Pathfinder: The Vampires Revenge

Confrontation

We followed the elemental through twisting hallways, rooms that housed spell components, and a few had summoning circles, though nothing was found waiting with the circles, I feared that we might encounter them later. Luckily Desna smiled on us, for no monster or any hostile creature showed itself as we went deeper into the fortress. I began to wonder just how far this fortress went on until, eventually, we came to the entrance of another room and the elemental stopped.

"This is as far as I go." The elemental Volcanis said. "The room is protected by powerful magic, blocking me from entering. But this is the finale room of the fortress that should prove useful for you in your search." When the elemental was leading us earlier, Rattle, Venom, told Volacins of the book we were looking for and Seltyiel provided details of the book. It told them it didn't recall seeing anything like it, but had an idea where it might be and lead us here.

"Then let us not waste any more time." Sarvin said walking into the room. The others followed suit until Rattle started to speak in quick, percussive sounds like the popping of a fire. The elemental returned the sound and the two speak to each other in the fire sounding language.

"What are they saying?" Tamora asked.

"I'm not sure. I'm not familiar with Ignan." I said referring to the language of fire. The two spoke for a few moments before the elemental nodded and Rattle raised as hand up to the elemental. I watched as it raised up and went into a ring on his hand. When it was done, the ring gem glowed red before settling. I could have sworn however that before the gem was a ocean blue.

"Now we may go." Rattle said walking in.

It was more like a hall than a room. Tables were littered with spell components, tomes, scrolls, and strange books with partial arcane characters on their pages. An empty pedestal sat in the middle of the room.

"This place is a mess, the hell happened to it?" Klarr asked.

"Wizards are never known to have a clean chamber." Luna said.

"And from the looks of it, someones been here." Alexia said. She gestured to the pedestal where a large rectangle was clear of dust.

"Not necessarily." I said, as the gears in my mind began to turn. "Tamora...search for any traps." Tamora dropped to the floor and tapped with her knife. "You two can help if you like." I added to Luna and Alexia.

"If you can." Tamora said with a smirk on her face. The two took that as a challenge and Alexia used her sword-cane to test for anything hollow in the floor while Luna walked to the edge of the room, jostling torches and checking bookshelves for any switches or passages. I walked over to a nearby table and began to examine its contents.

"So how did you convince the elemental to go with you?" I asked Rattle as he walked up and opened up a scroll.

"I asked if it wished to be sent back to its plane and it obviously said no." He said. "So I asked that if it wanted to travel with me, that I would call upon it when needed and it agreed."

"Always a man with words." I said as I opened a spellbook. I flipped through the pages, not really looking for anything, but I was wondering just where-

""Luna wait!" I heard Alexia shout and I heard a click.

Desna weeps.

The floor spinned in a circle and we dropped. I saw Pormethues flash by me and the twins muttering words. A few feet from the ground something caught us and we gently floated to the ground. Luna, Alexia, and Tamora landed behind us as we looked around.

A large stone coffin sat at the far end of the room. Lab materials sat on benches around the room and a giant stone slab sat in the center of the room. The floor was bloodstained and littered with bones of both small and large creatures.

"Where are we?" Tamora asked.

"A lab from the looks of it." Pormetheus said, looking around.

"A golem lab to be more precise." Seltyiel said. "Nex was a powerful wizard, but not above making golems. He just didn't like to do it....." While golems do guard his nations capital, he though little of golems and their masters.

"What is that?" Klarr asked, pointing to the coffin. We stood there silently.

"A coffin." I said. "Something used to hold dead people."

"I sense strong unholy power and magic emanating from it." Sarvin said. "It has to be him."

"I also sense a strong source of magical energy radiating from it as well." Venom said after casting a spell. "It has to be the codex."

"Something tells me he won't give it up easily." Alexia said as she pulled out her sword. everyone one followed suit, except for the spellcasters, and pulled out their weapons as well.

"I would expect nothing less." I said, walking up to the stone coffin. I kept the tip of my tail near the base of my tail were I kept an extra bomb for emergences, just in case. I reached out and gave the stone lid a push. it didn't move.

"Help me push it off." I said. Klarr, Seltyiel, and Pormetheus each took a position at the lid. "On three. One.....two.....three!" We heaved the heavy lid off the coffin and looked in. A pale man in a tattered black coat lay inside, with his arms crossed over an ancient tome. I looked at Seltyiel from the corner of my eye and saw he was almost as white as the vampire.

"It's really you." I heard him whisper and he reached out to grab an necklace around the vampires neck, one that looked like a crest of a noble family.....until his eyes snapped open.

There was a flash of red light as we were thrown back onto the floor and the undead creature floated out of its coffin, the book open in front of him.

"So you finally come and visit me cousin." Morrigan said grinning. "It has been far to long Seltyiel."

"Morrigan?" The half-elf said standing up. "What happened to you?"

"Simple dear cousin, I achieved what I set out to do. I became better than you." He said. "I must admit, immortality suits me well. I see how you feel now cousin." I saw Seltyiels fist clench his fist. Then the vampire looked down at me and sneered. "And you.....You seem to be more of a half-cockroach then a half-dragon. No matter how many times I step on you, you seem to keep getting up. How.........annoying."

"I suppose I could say the same about you Morrigan." I said, and he sneered even more at me, revealing his fangs. "You just don't seem to know when to quite."

"You know how this will end Morrigan." I continued. "Just give up now. We defeated you twice before. Don't make it a third."

"Oh but I think I do." He said and I saw red energy flow from the pages of the tome. "This tome, is far more powerful than any of the artifacts I had before, powerful enough to wipe civilizations off the face of the map. And what better way to first demonstrate its power, then on my two most hatted foes?"

"Arrogant, obnoxious, pompous, irritable Seltyiel, and equally irritable, persistent, annoying cockroach Jamada." He said smiling. "But enough distractions, let us do what you all came here to do..." He began to yell in something in the rough, Abyssal language and four large alcoves revealed four golems; stone, clockwork, flesh, and blood.

"And try to kill each other......"