The group scavenged what they would from the dead adventurers, including a number of weapons which held a slight magical tingle.

“Nice,” Adam whispered, his head bouncing gently.

The rest of the temple was quickly scoured, the group of people finding whatever treasures they could, from paintings, to figurines, to coins.

“It’s a temple,” Nobby said.

“Right. We need to make sure we find everything so we can send back Vonda with more money back to where it should go.” Adam pat Nobby against his back gently. “Good, Nobby, those are the kinds of questions you should be asking if you have a decent heart.”

‘How can you say something like that?’ Vonda asked, still sour that they were taking half the treasure.

“No artefact,” Adam said, with the group having filled their sacks with all the treasures, leaving some copper coins since they would be too cumbersome to carry.

Vonda eventually dropped down before the statue, before she prayed, and cast several healing spells before it. The statue then slid backwards, revealing a staircase heading down, one which hadn’t been there before they righted the statue over it.

“That’s cool,” Adam whispered, nodding to Jurot.

Jurot nodded. There was many great magics in the world, and he was glad to see this, especially since it had something to do with Mahtu.

“Before we go in, we should probably, you know,” Adam said, nodding his head.

“What?” Jurot asked, not knowing.

“Leave a few people behind, just in case. We should probably pile the copper coins around the statue so there’s some money left for Mother Soza.”

Vonda gave Adam a look, one he understood, but he smiled back at her innocently.

“Jaygak, you come with, since we’ll need your sight.”

“We will not need it,” Vonda said, before she raised her mace. She called out the command word for her magical mace, which began to glow.

“What a useful mace,” Adam said, nodding his head towards her. It took him a moment to realise he enchanted it. He smiled. “Damn, I’m so smart.”

“I can stay with the others and make sure they don’t get up to trouble,” Jaygak said.

Adam narrowed his eyes at her.

“What?”

“You can come with us,” Adam said. “Kitool, can you look after the rest?”

“Yes.”

“It doesn’t matter to me, I’ll just make trouble with you,” Jaygak said.

“Do you think you’re safe because your father isn’t here?” Adam asked.

Jaygak grumbled quietly.

Vonda led the way, followed by Jurot, then by Jaygak and Adam. They made their way down the steps, the hallway fairly narrow, but it allowed each of them to walk in a line comfortably.

The stone work around was well built, but Adam couldn’t surmise much more about it. ‘We should make friends with a Dwarf. I bet they’d say something like this was fine work, for a Human.’

The stair way circled this way and that, before they eventually came across even ground. The light went out, and the four tensed up. Vonda called the command word again, and the mace lit up once more.

‘So it wasn’t an anti magic field or anything,’ Adam thought.

‘Should I use Light?’ Vonda thought, but the ten minute timer of the mace was useful to keep track of time, so she kept the mace lit with its enchanted glow.

The Iyrmen’s instincts caused them to tense, and Jaygak quickly darted forward, pushing Vonda down.

Dexterity Save

D20 + 1 = 2 (1)

Adam began to sink into the earth before he even noticed that the stone underneath had given way, but a strong hand grabbed at his wrist, and Jurot pulled the Half Elf with him so that he did not fall with the falling stone.

Only some of the floor had given way, with pillars supporting some of the stone up, allowing them a path back, but there were large empty pits.

“Thanks,” Adam said, his heart racing within his chest.

Jurot nodded in reponse.

Adam felt both hot and cold at the same time. ‘Seriously, are you really going to be afraid of falling?’ He resisted the urge to look down at the holes, instead he pat his body, trying to regain the sensation of touch.

They continued to step forward, before they came across a thick door made of metal. It was plain, save for a few small designs around the edge of the metal.

Sir Vonda dropped to her knee and prayed, speaking a prayer which required an entire minute, before the door shook, and it slid down, revealing a large chamber. The chamber was full of treasure chests of all sizes, and atop a number of pedestals were several objects.

One of the objects was a mace, which Vonda quickly rushed towards. It was made of a block of diamicule, and there didn’t seem to be anything else interesting about it.

