Adaly gets back up to the floor Sam and Livia are at. Sam is looking defeated, kneeling next to the unconscious Livia. Adaly starts to lift Livia “I cannot lift her myself Sam….” Adaly says and that helps Sam snap out of his stillness, and he starts helping her bringing Livia to the top floor.
“Get the wellspring ready, I will check out the next room.” Adaly says and sneaks further. The air tastes salty and bitter, and it is getting harder and harder to breathe. Suddenly she starts hearing a heartbeat. It is very unnerving, but it must mean they are close their goal. The hall is a death end, but the smell is coming up from a chimney. The chimney going towards the sound of the heartbeat. Adaly decides to turn around and the party enters the wellspring.
Adaly smiles at Sam “Just go sleep darling…” Sam nods grabs his bedroll and falls asleep before rolling it out, making Adaly chuckle. Adaly goes to make Livia comfortable before she grabs something to drink and gives some to Amara and Gevaudan as well.
“So…. It sounds like the next stint of the journey is the end of the Leviathan. Which means we have a bonus day. What would you guys like to do?” Adaly says. Gevaudan just lifts his shoulders, and Amara considers it. “What would you suggest?” Adaly looks down, feeling a sadness coming over her “Killing somethings, scaring the living crap out of people, drinking…. I don’t know.” Amara chuckles “That sounds entertaining, but risky… Let me just think about it.” Adaly nods in agreement and they go to sleep.
Adaly wakes up, and kindly smiles at Livia, who kindly smiles back. “So, how do you feel?” Adaly asks and Livia rubs her head “Being knocked out is never nice, but thank you for the set up.” Adaly smiles “Of course… did you think a bit about what I asked?” Adaly asks insecurely and Livia smiles sadly.
“Yes… Still think it is option E, but if you feel strongly feel about it. I will of course not stand in your way.” Livia says and Adaly smiles. “Thank you, and please keep this a secret from Sam… He already worries too much.” Livia rubs her head once more, but nods in agreement.
Adaly goes into her bag, “Livia, please take this… it is an Ioun stone that will bring you back up if you go down today…. You are our main healer, we need you up and running” Livia takes it and gives Adaly a grateful look.
Not long after the rest of the party wakes up. Adaly tells them about the bonus day that they have. They decide to help Heskeni get access to the vault, so once they are done here, they will go to Ingry.
They reappear in the Leviathan and they all make masks for their faces. To block the fumes of the chimney in the next room. They fly down the chimney, the heartbeat getting increasingly louder.
There are some loose demonic limbs blocking their path, but they make quick work of them. They find the room with the last heart and the portal to the seventh hell. Adaly feels the corruption of the Leviathan increasing. The heartbeat increasingly loud, making her nauseous.
“So, we need to cut the veins in a certain order. I am fastest so I will cut 1 and 3. Amara is second fastest so she will cut 2 and 5. Livia you will go for 4 and 6, and for the final 2 lets see at that moment. Livia here take the gem to stabilize the portal. You are a bit slower than me and Amara so once you cut 6, which is next to the portal, stay there and stabilize the portal once we are done. Gevaudan and Sam, there are more of the demonic limbs, floating arms, in the room. Please keep them distracted.” Adaly lays out the plan and all of them nod in agreement.
Adaly rushes into the room and manages to cut the first vein, before the enemies actually can react. The arms go after her when Amara sneaks in and goes in the other direction, managing cutting the second vein.
Livia rushes in as well, she starts running to the back of the chamber, however doesn’t reach the vein just yet. The men now also rush in, attacking one of the arms that went after Adaly. Adaly rushes forward, ignoring that the enemies get an attack of opportunity. Adaly feels the knife hitting her, but she rushes forward and manages to cut the third vein. Amara rushes to the other side of the room and barely reaches the fifth vein, but doesn’t cut it yet.
Livia reaches the fourth vein and cuts it, then she starts moving to the 6th vein while 2 off the limbs start following her. Gevaudan and Sam keep fighting the same one arm, Adaly is annoyed that they are not actually distracting the enemies.
The limbs surround Adaly while she was rushing to the 7th vein, while she feels the corruption of the Leviathan taking it’s toll. Amara cuts the 5th vein and starts slashing the arms surrounding Livia.
One of the arms cuts the back of Adaly’s shin, causing her to fall down. Sam rushes towards her, heals her and goes to stand defensively in front of her. Gevaudan rushes towards the 7th vein “Should I cut it?” Gevaudan asks, and Adaly says “No! First Livia.”
Livia is overwhelmed by the enemies though and cannot get to the vein, so Adaly starts moving to the sixth one when suddenly Amara falls over. Adaly dimension doors to Amara and crouches next to her “Amara, please Amara….” Adaly starts panicking grabbing her friends face before she opens her eyes again. “I am okay” Amara says but Adaly doesn’t believe it, concerned about her friend, wanting to abort the mission.
Livia cuts the 6th vein, Gevaudan the 7th and Amara rushes towards the 8th. Adaly follows her friend, fighting off the limbs. Adaly suddenly feels herself getting cold, her blood freezing, the corruption setting in, and sees Amara also being rough. Adaly just wants to grab Amara and teleport out, leaving the others, just keeping her friend safe.
Amara manages to reach the 8th vein, but fails to cut it, the blood sprays on her though and she goes unconscious once more. Adaly grabs her friend, but looks up towards Sam, the man she loves. Adaly cannot flee and save both of them, so she grabs her dagger and cuts the vein.
Adaly looks at Livia, and before Livia gets to the portal she gets hit. Adaly can tell Livia normally would have been enough to bring her down, but the Ioun stone keeps her up. Livia manages to throw the gem in the portal. A bright light fills the room, the heart stops beating and the limbs disappear.
Adaly kneels down next to Amara. A fear filling her, she cannot do this without Amara, she cannot continue withour her best friend. Adaly starts panicking when Amara opens her eyes. Adaly jumps into a hug with her friend, she feels a tear dropping down. She was so scared to lose Amara.
Being scared seems to be the only thing she can do now. She cannot keep this up, she feels so hopeless, so empty. Adaly swallows the tears that were forming. She takes a deep breath before standing up “Let’s start getting away from this thing.” And she starts casting teleportation circle.
She can feel Sam’s eyes on her, clearly he is picking up the signals that she is not doing okay, but she has to push her feelings aside. There is no time for fear or sadness, there is only the mission.
Stories of my brain 