Entry 53: Dragon hoard with a side of scarabs

Dear Diary,
 
After an unexpectedly peaceful night, we set out at dawn, moving cautiously toward the towering rock formation where the wyverns were said to roost. As we neared the base, we spotted several winged creatures circling high above, but at this distance, they were little more than dark shapes against the morning sky.
 
Scaling the rock was no easy feat, so I sent Fiachna ahead to scout. When she returned, her keen eyes had taken in more than we could from below. At the summit, the remains of long-abandoned ruins sprawled across the cliffside, crumbling with age. And the creatures above? Not wyverns, as we had expected, but dragonnels—sleek, dragon-like beings.
 
Climbing would slow us down, so I embraced a more... efficient method. With a whisper of magic, my form shifted and twisted, chitinous legs replacing my own. Eight sharp limbs clung to the rock as I transformed into a giant spider, allowing me to skitter effortlessly up the cliffside.
 
As we neared the summit, the dragonnels took notice of us. They didn’t attack, nor did they flee. Instead, they watched with wary eyes—until Alistan called out to them. At his voice, the creatures recoiled and slunk deeper into the ruins, vanishing into the shadows.
 
We followed.
 
Among the cracked stones and overgrown pathways, we finally got close enough to approach one. Alistan spoke gently, asking if any of them had fallen ill, and if they were alone in these ruins. The answer was reassuring. No, none of them were sick. And no, no one else lived here.
 
Before we could press for more answers, a thunderous roar shattered the silence.
 
From above, three diseased wyverns came shrieking down in a frenzy of wings and fury, their bodies twisted and maddened by the plague. They weren’t just hunting the dragonnels—they were out for blood.
 
We barely had time to react before the battle was upon us.
 
Steel clashed, spells crackled through the air, and the wyverns’ tails lashed with deadly precision. They fought like creatures with nothing to lose, their movements wild and reckless. Luke and Alistan both took venomous stings before we managed to strike the creatures down, leaving their corpses broken on the ancient stone.
 
Liliana and I worked quickly, drawing on every ounce of magic and skill we had to keep the venom and disease from taking hold. We weren’t about to lose our brothers here.
 
Once the danger had passed, we set the wyverns’ corpses ablaze. We had seen enough of this plague to know better than to leave their bodies intact.
 
Only then did we finally have a chance to breathe—to take in the ruins around us. The dragonnels had disappeared into hiding, and for the first time, we were truly alone among the remnants of whatever civilization had once stood here.
 
At the far end of the square, nestled into the rocky cliffside, stood a massive bronze gate. It wasn’t just any gate—its surface was adorned with the engraving of a copper dragon, its wings spread wide in a silent display of power. My pulse quickened. Had we just stumbled upon the lair of a dragon? The iconography matched the ancient symbols we’d seen scattered through the ruins the day before.
 
Luke stepped forward, his fingers weaving through the air as he scanned the structure with magic. After a moment, he frowned in concentration. “The gate’s pristine,” he murmured. “There’s warding magic preserving it.”
That only deepened the mystery. If this place had truly been abandoned, then why had someone taken the trouble to preserve the entrance?
 
As we took a short rest, the discussion turned, unsurprisingly, to what we should do next. But let’s be real—there was never really a debate. No one was about to pass up the chance to explore what might be an untouched dragon’s lair.
Once we were ready, Luke dispelled the warding magic, and with practiced ease, Dadroz set to work on the lock. A few deft movements later, the massive gate groaned open, revealing a worn staircase spiraling down into the darkness below. Dust drifted up from the depths, and the air was thick with the scent of time—stale, undisturbed.
 
“No dragon’s been here for a long time,” I muttered, noting the crumbling edges of the steps.
 
We descended carefully, our footsteps echoing in the silence, until the stairs gave way to a vast chamber. To our left stood an imposing vault door, its intricate mechanisms untouched by time. To the right, a stone door bore the carved image of a knight, sword and shield at the ready. But what caught my attention most was the enormous copper dragon statue looming against the far wall. Its maw gaped open, as if frozen mid-roar, its stance poised to unleash a breath attack.
 
I didn’t trust it for a second.
 
