacon of hope as she gracefully maneuvers through the chaos. The menacing intellect devourers, their claws slashing through the air, pose no threat to her agile form. Her blade dances through the air, hacking at the exposed brains of the intellect devourers, creating a path to the aasimar. With a breathtaking display of acrobatics, she ascends the platform, swiftly reaching Aylin. In a moment of sheer skill, she breaks Aylin out of the soul cage, stripping Ketheric of his immortality.

The once invincible paladin bellows in frustration as his powers wane. "Back to your cage!" he roars, redirecting his fury towards Delphie, who engages in an elegant and deadly dance with a mind flayer on the fleshy stage. Her movements mirror the grace of a swan as she elegantly sidesteps each lethal blow. The mind flayer, growing increasingly agitated, lunges once more, ensnaring Delphie in its tentacles. A sense of dread fills the air as razor-sharp teeth inch closer to the back of her head.

In a desperate moment, Delphie channels the ancient magic of nature, her scales glowing with their familiar ethereal light. With a forceful incantation, "Svantraakul pacore!" the mind flayer's tentacles are violently torn from its body by a wave of purple energy, sending it sprawling backward.

However, Ketheric seizes the opportunity created by the chaos of squirming tentacles. Unbeknownst to Delphie, he stealthily approaches from behind, his warhammer raised for a devastating strike. The distracted wood elf is moments away from a lethal blow when Astarion, ever watchful, detects the impending danger. Using the remnants of his vampiric speed unaffected by the tadpole, he lunges towards Ketheric, plunging his lit, radiant blade forcefully into the side of his neck.

The paladin, momentarily caught off guard, stumbles back, blood pouring down his armor from his neck as Astarion pulls out the blade. His final words, barely comprehendible from choking on his blood, echo through the air. "You'll... regret that." The malevolent figure plummets into the bottomless pit at the center of the platform, leaving behind an eerie silence.

The party, their attention fixated on the ominous hole, experiences a moment of uneasy silence. Karlach breaks the stillness with a wry comment, "So...that's it, I guess?" The fleshy room seems to hold its breath, suspended in an eerie anticipation.

"It's not over," Aylin declares through gritted teeth from behind them. The party turns to face her with concern etched across their faces. The aasimar appears ready to plunge into the abyss at any moment.

Just as the party braces for whatever comes next, a low growl emanates from the depths below. The once dark abyss now glows with a ring of unsettling green light, pulsating with an otherworldly energy that sends shivers down their spines.

"You dare end one who belongs to me?" A deep, eerie voice reverberates through the fleshy room, dripping with disdain. Astarion and Delphie, hands intertwined, tighten their grips on each other and their weapons, sensing the gravity of the situation.

"What the hells?" Wyll mutters incredulously under his breath, his confusion mirroring that of the entire party. The voice, however, continues its unsettling proclamation.

"I am the smile of the worm-cleansed skull. I am the regrets of those who remain, and the restlessness of those who are gone," the voice intones, weaving an otherworldly tapestry of dread. A large skeletal hand emerges from the hole, causing Astarion to instinctively pull Delphie closer, narrowly evading the crushing blow as it smacks into the fleshy platform.