Now hardened by battle, the party—nine in number—returned to the clearing near the Caves they had once claimed. It was a good spot: flat, with water, and close enough to strike fast.
But something had changed.
At the center of the camp, they found a statue. Two feet tall. Made of clay and stone, with a long braid of grass for hair. It held the shaft of an arrow like a staff. At its base were offerings: a jar of beer, a stack of coins.
This wasn’t debris. It was a message. Someone had tracked them.
The party packed up and moved on.
The Drums from the Swamp
They settled again, farther off, in a place that seemed safe. But just after nightfall, drumming began—low and rhythmic, coming from a swampy hollow to the south. It continued for hours.
No attack came. The noise grew monotonous.
They ate rations in silence. Sukh and Ginjo took watch with Sid, Irak, Sheng, and Shek. The foreign priests were left to rest—no one quite trusted them to stand guard. The drumming ebbed but didn’t stop until dawn.
Signs of Rot and Silence
At first light, the party moved again—away from the swamp, the caves, the shrine. They found another campsite, better sheltered, and set off for the northern wall of the canyon. Sukh had raided a cave there before.
Then—footsteps.
A bakemono, pig-faced and slack-jawed, stumbled into view. Its nose had been crushed flat. It didn’t react. It didn’t attack.
Pana, the foreign priest, stepped forward. He drew a charm from his robes and spoke words in a foreign tongue. The creature passed them by without a sound.
The cave, they decided, had been abandoned. They returned to their new camp.
The Vanishing
That night passed peacefully. Too peacefully.
Sukh and Ginjo slept long and woke late. When they stirred, half the party was gone—Irak, Shek, and the foreign priests. No note. No signs of struggle.
Ginjo found tracks, leading toward the caves.
They followed.
At the bottom of the canyon they found three bodies—one of Pana’s silent acolytes and two dog-lizard bakemono. The trail led to a low cave on the northern wall. Sukh had seen this breed there before.
Pit of Vermin
Sukh and Sheng fought back. One javelin struck Sheng hard. He staggered, nearly dead. Sukh dragged him to safety and hid him among rocks, then returned.
Four bakemono now surrounded the pit, laughing and goading the rats. Sukh raised his bow. Two quick arrows—two dead bakemono. The rest fled.
Down in the pit, Ginjo and Sid fought on. Now, with no new threats from above, they made short work of the rats. Bloodied and gasping, they climbed out on a rope.
Loss and Realization
The party regrouped.
king blindly.
They returned to Pasar.
There, they found Gwinch—and told him the worst of it: Irak was missing, likely captured, and they were not strong enough to go after her.
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