“That looks like a trap,” I whispered, eyeing it warily.
 
After a moment’s deliberation, we chose to investigate the stone door first. It creaked open without resistance, revealing a dimly lit hallway stretching forward. We followed it for about fifty feet before stopping short—beyond us, the passage had collapsed into a mess of rubble.
 
And someone—or rather, something—was working to clear it.
 
A hulking, stone-like creature toiled at the debris, its massive hands methodically shifting fallen slabs. Its presence sent a jolt of tension through me. Elemental. Had it been left here as a guardian? Or was it simply trapped like everything else in this forgotten place?
 
One thing was certain—this mystery was only getting deeper.
 
Deciding to leave the stone creature undisturbed, we turned our focus to the vault door. Dadroz, ever the master of his craft, took his time investigating both the door and the dragon statue looming in the chamber.
 
“You were right,” he said, running a hand along the base of the statue. “It’s definitely a trap. But that’s not all.” He pressed against a nearly invisible seam in the stone. “It’s also hiding a passage.”
 
That was promising, but first—the vault.
 
Dadroz set to work, his fingers deftly working the lock. The mechanism clicked open so easily that even he looked momentarily surprised. With a low groan, the vault door swung outward, revealing a cavern bathed in a dim, eerie light.
And at the heart of it—a dragon’s hoard.
 
A vast mound of gold and glittering gems dominated the chamber, flanked on either side by two pools of acid, their surface bubbling faintly. Against the right-hand wall, a knight’s statue sat atop a stone throne, its once-proud features long worn away by time.
 
Luke swept his hand over the room, magic shimmering in his gaze. “Two magical auras in the hoard,” he announced. “And some sort of protective magic, too.” His attention shifted to the knight’s statue. “The crystal it’s holding—there’s magic in that as well. I think it could be the key to opening the hidden passage.”
 
We should have focused on that first. But after so much cautious poking around, I was impatient to keep moving. The others lingered near the statue, debating our next move, while I stepped forward toward the pile of treasure.
The moment my fingers brushed the gold, the hoard came alive.
 
A skittering, chittering sound filled the air as a tide of scarabs erupted from the coins, swarming toward me in a glittering, nightmarish wave. At the same time, the acid pools rippled violently, and from their depths, two oozing horrors rose, their gelatinous forms shifting and stretching as they surged forward.
 
The fight was a blur. I tried to retreat, but the swarm was faster—chitinous bodies clawing at my skin, mandibles tearing through cloth. I remember striking out, the sharp bite of pain, and then—Darkness.
 
When I came to, the battle was over. Liliana and Gael knelt beside me, their faces tight with worry. Across the chamber, Alistan was being helped up as well, looking just as worse for wear.
 
I groaned, pushing myself upright. “Well,” I muttered, spitting out dust and something that tasted unpleasantly like bug shells. “That was stupid.”
 
Dadroz smirked. “Glad you finally said it.”
 
At least now, the path forward was clear. And this time, I’d be a little more careful.
 
We settled down to rest, tending to our wounds and catching our breath before pressing on. The crystal we had retrieved from the knight’s statue fit perfectly into a hidden mechanism, and with a deep, grinding sound, the statue shifted aside, revealing a passage beyond.
 
A massive pool of acid stretched out before us, its surface swirling with toxic green currents. A spiraling stone staircase wound down into the depths, slick with moisture and timeworn cracks. The moment we stepped forward, the acid below churned violently, and from its depths, something enormous and writhing lashed out—a massive ooze, its semi-liquid form slithering up the walls, reaching for us.
 
The others wasted no time, using magic to propel themselves down to safety before the creature could strike. I, on the other hand, was not keen on being left behind as it loomed ever closer.
 
So I jumped.
 
Right into Liliana’s arms.
 
She staggered slightly as she caught me, but her grip was steady. On impulse, I pressed a quick kiss to her cheek in gratitude.
 
Liliana froze, her normally pale skin flaring red like a struck match. I smirked. That reaction alone almost made getting swallowed by an acid monster worth it.
 
With the creature still writhing above us, we hurried on. The winding stairway finally leveled out, opening into a vast cavern with dark tunnels branching off in different directions. Stalactites hung like jagged teeth from the ceiling, and the air was thick with the scent of damp stone.
 
