The fight continued.

Using his dark magic, Nazzeth set a heavy bell ringing so loudly that one of the fish monsters began clawing at his own head. The sound was fierce enough to kill it. Then only two remained. The larger of the two, the one who could cast spells, grabbed hold of the other and disappeared in a crackle of thunder and lightning. Lilvari, nearby, took damage. The fish monsters suddenly reapeared deep in the southern part of the carvern, where there was water and it could fight with an advantage.

Lilvari, more furious than hurt, hurried down to where they were. In a blur of speed, she cast Hex on the magic-caster with one hand while the other hand lunged forward with Cursebringer. The blade went in the monster’s neck all the way to the hilt. Before it could even hope to move away, Lilvari closed her eyes and focused on the anger roiling inside her. Cursebringer pulsed with power, nearly severing the fish monster’s head from its body.  She then arced Cursebringer around towards the last monster, but it managed to duck an instant before the sword could cleave its head off. 

Meanwhile, Dare rushed towards the stone statue and picked it up. The moment his fingers made contact, a cold chill rushed through his body. Darkness edged in from the periphery of his vision, and he heard terrifying sounds that can only be described as evil. He managed to push the feeling aside. He knew this thing had to be destroyed.

Mystic, who was still in the form of a crocodile, dove underwater and tore a large chunk of meat from the last fish monster. It howled in pain, and its blood clouded the water. Even so, she was able to see  through it to what lie beneath. Five spherical objects floated a few feet from the silty bottom —  arranged in a circular pattern. In the center, she could just make out the shape of a body. It, too, was tied down, and it wasn’t moving. Mystic quickly transformed back into her elven form and shouted to everyone what she’d found.

Droop headed in that direction, but the fish moster blocked his path. Droop fired his shortbow at the monster. An arrow grazed it, infuriating it more than causing damage. The monster retaliated by throwing its harpoon at Droop, catching him in the chest. The monster pulled Droop forward, but Droop was able to get free and avoid further damage. Ultorin, who was close by, saw the perfect opportunity. He called forth his psionic blade and hit his mark — right behind the fish monster’s gills. With a sparkle of purple light, the blade pushed  through its head, killing it instantly. The fight had been won.

Ultorin and Lilvari headed to where Mystic had pointed — below the surface of the water to the sea floor.  They could see that the spherical objects were eggs, and that the creatures inside had hatched. The leathery green eggs were tied to the sea floor, as was the body centered among them. Five, black tadpole-like creatures the size of kittens were crawling over the body, taking chunks of meat as they went. Quickly, Lilvari cut the body free, and Ultorin rushed it to the surface. But it was too late. On land, they could see that it was the body of a female human in her twenties, and she was dead.

After placing her on dry land, Ultorin proceeded to tear the creatures free and step on them one by one. Then he removed the shiny, dark blue cloak that covered her head. The woman, they could see, had long, whispy red hair and a splash of freckles. It was Tasha Tresendar.  In their rush to aid her, they threw the cloak aside, not giving it a second glance. Both Mystic and Nazzeth tried resurrecting her with their magic, but it was to no avail. She’d been dead for several hours, and nothing could bring her back. They searched her. The gold ring she wore was pocketed by Nazzeth.

Lilvari decided to bring the body back to the thief once the cave was searched for loot. There was quite a bit of treasure to be found including coin, gems and a few magical items. Only Dare and Nazzeth stayed behind once everyone had gone. There was still a job to do. The statue was definitely an object of evil and had to be destroyed. Nazzeth recognized it as an idol of Demogorgon. Dare placed it on top of his powder keg and lit the fuse. He and Nazzeth dove into the water. Fifteen seconds later, an explosion rocked the area. The cave shook. Stone crumbled and fell all around them. When it was quiet, Dare and Nazzeth surfaced. The statue, though severely damage, was still intact. It still glowed with the same sickish, green light.

Nazzeth decided to try something else. He levitated it thirty feet above the cave floor and proceeded to slam it from wall to wall and floor to ceiling. Bits of rock tore away and the light diminished. He continued until it was nothing but a lightless, pile of rubble. They then made there way to join the others.

The thief was overwhelmed with grief at the loss of Tasha. The adventurers sat with him while he slowly composed himself. After a time, the resolve within him overcame the grief. He promised them that he’d carry on, that he’d rebuild The Whisperers in Tasha’s name.  He searched her hand, looking for the ring, but it wasn’t there. Lilvari cast a quick glance at Nazzeth who didn’t seem to notice or pretended not to. 

The thief, thankful for their help, decided to give them the box containing Hampton’s ashes. He brought them to the large bedroom and pushed aside one of the broken beds. The dirt wall behind seemed to be bulging out ever so slightly. The thief dug at it until a small metal door was revealed. There was no lock or handle to be seen. The thief placed both hands on the door, closed his eyes and muttered a few arcane words. A loud knocking sound echoed through the chamber, and when he removed his hands, the door swung opened. Ultorin watched all this with amazement.

The thief took the small wooden box from inside and handed it to Lilvari. “Here,” he said. “Please, take this in thanks for your good deeds.” 

She did. She also nudged Nazzeth and mouthed at him to return the ring. Nazzeth conceded. The thief was surprised but so thankful about getting Tasha’s ring back that he didn’t question why Nazzeth had it. The thief told them that this ring also belonged to Hampton Tresendar and was passed down through the family for generations. As he held it up, Dare recognized the crest set into it as being the same one on his sword Talon. 

With that, Team Ramrod made their way out of The Whisperers’ hideout. One by one they climbed the piss-stained rope ladder, and had to squint at the bright light of day that awaited them.