Vonda sighed, glad that she had found the mace.

“Quite the bit of treasure,” Adam said, spying all the treasure chests. ‘Fifty percent? Hoo boy! We’re going to be rich!’

Vonda still felt awkward that he was taking half, but since he had helped retrieve the artefact, she couldn’t be too sour about the matter.

Adam’s eyes fell across the stone, noting how it was much lighter in colour than the stone of the temple. “Is there something special about this stone?”

“I am sure,” Vonda replied. “It must help keep prying eyes away from this place.”

Adam slowly nodded, touching the stone. It felt like fine sandpaper, but it caused his fingers to tingle.

“Can we check the treasure chests?” Adam asked.

Vonda narrowed her eyes from above her scarf, but she nodded.

Adam smiled innocently. “Come on, Sir Vonda, you couldn’t possibly be thinking poorly of me for wanting to feed and cloth me and mine?”

“I accepted the terms, but it does not mean that I am happy about it.”

“That is a shame,” Adam said, his eyes scanning the treasure chests. “It won’t do us any good if my good friend, Sir Vonda, is upset with me.”

Vonda couldn’t help but feel he was poking fun at her. He didn’t call her Sir Vonda since they were close, but the way he was emphasising Sir when he called for her, it caused her to narrow her eyes further.

Adam chuckled, before looking at the chests. “Is there a key to them?”

“They must be in the treasure which we had found previously,” Vonda replied.

“Right. Makes sense. Let’s grab ‘em, then. We’ll take the chests rather than the coinage. We can bury the coinage near the temple, or leave them around the statue.”

“Will they be from your half?” Vonda asked.

“They will be from both our halves,” Adam said. “We can’t take them all back, so let’s leave some behind for the good Lady.”

Vonda bowed her head gently. Even if Adam was an adventurer, he was queer enough that he thought about these kinds of matters. Vonda wondered what Adam was thinking at the time, seeing his eyes drift away.

Adam’s mind was occupied on the temple. ‘Is it really a good idea to take all the treasure? It’s only half, and it’s split between Mother Soza and us. Should I reduce our share? No, no, everyone still needs to make some money. Should I give up my share? If I give up my share, then how am I meant to make the business to help others? Will Mother Soza be mad?’

Jurot waited for Adam to finish his inner monologue, before he began to pick up the various chests.

Vonda turned, facing the mace. She trusted Adam and the Iyrmen not to steal anything, and it would have been difficult for even them to hide even the smallest treasure chests. It was made of diamicule, yes, but the way the light hit the mace, it revealed something else. There was a light within the mace, not just the light which refracted in all the different colours, but something deeper within.

Vonda quietly said a prayer to Mother Soza, before she reached for the mace, and her fingers clasped around the handle. It was only then that she remembered what she had been told about picking up the mace.

‘Sister Vonda, make sure you pray to Lord Sozain before you pick up the mace.’

She had assumed she would have remembered because it was such a surprise that she, a Priest of Life, would have to pray to the God of Death before picking up a weapon which was an artefact of the Goddess of Life.

It was partly why she waited so long to travel with the Iyrmen and Adam. It must have been Fate which had brought them together, and with their help, she was certain she would have been able to retrieve the artefact.

The Iyrmen could feel something had gone wrong first, and they quickly leapt away from the chamber.

Dexterity Save

D20 + 1 = 6 (5)

Adam stumbled as the floor began to give way, breaking in pieces, before he tried to dart towards towards the entrance. The Dexterity Save had appeared so suddenly that he had forgotten to use his Omen in that moment. His foot slipped against a stone and he fell backwards.

“Oh, fu-,” Adam gasped, feeling his entire body drop for the second time. Someone grabbed his hand.

Jurot turned to try and grab Adam, but he saw Vonda grab Adam’s hand, with the only source of light in her other hand. The ancient artefact they had come for fell beside them freely.

The mace fell dark, as another ten minutes had passed.