And at the far end of the cavern, something strange sat against the wall.
 
It was a bizarre creature, its wide, rocky body resting on three stubby legs. At the top of its form, a gaping mouth stretched open, revealing several precious gems nestled within. Three spindly arms extended outward, each one lined with blinking eyes, constantly shifting and observing.
 
Luke frowned. “That’s a Xorn,” he murmured. “An elemental creature. They’re drawn to gemstones like moths to flame.”
 
Alistan, ever the diplomat, stepped forward to try and speak with it. The Xorn barely reacted, its eyes flickering in his direction before losing interest entirely. It simply sat there, unbothered, as if our presence was as insignificant as a breeze passing through.
 
Meanwhile, Gael crouched near the cavern floor, his sharp gaze scanning the dust and debris. “Tracks,” he announced. “Rust monsters.”
 
Alistan groaned. Liliana let out a quiet curse.
 
Rust monsters were bad news, especially for those of us wearing metal armor. And considering that included both Alistan and Liliana, the two exchanged a glance of mutual dread.
 
“Well,” I said with a grin, “at least they won’t be interested in me.”
 
Alistan shot me a withering look. “Glad one of us finds this funny.”
 
I shrugged. “Hey, if you need help carrying all that armor back in pieces, just let me know.”
 
Liliana sighed, rubbing her temples. “Let’s just hope we don’t run into them.”
 
But with our luck? That hope was probably in vain.
 
As we ventured deeper into the cavern’s twisting tunnels, our footsteps echoed against the damp stone walls. The air grew cooler, carrying a faint metallic tang. It wasn’t long before we stumbled upon a statue of a dwarf, its weathered form standing proudly atop a stone plinth. The base of the statue bore an inscription, its words carved in deep, deliberate strokes:
 
“A glimmer of frost from depths untold,
A timeless spark that can’t be controlled.
Reflecting light with every glance,
This gem’s allure, a mesmerizing dance.”
 
We barely had time to ponder its meaning before the air around us thickened, swirling into a sickly green mist. Without warning, the fog condensed into writhing, acidic tendrils and lashed out.
Luke reacted instantly, his magic surging forward to dispel one of the creatures before it could do any damage. The other was cut down just as swiftly, fading into nothingness as our weapons and spells tore through it.
With the threat gone, we turned our attention back to the statue. Luke placed the crystal we had retrieved into the dwarf’s outstretched hand, but nothing happened.
 
I frowned, rereading the inscription. A puzzle, just like the trials we had faced for the Heart of Flame. “I think we need a specific gem,” I said, stepping back to take in the statue as a whole. “If I’m right, there are probably more of these scattered throughout the cavern—each one requiring a different gemstone.”
 
With that in mind, we pressed on.
 
Sure enough, after navigating a series of winding tunnels, we came across another statue—nearly identical to the first, save for the inscription carved into its base:
 
“In nature’s embrace, a lush green gleam.
A gem of balance, it does seem.
Symbol of life and prosperity bloom,
This treasure shines, dispelling gloom.”
 
Another test. Another missing gem.
 
Deeper still, we found a third statue, the last one we would encounter. Its inscription read:
 
“A fiery heart, a passion’s blaze.
In hues of red, its beauty ablaze.
A symbol of love, desire, and power,
This gem reigns supreme every hour.”
 
Three statues. Three missing gems. And no clue where they were hidden.
 
We continued forward, the cavern opening up into a vast chamber, the ground splitting apart into a yawning chasm. The moment Alistan stepped inside, a rustling noise filled the air—followed by the skittering of clawed feet.
 
Rust monsters.
 
They burst from the shadows in a blur of reddish-brown shells and twitching antennae, launching themselves straight at Alistan. He barely had time to raise his weapon before they were upon him, their mandibles clamping onto his armor.
We sprang into action. The creatures were quick, but they didn’t stand a chance against us. By the time the fight was over, their chitinous bodies lay motionless on the cavern floor.
 
Alistan, however, looked less than victorious. He ran a hand over his breastplate, his fingers brushing against fresh patches of corrosion.
 
“I hate these things,” he muttered.
 
We pressed on, following the path the last of the rust monsters had tried to flee down. It led us into yet another massive chamber, the air thick with the acrid scent of acid. Twin pools of the bubbling green liquid flanked the cavern, their surfaces shifting with ominous ripples.
 
At the far end, a small island rose from the cavern floor, its rocky surface untouched by the acid. And at its very center, perched atop an ornate pedestal, lay a glimmering, light-blue gem—larger than a clenched fist. The moment our eyes landed on it, a thrill of discovery shot through me. This was the first gem we had found in these caverns, aside from the ones embedded in the Xorn’s gaping maw.
 
Alistan took a cautious step forward, but before he had even made it halfway, a voice thundered through the cavern, echoing off the walls.
 
“Go back! You are not welcome here!”
 
We froze. The owner of the voice was nowhere to be seen, the words seeming to come from the shadows themselves. A warning. A threat.
 
Rather than push forward blindly, we took a step back, regrouping. Luke, ever the problem solver, called forth his boggle familiar, instructing it to use its portal ability to snatch the gem. The tiny fey creature skittered forward, its fingers twitching with anticipation. But the moment it reached for the gemstone, an invisible force repelled it, sending it stumbling back with a startled yelp.
 
“The whole island is warded,” Luke muttered, his brows furrowing.
 
We tried a few more methods to bypass the barrier, each as unsuccessful as the last. Then, with a gurgling hiss, one of the acid pools bubbled violently.
 
A figure rose from its depths. It was cloaked and hooded, but its form was… wrong. The folds of its robes clung to its body like liquid, shifting and oozing with every movement. Two milky-white eyes glowed from beneath the hood, locked onto us with simmering hostility.
 
An ooze master.
 
It didn’t hesitate. “This place has been claimed,” it snarled, its voice thick and wet with malice. Its gaze settled on Luke, recognizing him as the one leading our attempts to retrieve the gem. “Leave. Now.”
 
Gael, always the peacemaker, immediately suggested that we listen. “It’s not worth the fight,” he said, his hand hovering near his weapon but not drawing it.
 
Luke scoffed. I knew that look in his eyes—sharp, determined, unwavering. When my brother set his sights on something—whether it was a rare gemstone or a beautiful woman—nothing could sway him.
“We’re not leaving without that gem,” Luke said, folding his arms.
 
Gael sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. “At least let’s rest before we do anything reckless.”
 
Luke hesitated—only for a moment—but in the end, he nodded. “Fine. But we’re not wasting too much time sitting around.”
 
We found a small alcove near the cavern’s edge and settled in, knowing full well that the real fight was yet to come.
 
After a brief rest to regain our strength, we reentered the cavern, ready to face the ooze master.
 
The moment we stepped inside, the pools of acid began to churn. Then, with a sickening squelch, several small, quivering oozes slithered out of the bubbling liquid, their gelatinous bodies pulsing with an eerie psychic energy. They lashed out at Liliana first, striking with unsettling precision.
 
Alistan didn’t hesitate. Sword in hand, he charged straight for the cloaked figure, meeting it head-on. The ooze master barely reacted at first, simply raising a hand. Then, with a whisper that slithered through the air like poison, it conjured a swirling cloud of sickly green fog.
 
Cloudkill.
 
The cavern filled with a roiling, toxic mist, swallowing half our group in an instant. Visibility was gone. I could barely make out the shifting shadows of my allies beyond the thick haze. Coughs and strangled cries echoed through the cavern, and the unmistakable sound of bodies hitting the stone floor sent a spike of panic through me.
 
Liliana and Alistan were down.
 
As Dadroz struck the final blow, his blades flashed in the dim light, slicing clean through the ooze master’s form, the cloud dissipated and I rushed forward to send healing magic through Liliana and Alistan’s bodies, putting them back on their feet. The creature let out a sickening, gurgling screech before dissolving into a puddle of thick, viscous slime.
 
The battle was over. But we were in no condition to celebrate.
 
Drained of magic and barely holding ourselves together, we decided to set up camp right there amidst the acid pools, postponing our attempt to claim the gem until morning.